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.
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.
Sen. Kathleen Bernier says ongoing partisan efforts to sow doubts about the 2020 election could damage the Republican Party and democracy.
Three Walker appointees to the Wisconsin Technical College System Board continue to serve in their roles even though their terms expired in May.
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.”
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.
One Norwegian holiday tradition that I never took part in is julebukking. What started as a pagan holiday tradition evolved into what may best be described as a Norwegian Halloween party in December.
A recent piece of legislation co-authored by Todd Novak, a former newspaper editor who now serves in the Wisconsin State Assembly, aims to provide financial relief to local media and small businesses that have been pummeled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Introduced on Dec. 9, Assembly Bill 762 would give small businesses that purchase advertising in local media outlets a 50% tax credit. A story profiling Novak and highlighting the legislation is available to WNA members for republication.
Report for America will provide funding to six Wisconsin newsrooms to support 10 reporting positions in 2022, the nonprofit announced on Wednesday. Of the selected newsrooms, The (Appleton) Post-Crescent will participate in the program for the first time.
With the announcement of 70 new reporting positions, Report for America's 2022 corps will include 325 journalists in nearly 270 newsrooms across all 50 states and three U.S. territories. Selections were made mostly on the basis of which newsrooms defined the most compelling gaps in coverage and plans to deploy corps members, according to an announcement from the organization.
Gary Ridderbusch, who has led the (Eagle River) Vilas County News-Review newsroom for the past decade, has retired as editor.
Ridderbusch, an Abbotsford native and UW-Madison graduate, joined the News-Review staff in April 1985 as an assistant editor. He has remained with the newspaper ever since, moving up to top editor in January 2010 when then-editor Kurt Krueger was named publisher.
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