This Is Wisconsin

Small businesses help shape Appleton, Wisconsin — from neighborhood coffee and ice cream shops to marketing and sustainable retail businesses. Local owners explain why they started their businesses, how rising costs affect their work and why affordable health care matters to small employers. They also share what keeps them invested in Appleton: a strong community, supportive neighbors and pride in...

Big business gets all the press. But most businesses aren’t big. I checked in with some small business leaders in Appleton, Wisconsin. Guess what they love about our state? Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Wisconsin still hasn’t passed marijuana legalization. The grass is greener across state lines. Do you think Wisconsin should pass it? Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

$60 to fill up your gas tank. That’s the cost of a video game for the Switch. Does it have to be this expensive? What would you buy if it weren’t? Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Illinois has Malort, but they also have some good ideas — like expanded Medicaid that makes health care cheaper for everyone. Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Illinois has Malort. We have Spotted Cow… I think it’s pretty clear Wisconsin wins this one. What do you think? Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Marijuana: illegal in Wisconsin. Legal in Illinois. Tear down this wall! Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Today, a special investigation by This Is Wisconsin of our Southern border. With Illinois. Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Juneteenth isn’t just Black history, it’s all of our history. When we share our culture and our history, we come out more united. Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Last month I stopped by Milwaukee’s Juneteenth festival—the longest running one in the US!—to talk to folks about what Juneteenth means to them. Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Some of my best memories revolve around food, like my sister making the shakes at Mickies. This holiday weekend I hope you created new memories with some great food! Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Unlike Mickies, which is just as good as when I was a kid, it feels like our choices for political leaders are just getting worse and worse. Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Whether you’d spend the extra money on a high yield savings account or hard-boiled eggs, we can all agree it would be nice to have a little more in our wallets. Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Rent and housing costs are on the rise and folks at Mickies Dairy Bar are feeling the pinch. Do you think there are enough affordable housing options in Wisconsin? Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

I stopped by one of my FAVORITE diners, Mickies Dairy Bar, to ask folks how they’re feeling about rising prices. Grocery costs were top of mind and people in Wisconsin aren’t happy about what they’re seeing on their receipts. Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Ever had a Scrambler at Mickies Dairy Bar? Incredible value. Which is hard to find, as everything gets so expensive. I asked my fellow patrons at the world’s best diner about what’s working and what’s not. 28m Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

Gas. It’s expensive. What do my fellow Kwik Trip customers think about that? And about the Iran war?

I love my dog Pumpkin, and I love Wisconsin. And we both love a little treat. I love the Mickie’s Dairy Bar Scrambler. Pumpkin loves… everything. What Wisconsin food do you love?

It’s so easy to get distracted by a treat, a shiny object, or a social media notification. But we all have basic needs. True for dogs, true in life, true in politics. What doesn’t get enough focus?

Wisconsin: the best dogs, the best food, and the best people. Outtake 2 from This Is Wisconsin’s launch, with Civic Media. Where do you think we should visit?

Pumpkin, the greatest dog. Wisconsin, the greatest state. Outtake 1 from yesterday’s launch of This Is Wisconsin, with Civic Media.

Hope, humor, and homegrown Wisconsin wisdom — Ben on why people who watch different news channels, or none at all, still share more than national media admits, and how that common ground could change the conversation. Download the Civic Media App! https://civicmedia.us/mobile?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=app

This Is Wisconsin: Ben Wikler and Civic Media hit the road to ask what Wisconsinites actually love about their state — and what they want to fix. From Mickey’s Dairy Bar to a fish fry, ice fishing, and small towns most news ignores, it’s a different kind of political conversation. Ben Wikler — former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party and author of the forthcoming book *This Is th...

This Is Wisconsin is a new series produced by Ben Wikler and Civic Media. Ben will be traveling the state, talking to people about what’s happening in their lives, what’s working, and how we can make Wisconsin better for everyone.