MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes today announced a series of People’s Budget virtual listening sessions as the state begins the 2021-2023 state budget process. Gov. Evers and Lt. Gov. Barnes will host four virtual, issue-based budget listening sessions to hear directly from families and workers about the issues affecting Wisconsin. The first virtual listening session will occur on Tues., Nov. 17, 2020 at 6 p.m. and will focus on healthcare and public health in Wisconsin. “Our first budget was crafted by and with the people of our state, and this budget will be no different,” said

Amid record high cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is asking residents to adjust their holiday plans in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. DHS has published best practices for celebrating the upcoming holidays that enable Wisconsinites to honor their traditions while doing their part to protect their communities. “I know this upcoming holiday season is going to be especially tough,” said Governor Tony Evers. “But the actions we take now will ensure that we can celebrate together once this pandemic is over. Folks, I am asking everyone to come together and take the steps needed to

MILWAUKEE – County Supervisors Ryan Clancy and Joe Czarnezki are requesting that potential surplus tax levy funds be used to renovate the Detention Center kitchen at the Vel R. Phillips Youth and Family Justice Center. A newly renovated space with commercial kitchen equipment would allow for an onsite community-supported culinary apprenticeship program for youth to be developed. “A culinary apprenticeship program could have a tremendous positive impact on youth in the County’s care,” said Supervisor Czarnezki. The Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) staff indicated they have the capacity to support culinary apprenticeship programming in an upgraded kitchen space. “This project has

City of Racine – Today, Dottie-Kay Bowersox, the City of Racine Public Health Administrator, issued a Public Health Order and updated the Safer Racine ordinance to require that all schools within the jurisdiction of the Racine Public Health Department (includes City of Racine, Wind Point, and Elmwood Park) to close their buildings and suggests schools switch to virtual learning from November 27, 2020, through January 15, 2021. “COVID-19 is being spread throughout the community in the number of daily cases and rates of positivity that have not been seen before. Outbreaks are linked to family gatherings on private property with people

Following the announcement of 100% capacity at area hospitals, along with the executive order issued by Gov. Tony Evers concerning the rise of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin, three western Wisconsin regional UW campuses have decided to move to remote instruction after Thanksgiving break, the chancellors said in a joint statement. “We all had high hopes of returning to campus after the fall break to continue our in-person classes,” said UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Jim Schmidt. “But with these two pieces of important information within a 24-hour period – it was a literal game-changer. Governor Evers’ recommendations to help mitigate the virus includes advising folks to stay home because – in his words – the crisis is urgent. In the spirit of public good requested by

Menomonie, Wis. — Golf is a relatively simple endeavor. It consists of hitting a ball as few times as possible into a 4¼-inch hole. But, as two University of Wisconsin-Stout hospitality professors know, it’s so much more than that. The experience extends well beyond the parameters of physically playing 18 holes. What makes a great golf experience, from preround to postround and everything in-between? Associate Professor Kris Schoonover and Professor Eric Brey from UW-Stout’s School of Hospitality Leadership will present their research in a free, national two-part webinar at noon Tuesday, Nov. 17, and Thursday, Nov. 19. The webinar, Driving

MADISON – Researchers have discovered a previously unknown way that pancreatic cells decide how much insulin to secrete. It could provide a promising new target to develop drugs for boosting insulin production in people with Type 2 diabetes. In a pair of papers recently published in Cell Metabolism, scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and their colleagues point to an overlooked enzyme known as pyruvate kinase as the primary way pancreatic beta cells sense sugar levels and release the appropriate amount of insulin. From several proof-of-concept experiments in rodents and on human pancreatic cells, the team found that drugs stimulating

WISCONSIN — On Tuesday, as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Trump administration’s lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, Governor Tony Evers joined Protect Our Care Wisconsin, providers, and health care advocates to discuss how the lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Wisconsinites, particularly as COVID-19 continues to spread across the state and around the country. In a piece in the Wisconsin Examiner, Erik Gunn writes that Governor Tony Evers called on the Supreme Court to consider the dire consequences of overturning the Affordable Care Act in the middle of a public health emergency,

MILWAUKEE_The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Area Technical College and Mount Mary University are combining efforts to improve and expand access to nutrition and dietetics education, with a special emphasis on diversifying the workforce. The three institutions recently received a $30,000 Higher Education Challenge Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to plan pathways for students to move easily between current and planned nutrition and dietetics programs to earn degrees and certification in the field. One key goal of the planning grant is to build the interinstitutional infrastructure to lower barriers to the pursuit of nutrition and dietetics-related professions, particularly

Last night the Madison Common Council approved the 2021 Capital and Operating Budgets. The Council adopted a $166.4 million Capital Budget and a $349.5 million Operating Budget that was about $28,000 below the allowable levy increase. “This was a very difficult budget for the City of Madison. We started with a $16 million deficit due to the pandemic, but ultimately we were able to move forward in a way that still supports critical investments in housing, homelessness, youth jobs and more. We also made progress on reimagining public safety with important new investments in a Violence Prevention Unit and an

APPLETON, Wis. (November 12, 2020) – In response to increased demand for community-wide COVID-19 health information in the Fox Cities, the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce has created a series of online community briefings to be broadcast in November-December 2020. The first event will take place November 19 at noon. Healthy Fox Cities, presented by Ascension Wisconsin, is designed to bring together subject-matter experts from across the Fox Cities to discuss a variety of health topics. The briefings will be available to view via Zoom, and questions may be submitted by media and members of the public at the conclusion of

MADISON – In late 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged in China and quickly spread across the world, leading to the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2020, that virus mutated, likely in Europe, and that mutation is now the dominant form of the virus across the globe. A new study published today in Science by a team of researchers in the U.S. and Japan shows that the mutant virus, called G614, is more easily transmitted and grows better within hosts, likely aiding its dominance. It differs from the original virus by just one amino acid, or short string of genetic code, in

MADISON, WI – Today, the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin (TDA) bestowed its highest honor on the men and women across Wisconsin who kept the state “moving” throughout the COVID health emergency. “This year there was only one choice for the Transportation Service Award – Wisconsin’s essential transportation workers,” explained TDA Executive Director Debby Jackson at the organization’s annual meeting. “Throughout this year, these men and women stayed on the job to operate, build, and maintain Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure. Because of them, other essential services were provided, and families across the state and around the nation had access to food,