A former 15-year veteran of reporting local news for western Wisconsin TV and radio stations, Salina Heller also volunteers in community theater, helps organize the Chippewa Valley Air Show, and is kept busy by her daughter’s elementary school PTA meetings. She is a UW-Eau Claire alum.
Salina Heller
Latest from Salina Heller
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Vouchers drain vital funds from rural Wisconsin schools
Wisconsin’s private school vouchers divert millions of dollars in state aid away from public education, forcing rural districts to raise local property taxes to stay afloat. In communities lacking private school options, these programs siphon essential resources from public classrooms.
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Rubber-stamped regrets: Trump policies under Tom Tiffany are costing families their summer fun
Wisconsin families feel locked out of summer fun because basic necessities like gas and groceries are eating up the budget. Democratic lawmakers say under President Donald Trump’s policies that US Rep. Tom Tiffany has rubber-stamped, inflation has skyrocketed, gas prices have risen, and utility costs are out of control.
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Child Care Counts ends: What the funding cliff means for Wisconsin parents
The expiration of pandemic-era childcare funding at the end of June could force about one-quarter of Wisconsin providers to either close or significantly reduce services. Childcare Counts allowed daycares to retain staff and keep childcare accessible.
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Tone-Deaf Tiffany: Source after source says Tiffany is sacrificing rural hospitals for billionaire tax cuts
Wisconsin doctors and nurses are slamming US Rep. Tom Tiffany for being tone-deaf after his votes gutted Medicaid and ended ACA tax credits for Wisconsin families. Tiffany’s voting record could lead to a rural hospital closure in his district.
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‘No gimmicks’: WI Dems push bill to curb voucher spending, boost public schools
Wisconsin Democrats continue to push a school funding proposal that increases aid by $1.3 million and consciously avoids funding private schools.
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New Wisconsin law taps ‘Dreamers’ to fill critical rural labor gaps
A bipartisan Wisconsin law removes barriers for more than 5,000 DACA recipients in the state, allowing them to work in high-need fields, especially in rural areas, including nursing, teaching, plumbing, and other licensed trades.
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Democrats in Wisconsin’s legislature say GOP leaders won’t even hear their ideas
They say it prevents them from representing their communities fairly. In western Wisconsin, Democratic Sen. Jeff Smith says his party wants to work across the aisle and hold actual conversations about issues. Smith’s race in Senate District 31 is part of a broader, intense fight for control of the Wisconsin state legislature, with Democrats aiming…
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Watch: 🎶⛱️ “Somewhere on a beach…”🎶⛱️
You know that song by Dierks Bentley, about thinking a person is at home but they’re really sipping drinks and letting loose on a relaxing vacation? Some people in western Wisconsin are thinking their representative is at home, representing them in St. Croix and Pierce Counties. But the Milwaukee-based research group, A Better Wisconsin Together,…
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This Western WI lawmaker has missed a quarter of his meetings—and 225 votes
Wisconsin State Rep. Shannon Zimmerman of River Falls reportedly missed 225 votes during the 2025-26 legislative session.
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Fighting for our lights: US and WI Democrats want to end the energy burden for Wisconsinites
Rising utility bills in Wisconsin are creating a significant “energy burden” for families, with some households spending over 10%—and in some cases up to 20%—of their annual income on heat and electricity. While state Democratic lawmakers have had their hands tied by a Republican majority, Democratic lawmakers in Washington have decided to give it a…
