Debbie Lazaga

Wisconsin tourism is already big business. But one UW-La Crosse researcher says the state’s next challenge may be getting people to see Wisconsin as more than the version they think they already know. MILWAUKEE — For many people outside the Midwest, that version starts with beer, cheese and the Packers. Tanner Knorr gets it. Before moving to Wisconsin last year, that was part of his impression, too. “For me, I definitely thought beer, cheese, and Packers,” Knorr said.

MILWAUKEE — Area drivers get a little room to breathe for the Fourth of July weekend. Once Monday night arrives, though, one of the next I-94 East-West changes moves in. WisDOT says freeway work is being held back for the holiday weekend. Overnight closures are not scheduled, and at least two lanes are expected to stay open through freeway work zones. “All freeway work is suspended. That suspension starts on Friday, July 3rd, and will go through 6 A.m. Monday, July 6th,” WisDOT’s Eric Hanson says.

MILWAUKEE — Orange barrels are one thing. But what about all those piles of busted-up concrete sitting near the freeway? Debbie Lazaga found out they’re not just construction leftovers. If you’ve driven through a major construction zone in southeast Wisconsin lately, you’ve probably seen it: piles of busted-up concrete, old bridge pieces and twisted steel stacked near the roadway. Along projects on I-43, I-41 and other busy corridors, the rubble can look like a mess.