Sen. Jon Erpenpach, D-Middleton, held a press conference on the "Healthy Wisconsin" health care plan, which he authored and was included in the State Senate version of the 2007-2009 state budget. The event was held in the Senate Parlor on July 31.

Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, held a press conference in the Senate Parlor at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison on July 31 to discuss cervical cancer prevention. Taylor, along with Sen. Robert Wirch, D- Pleasant Prairie, Rep. J.A. "Doc" Hines, R-Oxford, Rep. Tamara Grigsby, D-Milwaukee, Dr. James Conway and Marti Spittel Zielgelbauer, explained the availability of a vaccine for young girls that can help prevent cervical cancer.

WisconsinEye traveled through Wisconsin's Mississippi River area and spoke to business owners, public officials, and local citizens about the importance of the Mississippi River to the economy and the culture of surrounding communities.

A coalition of 29 state organizations gathered at the State Capitol July 26 to support a series of items proposed in the 2007-2009 state budget. They met a day after the state legislature's conference committee began meeting to resolve their proposed budgets. The organizations said they were resolved to support strong public schools, early care and education for all, quality and affordable health care for all, and access to higher education.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison presented this Iraq War lecture, the last in a series of seven events, highlighting the stories of Wisconsin soldiers through artifacts from the museum's collection.

Creator, publisher and editor of Our Lives, a new lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and allies (LGBTQA) magazine, Patrick Farabaugh discusses the objective and mission of the publication which tackles news, politics, social issues and culture in the Madison area. The magazine debuted in July 2007.

EAA officials gave an overview, a tour and the history behind the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and its annual AirVenture event in Oshkosh, Wis. on July 25. The fly-in convention, which brings thousands of pilots and planes from around the country and world, first came together in the early 1950's.

During the Experimental Aviation Association's (EAA) AirVenture event in Oshkosh, Wis. on July 25, participants gathered to learn about new federal legislation regarding user fees. Information was presented by EAA President Tom Poberenzy, General Aviation Manufacturers Association President Pete Bunce, National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President Ed Bolen and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) President Phil Boyer. The annual fly-in convention, which brings thousands of pilots and planes from around the country and world, first came together in the early 1950's.

Wes Slaymaker, vice president of wind development at EcoEnergy LLC, in Madison, discussed the possibilities of wind energy as a viable renewable resource within the state of Wisconsin on July 24. Two projects, the Montfort wind farm in Iowa County and the Eco Dane project in Dane County, are compared and contrasted as options for Wisconsin's future energy needs.

Women Soar, an event held during the Experimental Aviation Association's AirVenture Event in Oshkosh, Wis., brought together high school girls to allow them to explore careers in aviation and the aerospace industry. The event, July 23, featured panelists from the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) program. During World War II, Women service pilots became the first women trained to fly American military aircraft.

Author Sherry Boschert presented a lecture on plug-in hybrid vehicle technology at the 2007 Hybridfest in Madison, Wis. on July 22. Hybridfest, Inc., is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers that organizes the annual event which aims to promote awareness and understanding of hybrid electric automobiles.

Vice President Richard Steeves of Hybridfest, Inc., a non-profit corporation (run entirely by volunteers) that organizes the annual Hybridfest event in Madison, Wis., presented a lecture entitled "Carbon-free Energy for Home and Transportation," at the event July 22.

Amber Gonske of WisconsinEye tries the famous Waukesha County Fair Creampuff, one of the specialties sold by the the Waukesha County 4-H'ers at the fair every summer. WiscosninEye visited the fair on July 20.

WisconsinEye spent time with Juliann Balistreri of Windy Ridge Boer Goats at the Waukesha County Fair on July 20. She is a Junior Exhibitor at the Waukesha County Fair, and provides us with insight into this unique facet of Wisconsin's agricultural community.

WisconsinEye spent time interviewing Dan Brown of JJ's Concessions at the Waukesha County Fair on July 20. Brown travels around the state to different fairs and events featuring JJ's Concessions beef and turkey sandwiches.

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce in cooperation with the Wisconsin Environmental Working Group awarded nine Wisconsin companies for their environmental achievements in the areas of pollution prevention, environmental innovation, and environmental stewardship. The winners included Drangle Foods Inc., Gilman, Louisiana Pacific Corporation, Hayward, Weather Shield Manufacturing Inc., Medford for Pollution Prevention; GDSI, Amery, Coating Excellence International, Wrightstown, Kohler Company, Kohler for Environmental Innovation; and Flambeau Mining Company, Ladysmith, Bell Laboratories, Inc., Madison, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Milwaukee for Environmental Stewardship. The winners were honored at the 18th Annual Environmental Policy and Awards Conference at the Country Springs Conference Center in Waukesha on July 20.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison presented this Vietnam War lecture, the sixth in a series of seven events, highlighting the stories of Wisconsin soldiers through artifacts from the museum's collection.

