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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Bipartisan support builds for studying nuclear power in Wisconsin

3 days ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Tom Kertscher

Reading Time: 2 minutes Wisconsin has just one nuclear power plant. Republican legislation, along with an initiative from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, could move the state toward more nuclear power. The GOP-led Senate Bill 125, introduced in March, would require the state Public Service Commission, which regulates electric and gas utilities in Wisconsin, to conduct a nuclear power siting study.
State convention gives Wisconsin Republicans a chance to reset

3 days ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Tom Kertscher

Reading Time: 2 minutes Just six months ago, the Wisconsin Republican Party was flying pretty high. Despite an unsuccessful attempt to jettison U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the GOP held its Wisconsin seats in the U.S. House and its majorities (albeit smaller) in the state Legislature. Donald Trump’s win in the Badger State put him over the top for a second term in the White House. Soon after, Brian Schimming was re-elected to a second two-year term as the party’s state chairman.
Wisconsin GOP offers clues to budget priorities that could make cut

5 days ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Jack Kelly |Margaret Shreiner

Reading Time: 5 minutes The Legislature’s Republican-controlled budget committee used its first working meeting on the state’s next two-year budget to scrap Gov. Tony Evers’ recommended spending plan — but it offered clues to which of the public’s priorities remain in the mix and which are DOA.
Does Medicare Advantage cost more than traditional Medicare?

1 week 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. The federal Medicare program spends more per beneficiary for a person on Medicare Advantage than if the person were on traditional Medicare.
Does federal government recommend 70+ vaccines for children?

1 week 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. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2025 general recommendations are that children receive about 19 vaccinations and other immunizations. Those include vaccines against polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis, tetanus and diphtheria.
8 things to know about your credit

1 week ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Princess Byers

Reading Time: 3 minutes Low credit scores are keeping some Wisconsin residents from homeownership, renting properties and even job opportunities. Reporter PrincessSafiya Byers sat down with Brenda Brown, a loan officer at Great Midwest Bank with over 20 years of experience, to find out what people should know about credit. Here’s what you should know.
Cuts to AmeriCorps leave Wisconsin programs scrambling

1 week ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Trevor Hook

Reading Time: 2 minutes Cuts to the federal volunteer program AmeriCorps are already affecting projects in Wisconsin, with one conservation agency losing more than half of its staffers this year. Earlier this month, the Trump administration effectively gutted the 30-year-old federal agency AmeriCorps after placing 85% of its staff on administrative leave and terminating nearly $400 million in federal contracts for AmeriCorps programs.
Bill seeks to ban hedge funds from buying Wisconsin houses

1 week ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Jack Kelly

Reading Time: 2 minutes A Democratic bill seeks to bring down house prices in Wisconsin by blocking hedge funds from buying single-family homes in the state. “We know that there’s an access and affordability crisis in housing right now,” lead bill sponsor Sen. Sarah Keyeski, D-Lodi, told Wisconsin Watch in an interview, calling it a nationwide problem.
Wisconsin towns want to appoint clerks instead of electing them

1 week ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Alexander Shur

Reading Time: 7 minutes A couple of years ago, Lorraine Beyersdorff was ready to retire from her job as clerk of the town of Texas, Wisconsin, after 34 years of service. “I will not run again,” she said in a community Facebook post in late 2022. “Nomination papers can be circulated for signatures beginning December 1st. If interested, call me for more information.”About a dozen people thanked her for a job well done. But no one filed nomination papers. Nobody called.
What are your rights when encountering federal agents?

1 week ago | wisconsinwatch.org | Devin Blake

Reading Time: 4 minutes The recent arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan – who is accused of obstructing a federal immigration arrest inside the Milwaukee County Courthouse – has intensified concerns over immigration enforcement and sparked questions about what rights individuals have when encountering federal agents. Here’s what to know.