wisconsin news

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, they do. The reeling Janesville economy suffers yet another blow with the announcement of the closing of the Parker Pen factory. It's official name is the Sanford Corp., but Parker Pen has been a major employer in the Wisconsin...

University of Wisconsin-Madison's top flu researcher is studying the H1N1 flu virus, digging for weaknesses a vaccine can attack. The Centers for Disease Control gave Yoshihiro Kawaoka a sample of the virus last week. He's now analyzing its genetic make-up, comparing it to other...

In about two months, Rock County will become the first in Wisconsin to have a special court for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. And the state public defender's office says at least three other counties are considering the same thing. Typically, a veterans'...

Wisconsin conservatives are mourning the death of Jack Kemp, the former NFL quarterback who became a congressman and Bob Dole's 1996 running mate. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, said Kemp recruited him to work at the Empower America think tank in 1993. Ryan said Kemp brought "unparalleled...

Wisconsin has 66 probable cases of what the World Health Organization now calls Influenza A. And that does not include over two-thirds of the 54 suspected cases in Milwaukee listed by health officials there. The number of confirmed H1N1 cases in the Badger State remained at three...

Wisconsin Republicans went home from their state convention in La Crosse Sunday with an unofficial early endorsement of Scott Walker for governor. Of the 423 delegates answering a straw poll from wispolitics.com, 93 percent gave Walker the nod over former Racine congressman Mark...

Gov. Jim Doyle has declared a public health emergency in Wisconsin. The state now has five probable cases of swine flu, after two more cropped up Thursday in Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties. Doyle told the state's public health agency to do what's necessary to respond. Stockpiles...

New claims for Wisconsin's unemployment benefits are up 76 percent so far this year. More than 417,000 initial applications were filed from Jan. 1t through last week. That's 180,000 more than the same period a year ago. About 2,400 new claims were filed last week alone in Milwaukee...

Wisconsin now has three probable cases of swine flu - two in Milwaukee and one in Adams County. Four Milwaukee schools have been closed indefinitely after one adult and one child got sick. The two are not related, and officials could not say if they had contact with each other....

Don't call it swine flu. That's what the Wisconsin Pork Producers are asking us. The strain has pig, poultry and human elements but it's only being spread by people, and there's no evidence of the strain in any U.S. pigs. Tammy Vaasenn, the operations director for the state's...

Wisconsin's first American Idol finalist has made the Top 4. Danny Gokey of Milwaukee was the first to be told he was safe during last night's results show on Fox. He sang the Frank Sinatra classic "Come Rain or Come Shine" on Tuesday's show, which featured songs from the Rat...

The pay gap between men and women is getting wider in Wisconsin. According to the state Women's Council, females get 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. That's according to the latest available data from 2007. And the gap is 1 cent bigger than what the Council reported a year...

Chrysler employees in Kenosha did their part to try and avoid bankruptcy. Local president Glenn Stark of the United Auto Workers said 89 percent of those who voted Wednesday favored a restructuring of their contract from 2007. But the company might not able to avoid bankruptcy...

Three Wisconsin small business owners told a congressional oversight panel they're having trouble getting help from banks which got federal bailout money. Elizabeth Warren, the head of the panel, said she was struck by how consistent the complaints were. But she refused to say how...

The family of a southern Wisconsin girl is getting a $17 million malpractice settlement, after a spleen-removal operation left their daughter disabled. Shelbey Bomkamp, 8, of Highland suffered permanent brain injuries as the result of an operation at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison...