Gay priests in ‘cages’; closing Lincoln Hills; coal ash dangers; dairy farmers in crisis; hate groups surge
Of note: Thousands of Catholic priests, who make vows of celibacy, are secretly gay, The New York Times reports. The story features a gay priest from the Milwaukee area who recounts the hatred against homosexuals he experienced as a young seminarian. That indoctrination led to years of self-loathing, the Rev. Gregory Greiten said.
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‘It is not a closet. It is a cage.’ Gay Catholic priests speak out
The New York Times — February 17, 2019
The crisis over sexuality in the Catholic Church goes beyond abuse. It goes to the heart of the priesthood, into a closet that is trapping thousands of men. The story features a priest from the Milwaukee area who says being gay in the church was “like a death sentence.”
What the closing of Lincoln Hills youth prison means to you and Milwaukee
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service — February 19, 2019
You may have heard that Lincoln Hills is closing, but what does that mean for Milwaukee youth and its neighborhoods?
Coal’s other dark side: Toxic ash that can poison water and people
National Geographic — February 19, 2019
Workers who cleaned up a huge spill from a coal ash pond in Tennessee in 2008 are still suffering—and dying. The U.S. has 1,400 ash dumps. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin State Journal reports that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is proposing to issue Alliant Energy a new five-year permit for its coal-fired power plant south of Portage without imposing federal guidelines on coal ash designed to curb water pollution.
Dairy farmers are in crisis — and it could change Wisconsin forever
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — February 21, 2019
Farmers cling to a dream that, for some, has become a nightmare.
Hate groups reach record high in Trump era: Study
The Crime Report — February 21, 2019
The number of hate groups operating across America rose to 1,020 in 2018, according to a new report released by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The number of “hate” groups in Wisconsin listed by SPLC surged to 15 in 2018 from the 2017 total of nine. Previously from WCIJ: A look at Wisconsin’s ‘hate’ groups
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