A nonpartisan journalism nonprofit that investigates the powerful in Wisconsin.
It’s common for legislators, who make about $61,000 a year, to have a second job. The state Senate and Assembly each meet for only part of the year, allowing elected members to seek additional work.
An investigation from The Badger Project found Sheriff Walter Zuehlke received more than $25,000 in care payments for his K9 since quitting the law enforcement trainings after he was elected in 2018.
A veteran of that Racine County police department quit in 2023 before the completion of an investigation into his conduct. The Badger Project sued after the department denied its requests for that investigation.
The “anti-SLAPP” bill would make it harder in Wisconsin to use costly lawsuits against people for exercising their free speech rights. A similar bill died in 2024 without any Republican support.
An investigation by The Badger Project found Sheriff Walter Zuehlke continued taking care payments for the dog after it died last year. The Waushara County administrator said it was an oversight.
Right-leaning media users are less likely to support political compromise, a new study suggests. And in general, partisan media consumers tend to see political disagreements as right or wrong.
Sheriff Walter Zuehlke stopped training ‘Argo’ in 2019 after his election, but continued taking $400 monthly care checks from the county, even after the dog died, an investigation by The Badger Project found.
Officer Matthew Frey resigned in lieu of termination from the Cumberland Police Department after facing dozens of complaints, including cursing at civilians and watching YouTube on duty.
Adam Olson resigned from his position as the second-ranking officer at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office last year while under investigation for inappropriate relationships with female subordinates.
Jeffrey Johnson resigned from the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office in 2022 after sending sexual images to female jail deputies. He was later hired in the next county over at the Minong Police Department.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation twice refused to release records pertaining to a former State Patrol officer, so The Badger Project sued. Less than two weeks later, the department agreed to release them.
Freshman state Rep. Karen DeSanto spent years traveling the world with the Ringling Brothers. Now she’s representing a rural Wisconsin district in the state Assembly. The two jobs are very different, she says.
A bipartisan bill in the state Legislature would provide legal immunity to 911 dispatchers who transfer calls to the suicide hotline. Critics say the bill is unnecessary and could impede justice for the injured.
A former state trooper was “terminated for cause” in 2020, but has continued to work in law enforcement. The Badger Project argues the DOT’s refusal to release documents related to the case is illegal.
A deputy resigned from the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office before it concluded an investigation into her conduct. The county denied a request for those records, citing concerns over department morale.
With the total number of law enforcement officers in Wisconsin sitting near record lows, the bill aims to ease staffing shortages with grants to help pay for the training of new hires. But it faces an uphill climb.
A rarity in recent years, the state budget received significant support from legislative Democrats. In exchange, they got modest investments in the UW System, public schools and child care.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a GOP-backed challenge to a decades-old campaign finance law that limits how much parties can spend in coordination with candidates for federal office.
