In our continuing celebration of Local News Day, we’re highlighting the importance of trusted local reporting and the readers who make it possible.
We hope you’ll join the community of donors who help keep Wisconsin informed today!
Donate today at wisconsinwatch.org?form=SUPPORTER
Both GOP Senate and Assembly leaders announced they would leave the session "open" to continue discussions and get public input about nonpartisan redistricting. Evers responded saying there is "nothing to negotiate."
Tony Evers called the special session to ban partisan gerrymandering.
Unlike the governor's past special sessions, Republicans did not immediately reject Evers' call for action.
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu gaveled in the special session and immediately recessed the Senate chamber, to the objections of Democrats. Republicans did the same in the Assembly.
Reliable information is one of the quiet forces that helps keep communities working for residents — and that information only comes when communities partner with newsrooms to make trusted local reporting possible.
Donate today at wisconsinwatch.org?form=SUPPORTER
Wisconsin Watch analyzed data on school district funding referendums and found that 61% passed on April 7, 2026. That’s a slight increase from last year, but down from the five-year average.
Read more here: wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
By Hongyu Liu and Miranda Dunlap
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has called state lawmakers back to the Capitol on Tuesday for a special session to ban partisan gerrymandering.
read more here: wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
Supporters make our work possible. Whether or not you’re already a member of the Wisconsin Watch donor family, we hope you’ll support this work today.
Donate today at wisconsinwatch.org?form=SUPPORTER
For the first time in 25 years, people in Wisconsin prisons will be able to apply to have their sentences commuted.
It could mean a real shot at coming home sooner — and hope for their families.
Here are some resources for those affected: wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
Want to keep up with these types of stories? Make sure you're signed up for our free newsletters: wisconsinwatch.org/subscribe/
The Midwest is deep into a massive electrical grid buildout, with the data center boom turning up the pressure. Now, a coalition of utilities wants federal regulators to pause competition for key transmission projects.
Read about their argument — and the stakes: wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
After ethnic cleansing in Myanmar scattered Rohingya communities, a grassroots effort in Milwaukee is testing whether teaching the language in written form can help it survive in exile — and whether families will choose to pass it on.
Read more: wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
If this kind of reporting is valuable to you, subscribe to Wisconsin Watch newsletters to stay connected to the people, issues and decisions shaping communities across the state: wisconsinwatch.org/subscribe/
Or consider becoming a monthly supporter: wisconsinwatch.org/support-wisc...
At UW-Oshkosh, high schoolers make up almost half the student body. Many live hours away and never step foot on campus, instead taking courses from their high schools.
It's helped staved off an enrollment crisis, but it's also changing the college's identity.
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
@wisconsinwatch.org coverage of secrecy in Wisconsin data center deals are discussed by "Lake Effect" host Joy Powers and I on @wuwmradio.bsky.social coverage. (At 11:15 of the recording.) www.wuwm.com/show/lake-ef...
Today we’re joining newsrooms nationwide in recognizing Local News Day! This celebration is a powerful reminder of how local journalism helps communities stay informed and connected — while holding leaders accountable.
Donate HERE at: wisconsinwatch.org?form=SUPPORTER
And a look at Judge Maria Lazar's watch party in Pewaukee. Photos by Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News.
(Note: This corrects a since-deleted tweet that misidentified the location as Milwaukee.)
Here are some @josephmtimmerman.bsky.social photos from Taylor's victory party at the Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club.
Wisconsin voters elected Madison-based Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor to a seat on the state Supreme Court, a decision that expands the high court’s liberal majority to five justices and cements liberal control until at least 2030.
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
Federal law requires states to provide foster care for children, but many states make children and parents foot part of the bill.
Read the full story at wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
By Natalie Yahr and Brittany Carloni
We’re grateful for the thoughtful submissions we’ve received since relaunching our opinion section. Read more perspectives from Wisconsinites — and learn how to contribute — here: wisconsinwatch.org/category/opi...
OPINION: “Being poor, it turns out, is expensive,” writes Sachin Shivaram, CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc.
He says he sees how small setbacks and mounting fees create a gravitational pull that’s nearly impossible to escape.
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/opin...
Come along with Addie Costello on her road trip from Madison to Merrill for the Northwoods Senior Breakfast.
Have a question about health or aging you want her to answer? Let us know!
See what we've answered so far: wisconsinwatch.org/category/hea...
#aging #eldercare #WIaging #Wisconsin
People stand on capitol steps in winter clothing as one person reads from a phone beside a megaphone, with banners reading “ICE OUT OF OUR COMMUNITIES” and “DEFEND” behind them
See more of our immigration coverage here: wisconsinwatch.org/tag/immigrat...
Supporters believe Salah Sarsour was targeted for speaking out against Israel and for a conviction as a minor by Israeli military courts, which have faced scrutiny over allegations of limited due process and high conviction rates of Palestinians. (@apnews.com) wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/elec...
Want more information about data centers in Wisconsin? Subscribe to our newsletter Forward wisconsinwatch.org/subscribe/
New details have emerged on a possible billion-dollar data center in Grant County.
The project could generate $5.6 million in local property tax revenue and not require a public subsidy.
Read more from Tom Kertscher wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
Federal immigration agents have conducted at least 100 arrests in Wisconsin each month since May 2025. A growing share of those arrested have neither prior criminal convictions nor pending criminal charges.
Explore the latest data on ICE activity across Wisconsin
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...
