Jezebel: Wisconsin

Did a Mom's Goth Website Get Her Booted From the Girl Scouts? [Updated]

Anna North — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:40:00 EST

A Wisconsin mom says she was booted from her position as a Girl Scout troop leader because she and her husband run a goth website. Is this a case of Middle American moral panic, or is there more to this story? More »

Don't You Go Trying to Speak Your Native American Language in Our Schools!

Anna North — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:20:00 EST

Last month, a Wisconsin 7th grader was suspended from the basketball team for speaking in her family's native language. Her words: "I love you." More »

A Very Unconvincing Liar Tells Police a Ghost Beat His Wife Up

Cassie Murdoch — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:30:00 EST

Last week, police were called the Wisconsin home of Michael West and his wife Rebecca in response to a domestic disturbance. When they got there, they found an upset Rebecca, who was "crying very hard and was bleeding out of her nose." She told the cops that her husband had punched her and strangled her until she lost her vision, after they'd had a fight about money. More »

Wisconsin Refuses To Let Planned Parenthood Give Free Cancer Screenings To Uninsured Women

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:20:00 EST

After waging battle against union worker's rights and defunding Planned Parenthood, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker—who bears an unfortunate resemblance to Huckelberry Hound—has now made the terrible decision to reduce access to free cancer screenings for women who don't have health insurance. The reason? Because Planned Parenthood provides the screenings, and, well, that's it! More »

Gimme Thigh've!

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:35:00 EST

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 03: Jared Abbrederis #4 and Jeff Duckworth #15 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrate after Duckworth scored 3-yard touchdown reception against the Michigan State Spartans during the first quarter of the Big 10 Conference Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 3, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) More »

Virginia Gleefully Hops Aboard Runaway Personhood Train

Erin Gloria Ryan — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:40:00 EST

Today in terrible ideas: Pro life legislators in Virginia think it would be a dandy idea to declare that life begins at the moment of conception and that fertilized eggs are people and hop aboard the Personhood Express. This is the worst train since the one Mary Steenburgen traveled through time on in Back to the Future III. More »

Personhood Advocates Take Hopeless Crusade To Wisconsin

Erin Gloria Ryan — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST

Less than a month off of their monumental failure in Mississippi, people who want the legal definition of "person" to be changed to include zygotes have decided that their next great battleground is The Badger State. This is a stupid idea that will never work. More »

Two Different Moms In Two Different States Both Charged With Starving Kids To Death

Erin Gloria Ryan — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:48:35 EST

Today in awful: Fearing their infant daughter would become fat and therefore gross, one Wisconsin couple attempted to limit their child's food intake to preserve her sexy bikini ready baby physique. Now, the baby's in protective custody and they're being charged with child neglect. Meanwhile, in another neighborhood in Whattheeverlovingfucktown, an Ohio woman has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after starving her teenage daughter with cerebral palsy to death. Dr. Spock is spinning in his grave so fast that he's creating an electrical current. More »

Your Depressing Anti-Choice Propaganda Digest

Erin Gloria Ryan — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:20:00 EDT

Mississippi's "personhood" push combined with a wave of abortion restricting laws across the country seems to have emboldened anti-choice protesters. Let's take a quick, awful peek at how the other half thinks. Not surprisingly, their tactics are nuttier than a squirrel orgy. More »

Adorable Dog Saved By Mouth-To-Snout Resuscitation

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 11:35:00 EDT

Oh man, the phrase "mouth-to-snout" is pretty wonderful all by itself, but it was a real life-saver for a yellow lab named Coda in Wisconsin. Poor Coda was caught in a fire, and when firefighters pulled him out of the house he was unresponsive. Fortunately, two of his quick-thinking rescuers gave Coda "mouth-to-snout" resuscitation, and he survived! Now, as you can see in this video, the adorable little guy is doing quite well—though his newfound fame seems to be making him a bit sleepy. More »

The Campaign To Get Ladies To Stay Home

Irin Carmon — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:05:00 EDT

Today, L.A.-area voters go to the polls to choose between the man on whose behalf the above ad was created, and the woman who's depicted as a gang-loving stripper in it. That's not the only way it's gotten ugly. More »

Texas And Wisconsin About To Defund Planned Parenthood

Irin Carmon — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:15:00 EDT

A judge handed Planned Parenthood a victory against the state of Indiana, restoring the right of Medicaid patients to seek care there, but that's just one battle in the wave of attacks on the health care provider. More »

Genius Congressman's Smacking Threat Captured On Voicemail

Anna North — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:50:00 EDT

Today in political types who don't know how to use the phone, a Wisconsin Congressman is drawing criticism for saying he'd like to "smack around" a constituent — all while her voicemail was recording. More »

Wisconsin, Tennessee Try To Cut Planned Parenthood Funding

Lane Moore — Sat, 21 May 2011 11:45:00 EDT

Wisconsin and Tennessee have joined the ranks of states seeking to defund Planned Parenthood. More »

Miss USA Hopeful Steals Hearts, Identities

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 15 May 2011 16:56:00 EDT

There she is, Misdemeanor America. More »

Sexting DA Avoids All Criminal Charges

Anna North — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:33:00 EDT

Former prosecutor Kenneth Kratz won't face criminal charges for repeatedly sexting an abuse victim while prosecuting her ex-boyfriend. However, investigation into his "misconduct" did turn up some other accusations. More »

Justice Says Calling His Colleague A "Total Bitch" Was "Warranted"

Anna North — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:45:00 EDT

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser is drawing fire for calling Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson (pictured, with Gov. Scott Walker) a "total bitch." His defense: she is one. More »

Fear Factor: Wisconsin

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 16:16:00 EST

What In Tarnation Is Going On In Wisconsin?

