The Universities of Wisconsin would have to provide students with around-the-clock access to virtual mental health providers under a new Republican proposal.
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Hundreds of nurses at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital in Madison say they'll go on strike next week, after months of contract negotiations.
The post Nurses at Madison’s Meriter Hospital plan strike, citing contract negotiation stalemate appeared first on WPR.
A new bipartisan bill would allow for local municipalities to decide whether to issue new tobacco bar licenses with indoor smoking for cigars and pipes.
The post New bill would allow for more cigar bars in Wisconsin appeared first on WPR.
Last week, our newsroom was intrigued by data in this Economist article showing that Wisconsin stands out nationally when it comes to its low vaccination rates for measles. It prompted a discussion about the many reasons for vaccine hesitancy and the complex challenges of maintaining trust in public health.
One thing is clear: Measles is a very infectious disease, and it’s spreading nationwide.
As of May 15 officials had confirmed 1,024 measles cases — including more than 100 hospitalizations — across 31 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Officials in 2025 have tracked almost as many measles outbreaks (defined as three or more related cases) as they did in all of 2024. Three deaths this year have been linked to measles. They included two unvaccinated school-aged children in Texas and an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico.
The outbreaks come as vaccination rates decline nationwide, particularly in Wisconsin. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine rate for Wisconsin kindergartners has plunged since 2019. But even before the COVID-19 pandemic, no county in Wisconsin had more than a 90% vaccination rate, which is traditionally associated with “herd immunity.”
Wisconsin, The Economist article noted, “is among the most permissive states for vaccine exceptions in schools, allowing opt-out for personal-conviction reasons (along with medical and religious exemptions, which most states have); parents only have to submit a written note.”
Still, Wisconsin has yet to see a measles outbreak this year. As we consider how to report on this issue, let us know what you think.
Do you have questions about measles, its vaccine or how to keep your family safe? Or do you have perspectives to share about prevention efforts in your community?
If so, fill out this brief form. Your submissions will shape the direction of our reporting and will not be shared publicly.
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Help Wisconsin Watch report on measles prevention 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.
On Tuesday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a Senate committee there was a federal "team" in the city from the CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. The Milwaukee Health Department disputed Kennedy's statement.
The post RFK Jr. claims federal ‘team’ is in Milwaukee for school lead crisis, city says there isn’t appeared first on WPR.
Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Transgender people – those who have a gender identity that differs from the sex assigned to them at birth – are not considered by medical authorities to have mental illness simply because they are transgender.
In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association revised its mental disorders manual and no longer listed being transgender as a mental disorder.
“Gender identity disorder” was eliminated and replaced with “gender dysphoria.”
Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis for the distress experienced by some whose gender identity conflicts with their sex assigned at birth.
Numerous medical groups, including the World Health Organization, have stated that being trans is not a mental disorder.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., suggested May 17 at the Wisconsin Republican Party convention that being trans is a mental illness. She said “women shouldn’t be forced to share” facilities such as bathrooms “with mentally ill men.”
Her campaign spokesperson did not provide information to support Mace’s reference to mental illness.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Is being transgender classified as a mental illness? 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.
It's a different process than other states have used to meet the mandatory testing requirements that were first announced in December. Wisconsin was one of the last states to enroll in the program this spring.
The post Wisconsin begins mandatory milk testing for avian flu appeared first on WPR.
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget includes cuts to funding for rural hospitals and health programs. The head of the state office of rural health said a myriad of cuts could lead to more hospital closures.
The post Head of health office warns of ‘slow-walking’ grants meant to help Wisconsin’s rural hospitals appeared first on WPR.
Like other types of gender-affirming care, voice therapy can help transgender people feel more at home in their bodies — and keep them safe from violence and harassment.
The post Wisconsin speech and hearing clinic helps transgender clients find their voice appeared first on WPR.
Do people have a genetic destiny, or are they more shaped by their environment and lived experiences? Wisconsin is front and center in ending the classic “nature vs. nurture” debate.
The post Wisconsin is at the center of emerging scientific field with answers to ‘nature vs. nurture’ appeared first on WPR.
Senate Republicans narrowly passed a bill Thursday that allows Wisconsin’s only private water utility to access federal funds for lead line replacement as Democrats pressed for state action amid cuts under the Trump administration.
The post Wisconsin Senate narrowly passes lead pipes bill to benefit state’s only private water utility appeared first on WPR.
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his office said Sunday. “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management," his office said.
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President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mandel Ngan - Pool/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with “a more aggressive form” of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his office on Sunday.
