Wisconsin Watch

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to investigative journalism. Our mission is to enhance both the quality and the volume of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while also providing training for current and aspiring investigative journalists. Through our efforts, we aim to promote an informed public and bolster democracy. Our team includes reporters stationed in Madison, Milwaukee, and Oshkosh, along with a strong editorial and business staff spread throughout the state. We work together and share our stories with both mainstream and specialized media outlets throughout Wisconsin and beyond.

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Immigration officials wrongfully told Wisconsin man to leave the US

6 days ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Joe Schulz

Reading Time: 3 minutes When Neenah resident Tom Frantz got a pair of identical emails last Friday, saying they were from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, he just shrugged it off at first, believing it was spam. But then, he said, he read the email more closely and was “really bothered” by the content.
Wetlands as Wisconsin flood fix backed. Could it work elsewhere?

6 days ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Madeline Heim |Caitlin Looby

Reading Time: 6 minutes In less than 10 years, three catastrophic floods ravaged northwestern Wisconsin and changed the way people think about water. The most severe, in July 2016, slammed Ashland with up to 10 inches of rain in less than a day — a month’s worth of rain fell in just two hours. As rivers swelled to record highs, major highways broke into pieces, and culverts washed away.
New era dawns for America’s disappearing wetlands

1 week ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Madeline Heim

Reading Time: 8 minutes On a sunny spring day on a farm outside St. Louis, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin celebrated a new era for America’s wetlands. Flanked by farm equipment and a large American flag, Zeldin said federal rules about wetlands, long a source of frustration for people who want to drain them to grow crops or build homes, were going to relax.
Madison clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigns amid ballot snafu probe

1 week ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Alexander Shur

Reading Time: 3 minutes Madison’s city clerk, Maribeth Witzel-Behl, resigned Monday as the city and state continued to look into how she and her staff lost track of nearly 200 ballots that never got counted in November. Witzel-Behl, who took the post in 2006, gained wide recognition for running elections in the state’s second largest city during the pandemic and multiple presidential elections. In all, she oversaw more than 60 elections.
Wisconsin bill would give candidates way off ballot besides dying

1 week ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Alexander Shur

Reading Time: 4 minutes After two high-profile cases in which candidates were unable to remove their names from the ballot, Wisconsin lawmakers are weighing a change to one of the nation’s strictest withdrawal laws. Under current Wisconsin law, once candidates qualify for the ballot, they can only be removed if they die. The restriction received renewed attention in August 2024, when Robert F.
Keep guns away from domestic abusers

2 weeks ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Edgar Mendez

Reading Time: 4 minutes As both a survivor and advocate on the issue, Natalie Hayden knows how guns can turn a domestic violence situation from dangerous to deadly. “Having that weapon just really elevates things and makes it more lethal for both parties involved,” said Hayden, co-founder of ExPOSED Inc., a nonprofit that works to empower youths and foster healthy relationships.
Madison election officials use new ways to avoid ballot oversights

2 weeks ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Alexander Shur

Reading Time: 3 minutes It is too soon to definitively say whether Madison’s April 1 election went off without any problems. But city and county election officials told Votebeat that they were confident that new absentee ballot procedures put in place after 193 ballots went uncounted in November would prevent another major error.
Did George Soros spend $100M?

3 weeks ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Tom Kertscher

Reading Time: < 1 minute Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims. Spending on the April 1 Wisconsin Supreme Court race approached $100 million or more – in total – according to reports leading up to Election Day. The WisPolitics news outlet tally was $107 million, including $2 million contributed by billionaire George Soros to the Wisconsin Democratic Party.
Madison's Yahara House serves people living with mental illness

3 weeks ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Addie Costello

Reading Time: 7 minutes Click here to read highlights from the storyYahara House, part of the nonprofit Journey Mental Health Center, is a community mental health program focused on building relationships and job opportunities. Its clubhouse model reduces hospitalizations and boosts employment in adults with serious mental illnesses, experts and advocates say. Yahara House is one of just seven clubhouses in the state and just three with international accreditation.
Is it illegal in California to require identification to vote?

3 weeks ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Tom Kertscher

Reading Time: < 1 minute Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims. In September, California adopted a law that prohibits local governments from requiring voters to present identification to vote. The law states that voter ID laws “have historically been used to disenfranchise” certain voters, including those of color or low-income.