Author: Editor

State and local leaders announce beginning of open enrollment for the 2020 health insurance market

Outreach Community Health Center hosted the 2020 Open Enrollment kick off on November 1, which runs until December 15 – with coverage starting January 1, 2020 – for individuals purchasing health insurance on the individual market. Local officials and community stakeholders attended the press conference with Governor Tony Evers, who was joined by Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, Mayor Tom Barrett, Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary Andrea Palm, and Commissioner of Insurance Mark Afable. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin was originally expected to attend, but national matters kept her in Washington DC. She did hold a press conference separately. “Every...

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Together We Count: Elected officials kick off 2020 Census Committee to protect state’s future

Journey House on Milwaukee’s south side hosted the press conference and kick off community event for the statewide 2020 census initiative on October 28, with the public and all levels of elected officials in attendance. The gathering began with Governor Tony Evers signing Executive Order #55, to create the Complete Count Committee (CCC) for the 2020 Census. The purpose of the committee will be to educate Wisconsinites on the importance of completing the 2020 census, develop outreach strategies to reach hard-to-count communities, and identify and reduce barriers that impede participation in the counting process. With less than 6 months...

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Generations of the local Polish community memorialized at Saint Adalbert’s in the Garden District

Like many ethnic groups that settled in Milwaukee in the early days of its frontier foundation, the Polish Diaspora and their descendants on the south side wanted a final resting place that would serve the community. Catholic Archbishop M. Heiss bought 30 acres of land just south of Holy Trinity Cemetery for what was to become Saint Adalbert’s Cemetery on December 7, 1888. Because it served all the local Polish parishes, it was commonly called the Polish Union Cemetery until Archbishop Messmer restored its original consecration name, Saint Adalbert’s. The cemetery memorializes the monk of Trier, Saint Adalbert, who...

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Wisconsinites visit state legislators on WAVE’s Day of Action to demand gun violence prevention laws

Nearly two hundred members of the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) and their coalition partners visited the State Capitol on October 24, urging legislators one by one to support two lifesaving, evidence-based bills that would help prevent gun violence. The Gun Violence Prevention Day of Action began with an orientation on gun violence, held a couple blocks from the Capitol building in Madison at Bethel Lutheran Church. WAVE leaders and invited speakers offered educational sessions to the citizens, who addended from all over the state, about how to lobby their elected officials on the proposed legislation. “Now, more than ever,...

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Richard Taylor: Crafting metal as monuments to history and creativity

Using metal as a three-dimensional canvas, artist Richard Taylor recently sculpted an iconic series to immortalize Milwaukee’s People of the Road. Taylor has crafted monumental public sculptures, related to his experiences with people and architecture, into visual souvenirs that have earned him recognition across the country. The influences of music and poetry can also be seen woven into the fabric of his compositions, with the large-scale shapes designed to compliment the natural environment surrounding their installation. The Milwaukee Independent talked with Taylor about his artistic passion and most recent historical project. | Q&A with Richard Taylor Milwaukee Independent: What...

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I Want My MTV: 11th Annual Milwaukee Film Festival opens with nostalgic look at the music video network

Movie enthusiasts waited in lines around the block on the city’s east side for the opening night of the 11th annual Milwaukee Film Festival on October 17, hosted at the festival-owned historic Oriental Theater. “This is our 11th year, and very early on there were a lot of people who didn’t think we were going to last. And I was thinking there’s a lot of reasons that Milwaukee Film is like Nigel Tufnel’s equipment,” said Chris Abele, founder of the film festival. “Just like Nigel’s amp, Milwaukee Film goes to 11.” 2019 is expected to be the largest festival...

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