WUWM News

Should attorneys in Wisconsin be required to pay dues and join the State Bar?

That’s the question in a federal lawsuit filed by a Milwaukee based conservative think tank — the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL). Thirty-two states, including Wisconsin, have such systems. For years, Rick Esenberg says some attorneys here have been pushing to get rid of the mandate.

A heat advisory is issued for all of southeastern Wisconsin until 7 a.m. Saturday. With the heat and humidity, the temperatures could feel as high as 110 degrees.

The dangerous conditions have prompted the Milwaukee health department to put out a health advisory warning against heat stroke and dehydration. The extreme temperatures have adverse effects especially on vulnerable people such as Milwaukee's homeless population.

Up until last year, any person in Wisconsin who had sexual contact with a child between the ages of 13 and 16 could be charged with a felony. But that law has changed.

A city of Milwaukee panel has declared an order to tear down the former Northridge Mall is "reasonable." But the Chinese firm that owns the huge property on the northwest side says its fight to keep the buildings intact may not be over.

The Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services issued what's called a raze order against the mall three months ago, saying the long-closed complex is dilapidated, frequently vandalized, and meets a raze order standard of needing repairs that exceed half the assessed value of the property.

What would you do if you're at a place of worship or a public institution and it's attacked? Would you be prepared?

Members of Milwaukee’s faith communities participated in training this week to know how to respond in the wake of a violent incident. The exercises were held at the Jewish Community Center in Whitefish Bay in response to recent armed attacks against religious and public institutions in the U.S.

Members of churches, mosques and other faith-based communities were invited to participate. The training was conducted by emergency medical workers from Israel.

The 50th anniversary of the first astronaut moon landing comes as NASA is talking of another trip to the moon within five years, and of taking people to Mars by the mid-2030s.

Astronomers, engineers, and human health experts across Wisconsin have been tracking the discussion. And some are working on projects potentially tied to more space travel.

What Milwaukee needs is a task force. That’s what advocates say who want the city and county to jointly come up with climate change solutions. Solutions that also create jobs for people who need them.

Last week, the Milwaukee Common Council unanimously voted to create a climate task force. Tuesday Milwaukee County supervisors mulled over the possibility of joining in the effort during a meeting of the Parks, Energy and Environment Committee.

The anti-abortion group Operation Save America is converging in Milwaukee this week for its annual national event. The controversial group will be staging a number of protests, rallies, and other events around the city — placing a particular focus on getting youth involved.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has signed a bill that could speed the introduction of faster wireless service known as 5G to the state. The industry promises that 5G would mean things like better cell phone connections and faster movie downloads.

But there are concerns that 5G, which stands for fifth generation, could bring health problems like cancer to local communities. 

For WUWM's Beats Me series, we received a question about when the Milwaukee area will get 5G. 

A group of Wisconsin legislators spent more than five hours Thursday listening to experts, advocates and residents who gathered in Racine. The topic was water quality and how to improve it.

Several Democratic presidential hopefuls met Thursday night for a town hall organized by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in downtown Milwaukee.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro and former U.S. Rep.  Beto O’Rourke all spoke, as part of the four-day convention that’s drawn thousands of people. The discussion focused largely on immigration.

Next year’s presidential election is on the minds of many people attending the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) convention in downtown Milwaukee. It runs through Saturday and up to 20,000 people from across the country are expected to attend. Many of the workshops are focused on political activism. 

Linda Chavez traveled here from Austin, Texas. She says health care, immigration and economic development are weighing on her mind:

Doctors at the Medical College of Wisconsin are reporting progress in treating two kinds of cancer affecting women — ovarian and cervical cancers. But those researchers say many challenges remain.  

Wisconsin's first state budget under former education chief, now-Gov. Tony Evers provides a $570 million increase for K-12 schools. Republican lawmakers crafted the spending plan, which resulted in a smaller boost than Evers proposed. 

Whether public school advocates see that as a success or failure depends on who you ask.

Updated on July 12 at 3:45 p.m. CT

A Wisconsin man has been convicted of first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of Milwaukee Police Officer Matthew Rittner. The 17-year police veteran died by gunfire as he executed a no-knock search warrant in February.