Author: Correspondent

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...

The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their 12th straight win on October 12, which means George Webb Restaurants is set to once again honor its famous “12 in a Row” baseball prediction with free hamburgers for the hometown fans. The burger giveaway will be held on October 18 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. During that time, hungry Brewers fans can visit any one of George Webb’s 30 locations to claim their piece of baseball history. A limited menu will also be available, in order for cooks to focus on the expected 200,000 free hamburgers that will be produced. “It’s been...

The nonprofit organization Milwaukee Women inc, recently released its 15th annual research report, the “Power of 3,“ presenting an overview of the condition of senior level employment for women in Wisconsin. The organization works to achieve balanced representation of women on boards of directors to maximize the performance of Wisconsin businesses. Highlighting in the latest research from Catalyst is that finding that companies with three or more women directors outperform those with low representation. The “Power of 3” report found that 12 of Wisconsin’s 50 largest public companies have three or more female directors – a 33% increase from...

When the late professor and community real estate developer, Welford Sanders, finally signed the paperwork to acquire the former Nunn Bush Shoe Factory after many months of negotiation, he did not know it would be his last of many successful commercial and housing redevelopment projects along Dr. Martin Luther King Drive on Milwaukee’s north side. On October 9, neighbors, investors, and civic leaders gathered for a duel ribbon cutting to celebrate the renovation of the shoe factory, now named for its visionary leader, Welford Sanders, and the adjoining property, the historic Fifth Street School, developed by Gorman and Company....

Milwaukee County set a record for the number of submissions through its online platform that asked residents to show how they would balance the 2019 budget, County Executive Chris Abele announced today. The County received more than 650 balanced budgets and hundreds of comments through ABetter414.com. The company behind the budget-balancing tool, Balancing Act, noted that this marked the highest number of budget submissions of any local government they had ever seen. “We worked very hard this year to engage the public before introducing our 2019 recommended budget,” said Abele. “Between the platform at ABetter414.com and the five open-house...