Thousands sidelined by Long COVID; WI officials on Oath Keepers list; farmers turn to solar; Black suicide rate up; declining police ranks
Of note: As many as 4 million people across the United States are unable to work because of the lingering effects of COVID-19. Wisconsin Watch reporter Zhen Wang found some employers have figured out a way to keep these long-suffering workers on the payroll. But for others, the sometimes crippling effects of Long COVID — including fever, brain fog and fatigue — make it impossible for them to work.
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Workers, employers struggle as Long COVID sidelines thousands of Wisconsinites
Wisconsin Watch — September 3, 2022
Millions of people are COVID “long haulers.” One estimate puts the number of Wisconsinites with Long COVID at more than 543,000. Sufferers report in some cases being unable to work or do basic tasks.
‘We farm the sun’: For some Wisconsin dairy farmers, solar energy is a new source of income
WPR — September 7, 2022
Wisconsin farmers have what solar energy companies need: land. Across the state, partnerships between dairy farms and energy companies are increasing, changing the landscape and providing farmers extra revenue in a sometimes unpredictable market.
Earlier coverage from Wisconsin Watch: Massive Wisconsin solar proposal splits farmers and clean energy fans
Opinion: Breaking the stigma of suicide requires honest conversation and loving care. I am living proof of that.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — September 7, 2022
Reporter James Causey tells a personal story about suicides among Black men, which have spiked recently in Milwaukee County. “If we are going to have a real conversation,” Causey writes, “I have to be honest: I reached a point a couple of years ago where I didn’t want to live and considered ending my life.”
Total number of police in Wisconsin, already at historic lows, continues to drop
The Badger Project — August 29, 2022
The number of law enforcement officers in the state ticked down again in 2022, setting a new record for the lowest statewide total since the state started tracking the numbers in 2008. To relieve some of the burden — and attempt to de-escalate encounters between police and civilians — some jurisdictions are experimenting with sending non-police employees to answer some 911 calls.
Elected officials from 6 Wisconsin communities on Oath Keepers membership list
Wisconsin State Journal — September 7, 2022
Half a dozen local elected officials from Wisconsin — including one Madison City Council member — are among hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, legislators and military members whose names appear on the leaked membership rolls of a far-right extremist group accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a report released Wednesday.
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