AltWeeklies Wire
Milwaukee: Great for Corporationsnew
But property taxpayers get squeezed.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
08-08-2008 |
Business & Labor
Is It Open Season on the 401(k)?new
In yet another troubling sign for the U.S. economy, more Americans are borrowing against their 401(k) retirement plans to make ends meet. What's more, some banks are making it easier by offering people debit cards that tap into their retirement funds.
Shepherd Express |
Ken Reibel |
08-01-2008 |
Economy
Are We at a Turning Point, or Another Stalemate, on Iraq?new
Five-plus years after the invasion of Iraq and two years after Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold first called for a troop-withdrawal timetable, the U.S. may be shifting its military and diplomatic strategy in the Middle East -- maybe. "We could have been out of there a long time ago," Feingold told the Shepherd Express last week. "And in a much better position as a nation, both in terms of our economy and national security, if we had done this earlier."
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
08-01-2008 |
War
Memo to McCain: Offshore Drilling Won't Reduce Gas Pricesnew
McCain -- who has accepted more than $1 million from Big Oil donors -- is hoping that voters who are outraged by the high cost of gas will support his desire to find new domestic sources of oil and natural gas. But according to the "official energy statistics" from the federal government's Energy Information Administration, there isn't enough oil in the "off-limits" offshore areas to make a dent in world supplies or the cost of gas.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
07-25-2008 |
Environment
WMC Already Collecting Dividends from Buying the State Courtnew
The state Supreme Court, state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and the big business lobby Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) handed Wisconsin residents a $350 million tax hike—and gave corporations a new tax break.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
07-18-2008 |
Business & Labor
Mark Weisbrot on the Media's Misleading Latin American Reportingnew
Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C., is considered to be one of the leading experts on the Venezuelan economy and the reforms of President Hugo Chavez. Weisbrot was in town last week to discuss American media's coverage of progressive changes in Latin America, coverage that he claims is misleading.
Shepherd Express |
Louis Fortis |
06-20-2008 |
International
Most Businesses Still Waiting to 'Go Green'new
According to the second annual Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator survey, 72 percent of North American companies report that they are paying more attention to energy efficiency than last year. But the percentage of companies planning to invest in energy-efficiency improvements has not increased.
Shepherd Express |
Ken Reibel |
06-20-2008 |
Environment
Wisconsin Fails Health Insurance Protectionsnew
Conservatives' solution to the health care crisis is to provide tax credits to allow individuals to buy their health insurance in a competitive marketplace. But in Wisconsin, as in many other states, the individual health insurance market does little to protect the consumers it is supposed to serve.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
06-20-2008 |
Science
Study Suggests Additional Background Checks Deter Gun Deathsnew
Local and state checks can lead to fewer homicides and suicides.
Shepherd Express |
Evan Rytlewski |
06-13-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Gay Rights Are Good for the Economynew
The estimated 15.3 million gay adults in the United States have a combined buying power of more than $660 billion, and same-sex marriage may make gay Americans even more important to the economy.
Shepherd Express |
Ken Reibel |
06-06-2008 |
LGBT
Even in Great Lakes Region, Water Needs Conservingnew
The Great Lakes account for 20 percent of the world's fresh water, but climate change, industry, rising population levels and a lack of awareness are putting pressure on this critical natural resource.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
06-06-2008 |
Environment
Federal Regulators Crack Down on Egregious Credit Card Industry Practicesnew
Under proposed rules, card companies would have to give consumers more time to make payments before charging late fees. If a bill carries two different interest rates, card issuers would be barred from applying payments to the lower interest charge first. They also would be limited in raising the interest rate on an outstanding balance.
Shepherd Express |
Ken Reibel |
05-23-2008 |
Economy
Teens and STDs: The Silent Epidemicnew
Many were shocked when the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year that one in four teenage girls had contracted a sexually transmitted disease -- but Milwaukee experts weren't. Milwaukee has a long-standing problem not only with teen pregnancy, but with teen STDs as well.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
05-23-2008 |
Science
Power Plant's Water-Intake Pipe Moves Aheadnew
Riverkeeper's Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called it "a giant fish-killing machine," but the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources just gave a preliminary OK to We Energies' plan to build a 1.5-mile-long water-intake pipe into Lake Michigan.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
05-16-2008 |
Environment
Racial Disparities Prevail in Wisconsin's Justice Systemnew
New studies from The Sentencing Project, Human Rights Watch, and a governor's commission show the state's justice system treats black and white drug offenders differently.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
05-16-2008 |
Crime & Justice
