Fave 5: Reporter Chris Hubbuch's favorite stories of 2020
My favorite stories to write are those that require me to learn about something new and force me to see the world from a different perspective. There were many such stories to tell during this extraordinary year, though none of my top five were directly related to the pandemic.
I’d known Wisconsin was a big producer of mink pelts, but I didn’t know that most of the North American fur trade moved through a Stoughton business that traced its lineage back to the Hudson Bay Company. The folks at Saga Furs, who took over the operations of North American Fur Association, were kind enough to teach me about the business and let us photograph them.
(5) updates to this series since Updated
After a 350-year-old Canadian fur trading company went bankrupt just as Wisconsin mink farmers were beginning their harvest, a Finnish competitor is breathing new life into the state’s oldest industry.
As the climate changes, species move to adapt. Preserving these unique areas can help them survive.
For an industry battered by unstable commodity prices, rising costs, market constraints and extreme weather, grassland farming represents a bright spot.
Madison has long enjoyed a reputation as a two-wheel haven. But opportunities for off-road adventures are limited, usually involving a trip to a neighboring community or beyond. A new plan seeks to change that.
“This was a lot more than Weinerville,” said one resident who hired an environmental law firm to report on potential contamination. “It’s a big evolution from a century ago when the Mayer brothers came up here from Chicago."
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said it’s not just about fighting climate change; it’s also a plan for economic growth and recovery.
Maintaining an office within state government to champion issues unique to rural Wisconsin, prioritizing the needs of rural areas and making sure economic development programs benefit rural areas are among the recommendations made Wednesday by a task force created by Gov. Tony Evers.
The study finds the problem may be worse than we thought, with implications for health, education and prosperity -- problems that are further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has pushed nearly every aspect of daily life online.
Wisconsin's population rose to 5,893,718, a 206,732 or 3.6% increase from the 2010 Census. The Badger State remains the 20th most populous.
