Erin Toner
Erin Toner is a reporter for WUWM. Erin was WUWM's All Things Considered local host from 2006 to 2010. She began her public radio career in 1999 at WMUK in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Prior to joining WUWM in 2006, Toner spent five years at WKAR in East Lansing, Michigan.
During her career, Toner has served as a mentor for NPR's Next Generation Radio project, trained and mentored college students and taught a news reporting course at Michigan State University. She holds a degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
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Several bio-tech companies are developing exoskeletons that give people superhuman abilities. But these robotic suits are also doing something simpler: They're helping paralyzed veterans walk again.
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Nationwide, many cash-strapped cities have raided funds intended for retirees or have chronically underfunded their pension systems. But despite a budget crunch, Milwaukee's fund has consistently ranked among the nation's top pension programs. Even so, some changes lie ahead for city workers. -
As the school year begins, many principals are leading their schools for the first time. Keeping principals is a problem in many schools, and high-poverty, urban districts often have particularly high rates of turnover. Some experts say that revolving door can hurt student achievement. -
Last August, a Sikh community in Wisconsin lost six of its members in a mass shooting before Sunday services. Some local Sikhs say they've become more devoted in the year since the tragedy, and have begun wearing turbans and long beards in an effort to raise awareness and understanding of the faith. -
A Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Milwaukee has begun recruiting for additional mental health providers. It's part of a nationwide effort to bring on about 1,600 new psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers to reduce wait times for treatment.
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As more people take shift work in the still struggling economy, the need for after hours child care has increased. Throughout the country, many daycare centers have begun offering evening hours or 24-hour care. Parents say their kids should be sleeping at home at night, but they have no choice but to work when jobs are available.
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In this post-recession era, angel investor groups have stepped in to finance startup companies that banks and venture capitalists deem too risky. Twenty of those groups are in Wisconsin, including one that meets at a Milwaukee social club where local money is finding its way to local startups. -
The VA hospital in Milwaukee is shortening its residential mental health treatment programs. Doctors there say the shortened stay — from 90 to 45 days — will mean more intense treatment and will make it easier for veterans to transition back into society sooner. Some patients worry about being pushed out too soon.
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A new group called VETransfer is helping veterans start their own businesses by connecting entrepreneurs to financing. Many of them hope to later hire other veterans if things go well. "They volunteered to fight for what we have here — and them coming back unemployed isn't fair," one vet says. -
With the country still digging its way out of the recession, banks have severely tightened lending to small firms — making it harder for many to get back on their feet. But Daphne Wilson, an entrepreneur in Milwaukee, Wis., didn't let being turned down by four banks stop her.
