Jenny Peek
Jenny Peek is a news editor for Wisconsin Public Radio and senior contributor for Isthmus. When she’s not out tracing her next lead, you’ll find her chasing her toddler Liam, or snuggled up with a good book and a piping hot cup of coffee.
Latest Contributed Stories
December 16, 2022
Where and how the tall tales of Paul Bunyan and his ax began
Paul Bunyan stories are plentiful. He cleared forests with one swing of his ax. He and his trusty bovine, Babe the Blue Ox, dug the Great Lakes to quench the thirst ...
November 15, 2022
Madison artist brings painted, wooden flock to east side neighborhood
There’s a street on Madison’s east side that's dotted with large-than-life birds. A sandhill crane, a red-winged black bird, a pink flamingo. No two are alike — except for a couple ...
May 5, 2022
Motherhood: Reigniting a love for bedtime stories one book at a time
In a tribute to one of her favorite activities as a new mom, WPR’s Jenny Peek gives us an ode to the bedtime story. She tells us how becoming a ...
April 14, 2022
A semi-pro football team that always drew a crowd: The Little Chute Flying Dutchmen
Little Chute is known for its Dutch heritage. A lesser known fact about the northeastern village is that it was once home to a semi-pro football team, the Little Chute ...
March 31, 2022
‘Fear the Deer’: Midwest rapper Romey uses Bucks championship as inspiration for hit song
Last year, when the Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA title in 50 years, Jerome Hunt, a Madison/Milwaukee hip-hop artist who goes by the stage name Romey, was courtside. As ...
November 12, 2021
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Yellow: A Peek Into Wisconsin’s Quirky Margarine Laws
Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland. It’s a title we take seriously. The state is home to more than 1 million cows that produce 2.44 billion pounds of milk per month.
May 19, 2020
Connecting The Dots: Contact Tracing Tracks, Slows Spread Of COVID-19
Since the beginning of March, Eva Radomski has been calling residents in Dane County who have tested positive for COVID-19. As part of Public Health Madison & Dane County’s contact ...
April 17, 2020
An Exciting Development, CRISPR Lets UW-Madison Researchers Edit Genes
In the last decade, scientists have made incredible strides in understanding the world around us. From taking the first photo of a black hole to unearthing new fossils that better map ...
November 27, 2019
Alphabet Soup: Why Wisconsin’s County Highways Are Lettered, Not Numbered
If you’ve taken a drive on one of Wisconsin’s iconic scenic roads, chances are you’ve noticed a bit of alphabet soup. Signs with names like BB, CV, and N flank ...
August 23, 2019
Appointed Or Elected: Why Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Are Voted In
In the system of checks and balances, the third branch is key. Made up of the supreme, appellate, circuit and municipal courts — the judicial branch — interprets the laws. But how are ...
May 22, 2019
A Force To Be Reckoned With: Octopi’s Erica DeAnda On How Women Are Transforming Beer Culture
Erica DeAnda, a brewer at Waunakee's Octopi Brewing and chapter president of Wisconsin’s Pink Boots Society, is striving to make the brewing profession a more inviting place for women across ...
February 6, 2019
Pinball Sees Resurgence As Children Of The 80s, 90s Come Of Age
On the third Thursday of each month, pinball enthusiasts from across Madison converge at I/O Arcade Bar to get lost in the world of flippers, multiballs and free games. The ...
November 28, 2018