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Wisconsin's Driftless Area, an unglaciated region defined by steep river valley systems, has been plagued by chronic flooding in part due to Euro-American agricultural practices and anthropogenic climate change. The region, which has played a central role in environmental knowledge production, has a storied history of resilience practices and flood experience. To capture histories of Driftless Area flood experience and underlying socio-ecological dynamics, we performed a qualitative analysis of regional news archives from 1866 to present on flood trends, experiences, and responses. Our analysis identified hazard response trends mediated by socio-ecological factors including crisis-induced windows of opportunity for change, conflicts over structural and nonstructural responses to flooding, and psychological dimensions of environmental crises. Finally, our analysis noted the key role of community flood knowledge in producing shifts toward enhanced resilience, suggesting the need for empowering flood response planning at the community scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the news frames embedded in the news regarding the investment deal between the state of Wisconsin and Foxconn in 2017. The deal had generated a considerable amount of debate, especially in the state of Wisconsin since it was the largest-ever subsidy for the state of Wisconsin to have a company invest in the state and the largest government handout to a foreign company ever given in the U.S. A qualitative content analysis on Wisconsin daily newspapers was used to identify the news frames. Five news frames were identified: financial cost/economic growth, risk/government responsibility, transformational opportunity, conflict, and fairness and justice. By examining the news frames embedded in the news stories, this study revealed not only what voices and powers for the 2017 Wisconsin and Foxconn investment deal have been competing in the news discourse, but also how the different voices were addressed in the news discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]