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The NNS coronavirus update for week of March 8: State launches new hotline; Milwaukee County targets two ZIP codes for vaccination outreach | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
March 8, 2021
Vaccines will become available at Kroger grocery stores due to new allocations by the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Here’s the latest update on COVID-19 in Milwaukee and the resources you need to combat it.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced last week that Kroger stores were going to receive COVID-19 vaccines for distribution.
The vaccines, provided by the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, will be distributed to stores like Pick N’ Save and Metro Market that are not already receiving doses from the state.
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The Department of Health Services said in a news release that Kroger will receive 2,340 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
To check for Metro Market vaccine eligibility or Pick N’ Save vaccine eligibility, follow the respective links. Those eligible can also call (866) 211-5320 to schedule an appointment.
Milwaukee County is launching a new effort to vaccinate people in ZIP codes where residents face more risks of contracting COVID-19.
Anyone over age 65 in the 53204 and 53206 ZIP codes will be eligible for doses at the Kosciuszko Community Center as the program launches this week.
Eligible residents can register by clicking here. The site requires an appointment and walk-ups will not be accepted. The doses are free of charge.
The center, at 2201 S. 7th St., also serves as the vaccination site for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management. This site previously served county employees.
“We will certainly work our way through all the ZIP codes in the county, but we are starting with the ZIP codes with the highest vulnerability,” said Dr. Ben Weston, director of medical services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management.
Weston said there are about 6,000 eligible recipients in the two ZIP codes, and the site can administer 200 doses a day.
The state Department of Health Services announced a new hotline last week geared toward finding and scheduling appointments for the coronavirus vaccine.
The toll-free hotline, (844) 684-1064, will provide callers with answers about the vaccine and help people register.
As of March 5, 137,883 people in Milwaukee County had received one dose of the vaccine. This includes roughly 55% of the 65+ population, which amounts to 72,139.
The state of Wisconsin has fully vaccinated 572,501 people with both doses of the vaccine. The state has administered at least one dose to 1,023,306 people.
Roughly 60% of Wisconsinites over the age of 65 have received the vaccine, for a total of 608,677 people.
Check out our Instagram primer
8 things you should know
Clearing the air: Answering commonly asked questions about the coronavirus vaccine
Read our story 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. American Family Field (formerly 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.
For more information on vaccine distribution and where to find it, visit HealthyMKE.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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How parents can get up to $1,248 per child to offset costs of meals during virtual learning | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 9, 2021
Even if you picked up meals this school year from school distribution sites like this one at ALBA School, you are still eligible to receive money to cover food expenses if you qualify for free or reduced price school meals. (Photo by Adam Carr)
If your children qualify for free or reduced lunch and have been in remote learning at any point during the 2020-’21 school year, you are eligible for up to $1,248 per child to cover meal expenses.
The money comes from the federal government’s Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program, or P-EBT. The program supports families with children who would have received free or reduced price meals at a school but have been learning virtually.
(Click to enlarge)
Benefits will be distributed in four payments from March 25 to Sept. 25. All families with children who attended school virtually at any point during this school year and were eligible for free or reduced price meals in the 2019-’20 or 2020-’21 school years are eligible.
Students who do not individually qualify for free or reduced lunch but attend a school where all students receive free or reduced lunch through the federal government’s Community Eligibility Provision program also are eligible.
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You can see a full list of Wisconsin schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision here.
The P-EBT benefits have the same restrictions as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known in Wisconsin as FoodShare, meaning you cannot use them for purchases prohibited by FoodShare.
If you are already receiving FoodShare, P-EBT benefits will automatically be uploaded to your QUEST card starting on March 25.
If you are not currently receiving FoodShare but are receiving free or reduced-price school meals, you should soon receive a white P-EBT card in the mail that your benefits will be automatically loaded onto.
If you are not currently receiving FoodShare nor receiving free or reduced-price meals, you may still qualify. Contact your child’s school about enrolling in free or reduced-price meals.
(Click to enlarge)
Sherrie Tussler, executive director of the Hunger Task Force, said that even families who have used meal distribution programs at schools, such as MPS’ “Stop, Grab and Go” meals, are still eligible for the program.
“Meals during the school year, including grab-and-go programs and meal packs distributed at schools, were billed to a different program dealing with summer meals,” Tussler explained. “So taking advantage of those meals does not disqualify you for P-EBT.”
To answer questions about the program, the Hunger Task Force is hosting webinars every Friday at 10 a.m. in English and 11 a.m. in Spanish. You can register for a webinar in English here and Spanish here.
You can read more about the program here, and calculate your estimated benefits here.

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Sam Woods


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 8, 2021

author: Adam Carr


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51001702481_7c4c31b1cd_o | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 8, 2021


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More than fruits and vegetables: New Milwaukee produce market offers fresh food at pay-what-you-can prices | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
March 9, 2021
Greater Good(s) MKE offers fresh produce at “pay-what-you-can” price. (Photo provided by Gina Nygro)
For Gina Nygro, founder of Greater Good(s) MKE, giving back runs in the family.
After all, her great-grandmother opened a pay-what-you-can deli in Racine during the Great Depression.
Nygro is doing the same with her pay-what-you-can produce market at 5205 W. North Ave. that opened in January.
Nygro’s market operates from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and from 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays. Her customers are encouraged to pay what they can for the produce.
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The market is located in Uptown Crossing, which she said does not have a fresh produce market nearby. Uptown Crossing is a business district along West North Avenue from North Sherman Boulevard to North 60 Street and along West Lisbon Avenue from North 46 to North 51 streets.
Nygro’s grocery list runs long: sweet potatoes, onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots, apples and oranges, among others, are top sellers. She gets what she can from wholesale, including at Pete’s Fruit Market, and scrounges requests from grocery stores as she needs to.
She looks for deals on produce and plans on buying from farmers once the harvest season rolls around. She receives donations as well, which she gives away in a free food section.
The “prices” basically balance themselves, she said.
“A lot of people are paying more; some people are paying less,” she said.
Some customers also operate on kindness: Recently a young man came in and bought groceries for the next five people, she said.
Nygro worked for Delta Airlines for 32 years before taking early retirement this year. Although she’s still not entirely sure how she ended up running the market, she said faith led her here.
“He just started opening doors, and I keep walking through them,” she said.
One of those doors was to the Imago Dei Church, which is across the street from Greater Good(s) MKE. The church donated $8,200 to help cover expenses and to partner in the initiative, said Abbra Best, the volunteer communications director at Imago Dei.
Best said the pay-what-you-can produce market helps to bring equity to the neighborhood, where there is a disparity in income.  Greater Good(s) MKE was identified as part of the church’s “ReGift” campaign, where Imago Dei  donates a gift to the city in the form of public service each Christmas.
“We really seek out those people that are doing good and want to come alongside of them,” Best said.
Nygro said the money has helped tremendously, as have donations from others in the community.
Greater Good(s) MKE has quickly become more than just produce, she said. It’s become a place for the community to come together in a time of challenge.
“It’s not just about fruits and vegetables,” Nygro said. “I think it’s a connection point for people who are feeling alone, knowing their neighbors are taking care of them.”
How you can help
Greater Good(s) MKE also offers pre-arranged bags of produce, with suggested prices ranging from $3 to $7. The bags are also pay-what-you-can. Those who want to order ahead can call (414) 788-7151.
For more information on the project, click here.

author: Matt Martinez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 9, 2021


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Post from Community: Big Brothers Big Sisters Match Madness informational session | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee
March 9, 2021
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.
Did you know a little time can make a BIG difference in the life of a youth? There are HUNDREDS of Little Brothers and Sisters on our waiting list that could use a mentor just like YOU.
With our new normal, we’ve adjusted our recruitment, enrollment, screening, training, and matching process to go virtual, making it even easier to start making an impact. Are you ready to learn more about becoming a Big?
Join us during the month of March and April for a series of virtual events on March 17, 24 or April 2 and learn what it means to be a Big, how to apply, and be entered to win prizes like an Amazon Gift Card just for participating!
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We are offering three different Lunch and Learn sessions to accommodate varying schedules. If neither of these times/days work, please reach out to me via email at jnesemeier@bbbsmilwaukee.org to find a better time to connect!
Once you register for this event, a link will be sent to the email that you provided. All information that is required to register for this event is confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization!
We are looking forward to seeing you in March and April!
Register today at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-brothers-big-sisters-match-madness-informational-session-tickets-141373462833


