Unforeseen Consequences: 1965 crackdown on the KKK offers lesson to dismantle White Supremacists today
By David Cunningham, Professor and Chair of Sociology, Washington University in St Louis During his confirmation hearing in February, Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland pledged that his first order of business would be to “supervise the prosecution of white...
Wave of voter suppression laws reveal the deep roots of Jim Crow ideology in the GOP’s drive to autocracy
“The United States of America has open wounds.” – Deborah Scott Ever since its founding, the United States has been attempting to build a society around those wounds, on the belief that hyped-up language, “all men are created equal,” can...
The Un-United Methodist schism: Conservative faction details its plans for breakaway denomination
Conservative leaders within the United Methodist Church unveiled plans Monday to form a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church, with a doctrine that does not recognize same-sex marriage. The move could hasten the long-expected breakup of the UMC over differing...
Springing Forward: How Daylight Saving Time can impact people suffering from COVID-19 sleep loss
By Michael S. Jaffee, Vice Chair, Department of Neurology, University of Florida The clock springs forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. on March 14 for people in the United States. It is not an appealing thought for those who have suffered sleep problems because of the...
Milwaukee Independent recognized for excellence in visual journalism as finalist for 10 Press Club awards
The Milwaukee Press Club announced the list of finalists for its 91st Annual Gridiron Awards for Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism, covering an unusual news year of the pandemic, social unrest, and political turmoil. Milwaukee Independent was selected for 10...
MCTS to acquire Milwaukee County’s first battery-electric buses for new Rapid Transit line in 2022
The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announced on March 11 that it has awarded a contract to the vendor who will build Milwaukee County’s first battery-electric buses. Nova Bus, a leading North American transportation manufacturer that is part of the Volvo...
Federal mask mandates put public transit drivers in difficult position of enforcing health safety orders
By Stacie Kershner, Associate Director, Center for Law, Health & Society, Georgia State University; and Karen Johnston, Assistant Director of the Center for the Comparative Study of Metropolitan Growth, Georgia State University Many U.S. metropolitan areas report...
Opposition to I-94 expansion continues as coalition urges support for transit and infrastructure
Governor Tony Evers announced his Executive Budget on February 17, and in the address he emphasized improving infrastructure, addressing climate change and increasing racial justice. Disappointingly, the enumeration of the I-94 East-West expansion project in Milwaukee...
A Pandemic Year: Looking back to when Wisconsin declared a COVID-19 crisis and the road still ahead
March 12 marks a year since Wisconsin issued the first COVID-19 health emergency, and the anniversary offers a moment to consider what comes next for health and for society. When Governor Tony Evers issued the declaration on Thursday, March 12, 2020, five Wisconsin...
Trumpedemic: America’s death toll and economic loss is a direct result of the sabotaged COVID-19 response
An economy devastated. One in twelve Americans sickened. Millions hospitalized. One half million dead. As we mourn more than 500,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19, we should remember that their deaths were not the inevitable results of a pandemic, not...
Lower Income, Less Capital: Why the pandemic recession has hit Minority-owned small-business owners so hard
By Carlos Avenancio-Leon, Assistant Professor of Finance, Indiana University; and Isaac Hacamo, Assistant Professor of Finance Department: Finance Campus: Bloomington, Indiana University The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on Main Street, with small businesses across...
In step with Rambalac: How I walked 1,000 miles across Japan during a pandemic without leaving Milwaukee
In February I wrote about my treadmill exercise routine while watching VideoWalks from Japan. I had not thought about doing a follow-up story. Then on the calendar I saw that it was coming up on 10 years since the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. That tragedy was what...
