News & Announcements

George Hesselberg, a longtime reporter and columnist best known for his "Dead Lines" column in the Wisconsin State Journal, has published a book of the same name.

"Dead Lines: Slices of Life from the Obit Beat" was published Sept. 28 by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Among the obituaries included in the book are the unofficial "mayor" of the nude beach at Mazomanie, an old-time radio actor known for playing villains and even a few animals. 

A three-judge appeals court panel last week ruled that disciplinary records for a former Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy must be released, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

"The denial of public access generally is contrary to the public interest, and only in an exceptional case may access be denied," the court wrote in its decision. "This policy of disclosure is one of the strongest declarations of policy in the Wisconsin statutes."

Running a community newspaper comes with its own unique set of challenges and opportunities. During the WNA Community Newspaper Forum, speakers will offer best practices and resources for creating community connections, funding journalism, growing your digital footprint & building trust through meaningful engagement.

The program, which is free to WNA members, will run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21. Sign up here.

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The Coalition to Repeal Wisconsin’s Personal Property Tax issued a letter Thursday to Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Legislature regarding a newly introduced bill, LRB 4737, that would repeal the state’s personal property tax.

The coalition, which advocated for the passage of the bill previously passed by the Legislature and vetoed by Evers, identified its concerns with LRB 4737, including the proposed funding plan to replace lost revenue, among other items. The group of trade and business associations — which includes the Wisconsin Newspaper Association — noted it believes the items are not relevant to the main issue and only bring unnecessary politics into an otherwise bipartisan tax cut.

The Leonard C. Goodman Institute for Investigative Reporting has announced that Monday, Oct. 11, is the deadline for investigative reporting grant applications.

The Goodman Institute offers story-specific grants for investigative features to be published by In These Times magazine. Those selected to receive grants will be awarded up to $10,000, along with compensation for travel and reporting expenses. Answers to frequently asked questions and more information on formatting requirements and acceptance benchmarks are available on the In These Times website.