WUWM

As many Wisconsinites continue to work from home, the future of office buildings could be very different from how we left them.

Like many of you, the Lake Effect team has been working from home the past few months. And while we sit at our kitchen tables, couches or closets, our office building is relatively dormant, leaving our cubicles and offices empty. While the transition has been difficult for some employees, some people and companies hope to make working from home a permanent solution.

COVID-19 restrictions for businesses continue to differ across southeastern Wisconsin, depending on where the companies are located. Some communities are only offering recommendations for reducing the spread of the coronavirus. Other cities have kept orders.

Some of the greatest remaining differences are for the bar and restaurant industry.

Earlier this month, Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre was connected to an embezzlement scheme in his home state of Mississippi. The state auditor found that Favre had been paid $1.1 million for appearances that were never made by a nonprofit called Mississippi Community Education Center, which was funded with federal welfare grants. 

Medical error is the third leading cause of death in America, with more than 200,000 people dying unnecessarily each year. And the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted both patient and caregiver safety.

When the Democratic National Convention (DNC) first announced it would be coming to Milwaukee, there was a lot of hope for what it would bring to the city. Now, the future of the convention is unclear.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made large gatherings risky. And while the Democratic National Committee has pushed the date of the convention to August, it seems almost certain that we’ll still be dealing with this pandemic in some form.

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.

Among this spring's graduates are about 300 students from the Milwaukee-area campus of the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). Many will take part in a virtual commencement ceremony on Friday afternoon.

Since they're moving ahead with their medical careers during the coronavirus pandemic, we thought we'd hear what the young health care providers they have to say about that and get some advice for them from longtime physicians.

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. 

Gov. Tony Evers continues to dole out the $2 billion the federal government gave Wisconsin to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, Evers announced he would allocate $100 million to long-term care facilities, home and community-based services, and emergency medical services.

Evers says he recognizes the burden the response to COVID-19 has placed on such health care workers.

Since the coronavirus outbreak began, sales of new cars across the country are down significantly. Auto manufacturing has been hindered by disruptions in the supply chain, and some plants have shut down.

Despite low interest rates and new safety precautions at dealerships, it may not be enough to encourage people to buy a new car, especially since consumer spending is down. Plus, with many of us working from home, we’re spending even less time in our cars.

The fatal, mass shooting at Milwaukee’s Molson Coors brewery happened just three months ago. The shooting killed six people, including the shooter.

Unfortunately, this kind of tragedy isn't new to Milwaukee. Gun violence is an issue that continues to plague the city. But how we remember these mass shootings and memorialize them is unique to each of these events.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is trying to set the stage for smooth elections in August and November after a chaotic experience in April.

The spring election and presidential primary saw a massive spike in absentee voting by mail. Many people didn’t want to cast ballots in person due to the coronavirus.

Milwaukee-area businesses are struggling to survive amid the coronavirus pandemic. Although businesses in much of Wisconsin are allowed to reopen without any official guidelines, Milwaukee and many of its nearby suburbs have safer-at-home orders limiting business activity. Still, as the pandemic wears on, local businesses are figuring out how to change their business model to fit the needs of their community while maintaining safety.