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Eventbrite-Photo.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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March 8, 2021

author: Name *


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Post from Community: Milwaukee Rep. Moore leads congressional appeal for Biden to act now to improve relations with Cuba | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Congresswoman Gwen Moore
March 9, 2021
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.
Milwaukee Rep. Moore Leads Congressional Appeal for Biden to Act Now to Improve Relations with Cuba
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) emphasized her leading role in urging President Biden to act now “to reverse the Trump administration’s harmful policies and work to engage and normalize relations with Cuba,” in a tweet yesterday. See https://twitter.com/RepGwenMoore/status/1367615879412867072
She was one of three members of Congress who initiated a letter signed by 80 members of the US House of Representatives this week, asking President Biden to act without “delay“ to improve US relations with Cuba. The letter was issued within a week of the unanimous adoption of similar appeals by both the Milwaukee Board School Directors and Chicago City Council, see MPS & Chicago unanimously adopt Cuba resolutions.
“These 80 representatives also appear to be the largest number in Congress ever to call for moving towards full normalization of relations with Cuba since the beginning of over 60 years of US trade and travel restrictions,” noted Art Heitzer of the Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba, which organized support for both the letter and the MPS resolution. Heitzer also noted that large majorities of the American people have long supported improving relations with Cuba. Reps. Bobby Rush from Chicago and Steve Cohen from Tennessee also initiated this letter along with Rep.Moore.
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“So far, the Biden administration has not taken any public action to improve US Cuba relations or to reverse over 200 adverse measures taken by the Trump administration to restrict travel and other interactions between the people of the US and Cuba, and it is important that the White House hears from people nationwide,” Heitzer stated. For more information, contact the Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba, wicuba.org, wicubacoalition@gmail.com.

author: Congresswoman Gwen Moore


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gwen-moore | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 11, 2021

author: Dwayne Burtin


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Post from Community: MPS Foundation launches Ruth Bader Ginsburg Scholarship for young women of color | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation
March 9, 2021
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.
In honor of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and National Women’s History Month, the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation is launching the new “Ruth Bader Ginsburg Scholarship” program to provide more young women of color access to the field of law. In collaboration with the Milwaukee Bar Association Foundation, the MPS Foundation will provide scholarships for young women of color who are attending college in advance of law school or who are attending law school at Marquette University or the University of Wisconsin. Each awardee will be assigned a local mentor, already in the field of law, to help guide them on their journey.
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a history-maker, a passionate litigator, a pioneering jurist, and most importantly, an inspiration to generations of women and girls who want to make the world a better place.
The new Ruth Bader Ginsburg Scholarship program was founded by local lawyer and MPS Foundation board member, Fred Tabak.
“Justice Ginsburg’s legacy compels us to identify ways we can help more young women follow in her footsteps. In Wisconsin and across the country, we have a great need for the legal profession to look more like the communities we serve, yet it is difficult for those from underserved neighborhoods to succeed,” Tabak said. “The scholarship will make a little dent, we hope, in that lack of diversity.”
The scholarship program is in its initial fundraising stage. Tabak is calling for lawyers, law firms, and other organizations to help fund this scholarship.
Anyone interested in supporting this program is invited to make a donation to the fund.
DONATE: mpsfdn.org
“Everything we do is about breaking barriers for MPS students. This timely effort is right in line with that mission,” said Wendell Willis, MPS Foundation, Executive Director. “We are incredibly grateful to Fred’s leadership and call-to-action. We are now accepting student scholarship applications and will award our first student this Summer.”
Support:
Eligibility:
Justice Ginsburg spent her long career working on expanding the opportunities available for women, and in carrying forward her legacy, this scholarship will assist Milwaukee Public Schools graduates that meet the following criteria:
To aid scholarship reviewers in their evaluations, students who apply for the scholarship will be asked to discuss women in their life who inspire them, share career goals, and articulate how they plan to impact their communities.
Application
Apply online at mpsfdn.com/scholarships by Friday, March 26.

author: Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation


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Post from Community: The Medical College of Wisconsin is recruiting patients for a research study titled: Lowering the Impact of Food Insecurity in African American Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Center for Advancing Population Science
March 9, 2021
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 reason for this study is to determine if a program that provides diabetes education and food vouchers will improve diabetes in adults who have diabetes and limited availability of nutritional food.
You must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to participate. If you are enrolled in the study, we compensate you after each of the 5 in-person visits. We provide 12 weeks of one-on-one diabetes education over the phone with a Registered Nurse, and you may receive additional food supplementation for each month you are a part of the study.
If you are interested in participating, please contact us at (414) 955-7391 Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. to 5:00p.m.”
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author: Center for Advancing Population Science


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LIFT-DM-Flyer-logo.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
March 8, 2021


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Post from Community: TMJ4 News airing ‘Hidden Bias of Good People’ commercial interruption-free on Thursday, March 11 at 8pm | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
TMJ4 News
March 9, 2021
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.
As part of its commitment to public service that inspires hope and change, TMJ4 News (NBC Milwaukee) will run a commercial interruption-free special to spark a dialogue around implicit bias.
The hourlong special, “Hidden Bias of Good People,” is hosted by Bryant T. Marks, Ph.D., founder and chief equity officer of the National Training Institute on Race and Equity. The special is interactive and conversational, with a goal of helping viewers understand the unconscious biases we all carry based on our upbringings and environments. Implicit, or unconscious, bias refers to attitudes and beliefs that occur outside of our conscious awareness and control.
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A diversity and implicit bias expert, Marks has provided training to police departments and to executives and professionals in educational institutions, nonprofit organizations and local and federal government agencies, among others.
In addition to airing the special, TMJ4 will host a local panel of diverse experts and change-makers immediately following the special on air and online. The panel will discuss how hidden bias has played out in Milwaukee throughout the city’s history and in this past year. Panelists will be Dr. Kewku Smith, Pardeep Singh Kaleka, and Shalina Ali. The roundtable discussion will be hosted by Steve Chamraz and Shannon Sims. TMJ4 will continue the conversation in Thursday night’s 10pm newscast and the following day (Friday, March 12) in its 4pm newscast with local panelists including Jammin’ 98.3’s Andrea Williams. Jammin’ 98.3 is the presenting partner for the special presentation.
View the trailer and check local listings for specific air times in your market. TMJ4 joins 40 other E.W.
Scripps stations around the country in airing this important special presentation

