Author: Correspondent

Marquette University recently received a $1 million “Thriving in Ministry” grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., to help support Christian pastors in congregational ministry. The five-year grant will propel Marquette to both create and strengthen programs that support pastors by helping them connect strategically with other clergy who can serve as role models and mentors. The goal is to better support Christian clergy to promote their well-being as church leaders. “We want to continue to address pressing challenges facing our society,” said Marquette University President Michael R. Lovell. “Today, Christian pastors are dealing with increasingly complex issues. Through this generous...

The Wisconsin Policy Forum’s annual review called the Mayor’s proposed 2019 budget for the City of Milwaukee “one of the least contentious in years” in light of an unexpected $9 million reduction in its pension fund contribution. The report also warns that the benefit will be short-lived, however, and that the city’s long-term budget challenges “remain as intense as ever.” “It is certainly good news that the budget is able to convert an overestimated 2018 pension payment into stable departmental budgets and a re-stocked pension reserve,” says the report. “It is bad news, however, that the pension savings are...

Starting with leadership, all full-time County employees will take part in training to advance racial equity throughout operations and community engagement. By the end of 2019, all of the more than 4,000 full-time employees at Milwaukee County will have taken part in racial equity training, part of the County’s ongoing commitment to building up diverse communities and ensuring fair and equal opportunities for all residents, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele recently announced. “These trainings are critical for Milwaukee County to create momentum in advancing racial equity. We recognize that Milwaukee has historically been one of the most segregated communities...

More than 159,000 absentee ballots have already been issued for the November 6 General Election and 84,000 have been returned so far, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. At MyVote, voters can ask for an absentee ballot to be mailed to them and track their ballot after they return it to their municipal clerk’s office. Those who want to vote absentee in their clerk’s office can find clerk contact information on the MyVote website as well as by calling 1-866-VOTE-WIS. “People who want to vote absentee have options,” said Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief elections official. “The best place to...

A Wisconsin jury has awarded two state employees $780,000 in damages after they were denied health care coverage under the state health insurance plan because they are transgender. While courts have increasingly said that transgender people must have their care covered under health insurance policies, this is one of the first times a jury has awarded damages related to the denial of health care. In September, a federal court ruled that denying Shannon Andrews and Alina Boyden health insurance for gender-affirming medical care violated the Constitution and federal non-discrimination law. The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Wisconsin, and...

Middle America calls for an end to escalating us-versus-them polarization, new study finds 87% of Americans: “most divided our country has been in my lifetime,” 70% frustrated by how “both sides” handled Kavanaugh nomination, But 77% say that “the differences between Americans are not so big that we cannot come together.” Nearly nine in ten Americans feel the nation is more divided than at any point in their lifetime. Yet despite a sense of deep polarization, 77% of Americans say that our differences are not so great that we cannot come together. Conventional wisdom of a nation split 50:50...