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The NNS coronavirus update for week of Dec. 14: Vaccine wins FDA approval; state sees decrease in those being tested; and resources to help you | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
December 14, 2020
The state is expecting a shipment of nearly 50,000 vaccines this week. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Here’s the latest update on COVID-19 in Milwaukee and the resources you need to combat it.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, clearing the path for more than 6.4 million doses to be shipped across the country.
Emergency use authorization is an FDA process reserved for public health emergencies that allows unapproved medical products to be fast-tracked for distribution.
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Wisconsin is expected to receive just under 50,000 vaccines early this week. The vaccine will be distributed with priority given to frontline health care workers and the elderly, especially those living in nursing homes and assisted care facilities.
The move comes as the vaccines have already rolled out in Britain and Bahrain.
Health officials are urging people to get tested.
Wisconsin has seen a decrease in testing numbers since the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported just over 24,000 coronavirus tests on Dec. 10, despite having capacity for nearly 60,000. Single-day tests peaked less than a month ago, when 48,580 people were tested on Nov. 19.
Mayor Tom Barrett said Miller Park, the city’s largest COVID-19 testing site, saw a significant dip in testing on Dec. 9.
“We had 1,248 people tested at Miller Park, which is basically half of what we had seen in the last three or four weeks,” Barrett said. “We were sometimes running close to 2,500 a day.”
Barrett said that the Miller Park testing site had the capacity to continue testing at higher rates, and he urged the importance of testing ahead of the December holidays.
Dr. Ben Weston, director of medical services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, said people should get tested if they have symptoms or have been around people with symptoms or diagnosed with COVID-19.  Symptoms include fever or chills, coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue and a new loss of taste or smell.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced last week that the county will establish a special testing site at Mitchell Park Pavilion for county employees.
Mitchell Park Pavilion, 524 S Layton Blvd., will serve essential workers for the county to provide faster turnaround times and results. Essential workers include mental health service workers, bus drivers, highway maintenance workers, snowplow operators, 911 operators and sheriff’s deputies.
The facility opened on Dec. 8 and serves county employees who have COVID-19 symptoms and have been exposed to COVID-19.
The United States reported 3,124 deaths on Dec. 9, according to data from Johns Hopkins COVID-19 dashboard. This figure marks the first time that the U.S. has reported over 3,000 deaths in a single day.
The United States reported approximately 3,300 deaths on the following day, Dec. 10. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that COVID-19’s death toll will exceed that of 9/11 within the next two to three months.
The United States also leads the world in total deaths with over 290,000. This significantly dwarfs the number of deaths from the 2018-2019 flu season, which caused 34,200 estimated deaths according to the CDC.
Wisconsin’s seven-day average for deaths remained around 50 last week. There have been 95 reported deaths in Milwaukee County over the last 14 days.
Read our story here.
To obtain a free mask, residents can visit these sites:
• The Northwest Health Center, 7630 W. Mill Rd., is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• The Southside Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St., is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
NNS reporters also gathered a list of where to buy locally made masks if you’re looking to show some local business love when masking up.
Check the City of Milwaukee Health Department’s website for the most updated facts and answers to questions about the mask ordinance.
Look here for up-to-date statistics on COVID-19 in the county. More precautions on how to stay safe and information on COVID-19 can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
Contact your health provider, call IMPACT 2-1-1 or take a look at the county’s testing site map to find a testing center near you. The free community testing sites at the Northwest Health Center, 7630 W. Mill Rd., and Southside Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St., are now open and operating. Miller Park, 1 Brewers Way, is also open as an effective testing site.
For more information on testing, including how to identify symptoms and when you should get tested, visit TestUpMKE.com. Available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Burmese and Arabic.
Check out our continuing coronavirus coverage.
Looking for more personalized direction to resources and information during the coronavirus crisis? Get connected with News414, a texting-based news resource from Milwaukee NNS, Wisconsin Watch and Outlier Media. You can text MILWAUKEE to 73224 and begin to receive free, personalized data via text messages.


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Despite reduced traffic, crash fatalities are up sharply in Milwaukee County this year | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
December 15, 2020
Car crash fatalities are up in Milwaukee County in 2020, most of them the result of speeding. (File photo by Adam Carr)
Tragedy has struck in Milwaukee County in a variety of ways in 2020 — including along our streets and highways.
Along with COVID-19 related deaths, the county has recorded all-time highs in both homicides and fatal drug overdoses in 2020.
But the county has also experienced an increase in crash fatalities, with 95 recorded through Dec. 6, according to Wisconsin Department of Transportation data. The final tally in the county in 2019 was 74.
The majority of the county’s crash deaths in that time frame, 72, occurred in the city of Milwaukee, an increase from 45 deaths through that same time period last year, according to the Milwaukee Police Department.
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Recent deaths include one involving a 17-year-old who lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a home on West Locust Street and the other an alcohol-related crash that killed a 55-year-old man at North 20th and West Vliet streets.
Speed was identified as a factor in the accident on West Locust Street, and a factor in 47 of the 92 crash fatalities included in a Community Maps System database that tracks fatal and nonfatal crashes. Speed also contributed to a crash at the intersection of North 68th Street and West Capitol Drive in November, which killed two people in the district represented by Common Council President Cavalier Johnson.
“Sadly, this is nothing new on Capitol Drive,” wrote Johnson in a statement condemning that crash, which killed a 26-year-old man and 21-year-old woman.
Even a decrease in traffic in 2020, especially early in the pandemic, hasn’t slowed down Milwaukee County drivers, according to a recent report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum that examined traffic volume and fatalities in the state. If anything, Johnson said, the reduction in traffic gave individuals more space to drive irresponsibly.
“Less activity on the roads opened up opportunities for people to drive more recklessly and at higher speeds,” Johnson said.
The author of the Wisconsin Policy Forum report, Mark Sommerhauser, agreed. Sommerhauser cited a brief from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which found that some people saw empty freeways and highways as an invitation to speed. The report also mentions a March survey of police chiefs that discussed a reduction in traffic stops in 2020, possibly to limit exposure of officers to COVID-19, as another possible factor.
“Less traffic enforcement could also give a handful of people a greater ability to speed on the roads,” Sommerhauser said.
Taken together, these factors and others have exacerbated a problem that has plagued Milwaukee in recent years — one that’s tough to pin on one cause or find a workable solution for.
According to Johnson, reckless driving in Milwaukee stems from multiple issues, including the legacy of the no-pursuit policy that was in place under former Police Chief Edward Flynn and decreased access to driver’s education.
Johnson said his parents took driver’s education lessons for free, while he paid several hundred dollars for a course.
“Some couldn’t afford driver’s education, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t drive,” he said. “They didn’t have the foundation for driving.”
He also said that many of the traffic issues that exist, including several in his district, occur on city roads that double as state highways, such as the area where the double fatality occurred (Highway 190), and North 76th Street and West Hampton Avenue, which is the intersection of two state highways.
“There needs to be cooperation with other levels of government to make the changes we need to make to slow stuff down,” he said.
As for additional local solutions, a joint effort, the Reckless Driving Reduction Initiative, was launched in September, and in July the City-County Carjacking and Reckless Driving Task Force released a report that identified strategies the group thought could help curb driving-related problems.
Among the recommendations from that report: more public awareness campaigns; increased access to driver education; narrowed driving lanes; and other engineering changes.
“These recommendations offer a comprehensive strategy for decision makers to tackle reckless driving,” said Ald. Michael Murphy at the time.
Also among the recommendations was the evaluation of red-light cameras and increased punitive measures. Johnson said he supports red light cameras, but that installation would also require cooperation from the state. He also said he is not opposed to more punitive measures if they help individuals get the message and help save lives. He also supports current efforts to increase driver education in schools, to add more speed humps and to increase patrols at problem intersections.
Still, Johnson said, he knows that just one approach will not stop a problem of this magnitude.
“My constituents and I are in favor of an all-of-the-above approach,” he said. “No one wants their family member to be killed while they’re running an errand.”

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: December 15, 2020

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Edgar Mendez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 14, 2020

created: December 14, 2020

author: Adam Carr


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Inside the NNS newsroom: Meet Sue Vliet, our staff photographer | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
December 15, 2020
“NNS continuously highlights the good in Milwaukee,” says photographer Sue Vliet, “and I am honored to be a part of it.” (Photo provided by Sue Vliet)
Name: Sue Vliet
What I do: Photographer and chief cheerleader and baker for the NNS team
How long I’ve worked here: March 2010, just prior to launch.
Why I love NNS: NNS has strengthened my appreciation for our city and provided innumerable opportunities to connect with and learn from individuals and organizations, Covering the pandemic and election were a testament to the tenacity of our team and has served as an excellent reminder of the camaraderie and resilience our community continues to exhibit, both in the newsroom and throughout the city.
Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing!
What are you most proud of? While I am proud of everything NNS has done, I am very proud of the “couch project” that we did in 2019 in Silver City and at Mitchell and Washington Parks, along with the graduation photos we did this spring for graduates of all ages who didn’t get the usual pomp and circumstance. NNS continuously highlights the good in Milwaukee, and I am honored to be a part of it.
How to help
Make it your business to keep NNS in business by donating. Your money pays for the dedicated staff of reporters and editors who work hard to connect you to our communities.