author: TMJ4 News


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Bids to alter Wisconsin elections fall mostly along partisan lines | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Anya van Wagtendonk (Wisconsin Watch)
March 10, 2021
Proposals to change Wisconsin’s voting system coulddetermine how one of America’s top swing states picks congressional candidates,how it awards its 10 Electoral College votes, how fast results can be announcedand who can use the increasingly popular method of absentee voting.
But the political divisiveness that caused Wisconsin to flipfrom red to blue by the slimmest of margins in the 2020 presidential race willlikely continue, stymying all but a few bipartisan proposals. A Republican-ledLegislature and Democratic governor mean that purely partisan priorities areunlikely to make their way through, experts told Wisconsin Watch.
And a sweeping Democratic bill to broaden access to votingand thwart partisan gerrymandering nationally faces a steep climb in the U.S.Senate after passing the House on a party-line vote late Wednesday.
In recent weeks, lawmakers nationwide have proposed hundredsof bills to change states’ voting laws following the contentious Novemberpresidential election. Wisconsin is no exception.
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Democrats generally seek to make it easier to vote, citingnational security assessments that the 2020 contest was among the most secureever. Republicans insist the high-turnout election was rife with fraud —although election officials of both parties and judges at all levels have rejected those
allegations— and generally seek to add more restrictions and safeguards.
In late February, Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislaturebegan circulating a slate of bills that would, among other changes, tighten absentee voting and the definition of “indefinitely confined” voters. President Donald Trump’scampaign challenged these components inDemocratic-majority Dane and Milwaukee counties in a December recount. ThreeDemocratic members of the Assembly Elections Committee called the proposals “a full-on assault on
our elections and the ability for Wisconsinites to vote.”
But dramatic changes to Wisconsin’s election laws areunlikely in the short term, said David Canon, a political scientist atUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Any efforts aimed at making it easier to vote aren’t goingto happen because the Republican leadership and state Legislature won’t want todo that. Anything that’s aimed at restricting access to voting won’t happenbecause (Democratic Gov. Tony) Evers would veto that, and they wouldn’t haveenough votes to override the veto,” Canon said.
Aspokesperson for Evers declined comment on which bills he was likely to sign orveto, but referred Wisconsin Watch to the governor’s proposed budget, which includes proposals toestablish automatic voter registration; expand the timeline on absentee voting;and require the Legislature to consider the recommendations of Evers’ People’sMaps Commission when drawing new political boundaries this year.
Atiba Ellis, a law professor at Marquette Universityfocusing on voting rights, said both election security and voter access areimportant. “They do not have to be at odds,” Ellis said. “But I think forpolitically motivated reasons they are put at odds, and that then justifies passinglaws that are stricter than what the political science data says they need tobe.”
There is some bipartisan agreement, including a proposal to bring ranked-choice voting to Wisconsin. In that system,congressional primaries would be nonpartisan, with the top five finishers,regardless of party, continuing to the general election, when they would beranked by voters.
Another bipartisan idea, which failed to make it through thelast session, would allow clerks to process absentee
ballotsbefore Election Day. Supporters say this would enhance voter confidence bypreventing a delay in declaring statewide winners.
According to the Brennan Center for
Justice,43 states are weighing 253 bills to restrict voter access, while a differentset of 43 states is weighing at least 704 bills that would expand votingaccess. Lawmakers are particularly focused on absentee voting, the Brennan Centerfound, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which kept a significant portion ofthe electorate from going to the polls on Election Day.
Process
ballots sooner
In Wisconsin, Republicans and Democrats find some agreementaround when absentee ballots can be processed. Wisconsin law bars processinguntil polls open on Election Day. In November, this meant that workers atMilwaukee’s central count worked until early morning, opening, unfolding andrunning hundreds of thousands of ballots through tabulating machines.
The Trump campaign capitalized on the overnight count tofalsely claim that Milwaukee had “dumped” ballots that swung the election forPresident Joe Biden.
“What people didn’t understand is those votes came in inMilwaukee at 2 in the morning because that was the first time the electionsofficials had the chance to get to the machines and feed in the ballots,” saidKathleen Dolan, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
An easy fix would be to process absentee ballots beforeElection Day, experts say. In the last legislative session, lawmakers debated bipartisan legislation to allow this to happen, but thebill languished amid disagreement over details, including how differentmunicipalities would adapt that practice.
Republican lawmakers are again taking up the issue, but divisions are emerging over whether to optfor early processing, or change the rules for early voting. Rather than placingballots in envelopes that election workers process later, some lawmakers proposeletting early in-person voters directly feed their ballots into votingmachines.
Diane Coenen, Oconomowoc city clerk and former president ofthe Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association, said the latter method would allowfor instant detection of ballot errors — and buy time for busy clerks and pollworkers to work with in-person voters.
Congress mulls big changes
Nationally, Democraticlawmakers are pushing a sweeping voting reform package, HR 1, which includesautomatic voter registration and would bar voter ID and witness requirementsfor mail-in voting. It also seeks to reduce “dark money” in campaigns andrequire states to create nonpartisan redistricting commissions to preventpartisan gerrymandering.
Republicans havedecried the package, saying it would restrict free speech and usurp states’rights. Many also oppose changes to redistricting processes.
The bill passed in the House, but,facing this opposition, pundits say it faces a steep hill towards passage inthe Senate. Biden has signaled he would sign it.
On Sunday, Bidenissued an executive order requiring federalagencies to expand dissemination of information about registration and votingand other measures. The order coincided with the 56th anniversary of “BloodySunday,” when state troopers beat and tear-gassed voting rights activists inSelma, Alabama.
Electoral
College, drop boxes debated
Wisconsin is one of several states also considering changing how toaward electors.
As proposed, Wisconsin would award them by
congressional district, rather than winner-takes-all. In 2020, this would haveresulted in six of the state’s 10 electors going for Trump, rather than Biden,who narrowly won the state’s popular vote. Because of Wisconsin’s partisangerrymandering of congressional districts, experts say the proposal wouldredistribute electoral power away from the areas that hold Wisconsin’s urban —and mostly Democratic — strongholds.
Republicanlawmakers supportive of these and other proposals say they would restore faithin the fairness of elections.
Sen.Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, who is sponsoring many of the not-yet-introducedbills, said he is concerned about the huge jump in the number of people whoclaim to be “indefinitely confined,” meaning they can vote absentee withoutpresenting a photo ID.
Stroebelalso criticized the proliferation of drop boxes in the November election.These receptacles are not regulated by state law, although electionsofficials say they comply with federal guidance on how they should be secured.
“Throughout2020, gaps, loopholes and outright violations of the clear intent of the lawplagued the election process,” Stroebel said in a statement to Wisconsin Watch.“The COVID-19 pandemic combined with a hotly contested presidential electionwere a tremendous stress on the system, and offered the Wisconsin ElectionsCommission and some — but not all — local election officials a chance todisregard the plain meaning of the law.”
OneGOP bill would dictate that each municipality must have no more than
one drop box— so hundreds of thousands of voters in Milwaukee would have the same number ofabsentee ballot boxes as a town with a few hundred voters.
Stroebel said this and other measures are aimed atintroducing uniformity across the state to create “complete trust in ourelections” and ensure that absentee ballot procedures “comply with existingstatutes.”
Tammy Patrick, a senior advisor at the Democracy Fund, aWashington, D.C.-based voting advocacy group, countered that drop boxes are “embraced all across thecountry” but Republicans demonized them in 2020 as “somehow jeopardizing theintegrity of the election — and that is really problematic.”
Wisconsin voting mostly smooth
Despitethe rancor, experts say Wisconsin’s elections tend to be well-run.
“Byand large, people who are in charge of our elections do their jobs well andacquit themselves well,” Dolan said.
Problems in November were “limited and site-specific, ratherthan the result of a generalized inability of the system to handle a large turnoutamid changes in the law,” according to a report by a coalition of Wisconsin groupsthat favor expansive access to voting. One marker of success: a plunging rateof rejected ballots, 0.2% in November compared to 1.8% in April.
While Wisconsin ranks high on many measures of electionadministration, experts and advocates say more changes could be made to improvethe experience for voters and election workers alike, including creating apermanent absentee voting list; creating more lead time to request absenteeballots to account for postal delays; enacting two-way ballot tracking; andclarifying when and how clerks can fix absentee ballot envelope errors.
UW-Madison political science professor Ken Mayer, whostudies election administration, said that, while there was a lot of talk aboutfraud in the 2020 general election, the bigger danger to election integrity isvoter disenfranchisement.
“You have to worry about the things that are actually real,”Mayer said. “And one of the things that undermines the integrity of theelection process is when you have lots of people … who are unable to vote,whether it’s long lines or (voter) ID (requirements) or other things — thatthat’s actually a threat to the integrity of the system.”
The
nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (wisconsinwatch.org) collaborates with WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and
the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass
Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by
Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison
or any of its affiliates.

author: Anya van Wagtendonk (Wisconsin Watch)


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01_improving_elections (1) | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 9, 2021


