Every year Wisconsin Watch produces some of the best investigative journalism in Wisconsin, and this year was no exception. We exposed a judge abusing his power to benefit a coworker, revealed how AI is helping the state catch illegal manure spreading, catalogued every book ban request in all 421 school districts and found state prisons hiring doctors with disciplinary histories.

But what made this year particularly special was the introduction of the Forward newsletter. Each week the Wisconsin Watch state team produces shorter stories about what we expect to be the big news and trends in the days, weeks and months ahead. It’s something our local media partners asked for and our state team reporters delivered.

As the year winds down, we gave each state team reporter the assignment of picking a favorite story written by another member of the team (Secret Santa style!). Here were their picks:

Conservative talk radio continues to be a powerful political tool in Wisconsin

To some, radio is a source of entertainment and information from a bygone era. They’re mistaken. Hallie Claflin’s deeply reported, authoritative story illustrates the immense and continuing influence of talk radio — especially conservative talk radio — in Wisconsin politics. The rise of former Gov. Scott Walker, the toppling of a Democratic mayor in Wausau and the deaths of certain bills in the Legislature can all be tied, at least in part, to advocacy or opposition from conservative talk radio hosts. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, the state’s most powerful Republican, makes regular appearances on broadcasts and described talk radio as being “as powerful as it’s ever been.” This story is worth your time as you look ahead to 2025.

— Jack Kelly

Why we investigated Wisconsin Pastor Matthew Trewhella

Phoebe Petrovic’s profile of militant, anti-abortion Pastor Matthew Trewhella, her first investigation as Wisconsin’s first ProPublica local reporting network fellow, was an engaging read. But I especially liked the companion piece she wrote. It’s a reader service to do this kind of story when we do a large takeout on a person or subject unfamiliar to most readers. It also might drive readers to the main story when they learn more about why we did it. It puts the readers behind the scenes a bit and has the potential to make readers feel more connected to Wisconsin Watch.

— Tom Kertscher

Here are some claims you might hear during tonight’s presidential debate — and the facts

Tom Kertscher does an amazing job with all of his fact briefs, but my favorite has to be a compilation that fact-checked presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump right before their September debate. Over the past few races, presidential campaigns have been full of misinformation. Debates are a vital time to show the reality of candidates and their beliefs. Tom’s story made sure people could accurately judge the claims both candidates were making. I learned about many new and important topics across party lines like Trump’s for-profit college, Harris’ claim about tracking miscarriages and accurate deportation statistics.

— Khushboo Rathore

DataWatch: Wisconsin incarcerates more people than its prisons were designed to hold

Khushboo Rathore’s DataWatch report detailing that the state’s prison population was at nearly 130% capacity stood out as one of my favorite pieces this year. Not only did this short story shed light on severe deficiencies in Wisconsin’s prison system, it also presented the findings in a digestible format that helped readers understand overcrowding in prisons through striking data. It’s one thing to report that Wisconsin prisons are overwhelmed, and it’s another to have the numbers that show it. This piece has the power to reshape future conversations about statewide prison reform, which is what our work here at Wisconsin Watch is all about! 

— Hallie Claflin

Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear high-profile abortion rights case, draft order shows

Jack Kelly has some of the best sourcing this newsroom has ever seen. He’s such an affable people-person, and it enables him to get coffee with anyone and everyone and build legitimate relationships that result in wild scoops, like this one. It’s a testament to his brilliance as a reporter.

— Phoebe Petrovic

Forward: Our picks for favorite politics stories of the year is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

In 2022, the percent of Wisconsin residents who had fluoridated water dropped sharply. According to data from the state’s Department of Health Services, 86.9% of residents had fluoridated water in 2021. A year later, that had dropped to 84.9%. Combining data from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency shows that, in 2024, about 83.6% of the state’s residents have fluoridated water.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that multiple communities are removing fluoride from their water systems. Opponents of fluoridated water cited a report on fluoride being harmful to children. However, the CDC named fluoridated water systems as one of the greatest health achievements of the 1900s. The CDC recommends 0.7 milligrams of water per liter, or about three drops of fluoride per 55 gallons of water.

This isn’t just a Wisconsin problem. Across the country, fluoride in water is becoming a controversial topic. Coverage from the Associated Press indicated that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push for removing fluoride from water systems is one of the inciting factors to the controversy. Kennedy is now President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the federal Department of Health and Human Services. 

According to a 2018 publication by the American Dental Association, having fluoride in water systems prevents 25% of tooth decay in children and adults. It can also help reverse tooth decay and lower dental costs for the average consumer. Annually, fluoridated water can lower the cost of dental care by over $32 per person. 

The Fluoride Action Network, an organization dedicated to ending water fluoridation, argues that fluoride is an unnecessary, toxic and dangerous chemical that should not be added to water systems. It cites a 2024 report by the HHS’s National Toxicology Program that says having twice the CDC-recommended amount of fluoride in water systems correlates with lower IQs in children. The study was not conducted with any data from the United States and does not specify that fluoride causes a lower IQ.

DataWatch: Fight against fluoride is expanding on the local and national stage is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Marquette University’s John Johnson analyzed voting data for Wisconsin’s 2024 U.S. Senate and presidential elections. “Our electorate is increasingly polarized by education,” Johnson writes.

The youngest voters in Wisconsin shifted slightly toward Republicans in both races while other age groups shifted Democratic in the Senate race and Republican in the presidential. The poorest and richest areas in Wisconsin more often vote Democratic, while the middle class areas have leaned Republican.

Wisconsin has one of highest percentages of tipped workers in the US

The Tax Policy Center’s August 2024 analysis showed that about 5% of workers in the state of Wisconsin work “tipped” jobs. The data analysis classifies tipped employees as dining room staff and the majority of people working in personal care or service jobs (nail technicians, hair stylists, etc.). In July 2024, Wisconsin’s state minimum wage for tipped workers was slightly higher than the federal standard of $2.13 per hour.