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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Post from Community: Thankful for FACT this holiday season | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jacey Gray-Hall, FACT
December 15, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
My name is Jacey Gray-Hall and I’m a junior at Shorewood High School. This year school and our everyday lives have been very different because of COVID, and the holidays will look different this year too. We won’t be traveling to see our family, and our shopping will be done online. We’re doing our part by staying safe and being tobacco free.
Even though things are tough this year, there is much to be thankful for. One of them is being part of FACT, which I joined two years ago. Being part of FACT, Wisconsin’s youth-driven tobacco prevention movement, has allowed me to help other teens avoid the problems that come from having an addiction to a deadly product like tobacco. It’s a hard thing to do, especially when tobacco companies target kids by selling candy and fruit flavored products.
That’s why I’m thankful that Milwaukee Public Schools joined a lawsuit against JUUL and Altria for targeting youth with e-cigarettes. I have seen first hand what vapes are doing to my peers and kids around my age throughout the city. It was a big step for them to join that lawsuit in support of young people. It was especially important when you think about all the pressure young people have faced since March 13th, the day they officially closed all schools. Teens like myself have been really stressed. If we weren’t able to exercise still I’m not sure how I’d be handling my mental health.
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Just imagine the kids who don’t have basic information about tobacco and e-cigarettes, especially during the pandemic.  They might turn to what is most accessible to deal with stress, one of those things being tobacco. People my age often believe that tobacco or other drugs help you forget everything, and numb your emotions. They’re constantly looking for outlets and are crying for help through their actions. I just wish more of them had trusted people in their lives so that they could find healthy coping mechanisms instead of ones that alter your brain like tobacco. Tobacco is especially harmful because we’re not even fully developed mentally and because it damages our lungs.
Taking a step by joining a lawsuit is one way to show young people that you are concerned for their physical and mental health. As part of the Shorewood FACT Leadership team, I am working to see that FACT continues to educate Shorewood School District students and the broader community that will help to stop tobacco companies from targeting teens with their harmful products. Visit FACTmovement.org to learn more about the work of FACT groups throughout the state and parents can visit TobaccoisChanging.org to learn more about the next generation of deadly tobacco products.

author: Jacey Gray-Hall, FACT


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Milwaukee County declares a ‘right to shelter’ — but where’s the funding? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
December 16, 2020
The ‘right to shelter’ resolution applies to anyone experiencing chronic homelessness. (File photo by Edgar Mendez)
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors has declared a “right to shelter” for all Milwaukee residents — but it’s stopped short of fully funding it.
On Nov. 5, the county board unanimously approved a resolution from Supervisor Ryan Clancy that says “any resident experiencing chronic homelessness and without access to safe housing will have accessible shelter.”
However, on Monday, Nov. 9, the board rejected three of four budget amendments aimed at putting the resolution into effect.
The amendments the board shot down would have:
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A fourth amendment, passed by the board, calls for analyzing the possibility of a “right to counsel” pilot program for individuals and families experiencing evictions and foreclosures.
Supervisor Jason Haas, the chairman of the county board’s finance committee, said his panel recommended rejecting the three amendments because they would have taken money away from the sheriff’s office overtime budget.
“That money is used for things like correctional officers, who are needed and hard to retain,” Haas said. “If staff in that department work overtime, even if it is not in the budget, the county still has to pay them.”
In a 14-4 vote last month, the board adopted a $1.18 billion budget, with Supervisors Clancy, Patti Logsdon, Anthony Staskunas and John F. Weishan Jr. voting in opposition.
Clancy said he will be taking more steps to support the fight against homelessness.
“What we have come to understand from the community is often emergencies like homelessness are better solved by folks trained to provide resources and build up trust than by the dispatch of an armed county sheriff,” Clancy wrote in an article about the resolution in the Bay View Compass.
Clancy said he proposed the “right to shelter” resolution after seeing the work of county employees who do outreach to homeless people and realizing they needed more help.
“Milwaukee County’s commitment to ending homelessness is something we can all be proud of, but we must also reaffirm this commitment with additional resources when necessary,” said Clancy. “The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated housing insecurity, and we have the responsibility to support our neighbors in need.”
But more needs to be done, advocates say.
“Shelter and housing is a basic human right,” a statement from the Outreach Community Health Centers reads. “What is lacking is the funding and physical housing location resources throughout Milwaukee County.”
Sister MacCanon Brown of the MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary said although she is hopeful the resolution will help, she does not see change coming soon.
“It’s a good step, but I don’t think we’ll see the effects of for a long time,” Brown said. “The issue is huge, and it’s growing every month.”

created: December 16, 2020

author: PrincessSafiya Byers


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 15, 2020


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OPINION: Before we pick the next chief, let’s fix Milwaukee’s broken system of policing | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Emilio De Torre
December 16, 2020
(File photo by Edgar Mendez)
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
After serving 14 years at the ACLU of Wisconsin, Emilio De Torre is now the executive director of the Milwaukee Turners since June 2020 and also serves on the steering committee for the National Lawyers Guild of Milwaukee.
I sat down to write an opinion piece on what characteristics Milwaukee should look for in its next police chief, but before I can get there, I need to reflect.
For almost two decades I’ve worked with different communities to advocate for our rights and liberties with local and state governments, the police, commissions and civilian oversight in Milwaukee and other cities. I’ve learned quite a bit.
One of my earliest memories of Milwaukee, after I moved here in 2006, was marching in the protests following the acquittal of the Milwaukee police officers who savagely beat Frank Jude Jr. The verdict of that first trial was a stale repeat of a tired American trope, “All-white jury finds white officers not guilty of [insert violent word done to] Black man.”
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Despite the evidence and drunken public confessions by one of the officers, it took federal intervention to change Milwaukee’s tired cover song of “Hurricane Joe.”
More gruesome still were the horrific and sadistic actions of Milwaukee police officer Michael Vagnini and his accomplices, who perversely, publicly and illegally probed the rectums and genitals of at least 74 Black Milwaukeeans. Who knows how many officers knew about this and didn’t act? Again, it took federal intervention to get the case as far as it went, and in my opinion, justice was still not served.
Only a few years later, the Milwaukee police were in the national spotlight again. This time for habitually using high-tech spyware called “stingrays” to capture the texts and cell phone calls of anyone within a mile and a half radius of the device. This creepy and seemingly illegal trick was used by the MPD 574 times from late 2010 to August 2015.
There are many other stories of course, but it seems like each of the 15 years I’ve been here, the MPD has been rocked by scandals and incredibly expensive multimillion-dollar payouts to the devastated families or survivors of racial stop and frisk encounters, brutality or deaths. This casts a shadow of disgrace over their good deeds and accomplishments.
I’ve spoken and listened to hundreds of families and Milwaukee residents who have bravely shared their personal stories of individual mistreatment and even horror at the hands of police. In 2016, I attended one of the Department of Justice’s listening sessions. This particular session was held at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum. As a father, I will never forget the anguish and fear in the voice of the mother who shakenly told the story of how police officers held her then-12-year-old son facedown at gunpoint on her front lawn when he had been shoveling the snow. Tragically, a year later, the same thing occurred again while her son was taking in the trash pails. This time, his mother waited in the garage to close the door behind him. Both times, there was no reason given, no apology for the police mistake, no consolation for the mother or child.
Can you imagine this happening to a white family in Shorewood or Bayside? Neither can I.
Milwaukee has cycled through four chiefs since I’ve been here — Nannette Hegerty, Edward Flynn, Alfonso Morales and Mike Brunson. Mayor Tom Barrett has appointed many different people to the Fire and Police Commission, and our city has collectively mouthed policing trends in a haunting chorus — D.A.R.E., Tough on Crime, Broken Windows Policing, Community Oriented Policing, Data Driven Policing, Evidence Based Policing, Problem Oriented Policing, 21 Century Policing.
But Milwaukee has never really dug deep and removed the cancerous vestiges of violent, racist policing that was typified by Chief Harold Breier and repeated through the years preceding and beyond the deaths of the 22 men who died in his custody from 1975 to 1979 alone. After his tenure, Ernest Lacy, Dontre Hamilton, Sylville Smith, Joel Acevedo and others were added to the list. Recently, we made national news for the group beating and tasing of one of the Milwaukee Bucks for parking in a handicapped spot!
At that same DOJ listening session at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum, a young Black high school student said that she doesn’t feel safe from the criminals, and she doesn’t feel safe from the police.
This is a terrible thing that we have built.
And now we’re here again — a Fire and Police Commission of mayoral appointees who are as stalemated as our 165-year police history, seemingly unable to imagine how much more Milwaukee could be if we provided our citizens and our children a different set of alternatives.
Throwing money at policing — whether it’s 62% of the new dollars in our city’s operating budget over the last decade or $9.7 million in federal COPS funding — is not fixing anything. Hiring a new man to drive the same broken train is not going to get us where we need to be.
The City of Milwaukee’s violent, armed response to unarmed demonstrations about police violence this past summer shows exactly how broken we are.
With all of the fears of financial insecurity and possible death or permanent injury from a global pandemic, why must Black men and women also shoulder the fear of having their children killed, detained or humiliated by the people we’re paying to protect us?
I really wanted to write a piece on the ideal attributes Milwaukee’s incoming police chief should embody, but the more I reflect on how law enforcement functions within our society, the more I recognize that its place here must change, and we must immediately create alternatives instead.
We need solutions to our problems of poverty, addiction, mental illness, hunger, housing, violence and racism. Men with guns and men with cages are not the solution to these issues, no matter who their boss is.
We need to imagine and then build better. We’ve been doing it wrong for a very long time.
Why are we expecting different results when we’re about to do the same thing?

