Running a family business can instill pride and a valuable work ethic that circulates through the household. Wisconsin writer Nancy Jorgensen shares a story about her father, Quentin Smirl, and  growing up around his printing business, Lithoprint Company in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She says it had a lasting impact on future generations of the family.

Running a family business can instill pride and a valuable work ethic that circulates through the household. Wisconsin writer Nancy Jorgensen shares a story about her father, Quentin Smirl, and  growing up around his printing business, Lithoprint Company in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She says it had a lasting impact on future generations of the family.

When Ernesto Rodriguez of La Crosse was 24 years old, he left the only home he’d ever known: Cuba. He, along with 125,000 of his fellow Cubans, hopped on boats bound for the United States in 1980. They were part of the mass exodus known as the Mariel Boatlift, a rare moment when President Fidel Castro allowed residents to leave the island. And after he was sent to Fort McCoy, he moved in the Brandstetter family in Sparta, Wisconsin.

Erne’s story is featured on the new podcast, “WPR Reports: Uprooted.”

Primate research has led to countless scientific breakthroughs. But when a monkey is no longer needed for research, what happens next can be an ethical quandary. In south central Wisconsin, a team runs a sanctuary for monkeys, as a way to say thank you for their contributions to science. Jana Rose Schleis brings us the story of Primates Incorporated.

In 1980, there was a mass exodus of Cubans who left their homes for the United States as part of the Mariel Boatlift. It was a rare opportunity for people to leave the island, as President Fidel Castro opened his borders and allowed people to be reunited with family, find new opportunities and even leave prison.

Of the 125,000 Cuban people who left, almost 15,000 of them were sent to Fort McCoy in Sparta, Wisconsin.

In this podcast, Cubans who remained in Wisconsin and became family to one another share untold stories about their early lives, moving to the U.S. and what life has been like in Wisconsin. Hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life” host Maureen McCollum and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse professor Omar Granados, the eight-episode podcast will debut on October 12, 2022.

Retired Legal Chief Lorrie McNeal Saylor of Kenosha knew before she graduated high school that she wanted to see the world. She was ready for something different, for new experiences outside of her childhood home in Alabama. So, she joined the United States Navy, travelled the globe and made lifelong friends from many cultures along the way. Saylor’s daughter, Erika Saylor, interviewed her about her experiences as part of StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative, which is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

As people enter the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin, they’re transported from a relatively flat region to a sudden maze of rolling hills. Roads wind up the sides of bluffs and then back down to the valleys below. Its beauty is without question. But where does the name Driftless come from? WHYsconsin went to find the answer.

Imagine donating one of your organs to a complete stranger. Missy Makinia of Ladysmith did after hearing a little girl in her town needed one. Her amazing story comes to us from our friends at “To The Best Of Our Knowledge” from WPR and PRX.

Comedian Charlie Hill grew up in Oneida, Wisconsin watching his favorite comics get laughs on late night TV. He eventually ended up as a 30-year regular at The Comedy Store, launched a career in acting, and performed comedy on many of the biggest TV talk shows, including “The Tonight Show.” WPR’s “BETA” recently featured comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff, who talked about Hill’s path to becoming an unsung hero of comedy and a symbol of hope for many Indigenous people.

Hurricane Fiona has devastated Puerto Rico. Its destruction came almost exactly five years after another terrible natural disaster, Hurricane Maria. After the 2017 storm, Puerto Ricans living stateside watched the disaster from afar, many felt powerless. Poet Karl Michael Iglesias wanted to help in a way only he could. So, the Milwaukee native and Brooklyn resident channeled his thoughts into a debut poetry collection, “Catch A Glow.”