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Community outpouring over Milwaukee budget
Dozens of Milwaukee residents gathered at City Hall on October 7, criticizing Mayor Tom Barrett’s proposed 2020 budget plans for nearly four hours. Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton remarked during the meeting, “This has probably been the most people that we have had show up to a community hearing on the budget,” and said he […]
Animal rights activists focus on Wisconsin
Animal rights activists are promoting the idea of an animal bill of rights with protests in 26 cities worldwide, which launched last weekend. Milwaukee was the only city in the Midwest targeted by demonstrators, who assembled outside Gov. Tony Evers’ Cream City office on Saturday, October 4. The demonstration was part of a Global Lockdown […]
Wisconsin DHS testing of vapes underway
Investigations continue into an outbreak of hospitalizations for lung damage nationwide, likely related to vaping products. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is currently tracking 69 probable cases of vaping-related lung disease, though a single cause remains elusive. Dr. Jonathan Meiman, a DHS chief medical officer, told Wisconsin Examiner, “a big part of this […]
Immigration activists push Milwaukee to clarify policy
Momentum continued to build in Milwaukee as immigration activists flooded City Hall on Thursday for a third time in two consecutive weeks. Dozens of community members marched and chanted through the halls before entering a Fire and Police Commission meeting, calling on officials to protect immigrant families. The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission’s scheduled vote […]
Black and Latino Roundtable focuses on immigration, incarceration reform
The negative fallout from decades of mass incarceration was a major topic of discussion during the second annual State of Wisconsin Black and Latino Caucus Roundtable held at the Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 3. Eleven state representatives hosted the event, alongside two dozen participants from various criminal-justice and community-advocacy backgrounds. Gov. Tony Evers and Lt. […]
The teacher’s life: K-12 teachers plagued with high college debt, low wages
Young teachers attempting to start their careers with K-12 students are burdened by high college debt, which might be one more factor behind the teacher shortage. According to the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), Wisconsin ranks in the nation’s top ten states for students leaving college with loan debt. In 2018, graduates with loans […]
Medical cannabis bill is ‘an issue of compassion’ for suffering patients
Wisconsin legislators pushing a bipartisan bill to legalize medical cannabis hope that the Republican majority will consider it, for the sake of patients suffering debilitating conditions with few treatment options. “It’s an issue of compassion,” Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point) told Wisconsin Examiner. “It’s an issue of making sure people have access to something that […]
Family left “haunted” after father was taken by ICE
Milwaukee’s City Hall was charged with raw emotion last week as community members packed in, shoulder-to-shoulder, to support a family whose loved one had been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Holding signs reading, “following orders is not an excuse,” “never again is now” and “close the camps, shut down ICE,” they demanded action […]
Wisconsin DNR pledges to treat climate change as major issue
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources under Gov. Tony Evers has pledged to address climate change as a major state-wide issue. Secretary-designee Preston Cole called climate change, “one of the defining issues of our time,” and made it clear that his agency will back pro-climate policies. “The DNR is entrusted to protect the people’s resources, […]
Arrest video fuels outrage over Milwaukee Police helping ICE
The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) has become embroiled in controversy after its officers were filmed assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the arrest of a local man. While getting ready to go to school outside their home, Jose Alejandro (Alex) de la Cruz-Espinosa was removed from his car and arrested as his wife […]
Milwaukee voting rights bill backed by County Board
Resolution to restore voting rights to people on probation and parole is being backed unanimously by Milwaukee County, supporting a state bill in draft.
Milwaukee holds hope in face of record number of drug overdoses
Milwaukee is on it’s way to having a record number of drug overdose deaths this year. The Medical examiner’s office documented 127 probable deaths between July 1 and September 11. In the face of the epidemic, advocates and recovering drug users continue spreading awareness of the issue, and providing the hope some people need in […]