Teran Powell

An art exhibit exploring what it means to be Latinx in the United States, opened Friday at Latino Arts, Inc. on Milwaukee’s south side. It’s called "Hyphenated Americans," and it features the works of 17 Latinx artists from Milwaukee.

The goal of the exhibit is to show that Latinx cultures are not monolithic.

Visitors can expect to see paintings, digital artwork, and photography. There’s artwork hanging from the walls and in the center of the gallery.

A Bubbler Talk listener was curious about Black historical sites in Milwaukee. There are many, so I chose to look at one that’s had many lives: the Jones-Hill House in the Harambee neighborhood. The building on N. Palmer St.— and its owners — played key roles in the city’s Black culture, starting in the 1950s.

Nearly one year into the coronavirus pandemic, adults continue to suffer from mental health struggles brought on by the stresses of COVID-19.

Job loss and isolation are among those stressors. Some folks are having trouble sleeping and eating, or they’re drinking more, or using other substances to deal with their worries and stress.

That’s what health experts had to say on Wednesday during the state’s Black Legislative Caucus panel discussion about rising mental health struggles in communities of color during COVID-19.

Gov. Tony Evers recently announced that he wants to invest more than $43 million in his biennial budget in Wisconsin’s agricultural economy.

One of the goals of the funding is to expand market opportunities — such as connecting Wisconsin farmers and producers with food banks,to help feed families experiencing food insecurity.

Another goal is supporting farmers’ mental health.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Thursday that Walgreens is now able to offer COVID-19 vaccines. As part of a Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, 18,000 doses of the vaccine will be distributed to Walgreens across Wisconsin, said Julie Willems Van Dijk, the department’s deputy secretary.

Stephanie Schauer, the program manager at the Division of Public Health Immunization, said 178 Walgreens stores will have the vaccine.

In honor of Black History Month, WUWM is highlighting some of the significant moments in Milwaukee's Black history. That includes the fair housing marches that brought together Alderwoman Vel Phillips, the NAACP Youth Council Commandos and Father James Groppi. Young people and adults gathered for more than 200 consecutive nights of marching to end housing discrimination.

In honor of Black History Month, we’re highlighting Black history in Milwaukee and today, we look at the story of Joshua Glover, a Black man who escaped slavery in St. Louis to freedom in Racine.

His journey was significant nationally, as some northern states refused to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act.

At the edge of Milwaukee’s Cathedral Square Park, near the intersection of Jackson Street & Kilbourn Avenue, stands a marker dedicated to the rescue of Joshua Glover.

There are currently only six states in the U.S. that have laws against hair discrimination: California, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Colorado, and Washington. Montgomery County, Maryland also bans the practice.

Lawmakers in Wisconsin introduced a similar bill in 2019 but it didn’t pass.

Now, Milwaukee’s Common Council is stepping up with its own measure. Alderwoman Milele Coggs is one of the co-sponsors. She says for many people, hair is not “just hair.”

The number of people getting tested for COVID-19 in Milwaukee County continues to be lower than health officials would like. They’re urging residents to take advantage of testing capacity.

During a media update Thursday, Darren Rausch, director of the City of Greenfield Health Department, said data trends are showing continued increases in cases county wide in the most recent weeks.

Yet, he said, testing is still lower than expected.

The city of Milwaukee is beginning to vaccinate frontline workers against the coronavirus. The city received 100 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine Wednesday afternoon. Eight-hundred more doses will come in staggered shipments next week.

Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters that distribution begins Thursday for some health and fire department personnel.

Editor's note: This story contains explicit and offensive language.

A UPS driver’s racist remarks that were caught on video during a delivery in Milwaukee last month has some advocacy groups condemning the comments and calling for UPS to take action.

The delivery, a week before Christmas, was on the city’s south side, a predominantly Latino area.

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley is expected to annouce his decision Tuesday afternoon on whether to charge the officer responsible for shooting Jacob Blake last summer leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. 

On Monday, the Blake family and Kenosha community leaders held a press conference to demand Officer Rusten Sheskey be fired, charged and convicted. A few dozen supporters joined them.

Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr., said he wants him charged with attempted murder. 

Federal CARES Act money provided to state, local and tribal governments impacted by COVID-19 was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2020. But Congress passing the $900 billion stimulus package earlier this month, means local municipalities have until the end of 2021 to use up their CARES funds. That’s according to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.

During a COVID-19 media briefing Tuesday, Crowley said the extension didn’t come with any additional funding and that could put the county in a tough spot next year.

