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TODD RICHMOND

Wisconsin statehouse reporter

Richmond is an Associated Press reporter covering Wisconsin politics and courts as well as environmental issues and breaking news across the Great Lakes region. He is based in Madison.
Virginia Davidson of Bridgton, Maine, paddles her kayak on Moose Pond, Oct. 13, 2021, in Bridgton, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Your latest prescription is to get outside
Health care providers are trying a new tactic to promote the healing effects of nature: They’re actually writing prescriptions for it.
 
This image obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows Larry Hoover. (Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)
Former Chicago gang leader asks Pritzker for clemency following Trump pardon
One of Chicago’s most infamous gang leaders is now asking Gov. JB Pritzker for clemency after winning a pardon from President Donald Trump earlier this year.
 
Guests walk on the campus of Indiana University, Thursday, July 17, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Indiana University fires student newspaper adviser who refused to block news stories
Tension between Indiana University and its student newspaper flared this week with the elimination of the outlet’s print editions and the firing of a faculty adviser, who refused an order to keep news stories out of a homecoming edition.
 
Chicago's iconic Rat Hole along the 1900 block of West Roscoe Street in the Roscoe Village neighborhood is seen, Jan. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)
Ah, rats! Researchers say some other critter likely created Chicago’s ‘rat hole’ sidewalk landmark
Ah, rats! Researchers have debunked the origin of Chicago’s so-called “rat hole,” concluding some other critter was likely responsible for creating the macabre sidewalk landmark.
 
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul speaks during a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris at West Allis Central High School on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf, File)
Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general won’t run for governor and will seek reelection instead
Wisconsin’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul has decided not to run for governor and will instead seek reelection to a third term. With Democratic Gov.
 
This undated image provided by the Indian Gaming Association shows Ernie Stevens Jr. (Indian Gaming Association via AP)
Ernie Stevens Jr., chair of the Indian Gaming Association and Oneida Nation leader, has died
Ernie Stevens Jr., longtime leader of the Indian Gaming Association, has died at the age of 66. The association announced Monday that Stevens died Friday at the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin.
 
Ducky, a female whooping crane chick, stands in an enclosure at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wis., Aug. 28, 2025. (Hannah Jones/International Crane Foundation via AP)
Endangered whooping crane dies of avian flu at Wisconsin wildlife refuge
An endangered whooping crane the International Crane Foundation was planning to release into the wilds of Wisconsin this fall has died of avian flu.
 
This photo provided by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy in June 2020 shows damage to anchor support EP-17-1 on the east leg of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, displayed on a television screen. (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy via AP, File)
Trump DOJ argues Michigan effort to shut down underwater pipeline interferes with US foreign policy
The Trump administration is trying to persuade a federal judge that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s attempt to shut down part of an aging pipeline interferes with U.S. foreign policy.
 
In this photo released by the Wisconsin Historical Society, quagga mussels cover the capstan of the F.J. King shipwreck in Lake Michigan on Aug. 23, 2025. (Wisconsin Historical Society via AP)
Searchers discover ‘ghost ship’ that sank in Lake Michigan almost 140 years ago
Searchers have discovered the wreckage of a “ghost ship” that sank during a Lake Michigan storm almost 140 years ago.
 
Woman charged in traffic deaths of 2 Marquette lacrosse players was drunk, prosecutors say
Authorities say a Wisconsin driver who was involved in a traffic crash last week that killed two Marquette University lacrosse players was drunk at the time.
 
Ryan Borgwardt appears in a Green Lake County courtroom Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Green Lake, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash,File)
Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death blames desire to escape marriage and start over abroad
A Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death so he could live with a woman in Asia says his plan was a “crazy, emotional dream.”
 
The Wisconsin Capitol is seen, Oct. 24, 2023, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer, File)
Wisconsin legislative feud erupts in public with lawmaker accused of threatening fellow legislators
A Wisconsin legislator has left the state Assembly’s Democratic caucus after being accused by fellow party members of threatening to kill three lawmakers.
 
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing in Milwaukee, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)
Immigrant pleads guilty to being in US illegally after judge allegedly helped him evade agents
An immigrant who was arrested after a Milwaukee judge allegedly helped him evade federal agents has pleaded guilty to being in the U.S. illegally.
 
DeAsia Harmon speaks at the funeral for her husband D'Vontaye Mitchell, July 11, 2024, in Milwaukee. Mitchell died June 30 after an incident at a hotel. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, file)
4 former Milwaukee hotel workers get probation and time served in dogpile death
A judge has sentenced four former Milwaukee hotel workers charged with killing a man by piling on top of him to a mix of probation and time already served, allowing them to avoid spending any more time behind bars.
 
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing in Milwaukee on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)
Body cam footage shows Milwaukee judge denying she hid an immigrant wanted by ICE
A Milwaukee judge charged with obstructing a federal agency and concealing a wanted person who was in the country illegally told police days after the incident in her courtroom that “I didn’t do anything that they’re saying.”
 
