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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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…
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Miles to go before they eat: How SNAP and school meals help WI’s rural students
Fewer kids in our state will have access to free school meals as President Donald Trump rolls out the federal cuts to SNAP that he included in his “Big Beautiful Bill.”
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‘It’s terrifying’: Wisconsinites worry about their neighbors who rely on SNAP
‘It’s terrifying’ – but neighbors across Wisconsin are pitching in to fill some of the gap for 700,000 in the state whose SNAP lifeline was cut as part of Republicans’ government shutdown.
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Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate has a history of being a reliable vote for right-wing causes
GOP-backed Appeals Court Judge Marie Lazar has announced she’s running for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Lazar has a history of restricting abortion and voting rights, and her 2022 appeals court race was driven by a right-wing extremist billionaire.
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Wisconsin Dems’ hail Mary to save rural hospitals from Trump
An inside look at what Wisconsin state lawmakers did just before Trump signed his ‘big beautiful bill’ to try to prevent rural hospitals from closing. Will it work?
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Wisconsin Ob-Gyn: ‘It’s such a relief! Abortion is legal in Wisconsin.’
Wisconsin’s “abortion ban” is no more after the state Supreme Court released a decision Wednesday protecting reproductive freedom. In a 4-3 split reflecting progressive control, the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out an 1849 statute and affirmed that Wisconsinites continue to have access to abortion care, in a case brought by Gov. Tony Evers, Attorney General…
