Author: Wisconsin Public Radio

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said two destructive forces, COVID-19 and institutional racism, have “wreaked havoc” on Milwaukee every day of the pandemic. Crowley delivered his 2022 State of the County address virtually on February 23, praising the efforts of residents and his staff who have gotten vaccinated against COVID-19. But he said there is a lot of work to be done to reduce racial health disparities. “Because we know that without addressing those structural issues now, we will continue to see widening racial health disparities long after the pandemic is behind us,” Crowley said. Before the COVID-19 vaccine...

Governor Tony Evers announced his intention on February 15 to call a special session of the state Legislature regarding his plans for a projected multi-billion dollar surplus in his last State of the State address of the current term. The move comes weeks after Evers announced his plans for tax rebates and funding for public schools in response to a Legislative Fiscal Bureau report that indicated the state’s budget fund was set to end June 2023 with a balance of more than $3.8 billion. According to Evers’ speech, his plans would include a $150 tax refund for every Wisconsin...

Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson is calling on the state Legislature to use a portion of the nearly $2.9 billion budget surplus to help the city address its unprecedented challenges with public safety. Two children, ages 10 and 15, were kіIIеd over the February 12 weekend in separate incidents. To date, Milwaukee has had 35 homicides. Last year, the city did not reach 35 homicides until April 5, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office. “As the state racks up billions of dollars in surpluses, state shared revenue funding remains at levels set decades ago,” Johnson said. On January...

The seven candidates competing in Milwaukee’s mayoral primary focused on topics including reckless driving and housing at a forum on February 9. All of the candidates in the race were at the event at the Turner Hall Ballroom in Downtown Milwaukee. The impending primary will be the city’s first mayoral election without an incumbent since 2004. Early in the forum, the candidates were asked to share plans for reducing reckless driving in the city. According to Milwaukee police data, 66 people died last year as a result of car crashes. More than 350 people suffered serious injuries. At the...

Absentee ballot drop boxes will continue to be allowed in Wisconsin for the state’s February 15 primary following a ruling on January 28 by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Justices also agreed to hear an expedited appeal of the case, meaning they are likely to decide sooner rather than later whether drop boxes will be allowed for the state’s higher-turnout elections in August and November. The state Supreme Court was asked to weigh in on drop boxes following a flurry of lower court rulings this month put their future in doubt. On January 10, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael...

Nyama Reed said through her two decades as a librarian, she has always had to deal with book challenges. But as politicians and parents across the country quarrel over banning books, the Wisconsin Library Association president said on January 31 that librarians are feeling caught in the middle. Nationally, a preliminary report from the American Library Association said the 330 reports of book challenges last fall represented an “unprecedented” level, the New York Times reported Sunday. The news story covered book banning efforts in Wyoming, Oklahoma, Tennessee and elsewhere. Reed said the national trends are on her radar. She...