A nurse pulls a ventilator into an exam room where a patient with COVID-19 went into cardiac arrest April 20, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Yonkers, N.Y. Some experts say the jury is still out about how effectively ventilators treat COVID-19, particularly for patients with less severe symptoms. John Minchillo / AP
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Safety prep for May 12 election; doctors rethink ventilator use; meat-packing plant dangers revealed; from Rust to Resilience; big political donors open wallets


Of note: This week we highlight Wisconsin Watch stories on the debate over how Wisconsin should hold in-person voting during the pandemic. Once again, the National Guard will shore up a shrinking pool of workers willing to run the polls during the COVID-19 crisis. Experts say states including Wisconsin should move more to mail-in balloting — but clerks say they do not have the people or money to make such a rapid shift. Meanwhile, questions remain about whether the postal service is up to the task.

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A poll worker assists a city of Milwaukee employee with check-in at Marshall High School in Milwaukee on April 7. Coburn Dukehart / Wisconsin Watch

Wisconsin set to hold more elections during coronavirus pandemic, as clerks scramble to ensure safety

Wisconsin Watch — May 5, 2020

Many states have postponed elections or moved to all-mail in voting. Wisconsin’s 1,850 municipal clerks must figure out how to hold safe in-person balloting. In a related story: 

Watch out for absentee ballot mailings — because they may not help you vote

Special Report: Regulatory gaps and missed opportunities allowed COVID-19 to spread freely in U.S. meatpacking plants

South Dakota News Watch — April 29, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed the U.S. meatpacking industry, but public health experts say the risks posed to workers and the food supply chain by airborne viral infections were readily apparent and could have been addressed years ago.

Kochs, Uihleins, Tribes, Kwik Trip owners spend heavily in Northern Wisconsin special election campaign

The Badger Project — May 6, 2020

Koch Industries, Native American tribes and the owners of Kwik Trip and Uline are big donors and spenders in the special election race for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District next week.

A nurse pulls a ventilator into an exam room where a patient with COVID-19 went into cardiac arrest April 20, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Yonkers, N.Y. John Minchillo / AP

‘Almost a death sentence’: How Wisconsin doctors, peers are rethinking ventilators for coronavirus

WPR/Wisconsin Watch — May 4, 2020

Health officials once feared a ventilator shortage for treating COVID-19 patients. Now some Wisconsin facilities try to avoid using the equipment.

From Rust to Resilience: What climate change means for Great Lakes cities

Institute for Nonprofit News

As climate change makes other parts of the United States increasingly inhospitable, the Great Lakes region could become a “climate refuge” where temperatures are relatively moderate and the lakes themselves provide ample freshwater — an increasingly valuable commodity. At the same time, the region is highly vulnerable to the heat waves, flooding and severe storms expected to increase with climate change. Aging infrastructure and shorelines vulnerable to water level changes make Great Lakes municipalities especially susceptible to impacts from climate change.

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