Evading Accountability: Kenosha jury’s acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse just the latest miscarriage of justice
Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges on November 19 after pleading self-defense in the deadly Kenosha shootings that became a flashpoint in the debate over guns, vigilantism, and racial injustice in the United States. A jury of seven White women, four White...
A Poisoned Doctrine: Rittenhouse verdict legitimizes claim of self-defense against a self-created danger
By Ronald Sullivan, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School In a two-week trial that reignited debate over self-defense laws across the nation, a Wisconsin jury acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse for shooting three people, two fatally, during a racial justice protest in Kenosha....
New federal study highlights Milwaukee and Madison as keys hubs in high-speed rail network across Midwest
Wisconsin’s two largest cities would be key pieces of an expanded high-speed passenger rail network across the Midwest, according to a new federal study. The Midwest Regional Rail Planning Study mapped out the most promising routes for development over the next...
Carbon reduction: Wisconsin’s largest utility company plans to shift from coal to natural gas by 2035
Wisconsin’s largest utility company plans to drop coal from its power mix by 2035, moving the state closer to carbon reduction goals. The company, which owns We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, expects coal to make up less than 5 percent of its power mix...
A climate tug of war: Wisconsin communities expect to spend millions to protect Lake Michigan shorelines
Wisconsin’s Great Lakes communities expect to spend more than $245 million in five years to protect shorelines as a climate ‘tug of war’ drives extreme shifts in water levels. Mike Kahr, an engineer and owner of Death’s Door Marine, has watched Lake Michigan’s water...
A War on Democracy: How White Supremacists can attack the foundation of America with impunity
American democracy’s most dangerous adversary is White Supremacy. Throughout the nation’s history, White Supremacy has undermined, twisted, and attacked the viability of the United States. What makes White Supremacy so lethal, however, is not just its presence but...
The loss of fact-based truth: Very few people understand what journalism really is
Everyone should be a journalist. The problem is, few people understand what journalism really is, yet everyone with a social media account is a self-styled journalist these days. Hence the rampant embrace of myriad crackpot beliefs. We are all familiar with these...
Nadiyah Johnson: Ensuring that people of color and women can find opportunities in the Tech industry
Early in Nadiyah Johnson’s career as a computer scientist, she discovered that for many people, including people of color and women, the technology industry was not an entirely comfortable space. As a Milwaukee-native and Black woman, she had just reported her summer...
Utility Rights: Proposed Wisconsin bill would remove barriers to third-party solar ownership
Wisconsin is the only state where third-party solar ownership has been blocked, advocates say. Legal uncertainty has prevented property owners from using the financing model. After years of regulatory uncertainty, a new proposal in Wisconsin would finally clarify that...
Crocodile Tears: Kyle Rittenhouse’s masterclass in victimology deserves an Emmy but not an exoneration
Earlier in the week, a friend texted me this prediction about the outcome of Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial: “Kyle Rittenhouse walks or only [gets convicted] of minor charges and gets probation.” Though my response was glib, I thought it was...
Milwaukee struggles to reduce disparity with Black students over suspensions and disciplinary actions
In 2012, the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) suspension rate for Black students was 85% of the district’s total suspensions. Today little has changed according to a report presented to a school board committee on October 5. This is despite a January 2018 agreement with...
Waukesha students say school district’s ban on LGBTQ and BLM signs perpetuates bullying
About 30 parents, students, teachers, and community members gathered outside the Waukesha school administration building on October 27 to announce that they were delivering a letter to the superintendent objecting to his policy of removing pro-LGBTQ signs from...
