Joel Waldinger
Joel Waldinger is a reporter for the “Wisconsin Life” project and considers a sunset over the “big island” on Manson Lake to be a perfect ending to a day of fishing and fun in the Northwoods.
Latest Contributed Stories
January 10, 2023
Botanical themed light show illuminates the skies of Green Bay
For more than 25-years the Green Bay Botanical Garden has been lighting up the holidays with its botanical themed light show. There are more than 350,000 lights on 37 different ...
January 5, 2023
Wisconsin’s first African-American mayor
In politics she paved a path, a very lonely path. Frances Huntley-Cooper did something no other African-American in Wisconsin had ever done. “With my personality, I was just so surprised ...
December 26, 2022
World record ride for 21-year-old Bridget McCutchen of Ashland, Wisconsin
Growing up on a Northern Wisconsin farm Bridget McCutchen felt freedom. “I like to joke I was raised in a field by cows and a dog and part of it's ...
December 20, 2022
UWO Dance Team recoups from the pandemic for a run at a national title
When Leeah Justman and Jenna Riche met at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh they had an instant connection… dance! Both had taken lessons most of their lives and now ...
December 20, 2022
Milwaukee designer selected to decorate the White House for the holidays
Collin O’Brien admits he “loves” Christmas. "If I could, my tree would be up starting October 1st. If you are a Christmas fanatic, what better house to decorate besides yours ...
November 8, 2022
Organic farmer grows crops and care
When it comes to organic farming Robert Pierce has the answers. “I believe that if you eat healthy foods, you get a healthy mind.” Pierce learned about food at an ...
November 8, 2022
Preserving the unique German heritage built into the Lutze housebarn
It’s designated as one of Wisconsin’s ten most endangered buildings, and the fact that is still standing is amazing in and of itself. At 110 feet long and 30 feet ...
November 1, 2022
Turning back time on a century farm to heal the land
On a bend in the Buffalo River, Heather Mishefske and Chad Rykal envisioned a new kind of farm. This land had been in agricultural rotation for decades, soybeans and corn. ...
October 19, 2022
Former Madison politician makes bread to feed the racial justice movement
For former Madison politician Mo Cheeks, the art of sourdough bread making started as a hobby. The pandemic provided a chance to perfect his baking skills and make a difference ...
October 19, 2022
Pittsville High School pioneers high school cranberry science program
Fall in Wisconsin ushers in cool air, golden leaves and a flood of red delicious cranberries. Wisconsin is by far the largest growing region in the world and Pittsville located ...
September 22, 2022
It’s a Cricket thing!
Cricket is described as India's obsession. For Nitesh Singh and Rakesh Cherukuri, it is far more than a sport. Nitesh describes it like this, “It doesn't see a country or ...
September 22, 2022
Baraboo family finds healing in lavender
Lush fields of purple blooms might resemble the French countryside, but this is Sauk County. For Laura and Aron McReynolds the rolling hills covered in lavender mark a new beginning. ...
September 20, 2022
Packers historian writes one last hurrah!
Being a newspaper reporter has been Cliff Christl’s lifelong passion. He spent nearly 40 years in the newspaper business and nearly all of those years writing about the Green Bay ...
September 20, 2022
A passion for peonies transforms Wisconsin dairy farm
In rural Shawano County family farms still dot the landscape, but on one farm a unique crop has taken root. Lee Mielke is retired so to speak, “You hear a ...
September 13, 2022
Yogi instructor shares his personal journey to bring light to the world
Yoga is the ancient practice of moving your body to improve breathing and to relax your mind, while becoming fit and flexible. Keith Borden has more than 20-years of experience. ...
September 8, 2022
Wauwatosa handcyclist raises awareness and funds for MS
Handcycling is a passion for John Haupt. As a teenager, more than 50 years ago John was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. “In those days, we're talking in the 1970s, they ...
September 6, 2022
Tomahawk man is king of his castle
Secluded in the Northwoods of Oneida County there is a dirt road that takes you back to the Dark Ages. At the end of the drive is a Do-It-Yourself project ...
September 1, 2022
Wisconsin native flying high in an F16 fighter jet
She calls herself a Sconnie girl and is happy to be back home. Growing up in Wisconsin, Zoe Davies has always been on a mission. She spent 15 years away ...
January 13, 2022
Snow Makers Keeping Wintertime Fun
When the temperatures drop and the snow flies in Kewaskum, most people hunker down. For Jason Wood and Danny Dorn, it’s a signal to get busy orchestrating a symphony of ...