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Dwayne Burtin
March 9, 2021


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Dwayne Burtin
March 9, 2021


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PHOTOS: What vaccine distribution looks like in our neighborhoods | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sue Vliet
March 11, 2021
The distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is ramping up throughout the city. Photographer Sue Vliet visited several sites in our neighborhoods to document the efforts.
Resources you should know about
The state Department of Health Services announced a new hotline last week geared toward finding and scheduling appointments for the coronavirus vaccine. The toll-free hotline, (844) 684-1064, will provide callers with answers about the vaccine and help people register.
What you should know about the coronavirus vaccine
Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing!
Check out our Instagram primer
8 things you should know
Fact vs fiction about the vaccine
Clearing the air: Answering commonly asked questions about the coronavirus vaccine
What’s it like to be vaccinated?
Read our story here

author: Sue Vliet


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Post from Community: First Stage announces new Amplify – BIPOC Virtual Short Play Series for Spring 2021 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
First Stage
March 11, 2021
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.
First Stage, one of the nation’s leading theaters for young people and families, is proud to announce the creation of Amplify – First Stage’s BIPOC Virtual Short Play Series, to be developed and produced throughout Spring 2021. In this new series, three short plays will be created by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) playwrights that center on the young person’s point or view, amplifying the voices of these artists and young people throughout the Milwaukee community.
The organization has had a long history of age-appropriate casting and of centering its work on the young person’s point of view. Understanding the power of connection that young people feel when they see themselves and their stories on stage, First Stage is excited to begin this series featuring newly commissioned work from BIPOC playwrights and directors.
Artistic Director Jeff Frank shared: “I’m excited to hear new stories from new voices. It’s nice to reach out to artists and ask them – what is the story you would like to tell in this moment? – and then offer them a platform to develop and share their stories. This is an opportunity to expand our artistic horizons and expand our audiences’ perspective.”
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Each play will be available on the First Stage YouTube channel. Audience members are asked to register to receive the link to each play prior to its premiere. While making a donation is not required for streaming access, all gifts received will help to support the artists involved in the Amplify series and First Stage’s commitment to building an inclusive community. To learn more and to register, please go to:
https://www.firststage.org/amplify
The schedule for Amplify – First Stage’s BIPOC Virtual Short Play Series is:
COPPER HORNS IN WATER
By Ty Defoe
Directed by Johamy Morales
Recommended for families with young people ages 8+
Streaming April 16 – May 16, 2021
UNMUTED
By Alvaro Saar Rios
Music and Lyrics by Deborah Wicks La Puma
Directed by Anna Skidis Vargas
Recommended for families with young people ages 10+
Streaming April 30 – May 30, 2021
Title To Be Announced
By Nikkole Salter
Directed by Samantha Montgomery
Streaming May 20 – June 21, 2021
For any additional questions, please call: (414) 267-2961.

author: First Stage


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Post from Community: Grassroots North Shore hosts candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Grassroots North Shore
March 11, 2021
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 event will take place virtually on March 14 at 7:00 where you can meet Dr. Deborah Kerr and Dr. Jill Underly will be vying for the position of State Superintendent of Public Instruction. They will be arguing their case for leadership policies for Wisconsin’s public schools, including monitoring school performance, and disbursing federal aid.
Moderator for the event is Pablo Muirhead, who is on the Shorewood School Board and is Chair of Teacher Education at Milwaukee Area Technical College. After an introduction and an explanation of the position by Ingrid Walker-Henry, Vice-President of the Milwaukee Teacher’s Education Association, viewers will have the opportunity to hear from and question the candidates.
Dr. Kerr is the former Brown Deer School District superintendent and Dr. Underly is the current superintendent of the rural Pecatonica School District, after having worked at the Department of Public Instruction for 5 years.
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To RSVP and receive an access link for the event, go to the events page at www.grassrootsnorthshore.com.
Grassroots Northshore is Wisconsin’s largest all-volunteer progressive organization and is the progressive voice for the Milwaukee North Shore and Ozaukee County.

author: Grassroots North Shore


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March 10, 2021


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Post from Community: Latest report from Alverno College reveals pathways to public office | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alverno College
March 11, 2021
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 latest report from Alverno College sheds some light on women who hold public office and the various pathways they took to achieve success. Wisconsin Women in Public Life – Elected Officials marks the 50 anniversary of the founding of Alverno’s Research Center for Women and Girls (RCWG) and honors the center’s first report from 1970, Wisconsin Women in Public Office.
Alverno’s RCWG surveyed 98 women across the state in partnership with the Strategic Research Institute of St. Norbert College. The non-partisan survey intended to reach a better understanding of the paths women take to public office and the challenges they face along the way. Studies demonstrate that if they run, women are just as likely as men to win elections, but that young women and girls are less likely to imagine themselves in office. While the landscape of women’s role in public life has changed in the past decade, this survey hopes to better understand the stories of women who are surviving, and thriving, in office today.
Some of the preliminary findings include:
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The preliminary findings will be the focus of a panel discussion on March 25, sponsored by the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee and led by Dr. Lindsey Harness, project director. Additional topics include the importance of women serving in office, why women choose to serve in elected positions, and recommendations for increasing the number of women running for office in Wisconsin. The virtual event is free and will take place from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. To register visit womensfundmke.org.
The full Wisconsin Women in Public Life – Elected Officials report will be released by September, 2021.
The project is sponsored by the State of Wisconsin Women’s Council and the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee.
The Alverno College Research Center for Women and Girls is a center devoted to taking scholarly research that applies to the real world where it can inspire, transform and support initiatives that improve the lives of women and girls in Wisconsin and beyond. The center also partners with community agencies to foster discussion about important issues and identifies emerging research topics that can make a difference in women’s lives.
About Alverno College
Founded in 1887 by the School Sisters of St. Francis, Alverno College promotes the academic, personal and professional development of its students in a collaborative and inclusive environment. Undergraduate programs for women are offered in more than 60 areas of study, and graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology, school psychology, music therapy, music and liturgy, and business are open to women and men.
A leader in higher education innovation, Alverno has earned international accolades for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, which emphasizes hands-on experience and develops in-demand skills. The college, Wisconsin’s first Hispanic-Serving Institution, ranks among the top schools in the Midwest for its commitment to undergraduate teaching and innovation by U.S. News & World Report. For two years, The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education named Alverno the country’s most inspiring college.
Based in Milwaukee, Wis., Alverno College is a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college.

author: Alverno College


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March 11, 2021


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Post from Community: MATC to host ‘Casa Abierta,” a virtual (English-Spanish) bilingual open house, Thursday, March 25 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Area Technical College
March 11, 2021
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.
Milwaukee Area Technical College will host “Casa Abierta,” a virtual, bilingual (English-Spanish) open house for prospective students and their families, from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 25.
Students will hear from Naydeen Gonzalez-De Jesus, MATC’s new executive vice president of student success; meet with bilingual program instructors; and get information about bilingual programs, including college-level programs, GED/HSED programs and English as a Second Language classes. Visitors can also learn about support services for bilingual students, including financial aid and scholarships, such as DACA Plus.
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MATC offers bilingual programs including:
Bilingual Office Assistant
Child Care Services
Preschool Certificate
Early Childhood Education
Dietary Manager Certificate
Medical Interpreter
Nursing Assistant
Dental Assistant
ESL (English as a Second Language)
GED/HSED
For more information and to register, visit matc.edu/CasaAbierta.
Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. Nearly 35,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 150 academic programs; and transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 35 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

