WPR https://www.wpr.org/ News, Music & Local Stories Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:29:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.wpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/wpr_favicon-1.png?width=150&height=150&fit=bounds WPR https://www.wpr.org/ 32 32 68 out of 72 Wisconsin counties saw a decline in public school students https://www.wpr.org/news/68-of-72-wisconsin-counties-saw-decline-public-school-students Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=412684 Wisconsin’s public schools lost 14,087 students this school year, with 68 out of 72 counties experiencing a decline in student enrollment.

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]]> Trump wants to ‘save’ Great Lakes from invasive carp as administration stalls funding for it https://www.wpr.org/news/trump-wants-to-save-great-lakes-from-invasive-carp-as-administration-stalls-funding Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=412581 President Donald Trump said this week that he’s working to save the Great Lakes from invasive carp, but critics say his administration is holding up money for a billion-dollar project to keep the invasive fish at bay.

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]]> Wisconsin Forests FIRST initiative seeks to create long-term roadmap for forest products industry https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-forests-first-initiative-forest-products-industry Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=412692 The Wisconsin Forests FIRST initiative is working to develop a strategic plan and long-term roadmap to ensure Wisconsin’s forests remain healthy while also supporting a sustainable and competitive forest products industry.

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]]> ‘Welcome to the hub’: These Racine residents are taking a direct role in their own criminal defense https://www.wpr.org/news/racine-hub-participatory-defense Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=411150 The criminal justice system is often a top-down experience. Judges hand down sentences and, for the most part, people charged with crimes are expected to defer to the expertise of their lawyers. A group of people in Racine is turning that model on its head.

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]]> DOT warns to stay off roads as massive winter storm moves through Wisconsin https://www.wpr.org/news/dot-warns-to-stay-off-roads-as-massive-winter-storm-moves-through-wisconsin Sun, 15 Mar 2026 17:05:22 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=412851 The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for the northern two thirds of the state that will remain in place until Monday afternoon. 

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]]> Tens of thousands of We Energies customers without power due to strong winds https://www.wpr.org/news/we-energies-customers-without-power-strong-winds-wisconsin-weater Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:55:35 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=412729 More than 71,000 customers of Wisconsin’s largest electric utility were without power Friday afternoon due to strong winds.

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]]> Milwaukee traffic deaths hit record 4-year low in 2025, city officials say https://www.wpr.org/transportation/milwaukee-traffic-deaths-record-4-year-low-2025 Fri, 13 Mar 2026 20:30:57 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=412604 The city's 57 deaths last year represented a decline of nearly 20 percent compared to 70 deaths in 2024, Mayor Cavalier Johnson said at a press conference this week at South Division High School. It's the largest single-year decline since the 2022 peak for traffic deaths at 77. 

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]]> Wisconsin’s economy lags behind the rest of the country, new report shows https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsins-economy-lags-behind-rest-country-new-report-shows Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:47:17 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=412625 Forward Analytics used six indicators to measure the state’s economy and in “Keeping Pace,” said in the past seven-year period Wisconsin falls short.

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]]> Regulators sign off on utilities’ purchase of solar, battery project in Rock County https://www.wpr.org/news/regulators-sign-off-utilities-purchase-solar-battery-project-rock-county Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:38:21 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=412609 State regulators gave three utilities the OK to acquire a large solar and battery project in Rock County that will provide enough energy to power more than 45,000 homes.

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]]> New reduced Lake Michigan whitefish quota goes into effect for commercial fishers https://www.wpr.org/news/reduced-lake-michigan-whitefish-quota-commercial-fishing Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:53:26 +0000 https://www.wpr.org/?p=412513 A DNR senior fisheries biologist says whitefish populations have been sharply declining in the lake for the last 20 years.

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