Maayan Silver

Protests are happening around the country following the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes. In Milwaukee, people have held protests since last Friday over Floyd's death, and the ongoing problems of police brutality and racial injustice.

Protests are happening around the country following the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck. In Milwaukee, protests have been occurring since last Friday over Floyd's death and other cases of police brutality. Here you'll find updates on protests happening in the Milwaukee area.

The city of Milwaukee is an island right now. It’s the only municipality in Milwaukee County with a stay-at-home order meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The 18 other communities have allowed nonessential businesses to reopen.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said last week that he’d comment on a possible plan to reopen the city this coming Friday. In the meantime, he’s calling on people to wash hands thoroughly, wear masks in public, and continue the practice of social distancing.

Suburban communities in Milwaukee County are reopening Friday. That means all businesses can open their doors. But the city of Milwaukee continues to keep nonessential businesses closed.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says he would like to have good news next Friday about a gradual plan to reopen those establishments. But first, there are benchmarks to meet.

Wisconsin’s April primary was problematic by any standard.

Voters in some locations stood in line for hours in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of absentee ballots either weren’t sent out or ended up lost in the mail and others were returned too late to be counted. 

Joe Biden’s team held its first virtual Milwaukee campaign rally on Wednesday. Biden spoke about what his priorities would be if he was elected president, and attacked Republican President Trump's economic policies and response to the coronavirus.

Leading up to Biden, there were speeches by a few local surrogates.

Congresswoman Gwen Moore hailed Biden, saying he “moved us closer to universal health care than we’ve ever been in our lifetimes” as vice president to President Barack Obama.

Voters and advocacy groups are suing Wisconsin’s top election officials, charging they failed to take needed action to allow safe and accessible voting during the state’s April 7 election. The suit seeks to ensure the same problems don't occur when voters go to the polls in November.

The plaintiffs want mail-in ballot request forms sent to all voters, more polling places, and a comprehensive voter education campaign, among other changes.

There have been reports about humans infecting felines with the coronavirus, such as big cats at the Bronx Zoo. That led researchers at UW-Madison to start looking into cat-to-cat transmission.  

Peter Halfmann is one of the lead researchers. He says the study included three pairs of cats. 

"We took one cat from the pair and infected it by internasal inoculation, some virus in the eye and then in the mouth. And then we house that cat by itself for 24 hours," he explains.

Updated at 9:18 p.m. CT

The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Gov. Tony Evers' coronavirus safer-at-home order Wednesday, ruling that his administration overstepped its authority when it extended it for another month without consulting legislators.

Wisconsin is still grappling with how to approach school and business closings, soaring unemployment, and a still-deadly virus that could overwhelm hospitals. But a majority of Wisconsinites support COVID-19 restrictions, according to the latest Marquette Law School poll that was released on Tuesday.

Many of us have been holed up since mid-March because of the coronavirus. So, we’ve been walking for exercise and a change of scenery. In Shorewood, there’s been a special treat for walkers: a family of great horned owls nesting in a blue spruce tree.

Dozens of people have strolled to the tree daily – while social distancing – to check out the owls. They’ve seen the birds in action, like when the mother brings freshly-caught meat to the nest.

The modern piano keyboard has 88 keys. And the late Joan Wildman was a master of all of them.

Her improvisations would go from low, low bass notes to the very high upper register. She played stride, blues, bebop, eighth notes, quarter notes, intervals, you name it. And sometimes she'd play the inner strings and sides of the piano — not just the keys.

At the Milwaukee County House of Correction in Franklin, 94 inmates have COVID-19 as of Thursday – out of an on-site population of about 600. There are three cases at the jail in downtown Milwaukee. To help prevent the coronavirus from spreading among people incarcerated, some key players are trying to limit the number of people in custody. 

The coronavirus has altered countless plans — including those by people coordinating the U.S. census.

Taken every 10 years, the census is a tally of the nation's population. It leads to the redrawing of political districts in states and the reapportionment of representation in Congress. The census drives more than $675 billion in federal spending over the next decade on things like hospitals, roads and vital programs.

Updated at 2:57 p.m. CT  

Hundreds of people demonstrating against the Evers administration’s safer-at-home order gathered outside the Wisconsin Capitol on Friday, ignoring social distancing recommendations and crowding together on the steps of the state Capitol.

There were lots of American flags and anti-Evers signs. Some people were sporting Trump gear and signs. 

Some people wore masks or bandannas per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But many did not.

Updated Thursday at 11:49 a.m. CT

Republican leaders of the Wisconsin Legislature asked the conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday to block an order from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' administration extending the safer-at-home order until May 26.

Gov. Tony Evers unveiled Monday his plan to reopen Wisconsin if certain public health conditions are met. He's calling it the Badger Bounce Back plan.

Voters and advocacy organizations have been crying foul over voter access in Wisconsin's spring election and presidential primary and questioning the decision to go forward with in-person voting during a pandemic.

>>Wisconsin Election Updates

It was a very unusual spring election and presidential primary in Wisconsin on Tuesday. It happened in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and due to a court order, results won't be made public until April 13.

Wisconsin is plowing forward with its April 7 election amid concerns of many election officials. One of the biggest obstacles to a smooth election is the shortage of poll workers. And many are staying home because of concerns about COVID-19.

One person with a longstanding tradition of working the polls is Larry “Spike” Bandy. He’s been an election inspector at Gordon Park in Riverwest for about 10 years – but won’t be showing up on Tuesday.

Milwaukeeans will soon decide who will represent the city for the next four years. Incumbent Mayor Tom Barrett is being challenged by state Sen. Lena Taylor. 

Two candidates are vying for Milwaukee mayor in the upcoming Wisconsin general election: incumbent Mayor Tom Barrett and Democratic state Sen. Lena Taylor.

Ahead of the April 7 general election, we’re profiling candidates for state and local races that are important to southeast Wisconsin. That includes the two candidates for Milwaukee Mayor: Incumbent Tom Barrett and state Sen. Lena Taylor

>>Meet The Milwaukee Mayoral Candidates

The COVID-19 pandemic is having unprecedented effects on American life, including in Wisconsin, which has a safer-at-home order. So naturally, the upcoming Marquette Law School Poll will focus on the coronavirus in addition to the more traditional questions about politicians and their approval ratings. While the poll's release date hasn't been announced yet, director and pollster Charles Franklin says it will be sometime before the spring election.

More than half a dozen states have pushed back presidential primaries because of the coronavirus outbreak. Wisconsin, which has a primary on April 7, hasn’t. State leaders are holding on tightly to that date despite a public health crisis that’s getting worse by the minute — and a safer-at-home order that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday.