Phoebe Petrovic

United States

Investigative Reporter at Wisconsin Watch

investigative reporter @WisconsinWatch + @ProPublica Local Reporting Network; once I made a podcast called "Open and Shut"; misc: rt≠e, she/they, fan of N95s

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Articles

Wisconsin’s Name-Change Law Raises Safety Risks for Transgender People

2 weeks ago | gaysonoma.com | Phoebe Petrovic

Features/ Top Stories/ Transgender / Transsexual In 2022, after living as a boy and going by a new name for several years, a 15-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, wanted to make it official. Like most teenagers, he dreamed of getting his driver’s license, and his family wanted his government identification to reflect who he really was. But Wisconsin law has a caveat: He would have to publish his old, feminine name and new name in the local newspaper for three weeks — essentially announcing to...
Wisconsin’s name-change law has transgender people worried

2 weeks ago | captimes.com | Phoebe Petrovic

In 2022, after living as a boy and going by a new name for several years, a 15-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, wanted to make it official. Like most teenagers, he dreamed of getting his driver’s license, and his family wanted his government identification to reflect who he really was. But Wisconsin law has a caveat: He would have to publish his old, feminine name and new name in the local newspaper for three weeks — essentially announcing to the world that he is transgender.
"Madison’s best kept secret": People living with mental illness find work, care and community at a clubhouse built for them

3 weeks ago | tonemadison.com | Phoebe Petrovic

This story was produced by Wisconsin Watch in partnership with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. Update, April 18, 2025: After this story was published, the family of a transgender boy who changed his legal name at 15 years old learned a judge approved their request to retroactively seal his name-change documents. Wisconsin state Sen.
State Supreme Court upholds governor's 2023 partial vetoes on school funding

3 weeks ago | civicmedia.us | Savanna Tomei-Olson |Phoebe Petrovic |Lisa Hale |Dan Shafer

MADISON, Wis. (Civic Media) – The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that Governor Tony Evers’ 2023 partial vetoes extending per-student funding increases for school districts for 402 years did not violate the state constitution. The opinion was released Friday, with the court’s four liberal justices ruling in favor of Evers.
Trump’s War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change and More

3 weeks ago | propublica.org | Alec MacGillis |Phoebe Petrovic |Chris Bing |Avi Asher-Schapiro

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. More children ages 1 to 4 die of drowning than any other cause of death. Nearly a quarter of adults received mental health treatment in 2023, an increase of 3.4 million from the prior year.
Wisconsin’s name-change law raises safety risks for transgender people

3 weeks ago | jsonline.com | Phoebe Petrovic

In 2022, after living as a boy and going by a new name for several years, a 15-year-old from Madison wanted to make it official. Like most teenagers, he dreamed of getting his driver’s license, and his family wanted his government identification to reflect who he really was. But Wisconsin law has a caveat: He would have to publish his old, feminine name and new name in the local newspaper for three weeks — essentially announcing to the world that he is transgender.
Idaho Gave Families $50M to Spend on Private Education. Then It Ended a $30M Program Used by Public School Families.

3 weeks ago | propublica.org | Audrey Dutton |Phoebe Petrovic |Stacy St. Clair |Jodi S. Cohen

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. Just weeks after creating a $50 million tax credit to help families pay for private school tuition and homeschooling, Idaho has shut down a program that helped tens of thousands of public school students pay for laptops, school supplies, tutoring and other educational expenses.
Your Weekly Wrap Up!

3 weeks ago | civicmedia.us | Savanna Tomei-Olson |Jimmie Kaska |Phoebe Petrovic |Lisa Hale

BlogIt was another fun week on the radio, thanks to YOU! Here’s some of what we did. Played a ton of great music!Half of married couples say they never mix their dirty clothes with their spouse. They wash them separately. Nabisco bakes about 18-billion Cheese Nips every year. The average cellphone user “panics” when their phone battery gets below 38 percent.
Severe Thunderstorms Set To Spark Southeast

3 weeks ago | waukradio.com | Stuart J. Wattles |Savanna Tomei-Olson |Jimmie Kaska |Phoebe Petrovic

MADISON, Wis. (CIVIC MEDIA) – Spring time brings the threat for severe weather and it’s lining up on a holiday weekend with higher travel expected. A low pressure system is headed into Wisconsin, dragging showers and some thunderstorms with it. These start Thursday and bring the risk for hail and gusty winds. Moderate rain is expected with totals around 0.50″. Some areas northwest may see heavier rain, nearing 1.0″ or more. It’s needed for a green up to start and planting season to progress.
Wisconsin’s Name-Change Law Raises Safety Risks for Transgender People

4 weeks ago | propublica.org | Phoebe Petrovic |Doug Bock Clark |Erin Rhoda |Jennifer Smith Richards

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Wisconsin Watch. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. Lawyers said Wisconsin’s public name-change process creates a dataset of likely transgender people, exposing them to risks of discrimination, harassment or violence.