Category: Wisconsin COVID-19 Update

Today we feature a story by Bram Sable-Smith, reporting for WPR and Wisconsin Watch, on the feds’ blessing for Wisconsin to distribute pandemic unemployment payments to hundreds of Wisconsin residents with disabilities.

Today we highlight our latest story, which examines a nexus between the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide protests against police brutality. Allison Dikanovic, an engagement fellow working on Wisconsin Watch’s News 414 collaboration, breaks down what Milwaukee residents mean when some call for the defunding of a police force that makes up a growing share of city spending.

Today we highlight a story by Mark Johnson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that offers a sobering assessment from scientists: Even a vaccine may never completely eliminate COVID-19, and the virus may continue to circulate in populations in some form — as does influenza.

Today we highlight our latest investigation. APM Reports journalists Tom Scheck and Geoff Hing joined Wisconsin Watch Managing Editor Dee J. Hall in examining why more than 23,000 Wisconsin absentee ballots did not count in the April election. Hundreds of thousands more voters than normal chose mail-in voting because of the pandemic.

Today we highlight the latest installment of our Outbreak Wisconsin collaboration with WPR.

Bridgit Bowden of WPR checks in Amy Moreland. Out of work since mid-March, the Madison bartender is making tough decisions as her $600 in extra weekly unemployment aid — a product of the federal CARES Act stimulus — is set to expire at the end of the month.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 1,117 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, with 7.6% of tests returning positive. The state cleared the 1,000-case mark for the first time during the pandemic, and it set a daily record for the sixth time since July 9.

Today we highlight a story by Shirin Ali of the Medill News Service. She reports that Wisconsin’s Native American tribes are taking aggressive steps against the coronavirus, allowing residents to weather the pandemic better than tribes in other states.

Today we highlight our story about Wisconsin’s gains in coronavirus testing — and ongoing challenges in efforts to identify and isolate infected residents.

Wisconsin’s coronavirus curve continues to bend in an ominous direction. The state Department of Health Services on Thursday reported 900 new cases of COVID-19 — the third-highest daily total during the pandemic. The virus has now killed at least 831 people in the state, including four deaths reported Thursday.

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service’s Princess Safiya Byers reports that the Social Development Commission is struggling to respond to a 24,000-applicant backlog for rental aid in Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Washington counties.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services on Tuesday reported 964 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily total during the pandemic. Wisconsin continues to set new marks for cases due to community spread — not because of expanded testing, state officials said.