outdoors

MADISON - Over-the-counter spring turkey permits in zones 4 and 5 -- which includes Pierce and St. Croix counties -- will be reduced by 25 percent in response to hunter feedback requesting a conservative approach to the number of permits issued for this spring's hunt, due to concerns...

MADISON -- The head of a task force that's studying Wisconsin's rural schools says he's surprised at how much they've been stripped to the bare bones. Still, Assembly Republican Rob Swearingen of Rhinelander does not expect his panel to suggest a major financial overhaul when its...

Wisconsin is a big winner at the Oscars. Mequon native John Ridley won an Academy Award last night as the Best Adapted Screenplay for the film “Twelve Years a Slave.” It was also named Best Picture. Lupita Nyong'o won the Best Supporting Actress award for the film. "Twelve...

MADISON -- Chronic wasting disease continues to get more prevalent in southern Wisconsin's deer population. The DNR said Tuesday that almost one of every four adult male deer in Iowa County and western Dane County are thought to have the fatal brain disorder. The 25 percent prevalence...

ARCADIA -- Thirteen people were taken to a hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning from a home near Arcadia in western Wisconsin. Trempealeau County authorities responded to a house where seven adults and five children fell ill late Sunday afternoon. A responding officer also succumbed,...

No good day goes unpunished -- not in Wisconsin this winter. After the two mildest days of 2014 this week, up to a foot of snow is predicted for Thursday and into Friday as an intense low-pressure system builds steam from the Great Plains. The Eau Claire and Black River Falls regions...

MADISON -- An effort by Democrats to throw out Wisconsin's ban on gay marriage appears to be going nowhere. Sen. Tim Carpenter and Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa, both of Milwaukee, introduced a constitutional amendment Thursday to reverse the 2006 ban on gay marriage and civil unions. Later,...

MADISON -- Wisconsin residents are getting their chance to sound off on tax reform. Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and state Revenue Secretary Rick Chandler has posted a Web site where folks can learn more about the issue, and give their ideas. Gov. Scott Walker promised the Web site...

A New Richmond man is in critical condition after a snowmobile crash Thursday night in the Town of Star Prairie. David R. Gramberg, 39, drove off a trail and hit a tree east of County Road CC and north of 220th Avenue just before 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to Conservation...

SUPERIOR -- A Douglas County jury on Thursday acquitted an Eau Claire pediatrician of 14 sexual assault-related felonies but failed to agree on two other charges. The partial verdict came after more than 21 hours of deliberation over three days. Jurors unanimously agreed to verdicts...

MILWAUKEE -- A state appeals court judge says a former Milwaukee County Walker aide cannot keep evidence of her crimes secret, while she appeals her conviction. Kelly Rindfleisch, 45, pleaded guilty in 2012 to doing campaign work for Republicans on taxpayer time while working for...

Low-income Wisconsinites who use propane to heat their homes will get an extra $14 million under the federal fuel assistance program. U.S. Senate Democrat Tammy Baldwin announced the allocation Thursday as state residents continue to struggle with a propane shortage that has raised...