author: Emilio De Torre


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Post from Community: BBB Tip: Don’t get scammed out of a gift card this season | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wisconsin Better Business Bureau
December 16, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
The world shifted quickly to online shopping in 2020. With the holiday season in full swing, experts believe the online trend will continue and the days of grabbing a gift card off the shelf as a last-minute option may transition as well. Before purchasing a gift card online, BBB recommends the following tips:
•Know who you are buying from. Little-known websites advertise gift cards for popular retailers at steep discounts. These websites might be using these offers to steal payment card numbers or other personal information. Instead, go directly to the merchant and purchase a card from them.
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•Buying a physical gift card? Take a closer look. No matter where gift cards are displayed in the store, thieves are known to remove gift cards from the display rack and record the numbers associated with that card, including the activation PIN. Before purchasing a gift card, look carefully at the packaging for any tears, wrinkles, or other indications of tampering, and see if the PIN is exposed. If anything looks suspicious, it’s probably best to take a different card and turn in the compromised card to the store’s Customer Service Desk.
•Research how to use the card. Not all retailers have the same policies when issuing a gift card. Double-check the terms and conditions on the type of gift card purchased. The Federal Trade Commission has information about retail gift cards and bank gift cards. In Canada, find more information on the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada website.
•Be wary of websites that offer to check your gift card’s balance. According to BBB.org/ScamTracker reports, some websites that claim to check your gift card balance are really a way to steal money off your card. These sites ask for your card’s ID number and PIN or security code.  Then, scammers use the information to drain the money off your card.
•Register your gift card. If the retailer allows the option to register the gift card, take full advantage. This makes it easier to protect the balance, that way you can report it sooner and potentially end up saving the money that is stored on the card. Change the PIN on the card, and don’t delay in using the money. The longer a card sits around, the more likely a cybercriminal is to steal the balance.
•Treat it like cash. If the card is lost or stolen, report it to the issuer immediately. Most issuers have toll-free telephone numbers to report a lost or stolen card – find it on the card or online.
For More Information
When a store goes out of business, their gift cards do too. Learn more about what to do.
For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2019, people turned to BBB more than 183 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.8 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.

author: Wisconsin Better Business Bureau


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Post from Community: Broader conversation on public safety needed now | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Milele A. Coggs & Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic
December 16, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Yesterday, after months of community conversation the majority of the Milwaukee Common Council voted to break with the institutional tradition of expanding the police department budget with federal funding from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant. While this topic is ongoing, it represents a change in the conversation our city needs.
After pursuit of changes to improve public safety for all with requests of major policing reform in the police department were met with resistance, the Council chose to continue its work to address the current police structure in Milwaukee. With a new Executive Director of the Fire and Police Commission receiving unanimous support and a new Police Chief set to begin work in 2021, now is the time to collectively, along with the community, reimagine what policing and public safety look like in our city and create an environment where everyone feels safe and peace is increased.
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As mothers, we want our young children, and all children of Milwaukee, to feel safe, be safe and have positive experiences with calls for service and law enforcement. We can and must do better.
Systemic change is never easy. It takes forethought, intentionality, empathy and understanding. To broaden the conversation we must be aware of what our end goal is in terms of public safety before we can take the needed steps to get there. Namely we must consider – What do we want public safety to look like long term? What should the role of police officers be within the community? What is it that will make people feel safe and secure in their neighborhoods?
These discussions may be difficult, take time and require different, outside the box thinking, but are necessary to push Milwaukee forward. Let’s start moving in that direction together.


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Inside the NNS newsroom: Meet Caroline White, our reporting intern | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
December 17, 2020
“I feel so lucky to work with the amazing reporters at NNS and meet the dedicated Milwaukeeans who fight hard for their neighbors every day,” says Caroline White, a reporting intern. (Photo provided by Caroline White)
Name: Caroline White
What I do at NNS: I’m a news intern!
How long I’ve worked here: On and off for about a year and a half.
Why I love NNS: If I could describe NNS in a word, it’d be “genuine.” The folks I’ve met while working at NNS are so passionate about the work they do. NNS truly values authentic collaboration and connection to the city and its residents. I feel so lucky to work with the amazing reporters at NNS and meet the dedicated Milwaukeeans who fight hard for their neighbors every day.
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What are you most proud of?
One of my most memorable stories at NNS is New app aims to showcase Milwaukee’s black entrepreneurs and creatives about the MKE Black app. I had the privilege of interviewing Paul Wellington and Rick Banks who co-founded the app and website in an effort to support local Black business owners. I was so inspired by their deep love and appreciation for the city and their communities, and I remember those interviews often.
How to help
Make it your business to keep NNS in business by donating. Your money pays for the dedicated staff of reporters and editors who work hard to connect you to our communities.

created: December 17, 2020


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 16, 2020


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Milwaukee housing advocates prepare for end of federal eviction moratorium | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
December 17, 2020
An eviction in progress in 2017 on the near South Side. The Rental Housing Resource Center is meant to streamline services for renters and help stave off evictions like this. (File photo by Adam Carr)
As the Dec. 31 deadline nears for the end of the federal eviction moratorium, community leaders are working to keep residents in their homes.
The moratorium was enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and put in place on Sept. 4.The emergency order was intended to halt the spread of COVID–19 and seasonal influenza and to reduce the increased risk of homeless shelters becoming overcrowded in fall and winter.
With funding for the moratorium and other assistance programs expected to end this month, housing advocates are scrambling for solutions.
This includes getting the Rental Housing Resource Center up and running. The center will provide tenants with connections for rental assistance, legal services and mediation services all in one place.
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Kristi Luzar, executive director of the Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin. or UEDA, said the project began over a year ago, but the pandemic accelerated the need for it.
The goal of the Rental Housing Resource Center is to streamline housing services so people quickly receive the help they need.
The center “is meant to bring together existing resources,” Luzar said. “The resources we have in Milwaukee have never been enough to meet the need.”
The center has launched a website, RentHelpMKE.org, and is planning to open a physical resource center in January at 728 N. James Lovell St.
But even with the center’s opening, advocates say more needs to be done.
In a meeting regarding housing, LaToya Jones, the business service manager of the Social Development Commission, said: “It scares me sometimes. People need answers, and we don’t have them right now.”
“We are concerned,” added Colleen Foley executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee. “There is no evidence of a moratorium extension, but we are hoping for one.”
Foley said several organizations are coming together to urge elected officials to provide an extension and continued funding for rental assistance.
Amy Koltz, executive director of Mediate Wisconsin, which helps mediate landlord-tenant disputes, urges residents to reach out to their local legislators.
Another way you can help, Luzar said, is to donate to any of the organizations involved in the Rental Housing Resource Center and to follow the organization’s social media pages.
The center’s partner organizations include:
Check out our Instagram Story on “Milwaukee resources to help you avoid evictions.”
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OPINION: We don’t want the COPS grant today, tomorrow or in January | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Markasa Tucker
December 17, 2020
(File photo by Edgar Mendez)
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
Markasa Tucker is the director of the African-American Roundtable, a coalition led by and serving the African American community in Milwaukee, including the LiberateMKE campaign.
During a recent Common Council meeting, eight of the 15 alders (Ald. Milele Coggs, Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic, Ald. Nikiya Dodd, Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, Alderman Nik Novak, Ald. José Pérez, Ald. Khalif Rainey and Ald. Russell Stamper) rejected the COPS grant, a $9.7 million federal grant to support 30 additional officers for three years. The community believed that the Common Council listened to the countless voices demanding that no additional money be added to the Milwaukee Police Department, not just through the COPS grant, but overall.
Later in this same meeting where they voted “no,” Ald. Dodd made a motion to reconsider the grant, meaning it will go back to the Common Council in January.
Hundreds of voices that spoke at budget hearings over the past two years said they don’t want the COPS grant today, tomorrow or next year! The community wants something else, and it’s not more police.
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The vote to deny additional funding to an already bloated and unaccountable police department speaks volumes not just to LiberateMKE’s demand to defund MPD but to the greater community as a whole. Several alderpersons suggested reforms that some community members support, but LiberateMKE does not support, through an alternative resolution presented by Ald. Ashanti Hamilton. In response, MPD made it disappointingly clear it was not willing to bend in the direction of new ideas and accountability.
We will continue to ask people to reach out to their alders, asking them to support the hundreds and hundreds of their constituents who have called for a divestment, not reconsiderations of resourcing MPD.
We hope the Common Council will hold the “NO” vote and reject this grant once and for all in January. Then, it can focus on community safety strategies like non-police responses to mental health, a priority we presented in a letter signed by over 80 community organizations and community leaders, with a similar resolution being unanimously adopted by the Common Council.
We will LiberateMKE!

