On September 13, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with Wisconsin Department of Revenue Secretary Peter Barca to discuss his perspective on state taxes and budget surplus. With a record multi-billion dollar state budget surplus and a healthier than ever rainy day fund, one of the biggest questions before state policymakers currently is whether […]

On August 29, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with the Director of the Legislative Council, Anne Sappenfield, to provide a study committees overview, including the challenges the legislature hopes members will address. Each even-numbered year of the biennium Wisconsin’s Joint Legislative Council establishes what are known as study committees. These committees, with a […]

On August 22, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with outgoing State Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh). Rep. Hintz was elected in 2006 and has since served 8 terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly. He is one of only a handful of state Democrats who know what it’s like to be in the majority party. […]

On August 8, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Paul Farrow and Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler to preview the primary election. August 9th marks one of the most watched partisan primaries in the nation, held right here in Wisconsin. With several high profile endorsements and […]

On August 1, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with Dan O’Donnell, a conservative talk show host with WISN radio in Milwaukee, and Dave Cieslewicz, a self-described moderate Democrat, blogger and former Mayor of Madison to discuss political viewpoints heading into the primary. Wisconsinites head to the polls in just over a week to […]

On July 25, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with the Department of Workforce Development Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek to discuss workforce issues and how regional solutions are addressing significant labor force challenges. Wisconsin’s economy is facing the same challenges as other states including record-high inflation and workforce shortages, but the state’s strengths and strategies […]

On July 19, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with Criminal Defense Attorney and President of the Wisconsin Justice Initiative, Craig Johnson along with Representative Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, to discuss bail reform. Wisconsin is on the way to amending the state constitution to update bail policies following the tragic deaths of six people by […]

On July 11, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with Trish Kilpin, Director of the Office of School Safety, and Tom Wohlleber, Executive Director of the Wisconsin School Safety Coordinators Association, to discuss school safety in Wisconsin. Recent tragic school shootings are impacting school safety planning efforts throughout Wisconsin. Many schools face significant challenges such as staff […]

On July 5, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with Charles Franklin, Director of the Marquette University Law School Poll, to discuss recent polling that shows narrowing margins for candidates in Wisconsin’s Gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races and takes the voters’ temperature on issues like abortion rights and gun violence. But how much do […]

On June 20, 2022, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sat down with Patti Jo Becker, Community Living Alliance – Director of Operations, and Lynn Gall, WI Department of Health Services – Family Caregiver Support Programs Manager, to discuss workforce shortage and support for working caregivers. The Wisconsin workforce shortage is worsening in part due to a […]