A juvenile wood stork perches on a branch in the Mud Lake Wildlife Area in Columbia County, Wis., on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Jeff Bahls via AP)
Deer hunter discovers rare subtropical wood stork in the wilds of Wisconsin
A deer hunter has discovered a rare subtropical wood stork in the wilds of Wisconsin.
 
Sheena Scarbrough, mother of Sade Carleen Robinson, looks at Maxwell Anderson while giving a victim impact statement in Milwaukee County Court at the sentencing of of Anderson on Friday, Aug. 1 2025, in Milwaukee County Court in Milwaukee. (Angela Peterson /Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
Milwaukee man gets life in prison for killing and dismembering a woman on first date
A Milwaukee man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing and dismembering a 19-year-old college student on their first date.
 
DeAsia Harmon speaks at the funeral for her husband D'Vontaye Mitchell, July 11, 2024, in Milwaukee. Mitchell died June 30 after an incident at a hotel. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
A 4th man accused in a fatal dogpile outside a Milwaukee hotel pleads guilty to felony murder
The last of four Milwaukee hotel workers accused of killing a man by pinning him to the ground has pleaded guilty to being a party to felony murder.
 
Jeffrey Rupnow, father of Abundant Life Christian School shooter Natalie Rupnow, appears for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at Dane County Courthouse in Madison, Wis. (Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, Pool)
Judge orders Wisconsin school shooter’s father to stand trial on charges he allowed access to guns
The father of a Wisconsin school shooter must stand trial on charges he allowed her access to the guns she used in the attack.
 
Morgan Geyser appears in a Waukesha County courtroom, Jan. 9, 2025, in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
Judge OKs release plan for woman who stabbed a classmate to please Slender Man
A Wisconsin judge has approved releasing a woman from a mental hospital, more than a decade after she nearly killed a classmate to please the fictional horror character Slender Man.
 
This Sept. 26, 2018 file photo provided by the National Park Service shows NPS staff unloading a crated gray wolf from a United States Fish & Wildlife Service aircraft at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. (National Park Service via AP)
Unexpected medical issue grounds Isle Royale wolf-moose survey
Researchers from Michigan Tech University were unable to conduct their annual wolf-moose survey on Isle Royale this past winter.
 
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul delivers remarks following hearing before Dane County Wis. judge Diane Schlipper which challenges a 174-year-old feticide law in Madison, Wis., May 4, 2023. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File)
Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority strikes down 176-year-old abortion ban
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down the state’s 176-year-old abortion ban. The court’s liberal majority ruled 4-3 on Wednesday that the ban is no longer valid because newer abortion restrictions superseded it.
 
The corporate name stands out on tanks shown June 29, 2018 at at the Superior terminal of Enbridge Energy in Superior, Wis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)
Supreme Court to decide whether shutting down Michigan pipeline is a state or federal fight
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to review whether Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s lawsuit seeking to shut down part of an aging pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac belongs in state or federal court.
 
A runner grabs a bottle of water at the athlete's village prior to the start of the 116th running of the Boston Marathon, in Hopkinton, Mass., April 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Stew Milne, File)
Wisconsin Supreme Court delivers win for environmentalists in fight over ‘forever chemicals’
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has delivered a victory for environmentalists in the battle over the regulation of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.
 
Kid cool off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Eastern half of US sweltering again, with dangerous heat wave expected to last until midweek
Tens of millions of people across the Midwest and East are enduring another sweltering day of dangerously hot temperatures as a sprawling June heat wave grips much of the U.S.
 
In this photo shot from a television screen provided by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy in June 2020, shows damage to anchor support EP-17-1 on the east leg of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline within the Straits of Mackinac in Mich. (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy via AP, File)
Army Corps analysis finds Great Lakes pipeline tunnel would have sweeping environmental impacts
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a draft analysis of the environmental effects of building a protective tunnel around an aging Enbridge oil pipeline running beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes.
 
Wisconsin Supreme Court suspends judge who left court to arrest a hospitalized defendant
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a Dane County judge who left court to try to arrest a hospitalized defendant and got into an argument with another defendant.
 
FILE- A lobstermen unties his boat before heading out to fish in Jonesport, Maine, April 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Trump budget would cut ocean data and leave boaters, anglers and forecasters scrambling for info
Sweeping research cuts in President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would target an ocean-monitoring system that scientists say is crucial to predicting tsunami escape routes and hurricane intensity and helping ships navigate dangerous harbors safely.
 
In this Thursday, May 15, 2025 photo provided by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Tim Pranke, a volunteer diver for the Wisconsin Historical Society, approaches the wreckage of the J.C. Ames tugboat which was scuttled in 1923 and was rediscovered on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, just off the Lake Michigan shoreline in Manitowoc, Wis. (Tamara Thomsen/Wisconsin Historical Society via AP)
Angler fishing in Lake Michigan fog discovers remains of abandoned tugboat J.C. Ames
A Wisconsin angler fishing in the fog this week discovered the wreck of an abandoned tugboat in Lake Michigan.
 
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, file)
Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man dodge immigration agents seeks donations for attorneys
A Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man illegally evade immigration agents is seeking donations to fund her defense.
 
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