La Crosse, WI — Today, the Washington Post published an extensive fact check of two of Senator Ron Johnson’s most egregious claims about COVID-19 vaccines and natural immunity from the disease. For falsely saying, and repeating, that, “Natural immunity is as strong if not stronger,” than immunity offered by the COVID-19 vaccines, and claiming, again falsely and multiple times, that the vaccines have, “Some pretty serious side effects, including death,” the analysis gave Senator Johnson a “Four Pinocchios” rating. In response to the fact-check, which can be read here, Dr. Bob Freedland, an ophthalmologist in La Crosse and the Wisconsin

MADISON- The proposal for a statue of notable civil rights advocate Vel Philips to be featured on the grounds of the Wisconsin Capitol was approved by a subcommittee of the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board (SCERB). Representative Stubbs (D-Madison) is a member of the Vel Phillips Statue Task Force which spearheaded this effort. Her statement is below: “In her fierce advocacy for civil rights, Vel Philips paved the way for many of us in public service today.  In being the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and to become Secretary of State in

(Stoddard, WI) – This morning, Senator Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) joined U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) on the Servais Farm in Stoddard for a round table with farmers on how international trade and markets impact family farming in Wisconsin. The panelists spoke about the state of Wisconsin’s agriculture exports and their prospects. According to data compiled by the International Agribusiness Center, Wisconsin exported more than $3.37 billion in agricultural and food products to 145 countries in 2020. Following the roundtable, Senator Pfaff made the following statement: “U.S. Trade Rep. Tai’s visit demonstrates the value that our

July 16, 2021 Contact: Samara Sheff 202-495-8879 Congresswoman Gwen Moore Introduces Legislation to Expand Education and Training for Doulas and Midwifery Washington, D.C –  A bipartisan group of Ways and Means Committee members introduced legislation, The Pathways to Health Careers Act, to expand and improve the Health Professions Opportunity Grant Program (HPOG) to help low-income Americans gain entry into health care professions.  This bill includes the Opportunities to Support Mothers and Deliver Children (OSMDC) Act, which would create a new demonstration project within HPOG to provide low-income people with education and training in doula and midwifery professions. HPOG proposes provisions in education and job training

July 16, 2021 Contact: Samara Sheff 202-495-8879 Congresswoman Gwen Moore Secures Community Project Funding in FY 2022 Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Funding Bill Today, Rep. Gwen Moore announced that she had secured inclusion of a total of $857,000 in funding for three separate projects by Pathfinders Milwaukee, Inc., the Benedict Center, and the Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin in the Fiscal Year 2022 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development bill. In response, she released the following statement: “Every person deserves to live in safe, affordable housing. The pandemic has only highlighted this need as essential to one’s health and

July 16, 2021 Contact: Rori Paloski, DNR Conservation Biologist rori.paloski@wisconsin.gov or 608-516-3742 Incidental Take Notice For Eau Claire County   MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue a permit for the incidental taking of a rare turtle, which may result from the City of Augusta Water Quality Trading Project.  Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the species’ overall population at risk. Eau Claire County proposes to stabilize portions of the Diamond Valley Creek streambank in Augusta by installing rip-rap, a cattle stream crossing (ford)

7/16/21 CONTACT: Anna Dvorak 414-469-0118; anna@vdlf.org Momentum Building to Pass Citizenship for 11 Million Essential Workers and Families in 2021   Voces de la Frontera Applauds Senate Democrats  for Including Funding for Citizenship in Biden’s Jobs Budget Bill (Milwaukee, WI) – Earlier this week, Democrats in the U.S. Senate came out with their economic budget package that includes creating a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented essential workers, Dreamers, TPS holders, farmworkers and their families.   If passed, this proposal would be the first immigration overhaul in 30+ years and would be a huge boost for the American economy. According to

Keep an eye on your speed as Wisconsin State Patrol (WSP) officers take to the sky to monitor traffic on state highways in four counties. WSP’s Aerial Support Unit is scheduled to conduct aerial speed enforcement in Pierce, Kenosha, Portage and Dane counties next week. Weather permitting, the pilots plan to patrol:  Monday, July 19   WIS 35 in Pierce County I-41/94 in Kenosha County   Thursday, July 22  I-39 in Portage County I-39/90 in Dane County The State Patrol’s primary mission is public safety, which includes enforcing traffic laws to help make sure drivers reach their destinations safely.   Aerial