Wisconsin was the first state to let some incarcerated people work in the community, allowing them to save money and pay for room and board. Today, prisoners say there aren’t nearly enough of these jobs to go around, and prison officials say they don’t keep count.
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Wisconsin Watch is a nonpartisan investigative news outlet reporting fearlessly on issues of importance to the state.
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Natalie Yahr covers pathways to success in Wisconsin. Email her at nyahr@wisconsinwatch.org.
Miranda Dunlap covers pathways to success in northeastern Wisconsin.
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New UW-Madison major will teach students to bridge partisan divides
Young people are flocking to public policy classes at a time when polarization and gridlock can paralyze legislative action. To meet the demand, the La Follette School of Public Affairs will launch its first undergrad major in fall 2026, with a focus on civil dialogue and finding common ground.
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Wisconsin high schools want to offer more college classes. First, teachers must go back to school.
School officials statewide want to give more students a jump start on college with dual enrollment classes. But they say they lack qualified teachers, and for busy teachers, grad school is a hard sell.
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Feeling lonely? Appleton’s Community Living Room offers an antidote to isolation
Karen Iverson Riggers and Lynn McLaughlin created a ‘place to just be’ staffed with people trained in emotional CPR. Community leaders across the state want to replicate their approach. Here’s what it will take.
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Beginning farmers struggle to find land. Could a new website help?
A new Republican proposal aimed at supporting small- and medium-sized farms would create a government-run website where retiring farmers could post land for sale or rent.
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Meet the teens keeping this northeast Wisconsin village from becoming a news desert
Pulaski News is a fixture of the community, a tool to prepare students for the workforce and the last official source keeping residents informed about hyperlocal happenings.
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Long wait for a dental appointment? Wisconsin tech colleges are working to fix that
A $20 million boost from the Legislature is expanding oral health training programs, aiming to ease a dental worker shortage.
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Wisconsin trails most states in college affordability: Study
The state ranked 46th in its share of public colleges considered affordable. As Wisconsin lawmakers spend less on higher education, some see tuition promise programs as part of the solution.
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Nuclear power could return to Kewaunee County. Some locals have reservations.
A decade after the Kewaunee Power Station closed, its owner wants to build a new nuclear plant on the site. Residents hope a new plant could bring economic growth, but some are concerned by the company’s lack of transparency.
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Here’s what the return of nuclear power to Kewaunee County means for Wisconsin’s workforce
Thousands of workers will be needed to construct a new nuclear plant at the Kewaunee Power Station, as well as nuclear, electrical, civil, chemical and mechanical engineers to design and operate the new reactor.