Can you safely walk around your city? Many Wisconsin residents can’t. The vast majority of our state’s cities fall short of walkability, according to Seattle-based walkability metric Walk Score. Apart from Milwaukee, which ranks at 24th most walkable large to mid-sized city in the nation and receives a “somewhat walkable” score, every ranked city in […]
Category: Economy
Posted inEconomy, Government
With new electoral maps, some hope to bring back driving permits for undocumented immigrants in Wisconsin
Undocumented immigrants in Wisconsin aren’t able to receive driving permits or licenses, but with the new electoral maps, some activists and lawmakers say this may change.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
As investors pay top-dollar for land, farmers are often priced out
Five Wisconsin counties saw a producer decline of at least 15% over five years while agriculture production sales increased.
Posted inEconomy, Justice & Safety
Lawsuit: Milwaukee Tool relied on forced Chinese prison labor to make gloves
Former prisoner says he was subjected to five months of forced labor for the company’s benefit. Milwaukee Tool says the claim lacks merit.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Data centers in Wisconsin and Chicago area offer energy peril and promise
Southeastern Wisconsin and the Chicago area are emerging as major players in the national data center explosion, most notably with Microsoft’s $3.3 billion planned data complex near Racine.
Posted inEconomy, Health & Welfare
‘It’s heartbreaking’: Milwaukee residents, vendors left in limbo after Social Development Commission’s shutdown
Many services have remained in limbo since the Social Development Commission’s weatherization program was suspended in March for misallocation of funds and the organization as a whole suspended operations in late April.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
‘Precision ag’ promised a farming revolution. It’s coming, just slowly
Precision agriculture has long promised to provide more granular data — and new tech to use it — for farmers facing pressure to increase yields while being more environmentally friendly. It’s had successes, but some of the loftiest promises are still out of reach.
Posted inEconomy
Amid debate about child labor rules, Wisconsin teens take summer jobs
More than 35,000 14- and 15-year-olds join the state’s workforce each year, according to work permit data from the state Department of Workforce Development. May and June are traditionally the months the department issues the most permits each year.
Posted inEconomy
Milwaukee’s Social Development Commission has not paid laid-off employees. Now they seek answers.
Milwaukee’s Social Development Commission, or SDC, suspended its operations and laid off its entire staff at the end of April.
Posted inEconomy, Justice & Safety
US blocks alleged Milwaukee Tool supplier, citing forced Chinese prison labor
The federal government will detain imports of work gloves manufactured by Shanghai Select Safety Products Company, which was accused of relying on forced prison labor to manufacture Milwaukee Tool-branded gloves.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Farmers’ long fight for the Right to Repair gets little traction in John Deere’s home state of Illinois
The Farm Bureau agreed not to support R2R legislation in exchange for consumer repair diagnostics. Farmers and repair advocates say the tools fall short.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Power line debate in Wisconsin and Iowa pits environmental allies against each other
A lawsuit that has paused the completion of a power line in Wisconsin and Iowa is part of a conflict that exposes differences within the environmental and clean energy advocacy communities.