As Wisconsin's legislature struggles to finish its biennial budget , the UW Board of Regents has already approved its financial blueprint for the upcoming year. But things look a bit different this time around. UW System leaders have changed the formula for distributing funds across campuses -- and that means some schools will see less money than in years past. Back in May, state lawmakers approved a $25 million increase for the UW System in the 2017-18 school year. That’s money the system hasn

Immigrant rights advocates say the city of Milwaukee has caved to pressure from the Trump administration concerning immigration. The advocates say the Milwaukee Police Department has opened a door that could lead to more deportations. Several groups across the state are now calling for the city to reverse course. Milwaukee's city hall rotunda was packed on Wednesday morning with people demanding Mayor Tom Barrett stand with the undocumented immigrants in the community. Christine Neumann-Ortiz is

Most school-age kids have to compete to earn spots on athletic teams, and sometimes they're also pitted against one another in the classroom. But experts disagree on whether competition is an asset or a roadblock to the learning process. At Bruce Guadalupe Elementary School on Milwaukee’s south side, teachers have found a way to get kids interested in math: turn it into a game. A board game, to be precise. Developed by the NBA, it’s called “Math Hoops,” and it’s based on basketball. Players try

Republican lawmakers at both the state and federal level are hoping to break through the gridlock when they resume work later this month on key pieces of legislation. Despite their majorities, Republicans haven’t been able to see eye to eye. Take Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson -- one of the lawmakers slowing the Senate GOP effort to replace the Affordable Care Act. He expressed concern over his colleagues' plan last week. “The bottom line is, we can do this but we need the information. The

Not many members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League are still around today. The league lasted from 1943-'54, and was created by Phil Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, to keep ballparks busy after the U.S. had begun sending many of its Major League players to fight in World War II. Twenty-five years ago, more Americans began learning about the league, when Hollywood released the movie, A League of Their Own . At that time, WUWM met three players from the old Racine Belles

Several people who have served time at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility are pushing the state to close it. Members of the Wisconsin branch of EXPO, or Ex-Prisoners Organizing , issued their call at a meeting Thursday at MATC. The organization's president, Mark Rice, says the Milwaukee facility is unfit, plus it mainly houses people who are not there for committing a crime. “No one should be forced to live in inhumane conditions. The conditions in the MSDF ( Milwaukee Secure Detention

It's summer and yet a group of girls have opted to spend time in classroom and labs in Milwaukee, to study engineering. Statistically, some of them will face challenges in becoming engineers, but right now, members of this group are determined. One of the girls is Claire Kasier, an incoming freshman at Hamilton High School in Sussex. She says this environment is different than engineering classes at school. It's quieter. "I think it's pretty cool, because in my tech class there were only five

What do you want to be when you grow up? Gender might determine what images come to kids’ minds. So many fields are dominated by one gender or another that Wisconsin has a name for this trend: “non-traditional occupations.” Those are fields that employ 25 percent or less of one gender. The state keeps track, and publishes a list every few years. Leaders at schools like MATC say it’s their mission to shorten that list. The technical college wants to give both boys and girls a chance to try their

The latest numbers from the Marquette Law School Poll are in and they are mixed bag for Republican leaders. Around 800 Wisconsinites participated in the phone survey between June 22 and 25. The margin of error is 4.5 percent . Those were days GOP leaders at both levels were continuing to debate major items – including health care in Washington and road funding in Madison. For months now, Wisconsin lawmakers have been working to pass a new biennium state budget. While the GOP controls the

The downtown Milwaukee River bustles these summer days with boaters and kayakers and cruises, while people on shore sit at the cafes. It would have been difficult to imagine a few decades ago, when the river was still largely an industrial dumping ground, but things started to change when the city developed the Riverwalk. It now spans miles. Yet one small part of the dream has not taken hold - the creation of river taxis. Signs are posted, but no taxis. Jake Chianelli’s company, Milwaukee Boat