Family-owned Fond du Lac business producing masks amid pandemic

A small family-owned manufacturer in Fond du Lac has been churning out thousands of face masks in recent months and has raised more than $10,000 for the local Salvation Army through sales of these much-needed products.  United Manufacturers Inc. was founded as an industrial sewing operation by Jeffrey and Anne Faris more than 36 years ago, and is now run by sisters Alison Faris Helleberg a… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options. Username or E-mail Password * Remember Me

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FRI REPORT: Legal tab for GOP lawmakers’ private attorneys nears $4.8 million

Quotes of the Week While I am still hopeful that the federal government will adopt further bipartisan proposals to stabilize funding for state and local services, in the face of continued inaction and uncertainty, the unfortunate reality is that we must take these steps and make more significant cuts. – Gov. Tony Evers, who directed agencies to identify $250 million in cuts for the current bienniu… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options.

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Rep. Vruwink: Praying for a safe and successful school year

The start of a new school year typically brings anxiety and excitement for both teachers and students. This year, anxiety and not excitement will likely prevail for most students and teachers.  Schools were shut down last spring to slow the spread of the virus, but we now have more Covid diagnoses than we did at its worst in April. One of the many challenges of re-opening classrooms in Wisconsin is that there isn’t much good data about what could happen if we do open. Will in-person learning lead to a jump in transmission of Covid-19? Will students and teachers get

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U.S. Rep. Moore: 100 days out from November elections, DPW electoral infrastructure far superior to GOP

“This appropriations package will support efforts to fight the growing level of hunger in our country, guarantee clean and water in all communities and support our service members their families and the services they rely on, and ensure that our country’s values are reflected in how we interact around the world. I am proud that the bill includes my request to boost funding for grants to help school breakfast expansion. Unfortunately, many kids continue to miss out on a critical meal to start the day and these funds will help more schools be able to start, maintain, or adopt innovate programs

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WisDems: 100 days out from November elections, DPW electoral infrastructure far superior to GOP

Following the 2016 presidential election when Donald Trump became the first Republican to win Wisconsin since 1984, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin committed to breaking down and rebuilding the state party’s infrastructure to help the 2020 presidential nominee take back Wisconsin — and the White House. Now, the party has partnered with Biden For President and other candidates up and down the ballot to form the Wisconsin Coordinated Campaign — a unified organizing effort to elect Biden and Democrats in 2020. To date, the state party’s investments have paid huge dividends with electoral victories up and down the ticket over the past three

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SSDC: Darling dodges 100 days of work

MADISON – Friday, July 24th marks the 100th day since Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and her Republican colleagues adjourned the legislative session. While neighboring states like Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan have already implemented safety precautions like requiring individuals to wear masks, similar pleas in Wisconsin have fallen on deaf ears of Republican legislators, including Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills). Despite COVID-19 cases and deaths continuing to rise, Republicans have refused to enact any life saving precautions. “As Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Finance, Senator Darling has refused to use her position to protect the health and well-being of

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Dept. of Natural Resources: Wisconsin Natural Resources Board Special Virtual Meeting July 30

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board will host a special meeting virtually next week to reconsider the Board’s action on Agenda Item 4.C. on June 24, 2020 relating to antlerless deer harvest quotas, antlerless permit levels and a deer hunting season framework for 2020. If reconsideration passes, the Board’s June 24, 2020 decision will be reconsidered. The meeting will begin at 7 a.m. Thursday, July 30, originating from Room G11 of the State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2), 101 S. Webster St. Although the public will not be allowed to attend the meeting in-person from GEF 2 due to COVID-19

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African American Leadership Alliance: New study compares African American well-being in Milwaukee to other cities, reveals opportunities for positive change

Milwaukee, WI (July 24, 2020) – The African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee (AALAM) today announced the results of a new study that measures the overall well-being of the city’s Black community. The study reveals key catalytic areas where there is opportunity to drive positive systemic and structural change. The AALAM/UWMCED Index of African American Well-Being in the Nation’s Largest Metropolitan Areas, presents a systematic compilation of where Black Milwaukee ranks compared to the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas on 30 indicators of community well being, including employment, community health, social and economic conditions, education, and conditions for youth and

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Dept. of Military Affairs: Even amidst COVID-19 pandemic, units complete annual training to maintain readiness for state and federal missions

FORT MCCOY, Wis. — Every Wisconsin National Guard Soldier and Airman completes a minimum of two weeks of training every year in addition to their regular weekend drills. This annual training looks different for Soldiers and Airmen depending on their military occupation, but the training’s important contribution to unit readiness stays the same even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several Wisconsin National Guard units recently completed their traditional annual training requirements, and still others will complete theirs in the coming weeks. “COVID still remains a significant health concern, yet units must prioritize annual training for the sake of sustaining proficiency in

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Citizens Utility Board: Wisconsin regulators cite surge in COVID-19 cases, delay shutoffs of utility customers

Disconnections of utility customers in Wisconsin won’t start this weekend after the Public Service Commission voted to delay shutoffs until Sept. 1, citing worsening COVID-19 statistics in Wisconsin. The PSC voted 2-1 to require utilities to hold off on disconnecting customers who are behind on their bills, citing changed circumstances since the Commission’s last meeting on this more than a month ago. “The Commission is clearly trying to strike a balance here, and clearly there will be costs that come due at some point, but record case numbers in Wisconsin compelled the Commission to act for public health and safety

