This Is Wisconsin

Appleton Small Businesses

Ben Wikler — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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?

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Marijuana and Wisconsin

Ben Wikler — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Wisconsin still hasn’t passed marijuana legalization. The grass is greener across state lines. Do you think Wisconsin should pass it?

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Video Games vs. A Tank of Gas

Ben Wikler — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

$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?

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Malort and Medicaid

Ben Wikler — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Illinois has Malort, but they also have some good ideas — like expanded Medicaid that makes health care cheaper for everyone.

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Spotted Cow vs Malort

Ben Wikler — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Illinois has Malort. We have Spotted Cow… I think it’s pretty clear Wisconsin wins this one. What do you think?

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Marijuana, Taxes, and Schools

Ben Wikler — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Marijuana: illegal in Wisconsin. Legal in Illinois. Tear down this wall!

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Wisconsin vs. Illinois: What You Can Get Across the Border

Ben Wikler — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Today, a special investigation by This Is Wisconsin of our Southern border. With Illinois.

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Juneteenth isn't just Black history,

Ben Wikler — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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.

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Ella & Jessica - A Milkshake tradition

Ben Wikler — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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!

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Juneteenth in Wisconsin

Ben Wikler — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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.

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Distrust of political system

Ben Wikler — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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.

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Kwik Trip Eggs

Ben Wikler — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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.

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I Asked Diner Regulars About Prices — They're Not Happy

Ben Wikler — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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.

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Rising Rent & Housing Costs

Ben Wikler — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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?

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At Mickies Dairy Bar, We Asked Who the Economy Really Works For

Ben Wikler — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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.
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Gas. It's Expensive.

Ben Wikler — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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

We All Deserve a Little Treat

Ben Wikler — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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?

Shiny Object

Ben Wikler — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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?

This Is Wisconsin Launch: Outtake 2

Ben Wikler — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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?

This Is Wisconsin Launch: Outtake 1

Ben Wikler — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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

We Have More in Common Than the Pundits Think

Ben Wikler — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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.

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Ben Wikler Wants to Hear What You Love About Wisconsin

Ben Wikler — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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 the Plan* — is launching “This Is Wisconsin”, a new collaboration with Civic Media. The project travels the state to listen to people in communities large and small, from Milwaukee to the towns of 15,000 or fewer where Wisconsinites actually live.

In this conversation with Jamie Martinson, Ben talks about why he wanted to step out of the political bubble, what he hears people across the spectrum agree on, and the everyday issues — hospital closures, prescription costs, gas and grocery prices, nursing homes sold to out-of-state companies — that rarely make national headlines.

Have a place he should visit or an idea he should hear? Go to This Is Wisconsin and send it in.

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This Is Wisconsin Launch Video

Ben Wikler — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

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.