In 2018, our monthly Wisconsin Investigations email newsletter highlighted more than 105 stories about life in Wisconsin. Here are some of our favorites produced by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reporters:

Sexual misconduct at schools and other government institutions

This year saw a variety of stories about sexual misconduct following the #MeToo movement that began in late 2017. Reporters across the state revealed a superintendent who waited to confront an accused teacher, a lawmaker who made sexual comments to female colleagues and numerous allegations in law enforcement. But reporters Karen Herzog in Milwaukee, Alan Hovorka in Stevens Point and Devi Shastri in Oshkosh produced the steadiest stream of stories by investigating sexual misconduct in the UW System.

Prescription for secrecy: State licensing system keeps patients in the dark

A year-long investigation by reporters John Fauber and Matt Wynn found that failures in the nation's medical license system are widespread and leave hundreds of potentially dangerous doctors with clean records in some states despite disciplinary problems in others. One doctor removed the wrong body parts from patients in two states but remains able to practice in another state. Another case involving a Neenah doctor showed Wisconsin's medical board was "hamstrung by arcane matters, including what it can afford to pay an expert to evaluate" a doctor’s work.

Wisconsin 'dark store' cases threaten to hike your property taxes

Reporters Madeleine Behr in Appleton, Doug Schneider in Green Bay and Haley BeMiller in Wausau analyzed 130 lawsuits in courthouses across the state and found that chain-store retailers were trying to cut their property assessments by more than $700 million. The lawsuits meant residential and other taxpayers might be forced to foot more of the bill for local government services. Many municipal officials want state lawmakers to end the court battles through legislation, but lawmakers have so far declined to intervene. In November, voters in 17 counties and six municipalities backed referendums urging lawmakers to block retailers' efforts.

DNA testing backlogs and evidence destruction

Reporter Keegan Kyle brought to light growing backlogs this year in how long it takes state workers to analyze evidence for criminal cases. He also found hundreds of rape kits were left untested for years despite state law, and showed how police neglect contributed to delays in testing evidence from old sexual assault cases. Meanwhile, reporter Gina Barton exposed the Milwaukee Police Department's destruction of DNA evidence in at least 50 homicide cases from the 1990s, including some that were still unsolved.

Hooked in Wisconsin: When heroin hits home

A team of reporters profiled 10 recovering heroin addicts to humanize the nation's opioid crisis and how families are striving to heal from it. The report included intimate photos and videos with each subject, including one woman who later relapsed while pregnant and was sentenced to two years in prison. In August, another team of reporters documented barriers at pharmacies across Wisconsin to a lifesaving drug that can reverse a heroin or opioid overdose.

High student mobility in Milwaukee stalls achievement

Reporters Erin Richards and Kevin Crowe analyzed enrollment and test-score data to examine the breadth and effects from students switching schools. They found the sheer volume of churn in Milwaukee public schools may be undermining efforts aimed at improving student performance. One in four students switched schools last year, and the majority went from one poor-performing program to another.

Navy ignored warnings before deadly ship collision

Seven sailors died in June 2017 when the USS Fitzgerald, commanded by Green Bay native and Marquette University graduate Bryce Benson, collided with a commercial vessel in a Japanese channel. Benson is facing military charges. But reporters Eric Litke and Meg Jones discovered that a federal office had warned the Navy about risky training levels two years ago, and when the collision happened, the Fitzgerald was outdated in most areas of training tracked by the Navy.

A husband's violence escalated from a brutal assault to murder

Based on court documents, police investigation reports and other records obtained through state laws, reporter Alison Dirr pieced together how Robert Schmidt’s violence against his wife, Sara, reached the point that he killed her and himself with a gun he wasn't supposed to have. Dirr's report shared details that are typically excluded from news articles about domestic violence in an effort to help readers understand the dynamics of the Appleton-area family and domestic violence cases.

Milwaukee's policy to limit police chases sparks surge of pursuits

Using a mountain of state data and police records, a team of reporters revealed the toll of a sharp increase in high-speed police chases, with injuries and property damage across southeastern Wisconsin. Police officials attributed the surge to brazen car thieves and drug dealers, and to a Milwaukee Police Department policy that limited pursuits. Some argued the policy caused drivers across the region to think officers wouldn't chase them. The combined number of chases logged by the nearby Glendale, Greenfield, Wauwatosa and West Allis police departments grew from 41 in 2013 to a total of 538 in 2017.

A Wisconsin government worker nearly tripled his pay last year

A Department of Corrections officer worked an average of 95 hours a week in 2017, nearly tripling his base pay and boosting his retirement pension, reporters Patrick Marley and Kevin Crowe found after analyzing state data. The reporters separately found taxpayers spent more than $42 million on overtime for prison workers in 2017 because a workforce shortage had worsened. The network this year also published searchable databases of the salaries for state, Milwaukee County and public school workers.

More great watchdog stories

Wisconsin DOT knowingly paid twice on stretch of roadwork for Zoo Interchange

At 100 Wisconsin schools, most seniors miss chance for college aid through FAFSA

Landlord quietly becomes a force in Milwaukee rental business ... and eviction court

Brown County Courthouse dome looks as bad as before $1.7M project

Release programs for sick and elderly prisoners could save millions. But states rarely use them.

Neighbors find out railroad owns part of their homes, yards

Wausau shootings overloaded 911, calls missed

Russian trolls stoked racial tension after Milwaukee rioting

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What should we write about next? Know of any waste or corruption in your community? Please write to tips@gannettwisconsin.com or call/text our Investigations Hotline: 920-455-5025. Anonymous tips are welcome!

2018 Editions of Wisconsin Investigations

January: Dark store threat, best judges, improper tweets

February: Ignored warnings, football injuries, child farmers, sex misconduct

March: Doctor misconduct, repeat lottery winners, lab delays, Russian trolls

April: School threats, untested evidence, sick prisoners, sexual misconduct

May: Travel perks, prison overtime, UW misconduct, dulled dome

June: How police, prosecutors, attorney general let evidence pile up

July: Destroyed DNA, an illegal affair, refugees in danger

August: Husband's escalating violence, Milwaukee evictions

September: UW sexual misconduct, lead poisoning, DNR backlog

October: Teacher salaries, transient students and missed college aid

November: Longer DMV wait times, dog experiments, school bus safety

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