Massive data centers are coming to Wisconsin to help power the global boom in artificial intelligence. The data centers will add demand for electricity and water. And this comes after years of declining usage of both in Wisconsin.

So how might that impact Wisconsin’s electricity and water infrastructure? To find out, WUWM’s Maayan Silver is joined by Tyler Byrnes. He’s senior research associate for the Wisconsin Policy Forum, which recently released a report on data centers and utilities.

Lance Armstrong. Elizabeth Holmes. Jay Gatsby. Typically, we shun liars in all forms whether they are politicians, financiers or fictional characters. We tell our kids to never lie, and expect our friends to be truthful, even when it hurts.

But the Burlington Liars Club is different. Here, lies are celebrated and platformed in an annual contest for who can tell the best lie.

Truthfully, Tea Krulos is a contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine, who wrote about the Burlington Liars Club for this month’s issue. He joins Lake Effect’s Sam Woods to put WUWM’s journalistic integrity to the test, and celebrate the liars among us.

Data centers are the factories that run the internet. We rely on them every day, for things like sending emails, watching videos and uploading photos. Now, even larger data centers, to help power artificial intelligence, are being proposed and built in Wisconsin. Data centers require millions of gallons of water to operate. Some can consume as much energy as a town.

Port Washington residents want to recall the city’s mayor over a 15-billion-dollar Vantage data center that’s under construction. Microsoft is building one in Mount Pleasant.

To learn more about data centers and their environmental impacts, WUWM reporter Eddie Morales is joined by Amy Barrilleaux. She’s the communications director at Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy group.

91% of students in Milwaukee Public Schools cannot read at grade level. But a new literacy plan by the school district promises to change how students learn to read. The plan comes in response to new state legislation, called Act 20, that requires districts to use science-based reading instruction.

WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal is looking into literacy in her series called Turning the Page: Teaching Milwaukee to Read. She talked with Ana Gabriela Bell Jiménez, the Academic Superintendent for Literacy at MPS, and Jennifer Mims-Howell, the district’s Chief Academic Officer.

WUWM has committed to covering issues our listeners say are top priorities, including the economy. As part of that coverage, we’re exploring how the economy is impacting Wisconsinites with different financial needs and concerns.

Tom Oberhaus is the co-operator of Cozy Nook Farm in Waukesha County. Cozy Nook is primarily a dairy farm, supplying milk to Prairie Farms mainly for their cheese products. The farm supplements its dairy businesses with seasonal pumpkin and Christmas tree sales.

When Lake Effect’s Sam Woods last spoke with Oberhaus in October, pumpkin sales were going strong. This month, the two discuss how Christmas tree season went, and how Cozy Nook is preparing for 2026.

2025 was a whirlwind for Milwaukee Public Schools. It hired a new superintendent and dealt with flooding right before the start of the school year. But the biggest story was the school district’s multimillion dollar cleanup of toxic lead paint in its classrooms and common spaces.

The project began after a student tested positive for elevated lead levels and the contamination was traced back to the student’s school. That was one year ago in January. WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal is joined by Michael Turza. He’s the interim chief operating officer at MPS, and he’s been at the helm of the lead remediation project.

2025 was a big year in politics. For many Wisconsinites the year brought uncertainty and cuts in services, despite paying more for most necessities. That includes major increases in property taxes and bus fares, alongside cuts to bus services.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to talk about what the past year has been like for the county, and his hopes for the future.

UW-Milwaukee’s Atmospheric Science degree program has come to an end. That program prepared students for careers in weather and climate forecasting and research. UWM says the program ended this year due to low enrollment and faculty retirements.

Its closure comes on the heels of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facing federal cuts to its research and staff. As Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez explains, that means UWM atmospheric science students are facing the loss of their degree program and an uncertain job market.