author: Markasa Tucker


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44187938115_35686b3d7c_3k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 17, 2020


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 17, 2020


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5 things to do and know the weekend of Dec. 18 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 18, 2020
This weekend, Wolf Studios MKE is hosting its bi-monthly “ReVibe: A Movement Experience,” showcase. (Photo provided by Wolf Studios MKE)
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon Thursday.
1. Milwaukee Health Services holiday dinner giveaway: Friday, Dec. 18
Milwaukee Health Services is hosting its fifth annual holiday dinner giveaway. This year, it will also be giving away COVID-19 safety kits. The giveaway is drive-thru only. It will take place at the Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center, 8200 W. Silver Spring Drive, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, or until supplies last. Individuals are asked to remain in their car and wear a mask. For additional details, call Pamela Clark at 414-267-2655.
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2. Ayuda Mutua MKE toy drive: Friday, Dec. 18 and Saturday, Dec. 19
Ayuda Mutua MKE is collecting toys for toddlers and adolescents in Milwaukee. The group is looking for toys, books (in Spanish and English), art supplies and more. Donations can be dropped off at 2801 S. 5th Ct., from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18 and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19. Gift bags and wrapping paper are appreciated.
3. “ReVibe: A Movement Experience”: Saturday, Dec. 19
Wolf Studios MKE is hosting its bi-monthly dance and spoken word showcase, “ReVibe: A Movement Experience,” from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19. The show will be streamed on Facebook Live. It features local artists and creatives of color.
4. Winter Wonderland or Las Maravillas del Invierno: Saturday, Dec. 19
Lincoln Avenue School, 1817 W. Lincoln Ave., presents Winter Wonderland or Las Maravillas del Invierno. The event is drive-thru only and scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19. Participants will receive 10 free books, a family night packet, an art kit (while supplies last) and food pantry items. Masks are required. For additional information call 414-902-9700.
5. Winter solstice labyrinth walk: Sunday, Dec. 20
A winter solstice labyrinth walk is set to take place in Alice’s Garden, 2136 N. 21st St., from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18. This is an opportunity to reflect and meditate. The walk includes a story time with Linda Araceli Serna, smudging with Michele Apkarian, a food collection for Ayuda Mutua and more. Registration is required to attend the event.
Check out our list of holiday events and drives
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The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is conducting our annual fundraising campaign. As a nonprofit newsroom, you are never charged to see our work. Yet our labor is not free. Our staff needs and deserves to be paid. Please support us so we can continue telling the stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Donate here.
Bonus: The latest coronavirus coverage from NNS
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporters are hard at work bringing readers up-to-date information regarding coronavirus. Stay informed on coronavirus by following us on our Facebook page and subscribing to our daily newsletter. All coronavirus related articles can be found on this landing page. If you have a question or concern about coronavirus, send them in our way. We’re here to serve you.

created: December 18, 2020

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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UPDATED: Holiday events 2020: The holiday spirit lives on during the pandemic | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 18, 2020
See what organizations are doing to celebrate the holidays. (File photo by Sue Vliet)
The coronavirus pandemic may have stopped a lot of things, but it can’t stop the holidays. This year, although there may not be any large gatherings and social interactions are reserved for Zoom, there are still some things you can do to get into the holiday spirit.
While some organizations have canceled their annual events, others have shifted to a virtual format or are requiring masks and social distancing.
From candlelight hikes to meal kits, below is a list of holiday-related events and information to make sure your holiday season remains joyful.
Are we missing a holiday event? Post it in the comments below or send an email with the subject line “Holiday Event List 2020” to info@milwaukeenns.org
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Support Milwaukee’s 13th annual holiday drive: Ongoing
The City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County have teamed up once again to host the 13th annual holiday drive. This year, donations will be made to Hope House of Milwaukee and the Guest House of Milwaukee. Items needed include household necessities, essential clothing items, baby supplies, nonperishable food items and more. Each group has made an Amazon Wish List. Click here for Hope House and here for Guest House. Monetary donations can be made to the drive’s GoFundMe page or checks can be addressed to the Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation and mailed to: Attn: Nick Ramos, City Hall, 200 E. Wells St., Room 201, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival: Ongoing
Milwaukee’s annual Holiday Lights Festival has returned for another year. As usual, Cathedral Square, 520 E. Wells St., Pere Marquette Park, 900 N. Plankinton Ave. and Zeidler Union Square, 301 W. Michigan Ave., will be decorated in colorful lights through Friday, Jan. 1. The spacious parks allow for visitors to practice social distancing while still enjoying the festivities.
Candlelight walk: Urban Ecology Center: Saturday, Dec. 5 and Friday, Dec. 18
The Urban Ecology Center’s Riverside location, 1500 E. Park Place, is celebrating the winter solstice with a candlelight walk through Riverside Park. There is a walk scheduled for children from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5 and a walk scheduled for adults from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18. Walks are scheduled for every 30 minutes with the first beginning at 4 p.m. and the last at 8:30 p.m. To register, click here.
Winter Wonder Woods: Milwaukee Recreation: Friday, Dec. 11, Saturday, Dec. 12, Friday, Dec. 18 and Saturday, Dec. 19
Milwaukee Recreation and the Hawthorn Glen Outdoor Education Center, 1130 N. 60 St., are inviting you to walk through its Winter Wonder Woods. The Winter Wonder Woods are open for exploration from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11, Saturday, Dec. 12, Friday, Dec. 18 and Saturday, Dec. 19. Admission is $3 per person and registration is required.
Seeding America: Food distribution drive-thru: Friday, Dec. 18
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and its partners will be distributing food at the Isaac Coggs Health Center, 8200 W. Silver Spring Drive, from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18. Supplies are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first- served basis. The event is open to the public. There is a limit of one box per vehicle. People must remain in their vehicles and have room in the car to accommodate a box of food.
Milwaukee Health Services holiday dinner giveaway: Friday, Dec. 18
The Milwaukee Health Services is hosting a holiday dinner and COVID-19 safety kit giveaway. The giveaway is drive-thru service only and will take place at the Isaac Coggs Heritage Health center, 8200 W. Silver Spring Dr., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until supplies lasts on Friday, Dec. 18. For additional information, contact Pamela Clark at 414-267-2655.
Winter coats and gear drive and giveaway: Thursday, Dec. 17 and Sunday, Dec. 20
Dream Team United MKE is collecting winter coats and gear from now until Thursday, Dec. 17. The group is looking for donations of new coats in all sizes and winter gear items such as hats, scarves and gloves.  The donation locations are Parklawn Assembly of God, 3725 N. Sherman Blvd.; Rise & Grind , 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave.; Gentle Hands, 6815 W. Capitol Dr., and KGSCTC, 1862 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Check the flyer for when you can drop off donations, times vary depending on location. Donations will be distributed at KGSCTC, 1862 W. Fond du Lac Ave., from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20.
Salvation Army Christmas Family Feast: Friday, Dec. 25
As is tradition, the Salvation Army is continuing its annual Christmas Family Feast. Instead of a large gathering, people can come and pick up take-out meals. It is a first-come, first-served basis. The event is free and open to the public and people do not need to sign up in advance. The meals will be available to pick up at the Wisconsin Center District, 555 W. Wells St., from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 25.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 30, 2020

