Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The making of a flashpoint

For 60 years, Ridglan Farms has sat on a rural road tucked in the rolling hills of Blue Mounds, a small town about 30 miles west of Madison. ● Over time, the company became the second-largest beagle breeder in the country, supplying thousands of dogs...

THE CHORDETTES

THE CHORDETES

Regulators tell Alliant to set data center rate

State regulators approved Alliant Energy’s proposal to power a hyperscale data center in Beaver Dam, but the utility must set a standard electric rate for all large data center customers. The three-member Public Service Commission approved a modified...

Health care costs soar for aging inmate population

Wisconsin inmates are getting older, and that’s costing the state millions. A report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum shows the incarceration rate among people 60 and older increased by six times from 2000 to 2023, jumping from 330 to 1,960. In that...

Some Ascension Wisconsin ICUs to use telemedicine

Ascension Wisconsin is no longer staffing some of its hospitals’ intensive care units with in-person critical care physicians, part of a telemedicine push in its smaller ICUs. As of May 1, critical care physicians are no longer physically present in...

Renters raise concerns in S2 Real Estate apartments

When the home Cornelia Hall had been renting for six years was sold to a local real estate group in 2024, she felt hopeful. • She thought the new company might be easier to deal with than the previous landlord, who had been convicted of reckless use of...

Woman reported missing months before body found

Tom Trotter reported his 26-year-old granddaughter missing in January. Four months later, she was found dead in a Milwaukee alley. Frustrated with police and still searching for answers, Trotter knocked on doors and handed out fliers seeking...

New Meta House treatment center is nearly complete

Meta House, which has served women in addiction recovery and their children in Milwaukee since the 1960s, will start seeing clients at its new campus in the city’s Piggsville neighborhood in May. The development, dubbed Project Horizon, will double...

American Girl legacy

American Girl dolls and books, which have connected girls to U.S. history for 40 years, were directly inspired by the era that gave birth to this nation. On a trip to the living-history museum Colonial Williamsburg in the 1980s, American Girl founder...

Water treatment bidder has link to ICE software

One of the finalists for a $700 million contract to run Milwaukee’s wastewater treatment system has ties to Palantir, the software company that is helping ICE agents find and deport undocumented immigrants. Jacobs Solutions, based in Dallas, is one of...

Ridglan Farms sells 1,500 beagles to rescue groups

MIDDLETON - Ridglan Farms, the Blue Mounds beagle breeding facility raided this spring by animal rights activists, will sell 1,500 of its dogs to animal rescue groups. Two rescue organizations, Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy,...

Supreme Court rejects Louisiana voting map

WASHINGTON – After the Supreme Court on April 29 threw out a congressional map in Louisiana that had been drawn to protect the voting power of Black residents, the decision was criticized for “eviscerating” the 1965 Voting Rights Act, though it’s...

But governor’s race rivals question her electability

MADISON – Within the first few months of the year that Wisconsin will elect its next governor, democratic socialist Francesca Hong is leading the pack in the state’s most prominent public poll and running a campaign at a moment she’s said “may be the...

Dealing with limitations

With Milwaukee moving toward possible development of a publicly financed convention hotel, one city asset could challenge the goal of attracting more meetings. Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport offers fewer flights than airports at other...

We Energies’ new electric rate for data centers OK’d

Artificial intelligence data centers in southeast Wisconsin will have to pay more for energy than they – and utilities – anticipated. The state Public Service Commission approved We Energies’ special energy rate for large data centers on April 24, but...

Nighttime NAVIGATORS

With their gravity-defying ability of flight, birds likely have been a source of fascination for humans as long as they have coexisted on Earth. But the feathered animals gave up their secrets slowly over the millennia. Until the early 1800s,...

Methadone rules limit access to care

After years of opioid use, Bob saw three paths ahead: jail, death or methadone. The 70-year-old Stevens Point resident chose methadone, which he has stuck with for more than half his life. He credits the treatment for his long career and ability to...

Backup power for AI eyed for pollution risk

Neighbors of Port Washington’s $15 billion AI data center and advocacy groups are voicing public health and environmental concerns about plans for backup diesel generators at the site under review by Wisconsin regulators. They’re also asking...

