Medical examiner turmoil; abortion access flights; Elections Commission shakeup; hypnotist pushes election misinfo; baby formula crisis

Of note: This week we highlight our report about alleged screaming and bullying by supervisors in the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office that employees say damaged their mental health. Twelve current and former employees told Wisconsin Watch reporter Brenda Wintrode that two of their bosses fueled a “toxic work environment” that county officials failed to address for a decade. The turmoil lengthened case backlogs, leaving families waiting on death certificates. The two supervisors accused of bullying — Barry Irmen, operations director, and Dr. Agnieszka Rogalska, the chief medical examiner — denied the allegations.

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‘Toxic work environment’ in Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office pushes employees to the brink

Wisconsin Watch — May 25, 2022

The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office in April rehired an unpopular former operations director, prompting his shocked colleagues to make public longstanding complaints that he and his bosses created “a toxic work environment” that top county officials failed to fix.

Volunteer pilots, access groups prepare to get Wisconsinites out of state for abortions if Roe is overturned

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin — May 26, 2022

More than 100 small-aircraft pilots are prepared to begin flying people seeking abortions to states where the procedure remains legal if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Dean Knudson’s resignation from the Wisconsin Elections Commission came after Ron Johnson said he had lost support from GOP

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — May 26, 2022

A Republican member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission announced his resignation this week after U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson took a rare step into state politics and told a top GOP lawmaker that the commissioner had lost support from his own party.

US safety, savings rules set stage for baby formula shortage

Associated Press — May 25, 2022

A massive recall is getting most of the blame for the U.S. baby formula shortage, but experts say the products have long been vulnerable to this type of crisis due to decades-old policies that have allowed a handful of companies to corner the market.

Also read from Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service: What you need to know to feed your baby during formula shortage

The hypnotherapist and failed politician who helped fuel the never-ending hunt for election fraud in Wisconsin

ProPublica — May 23, 2022

How obscure retiree Jay Stone played a crucial, if little-known, role in making Wisconsin a hotbed of conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the state’s 10 electoral votes from Donald Trump.

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Wisconsin Weekly: ‘Toxic work environment’ in Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office pushes employees to the brink

by Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch
May 27, 2022

<h1>Wisconsin Weekly: ‘Toxic work environment’ in Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office pushes employees to the brink</h1> <p class="byline">by Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch <br />May 27, 2022</p> <br /> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Medical examiner turmoil; abortion access flights; Elections Commission shakeup; hypnotist pushes election misinfo; baby formula crisis</h3> <p>Of note: This week we highlight our report about alleged screaming and bullying by supervisors in the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office that employees say damaged their mental health. Twelve current and former employees told Wisconsin Watch reporter Brenda Wintrode that two of their bosses fueled a “toxic work environment” that county officials failed to address for a decade. The turmoil lengthened case backlogs, leaving families waiting on death certificates. The two supervisors accused of bullying — Barry Irmen, operations director, and Dr. Agnieszka Rogalska, the chief medical examiner — denied the allegations.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide" /> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/dcmeo_01-771x520.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1269203" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Twelve current and former employees told Wisconsin Watch that they regularly endured bullying, screaming and insults from two of their bosses in the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office at 3111 Luds Road in McFarland, Wis. Photo taken May 18, 2022. (Coburn Dukehart / Wisconsin Watch)</figcaption></figure> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2022/05/toxic-work-environment-in-dane-county-medical-examiners-office-pushes-employees-to-the-brink/">‘Toxic work environment’ in Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office pushes employees to the brink</a></h3> <p><strong>Wisconsin Watch — May 25, 2022</strong></p> <p>The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office in April rehired an unpopular former operations director, prompting his shocked colleagues to make public longstanding complaints that he and his bosses created “a toxic work environment” that top county officials failed to fix.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2022/05/26/access-groups-plan-travel-options-if-abortion-outlawed-wisconsin/9799393002/">Volunteer pilots, access groups prepare to get Wisconsinites out of state for abortions if Roe is overturned</a></h3> <p><strong>USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin — May 26, 2022</strong></p> <p>More than 100 small-aircraft pilots are prepared to begin flying people seeking abortions to states where the procedure remains legal if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/02_voter_fraud_hearing-771x515.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1193120" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dean Knudson, a Republican commissioner on the Wisconsin Elections Commission, spoke at a joint hearing of the Assembly and Senate elections committees on Dec.11, 2020. (Will Cioci for Wisconsin Watch)</figcaption></figure> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/26/wisconsin-election-official-resigned-after-ron-johnson-voiced-concerns/9942525002/">Dean Knudson's resignation from the Wisconsin Elections Commission came after Ron Johnson said he had lost support from GOP</a></h3> <p><strong>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — May 26, 2022</strong></p> <p>A Republican member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission announced his resignation this week after U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson took a rare step into state politics and told a top GOP lawmaker that the commissioner had lost support from his own party.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/baby_formula-771x514.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1267762" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Abbott Nutrition on Feb. 17, 2022 voluntarily recalled some of its powder formula products for babies, including Similac, Alimentum and EleCare — a response to reported cases of salmonella and a rare bacterial infection called Cronobacter sakazakii. </figcaption></figure> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-families-feel-stress-finding-baby-formula-navigate-alternatives-amid-national-shortagehttps://apnews.com/article/biden-science-health-government-and-politics-a99273eaded440aeeb3942ab61b77d88">US safety, savings rules set stage for baby formula shortage</a></h3> <p><strong>Associated Press — May 25, 2022</strong></p> <p>A massive recall is getting most of the blame for the U.S. baby formula shortage, but experts say the products have long been vulnerable to this type of crisis due to decades-old policies that have allowed a handful of companies to corner the market.</p> <p>Also read from Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service: <a href="https://milwaukeenns.org/2022/05/20/what-you-need-to-know-to-feed-your-baby-during-formula-shortage/">What you need to know to feed your baby during formula shortage</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/election-fraud-wisconsin-zuckerbucks-jay-stone">The hypnotherapist and failed politician who helped fuel the never-ending hunt for election fraud in Wisconsin</a></h3> <p><strong>ProPublica — May 23, 2022</strong></p> <p>How obscure retiree Jay Stone played a crucial, if little-known, role in making Wisconsin a hotbed of conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the state’s 10 electoral votes from Donald Trump.</p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2022/05/wisconsin-weekly-toxic-work-environment-in-dane-county-medical-examiners-office-pushes-employees-to-the-brink/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://wisconsinwatch.org">Wisconsin Watch</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-WCIJ_IconOnly_FullColor_RGB-1.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://wisconsinwatch.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=1269478&amp;ga3=UA-17896820-1" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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