On Friday, roughly 1,500 protesters gathered on the state Capitol grounds to demand an end to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ COVID-19-related stay-at-home order. Many attendees criticized the Evers administration for infringing on their personal freedoms and crippling the state economy. Protesters carried signs with messages ranging from “Quarantine Tony Evers” to “Reopen Wisconsin,” waved American and Gadsden “Don’t tread on me” flags, and broke into chants including “U.S.A.” and “Bring back Scott,” a reference to former Republican Gov. Scott Walker — all while a convoy of vehicles circled the Capitol as part of the demonstration. Some in the crowd carried firearms, some wore protective masks, and others wore attire or carried signs supporting President Donald Trump. A few counter protesters were among the melee but an event was organized online to officially counter the in-person gathering and support Evers extension of the "safer at home" order to May 26. The original order was scheduled to end April 24. The socially-distanced, online counter protest drew over 10,000 attendees between Friday and Saturday.  Support the show.

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S1E19: COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin: Week six - protests and counter protests

A plastics manufacturer, located in Baraboo, Wisconsin, claims to be one of two in the world able to produce the type of swab sticks needed for COVID-19 testing kits. Tom Thompson, president of Teel Plastics, said millions of swab sticks needed for the kits have been produced and shipped off to another medical manufacturing partner in Maine, where COVID-19 testing kits are assembled and distributed through a federal defense contract.  Millions of the testing kits were produced through their partnership so far, but Wisconsinites have yet to see any of those kits distributed within the state from the federal government, according to members of the Wisconsin delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Support the show.

S1E18: COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin: Week five - where are the testing kits?

State and national leaders dubbed the first full week of April as "our Pearl Harbor or our 9/11 moment" in regard to the pandemic, and in the past week, Wisconsin saw the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the state reach triple digits. On this week's episode UW-Health's Dr. Jeff Pothof discusses the effect of social distancing and Gov. Tony Evers' "safer at home" order on flattening the COVID-19 coronavirus curve in Madison. Pothof also discusses the preparedness of the UW-Health system for a surge in critical cases of COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin.  Support the show.

S1E17: COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin: Week four - the effect of social distancing on the Madison curve

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic upended an already chaotic election season across the country and in Wisconsin. Over the past week, the state election - scheduled to take place Tuesday - has garnered national news as state officials struggle to determine whether it should move forward as planned. State and politics reporter Riley Vetterkind shares information on the new obstacles faced by candidates, poll workers and voters as they get ready to cast their ballots.  Support the show.

S1E16: COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin: Week three - will state-wide elections take place as scheduled?

Governor Tony Evers introduced the “safer at home” order in an effort to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin. The order effectively closed a number of businesses across the state which were deemed “nonessential” and caused the number of unemployment claims in the state to skyrocket.   In this episode, state and politics reporter Mitchell Schmidt discusses the staggering number of unemployment claims filed during the pandemic and state lawmaker’s plans to deal with them.   Support the show.

S1E15: COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin: Week two - the impact on state-wide unemployment

The COVID-19 coronavirus has ground everyday life to a halt in Madison and in many cities across the country, as well as the world.  I spoke with health and medicine reporter David Wahlberg, about the response from Wisconsin and Madison officials to the pandemic, and higher education reporter Kelly Meyerhofer, about the impact on Wisconsin's higher education institutions, via conference call. Special thanks to reporter Emily Hamer who collected and contributed audio of her interviews with UW-Madison students. Support the show.

S1E14: COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin: Week one - the response from officials and the impact on higher education

In the week leading up to and the week after Super Tuesday, the field of Democratic presidential candidates shrunk to three, Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.  State and politics reporter Mitchell Schmidt discusses the field of candidates, the upsets, the victories, and what Wisconsin voters will have to look forward to, as we near the Democratic National Convention.  Support the show.

S1E13: How Super Tuesday narrowed the field of Democratic Presidential Candidates

The U.S. Air Force has considered Madison's Truax Field as one of its top choices for a home for its next generation fighter jet, the F-35, for over a decade. The Madison Chamber of Commerce is a huge proponent of the program, along with others, due to the influx of jobs and federal dollars it will bring to the area.  But as the program nears realization, Madison residents and members of the Wisconsin legislature voiced their opposition to the jets, due to an increase in noise for those who live near the military base as well as the potential for ground water contamination. Support the show.