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 15:56:00 EST

Perhaps taking a cue from the Middle East, this week, shit got real in the Middle West, specifically in the state of Wisconsin. What's going on? More »

Adorable Wisconsin Man Adopts Treebound Cat

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 15:55:00 EST

When Ron Venden noticed that a kitten had been abandoned in a tree on his property, rather than call animal control, he named her Almond and began feeding her salami and meatloaf. She has yet to leave the tree. More »

Wisconsin Christmas Present Contains Methy Surprise

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 10:55:00 EST

A midwestern mother received a vacuum cleaner for Christmas, along with a surprise gift of $280K worth of drugs someone had stashed inside. First Clay Matthews's confusing roided-up-Fabio-joins-a-crappy-metal-band hairdo, and now this? Strange things are afoot in Green Bay. More »

Lady Lawyer Appointed to Replace the Sexting DA

Lauri Apple — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 13:15:02 EST

The governor of Wisconsin has appointed a woman to replace Sexting (ex-)DA Kenneth Kratz, who resigned after his harassment of abuse victims and all-around creepitude became national news. Incoming DA Jerilyn Dietz starts work on December 19. Hooray, justice! More »

Real World Star Wins Wisconsin Congressional Election

Jessica Coen — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:58:00 EDT

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Yeah, so, Real World: Boston lumberjack Sean? Mr. Duffy is now the Republican congressman for Wisconsin's 7th district. God bless democracy and MTV. More »

Real World Lumberjack Becomes Republican Party Hack

Erin Gloria Ryan — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:28:00 EDT

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You may remember Sean Duffy from such reality TV shows as The Real World: Boston and Real World/ Road Rules Challenge. People from Wisconsin's 7th district now know the plaid-wearing District Attorney of Ashland County as a potential C-SPAN fixture. More »

Wisconsin Governor Will "Consider" Removing Sexting DA

Anna North — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:42:00 EDT

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle says he'll "start the process to consider removing" sexting DA Kenneth Kratz from office. Meanwhile, a second woman says Kratz hit on her by inviting her to an autopsy. More »

Shock: Palin Not Well-Liked • Fart-Fetishist Sexually Assaulted

Katy Kelleher — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:40:00 EDT

• A CBS poll shows that Sarah Palin is pretty unpopular. Unsurprisingly, only 7% of Democrats have a positive view of the former governor of Alaska, and 43% of Republicans can say the same. More »

How Your Sausage Is Made

Anna Holmes — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:10:00 EDT

[Milwaukee, April 5. Image via Getty]

The Big Red Freshness Lasts Right Through It

Anna Holmes — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:10:00 EDT

[Jacksonville, Florida; March 21. Image via Getty]

On The Fence

Anna Holmes — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:10:00 EDT

[Cambria, Wisconsin; August 27. Image via Getty]

Expensive Camels

Maria — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:40:00 EST

Think your employment status is bad? Live camels are getting too pricey to participate in live nativity scenes in Wisconsin, where it can cost up to $2,100 to rent three camels on Christmas Eve. Those looking to re-create a nativity scene on a budget are economizing by replacing expensive camels with donkeys and sheep, which cost a fraction of the price to rent. [UPI, Image via Getty.] More »

Woman Arrested For Overdue Books • Study Says 33% Of Women Like Cat-Calls

Maria — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:30:00 EDT

A woman in Grafton, Wisconsin was arrested for two overdue library books (Angels and Demons and White Oleander) and plans to never give them back after she paid a $170 fine. • A points-based credit card company, Nectar Business, has found that 1/3rd of women say they enjoy attention from construction workers. Amazingly random and unscientific! • Should new parents give away their pets when they have a baby? • A new children's book, The Princess Bubble, downplays the importance of finding a handsome prince to be happy. • More »

Will College Women In Wisconsin Make A Difference In Tonight's Primary?

Jessica G. — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:30:00 EST

Over on the New Republic's website, writer Elizabeth Cline argues that women in college are not voting for Hillary because college campuses are ivory towers where gender discrimination barely exists. Barack Obama leads by as much as 17% in polls among college Democrats, while his lead over Clinton among 18-24 year-olds not in college is a mere 3%. "College has become one corner of American life where hardworking females are consistently and fairly rewarded," Cline reasons, "and they are succeeding there, to a much greater degree than their male counterparts. It's possible, maybe even likely, to graduate college with little sense and zero experience of institutionalized gender discrimination — with almost complete freedom from the type of covert, daily setbacks that drive blacks to the polls for Obama and older women to vote for Clinton." More »