MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced Tuesday that adults over the age of 65 will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine beginning next Monday (Jan. 25). However, DHS officials cautioned that it will take time to vaccinate the approximately 700,000 Wisconsinites in this age category. Frontline health care workers, residents in […]
Tag: COVID 19
Posted inCORONAVIRUS
So you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19. What next?
By Bram Sable-Smith WPR/Wisconsin Watch Morganne Seiner struggled to decide whether to visit her sister’s family in Marshfield, Wisconsin for Christmas. The 29-year-old Waterloo resident is five-months pregnant with her first child, a girl. She knew that traveling could put herself and the baby at risk of exposure to the coronavirus. On the other hand, […]
Posted inCORONAVIRUS
DHS Announces Weekly Newsletter to Keep Public Informed of COVID-19 Response and Vaccine Progress
The Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today a newsletter the public can sign up for to get direct information about the COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout. Every Friday, a COVID-19 update newsletter will be sent via email to people who sign up to receive it. Registration is now open, and archived copies of the […]
Posted inBusiness, Local news
Downtown Racine in 2020: ‘Intense Challenges Faced’
RACINE – Downtown Racine Corp. (DRC) this week reported a few silver linings amid a 2020 that was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Downtown business development and promotional organization summarized its accomplishments in its 2020 Review. “Despite the intense challenges we faced, we were able to pivot and provide major resources to the Downtown […]
Posted inCORONAVIRUS
Wisconsin National Guard Continues COVID-19 Testing Throughout the State
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin National Guard specimen collection teams continue testing across the state at a number of regional community-based testing sites. Teams have collected a cumulative total of over one million specimens since April 2020 at community-based testing sites and institutional-based testing missions. The Wisconsin National Guard’s collection activities support the Wisconsin Department of […]
Posted inGovernment, Local news
Gov. Evers, DCF Announce Wisconsin Awarded $30 Million Federal Grant for Early Care and Education
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers and Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Emilie Amundson today announced that Wisconsin was awarded a Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) Renewal, totaling $30 million over the next three years. Wisconsin previously received a $10 million PDG B-5 Planning Grant. That one-year funding helped the […]
Posted inCORONAVIRUS
CDC Shut Down a Lab Involved in Making Faulty Coronavirus Tests
by James Bandler, Patricia Callahan and Sebastian Rotella With no public notice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October shut down a key lab involved in making faulty COVID-19 tests for state and local health authorities early in the pandemic. The move came less than six hours after ProPublica published an investigation that […]
Posted inCity Hall, Government, Local news
City to Allow Schools Reopening, Higher Capacities in Businesses
RACINE – The City of Racine is revising its “Safer Racine” ordinance to allow schools to reopen buildings and increase the capacity limits on retail stores, bars, restaurants, and indoor recreation facilities. The revisions, released Monday by Racine Public Health Administrator Dottie Kay Bowersox, will allow all public and private school buildings within the City […]
Posted inGovernment, Local news, Politics
Wisconsin caucuses pose thorny safety issues during pandemic
By Anya van Wagtendonk Wisconsin Watch This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. Every January across Wisconsin, some towns and villages hold time-honored, in-person caucuses to nominate candidates for local offices. Residents gather in town or village halls, schools, and other community spaces to […]
Posted inCORONAVIRUS
As semester ends in Wisconsin, COVID-19 fears shrink — while concerns of academic slide grow
By Peter Cameron For Wisconsin Watch One family reported driving to the community library parking lot, sitting there for hours each day so their children could use the wifi to do homework in the car. Another student reported having to do the same thing in the parking lot of the local McDonald’s. “I’m gaining weight,” […]
Posted inCORONAVIRUS, Local news
Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing Resumes This Week in County
RACINE COUNTY – Drive-through COVID-19 testing resumes at two locations in Racine County this week. The free tests are conducted by the Wisconsin National Guard. Testing is offered Wednesdays, through March 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Racine County Fairgrounds in Union Grove, 19805 Durand Ave. (Highway 11) Vehicles should enter the […]
Posted inCelebrations
Year in Review: 2020 Hometown Heroes
Dealing with the COVID-19 crisis has made for a turbulent year. We started the RCE Hometown Hero series to recognize the individuals who have gone above and beyond to keep our communities as safe and healthy as possible. These individuals have been nominated by our readers and exemplify the best of our beautiful and resilient […]
Posted inElections, Government, Local news, Politics
Wisconsin’s nonvoters could be a powerful bloc — but barriers, disillusionment stand in the way
By Nora Eckert Wisconsin Watch This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. When Angela Lang reflects on the thousands of conversations she and other members of her community organization, BLOC, have had with Milwaukee residents, one floats to the top of her mind. Angela […]
Posted inCORONAVIRUS
Midwest states collaborate on pandemic response, highway safety
Midwestern states have been collaborating on a variety of transportation issues, from the future of vehicle technology to their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts, led by the Mid America Association of Transportation Officials (MAASTO), are the topic of a special three-part series of Transportation Connects Us, the official podcast of the Wisconsin Department […]
Posted inCORONAVIRUS
COVID-19 Contact Tracing App Launches in Wisconsin
WI Exposure Notification, a new mobile app to assist in notifying contacts of people who’ve tested positive for COVID-19, is now live. The voluntary app complements the state’s and partner agencies’ efforts in contact tracing by letting Wisconsinites know faster if they’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, allowing them to take […]