A Hmong panel consisting of Amoun Sayaovong- Attorney, Kor Xiong- Hmong Wisconsin Radio, Lily Xiong- Hmong American Women’s Association, Koua Vang-United Asian Services, Shwaw Vang-Retired Madison School Board Member discussed civic participation in the Hmong community. The panel discussion was hosted by Green Bay Press-Gazette Madison Bureau Chief Karen Lincoln Michel.

U.S. Representative James Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, and State Representative Louis Molepske Jr., D-Stevens Point, debated Wisconsin's implementation of the Federal Real ID Act, an effort to increase the identification standards associated with obtaining a state driver's license or ID card. Molepske was interviewed at WisconsinEye's Madison Studios July 18, while Sensenbrenner was interviewed at his Brookefield office earlier in the month.

The Evidence-Based Health Policy Project sponsored this forum at the State Capitol July 17, which featured presentations by Dr. Joel Cantor from the Center for State Health Policy at Rutgers University and Douglas McCarthy of the Commonwealth Fund. They discussed Wisconsin's health care performance compared to other states around the country.

Located in the Lodi Valley, the Lodi Agriculture Fair celebrated its 142nd year in 2007. The Lodi Fair is one of only two remaining "free" fairs in the state of Wisconsin. Originally called the "Lodi Union Fair", the fair was formed in 1865 in order to enable residents of the towns of Lodi, Arlington and West Point to exhibit their wares locally rather than making the difficult trek to the Columbia County Fair in Portage.

Jim Ward, president of Americans with Disabilities Act Watch, spoke about "The Road to Freedom Bus Tour" July 14. Ward, as well as local activists Tracy Miller and John Donnelly, said the bus tour is an effort to raise awareness about the Americans with Disabilities Act, federal legislation that prohibits the discrimination of those with disabilities in the workplace, which they said has been severely weakened in recent years.

Rodee Schneider, a marketing representative for C-SPAN, a non-profit television company which provides public access to the national political process, talked about their Book TV Program. C-SPAN's Book TV bus is a mobile television studio which travels around the country producing interviews with non-fiction authors for broadcast. Schneider provided a tour of the bus, which made a stop in Madison July 14.

The Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired hosted a learning opportunity for blind and visually impaired children July 13. The children where given the chance to learn hands-on about the Civil War in this Living History program presented by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison presented this Korean War lecture, the fifth in a series of seven events, highlighting the stories of Wisconsin soldiers through artifacts from the museum's collection on July 12.

TeleTruth Wisconsin, an advocacy group concerned about new proposed state legislation regarding telecommunications laws, held a press conference in the State Senate Parlor in the State Capitol on July 11.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Timothy J. Donohue, the director of the upcoming Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center talks about the role the federally-funded center will play in the national effort to explore the potential for bioenergy and how it will affect the future of the University and the state.

Opponents of Senate Bill 224, The Brewpub Tourism Development Act, met on the docks of the Milwaukee River to demonstrate against passage of the bill July 10. Jim McCabe, president of the Milwaukee Ale House, and Russ Klisch, president of the Wisconsin Brewer's Guild, spoke to what they called the negative effects the bill would have on Wisconsin's Brewpubs. The event culminated with a Boston Tea Party-like reenactment as the demonstrators spewed barrels of beer into the Milwaukee harbor.

WisconsinEye marked its cable television launch with a news conference at the Capitol July 9.

Moored along the Manitowoc River, adjacent to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, the USS COBIA is considered an icon of Wisconsin's shipbuilding heritage by the museum. COBIA is a GATO-class fleet submarine similar to twenty-eight subs built in Manitowoc during World War II. WisconsinEye followed a tour of the submarine memorial in July 2007.

Margaret Beattie Bogue, professor emeritus of history and liberal studies, and Jonathan Chipman, an assistant scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center, led a tour of the "Making Maps, Mapping History" exhibit at the University's Memorial Library July 5. Bogue described the history of Wisconsin through maps of the Great Lakes area that date back to the 1600's, while Jonathan Chipman talked about modern satellite imagery of the state.

Tibetans from Chicago, Minnesota, and Wisconsin came to the Annual Midwest Tibetan Picnic in Madison September 5 to celebration of the Dalai Lama's 72nd Birthday.