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Missed tests cloud view of pandemic’s student impact

Newly released results of statewide testing last spring appear to confirm that student learning suffered in Wisconsin amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But a surge in students missing the exams — particularly in the largest districts and among less privileged groups — undercut the data’s value.

omicron, covid-19

Poll indicates mixed concern levels over omicron variant

Polco users and readers visiting WNA member websites from Dec. 1 to 14 were asked how concerned they were about the omicron variant of COVID-19. Out of 580 respondents, 42% said they were somewhat concerned about the variant, while 28% expressed no concern and 27% said they were very concerned. Twenty-two respondents (4%) said they were unsure.

This poll question and results were made available through a partnership between the WNA and Polco, a national civic engagement company based in Madison, to help Wisconsin newspapers better engage readers and access enhanced data and insights.

larry tobin

Larry Tobin, former Tomahawk publisher, WNA past president and Hall of Fame member, dies at 75

Larry Tobin, former publisher of the Tomahawk Leader, died Sunday, Dec. 12. He was 75.

During his third job out of college, as director of member services for the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association, Tobin was assigned to attend the 1973 Wisconsin Newspaper Association convention, where he met his future wife, Kathleen Ann Branen. He joined the staff of the WNA in 1977, serving as assistant manager and legislative coordinator. 

In 1982, the Tobins purchased the Tomahawk Leader, which they ran together for 37 years. Larry spent a combined 21 years on the WNA Board of Directors and the WNA Foundation board, serving as president of each, and held a fierce loyalty to the WNA — often stating it “brought all the best things to his life.”

How photographer Brett Kosmider documents Door County’s fragile, changing landscape

Photographer and videographer Brett Kosmider has dedicated much of his career to documenting life and nature in a place that he calls one of the “great anomalies in the world.”

That includes piloting his drone high above places otherwise inaccessible to people and capturing images that show how the landscape is changing with the climate. And he contributed to Wisconsin Watch’s Imperiled Shores series to show what wildly fluctuating water levels mean for northeastern Wisconsin communities. 

Wisconsin Newspaper Association