Tommy Thompson
Wisconsin Activist Shares Insight About Cannabis in Encyclopedic Book
In 'The Rise and Fall of Cannabis Prohibition in Wisconsin,' Gary Storck offers a well-researched history of cannabis laws and events in the Badger State. Read more
Illustration: Dave Zylstra
Oklahoma Released 462 People From Prison in One Day; Why Can't Wisconsin Do the Same?
People in both Wisconsin and Oklahoma have expressed strong support for reform and decarceration, but it seems Wisconsin’s political structures have become less responsive to the will of the people. Read more
Photo Credit: Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (Flickr CC)
Will Governor Evers Be Able to Give the Voters What They Asked For?
Why is Gov. Tony Evers’ budget getting so much push back from the state legislature? He defeated an incumbent by proposing a new direction for the state, including proposals the voters definitely embraced. Read more
So, You Think You Know Senator Tammy Baldwin?
Think you know all there is to know about Sen. Tammy Baldwin? Think again. She delves deep into her story in a recent Shepherd Express interview. Read more
Wisconsin's 'Welfare Cadillac' War on the Poor
Former President Richard Nixon’s big lie about welfare going to Cadillac-driving African Americans is still being perpetuated decades later by Republicans like Gov. Scott Walker to draw racist support for their ongoing war on the poor. Read more
Why Your Electric Bill is So High
At last, Wisconsin’s record-high energy rates—set by the regulated monopoly WE Energies and allowed by a lax Public Service Commission—are under scrutiny. Read more
Are Judges Responsible for Wisconsin’s Mass Incarceration Crisis?
“The judges make the decisions that fill the prisons.” Read more
Photo by Terri Williams
Will Wisconsin Payday Lenders Finally Face Meaningful Regulation?
Citizen Action of Wisconsin and the national People’s Action Institute to urge the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to adopt new, national rules reining in payday lenders. Read more
The Sad Last Days of the Wisconsin Legislature
Perhaps it’s a good thing that the Assembly isn’t going to resume its work until January 2017. The bills it passed last week were a mix of trash, garbage and junk that the Republican majority apparently hopes will appeal to its base right-w... Read more
Republicans Trash Tommy Thompson’s Legacy
Former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson found himself in a perfect position to protect Wisconsin’s role in vital medical research as President George W. Bush’s secretary of Health and Human Services. That legacy is now being trashed by Gov. S... Read more
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Family Affair Expo (With a Touch of Soul)
It might not be the primary intention of the organizers of the Family Affair Expo to bring African-American nightlife to daylight hours. But so it does at the March 21 event, 9 a.m to 3 p.m. at Wisconsin State Fair Park’s Tommy G. Thompson Youth C.. Read more
Walker’s Book Rewrites High-Speed Rail History
Among the many fibs, distortions, smears and lies of omission in Unintimidated, Gov. Scott Walker’s new autobiography, is his version of the events surrounding the cancellation of $810 Read more
The Milwaukee Wave 2013-14 Season Preview: Another Run at the Title
With the uncertainty of the local NBA franchise’s future reaching billboard fundraiser-inspiring levels and the Brewers likely to have the quietest offseason the team has experienced in a decade,Sports Read more
Raising McWages
The unspoken message to those forced to work for the minimum wage in this country is that their employers would really like to pay them even less, but it would be Read more
The Vouchers That Ate the State
“The Vouchers That Ate the State” is Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s summer blockbuster. Only it’s Wisconsin taxpayers who are going to get their blocks busted Read more
Jobs with Big Payoffs
Many people in the state have to be baffled to see Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who campaigned on creating “jobs, jobs, jobs,” turn away billions of dollars that could create tens of thousands of jobs in Wisconsin. Read more
The Top Stories of 2012
It seemed preposterous that 2012 could match the high drama of 2011 in Wisconsin. But we were proved wrong. This year had as many sudden developments, twists and turns, conspiracies and surprise endings as last year Read more
A Day in History
One of many wrong things claimed before this year’s election was that there was no way 2012 could be as historic as President Barack Obama’s 2008 election as America’s first African-American president. Read more
The $6 Billion Question: Did Corporations Buy Our Democracy?
Was it worth it?The first general election in which unlimited, undisclosed corporate money could be used in campaigns is winding down as the Shepherd goes to press this week. Read more
Citizens Discounted
As this is being written, no one knows exactly how Election Day will go in the state or nation. But it’s already clear what horrendous ugliness was unleashed on our election process by the Citizens United decision by a one-vote Read more
