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Wisconsin Watch
@wisconsinwatch.org
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A nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom working to provide journalism that keeps Wisconsin's communities strong, informed and connected.

👉 Visit us at wisconsinwatch.org
💸 Support us at wisconsinwatch.org/support-wisconsin-watch/
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Wisconsin Watch @wisconsinwatch.org · Dec 2
TODAY is #GivingTuesday. Most #LocalNews in Wisconsin is behind a PAYWALL. Ours is free because of people like you. If you aren't a supporter yet, please consider becoming one today. If you can't afford to give this year, help this message reach as many people as possible by reposting.
wisconsinwatch.org Wisconsin Watch @wisconsinwatch.org · Dec 1
Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday. Free, independent local news supports every other worthy cause by helping communities stay informed and connected. Will you help us do more for Wisconsin in 2026? Thanks to matching funds, whatever you can afford to give will have twice as much impact. ❤️
Support Wisconsin Watch
Now more than ever, Wisconsin needs fearless, independent reporting. When you support Wisconsin Watch, you are fueling nonpartisan investigative journalism that holds power to account and connects …
wisconsinwatch.org
wisconsinwatch.org
A Shorewood judge has ruled that a man who intentionally tested the limits of public access along Lake Michigan’s shoreline trespassed on private property.

Read the full story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Noe Goldhaber
Wisconsin Watch

Joe Timmerman
Wisconsin Watch
January 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Wisconsin Watch is proud to take part in the very first Local News Day, happening nationwide on April 9, 2026.

Let’s show up for the reporting that keeps facts accessible and accountability strong across Wisconsin.

#LocalNewsDay #WisconsinWatch #LocalJournalism #PublicService #Accountability
January 29, 2026 at 6:30 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Two Ukrainian doctors fled war to protect their daughter. Nearly four years later, they’re still working to rebuild their medical careers in Wisconsin.

Read the full story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Natalie Yahr
Wisconsin Watch

Photos by Joe Timmerman
Wisconsin Watch
January 29, 2026 at 6:01 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Student loan debt can feel overwhelming, but experts say it does not have to keep students from pursuing higher education.

Read the full story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Natalie Yahr
Wisconsin Watch

#StudentLoans #HigherEducation #CollegeAccess #Wisconsin #FinancialAid
January 29, 2026 at 5:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
*LIVE EVENT* - Communities across Wisconsin are facing a growing shortage of 911 dispatchers, a quiet crisis that affects how quickly help arrives when people need it most.

Registration is free and questions can be submitted in advance.

Register HERE to attend:
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
January 29, 2026 at 4:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
The Madison suburb of DeForest announced it will not move forward with a proposed $12 billion data center, saying the project is “not feasible.”

Read the full story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/defo...

By Tom Kertscher
Wisconsin Watch

#Wisconsin #LocalGovernment #DataCenters #Transparency
January 28, 2026 at 5:53 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Student loan borrowers across Wisconsin are facing a confusing moment, and many are feeling overwhelmed.

Read the full story:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Natalie Yahr
Wisconsin Watch

#StudentLoans #StudentDebt #HigherEducation #WisconsinNews #CollegeAccess #PublicPolicy
January 28, 2026 at 3:01 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
With fewer than 200 days until Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor, the race remains wide open, with multiple candidates and no clear front-runner emerging yet.

Read the full story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/in-w...

By Brittany Carloni
Wisconsin Watch

Photo by Joe Timmerman
January 28, 2026 at 12:00 AM
wisconsinwatch.org
At least four Wisconsin communities signed nondisclosure agreements for billion-dollar data center projects. Public awareness was limited for months or longer.

Read the full investigation:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Tom Kertscher
Wisconsin Watch

#Wisconsin #DataCenters
January 27, 2026 at 10:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
As immigration enforcement intensifies in neighboring states, Wisconsin residents and leaders are paying closer attention to what those changes could mean closer to home.

Read the story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/as-i...

