WPR Reports

Chaos and Quiet

2011 was a frenzied, historic year in Wisconsin politics, with massive protests over GOP legislation gutting the state's public employee unions. But at the same time, quietly, behind closed doors, Republicans were drawing maps that would cement their power for a decade.

An Unseen Force

While Wisconsin has yet to re-draw its legislative maps, there are several lawsuits and associated challenges related to re-districting, working their way through several levels of the judicial system. We try to untangle the current situation, and discuss where things go from here.

Wisconsin is the quintessential purple state, and yet the Legislature is very red. Why? It's partly because of redistricting, the process of drawing district lines every decade. It's not something most people learn about in civics class, but the way those maps are drawn and who draws them can have an enormous impact on who wields political power.

While Wisconsin has yet to re-draw its legislative maps, there are several lawsuits and associated challenges related to re-districting, working their way through several levels of the judicial system. We try to untangle the current situation, and discuss where things go from here.

In 2011, Wisconsin's legislative redistricting process included secret meetings, deleted documents and a case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Mapped Out" is an investigative series debuting in September that will give the low-down on the state's redistricting past and get ready for redistricting present.

Because the story of "Derailed" happened over the course of decades, there's a lot there, and a lot we didn't get to. Some of it, like Gov. Jim Doyle's role in ending the train, is still discussed today. Other stuff, like the 2016 Olympics connection, seems to have been lost to history. Here are some of the questions we didn't get to in "Derailed."

Bonus Episode

When former Gov. Tommy Thompson decided to return to politics in 2012, he was walking into a Wisconsin that was as divided as ever. The game had changed, and Thompson had to play by a new set of rules. That meant a new take on some of his old positions, including the train.