Wisconsin sheriffs split on working with ICE

In northern Wisconsin’s Rusk County, known for its winding trails through the forested Blue Hills, Sheriff Phillip Grassmann’s deputies are no longer supposed to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when booking immigrants into jail. ● Close...

Police dig at former home of notorious drug dealer

Milwaukee police and city workers dug for a second day April 21 in the backyard of a home formerly owned by notorious Milwaukee drug dealer Michael Lock to assist detectives in the search for the remains of homicide victims. At about 10 a.m. April 21,...

Turkey hunter becomes hunted in bobcat attack

Carson Bender, 19, of Wisconsin Rapids is an avid hunter, including for white-tailed deer and wild turkey. But to his knowledge he had never been hunted. Until April 18, that is. Bender went turkey hunting that day on private land near Nekoosa, Wis....

Menominee language reveals deep forest link

Menominee people have long been known for having a deep connection with their forest. As masters of blending ancient tribal knowledge with modern ecological science, they have cultivated the Menominee Forest into a famed example of sustainable...

Covering, creating community

Kelli Arseneau joined the Journal Sentinel in 2025, covering breaking and trending news on a wide variety of topics. The 2021 graduate of Marquette University isn’t new to Wisconsin news coverage, however, coming back to Milwaukee after four years at...

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz Trump says naval blockade to continue

Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” to commercial vessels April 17 – then threatened to again close the global shipping lane if the United States did not end its blockade on Iranian ports and ships. It was the latest back-and-forth...

FLOODS INUNDATE MILWAUKEE STREETS

Residents in the waterlogged Milwaukee area watched April 15 as floodwaters overtook city streets and interstates, stranded drivers and swept away trash cans. And they waited anxiously to see the impact of yet another round of severe storms, in the...

Thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail tear through state

A second consecutive evening of severe storms battered Wisconsin on April 14, leveling at least one Juneau County home and tearing part of the roof off a Waukesha County church. High winds tore down trees and twisted power lines. Baseball-sized hail...

Shootings down 27% in Milwaukee to start the year

Police data from the start of 2026 indicates crime in Milwaukee is decreasing from both 2024 and 2025. Law enforcement and city leaders say they are collaborating between departments to do everything in their power to keep the trend continuing downward...

If Giannis stays, new coach needs to match his energy

The Milwaukee Bucks desperately need a strong-willed, energetic and battle-ready coach if they end up repairing the relationship with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the two sides decide it is best he remains in Milwaukee. Because that coach is going to...

Referendums mostly pass, but support is waning

Voters in Wisconsin approved a majority of school referendums on April 7 ballots, agreeing to raise property taxes to fund local school districts. But early results suggest it’s getting harder for districts to gain voter approval of the money they say...

AN unsual EDUCATION

Microcolleges, like Wisconsin’s Thoreau College, offer a chance to step away from traditional classrooms

Columbus a model for convention hotels

As Milwaukee considers developing a publicly financed hotel connected to its downtown convention center, it could emulate a rival Midwestern community. Columbus, Ohio, one of Milwaukee’s main competitors for conventions, in 2022 expanded a Hilton...

Landlord

When Eric Magnuson posted a onestar Google review of his Whitefish Bay landlord last year, he complained about excessive fees and called the management company slumlords. After his landlord threatened legal action, Magnuson removed the review. Two...

A STUNNING PERFORMANCE

The liberal victory for state Supreme Court on April 7 should surprise no one who follows Wisconsin politics. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s stunning all the same. It’s stunning that in the nation’s most competitive battleground an entire...

French Island residents celebrate PFAS action

TOWN OF CAMPBELL - Residents of French Island celebrated new laws in Wisconsin that will help bring their community fresh water, nearly five years after finding out that “forever chemicals” polluted their drinking water. Gov. Tony Evers visited the...

Evers signs laws to fund PFAS remediation for WI DNR secretary: Water testing should begin this summer

MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will now have the authority to launch grant programs, hire staff and help communities remediate “forever chemical” contamination after years of disagreements between lawmakers and the governor...

A walk in Jesus’ shoes

A STATE THAT SHAPED AMERICAN POLITICS

In the story of American democracy, Wisconsin has played an outsize role. As part of the USA TODAY Network’s USA250 project, the Journal Sentinel looks at three political eras that grew to national prominence. From the birth of the Republican Party to...