The statement said Biden, 82, last week was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” the statement said.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” it continued. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
The New York Times had reported on May 12 that a few days earlier, a “small nodule” was discovered on Biden’s prostate that required “further evaluation,” according to a spokesman.
According to the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer is slow-growing, the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States and the most common cancer.
Statements of support immediately began pouring in on Sunday as word spread of the diagnosis.
“Doug and I are saddened to learn of President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis,” his former vice president and the 2024 Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, said on X. “We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time. Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”
“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” President Donald Trump wrote on social media. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat who was the party’s vice presidential candidate after Biden dropped out of the race and Harris took his place at the top of the ticket, said on X that Biden was “a truly decent man and a friend.”
“Gwen and I are praying for President Biden and his family,” he wrote.
“I am saddened to hear of President Biden’s cancer diagnosis and am wishing him and his family well as he begins treatment,” Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins wrote on X.
Pete Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor who served as Biden’s Transportation secretary after running against Biden, Harris and others in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, said Biden “is a man of deep faith and extraordinary resilience.”
“Chasten and I are keeping him, and the entire Biden family, in our prayers for strength and healing,” Buttigieg wrote on X.
“Joe has been a fighter his whole life. He will prevail. Sending Dr. Jill Biden and their family my absolute support,” Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania posted on X.
“This is very sad news. Praying for his recovery,” GOP Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said on X. “We are rooting for President Biden in this fight!” former Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz wrote, reposting Luna’s post.
Biden’s doctors said he was fit and healthy enough to be president after evaluations in February, 2024.
“President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,” Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor wrote.
But by that summer, Biden’s deteriorating state — though not connected to the diagnosis disclosed Sunday — would force him out of his reelection bid.
Biden dropped out of the race for the presidency on July 21, 2024, creating an unprecedented vacancy atop the Democratic ticket one month before he was scheduled to officially accept his party’s nomination. He endorsed Harris to take his place as the Democratic nominee, and she was nominated by Democrats but lost the election to Trump.
Biden’s withdrawal came after a weeks-long pressure campaign from party insiders following a disastrous June 27, 2024, debate performance against GOP candidate Trump and rising criticism that he could not mount a winning campaign against the man he had defeated in 2020. Biden appeared frail and confused at several points during the debate, leading to worries he was no longer up to the task of governing.
After leaving the White House on Jan. 20, Biden kept a low profile and did not make public remarks until April 15, when he criticized the current administration for cutting thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration and rebutted those who have questioned the program’s relevance.
“In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has done so much damage and so much destruction. It’s kind of breathtaking it could happen that soon,” Biden said. “They’ve taken a hatchet to the Social Security Administration, pushing 7,000 employees — 7,000 — out the door in that time, including the most seasoned career officials.”
In more recent days, the publication of a book by two political reporters, CNN’s Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson of Axios, sparked controversy by its claims that those in Biden’s inner circle worked to keep his cognitive decline from public view.
Titled “Original Sin,” the book — based on interviews with what the authors said were more than 200 people, mostly Democratic insiders — included new details about the presidency, such as Biden apparently failing to recognize movie star George Clooney at a fundraiser in June 2024 in Los Angeles. Biden’s decline was such in 2023 and 2024 that use of a wheelchair was discussed, if he was reelected, the book reported.
Just Friday, the White House released audio of an interview of Biden by Department of Justice special counsel Robert Hur who issued a lengthy report concluding that while President Joe Biden “willfully retained” classified materials following his time as vice president, he would not be charged with a crime.
Hur wrote in the 388-page February 2024 report that prosecutors considered “that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
Jacob Fischler contributed to this report.
A Wisconsin-based research center focused on improving the health and safety of farmers and their children is under “existential threat” due to federal funding cuts.
The National Farm Medicine Center at the Marshfield Clinic Health System researches the causes of farm injuries and fatalities and provides education to rural communities both in Wisconsin and around the country. It’s also home to the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, one of 12 agricultural centers across the country funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH.
NIOSH is one of the federal health agencies that were demolished by mass firings under the Trump administration in April. The agency is expected to lose more than 90 percent of its staff.
The National Farm Medicine Center declined WPR’s interview request. But in a newsletter sent last month, director Casper Bendixsen said the cuts pose an “existential threat” to the program, which has relied on NIOSH funding and resources for decades.
“If these cuts hold, approximately three-quarters of the research and outreach carried out by the National Farm Medicine Center is at risk,” Bendixsen wrote in the email. “These potential losses threaten our communities on many fronts. Research, education and prevention of disease and injury in rural places cannot be ignored.”
