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Evers says schools will make their own decisions for the fall
Gov. Tony Evers reiterated Tuesday that he has no plans to issue a statewide order forbidding schools from holding in-person classes this fall, despite statements to the contrary from Republican lawmakers. Asked at a media briefing Tuesday afternoon about a statement from Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) voicing suspicion that Evers would “flip-flop” on […]
Baldwin jobs bill gets endorsements from state workforce development groups
A U.S. Senate bill to create a long-term program of subsidized jobs for people put out of work by the COVID-19 pandemic has gained support from Milwaukee’s mayor and a collection of Wisconsin social welfare and workforce development organizations. “Millions of Americans are unemployed and struggling to make ends meet, so we need a bold, […]
‘How are we going to fix that? How are we going to move forward?’
Months after lawmakers — and even the state’s top economic development strategist — thought it would be waning, COVID-19 still threatens Wisconsin, as its economy struggles to recover. Industries are “reeling” — and so are other sectors of the state that are critical to its long-term success: education, child care and health care. As grim […]
CDC report: Voting in Milwaukee fell April 7, but COVID-19 cases didn’t rise
The April 7 election doesn’t appear to have sparked a surge in COVID-19 infections in Milwaukee, according to a new report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — but it also saw overall voter participation cut nearly in half and close to an 80% drop in in-person voting in the city […]
Battle lines harden over governor’s new health emergency, mask order
On the day before Gov. Tony Evers’ mandatory mask rule takes effect, reaction swiftly hardened Friday along predictable lines. More Republicans lined up to condemn the governor’s new health emergency declaration and the accompanying mask order, announced Thursday to curb the state’s renewed surge of COVID-19, which takes effect Saturday, August 1. Senate Majority Leader […]
Evers declares new health emergency, mandates masks statewide
With COVID-19 infections steadily rising by as much as a thousand detected cases per day, Gov. Tony Evers declared a new public health emergency Thursday, and with it, announced a statewide mandatory mask order to take effect Saturday, August 1. “A few months ago, Wisconsin was in pretty good shape. The numbers were improving and […]
Will pandemic school be a trade-off between safety and equity?
What are the choices that confront parents, school districts and communities this fall, as the first day of the school year draws near and the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of abating? Barely a month from the first day of the fall semester, some school districts are backing away from starting the year with in-person […]
Frostman: DWD is working to get SSDI claims in motion
Wisconsin workers who also collect federal disability payments and have lost work hours because of COVID-19 should start applying for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), and the state unemployment insurance system will work to move those applications along, the state’s labor secretary told the Wisconsin Examiner on Tuesday. Late Monday, the state Department of Workforce […]
Sen. Larson launches petition drive for state mask mandate
A Milwaukee state senator’s petition for a statewide mask mandate has garnered more than 8,000 signatures — and a torrent of abuse on social media. Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) is spreading word of the petition on his official Facebook page. The petition, in the form of a letter addressed to Gov. Tony Evers, the state […]
Guard continues COVID-19 test assistance; federal support in limbo
While the Wisconsin National Guard continues to aid with testing state residents for the virus responsible for COVID-19, officials in Wisconsin and other states are urging the federal government to extend funding for the testing deployment through the end of the year. National Guard members are collecting specimens this week at locations in 15 Wisconsin […]
U.S. okays special unemployment pay for disability recipients
After weeks of waiting and being told no, laid-off Wisconsin workers who also collect federal disability payments got some better news on Monday: They, too, can get jobless pay. A U.S. Department of Labor official, in a letter sent Monday to the state Department of Workforce Development (DWD), said that Wisconsin residents enrolled in the Social […]
Small farms get most of first round of COVID-19 aid; 2nd round planned
Nearly 12,000 Wisconsin farmers shared in the first round of aid from a special state program to support farmers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, state officials said Monday. So far $41.6 million has been distributed to 11,884 farms from the $50 million program, funded from the state’s allotment under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relieve and […]