Man guilty in fatal shooting of officer

A jury took roughly three hours to find Tremaine Jones guilty of the ambush shooting that killed Milwaukee Police Officer Kendall Corder and wounded his partner Officer Christopher McCray. Jones, 23, did not visibly react as the verdict was read in...

Devil’s Lake State Park adds land, view

BARABOO – Devil’s Lake State Park is now 100 acres larger, thanks to a land purchase that is expanding the popular recreation area to include the second-highest point in Sauk County. The Department of Natural Resources on April 2 completed the...

We Energies seeks 14% residential hike

We Energies customers can expect their monthly electric bills to increase as the utility invests in new power generation for data centers and its transition to clean energy. We Energies is seeking a 9.2% electric rate hike for all customers –...

Officers who discovered injured cops testify in trial

James Borneman, a Milwaukee Police Department field training officer, was canvassing an area of the city in an unrelated homicide when he and a fellow officer heard that officers “needed help” on June 26. Borneman took the stand during the second day...

Trump threatens to hit Iran oil, water

President Donald Trump on March 30 said the United States was engaged in “serious discussions” with Iranian officials on a deal to end the war – but threatened to launch strikes on the country’s power, oil and water facilities if negotiations...

Classic Wisconsin treat faces warming threat

One of Charles James’ favorite childhood memories is making syrup in the spring from the dozens of maple trees in his parents’ backyard on the Menominee Reservation in northwest Wisconsin. Of the tribe’s 235,000 acres, about 95% are heavily forested....

POLAR OPPOSITES

Wisconsin Supreme Court races are billed as nonpartisan. But this year’s contestants, like others recently, obliterate that objective.

Data raises doubt about thefts driving closures

When Kroger announced last July it was closing five Pick ‘n Save locations in southeast Wisconsin, the company offered little public explanation. Behind closed doors, though, Kroger said theft was a factor, Mayor Cavalier Johnson told the Milwaukee...

Landlord

The Milwaukee City Attorney’s Office is targeting one of the biggest out-of-state rental companies in the city as a public nuisance after investigations into widespread property neglect, code violations, unpaid property taxes, and safety and security...

Wisconsin voters shifting attitudes on school funding

MADISON – Wisconsin voters’ attitudes toward public school funding are shifting, with most saying in a recent survey they are more concerned about reducing their property tax bills than sending money to local schools when given the choice. The voters’...

THE BREWERS’ MOUNT RUSHMORE

Miller Park. American Family Field. The stadium. That place with the big, green roof. Whatever you call it, it’s hard to believe 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of its opening. A quarter-century has gone by in the not-so-new-anymore ballpark, and it...

Microsoft vows to end secret data center deals

The eNewspaper is an electronic copy of your print newspaper. Enjoy every page by going to jsonline.com/enewspaper or scan this code on your mobile device. You will also find late news and sports in the bonus sections. Check it out today! Microsoft is...

Family calls for release of mother from ICE detention

The family of a Sheboygan Falls mother who has lived in the United States for 35 years is calling for immigration authorities to release her from detention, saying there is no need for her to be jailed in Kentucky, away from her children. U.S....

Bald eagles shooed away from airport

A pair of bald eagles were thwarted twice in their attempts this year to build a nest on private property adjacent to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Cudahy. • Out of concerns the big birds’ presence near the airfield could result in a...

Activists break into facility breeding dogs for research

Dozens of activists broke into a Wisconsin beagle breeding facility and took more than 20 dogs to an undisclosed location on March 15, resulting in several arrests. The incident is the latest development in a dispute between animal rights activists...

Warning is first in 15 years for city

For the first time in 15 years, Milwaukee was under a blizzard warning. Portions of east central, south central and southeast Wisconsin were all under blizzard warnings from the National Weather Service through 4 p.m. March 16. The winter storm had...

Edison developer sued for $11M by contractor

The firm developing downtown Milwaukee’s stalled high-rise is being sued for owing $11.3 million to its general contractor – which is seeking the project site’s foreclosure sale. Madison-based Neutral in September stopped construction on its Edison...

New class

In January, Milwaukee’s food and drink community had reason to celebrate: six chefs, restaurants and bars across the city were named semifinalists for the 2026 James Beard Awards. Even more exciting: It was the first James Beard recognition for every...