author: Milwaukee Area Technical College


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March 11, 2021


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Shaykh Ayyub Al-Amin provided 40 years of service as anchor in Milwaukee’s Muslim community | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
March 11, 2021
Shaykh Ayyub Al-Amin served as a leader in Milwaukee’s Muslim community for over 40 years. (Photo provided by the family of Shaykh Ayyub Al-Amin)
From dawn to dusk, he was there. Always ready to answer the call, he wanted to share his faith with the world.
A loyal friend, a devoted husband and father and a stalwart leader in Milwaukee’s Muslim community, Shaykh Ayyub Al-Amin’s impact was felt all across the city.
Al-Amin died Sunday. He was 87.
Al-Amin was born in Flint, Michigan, in 1933 as Roscoe Simpson. He worked for General Motors in his early life and served in the Korean War.
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In 1973, he married Ruby Lee Cooper in Milwaukee. After half a year, the couple had fully embraced Islam as Ayyub and Waheedah Al-Amin.
This began 40 years of service to the Muslim community, during which Al-Amin helped establish the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center, where he served as executive director. He also was the dawah chairman for the Islamic Society of Milwaukee.
Dawah is the act of inviting people to join the Islamic faith. Al-Amin felt strongly about sharing his faith and established the Islamic Information Service, a hotline that people could call to find out information about the religion. The service was available 24/7 and staffed by Al-Amin himself.
An obituary from Al-Amin’s family said he shared these words with them recently:
“I was lost at one point, and I was searching to be a better man. I met some Muslim brothers who introduced me to Islam, and I had never experienced such kindness and brotherly love in my life. After that moment, I knew that Islam was the path for me, and I had to tell anyone who would listen what Allah did for me.”
Aamer Ahmed, founder of the Ma’Ruf Center in Milwaukee, said that Al-Amin saw the Islamic faith as a way to transform people. The Dawah Center has grown to provide a food pantry and re-entry services to those who have been convicted.
Waheeduddin Ahmed, a friend and colleague of Al-Amin who was active in Milwaukee’s Muslim community, described him as a man capable of getting things done.
Al-Amin would be at the Dawah Center on North Teutonia Avenue from day to night. People who would wander in and speak with him about his faith would leave impressed, Ahmed said. Not a month went by without someone converting, he said.
“He talked to people from his heart,” Waheeduddin Ahmed said.
Aamer Ahmed said he had a way of connecting with people and making them feel heard, which was central to his success.
“If you ever knew him, you’d feel like there was no one else in the world when he’d talk to you,” Aamer Ahmed said.
His wife, Waheedah, who died in 2014, walked in lockstep with him on the journey.
Beginning in 1986, Ayyub and Waheedah began inviting people into their living room to hold Dawah meetings. These meeting eventually grew to a space in a dental office. The Islamic Information Service was based in a grocery store before the Dawah Center was established in 1993.
“These humble beginnings changed the lives of hundreds of families looking for a greater path of life in Islam,” the obituary from his family reads.
In his own life, Aamer Ahmed said he would never forget when he was studying at Rufus King High School and Al-Amin would send someone to pick him up every week for Friday prayer.
“To be running an entire center and still find time to send someone to pick up one kid every week . . . speaks volumes,” Aamer Ahmed said.
Al-Amin is survived by his daughters Pat and Linda Cooper and Tracie Simpson as well as his grandchildren, nieces and nephews and other loved ones. Services were held Tuesday.
A memorial from his family reads:
“He has indeed left a powerful legacy on this planet that is not to be forgotten but lived out by all those who were touched by his vision and life.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 10, 2021


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ShaykhAyyubAl-Amin | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 10, 2021


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5 things to do and know the weekend of March 12 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
March 12, 2021
MilWALKee Walks is hosting an informational session on how to advocate for pedestrian safe streets in Milwaukee. (Photo provided by MilWALKee Walks)
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. Guns Down Miltown community cleanup: Friday, March 12
Guns Down Miltown is hosting a neighborhood cleanup day from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 12. Residents throughout the city are encouraged to help clean up their neighborhoods. Cleanup supplies will be provided to volunteers and groups. Guns Down Miltown is accepting cleanup supplies donations. For more information, text 414-235-7278.
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2. Pi(e) Day celebration with Cakes by Linda Kay: Friday, March 12 and Sunday, March 14
Linda Kay, a member of the Kujichagulia Producers Cooperative, is making pies for Pi(e) Day through her business Cakes by Linda Kay. Available pie flavors include sweet potato, apple, blueberry, pecan, peanut butter and more. To order a pie, call 414-202-8876 or email cakesbylindakay@gmail.com. Pie orders must be placed by 4 p.m. on Friday, March 12. Pies will be available for pickup outside the Sherman Phoenix, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave., from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 14.
3. Northern lights: Virtual planetarium show: Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13
The UWM Planetarium’s virtual show on the northern lights is back. The show will be streamed on YouTube Live at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 12 and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 13. Participants can enjoy the colorful displays of nature’s dancing lights and learn about the science behind them. There will be a Q&A session following the show. For tickets, click here.
4. Pedestrian Power Hour with MilWALKee Walks: Saturday, March 13
MilWALKee Walks presents “Pedestrian Power Hour: Tools to Advocate for Safer Walking in Your Neighborhood.” The information session will provide participants with data on pedestrian safety, resources to create safer streets and opportunities to get involved. The presentation will take place virtually on Zoom from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 13.
5. Kohl’s Family Sundays at Home: Needle and Thread: Sunday, March 14
The Milwaukee Art Museum is inviting families to explore fiber arts during its “Kohl’s Family Sundays: Needle and Thread.” The program will take place virtually and be available to watch starting at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 14. Participants will hear from Lil’ Rev, a local musician and storyteller, and engage in fabric art-related activities. Lil’ Rev will share an ode to the American quilting tradition and lead a tour on the museum’s fabric art. The program will be available from Sunday, March 14 to Sunday, March 28.

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 11, 2021


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How Milwaukee social agencies helped homeless residents during bitter cold spell | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
March 12, 2021
Volunteers at the Street Angels Milwaukee Outreach emergency shelter at Ascension Lutheran Church speak with a guest near a lamp in the gym where guests slept in 2018. (File photo by Elliot Hughes)
This winter has been especially challenging in Milwaukee if you were homeless.
But the city’s social agencies went all out to provide shelter, especially during the first three weeks of February when temperatures hit dangerous lows, and snow piled up as deep as 22 inches in some areas.
On top of that, the coronavirus pandemic limited what these agencies could do.
Due to the pandemic, for example, Milwaukee had to close five of its eight warming rooms —  spaces reserved to help homeless people stay warm — leaving only three open and at reduced capacity.
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Because this could have left people facing homelessness to endure freezing temperatures, IMPACT 2-1-1, which coordinates social services in the city, and its partnering agencies increased efforts to house those living on the streets.
“For the past year, the Milwaukee Continuum of Care has become laser-focused on assessing, problem solving and connecting those experiencing homelessness with immediate resources,” said Vickie Boneck, the marketing and communications director for IMPACT 2-1-1. Continuum of Care is a coalition responsible for planning, organizing and evaluating services for homeless individuals and families.
“The challenge was assuring capacity to anyone who wanted to be indoors,” said Emily Kenney, the coordinated entry program director at IMPACT 2-1-1. “So, we had to do better assessments so that those who needed it the most got spots.”
Boneck said funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has made it possible for IMPACT’s coordinated entry team, which works on the front lines providing services to those in need, to give clients more options for preventing homelessness. Some of these options, such as rent assistance and placement in permanent housing, paired with offering temporary housing when needed, have  resulted in fewer people in need of emergency warming rooms.
Despite these efforts, though, there are still people sleeping on the streets.
Shelly Sarasin, the co-executive director of Street Angels, a nonprofit that helps feed, shelter and advocate for those facing homelessness, said her group’s street outreach team still serves an average of 30 to 35 people a night who are sleeping outside or in their cars.
Sarasin said Street Angels aided those people by providing them with blankets, sleeping bags and hand and foot warmers, and by making sure those sleeping in their cars had gas to get them through the nights.
“I wouldn’t say people were sleeping outside due to a lack of space,” she said. “It was moreso because of mental illness and fear of COVID and [of] congregating in [confined] spaces.”
How to help
Both Street Angels and IMPACT 2-1-1 said there is more that can be done. To support the work of either group, you can visit their websites or for volunteer and donation opportunities.