Much of the news of 2020 was dominated by two major stories: the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests against police brutality that were accompanied by calls for immediate police reform.

Here’s how some of those stories unfolded in Wisconsin.

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Milwaukee County on Tuesday. Distribution among county behavioral health department personnel has begun.

That’s according to County Executive David Crowley. "We’ll be among some of the first to access this vaccine, and though we know that this batch won't provide enough for all eligible (behavioral health) department employees, we do expect to receive more shipments of the vaccine in the coming months until all staff who at least want to be vaccinated are able to," he said.

Many people are eager for their chance to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but there are those who don’t share that feeling — especially in communities of color.

Mike Hutchinson said he will be getting the vaccine when it’s widely available. He's already had COVID-19 and wants to prevent it from coming back.

"I definitely plan to get it if becomes readily available for me because I have two daughters and just because of the close contact I am with people," he said. 

This week, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine made its way to Wisconsin. The nearly 50,000 vaccines are being delivered to eight hubs across the state. Department of Health Service’s Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm said Thursday that the logistics, distribution and transportation have been smooth. And that health care workers are already being vaccinated.

She said there are stories of health care providers who’ve been overcome with emotion as they’ve received the vaccine. Palm said she didn’t think about how much relief “we’d all feel” as a vaccine began rolling out.

As a coronavirus vaccine gets closer, state health officials want Wisconsin residents to remember that the pandemic has not gone away. In a media update Tuesday, officials urged people to recommit themselves to practices that help stop the spread of the virus — like staying home, limiting trips outside to just the essentials such as the grocery store and the pharmacy, and avoiding interacting with people you don’t live with.

Department of Health Services’ Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said we also need to recommit ourselves to testing.

The recount of votes cast during the presidential election concluded in Milwaukee County Friday evening and in Dane County Sunday morning. The final tally shows, once again, that President-elect Joe Biden handily won the primarily Democratic counties over incumbent President Donald Trump. The Biden-Harris ticket picked up a net total of 87 votes.

The breakdown in Dane County showed Democrat Biden losing 91 votes, bringing his total to 260,094. Republican Trump was down 46 votes in the county, bringing his total to 78,754. The net effect was a loss of 45 votes for Biden.

Updated Wednesday at 9:20 a.m. CST

A number of Wisconsin religious leaders urged the public Monday to adhere to COVID-19 precautions as cases continue to surge in the state.

They reiterated messaging like wear a mask, practice physical distancing, wash your hands, and only leave your home for essential trips.

The faith leaders are also urging congregates to observe upcoming holidays by worshiping from home.

The coronavirus is not slowing down in Milwaukee County. Health officials reported Thursday that there are more than 47,000 cases, and the county is inching up to 500 deaths.

This past Tuesday was the highest single-day increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county — a record 418. For comparison, Dr. Ben Weston says the county barely crossed 200 hospitalizations at any point earlier in the pandemic.

State health officials continue to report that Wisconsin is in a crisis regarding COVID-19.

Wednesday was another record-breaking day for coronavirus cases. Department of Health Services Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm says the state added nearly 6,000 new cases since Tuesday.

She says the seven-day average of new cases is more than 4,800. One month ago it was 2,400. Two months ago, it was 767. That’s a 531% increase.

Election Day is finally here. Thousands of people will head to the polls in Wisconsin but not as many as in previous presidential elections. That’s because a record 1.9 million Wisconsinites voted before Election Day.

Some people made plans to vote early before today after seeing what happened in April’s presidential primary.

Despite the ongoing threat of COVID-19 in Wisconsin and across the country, a record number of people cast their ballots for the general election. According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, more than 1.8 million people have already returned their ballots.

Updated at 12:12 p.m. CT

COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Wisconsin. On Friday, the state Department of Health Services reported more than 5,096 new cases. That brings the total number of cases in the state to more than 220,000.

Millions of people have already cast their ballots for this year’s presidential election, but get out the vote efforts are still very active, including those aimed at Black and Latino voters.

A variety of organizations have tried to appeal to these communities, stressing the importance of voting, and how to do so accurately and safely.

The city of Wauwatosa was the backdrop for another protest on Thursday. A few hundred people gathered for the Rally for Justice in Hart Park. They’re continuing calls for justice in the cases of the two men and one teen killed by Officer Joseph Mensah – Antonio Gonzalez, Jay Anderson Jr., and Alvin Cole.