Chronic absenteeism has improved among students, but remains high

Wisconsin Policy Forum’s October 2024 analysis showed that students of all ages are chronically absent, defined as missing more than 10% of school days in a year under any circumstances.

The issue is most common at the high school level, where nearly one in four students is chronically absent. Chronic absenteeism reached a peak following the pandemic, and while the 2023 rates are lower than the 2022 rates, they have not returned to pre-pandemic norms.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

DataWatch: Rightward election shift was weaker in Wisconsin than other states is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

A reader sent Ask Wisconsin Watch a question about how the state compares with other states in various categories related to transportation, education, health care, parks and local funding. Here’s a look at how health and wellness ranks in Wisconsin.

Across various measures of health and wellness, Wisconsin ranked 22nd based on data from America’s Health Rankings’ 2023 annual report. On the horizontal axis, the graphic indicates what percentage of people in the state are impacted by the issue. The specifics of each measure can be found here. Wisconsin’s worst rankings were in obesity, housing with lead risk, racial disparities in premature death and low birthweight and excessive, heavy and binge drinking. 

Excessive drinking is the percentage of adults who reported binge or heavy drinking. Binge drinking is four or more drinks on one occasion for females and five or more drinks for males. Heavy drinking is defined as eight or more drinks per week for females and 15 or more for males.

Compared with the national average of 18.4% of adults, 21.6% of adults in Wisconsin drink excessively. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, excessive drinking can cause long-term damage to the heart, liver, pancreas and immune system. It has also been linked to multiple forms of cancer. Revisit our past coverage of Wisconsin’s deadly problem with excessive drinking.

Wisconsin also ranked 49th, tied with Michigan, for money spent on public health. The national average was $183 per person — Wisconsin and Michigan both spent $128 per person.

Wisconsin ranked well in crowded housing, cancer screenings, voter participation and high school graduation rates. The national average voter participation was 59.5% while 67.3% of eligible voters in Wisconsin participated in the last presidential and national midterm elections.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

DataWatch: Overall, Wisconsin’s health is above average in the United States is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Wisconsin’s highways were ranked 40th of the 50 states in 2022. The federal Department of Transportation collects data on the quality of road surfaces. The data analyzed here, compiled by the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), doesn’t look at the quality of local roads.

Most of Wisconsin’s surrounding states, including Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan, made significant and successful efforts to improve their road quality after having low rankings. In 1995, Minnesota was 49th of the 50 states; 56.1% of highways were acceptable at the time.

During this time, Minnesota created multiple plans and work groups to set up the road system in the state for the following 20 years. Minnesota created various organizations and commissions to support long-term investment in the state’s road systems. In 2016, it ranked seventh in the nation with 90.2% of its highway system considered acceptable. Since 1995, the worst the state has ranked was 28th in 2007.

Similarly, Illinois ranked 44th out of the 50 states in 1997 with 80% of its highway system considered acceptable. In October of that year, it proposed various improvements of the state’s road and transport systems for 1998-2000. In 2002, the state ranked 13th with 93.5% of its roads being acceptable. Illinois’ worst rank since 1998 was 32nd in 1998, 2013 and 2022.

Wisconsin’s lowest rank was 46th in 2014, with only 58% of the highway system considered acceptable. In 2018, the highway system had its highest rank at 21st in the state. That year, gubernatorial candidate Tony Evers ran on a platform of “fixing the damn roads.” Evers and the Republican-controlled Legislature have increased road funding in each of the past three budgets, but so far any results from that effort have yet to materialize in the national data.

For more details on local roads, read the Wisconsin Policy Forum’s April 2024 report.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

DataWatch: The ups and downs of Wisconsin’s highway system is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

In Wisconsin, boating accidents reported to the Coast Guard that involved drugs or alcohol were nearly 25% more likely to result in injury than accidents not involving drugs or alcohol.

Recreational boaters across the United States are required to report boating accidents that result in death, serious injury, disappearance or significant damage. The Data Liberation Project filed a public request for this data and published it as a database for outside use. The resulting data ranges from 2009 to 2023.

In Wisconsin, there have been 1,574 unique boating accidents over the 15-year period — about 100 per year. Of these accidents, about 88.7% did not have alcohol or drugs reported as a cause. 11.3% involved one or both of these causes. 

On average, accidents that involved alcohol or drugs would result in at least one death or serious injury. Half of the accidents reported to the coast guard resulted in death when alcohol or drugs were involved. This is more than 30% more often than incidents where no drugs or alcohol were involved.

Overall, when drugs and alcohol were not involved, about three in four accidents resulted in a death or serious injury.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

DataWatch: Drugs, alcohol make for deadlier boat accidents is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

U.S. Senate | U.S. House | State Senate | Assembly | Constitutional amendments

THE DISTRICT

THE NUTSHELL

Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard, faces a primary challenge from first-time candidate Darwin Behnke, Vice Chair of the Oconto County Republican Party. Dawin Behnke is the father of Rep. Elijah Behnke, R-Oconto, who was drawn into the 4th District but decided to run in the 6th District instead. Steffen was first elected to the Assembly in 2014. Jane Benson of Suamico is running as a Democrat, marking her second run for Assembly after losing to Elijah Behnke in 2022 in the 89th District. Benson will face a primary competitor from Alexia Unertl, a first time candidate.

READ MORE

Green Bay Press Gazette: GOP Rep. David Steffen announces reelection to 4th Assembly District

Green Bay Press Gazette: A look at who has said they plan to run in the Green Bay area for state Senate and Assembly in 2024

Assembly stories

Assembly District 4 is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.