The Observatory (https://observatory.journalism.wisc.edu/category/fact-checks/page/2/)
Republican state senator and U.S. Senate candidate Leah Vukmir posted on Facebook on March 6 that the residency rule in Milwaukee “prevented highly qualified teachers, police officers and firefighters from opting to work in the city” and that “removing these barriers helps Milwaukee retain and attract many valuable workers who were once discouraged by the residency rule.” The Observatory found this claim Unobservable.
In a Jan. 24 blog post, Democratic candidate and Milwaukee businessman Andy Gronik said: “Wisconsinites will remember Walker’s failures when they go to work at that second, third or fourth job because their wages are so low that one job won’t cut it.” The Observatory checked this claim and found it to be true.
Amidst calls for tighter gun restrictions, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, addressed the notion of self-defense in a February claim, stating, “I certainly believe there are an awful lot of folks who are law-abiding who have done nothing wrong who could probably defend themselves.” The Observatory found his claim mostly false.
Since its inception in July 2011, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has offered nearly $2 billion worth of financial awards, such as tax credits, loans and grants, to support economic growth in the state. However, State Sen. Janet Bewley, D-Ashland, asserted in a statement on Feb. 9 that WEDC financial awards aren’t equally distributed throughout the state’s regions. When The Observatory ran the math, we found Bewley was right.
In response to Gov. Scott Walker’s State of the State address in January, Milwaukee attorney and Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn released a statement claiming that “Wisconsin still lags behind the rest of the country in wage growth. Adjusted for inflation, median wages today are lower than they were before (Walker) was elected.” The Observatory rates this claim as Verified.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mahlon Mitchell claims that the state spends more on its prison system than on the University of Wisconsin. We find his claim to be true.
Madison Mayor Paul Soglin has called for a moratorium on new liquor licenses downtown to reduce alcohol-related problems. He says Madison has a drinking problem. A national survey and local statistics show Soglin is right.
Currently, BadgerCare is reserved for poor residents of Wisconsin. Gov. Scott Walker claims everyone under the federal poverty level in Wisconsin is covered by the program. We find that claim to be true.
State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, says wages in Wisconsin are low, child-care costs are high and we are the worst in the country for creating new businesses. We examine her claims, and find them true or mostly true.
In a Feb. 21 tweet from his personal Twitter account, Wisconsin state Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, responded to FOX6 Milwaukee political reporter Theo Keith, writing, “The truth is school shooters almost exclusively have passed background checks.” We found that claim to be Mostly True.