December 16, 2021
Mama Ferne: The Mother of Wisconsin African Dance
She is known as “Mama Ferne” and for more than 50 years, she has been the driving force of African dance in Wisconsin. Ko-Thi Musical Director Kumasi Allen explains best ...
November 18, 2021
Wisconsin Loves Archaeology
Here in Wisconsin, there is one place like no other. It’s a special place in the ancient world and it’s a special place today. A place where nearly a thousand ...
November 11, 2021
Greendale Man Repairs and Makes Art on Local Chimneys
Just outside Milwaukee sits a community like no other in Wisconsin. Greendale is the only Depression Era village built during the Roosevelt Administration in the state. In 1936, Eleanor Roosevelt ...
November 11, 2021
West Allis Woman Empowers Veterans and the Dogs Beside Them
Linda Bobot is a certified personal dog trainer. For more than 20 years, Linda’s calm approach has worked wonders. Cheldon Payton and his dog Solo are her students, “She knows ...
November 4, 2021
Recipe for Success
As daybreak emerges along West Oklahoma Avenue in Milwaukee it’s time to get busy. Pedro Garcia and his partner Jesus Ramirez are well-known on the southside as the bakers who ...
November 4, 2021
Pedal Power in Baraboo
High school teacher Shelley Mordini will school you on Baraboo’s history. She loves delving into the past and riding a bike. So, she combined her two passions as a tour ...
November 4, 2021
Corn Maze Craze
For more than 100-years Treinen family has been farming just west of Lodi, Wisconsin. Ever since he was a little boy Alan knew he wanted to be a farmer. Alan ...
November 4, 2021
Madison Flag Maker Uses Reclaimed Barn Wood to Recreate Wisconsin History
It’s easy to see something online that you want. It’s not so easy to make it yourself. For Jeremiah Logemann of Madison, he saw a piece of art he wanted ...
October 21, 2021
Para Nordic Skier On Top of the World
As a teenager, Ty Wyberg is faced with fantastic opportunities as he competes for the Chippewa Valley Nordic Ski Team. Sometimes, he is practicing more than five nights a week. ...
October 14, 2021
Bridging the “Cold War” Divide
Wisconsin has always been a beacon of German culture. Now, it is undergoing a renaissance at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Walk across campus with Professors Heike Alberts and Monika Hohbein-Deegen ...
October 14, 2021
Miss Black USA Uses Her Experience, Voice to Help Children of Color
"Your queen," says the pageant announcer, "is Miss Black Wisconsin." In that moment, life for TeKema Balentine changed. Historically, Wisconsin tends not to produce beauty queens so when Balentine heard ...
January 14, 2020
Connecting Art, Culture and Two-Spirit Identity
Ryan Young grew up in the Ojibwe community on the Lac Du Flambeau Reservation in northern Wisconsin. Despite this tranquil Northwoods setting, Young had a complicated childhood. “I felt isolated ...
December 24, 2019
Practice Makes Perfect for the Fond du Lac Blades on the World Stage
Sixteen ice skaters, one goal, and three minutes to prove it. Synchronized ice skating is moving in unison while gliding across the ice. That kind of precision and perfection takes ...
December 12, 2019
Randolph Woman’s Passion Propelled Her To Restore Hot Rods
Drive down Cemetery Road in Columbia County near Randolph and you’ll see some old hot rod muscle cars. Judging by the name of the road, you might think this is ...
November 18, 2019
Dina Nina Martinez: Ready or Not, Here She Comes
Comedy can be a risky business and Dina Nina Martinez knows that all too well. Originally from Texas, Martinez along with her dog Gurdy arrived in Madison via Los Angeles. ...
November 13, 2019
Edgar Dairy Farmers Reinvent Their Third-Generation Family Farm Into A Garden Oasis
For three generations, the Bauman family roots have run deep on this land. Dave and Debbie Bauman are not about to let that change. Their name in German means “small ...
November 13, 2019
At Home in the Ten Chimneys Estate
Whimsical, colorful and dramatic are just a few ways to describe the Ten Chimneys Estate nestled in the woods outside Genesee Depot in Waukesha County. The estate was once owned ...
October 31, 2019
Black Bears In Wausau’s Backyard
Tens of thousands of black bears roam Wisconsin and yet to see one up close is rare. Jeff Traska has the good fortune of having bear encounters on a daily ...
October 31, 2019
Stitching A Niche With Stoles
White, green, purple, red. Melinda Halom knows her church colors and the corresponding seasons. Halom is a part-time pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in New Auburn. However, it’s her other ...
