A gaming expert tells us how different games, from PokemonGo to Dungeons and Dragons, reflect the time’s biggest social and cultural phenomena of the time. On Wisconsin Life, we learn about a five-year bird survey. And we learn how concerns over water quality and access in central Wisconsin will play into the upcoming fall elections.
Featured in this Show
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Water Quality Becomes A Concern In Wisconsin Elections
Just ahead of the November elections and Wisconsin’s congressional primaries, there’s a new issue that will make it to the top of some candidates list of priorities: water. We talk to investigative journalists from the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism about how concerns over water quality and access in central Wisconsin will affect various political races.
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Water Pollution Is Pillar Issue In Local Elections
Water contamination is proving to be a key campaign issue in districts across Wisconsin, causing some Republicans to break from the party’s anti-regulation platform.
Several high-profile incidents around the state have put residents and those seeking office on high alert. Concerns escalated after hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin residents were found to be at risk of consuming water contaminated by bacteria in May.
Concerns have also surfaced from a slew of reports of groundwater contamination in Kewaunee County, linked to dairy farm waste, as well as a recent state audit that found the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ignored its own water pollution rules.
With its Failure at the Faucet series, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has been shining a light on water pollution cases across the state.
Andrew Hahn, a reporter involved in the series, said it’s clear that water has trickled in as a major political issue throughout the state, particularly in geographic areas that are vulnerable to groundwater contamination.
That includes the 72nd state Assembly District, where state Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, will face one of two Democrats vying for the seat in a primary race that has centered around water issues.
While all three candidates are a different blend of ideology — from steadfast Republican to emphatic Bernie Sanders supporter — Hahn said all three are calling for regulatory changes.
Krug told Hahn that it would be “political suicide” if he didn’t address water pollution, causing the Republican to separate himself from the party’s typical stance on regulation.
“Some of these Republicans find that politically they have to kind of abandoned the traditional Republican stance that regulation is bad for the economy because these issues are so emotional and so big in their race,” Hahn said.
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Wisconsin Life: Five-year Statewide Bird Survey
On today’s Wisconsin Life we will learn about the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas II – a comprehensive field survey that documents the distribution and abundance of birds breeding in Wisconsin.
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What Pokemon Go And Dungeons And Dragons Can Teach You About Society
In a digitized world, Pokemon Go blends the physical with the fictional by using your phone’s GPS. The app is new, but creating a game that fits perfectly into the distinct spirit and culture of a time isn’t. We talk to a gaming expert about how everything from board games to video games can reflect a chapter in history.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- Haleema Shah Producer
- Karl Christenson Producer
- Dee Hall Guest
- Andrew Hahn Guest
- Ryan Brady Guest
- Matt Forbeck Guest
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