created: November 30, 2020


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Kids and COVID-19: Milwaukee youth shares her experience in book about pandemic | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
December 18, 2020
Michia-Marie Ward, 13, represents Wisconsin in a book by and about kids living through the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo provided by Michael Ward)
Michia-Marie Ward is 13 years old, lives on the North Side, goes to Golda Meir School and is planning on becoming a babysitter soon.
Oh, and she’s a contributing author to “Kids Journal Through COVID-19: United Kids Speak.”
The book features writings from kids across the country about their experience living through the coronavirus era.
The book was released in October by Noahs Ark Publishing. Laval Belle, author and owner of Noahs Ark Publishing in Los Angeles, said the goal was to give kids a platform to talk about their experiences. He said he felt they’ve been overlooked in discussions about the pandemic.
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“Coronavirus has taken not only a physical toll on me personally, but a mental one as well,” Michia-Marie writes. “Welcome to a child’s mind through a pandemic.”
Michia-Marie writes about how the pandemic had affected her personally: adjusting to online school, boredom with spending more time at home and dealing with stress. She wrote that she began practicing yoga and breathing exercises to manage her stress. She’s also picked up hobbies like longboarding and biking.
Michia-Marie also wrote about her father, Michael, who is a respiratory therapist at Ascension St. Joseph hospital who serves on the front lines of the pandemic. Michael’s been working through the “highs and lows” of the pandemic while also taking care of his children: Michia-Marie and a 5-year-old son.
Michael said he can sense the things his children are missing: For Michia-Marie, it’s a chance to experience the eighth grade in person.
She notes in the book that she sometimes finds it difficult to express her emotions but enjoys writing poetry. Michia-Marie said having the opportunity to write was “freeing.”
“Just kind of pouring those thoughts out onto paper felt really, really good,” she said.
The book has contributing authors from all 50 U.S. states, Belle said.
Belle said if there was any commonality between the contributing authors, it’s that they’re afraid of COVID-19, and they want it to be over.
“The youth look like our country,” Belle said.
Voices from every creed and color are represented, including passages from children on Native American reservations. The book opens with a passage from Gianna Floyd, daughter of George Floyd.
Michia-Marie is the sole representative from Wisconsin.
“I didn’t really realize how big of a thing that is … it kind of just dawned on me maybe like a month or so ago,” she said. “But I’m really, really proud to be the kid who was chosen from Wisconsin.”
Michia-Marie said she was glad to represent Wisconsin, and Milwaukee specifically. She wanted to debunk misconceptions about the state.
“I feel like a lot of people have this stereotype that Wisconsin is just like a whole bunch of farmland, and that we just make cheese and stuff like that,” she said. “But we have cities. Really nice, beautiful cities.”
Michael Ward has mobilized to get people to read the book. He’s been telling family, promoting it on his Instagram account and has discussed distributing copies at churches.
“It’s a really proud moment for me to see her make this achievement,” Michael said.
Belle said he wanted to provide a platform for kids in what may be likely the first major event in many of their lives.
“I believe this will be a document of history,” Belle said.
The book is available in English and Spanish and audiobook form. Belle said he plans to visit the state some time in March or April for a book signing with Michia-Marie, if the virus lets up.
Meanwhile, Michia-Marie continues to make the most of the pandemic by finding new ways to interact with family and relatives.
She said she has connected more with her grandparents, texting them to see if they need groceries and to ask if they’re doing OK.
“I think that at the end of this, we will all come out stronger on the other side because we have learned how to support and care for each other,” Michia-Marie wrote.
How to get the book
Anyone interested in ordering the book can do so on the Noahs Ark Publishing website. It is also available on Amazon and Audible.

author: Matt Martinez


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Post from Community: Holiday packaging and wrapping: Which bin do they belong in? (English/Spanish) | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works
December 18, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
2020 has been quite an interesting year and this holiday season is no exception. Many residents are turning to e-commerce more than ever before to shop safely this year, with online sales in the U.S. expected to increase 33% year over year to a record $189 billion in November and December alone.
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Those online gifts can arrive at your door contained in a wide array of packaging materials like plastic envelopes, boxes, and bubble wrap. Add these to the list of gift wrap options and you’re left with a lot of materials to dispose of properly at the end of the day. This can get a little confusing, but the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works is here to answer some of your questions about which bin these materials belong in.
What Can I Recycle Curbside?
What Doesn’t Belong in Curbside Recycling?
What Should I Return to the Store?
Always remember to Know Before You Throw and check your curbside recycling guide for a list of accepted and unaccepted materials. Have more questions? You can contact us by phone, visit our website, or follow us on social media for more tips and tricks to help you recycle right.
Other Holiday Reminders from the Department of Public Works
Drop Off Centers
Residents can visit Milwaukee.gov/DropOff for hours, locations, materials accepted, and any associated fees. The centers are closed on Sundays and Mondays in winter and will be closed on December 24, 25, and January 1.
Recycling Collection Schedules
Residents can visit Milwaukee.gov/CollectionDay to view their garbage and recycling dates.
There will be no garbage or recycling pick-up on December 24, 25, or January 1.
Stay in the Know
Visit MilwaukeeRecycles.com for information on acceptable materials for recycling in the City of Milwaukee. Follow us at Facebook.com/MilwaukeeRecycles and Twitter.com/MkeRecycles.
Residents can also call (414) 286-CITY (2489) for more information.
Embalaje y Envoltura Navideña:  ¿A Qué Contenedor Pertenecen?
2020 ha sido un año bastante interesante y esta temporada Navideña no es una excepción.  Muchos residentes optan por hacer compras en línea más que nunca para comprar seguramente este año, con  la expectación de un aumento de 33% de ventas en línea en los EE.UU. año tras año a un record de $189 billones solo en noviembre y diciembre.
Esos regalos comprados en línea pueden llegar a su puerta contenidos en una amplia gama de materiales de embalaje como sobres de plástico, cajas y plástico de burbujas.  Añádalos a la lista de opciones de envolturas de regalo y le quedará una gran cantidad de materiales para desechar correctamente al final del día.  Esto puede resultar un poco confuso, pero el Departamento de Obras Públicas de la Ciudad de Milwaukee está aquí para responder algunas de sus preguntas sobre a qué contenedor pertenecen estos materiales.
¿Qué puedo dejar en la acera para reciclar?
¿Qué no debo de dejar en la acera para reciclar?
¿Qué debo de regresar a la tienda?
Recuerde siempre saber antes de tirar y consulte su guía de reciclaje en la acera para obtener una lista de materiales aceptados y no aceptados.  ¿Tiene más preguntas?  Puede contactarnos por teléfono, visitar nuestro sitio del web o seguirnos en las redes sociales para obtener más consejos y trucos que le ayudarán a reciclar correctamente.
Otros Recordatorios Navideños del Departamento de Obras Públicas
Centros de Entrega
Los residentes pueden visitar Milwaukee.gov/DropOff para horarios, ubicaciones, materiales aceptados y cualquier costo relacionado.  Los centros están cerrados los domingos y los lunes en invierno y estarán cerrados el 24, 25 de diciembre y el 1⁰ de enero.
Horarios de Recolección de Reciclables
Los residentes pueden visitar Milwaukee.gov/CollectionDay para ver sus fechas de recolección de basura y reciclables.  No habrá recojo de basura ni reciclaje el 24, 25 de diciembre y el 1⁰ de enero.
Que se Mantenga Informado
Visite MilwaukeeRecycles.com para información sobre materiales que se aceptan para reciclaje en la Ciudad de Milwaukee.  Síganos en Facebook.com/MilwaukeeRecycles y Twitter.com/MkeRecycles.
Los residentes también pueden llamar al (414) 286-CITY (2489) para más información.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 18, 2020


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5 things to do and know this week in Milwaukee: Dec. 21 to Dec. 26 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 21, 2020
Winter Adventure Days are back at the Urban Ecology Center. (File photo by Kelly Meyerhofer)
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by .
The Medical College of Wisconsin is hosting a webinar on the COVID-19 vaccine. The webinar is open to the public and will take place from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21. There will be a briefing followed by a Q&A segment. Panelists include Dr. John Raymond, the president and CEO of the college; and Dr. Laura Cassidy, an epidemiologist at the college. To register, click here.
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Last week, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced that Red Arrow Park, 920 N. Water St., is open for business. This year, skaters must reserve their skate time in advance. Only 25 skaters will be allowed on the rink at a time. Skates cost $7 for ages 17 and younger and $9 for adults. The rink is available to reserve for 60-minute time slots from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
3. Winter Adventure Days at the Urban Ecology Center
Winter Adventure Days are back at the Urban Ecology Centers located at Washington Park, 1859 N. 40th St., and Riverside Park, 1500 E. Park Place. The activities are designed for children in grades K5 through third. Participants are asked to wear a mask, bring a bag lunch and dress appropriately for the weather. Registration for each adventure day is required and must be done separately. Costs may vary.
This week, adventure days take place at Riverside Park from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21, Tuesday, Dec. 22 and Wednesday, Dec. 23 and at Washington Park from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and Wednesday, Dec. 23. After-program care also is  available until 5 p.m.
4. Free viewing of “A Christmas Carol”
Earlier this month, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater released a screening of the 2016 production of “A Christmas Carol.” The video is available to view for free until Thursday, Dec. 24. Those interested in viewing the production must register to receive the link.
TMJ4 News compiled a list of where to see the best holiday lights and displays in and around Milwaukee. To view all the locations, click on the station’s interactive map. Some of the Milwaukee locations include the Mitchell Park Domes, 524 S. Layton Blvd.; Miller Valley; Pere Marquette Park, 900 N. Plankinton Ave.; and more.
The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is conducting our annual fundraising campaign. As a nonprofit newsroom, you are never charged to see our work. Yet our labor is not free. Our staff needs and deserves to be paid. Please support us so we can continue telling the stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Donate here.
The latest coronavirus coverage from NNS
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporters are hard at work bringing readers up-to-date information regarding coronavirus. Stay informed by following us on our Facebook page and subscribing to our daily newsletter. All coronavirus related articles can be found on this landing page. If you have a question or concern about coronavirus, send them in our way. We’re here to serve you.