October 10, 2019
Newton Man’s Journey to Honor a Forgotten Daughter of Wisconsin Executed by Hitler: Mildred Fish-Harnack
Mildred Fish-Harnack was a Milwaukee-born, University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate and the only American woman executed on the direct orders of Adolf Hitler. Architect John Dubrow first learned about her from ...
October 1, 2019
Cadott’s World-Class Archer Right on Target
It’s 7:00 a.m. and Physical Education Teacher Scott Christenson has a gym full of teenage archers up early for practice. He brought archery as a sport to Cadott High School ...
January 28, 2019
Irish Road Bowlers Compete on Backroads of La Crosse County
The sound of a two-pound cannonball skipping across the pavement is unique and unmistakable. The cadence grows louder as the ball draws near and drifts into the surroundings shortly after ...
December 24, 2018
Effigy Mound Tour Provides Unique Perspective On First Nation’s History
Aaron Bird Bear is the Assistant Dean for Student Diversity programs in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin Madison. He gives tours of the campus, described as ...
December 18, 2018
Woodworking Elves in La Crosse Brighten Holidays For Children In Need
Wooden toys are a timeless classic that have appeared under Christmas trees for generations. However, in today’s high-tech world of plastic gadgets, wooden toys are almost a thing of the ...
December 12, 2018
Ghana Carpenter Brings Rich African Art Tradition To Madison In The Form Of Designer Coffins
Sawing, nailing, laughing are the sounds you hear in Eric Adjetey Anang’s carpentry shop. Listen closer and you will hear his family’s legacy. Anang is a third generation craftsman in ...
November 21, 2018
Drum Maker Is Also Community Leader, Environmentalist And Student Of Nature
You’ll find Dylan Jennings out in the woods in all seasons. Hunting and gathering the way his ancestors did centuries before him. He speaks of nature being a powerful place ...
November 9, 2018
Medford Teacher Brings The Farm To The Classroom
Main Street in Medford looks like any other rural Wisconsin community. It’s home to the Taylor County Courthouse and is surrounded by farm country. So, maybe it’s not surprise that ...
November 1, 2018
Wisconsin Rapids Woman Is Known As The Alpaca Whisperer
Ask Audrey Hackbarth about her alpacas and you’ll get quite an answer. She will tell you about Terracotta, and the daughter she had, Saturn-Lee, and her daughter Jupiter-Lee. There is ...
October 10, 2018
St. Cloud Farmer Unlocks Secrets To Growing Giant Pumpkins
Round the corner when arriving at the Sippel farm and you might hear a rooster crowing in the distance or see a cat cross your path. This is rural life ...
September 20, 2018
Darlington Man Preserves Historic Downtown, Collects History
Along historic Main Street is where you can find life-long Darlington resident Ted Thuli driving his 1927 Franklin Limousine. It’s just one of his many collectibles. Thuli started collecting as ...
September 12, 2018
Retired Architect Creates Models Of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Structures
In his retirement, architectural draftsman Ron Olsen was looking for something to keep him busy. At least his wife Judy was looking to keep him busy. They’ve been married for ...
September 12, 2018
Art Is Eye-opening Life Journey For Milwaukee Woman
Enter Milwaukee’s Lindsay Heights Neighborhood on the near north side and you’ll find abandoned houses, vacant lots and sometimes the sound of gunfire and violence. This is also the neighborhood ...
June 19, 2018
Volunteers Make Lake Michigan Trail Bloom
Mariners Trail is a public recreational path that runs between Manitowoc and Two Rivers. The five and a half miles stretch out along the Lake Michigan shore. On any given ...
May 17, 2018
Young Conductor Keeps Oldest German Men’s Choir Singing
At the end of the day inside Jefferson Middle School in Madison the hallways are filled with the acapella version of Zedd and Allesia Cara’s smash hit “Stay.” Choir director ...
March 14, 2018
Madison Woman Makes, Plays Unique Musical Instruments Called Handpans
The sound is unique and captivates the ear. Shaped like a UFO the handpan is a relative newcomer to the music scene. The music sounds ancient but was first created ...
January 12, 2018
Wisconsin Native Plays With The Rock Music Group Badfinger
As a content producer for “Wisconsin Life, I am often asked how I find stories in all corners of Wisconsin. Sometimes it’s by word of mouth, an article in a ...
January 5, 2018
Fiber Arts Designer Developing Fabric That Can Harness Sun’s Energy
Cellphones, laptops, battery-operated flashlights, our electronics are getting smaller and our need for energy is getting larger. So what if there was a way to take those items and mix ...
