In the mid-1970s, Lisa Chue Thao and her family had to leave their whole world behind. Their farm, their friends, their home. They lived in northwest Laos and the horrors of war were creeping in. So, they started walking and ended up in a refugee camp in Thailand. In the 1980s, Lisa moved to Eau Claire and raised her family there. She shares that experience in this essay, which she told to and is read by her daughter, Yia Lor.

‘I Still Remember’: A Woman’s Journey From Laos To Eau Claire

Wisconsin Life celebrates the people, places, history and culture of the state. Come with us as we kayak the Mississippi River, interview musicians in Milwaukee, and bake pasties in Rhinelander. We connect you with diverse people and ideas through short stories updated twice a week.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

‘Lessons Learned’: Reminiscing on childhood adventures of fishing with friends

Sports fans across Wisconsin can spend their summers watching college baseball players compete in the Northwoods League on teams like the La Crosse Loggers and the Madison Mallards. This summer, that league is expanding to add softball teams, like the La Crosse Steam and the Madison Night Mares. WPR’s Jenny Peek joined some Night Mares players at the ballpark to get a sense of what to expect from their inaugural season.

Northwoods League expands to softball, bringing Night Mares to Madison

When someone downsizes their home, they have to think about what stays and what goes. But what do people do with relics from their life that carry deep meaning, like old trophies, that can’t make the transition into a new space? At the Nationwide Trophy Recycling program in Madison, Wisconsin, staff and volunteers take old trophies for a fee and recycle the parts. Then, they rebuild new trophies and give them away for free to nonprofits nationwide. Alexandra Salmon takes us on a tour of the shop.

Don’t know what to do with your old trophies? One Madison company will recycle them.

Spring is peak season for baby animals in Wisconsin. It’s also the busiest time of year for wildlife rehabbers, as they’re flooded with calls about wounded or orphaned critters. As WPR’s Sarah Lehr tells us, one group of humans in south central Wisconsin is bringing wildlife into their homes…to care for those animals until they can fend for themselves.

These Wisconsin volunteers are opening up their homes to wild animals

For those who have fought and died in the U.S. Armed Forces, they leave with their families the weight of their sacrifice. Holly Higgins of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, lost her son, Daniel Johnson, while he served in the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan in 2010. Higgins talks about dealing with the loss with her other son, Erik Johnson, a Specialist in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. They shared their experience as part of StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative, which is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

‘I Still Remember’: A Woman’s Journey From Laos To Eau Claire

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