The Observatory (https://observatory.journalism.wisc.edu/page/4/)
Even before he took office in 2011, Gov. Scott Walker rejected $810 million in federal stimulus funding to build a passenger rail route between Madison and Milwaukee. Now, as the state is spending millions to draw more millennials, experts say what these young people want is more trains — and other mass transit.
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.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction communications director, Tom McCarthy, a decline in enrollment often means a decrease in funding for school districts.
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.
When you have a small school district and a limited budget, it comes down to choices, according to Kickapoo Area School District District Administrator Doug Olsen. For his district’s roughly 500 students, that often plays out in fewer electives and support staff.
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.
Based on the Wisconsin Budget Project’s analysis, Walker’s tax cuts benefited the highest income taxpayers more than lower income taxpayers. The tax cuts further benefited the wealthiest taxpayers, who already pay a smaller portion of their income in state and local taxes than poorer taxpayers, according to the Wisconsin Budget Project.
Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke claims Wisconsin has some of the toughest regulations in the nation for protecting wetlands. Is that true? The Observatory investigates.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says Wisconsin has one of the best health care systems in the country. We dive into national rankings to check out his claim.