January 5, 2018
DNR Wildlife Biologist Shepherding Comeback Of Wisconsin’s Elk Herd
Trekking into Wisconsin’s great Northwoods you never know what you might encounter. A deer, a bear or perhaps Department of Natural Resources Biologist Laine Stowell covered in camouflage from head ...
December 29, 2017
High School Phenom Exceeds Expectation On Stage And Off
In many ways Zaria Roller is a typical Wisconsin teenager who enjoys her friends, a good laugh and checking out social media. But that is where the typical teenager title ...
December 22, 2017
Retired Milwaukee Teacher Plays Latin Music In Grupo Renacer
Margarita Sandoval Skare is a second-generation Mexican-American who loves to call Milwaukee home. She was born and raised just a few blocks from the United Community Center that serves Latin ...
December 15, 2017
Commercial Ice Fishing Has Door County Resident Hooked
Door County, Wisconsin can be a tourist hot spot in summer, but in the dead of winter the frigid temps send snowbirds south. For commercial ice fishermen Will Henriksen and ...
November 10, 2017
Milwaukee Musician Brings Wisconsin’s History To Life In Song
For more than 35 years David HB Drake has been traversing Wisconsin performing a vibrant musical history of our state called “Wiscon-Sing.” Drake is a folk singer, storyteller and historian. ...
November 10, 2017
Wounded Warrior Makes Logrolling Championship Comeback
Travel to Hayward, Wisconsin in Sawyer County and two things standout. The giant muskie at the local fishing hall of fame and the locals are fanatics about their timber sports. ...
November 4, 2017
Eau Claire Woman Considered One Of Africa’s Leading Female Playwrights
Born into African culture, your name, your family and your sense of place are highly valued. For Osonye “Tess” Onwueme, the name “Osonye” means, "If you like me, accept me ...
November 3, 2017
Madison The Mecca For German Wheel Gymnastics
Just over a decade ago, a niche sport rolled into Madison. In Europe and specifically Germany, it has become a national phenomenon. Here in the United States, not so much. ...
January 18, 2017
Polo Star Swings Into Action For The UW Polo Club Very Few People Even Knew Existed
Alyssa Daniels started attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison assuming she would spend her college years as a normal student. Then everything changed when horses entered the picture. Alyssa had been around ...January 12, 2017
High School Phenom Exceeds Expectation On Stage And Off
In many ways Zaria Roller is a typical Wisconsin teenager who enjoys her friends, a good laugh and checking out social media. But that is where the typical teenager title ...
November 24, 2016
The Art Is In The Details
If art is in the eye of the beholder, Manabu Ikeda's mind boggling art is a reflection of his imagination. “As a child I really liked penciling, just drawing lots ...
November 24, 2016
Stevens Point Woman Is On A Mission As A Matchmaker of Unwanted Stuffed Animals
In Stevens Point you’ll find Pat Hilpert, a woman on a mission. She collects critters, critters she has no plans to keep. When her husband of 53 years died Hilpert ...
November 10, 2016
Madison Artist’s Canvas Is The Human Body
Dawn Marie Svanoe is an artist with a flair for the dramatics and who is known for her black-light makeup artistry. She applies her craft for haunted houses like Screamin’ ...
November 3, 2016
Winemaker At Successful Wisconsin Winery Began As A French Exchange Student
The road to Wisconsin and Wollersheim Winery was an unusual one for Philippe Coquard. As a 13th generation winemaker the Coquard’s family vineyards date back to 1490. Coquard says, “It's ...
October 27, 2016
Guitars For Vets: The Healing Power Of Music In The Hands Of Heroes
His entire life Patrick Nettesheim knew what he wanted to be. Even at just four years of age Patrick knew. He wanted to be a guitar player and at the same ...
October 20, 2016
Explore A Rare, Behind-The-Scenes Tour Of The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
Drive up to the iconic Lambeau Field on game day and you cannot help but feel the energy in the air. Brent Hensel gets that adrenaline rush every day after he ...
October 20, 2016
Former Ho-Chunk President Shares His Story Of Struggle And His Search For A Positive Life
Jon Greendeer is a self-taught man. After struggling with addiction and an unhealthy lifestyle, Greendeer looked to his Ho-Chunk roots to turn his life around. His current lifestyle stands in stark ...
October 13, 2016
The Largest Lavender Farm In The Midwest Calls Washington Island Home
When Martine Anderson and her husband Edgar arrived on Washington Island it was love at first site. Anderson can remember the lilac bushes in bloom and the fragrant smell across ...
October 13, 2016