This Is Wisconsin

Small businesses help shape Appleton, Wisconsin — from neighborhood coffee and ice cream shops to marketing and sustainable retail businesses.

Big business gets all the press. But most businesses aren’t big. I checked in with some small business leaders in Appleton, Wisconsin.

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

$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?

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

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

I stopped by one of my FAVORITE diners, Mickies Dairy Bar, to ask folks how they’re feeling about rising prices.

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?

Ever had a Scrambler at Mickies Dairy Bar? Incredible value. Which is hard to find, as everything gets so expensive.

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.

It’s so easy to get distracted by a treat, a shiny object, or a social media notification. But we all have basic needs.

Wisconsin: the best dogs, the best food, and the best people. Outtake 2 from This Is Wisconsin’s launch, with Civic Media.

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…

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.