From the category archives:

Economy

Jobless rate inches down

by Bob Hague on November 20, 2009

in Economy

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate decreased in October – but not by much. The state’s unemployment rate is at its lowest point of the year, continuing a decline that began in June and remaining below the national rate. That’s the good news revealed in the October jobless rate, which at 7.6 percent was down just one tenth of a percentage point from September, although it’s dropped eight tenths of a percent from August. On a seasonally adjusted basis, Wisconsin’s unemployment rate remained unchanged, at 8.4 percent, and down from 8.8 percent in August.

The national rate for October was 9.5 percent, also unchanged from September, and 3.4 percentage points higher than in October 2008. Over the last 12 months, data showed a loss of 129,600 non farm jobs in Wisconsin. Goods producers were down 59,000, mostly in manufacturing, which was down 48,700. Service sector jobs declined 70,600 over the year, led by professional and business services, which lost 23,200 jobs.

The figures were released Thursday by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

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Rallying against wage theft

by Bob Hague 11/19/09 6:10 PM

We’ve all heard of employee theft, but what about employers who steal from workers? According to Patrick Hickey with Madison’s Workers’ Rights Center, it’s a growing problem. At a rally at the Capitol, Hickey said federal legislation would extend the two year statute of limitations that the Department of Labor has to meet in its [...]

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Tax dollars go to non-existant districts

by WRN Contributor 11/19/09 9:49 AM

Six Wisconsin House districts that don’t exist are listed as getting over $2 million from the federal stimulus package. The state has eight House districts. But the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity said a phantom Ninth Congressional District got stimulus money and so did the 10th, 14th, 39th, and 55th Districts. Even a district labeled double-zero [...]

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Nuclear breakthrough has Wisconsin fingerprints

by Brian Moon 11/18/09 12:56 PM

The US Department of Energy considers a recent achievement “a world record” in gas reactor particle fuel use, according to Kathy McCarthy, Deputy Associate Lab Director for Nuclear Science & Technology at Idaho National Laboratory.
AUDIO: Dr. Kathy McCarthy (MP3 :33)
UW-Madison nuclear engineering students have been strongly contributing to the projects research.
Those who’ve opposed the expansion [...]

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Study finding state fiscally troubled is disputed

by Bob Hague 11/12/09 12:30 AM

A newly released report claims Wisconsin is one of the ten most fiscally troubled states in the nation, but a top state official disputes that finding.
California’s financial problems are in a league of their own. But the report says the same pressures that drove the Golden State toward fiscal disaster are wreaking havoc in a [...]

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