City’s traffic deaths hit six-year low in 2025

Traffic fatalities in Milwaukee hit a six-year low in 2025 thanks in part to recent efforts to improve traffic safety, city officials say. In 2025, traffic fatalities on city streets were down 19% compared to 2024 – from 70 to 57 – and down 26% from...

Suit alleges pattern of grooming, sexual abuse

A federal civil rights lawsuit alleges the Oconto Falls School Board created the conditions for a 15-year-long pattern of sexual abuse by teachers and staff members, violating the victims’ Title IX rights. The lawsuit was filed March 11 in Milwaukee...

Growing a ‘Green Ramadan’

The energy inside the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center during its nightly community iftar was lively and joyful, spilling out into the foggy night each time someone opened the door. People gathered on a weeknight earlier this month following the sunset...

Domes

The $51.6 million first phase of Milwaukee’s Mitchell Park Domes redevelopment project – which includes taxpayers’ dollars – is taking some steps forward. Preliminary plans have been filed with city building inspectors for renovations to one of the...

American Family Field left off stadium show circuit

Luke Combs, Ed Sheeran, AC/DC, Mumford & Sons, Phish, Tim McGraw and Rüfüs Du Sol are headlining stadiums and heading to Wisconsin in 2026. • But none of them will play Milwaukee’s only stadium, American Family Field. • As things look now, no stadium...

Tosa’s Hart Park stadium could be open by May

Repairs at Hart Park’s stadium and turf are set to begin, seven months after flooding from southeast Wisconsin’s August 2025 storm ripped up the athletic venue and other parts of the Wauwatosa park. The news is welcome progress for residents after the...

JOIN US

Milwaukee’s neighborhoods are buzzing with a wealth of knowledge. I was reminded of that in January, when Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch, our team of community-based reporters, visited with residents in the Harambee neighborhood....

Harlan recalled as influential, visionary

GREEN BAY − Bob Harlan was the architect of today’s Green Bay Packers. His decisions during 181⁄2 years as leader of the organization remade the franchise on and off the field. Robert E. “Bob” Harlan died March 5 at age 89 at St. Mary’s Hospital in...

Red Arrow

Milwaukee’s Red Arrow Park could undergo big changes – including replacing its skating rink with a “skating ribbon” running throughout much of the small downtown park. Other possible changes include older trees replaced by young trees, and a new kiosk...

Student protests picking up speed

Ever since the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both by federal agents in Minneapolis in January, there have been numerous student protests by high school students across the country – including several in Wisconsin and the Milwaukee...

Trump criticizes top U.S. allies over war

President Donald Trump slammed top U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, as the war with Iran expands and warned Americans that they may have to deal with “a little high” oil prices as crude costs soared and the stock market tumbled. “If we have...

Milwaukee area sees more backyard homes

When Therese and Dan Hanson bought their Wauwatosa home in 2017, the selling points included a rundown second house in the backyard — being used for storage. The couple now plans to spend a six-figure amount, helped with city cash, to make the...

What’s needed for MPS to get air conditioning?

In her superintendent suite at Milwaukee Public Schools’ central offices in December, Brenda Cassellius looked skeptical as she listened to Chief Operating Officer Mike Turza rattle off logistical roadblocks to adding window-unit air conditioners to...

CHRONIC HEAT IN MILWAUKEE CLASSROOMS

Temperatures in Milwaukee classrooms often exceed federally recommended ranges throughout the school year, a Journal Sentinel investigation found, causing issues for staff retention and student success. Through support from the O’Brien Fellowship in...

Vitriol. Profanity. Politics.

WASHINGTON – Most of this story isn’t fit for a family newspaper. The country’s political discourse has deteriorated to the point – or become so robust – that the president can drop an f-bomb and get one lobbed back in return. Of course, caustic...

Vance goes on attack against ‘crazy’ Dems

PLOVER - In a visit to central Wisconsin, Vice President JD Vance implored voters to not give power back to the “crazy” Democrats. Vance spoke at Pointe Precision in Plover on Feb. 26, two days following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union...

‘WE’RE GOING TO SURVIVE’

BALDWIN − Denise Flaherty can drive around the western Wisconsin town of Baldwin and point out homes all over town now sitting vacant. That house on the left − empty. Its neighbor − empty too. That apartment building − largely empty. The residents...