created: December 21, 2020


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 20, 2020

created: December 20, 2020


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Contest allows students to pitch ideas on improving educational outcomes for Black males | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 21, 2020
“Design Your Future” is built on the outreach work of groups like MPS’ Department of Black and Latino Male Achievement, or BLMA. Here participants of BLMA pose after a screening of “Black Panther” in 2018. (Photo provided by MPS)
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the new deadline for submission to the pitch contest.
Do you have an idea for how to improve high school education? You might be able to get paid to make that idea happen.
Milwaukee Succeeds, a partnership of educational leaders across government, nonprofit and private sectors, has launched a pitch competition called “Design Your Future.”
The contest seeks to improve the educational outcomes of young Black males in Milwaukee. Once five proposals are selected in January, the ideas will be implemented next school year after being developed over the spring and summer.
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The winners will receive two different payments: a $10,000 grant to spend on making the idea a reality, as well as a $2,500 stipend for each individual youth working on the proposal.
Clintel Hasan, school partnerships and initiatives manager at Milwaukee Succeeds, said funding comes from Milwaukee Succeeds’ budget, which is approved by partners including the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, United Way, Northwestern Mutual Foundation and Herb Kohl Philanthropies.
Ideas can be submitted by individuals or groups and can be presented in a written, visual or audio format. The deadline to submit your pitch is Jan. 31.
You can find more information on how to submit your idea here.
Danae Davis, executive director of Milwaukee Succeeds, said originally the competition was going to include ideas for improving outcomes for Black and brown students. Milwaukee Succeeds decided to focus solely on Black men because data on graduation rates and attendance suggests that the demographic is most in need of ideas for improving outcomes.
“We are taking an approach rooted in ‘targeted universalism,’ which is basically the idea that if you focus on those most marginalized you end up benefiting everyone,” Davis said. As an example, she cited Angela Glover Blackwell’s observation that alterations to sidewalks meant to benefit people in wheelchairs also helped people using strollers and bicyclists as well.
David Castillo, planning assistant at Milwaukee Public Schools’ Department of Black and Latino Male Achievement, pictured in 2017. (File photo by Jabril Faraj)
Hasan and Davis said asking youth for ideas on how to improve their own lives is not new. Specifically, they mentioned Leaders Igniting Transformation and MPS’ Department of Black and Latino Male Achievement as influences for the competition.
David Castillo, planning assistant at MPS’ Department of Black and Latino Male Achievement, said listening sessions with youth was top priority when the department was established in 2017. The goal was to listen to what Black and Latino males in MPS wanted first and to build programming around what they learned.
“We want to center marginalized and oppressed voices, and that means putting the youth we serve in positions where their ideas guide our work,” he said.
Hasan said the pitch competition does not duplicate the work of the Department of Black and Latino Male Achievement.
“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but we can invest in what’s working,” Hasan said. “We’re here to provide resources and connections.”
Castillo said the ability to pay young people for their ideas and time is radical.
“Too often money goes to gatekeepers who come up with ideas on behalf of youth,” he said. “So money and resources going directly to youth in itself is huge.”
Amir Williams plans on submitting an idea to the “Design Your Future” competition, and while he wasn’t ready to share details, he said the idea would focus on the importance of job and apprenticeship programs for young people. He said these programs are needed because they give young people options.
“No 15-year-old should be on the streets selling drugs or on the street period,” he said. “But when it’s hard to get a job even at Walmart and you have to support your family, a lot of kids will think it’s their only option.”
“That’s why people say there’s no opportunity for them, and since everyone else is doing it, it seems like the only way.”
Williams said that no matter what happens with the competition, he’s excited that his ideas will be heard. Beyond his own pitch, he hopes that other young people take advantage of the opportunity to have their voices heard, and that adults take advantage of what they hear from the pitches.
“Take advantage of what is given to you,” Williams said. “The winning ideas have a chance to benefit everyone.”

author: Sam Woods


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36137447945_78922f6d96_o | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 20, 2020


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Post from Community: COVID-19 not stopping men’s movement to end human trafficking | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Convergence Resource Center
December 21, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
A men’s movement to oppose human trafficking is picking up steam despite lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the novel Coronavirus. Through December 20, more than 20,000 men in Wisconsin and seven other states have taken the HEMAD pledge to stand against human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of adults and children.
HEMAD (Human trafficking Educators working with Men and boys to stand Against the Demand) is a program of Convergence Resource Center (CRC), a faith-based nonprofit community service organization helping women rebuild their lives after trauma with an emphasis on justice involved women and female survivors of human trafficking.
“The response to this effort has been amazing. We’ve had men’s groups and churches in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina and California join us,” said State Rep. Jason Field, who has introduced or supported a number of bills aimed at helping human trafficking victims escape the commercial sex trade.
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“People all over are recognizing that the commercial sex trade exists in cities, suburbs, small towns, rural areas and tribal lands,” he said. “It is a multimillion-dollar criminal enterprise that we must put out of business. It is victimizing vulnerable teen boys and girls in every community.”
The HEMAD campaign, now in its third year, kicked off just before Thanksgiving and runs until Dec. 28. Organizers hope 60,000 men will go to CRC’s website (https://www.convergenceresource.org/hemad) or YouTube to watch a 3-minute video and take the pledge.
Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha met via a Zoom call for a virtual holiday party on Dec. 19. During the call, members and their spouses learned about the HEMAD program and the men took the HEMAD pledge to oppose human trafficking.
“While there have been some in-person presentations made at churches, many more are being done virtually through Zoom, Skype, Teams or Facebook Live,” said Arnold Cifax, senior youth pastor at New Testament Church in Milwaukee and a CRC board member. “People have quickly adapted to using these methods to stay connected and share information despite the pandemic. We conducted several training sessions for volunteer ambassadors through Zoom and have been using social media to spread the word.”
One such virtual event was the Alpha Kappa Alpha holiday party held December 19. During the Zoom event, CRC co-founder and CEO Debbie Lassiter showed the HEMAD video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYOeMuhmf1E&t=29s) illustrating the issue of human trafficking and how men can play a key role in ending the demand of sex trafficking. She then led the 99 attendees in the pledge.
“We encourage individuals and organizations to watch the video and take the pledge. They should email us at hemad@convergenceresource.org if they want one of our ambassadors to conduct a short presentation in-person or virtually,” said Lassiter. “While this campaign is focused through the end of the year, we have presentations already scheduled into January and are happy to do any and all in the coming weeks and months. This is an important issue happening all year long.”
Cifax noted that high-profile arrests of Jeffrey Epstein associates Ghislaine Maxwell and Peter Nygard as well as local cases involving federal charges in sex trafficking has raised awareness of the issue.
“Statistics show that 80 percent of human trafficking cases in the U.S. involve sex trafficking, and that more than half of the criminal trafficking cases in the U.S. involve children,” noted Cifax. “One in three runaways will be lured into sexual exploitation within 48 hours of leaving home and the average age of entry into the commercial sex trade is 13 – that is a kid in the seventh grade!”
“About 300,00 children are at risk of being sex trafficked each year in the U.S.,” add Fields. “That’s the combined populations of Kenosha, Racine, Waukesha and Wauwatosa or Green Bay, Eau Claire, Sheboygan, Oak Creek, Mequon and Germantown. That’s a lot of kids and they are worth saving!”
Fields added that nearly 45,000 cases of human trafficking have been reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline (888-373-7888 or text 233733) in the past five years and the number of human trafficking cases in the U.S. is rising every year.
“Traffickers are using social media platforms to recruit and advertise. But we can use those same social media tools to fight this epidemic and squash the demand for commercial sex trafficking,” said Fields. “Working together, we can put this multimillion-dollar demand-driven industry out of business.”
About Convergence Resource Center
Convergence Resource Center (CRC) is a faith-based nonprofit community service organization providing support for women rebuilding their lives after trauma with an emphasis on justice involved women and female survivors of human trafficking. It is a contracted member of the Milwaukee Joint Human Trafficking Task Force (MJHTTF). To learn more, call (414) 979-0591 or visit www.convergenceresource.org.
About HEMAD
Human trafficking Educators working with Men and boys to stand Against the Demand (HEMAD) is a program of Convergence Resource Center directed at men on the importance of ending human trafficking. To learn more, visit  https://www.convergenceresource.org/hemad-campaign or contact HEMAD@convergenceresource.org.

