Wisconsin
Wisconsin students can soon use Pell Grants to enroll in short-term programs
Wisconsin students enrolled in short-term, workforce training programs will soon be able to use federal grants to pay their tuition.
Millions of low-income students rely on Pell Grants to pay for college, including more than 70,000 in Wisconsin. The awards have long been limited to courses that span a minimum of 15 weeks or 600 “clock hours.”
The Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed into law this summer will extend Pell Grant eligiblity to include short-term nondegree programs as short as eight weeks beginning July 1, 2026. The expansion is the largest in decades, making programs previously paid out of pocket – from truck drivers to machinists to nursing assistants – more affordable to students.
These types of programs are mostly offered by community and technical colleges, which have long lobbied for the change. They are studying their programs and deciding which need adjustments ahead of the eligibility expansion.
“Opening up financial aid and making financial aid policy more flexible and relevant to how folks are accessing workplace today, I think it has the potential to be really exciting,” said Wisconsin Technical College System President Layla Merrifield. “How do we bundle these skills? How do we construct these programs and get students a credential that’s very relevant to their field that could potentially provide a great on-ramp to a further credential later on?”
Some education policy experts have reservations about the financial aid expansion and whether it will deliver for students. There’s concern about online training programs and for-profit institutions, some of which have a pattern of predatory practices and poor graduation outcomes. Research also shows short-term programs lead to less upward mobility and lower long-term earnings for students than associate or bachelor’s degrees.
“There is a big risk here,” said Wesley Whistle, the higher education project director at New America, a left-leaning think tank. “An eight-week program is really easy to crank out lots of people. You could have a lot of low-quality programs that don’t lead to much. Students could waste their time, exhaust their Pell eligibility and be left without the right skills to succeed in the workforce. That’s my worry.”
Short implementation timeline, outcome requirements among Workforce Pell challenges
Advocates say the proposed regulations approved Dec. 12 by the federal education department include accountability measures to prevent programs from taking advantage of students and wasting taxpayer money.
The programs must be run by an accredited institution of higher education, and be offered for more than one year before being approved. States must track outcomes, requiring programs meet a 70% completion and job-placement rate, and demonstrate they lead to in-demand, high-wage jobs.
The law includes no additional funding for states to take on the new role of approving individual programs, a worry of Whistle’s.
The tight timeline is also a concern to him. States could quickly throw together an approval process and never again look at it. Whistle advocated for states to start with a pilot approach and reassess in the coming years. He also suggested they creatively leverage state funding to target specific programs that serve high workforce needs.
“This could actually be a moment where we have laboratories for democracy,” Whistle said. “To see what works and what doesn’t.”
Merrifield said technical colleges are working closely with the state Department of Workforce Development on program approvals. She said she’d love to see the expansion in place for fall 2026 but it may realistically take a little longer than that.
Wisconsin technical colleges take stock of programs
State technical colleges already have some programs that will qualify for the expanded financial aid. But they are considering which ones to revamp.
Take the certified nursing assistant program, Merrifield offered as an example. Students pursuing their registered nursing degree earn their CNA as part of the program. But some students aren’t in the RN program and are seeking only their CNA.The program is 75 hours, which is not enough to meet the new financial aid criteria.
Do technical colleges keep the program short, meaning students continue paying out of pocket? Or do they overhaul it, add skills that hospitals and medical facilities may be looking for and allow students to qualify for Pell Grants?
“There’s potential to re-examine why is it that we package skills the way that we do,”Merrifield said. “What is it that employers are really loooking for in the marketplace?”
Merrifield said manufacturing and agriculture programs may also be ripe for revamp.
Milwaukee Area Technical College has identified eight technical diploma programs that will qualify for a Pell Grant under the expansion, said Barbara Cannell, the executive dean of academic systems and integrity. The programs include nail technician, office technology assistant, real estate broker associate, truck driver training, IT user support technician and food service assistant.
MATC has a number of other programs, mostly certificates, that are too short to qualify for the expansion, she said. College officials are deciding whether to keep the programs as-is or tweak them to allow students to qualify for Pell Grants.
Both Cannell and Merrifield see the Pell Grant expansion as a way to make work-force training more accessible to nontraditional students.
“This opens the door to populations of students who just never saw themselves in that way before,” Merrifield said.
Kelly Meyerhofer has covered higher education in Wisconsin since 2018. Contact her at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer.
(WLUK) – A couple challenging the decision not to award them a 50-50 raffle prize at a Milwaukee Brewers game asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take the case, calling it one of “statewide importance.”
Matthew and Annette Flynn purchased ten raffle tickets at the July 7, 2023, game, and held the winning number which was originally selected for $13,000. According to court records, the raffle rules in effect at the time required the winning ticket holder to claim the prize at a designated 50-50 table by the end of the top of the seventh inning. Flynn said she did not see the winning number displayed or hear it announced and was directed by stadium personnel to another location before making her way to the claim table. Officials determined she did not arrive before the deadline and selected a new winning ticket.
