Photo/Gary Porter

Raven Welk, 6, found a quiet space to color a sign for her adopted mother, Becky Welk, who is planning a protest at Wednesday?s funeral for Christopher L. Thomas Jr. ? who died last week from child abuse. The sign says, ?The system failed again.?

Bureaucracy scrutinized after abused boy's death

Today, Milwaukee buries 13-month-old Christopher L. Thomas Jr., who police say was beaten to death by his foster mother. Becky Welk, a former foster mother who plans to protest at the funeral, says she fears his violent death will fade from the public's memory, and the child welfare system responsible for placing him in the home, will never be held accountable.

City birth rate for young teens declines sharply

Births among 15- to 17-year-old girls in Milwaukee have dropped to their lowest level in 28 years, according to data released Wednesday by public health officials.

Peer educators bask in news of teen birth rate drop

State firefighters union chief resigns over remark

Rick Gale, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, resigned Tuesday from the union post amid mounting criticism over reports that he made a racial slur against President-elect Barack Obama.

The first Thanksgiving in your kitchen? We're here to help

Step into the spotlight, slide into the driver's seat. Use any metaphor you want, because for the first time ever, you're in charge of Thanksgiving dinner.

Video: Tips for preparing your feast
Recipes: New ideas for your meal

State golfer's honesty costs him potential spot on PGA Tour

J.P. Hayes can sleep at night, knowing he did the right thing. The 43-year-old Appleton native disqualified himself from the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament last week for playing with a non-conforming golf ball.

Dudek on Film
Spam! Spam! Spam!

Wasted in Wisconsin
Sobering Reminders: La Crosse County

Bucks Blog
Jefferson says he can do better

Brewers Blog
All quiet on Sabathia front

Badgers Blog
Leuer leads UW over SIU-Edwardsville

Public Investigator Blog
Newly found dangers in cribs, investigation finds

Milwaukee Homicides
Woman slain Sunday on west side identified

All Politics Blog
Barrett backs early voting

Taste Buds
Cheesemaker dinner at Dream Dance

Proof and Hearsay
Judges reassigned

Across the Board
Birth of a drop -- in teen pregnancy

Racing Beat
Menard update

More Blogs...

News

Large dairy farm faces environmental delays

The owners of a proposed $70 million, 8,000-cow farm, which would become the largest dairy farm in the state, will have to delay plans and conduct more study on how the operation will affect the environment.

Sports

Girls Basketball Preview

King deals with several major changes in off-season

Change happened inside the Milwaukee King girls basketball program during a tumultuous off-season that included some major unexpected developments. It wasn't quite turmoil, just significant change. And now, it's Craig Machut's job to turn all that change into success..

Conference previews | Area players to watch | Five things to watch | Games to watch

Business

State home sales drop 16.7%
in 3rd quarter; prices fall 5.3%

Home sales and prices in Wisconsin sank again in the third quarter, as the slowing economy and national financial crisis helped perpetuate the toughest market in years for people who are trying to sell a house.

Stock search | Wisconsin stocks | New Faces, New Places | AP Business

Features and Entertainment

Leftovers of laughter

Disastrous Thanksgiving meals recalled fondly now

Being dead may not be the worst thing that can happen to a Thanksgiving turkey. Turkey-related disasters are the stuff of family legends.

Forum: Got your own disaster story?
Reader Disasters: More calamitous Thanksgiving tales

Weekly Entertainment Calendar | Puzzles | Comics | Dear Abby

LaCrosse County

Gifted, beloved teen still mourned

When a person like Sarah Mullenbach is killed, it doesn't just rip a hole through her family. The whole town grieves. They know that Sarah had so much potential, so many gifts.

Read the Wasted in Wisconsin series | More Sobering Reminders

Chemical Fallout

BPA leaches from 'microwave safe' products

Products marketed for infants or billed as "microwave safe" release toxic doses of the chemical bisphenol A when heated, an analysis by the Journal Sentinel has found.

How The Story Was Reported: Putting the products to the test
PDF: How to avoid bisphenol A
BPA results
Responses: E-mails from companies whose products were tested
Statement: American Chemistry Council
Video: Meg Kissinger talks about her reporting on JSOnAir

Travel | Real Estate | Home and Garden | Arts and Books

MyCommunityNOW.com

Brookfield

Iraq veteran gives her students unique perspective on history

When Brookfield East High School teacher Lindsay Sayles talks to her history students about the war in Iraq, they're all ears. That's because the 27-year-old served a tour of duty in Iraq as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves.

MyCommunityNOW.com | Call 262-446-6630

On the Wires

Top national and international stories from the Associated Press