The Observatory (https://observatory.journalism.wisc.edu/page/5/)
Gov. Scott Walker touted “historic” investments to K-12 funding in Wisconsin’s 2017-19 budget. However, state Sen. Janet Bewley, D-Ashland, immediately pushed back against Walker’s claim. We check her facts.
In September 2017, Gov. Scott Walker signed the Wisconsin state budget for 2017-19. State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, tweeted “we made historic investments in k12 education, with increases of over $200 per pupil each year totaling over $630 million.” The Observatory decided to fact-check Fitzgerald’s claims.
“Why are we spending $8 million on advertising to persuade people to come back to Wisconsin?” State Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, asked on Jan. 24. We check out her claim that the state will spend $8 million on advertising to persuade people to come back to the state.
Republican Leah Vukmir tweeted on Jan. 24 that since Republicans took control of the legislative and executive branches of government in 2011, they have saved Wisconsin taxpayers more than $8 billion. The Observatory addressed the claim to see if the Republican-controlled government has already saved taxpayers more than $8 billion since the party took control in 2011.
The plan has split state political leaders on the value of the $3 billion taxpayer subsidy to the Taiwanese flat-screen plant in southeastern Wisconsin
Both of the recounts in Wisconsin did not change the original outcome and history shows this is usually the case. Yet both parties assure that recounts are vital.
When I work with young journalists trying to develop a grounding in ethics, I tell them the word is often misunderstood. “I don’t really have a rubber stamp to say something is or is not ethical,” I say, arguing instead that ethics is about reasoning and coming to justifiable conclusions in difficult cases.
New outreach efforts, new message seek to bolster support for the state’s flagship university beyond Madison.
State Senate District 10 has unfailingly voted for Republican Sen. Sheila Harsdorf for the past 16 years, despite sometimes shifting to vote for Democratic presidential candidates. The Observatory dug deeper to find out why Harsdorf has been consistently so successful.
Across Wisconsin, 13 counties — from all parts of the state — have voted for Democrats and Republicans alike. Experts say the factors include turnout, changes in news consumption and the narrowed focus of the Democratic Party to Madison and Milwaukee.