S1E12: The controversy behind Madison's push to land F-35s at Truax Field

Results of a new Wisconsin state-wide poll, released Sunday, show Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in a commanding lead ahead of the Democratic presidential nominees. But, given the surprise outcome of the 2016 presidential election, the question remains: How accurate are political polls in an election year? Director of the UW-Madison Elections Research Center Barry Burden and the Wisconsin State Journal's State and Politics Editor Matt DeFour discuss the new survey and polling partner YouGov's online method of canvassing the public.   Support the show.

S1E11: What Wisconsin learned about political polls between 2016 and 2020

As antibiotic resistant bacterium become more prevalent, rendering antibiotics useless for a growing number of illnesses, researchers at UW-Madison are exploring phages as an alternative therapeutic.  Scientists have begun to work with phages, viruses that kill bacteria but don't appear to harm humans, and Dr. Vatsan Raman's lab will go the extra thousands of miles as they  launch phages and e.coli into orbit, aboard the International Space Station, to see how the microorganisms interact in micro-gravity.  The cargo spacecraft, with phages on board, launched Saturday, February 15. Support the show.

S1E10: In a time of public health uncertainty, UW-Madison researchers look to the stars for new therapeutics

Art Director Amy Gilman reflects on the beginning of the institution, during a chaotic and at times violent part of American history, and discusses her plans for its future following the Chazen's 50th anniversary.  Just three weeks after a bombing on the UW-Madison campus claimed the life of one researcher and injured three others, the Chazen Museum of Art opened its doors as the Elvehjem Art Center, in part to provide the community with a place to heal through the arts. Fifty years later, the museum continues to thrive.   Support the show.

S1E9: From the bombing of Sterling Hall to today - a retrospective of the Chazen Museum of Art

On the eighth episode of Front Page, politics and state government reporter Mitchell Schmidt, who lived and worked as a reporter in Iowa before joining the State Journal team in 2019, provides an insider glimpse into the first in the nation Iowa Caucuses. And - as Democrats spent the past months drumming up support ahead of the Iowa Caucus, the presidential incumbent has already begun campaigning in battleground states, including Wisconsin. The interview portion of this episode was recorded on Thursday, before former Congressman John Delaney made public his decision to drop out of the race. Support the show.

S1E8: From first in the nation Iowa Caucuses to the Wisconsin battleground - the race for the White House kicks off

Governor Tony Evers laid out new controversial proposals in his second State of the State address, one of which Republicans called unconstitutional, the other could have an affect on one state senator's bid for Congress.  Politics and State Government reporters Mitchell Schmidt and Riley Vetterkind unpack the State of the State address, as well as the surprising legislation to come from it and how it could set the stage for the 2020 election year. Support the show.

S1E7: Surprise legislation laid out in Evers' State of the State and its potential impact on elections

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly, who was appointed by Governor Walker to fill the vacancy left by Justice David Prosser who retired in 2016, will face voters for the first time in 2020. But, this usually non-partisan race has already become politicized among an already busy and contested election year.  Politics and state government reporter Riley Vetterkind walked through each candidate, their platform and what’s riding on the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Support the show.

S1E6: The race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court heats up as primaries draw near

Minnesota and Wisconsin are similar in size and geography. They have roughly the same population and climate. Yet over the past decade, Minnesota has become a leader in clean energy, while Wisconsin remains largely dependent on fossil fuels. The diverging approach is due in part to a slate of clean energy policies that helped spur wind and solar development in Minnesota, while “modest and outdated” policies have done little to encourage similar growth across the border, according to a recent report by an environmental law and business advocacy group. Energy and environment reporter Chris Hubbuch broke down some of the reasons for the vast difference.Support the show.

S1E5: Border battles: When it comes to clean energy, Minnesota outshines Wisconsin

Front Page is a podcast that takes a look back at some of the Wisconsin State Journal's most interesting recent stories, and provides a glimpse behind the scenes at the reporting process that goes into the creation of those stories.  For more information on the stories or reporters in each episode, visit madison.com/wsj. 

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