Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Lou

There are only two things in Steuben, Wisconsin and they are both bars owned and operated by women. Deep in Trump country, this is a rarity, like children and black people. Steuben is named after Friedrich von Steuben, a long-dead Frenchman who was recruited by Benjamin Franklin to lend his brilliance in military organization and […]

Wisconsin

Old Man Time

Surrounded by an assortment of old magazines, used toilets and other miscellaneous knickknacks, students ventured into the cluttered abyss of Larry Lange’s shed. The 86-year-old has become a collector of sorts, holding onto memorabilia reminiscent of his – and other people’s – past. Beyond the piles of worn furniture and old filing cabinets he salvaged […]

Wisconsin

The Hunters

The cold winds shook the trees while the deer were trying to go unseen. The uniform was orange hunting gear, and it could be seen from miles away. There’s not much to do in these rural areas, but people make do. They even create a competition out of who can catch the biggest buck. This […]

Wisconsin

The Forgotten Man

“See these hands? Working hands, I’ve worked all my life. Paid taxes out the yin-yang. And that’s what I want, people working. There’s too many damn people on welfare,” said Donald Trump voter Ken Buehler. Buehler opened up his metal shed of a home to two complete strangers: a professor and her student. The white […]

Wisconsin

Sharon’s Red Apple Inn

Driving into the dark of night through the small town of Gays Mills, Wis., one neon light draws in students. Three bright red apples with a yellow heart inside the middle apple lights up the almost hidden Sharon’s Red Apple Inn. Offering their Saturday night prime rib special, Elinor, 73, is the only customer at […]

Wisconsin

Jo

If a visitor were to come to Steuben, Wisconsin and keep going straight past the few homes and rusted playground with no children, the destination would be Jo’s Kountry Bar. It was cold on day one of hunting season. People in big trucks parked in front of the large bar. Hunters bustled in, wearing matching […]

Wisconsin

The Man in the Shadows

No one driving through the dreary, dark hillside north of Gays Mills, Wisconsin, wishes for any technical problems on the road. But when the brakes fail entirely around 9 p.m. on a cool, Saturday night, anyone would love for someone who lives in the shadows of Crawford County to materialize next to their car. Carlos […]

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: Barbershop Customers Talk Politics

One African-American Milwaukee resident who didn’t vote was William Howell. He has lost all trust in the political process dating back to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “When I saw something like that could happen in America [in New Orleans] the way they left those people and the president [George W. Bush] didn’t do anything at […]