Author: Wisconsin Watch

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett: Current approach to lead in water is ‘Band-Aid,’ and Wisconsin must do more to protect residents from lead in drinking water. Top Milwaukee and state officials agreed Wednesday that Wisconsin must move as quickly as possible to replace all of the estimated 176,000 lead pipes providing drinking water to homes and business in the state, with Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp declaring, “If it costs a lot of money to do that, then it costs a lot of money to do that.” The DNR estimates it could cost between $3,000 and $5,000 for...

Lawmakers pass 37 new requirements in 20 states to require IDs and restrict early voting; court challenges leave rules in some states unsettled. After four years away from Wisconsin, Mark Sahba returned to Madison last year. The 59-year-old said he was stunned by the “ton” of new requirements to register and vote in a state where he had been casting ballots without a problem for 40 years. For one thing, Sahba needed a copy of his birth certificate, which was issued in New York, so he could get a driver’s license so he could present it at his polling...