author: PrincessSafiya Byers


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Leadership shakeup adds to Milwaukee Health Department’s growing list of challenges | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
March 12, 2021
“At this time, there is a shift in leadership, and that is all I have to go on,” Lilliann Paine said in a statement. “In any organization, there are always changes. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had at MHD.” (File photo by Adam Carr)
The Milwaukee Health Department continues to face staffing upheaval and controversy with the announcement this week that two top-level department leaders were departing at the request of new Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson.
Lilliann Paine and Griselle Torres, who served as chief of staff and the deputy health commissioner overseeing data evaluation and strategic planning, respectively, are leaving the department, Johnson, the third commissioner in about three years, announced Tuesday in an email to her staff.
Paine was instrumental in getting racism declared as a public health crisis in Milwaukee, noting the effects of systemic disadvantages in housing, education and policing on the health of residents. The move inspired other health departments across the nation to do the same.
Johnson’s predecessor, Jeanette Kowalik, left the department in September because of toxicity, racism and threats.
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In an opinion article for the Daily Beast, she wrote: “As the only Black woman health officer in the state, the luster of being in the role wore off rather quickly. Mostly, I found myself praying that things wouldn’t get any worse,” Kowalik wrote. “The job was also a personally grating one. It was a constant power struggle from day one. I was ‘micro-aggressed, man- and ‘Karen’-splained beyond belief and subject to major passive-aggressive outbursts and plenty of double standards.” She now works for a national health policy think tank in Washington, D.C.
Kowalik told NNS in an interview Thursday night that Paine and Torres were national leaders in their respective fields. Paine was exemplary for her work in health equity, and Torres was exceptional in health informatics, she said.
Kowalik credits Torres with making several improvements to the Health Department’s website and providing up-to-date information during the pandemic.
Former health commissioner Jeanette Kowalik and chief of staff Lilliann Paine led the way to declare racism as a public health crisis. Both women are no longer with the department. (Photo provided by Lilliann Paine)
In an email to department staffers, Johnson thanked Paine and Torres for their service.
The Milwaukee Common Council voted 12-2 last month to confirm Johnson, the former health commissioner of Washington and Ozaukee counties, to her current role.
Johnson said she is committed to health equity and wants to ensure a diversity of voices are heard. She is responsible for a department that faces several challenges.
Last month, it was revealed that the state Department of Health Service has raised red flags about the department’s incomplete strategic plan, understaffed community outreach programs and the function and role of the Board of Health. The Department of Health Service’s review cites these concerns as a reason to delay recertifying the Milwaukee Health Department as a Level III department. This means the Health Department could lose valuable grant funding.
In addition, the department is still reeling from former Health Commissioner Bevan Baker’s resignation in January 2018 after Mayor Tom Barrett learned that officials did not follow up with the families of at least 577 children who tested positive for lead poisoning in 2017. At the time, Barrett said he believed the total number, including the two prior years, to be more than 1,700. A spokesman said Barrett would not comment on the departures of Paine and Torres.
“At this time, there is a shift in leadership, and that is all I have to go on,” Paine said in a statement. “In any organization, there are always changes. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had at MHD.”
Torres was not immediately available for comment.
Kowalik said new leaders have the right to make changes as they wish but generally wait to understand the functions of the organization they’re taking over.
“I wouldn’t make any changes in the first month, let alone the first week,” Kowalik said.
Kowalik said she did not make any major personnel changes until after her first 90 days in the position. Johnson made her staffing shakeup after entering the position last week.
Kowalik said making significant changes early can result in significant blowbacks and mistrust among employees.
She also said she was concerned with “maintaining the energy” the Health Department had built in addressing equity in the city and raised the issue of representation. Paine is a Black woman, and Torres is Latina.
Paine is also a Milwaukee native and understands the anthropology of the city, Kowalik said.
“It was such a huge win for the city to have someone who worked their way up through the department,” Kowalik said. “It’s having a role model.”
Angela Lang, executive director of Black Leaders Organizing Communities, or BLOC, said Paine was involved in the community and served as a point of contact for her organization during the pandemic. She said because of  her lived experience as a Black woman, she understood things like how some community members did not trust the medical establishment and tailored the department’s messaging to break through that barrier.
“She’s been a trusted validator in the pandemic,” Lang said.
Lang said she thinks leadership should be consistent, especially during a pandemic. She also personally hopes that Paine’s replacement is a Black woman.
“Whoever comes in is going to have some big shoes to fill,” Lang said.
Kowalik said the Health Department needs someone from Milwaukee or a similar urban environment who understands the challenges the community faces as well.
Lang said she wondered if there was enough support for Paine in her role and hoped a larger discussion about supporting Black women in health care could result from this.
“We need to trust Black women to lead and listen to Black women,” Lang said.


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Adam Carr
March 11, 2021


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OPINION: What have we learned one year into the pandemic? Five residents share their observations. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
March 12, 2021
Emilio De Torre (from left), Brenda Marie Banks, Jenny Lee, Pardeep Kaleka and Dr. Victor Amaya
It was on March 12, 2020, that Gov. Tony Evers declared a public health emergency because of the pandemic.
Life as we know it was disrupted, but for these Milwaukeeans, the year was not lost.
We asked NNS contributors who wrote during the pandemic to distill lessons they’ve learned through this tumultuous period, either about their community or for themselves.
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(Photo by Adam Carr)
After serving 14 years at the ACLU of Wisconsin, Emilio De Torre became the executive director of the Milwaukee Turners in June. He also serves on the steering committee of the National Lawyers Guild of Milwaukee.
If I’ve seen anything clearly this past year, it’s that we were NOT prepared to take care of our people.
Milwaukee reeled from the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on Black and Latino communities due to generations of institutional harm. Social media was flooded with “neighbors” who gaslit, victim blamed or flaunted that the disproportionate impact on elders and people of color were allowable casualties, or worse still, lies. There was a prevalent and false narrative that if the harm wasn’t fatal, it was somehow acceptable, and we were weak for not sucking it up.
From my viewpoint as new executive director at Milwaukee’s oldest civic group, I saw us being able to offer some small piece of the solution.
Mutual aid is essential to our ability to thrive in Milwaukee. I’m not looking to get bogged down in definitions and philosophy with the term. For me, mutual aid is about listening to what your friends need and supporting where you can.
The Milwaukee Turners was able to offer free programs to almost two dozen Black and Latinx community leaders who were working to assist neighbors and families affected financially or physically by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was our responsibility to show solidarity with these incredible people who were working tirelessly at great physical and emotional cost to themselves.
We prepared wellness kits for participants to take home and keep. These include annual Turner memberships, yoga mats, exercise equipment, masks and all sorts of self-care goodies from Venice Williams at Kujichagulia Producers Collective and other local businesses. We reached out to community partners to offer free physical and mental fitness classes, yoga, responsibly distanced video games, nutrition, exercise and socializing at Turner Hall and virtually.
We were able to partner with community groups to host food, resources, blood and diaper drives. We’re still in the process of working alongside groups from across the city to listen for what is needed and pull together to do the work.
Those closest to the problem are closest to the solution. This includes disrupting the segregation and racism that has always afflicted Milwaukee and exacerbated the problems that the pandemic brought.
This Saturday, we are again partnering with groups from across the city to provide 500 boxes of free food and over $2,500 worth of gift cards to El Rey. These efforts don’t come from any one organization. The list reads like a who’s who of Black, Latino, Native, Asian and multiracial groups — both new teams and institutional partners — but all regular Milwaukeeans working together during irregular times.
And most importantly? People WANT to support one another. Within 30 minutes of posting on Facebook we had over 40 requests to volunteer for this Saturday’s event.
If we don’t take care of ourselves, who will?
(Photo provided by Brenda Marie Banks)
Brenda Marie Banks, affectionately known as Mama Banks or Evangelist Banks, is a mother, grandmother, ordained minister, prayer warrior and spoken word artist.
This year has taught me that, even in a year of isolation and precaution, love and care still abound.
I had a medical emergency occur late last year where I called an ambulance to transport me to the hospital. It was the evening. My car was parked on the street and needed to be taken into our underground parking garage. Because of what was going on medically, I did not feel safe completing that task; however, I could not leave it parked on the street.
I knocked on a neighbor’s door, one who, along with his wife and toddler, is just a casual acquaintance in the building. I asked for his assistance with moving the car. He knew no more about me than I knew about him.
The possibility that either one of us could have been COVID-19 positive or asymptomatic never entered either one of our minds at that moment. The fact that I was handing my house and car keys to a near stranger wasn’t a consideration for me.
I needed help, and he took that burden off of my heart. He moved my car and stayed with me in the lobby of our building until the paramedics came and took me away.
This incident was a reminder that we must maintain social distancing, practice safe measures and take necessary precautions because of the unknown that COVID-19 brings with it, but that we don’t have to lose our love and concern for our fellow man in the midst of it all.
I have kind and caring neighbors throughout my building, and we may not always know each other’s name, we all must use precautions during this pandemic period, especially in our common areas, but we have never allowed the pandemic to cause pandemonium in our lives.
(Photo provided by Jenny Lee)
Jenny Lee is a stay-at-home chef and former newspaper journalist.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I learned how to use my voice for good.
Having an open conversation is the one action we can still do at a time when we have to wear masks and socially distance. I’ve virtually tapped friends and strangers on the shoulder and pointed out an ignorant, racist or unkind action.
The more friendly I was, the more I could slowly turn around the person’s way of thinking to understand why the action was hurtful. I felt full of gratitude when the person and I came to an understanding. Talking it out made a difference.
I learned how resilient we are after having uncomfortable conversations. And I made more friends.
(Photo provided by Pardeep Kaleka)
Pardeep Kaleka is executive director of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, a published author and clinician specializing in trauma-informed approaches to treat survivors and perpetrators of assault, abuse and acts of violence.
As I reflect on the past year of living through the pandemic, I do so with mixed feelings.
During the first few months of the lockdown, my hope was that our great human family would come together in some sort of united front to fight against this common enemy. However, to my dismay, divisions, politics and American exceptionalism took center stage. As hopeful as I initially was during the months that followed, I felt that hope was truly naïve.
Then came the summer, which put racial justice on the frontlines. The numerous murders of unarmed Black men at the hands of police officers not only challenged our state-sanctioned use of force, but also indicted our deep-down spiritual understanding of the dignity and worth of other human beings. The summer of 2020 provided us with the opportunity to sit still long enough to truly reflect on the historical harm and the trauma that still pervades too many communities in America.
While it may or may not have been the perfect ticket, the election of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris helped many reclaim hope in our far from perfect democracy. Jan. 6 saw the Capitol taken over by insurrectionists who felt threatened that this America was no longer their America. This was a tipping point. We could no longer ignore our violent history.
When I think about the past year of living through the pandemic, I feel fortunate for my health, thankful for my family, friends and community, appreciative that we now have vaccines available and hopeful that the hardships are being exposed and addressed to create a more caring and equitable world.
However, I also look back at this past year and feel extremely grateful that my naiveness was instead replaced by the realization that hope must be accompanied by work, and I’m so proud of all those who continue to do this needed work.
(Photo provided by Dr. Victor Amaya)
Dr. Victor Amaya has 14 years of experience working in and with public schools in the Milwaukee area. Since July 2017, Amaya has served as the managing director of Impact and now is the interim executive director of City Year Milwaukee.
Some say that every cloud has a silver lining. If there was one through this pandemic, it was the opportunity to reimagine education by prioritizing differentiated support and discovering what students need to succeed.
At a time when it is easy to identify the challenges and setbacks that a global pandemic has created for our city and the students we serve, I choose to focus on the lessons we learned and the resiliency and collaboration we have shown as a community to create a great educational experience for students.
When schools closed last spring, City Year Milwaukee AmeriCorps members and staff wasted no time in thinking of ways we could best support students and teachers virtually. We quickly learned about virtual platforms, found best online practices for student engagement and adapted our programming to fit the new needs of students and partner schools.
We worked closely with teachers and principals and saw firsthand that remote learning emphasized the need for students to connect with one another, build relationships and experience a sense of belonging virtually. Building relationships with students was a critical first step in ensuring students had what they needed to be successful.
As a result, our AmeriCorps members found ways to increase the joy factor, greet students in the chat, make positive phone calls home and provide extra academic support during whole class instruction and academic tutoring sessions.
I am grateful for our MPS partner, teachers and school leaders who were willing to share their needs and ways City Year could be leveraged in the virtual space. This year has taught us that our community is in this together. Success does not happen by accident; it happens by design, and I am humbled to have worked alongside such incredible people invested in the development and success of our students.

