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Vaping illnesses show need for regulated THC markets
“One of the things I’m wondering is why is this all of a sudden happening now?” said Eric Marsch, an organizer with the cannabis advocacy organization NORML, pondering the rash of hospitalizations connected with vaping. “I’ve seen these vape cartridges around for years,” Marsch added. Medical investigators are still working out exactly what made people who […]
Milwaukee County tackles restoring voting rights to ex-offenders
Milwaukee County Supervisors Sequanna Taylor is proposing a resolution to restore and protect the voting rights of people on parole or probation. Nearly 65,000 people in Wisconsin are denied the right to vote after they have served time and paid their debt to society, Taylor explained, because they are still “on paper.” “When a person […]
Special Memories Zoo sued over animal living conditions
For years, Tanya and Teagan, two endangered tigers, have drawn crowds to the Special Memories roadside zoo in Greenville, Wisconsin. People paid for tickets to gather around their cramped cages. Those same people took pity on the animals for their algae-choked watering holes, rotten food, and unchanged enclosure bedding. Now, the tigers might find a […]
Non-lethal pesticide to be used to deter sandhill cranes
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP) is moving forward with a new, non-lethal pesticide. Avipel will be applied to corn seed in Wisconsin to discourage sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) from consuming and destroying crops. The news raised concerns for crane advocates who are worried about negative impacts the program may have […]
Milwaukee County passes lead lateral removal resolution
Milwaukee County Supervisor John Weishan Jr. is pushing for the replacement of lead pipes connected to property owners’ water meters known as “laterals” with two new proposals, put forward during the Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee meeting last Wednesday. “It’s about time the local government took action to address the lead crisis in our […]
Update: Vitamin E in vapes offers clues to lung disease outbreak
The New York Department of Health (NYDH) might have stumbled upon an explanation for the rash of vaping-related lung disorders reported nationwide since August. Officials say that nearly all the tested vapes, sold as containing cannabis, also had high levels of vitamin E. A NYDH press release on the findings notes that vitamin E isn’t […]
Activists push Milwaukee PD to not work with ICE
Holding artwork and signs saying “Stop ICE,” and “Keep families together,” a diverse collective of teenagers, local activists and community leaders gathered at the Milwaukee City Hall on Thursday to send a clear message to Milwaukee city officials. Voces de la Frontera hosted the event, aided by the Jewish collective Never Again Is Now and […]
Waukesha sheriff’s deal with ICE
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin has learned that the Waukesha County sheriff’s office is the state’s only police department to enter into an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to use local officers to enforce federal immigration law. According to the ACLU, Sheriff Eric Severson renewed the agreement on July 1 […]
DNR, conservationists fight mad deer
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is uniting with the Wisconsin Conservation Congress and Natural Resources Board to address the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Wisconsin’s white-tailed deer. The new push will in part focus on educating the public on the disease, and streamline the testing and disposal of dead deer. “We are […]
Fun and politics at Milwaukee Laborfest
Laborfest 2019, held on Milwaukee’s Summerfest grounds, attracted hundreds of residents from a variety of backgrounds. Free and open to the public, the festival, hosted by union groups and the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, provided food, live music, and activities for families and children. Among the attendees were representatives of various organizations, from workers’ rights […]
‘There’s more to people than the mistakes they’ve made’
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin is conducting a statewide Justice Tour to discuss criminal justice reform. A meeting in Milwaukee on August 29 focused on organizing against parole revocations for non-criminal rule violations and mass incarceration. Held at the Brown Deer United Methodist Church, Milwaukee’s meeting featured a panel discussion titled “Investing […]
Milwaukee County reacts to opioid settlement
The Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma, would pay $3 billion and give up ownership of the company, if a settlement of thousands of lawsuits concerning over-prescription of opioid painkillers goes through. The Sacklers’ settlement offer comes after more than 2,000 lawsuits have been filed against Purdue by counties, cities, and towns nationwide, alleging that […]