Author: Staff

Civil Rights pioneer Velvalea “Vel” Phillips passed away on April 17, 2018 at the age of 94. Details for her funeral arrangements and memorials have yet to be announced. Vel Phillips left a mark on Wisconsin’s history for both women and African-Americans. She helped shape policies in Wisconsin to remove racial barriers, and as the public seeks ways to honor her it is best to remember that the most endearing legacy the community can show is to continue the work that she started. Inspired and emboldened by a true stateswoman, Vel Phillips Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton It is...

An appeals court in Wisconsin ruled on April 19 that a firearms trading website can be held liable for negligence by facilitating the purchase of a gun that was subsequently used in a fatal shooting. A restraining order issued in 2012 prohibited Radcliffe Haughton from owning a gun due to a domestic violence injunction. However, he was still able to buy a weapon through the website Аrmslіst.cоm, and used that gun to kiII his wife and two of her co-workers in Brookfield. He also wounded four other people before kiIIing himself. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence filed...

The City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) released a warning to the public that medical cases involving synthetic marijuana have been confirmed in Milwaukee. Since April 19, 2018, two confirmed cases and one probable case of the illness have been identified in City residents. Of the three cases, two have required hospitalization. Synthetic marijuana compounds, sometimes called K2 or Spice, are actually chemically different from marijuana, and are more dangerous than pot, according to studies. Synthetic marijuana compounds are linked to a number of serious side effects including seizures, severe bleeding, unexplained bruising, psychosis, and even death. Other known...

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin will showcase a collection of dramatic political moments captured by some of Milwaukee’s top photographic activists on April 20 at is office at 207 E. Buffalo Street. The Gallery Night event will take a look back at protests and demonstrations in Milwaukee and Madison through the amazing lenses of photographers Joe Brusky, Anna Maria Contreras, C.M. DeSpears, Troy Freund, and Jovanny Hernandez. “They didn’t make it the First Amendment for nothing. Free expression—including the arts—has always been an important part of political protests in our country,” said Chris Ott, executive director...

In frail health for some time, Civil Rights pioneer Velvalea “Vel” Phillips passed away on April 17, 2018 at the age of 94. The loss of a Milwaukee icon brought a flood of comments to Twitter and Facebook, from expressions of sorrow and support for the Phillips family to challenges to honor her memory by continuing her work. Mike Phillips, Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County, has not yet responded on social media to the outpouring from well-wishers. Saddened to learn that Vel Phillips, Wisconsin’s first African-American judge and statewide official, passed away this evening. My deepest condolences to...

A professor of journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison published a report on April 11 about “Stealth Media,” which detailed the scale and methods used to target Americans on Facebook by Russia during the 2016 presidential election. Months before the public outcry over the Cambridge Analytica data scandal caused Mark Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, the news media had reported on series vulnerabilities at Facebook. Evidence suggested that Russians had purchased Facebook ads that were directed at U.S. voters. The purpose behind the secret advertising program was to influence the election. Professor Young Mie Kim and her team conducted...