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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Adam Carr
March 11, 2021

author: Adam Carr


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51020136523_93078a4807_h | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 11, 2021


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51020865741_7b06ae62d5_b | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 11, 2021


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Post from Community: Wisconsin Humanities and Love Wisconsin team up to create Human Powered podcast | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wisconsin Humanities
March 14, 2021
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.
“Among us are neighbors making things better; Human Powered brings their stories to life, warming our hearts and bridging distances real and perceived.” Mike Perry, best-selling author of Population: 485 and Truck: A Love Story
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Human Powered is about how people make places better. In six episodes, our host Jimmy Gutierrez takes us to meet real people who are doing incredible things. We hear, in their words, about the place they call home, what motivates them, how they bring people together, and their struggles and triumphs along the way — from architecture professor Arijit Sen’s work alongside community activists in Milwaukee, to Caroline Gottschalk Drushke’s storytelling collaboration with flood-affected residents of the Driftless, to Tracey Robertson’s anti-racist photography exhibit in Oshkosh. And there’s more!
These stories share the humanity of people across Wisconsin. Listening, we think you’ll feel you understand your state, and your neighbors, a bit better. And we hope that listeners may even be inspired by the power each of us has to make a difference.
We invite you to get to know Wisconsin and your neighbors a bit better. And you may even be inspired by the power each of us has to make a difference.
This whole project is meant to bring folks together and dream of what’s possible together. People will love hearing the voices and intimately getting to know some of the most inspiring people in our state. And the whole production team who are behind bringing the stories together are so incredibly talented. – Jimmy Gutierrez
How to listen to the podcast
You can subscribe and share with friends in your preferred podcast app, including Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pocketcasts

author: Wisconsin Humanities


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human-powered | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 14, 2021


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Post from Community: Young Enterprising Society partners with NABA Milwaukee to host youth summer programming | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Young Enterprising Society
March 14, 2021
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.
Young Enterprising Society (YES) and National Association of Black Accountants – Milwaukee chapter, in sponsorship by Northwestern Mutual, will host Tech+: an eight-week summer program that will train 25 students from June 7, 2021 through August 6, 2021.
Applications are currently open and close on April 11, 2021. It is a two-part application: one for the student and one for the parent. Students are required to have their parent or legal guardian assist them with the application process.
The program will be modeled around technology and entrepreneurship. YES intends to develop a pipeline of diverse students who have the capacity to code, design and develop computer programs. Programming will also include off-site field trips.
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Through their work with thousands of middle and high school students, YES has found that early preparation is the best way to prepare students to enter into the tech ecosystems. Sessions will take place Mondays – Fridays.
Students will focus on four main skills:
At the end of the summer program, each student will present at a Demo Day for community members, sponsors and the students’ families.
To register, click here or visit http://bit.ly/YESTechSummer.
Contact Benetria McGowan at benetria@followtheyes.com for additional questions.

author: Young Enterprising Society


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bg-program-select | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 17, 2021


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yes-twitter-image | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 17, 2021


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5 things to know this week in Milwaukee: March 15 to 20 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
March 15, 2021
Did you know that when you organize a neighborhood cleanup, you can request a Dumpster from the city? Reserve yours today. (File photo by Adam Carr)
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 .
1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg scholarship program:
The Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation has launched the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Scholarship for young women of color. The scholarship is for young women who are planning to obtain a law degree or who are attending law school at Marquette University or the University of Wisconsin. Undergraduates can receive $2,000 a year and graduate students can receive $10,000 a year. The scholarship deadline is Friday, March 26. Anyone interested in donating to the scholarship, can click here.
2. Equal Rights Commission: Women in Milwaukee
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The City of Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission has monthly virtual discussions on topics pertaining to human rights. This month’s conversation, “Women in Milwaukee: Emerging Leadership and Empowerment,” will take place on Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 18. The panelists include Lisa Attonito, executive director of the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee; and Tammie Xiong of the Hmong American Women’s Association. The discussion will also be streamed on the group’s Facebook page.
Milwaukee’s Repertory Theater’s virtual dialogue series, “REPair Divides,” is celebrating Women’s History Month. This month’s conversation, “Celebrating Women in the Theater: Dael Orlandersmith and ‘Until the Flood’,” will take place from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 18. To join the conversation, RSVP to athome@milwaukeerep.com by noon on Wednesday, March 17. Orlandersmith’s play, “Until the Flood,” is currently available to stream for free on the Milwaukee Rep website.
Table of the Saints’ virtual series, “Let’s Talk About It,” is hosting a conversation on incarcerated mothers. The event will begin with an informational presentation followed by a conversation. It will take place on Zoom from 11 a.m. to noon on Friday, March 19. To register, visit the Table of the Saints website.
5. Urban Ecology summer camp registration
Registration for summer camp at the Urban Ecology Center is open. Click here to view the summer camp booklet. Parents can register their child for camp online or by mail. Forms can be found in the camp booklet and mailed to Urban Ecology Center, 1500 E. Park Place, Milwaukee, WI 53211. Camp spots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works is accepting reservations for boxes or Dumpsters. The boxes are for residents who have organized a neighborhood cleanup. To request a box call 414-286-3345 or visit the city’s Sanitation Services website. The city will place up to 13 boxes each Saturday starting Saturday, April 17 through Saturday, July 31. The boxes are part of the city’s 2021 Big Clean MKE efforts.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 14, 2021