John Shutske is an agricultural safety and health specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has been a longtime collaborator with the center in Marshfield. He said farming is a dangerous occupation, and new health issues continue to emerge as farms change, from exposure to gas from manure pits to injury risks from new farm machinery. That’s why he’s concerned about the uncertain future of grants through NIOSH and similar agencies.
“Without the continued research that’s made possible with federal funding, it would set us back,” Shutske said. “We’ve seen over the last several decades a pretty dramatic decrease overall in our farm fatality rate. And while I think (the number of deaths) would probably plateau, I don’t think we would be able to continue to make the kind of progress that we’ve had.”
Shutske said the National Farm Medicine Center is a significant resource for Wisconsin, helping to study the leading causes of farm fatalities in the state. But he said the center is known nationally for its work to create a safer environment for children on farms.
The program first developed guidelines for age-appropriate farm jobs in the 1990s, and Shutske said they’ve been instrumental in helping rural families better understand a child’s limitations when pitching in around the farm.
“(Children) may be tall enough and strong enough and physically mature enough to operate some piece of equipment, but mentally and cognitively, from a decision-making perspective, they simply are not equipped,” he said. “That whole language piece, of talking about child development as it relates to farm safety, can really be traced back in its roots to the people in Marshfield.”
Mary Miller is a retired occupational health nurse practitioner for the state of Washington who spent her career focusing on protecting children in workplaces. She said the National Children’s Center is one of the only places in the country that focuses on protecting farm kids working for their parents or another family member.
“Historically, that’s been kind of the elephant in the room, frankly, that kids are allowed to do anything and everything on a so-called family farm,” she said.
Miller said researchers in Marshfield have been key leaders in getting guidance to farm parents even when regulations haven’t addressed the issue. She said losing that resource will put children and their families at risk.
Jerry Minor, chief of the Pittsville Fire Department in rural Wood County, said his department has worked with the National Farm Medicine Center since it opened in 1981 to develop guidance for fire departments to respond safely on farms.
“The type of call we get on a farm is usually a pretty high intensity type of call, you know entrapments, severe injuries, and we don’t go to those calls very often,” he said. “We’ve helped them develop programs on how to teach firefighters to enter silos and treat tractor rollovers.”
He said they’ve also created a training program for fire departments that want to proactively work with local farms on improving safety. Rural firefighters are trained to look for common hazards and to provide producers with information on how to safely store farm chemicals or what safety equipment is needed.
More than 170 first responders in 16 states and five Canadian provinces have gone through the training, according to the program’s website.
Minor said these programs are “vital” to both first responders and farm families. He’s worried there will be no one to continue the work if the center loses funding through NIOSH.
“I’m very fearful of what might happen,” he said. “I understand being fiscally responsible, but sometimes you’ve got to sit back and take a look at the bigger picture.”
This story was originally published by WPR.
Federal cuts threaten Wisconsin farm safety center for children, rural communities 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.
Vijay Khurana's novel is based on killings that occurred in Northern British Columbia in 2019. How did that inspire him to write "The Passenger Seat"? WPR's "BETA" talked with him to find out.
The post Vijay Khurana explores male friendship and masculinity in ‘The Passenger Seat’ appeared first on WPR.
Some state Republican lawmakers hope President Donald Trump’s recent executive order restricting funding for so-called “gain-of-function” research will accomplish their goal of clamping down on what they see as dangerous pathogen studies in Wisconsin.
The post Wisconsin GOP lawmakers praise Trump order restricting funds for ‘gain-of-function’ research appeared first on WPR.
Wisconsin health advocates say proposed administrative changes to Medicaid will likely lead to fewer people maintaining health coverage and higher costs for the state.
The post Wisconsin advocates worry federal plan to increase Medicaid paperwork will lead to lost coverage appeared first on WPR.
Wisconsin residents and environmental advocates say the EPA's plans to weaken drinking water standards for PFAS will harm public health. But water groups say it gives more time to comply.
The post Wisconsin residents, groups frustrated with EPA plan to weaken PFAS standards appeared first on WPR.
As written, the bill would allow a pharmacist to dispense hormonal birth control, rather than require a user to first get a prescription from a doctor.
The post Wisconsin pharmacists could prescribe birth control under bipartisan Assembly bill appeared first on WPR.
Med Wise Rx is an education program to help older Wisconsinites communicate with their pharmacists and safely manage many prescriptions.
The post Wisconsin education program helps older adults manage prescriptions appeared first on WPR.
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