author: Convergence Resource Center


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December 21, 2020

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Post from Community: How Ascension Wisconsin is preparing for the COVID-19 vaccination | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dr. O’Rell Williams, Vice President of Medical Affairs, Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - St. Joseph Campus
December 21, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
From the moment COVID-19 emerged in the United States, dedicated caregivers across Ascension Wisconsin — and caregivers everywhere — have worked tirelessly on the frontlines to care for people impacted by the pandemic. We are grateful to all of our nurses, doctors and staff for the commitment, empathy and selflessness they have shown. While 2020 has been a challenging year, the dedication of frontline caregivers everywhere has been a source of inspiration for us all.
The development of a safe and effective vaccine has been a critical part of the world’s effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. As the pandemic continues to affect people worldwide, we have new reasons for hope.
Vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have demonstrated safety and effectiveness. Ascension Wisconsin held its first COVID-19 vaccine clinics for frontline caregivers on Thursday, December 17, 2020.
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All approved vaccines require extensive research, documentation and closely monitored clinical trials, some of which were completed by Ascension physicians, to determine effectiveness and safety before being submitted for approval or emergency use authorization by the FDA.
Ascension Wisconsin is following guidance issued by the CDC and recommendations of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. In accordance with these guidelines, among the first group eligible to receive the vaccines are frontline caregivers – particularly those serving in emergency departments, COVID-19 units and intensive care units. For Ascension, this includes both associates and affiliated physicians and providers. Ascension anticipates that the remainder of its associates will be eligible for the vaccine as more doses become available and the distribution process progresses.
We are confident our plan will effectively and safely contribute to the protection of the communities we are privileged to serve.
We will also be conducting outreach to high-risk groups and vulnerable populations, including those who experience barriers in accessing healthcare services, to ensure members of these communities are encouraged to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
Over the coming months, these vaccines will become available to the general public, and we want to strongly encourage everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it is made available.
I plan to get the vaccine as soon as it’s available for me – once our frontline caregivers and high-risk individuals have had the opportunity to receive it. I believe it is the right thing to do to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our community.
As we await widespread distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, it will be critical for our entire community to continue wearing masks, watching distance from others and washing hands frequently to protect ourselves and those around us. We will continue to diligently follow these measures across our sites of care, and you should do the same in your home and workplace.
It has been a trying year, but with the development of these vaccines and the remarkable work of our caregivers, relief is on the horizon. As we look forward to “community immunity”, it’s important that we all work to manage our health needs with a focus on prevention – staying current on vaccinations, keeping prescriptions filled, and staying in contact with our doctors so we can be the healthiest versions of ourselves during this time.
And remember, if you need emergency care, do not delay treatment or defer any of your care needs. Our hospitals and emergency rooms are well prepared to safely care for you.
Additional information, including FAQs about the COVID-19 vaccine is available at https://healthcare.ascension.org/covid-19/covid-vaccine.


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December 21, 2020


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Post from Community: Youth swim program opens on Milwaukee’s North Side | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care
December 21, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
A new swimming program is being offered at St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care-Bucyrus Campus, 2450 W. North Ave. Open to children enrolled in the center’s day care and after-school programs, students 3 years old and up can participate in weekly swimming free, as part of their enrollment.
The campus’ new aquatic center was built to address the lack of facilities on Milwaukee’s north side that promote physical fitness, health and wellness. The warm-water pool is fully accessible, from the wheelchair ramp into the water to the accommodations in the locker rooms. The pool also includes a lap lane where youth can train for competitive swimming.
Small group classes are supervised by a certified swimming instructor. All children wear swim jackets for safety. Non-swimmers have a chance to get used to moving in the pool, overcoming any fear of being in the water.
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“Our goal is to teach this vital lifesaving skill to children who traditionally haven’t had access to swimming instruction,” said Sr. Edna Lonergan, founder and president of St. Ann Center.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of Black children, 58% of Latinx and 40% of white children have little or no swimming ability and are at risk of water-related injury or death.
In the near future, the Bucyrus Campus swimming program will be expanded to include private lessons.
St. Ann Center is world-renowned for its unique model of intergenerational care—providing day care to children, frail elders and adults with disabilities all under one roof. The center’s award-winning childcare program is now enrolling, and financial assistance is available.
For more about St. Ann Center’s swimming program, call 414-977-5015. For information on enrolling for childcare, call 414-210-2438.


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December 21, 2020


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The NNS coronavirus update for week of Dec. 21: Another vaccine wins approval; officials ask us to avoid gatherings | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
December 21, 2020
Officials are discouraging religious and holiday in-person gatherings to limit exposure to COVID-19. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Here’s the latest update on COVID-19 in Milwaukee and the resources you need to combat it.
The Food and Drug Administration effectively doubled the amount of vaccines available last week, as Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine was approved for emergency use authorization.
An estimated 5.9 million doses of the vaccine will be distributed. The move comes after the FDA voted to approve Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Dec. 11.
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Emergency use authorization is an FDA process that allows previously unapproved drugs and treatments to be distributed during a public health emergency.
The Moderna vaccine offers new flexibility to public health officials, as it can be stored at regular freezer temperatures as opposed to the Pfizer vaccine, which must be kept in ultracold storage.
Wisconsin health officials said more than 1,000 frontline health workers were  vaccinated last week.
Vaccines were sent to eight regional hubs across the state. But on Dec. 18, Gov. Tony Evers said Wisconsin will receive about  35,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, less than the 50,000 expected.
“This is unacceptable,” Evers said in a statement. “Wisconsin citizens deserve the vaccine the federal government promised. Our healthcare workers and long-term care residents need this vaccine that is ready and available.”
Dr. Ben Weston, director of medical services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, said the general public can expect to receive vaccines by late spring to early summer.
Interim Health Commissioner Marlaina Jackson discouraged in-person gatherings this holiday season, including religious celebrations and New Year’s Eve festivities.
Jackson asked faith leaders to reconsider holding in-person services and urged them to continue to follow Milwaukee Health Department guidelines. The current public health order requires that places of worship comply with social distancing and masking guidelines and have only 25% capacity.
Pardeep Kaleka, executive director, of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, a multifaith organization in the city, urged people to practice utmost caution if they planned to gather in person.
“We look forward to a time where we can physically congregate with one another and have in-person physical gatherings,” Kaleka said. “We understand how difficult this year has already been. We are asking you to hold on to hope for 2021.”
Because the virus is spread through air droplets in contained spaces, gatherings of any size are discouraged.
“Whether it is your church gathering or your religious gathering, or whether it’s going out with your friends or whether it’s hanging out with your family, we continue to encourage that you should be staying home during this holiday season,” Jackson said.
The Medical College of Wisconsin is hosting a webinar on the COVID-19 vaccine. The webinar is open to the public and will take place from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21. There will be a briefing followed by a Q&A segment. Panelists include Dr. John Raymond, the president and CEO of the college; and Dr. Laura Cassidy, an epidemiologist at the college. To register, click here.
Read our story here.
To obtain a free mask, residents can visit these sites:
NNS reporters also gathered a list of where to buy locally made masks if you’re looking to show some local business love when masking up.
Check the City of Milwaukee Health Department’s website for the most updated facts and answers to questions about the mask ordinance.
Look here for up-to-date statistics on COVID-19 in the county. More precautions on how to stay safe and information on COVID-19 can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
Contact your health provider, call IMPACT 2-1-1 or take a look at the county’s testing site map to find a testing center near you. The free community testing sites at the Northwest Health Center, 7630 W. Mill Rd., and Southside Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St., are now open and operating. Miller Park, 1 Brewers Way, is also open as an effective testing site.
: The Northwest and  Southside centers will be closed Dec. 24-25, Dec 31 and Jan. 1. The Miller Park #Covid19 Testing Site will be closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, but open Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information on testing, including how to identify symptoms and when you should get tested, visit TestUpMKE.com. Available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Burmese and Arabic.
Check out our continuing coronavirus coverage.
Looking for more personalized direction to resources and information during the coronavirus crisis? Get connected with News414, a texting-based news resource from Milwaukee NNS, Wisconsin Watch and Outlier Media. You can text MILWAUKEE to 73224 and begin to receive free, personalized data via text messages.


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Inside the NNS newsroom: How to get your news published | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 22, 2020
It’s pretty easy to get your news published on the NNS site, says Ana Martinez-Ortiz, community engagement reporter. (Photo provided by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
At the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, our mission is to help the people and organizations in our community.
One of the ways we do this is through “Posts from Community.” This  feature is the place where you can submit news releases and photos. Submissions are checked and approved on a weekly basis.
“Posts from Community” reaches our audience through the NNS website and social media. In short, posts are by the community and for the community.
Below are some examples of “Posts from Community”:
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•Post from Community: MKE Black announces new executive director
MKE Black announced Rick Banks as its new executive director.
•Post from Community: Ascension Wisconsin and Outreach Community Health Centers expand dental services on Milwaukee’s North Side
Last month, Ascension Wisconsin posted about its dental services’ expansion.
•Post from Community: BBB Scam Alert: This get-rich-quick con promises fast money on Cash App
The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau took advantage of “Post from Community” to alert the community on money-flipping scams.
If you haven’t already, I hope you consider using “Posts from Community” to your advantage in the near future.
Ana Martinez-Ortiz is the community engagement reporter at the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.
In case you missed it:
From the editor: How to get your news published by the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Inside the NNS newsroom: Meet Ana Martinez-Ortiz, community engagement reporter

created: December 22, 2020


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 21, 2020


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Post from Community: UPDATED: MPL to continue contactless pickup until January 19, 2021 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Library
December 22, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
MPL will continue to offer robust virtual programming for all ages, and complete online resources including e-books and periodicals, homework help, and hundreds of databases and information sources. MPL also has an expansive list of COVID resources, including food, housing and medical information at mpl.org.
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Patrons can request materials online or by calling Ready Reference at 414-286-3011.
Patrons are encouraged to stay connected to mpl.org for updates and follow MPL on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn) for the latest information on programming and other virtual offerings.