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Sen. Nass: Backlog of potentially thousands of negative results has skewed the data

Senator Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) has been pursuing the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to publicly acknowledge there has been a significant backlog in local public health departments entering thousands of negative Covid-19 test results.  Earlier this week, Dane County admitted they had not entered all of their negative results since July 10th and was running about a two week backlog in processing negative results.  Dane County is Wisconsin’s second largest county and has seen a huge increase in people seeking testing since mid-June.  “DHS and local public health departments have been aware of the backlog in counting negative test results

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Citizen Action: Loss of federal unemployment stimulus will devastate Wisconsin working families, lead to over 65,000 additional jobs losses

STATEWIDE: On a media webinar today Citizen Action of Wisconsin was joined by State Senator La Tonya Johnson to release a new report showing the economic consequences of a failure of Congress to extend the $600-per-week benefit for out-of-work and partially working Wisconsinites. Without a renewal by Congress and the President, the benefits will expire on Saturday in Wisconsin. Republicans in Washington remain gridlocked, and will not make a counter proposal to House Democrats (who passed an unemployment extension in May) until next week at the earliest.  A video recording of the news conference is available here. The report breaks down the economic

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Opportunity Wisconsin: New data shows Wisconsinites still face steep unemployment, as pandemic unemployment assistance expires in days

MADISON, Wis. — Yesterday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new data that reveals Wisconsinites are still grappling with devastating unemployment and layoffs nearly five months into the coronavirus pandemic. As of this week, more than 25,000 Wisconsinites have filed for unemployment since March and the most recent rate of unemployment in Wisconsin remains a staggering 8.5 percent. Two months ago, Opportunity Wisconsin unveiled a new website to share updated and aggregated job data from across the state. The site has been updated to reflect today’s new monthly jobs numbers and offers data visualizations of the economic pain lingering

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Dept. of Justice: U.S. Attorney’s office recognizes 30th anniversary of ADA

MADISON, WIS. – On July 26, 2020, our nation reflects on the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA), a landmark civil rights law that aims to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities.   The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin is committed to vigorous enforcement of the ADA. The ADA was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush.  It is one of America’s most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream

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Rewind: Your Week in Review for July 24

On this week’s episode, WisconsinEye’s Steve Walters and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel state government and politics reporter Patrick Marley discuss Gov. Tony Evers’ call for $250 million in agency budget cuts, the state’s growing COVID-19 numbers, plans to restore damaged Capitol statues and more.

Read More »

Family-owned Fond du Lac business producing masks amid pandemic

A small family-owned manufacturer in Fond du Lac has been churning out thousands of face masks in recent months and has raised more than $10,000 for the local Salvation Army through sales of these much-needed products.  United Manufacturers Inc. was founded as an industrial sewing operation by Jeffrey and Anne

Read More »

Rep. Vruwink: Praying for a safe and successful school year

The start of a new school year typically brings anxiety and excitement for both teachers and students. This year, anxiety and not excitement will likely prevail for most students and teachers.  Schools were shut down last spring to slow the spread of the virus, but we now have more Covid

Read More »

SSDC: Darling dodges 100 days of work

MADISON – Friday, July 24th marks the 100th day since Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and her Republican colleagues adjourned the legislative session. While neighboring states like Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan have already implemented safety precautions like requiring individuals to wear masks, similar pleas in Wisconsin have fallen on deaf

Read More »

African American Leadership Alliance: New study compares African American well-being in Milwaukee to other cities, reveals opportunities for positive change

Milwaukee, WI (July 24, 2020) – The African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee (AALAM) today announced the results of a new study that measures the overall well-being of the city’s Black community. The study reveals key catalytic areas where there is opportunity to drive positive systemic and structural change. The

Read More »

Dept. of Military Affairs: Even amidst COVID-19 pandemic, units complete annual training to maintain readiness for state and federal missions

FORT MCCOY, Wis. — Every Wisconsin National Guard Soldier and Airman completes a minimum of two weeks of training every year in addition to their regular weekend drills. This annual training looks different for Soldiers and Airmen depending on their military occupation, but the training’s important contribution to unit readiness

Read More »

Citizen Action: Loss of federal unemployment stimulus will devastate Wisconsin working families, lead to over 65,000 additional jobs losses

STATEWIDE: On a media webinar today Citizen Action of Wisconsin was joined by State Senator La Tonya Johnson to release a new report showing the economic consequences of a failure of Congress to extend the $600-per-week benefit for out-of-work and partially working Wisconsinites. Without a renewal by Congress and the President,

Read More »

Opportunity Wisconsin: New data shows Wisconsinites still face steep unemployment, as pandemic unemployment assistance expires in days

MADISON, Wis. — Yesterday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new data that reveals Wisconsinites are still grappling with devastating unemployment and layoffs nearly five months into the coronavirus pandemic. As of this week, more than 25,000 Wisconsinites have filed for unemployment since March and the most recent rate

Read More »

Rewind: Your Week in Review for July 24

On this week’s episode, WisconsinEye’s Steve Walters and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel state government and politics reporter Patrick Marley discuss Gov. Tony Evers’ call for $250 million in agency budget cuts, the state’s growing COVID-19 numbers, plans to restore damaged Capitol statues and more.

Read More »