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The NNS coronavirus update for week of March 15: A mass vaccination effort on the South Side; new groups to become eligible for vaccine on March 29 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
March 15, 2021
The Milwaukee Health Department has expanded its list of those eligible for the vaccine because of an increase in supplies. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Here’s the latest update on COVID-19 in Milwaukee and the resources you need to combat it.
A new effort led by Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers and Ascension Wisconsin seeks to quadruple the number of vaccines available on the city’s South Side.
Sixteenth Street was selected to participate in the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program and will receive an allotment of vaccines from the federal government. Ascension will provide staff to support the effort.
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The clinic will have the capacity to vaccinate up to 2,000 people a week, the news release said. Vaccinations will take place in a heated tent previously used for COVID-19 testing. The vaccinations will be administered at Sixteenth Street’s Parkway Clinic, 2906 S. 20th St.
Sixteenth Street was the only health center in the state chosen, according to a news release.
Those who are eligible can make an appointment at (414) 672-1353.
The Latinx community, which predominantly makes up the South Side, has been hit hard by COVID-19, accounting for roughly 30% of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city despite making up only 19% of the city’s population. The 53215 and 53204 ZIP codes are the only ones in the city with more than 6,000 confirmed cases.
The Milwaukee Health Department has expanded its list of those eligible for the vaccine because of an increase in supplies.
Those in the currently eligible group, including food supply chain workers and those in long-term Medicaid programs, began receiving the vaccine last week. The vaccine had previously been prioritized for teachers due to smaller supply.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services officials say they have more than doubled the allotments of vaccines coming to Milwaukee County in the last month.
Those who wish to schedule an appointment can go to the city’s website or call (414) 286-6800.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced this week that eligibility for those 16 and older with chronic conditions would begin on March 22. It was originally planned to start on March 29.
Those aged 16 and older with certain medical conditions will be eligible. This is expected to be the last priority group before the vaccine becomes available to the general public. Eligibility for the general public is expected in May.
The following conditions will make a person eligible:
The Medical College of Wisconsin launched a new website last week with useful information about the COVID-19 vaccine.
The webpage includes infographics on safety, community protection and what to expect when you receive the vaccine. It also includes informative videos on herd immunity and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is expected to send 57 medical workers and 25 registered nurses with additional staff to the Wisconsin Center to aid the city’s vaccination efforts.
The agency will provide staffing beginning Monday at the Wisconsin Center site at 400 W. Wisconsin Ave. This will allow local health department employees to staff clinics and other sites operated by the city as well as bump the Wisconsin Center into “federal mass vaccination site” status.
As of March 12, 165,531 people in Milwaukee County had received one dose of the vaccine. This includes 61% of the 65+ population, which amounts to 80,873 people.
The state has fully vaccinated 667,193 people with both doses of the vaccine. The state has administered at least one dose to 1,185,602 people.
About 66% of Wisconsinites over the age of 65 have received the vaccine, for a total of 673.901 people.
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To obtain a free mask, residents can visit these sites:
The Southside Health Center, 1639 S 23rd St, is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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. American Family Field (formerly 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.
For more information on vaccine distribution and where to find it, visit HealthyMKE.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.

author: Matt Martinez


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We Are Here MKE campaign seeks to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence programs for communities of color, LGBTQ residents | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
March 15, 2021
Domestic violence incidents have spiked during the pandemic. (Stock photo)
Domestic violence incidents in Milwaukee and elsewhere have spiked during the pandemic — spurred in part by increased stress levels and by lockdown measures that trapped victims at home with their abusers.
Some seek help but face a number of obstacles to overcome the traumatic circumstances. For Black, Indigenous and people of color, or BIPOC, and LGBTQ communities in Milwaukee, one of those obstacles includes finding access to culturally specific domestic and sexual violence services designed to address their needs and experiences.
“People come in with the difficult situations and trauma and having individuals that might not understand their culture or not have the language expertise, well, that makes it more traumatic,” said Janan Najeeb, president and CEO of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition.
Najeeb’s organization started its domestic violence program three years ago. The program was designed to offer services to Muslim women and provides interpreters in Arabic, Urdu, Malay, Burmese, Rohingya, Hindi, Somali and other languages.
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“Having people that understand those sorts of things within that context that they have lived in provides for better results and helps survivors feel more confident and able to deal with their situation,” she said.
Najeeb’s organization and several others recently launched We Are Here MKE, a campaign that seeks to raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence programs that offer that type of culturally specific help to survivors. The organizations involved in that campaign have programs designed for Black, Asian, Latinx, LGBTQ and Muslim communities and provide services that differ from other mainstream programs.
The campaign, which receives support from the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division, features a website that highlights each of the seven programs that are part of the initiative and provides contact and other information. Organizers hope to get enough philanthropic support to launch a billboard, social media and television campaign in the future. They also plan to create information cards that law enforcement can provide to victims.
One of those programs the cards will highlight is the Asha Project, which offers a holistic approach geared toward African Americans. What makes that program different from other mainstream programs, said Antonia Drew Vann, executive director of Asha, is that it incorporates not only the trauma from victimization but also an understanding and consideration of historical trauma that is felt by the Black community.
“By doing that, we help to eliminate the mistrust that keeps women from coming out of their own homes and communities to find help,” she said. “Historically, people of color and LGBTQ communities experience higher rates of domestic violence and sexual assault but are less likely to report it.”
Although Asha has been around for three decades, Vann said, there is still a limited awareness among residents about the different places they can find help. Finding those spaces is especially crucial as the country continues to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tammy Xiong, executive director of the Hmong American Women’s Association, or HAWA, said mothers have faced incredible hardships as a result of COVID, with many unable to afford housing to leave their violent situations. They’re also struggling to overcome language barriers as they help their children navigate virtual school.
“How do you do those things and still try to find safety while you are in vulnerable situations?” Xiong said.
Another issue Xiong said that many women in her community face is that they lack support to leave abusive situations. That’s another reason why the We Are Here MKE campaign is so important, Xiong said.
“One of the really beautiful things about our organization being able to serve our cultural communities is that we already have a cultural context to help them,” she said. “HAWA exists in that space to provide that support you don’t have.”
The LGBTQ community is another population that struggles to access or at times feel comfortable in mainstream domestic violence programs, according to Jennifer Williams, an anti-violence advocate for Diverse & Resilient. Surveys conducted with that community found that individuals felt more comfortable going to LGBTQ–specific programs. Many won’t reach out to other programs for help as a result, she said.
“LGBTQ might not be in a safe place in a shelter or [might] be questioned about their identity,” Williams said. “Trans people are not reaching out to traditional places and might need gender-affirming resources as well.”
She said the Room to Be Safe program at Diverse & Resilient, which also serves youth survivors of domestic violence, is designed to be responsive to that population’s unique needs, similar to the other programs that are involved in the campaign.
“I think as a collective in this campaign we have a mission to provide resources in a better way to make sure that the people who need the resources get them,” Williams said. “We want to help people get in the door more often.”
– a program designed to advocate for and work with survivors of all violence through individual counseling & advocacy, information & referral, safety planning, and support for LGBTQ communities in Wisconsin. (414) 390-0444, Milwaukee; (920) 840-2040, Appleton.
– an organization that provides comprehensive and culturally sensitive health care for Milwaukee’s Native American community through the tradition of addressing the mind, body, spirit and emotions in order to heal. (414) 383-9526.
– a nonprofit organization that believes in a multi-systematic and integrated approach to providing holistic and high-quality mental health and wellness care for Indigenous and underserved communities. (414) 763-5815.
a non-profit organization that advocates for social justice within the Hmong and Southeast Asian community through collective and inclusive action. (414) 930-9352.
a local outreach organization dedicated to promoting an accurate understanding of Islam and Muslim women. Over the years, MMWC’s work expanded to include leadership, healthcare, and job training programs for women and girls. (414) 727-4900.
an advocacy organization that provides programs and services to improve the employment, educational, health and housing opportunities of underserved populations. (414) 389-6500.

author: Edgar Mendez