Author: Staff

In a COVID-free world, more than 400,000 Wisconsin children receive free or reduced price meals through the National School Lunch Program while attending school. To ensure that those same students continue to have access to nutritious meals while staying safer at home during the pandemic, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is providing more than $140 million dollars in food benefits to their families for March, April, May and part of June – to cover the days that schools would usually be in session. These funds were appropriated under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and provided to states...

Algorithms used by states within the U.S. Child Welfare System (CWS) to make unbiased, evidence-based decisions about child placement and predicting risk of maltreatment miss the bigger picture, finds a research team from Marquette University and the University of Central Florida. A systematic review and analysis of 50 peer-reviewed publications on algorithms used by CWS shows that they lack a human-centric approach and use models that mainly focus on risk assessment to minimize future harm and not on improving the quality of lives of foster children. Based on the findings, Dr. Shion Guha, assistant professor of computer science at...

The Milwaukee Public Library announced on May 5 that it would begin offering patrons the opportunity to borrow materials in a limited manner while its locations remain closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Patrons will receive an appointment time to pick up materials when they make their requests. Materials must be picked up by the cardholder or parent at the Central Library Drive-Up window in a vehicle. No walkups will be accommodated. “We are pleased to be able to offer physical materials to our patrons again, even if it is in a limited manner,” said Library Director Paula Kiely....

Leadership from Forward Latino met with Mark Lutz, owner of the West Allis Cheese and Sausage Shoppe, after community members spoke out with concerns over a social media post made by a representative of the company. The comment was immediately removed and an apology was issued, but not before it created a firestorm of controversy. West Allis Mayor Dan Devine and First District Alderman Angelito Tenorio organized and participated in the meeting for how the business could repair its relationship with the community. “We had an honest and substantive discussion, and shared the concerns of many in the Latino...

Governor Tony Evers announced on May 3 that Wisconsin had received a donation of 10,000 procedural masks and 1,000 medical outfits from its sister state of Heilongjiang Province to help grow its supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). The state of Wisconsin has enjoyed a sister state relationship with Heilongjiang Province, located in northeast China, since 1982. The 35th anniversary of that relationship was celebrated in 2017 with programming coordinated by Heilongjiang Province in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the University of Wisconsin System and the U.S....