By Paul Kiefer
Wisconsin Watch
January 21, 2026 at 10:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
A rural town in northeast Wisconsin has pushed back against a proposed data center development, highlighting the growing tension between large-scale technology projects and local land-use priorities.

Read the story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/kewa...

By Miranda Dunlap
Wisconsin Watch
January 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Wisconsin lawmakers held more than 30 public meetings and two Assembly floor sessions at the Capitol last week without any live-streamed, recorded or archived video available to the public.

Read the full story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Brittany Carloni
Wisconsin Watch
January 21, 2026 at 3:02 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Across Wisconsin, immigrant workers and employers are navigating growing uncertainty as federal immigration policy shifts and enforcement changes reshape hiring, retention and long-term workforce planning.

Read the full story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/skil...

By Paul Kiefer
Wisconsin Watch
January 20, 2026 at 10:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Community leaders and advocacy organizations in Milwaukee are urging residents to prepare for the possibility of increased ICE activity in Wisconsin, following recent unrest in Minneapolis and the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent.

Read the story here:
milwaukeenns.org/2026/01/18/f...
January 19, 2026 at 3:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Do the majority of Americans use social media to get health information? More Americans are turning to social media for health information, but many remain unsure about what they can trust.

Read the fact brief here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/heal...

By Tom Kertscher
Wisconsin Watch
January 16, 2026 at 6:02 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
As Wisconsin’s population ages and fewer traditional college students enroll, UW–Green Bay is finding new ways to meet the moment by welcoming older adults into classrooms and learning programs.

Read the story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Miranda Dunlap
Wisconsin Watch
January 14, 2026 at 10:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Wisconsin’s state government is in the midst of an ongoing effort to shrink its physical footprint and modernize how public services are delivered.

Read the story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Brittany Carloni Wisconsin Watch

#WisconsinWatch #PublicPolicy #Election2026
January 12, 2026 at 10:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Who has the right to walk along Lake Michigan’s shoreline? A Wisconsin man is challenging a trespassing citation in hopes of pushing courts to reconsider how shoreline access works in this state.

Read the story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Dan Egan for Wisconsin Watch
January 9, 2026 at 6:02 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
Falls through the ice on Wisconsin lakes are being reported more often, and warming winters are only part of the story.

Read the story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Jess Miller
Wisconsin Watch

#Wisconsin #PublicSafety #ClimateChange #WinterSafety #OutdoorRecreation
January 9, 2026 at 3:01 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
As energy costs rise, nonprofit groups across Wisconsin are stepping in with a simple but powerful form of support: firewood.

Read the story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

By Bennet Goldstein
Wisconsin Watch

#Wisconsin #RuralCommunities #EnergyAssistance #NonprofitWork #CommunityCare
January 8, 2026 at 9:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
At Wisconsin Watch, we practice solutions journalism by taking a clear-eyed look at how responses to real problems are actually working.

Read the story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

by Jen Zettel-Vandenhouten at Wisconsin Watch

#WisconsinWatch #SolutionsJournalism #Education
January 8, 2026 at 3:03 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
A charter high school in Appleton is working to prepare students for skilled trades through hands-on learning, but sustaining the effort has proven challenging.

Read story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2025/12/wisc...

By Miranda Dunlap
Photo by Mike Roemer
January 5, 2026 at 9:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
In 2025, Wisconsin Watch published dozens of fact briefs designed to answer simple yes or no questions with clarity, evidence and context.

Read the full roundup here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2025/12/wisc...

By Tom Kertscher
Photo by Joe Timmerman

#Wisconsin #FactChecking #CivicInformation
December 26, 2025 at 7:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
In 2025, Wisconsin Watch experienced a year of visual firsts that reshaped how stories were told across the state.
December 23, 2025 at 3:00 PM
wisconsinwatch.org
A new village being built in Sheboygan County is reimagining what life with dementia can look like in the United States.

Read the story here:
wisconsinwatch.org/2025/12/livi...

By Addie Costello
Photo by Angela Major WPR

#Wisconsin #HealthCare #Aging #Dementia #CommunityCare
December 22, 2025 at 9:30 PM