Author: Wisconsin Public Radio

U.S. defense officials said on August 16 that they were considering locating Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy, a U.S. Army installation near Tomah. Thousands of refugees are attempting to flee Afghanistan as Taliban fighters have completed toppling the Afghan central government in recent days. The collapse of the Afghan government follows the U.S. troop withdrawal that was scheduled to conclude before the end of the month. In an off-camera press conference, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed the U.S. was “assessing facilities and support at two additional stateside installations,” in addition to one already in place at Fort Lee...

The partisan battle over Wisconsin’s next round of redistricting officially began on August 12 with the release of 2020 U.S. Census data to states. Though high-level numbers were released in April, the data released on August 12 included the numbers necessary for local and state governments to begin drawing the next set of government district maps across the Wisconsin. Local governments will be in charge of maps for city and county government, while state lawmakers will draw new district lines for the state’s 99 Assembly seats, 33 Senate seats and eight congressional districts. The maps will be in effect...

Smoke has been funneling into Wisconsin at an unprecedented level due to wildfires and weather patterns, impacting air quality and sensitive groups. Researchers argue climate change is driving extreme heat that’s fueling wildfires and degrading the air people breathe. Hundreds of wildfires are actively burning across the western United States and Canada. At least 107 large fires are now burning more than 2 million acres in the U.S., according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Canada has witnessed more than 5,400 fires so far this year, far exceeding the nation’s 10-year average. The fires combined with northwest winds coming...

The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill introduced by the U.S. Senate could mean sweeping investments for roads, bridges, internet and water infrastructure in Wisconsin. But, Republican senators are calling for changes on how to pay for the bill as House Democrats threaten to tie its fate to another proposal investing in “human infrastructure,” such as funding for tax breaks and child care. The roughly 2,700-page bill includes $550 billion in added federal spending over the next five years for highways, rail, power and water infrastructure. In June, President Joe Biden touted the infrastructure framework in Wisconsin and its historic...