author: Milwaukee Public Library


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‘We’re still here, and that’s the great thing’: Lopez Bakery owner reflects on tumultuous 2020 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
December 22, 2020
Cindy Lopez, who along with her husband, Jorge, owns Lopez Bakery and Restaurant, had every reason to be nervous in May.
Their beloved bakery, which they took over from her in-laws in 2012 but has been in business since the 1970s, was on the brink of closing.
“We don’t have much of a choice other than to keep fighting to save our business and believe that God will take care of us,” said Lopez at that time through tears.
Sales at farmers markets during spring and summer kept the bakery afloat, and although business is still much slower than normal at Lopez Bakery’s brick and mortar location at 1100 W. Historic Mitchell St., the holiday season has brought with it some hope.
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“I see a light at the end of the tunnel,” Lopez said. “We’re still here, and that’s the great thing.”
Survival meant thinking outside the box, she said. As Christmas, their busiest time of year, approached, the bakery ramped up promotions, offering deals Lopez thought would appeal to customers celebrating the holidays amid a pandemic.
“People aren’t doing big parties — they’re doing little parties, so I came up with a tamale kit,” she said.
Tamale kits, ideal for single families, cost $30 and include a dozen tamales, 12 small cookies, two empanadas and two mini conchas (Mexican sweet breads) and a small bag of tortilla chips. The tamales, a Mexican holiday staple, come in various flavors including pork, chicken, bean jalapeno, rajas with cheese, and shredded beef. To Lopez’s delight, the kit has been a hit, with orders coming in over the phone and through the bakery’s Facebook page.
“Many customers buy them to drop off to family members that they can’t be with this year because of the pandemic,” Lopez said.
Another main reason the bakery has survived during COVID and a reduction in walk-in sales is the support it’s received from other local businesses and organizations.
A recent order of 140 cookie trays from Cintas, a uniform and supply company, and another order for several dozen trays by First Weber Realtors, helped cover her five employee paychecks, Lopez said.
“It was a blessing; I was in tears crying,” she said.
Other supporters included Gregory León, chef and co-owner of Amilinda, a Spanish and Portuguese restaurant in downtown Milwaukee, and the Rev. Karen Hagen of Tippecanoe Presbyterian Church. They’ve been purchasing goods from Lopez and other local restaurants as part of a program called Hungry Hearts Community Meals.
Hungry Hearts Community Meals distributes 300 free meals each Saturday at Damascus Gate Restaurant, 807 W. Mitchell St.  So far, the program has distributed 9,300 free meals and paid over $90,000 to local restaurants, including Lopez Bakery. León said Lopez Bakery was chosen as one of 10 restaurants to support because of how important it is to the community.
“They’re such a staple in Milwaukee and in that neighborhood, and it would be so sad to see them go,” he said.
Despite the outpouring of support, the future of the business, like that of many others across the country, is still uncertain.
“I’m still worried about what’s going to come ahead, with January, February and March being our slow season as it is for others,” Lopez said. “But we made it this far, and I am so thankful to the community and everyone else that helped that happen.”


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“I had to really think about the reality of death”: COVID-19 survivors reflect on a year like no other | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 23, 2020
David Bowen (from left), Rebecca Quesada, Mikey Murry and Ambrose “WB” Wilson-Brown.
David Bowen rang in the new year with cautious optimism.
His grandmother was fighting pneumonia at the time, and although she survived that battle, she died in August.
“Even at the very beginning, I could tell this was going to be a difficult year,” Bowen said.
Bowen is one of several residents we talked with this year who tested positive for COVID-19. He and three others, like many of us this year, also had plans for 2020 that were disrupted by the pandemic.
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Rebecca Quesada, for example, expected to travel across the world, while Mikey Murry and Ambrose “WB” Wilson-Brown were busy setting personal and professional goals.
For the first couple of months, things seemed to be going according to plan for the three. Quesada vacationed in Italy just before COVID-19 arrived there. Murry successfully oversaw Milwaukee Film’s Black History Month program, and Wilson-Brown flew to Boston to lead a mindfulness workshop.
Murry, who tested positive for COVID-19 in June, remembers being concerned about improving her makeup skills in the beginning of the year.
“Now I had a lot more time to do that,” she said, laughing.
But for Quesada and Bowen, who were among the first in Milwaukee to test positive for COVID-19, everything turned upside down quickly.
While Bowen was able to ride out the virus at home, Quesada was hospitalized and told that she might not make it.
“I had to really think about the reality of death,” she said. “That was something I didn’t expect to do this year.”
All four have recovered from the virus, although Murry says she still experiences occasional chest pains similar to those she had with COVID-19.
Even after surviving the virus, though, the four had to adapt to seemingly never-ending challenges.
Not only could Quesada no longer travel, but she was also furloughed from her job as an ESL support teacher in May. Murry switched jobs from Milwaukee Film to her new role with Leaders Igniting Transformation, and Wilson-Brown adjusted his mental and physical health business to meet the need for virtual programming.
“Mama Mac,” as Bowen called his grandmother, died in 2020. Bowen said she helped inspire him to keep going when he had COVID-19 in March. (Photo provided by David Bowen)
Bowen, who is a representative in the Wisconsin State Assembly, said he didn’t expect to have to say goodbye to pillars of the community who died from COVID-19.
Bowen also suffered a personal tragedy with the loss of his grandmother. He said “Mama Mac,” as he called her, lived the kind of life that touched everyone around her.
“She was one to feed the whole neighborhood. She was seen as a community mother, and I am grateful to have seen her as she lived her life,” Bowen said.
“It was a reminder to be grateful for what you do have,” he said. “Even life is not promised.”
‘Ready for anything’
Though the year did not turn out at all how she expected, Murry said she was able to raise over $4,000 to support protest work this summer, particularly for Black women, transgender and queer organizers. She said she thinks this level of support was partly because the quarantine environment made it impossible to ignore the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement.
“The fact that people came together to do that was amazing and unexpected, and I think partly because it was an impossible topic to ignore when everyone was inside and, on their phone,,” Murry said.
The experience is part of why Murry wants to do more to support Black women in the future.
Bowen said although he found a lack of political leadership this year, he’s hopeful lasting change can come.
“I’m looking forward to a chance to tackle issues that have been laid bare throughout this pandemic,” Bowen said.
On the entrepreneurial front, Wilson-Brown has been busy lately with “A Holiday of Health,” a giveaway of free winter health services that he says would not have been possible without government support from the CARES Act.
He said the hardships of 2020 have taught him and others to be better persons.
“I know so many people lately who have contracted COVID-19, and it has expanded their perspective and built empathy for them,” Wilson-Brown said. “I am glad I took time this year to build my own sense of empathy.”
As for Quesada, she’s not necessarily looking forward to a new year.
After all, she said, this year has taught her not to get carried away with making plans.
“I’m just going to be ready for anything and accept change as it comes,” Quesada said.
In case you missed it:
‘This virus is going to make us or break us’: Checking in with two COVID-19 survivors
What’s it like to test positive for the coronavirus? We talk to three residents to find out.
From growing more spiritual to becoming more focused on erasing health inequities: Catching up with two COVID-19 survivors

created: December 23, 2020


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 22, 2020


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PHOTOS: The faces of the season | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers, Adam Carr, Ana Martinez-Ortiz and Sue Vliet
December 23, 2020
First of two parts.
At the end of a turbulent year, we sought out holiday spirit in our community and were thrilled with what we found.
We met families throughout our neighborhoods on their porches for family portraits, with their smiling faces filing this “holiday card” from us to you.
Happy holidays to you and yours!
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More community photos: Check out the beautiful, resilient Class of 2020.


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Post from Community: Froedtert Health donates 50,000 masks and $20,000 funding to area health centers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin
December 23, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Froedtert Health donated 50,000 masks and $20,000 for other supplies to five Federally Qualified Health Centers to support diverse communities hit the hardest COVID-19. The masks and funding was divided among five area Federally Qualified Health Centers. The funds will be used to secure supplies such as disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer and additional masks, especially for families who are in isolation due to a COVID-positive household member.
The donations were the result of ongoing outreach and partnerships with community health centers to determine what is needed most. Froedtert Health is committed to connecting and listening to the community, and through this process has come to understand the need for PPE in diverse communities. Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.
Froedtert Health works with nonprofits and community health centers to provide COVID-19 information, testing and supplies. We also provided other needed care such as cancer screenings, behavioral health, dental care and flu vaccinations.
Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing!
Health centers that received the masks and funding donations are: Milwaukee Health Services; Outreach Community Health Center; Progressive Community Health Centers-Lisbon Avenue Center; Ignace Indian Health Center; Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers.
During this holiday season, experts stress the importance of continuing practices to stop COVID-19: wear a mask over your mouth and nose in public, maintain distancing, wash your hands, and stay away from others if you feel sick.
Photo: Delivering masks to Lisbon Avenue Center, left to right: Janine Tucker, Froedtert Health community outreach coordinator; Sarah Francois, Progressive Community Health Centers, director of fund development & marketing; Shante Dodd, Froedtert Health radiologic technologist; Allyson Rennebohm, Froedtert Health community nurse coordinator.


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Froedtert-Mask-donation_Progressive-Lisbon-Avenue-HC_small.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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December 22, 2020