The Flynns sued, but the circuit and appeals courts ruled the raffle’s rules gave the foundation sole discretion to determine the official winner and that the rules clearly stated a participant who failed to claim the prize within the specified time would be disqualified.
In a petition to the Wisconsin Supreme Court filed Wednesday, the Flynn’s asked the high court to take the case, saying the decision “affects not only the parties to this action but potentially every Wisconsin resident who participates in charitable raffles and similar gaming activities.”
“This case presents significant questions concerning contractual discretion, discovery, judicial review of charitable gaming decisions, and the treatment of digital evidence within Wisconsin’s appellate system. For these reasons, Petitioners respectfully request that this Court grant review of the decision of the Court of Appeals,” the petition states.
The high court does not have to take the case. At some point, it will vote on if to take it. If it does, a months-long process to review the issues will begin. If it does not, the appeals court ruling would stand.
According to the rules posted on the Milwaukee Brewers’ website, the deadline to claim the prize is no longer during the game the tickets were purchased.
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“The Participant in possession of the Raffle ticket with the potential winning number may claim the Prize at the 50/50 Table located on the Loge (2nd) level concourse behind Sections 216/217 until such time as the Ballpark officially closes to fans after the end of the game. If the Participant in possession of the Raffle ticket with the potential winning number does not claim the Prize by the time the Ballpark closes to fans after the end of the game, that Participant may still claim the Prize within thirty (30) days after the conclusion of the Raffle Period for the respective baseball game by contacting the Raffle hotline (414-902-4334). A Prize that is not claimed within thirty (30) days after the conclusion of the Raffle Period will be awarded in compliance with applicable regulations,” the site states.
ONEIDA COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) — The Wisconsin DOJ is investigating an officer-involved death that occurred on the morning of June 17 in the town of Lake Tomahawk.
According to a press release, around 10:30 a.m., two Oneida officers arrived at Lumen Lake Drive to arrest a subject in a felony investigation.
Upon contact with the officers, the subject brandished and shot a firearm. One officer shot the subject in return.
EMS pronounced the subject dead on the scene. No members of law enforcement or the public were injured.
Both officers will be placed on administrative assignment, per the agency’s policy.
WFRV will update this story as needed.
Body camera shows Wisconsin officer shooting, killing dog in Mequon
Body camera footage from April 23, 2026 shows a Thiensville officer firing at two dogs running at him. He continues to fire as they run away, killing one.
A Thiensville officer fired 16 shots at two stray dogs, killing one, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been tracking the fallout.
The officer, Richard C. McCormick, resigned during an internal investigation. The shooting is now under review by the Ozaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
Here’s what to know about the case and what to do if you encounter a stray or lost dog:
What brought the Thiensville officer to the Mequon intersection?
On April 23, 2026, Mequon police responded to a call shortly after 1 a.m. for two loose dogs at Highland and Cedarburg Roads. The Mequon officers decided to return in the morning, when they could seek help from the humane society.
About two hours later, McCormick saw the dogs at the same intersection, outside his jurisdiction. McCormick stopped and tried to capture them. He was not responding to a new 911 call or other request for help. He was aware of the earlier call about the dogs.
What happened during the shooting?
Body camera footage obtained by the Journal Sentinel showed the dogs bounding toward McCormick after he opened a rear door of his squad.
The officer fired at least two shots near the ground, in what he later said was an attempt to scare the dogs. Video showed the dogs running away and McCormick continuing to fire across the road, even after one of the dogs collapsed on the ground and howled.
Six minutes later, McCormick fired a final shot from close range to euthanize the dog on the ground. The other dog escaped into the woods.
A national expert on police-dog encounters told the Journal Sentinel there were “valid concerns” about the shooting, noting that McCormick continued firing even as the dogs ran away from him.
What happened to the second dog?
The shooting came to light after three women tracked and safely trapped the second dog that had been wounded.
The dog, whom they named Ranger, had a bullet in his hip.
Ranger underwent surgery and was still receiving care at the Wisconsin Humane Society Ozaukee Campus as of June 17.
The rescue volunteers – Danielle Dietz, Alicia Hegedus and Karen Bohlmann – pieced together what happened to Ranger and the other dog, whom they nicknamed BD, using public records requests.
They learned that Ranger had been out for 17 days since he had been shot.
What should you do if you encounter a lost or stray dog?
Angela Speed, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Humane Society, offered the following suggestions:
- Be cautious. Fearful, injured or ill animals can be reactive when confronted.
- Watch the dog’s body language carefully.
- If the dog is obviously friendly and approachable, check for a collar with information. If an owner cannot be located, take the dog to a local animal shelter.
- If you have safety concerns, call a local non-emergency police or sheriff’s office line.
The volunteers who rescued Ranger have years of experience tracking and safely capturing stray or missing dogs, on their own and with local rescue groups. They offered additional suggestions:
- Note the location where you saw the dog and take a photo, if possible.
- Share that information in local neighborhood groups online, which can include Facebook, NextDoor or Ring.
- Look up nearby lost dog and recovery organizations online and contact those groups for help.
- Never chase a dog.
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