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Author: jnweaver

Wisconsin Republicans haven’t come together on a COVID-19 response plan

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: But James Conway, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Global Health Institute, called opening different regions of the state at different times “terrifying.”

“It’s almost like the least common denominator will prevail if you do start to allow certain areas to open more liberally and have other areas still confined because you know there’s going to be travel and transit between those places. And as we saw in the Green Bay area it doesn’t take much for something to go from a small number of cases to exponentially exploding in just a few short days,” said Conway, who supports Evers’ plan.

It wasn’t just toilet paper. People stocked up on eggs during pandemic, sending wholesale prices skyrocketing

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “I think a lot of that first buying was people loading up and now I think that demand has decreased,” said Ronald Kean, a University of Wisconsin Extension poultry specialist. “Some of our large egg producers sell a lot of liquid eggs, but that has dropped off because that’s mostly used by restaurants and schools.”

‘Trying to muddy the waters’: Opponents misuse stats in attack on Wisconsin virus lockdown, experts say

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Wisconsin Watch

Noted: Misleading people by providing real information divorced from necessary context is not a unique strategy, said Dave Schroeder, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who tracks disinformation on social media.

He’s been following how public health information on the COVID-19 pandemic is being “attacked by actors with an agenda” and twisted to suit certain narratives.

Two weeks after election, COVID-19 cases have not spiked in Wisconsin but experts urge caution about conclusions

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “It’s tempting to attribute that higher-than-expected number of cases to the election, but I think we have to be cautious,” said Dr. Patrick Remington, a former CDC epidemiologist and director of the Preventive Medicine Residency Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s virtually impossible to know whether that relationship is cause and effect.”

Oguzhan Alagoz, a professor of industrial engineering and infectious disease modeling expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said he expected to see a spike in cases. But data from Milwaukee and Madison, he said, have shown only modest increases in coronavirus cases.

How are Charlie Berens and other Wisconsinites staying sane? Cribbage, cookies and many walks

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: DJ Shawna, the official DJ for the Milwaukee Bucks and University of Wisconsin Badgers, said sticking to a routine is key to helping her get through this time.

“I wake up every morning around the same time, work out, meditate, and then tackle my project for the day,” she said. “I have been learning new DJ and production skills, making mixes, recording podcasts, reaching out to friends and family via FaceTime, reading, and making sure I get outside (safely) at least once a day.”

She is sharing her skills by legally live-streaming DJ sets and is raising money for Key to Change, which helps homeless families and individuals.

Thomas L. Miller, the TV producer whose Milwaukee upbringing inspired ‘Happy Days,’ has died

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: Born in Milwaukee in 1940, Miller was in Nicolet High School’s first graduating class in 1958. After earning a degree in drama and speech at the University of Wisconsin, he moved to Los Angeles to find a job in film and television. His first big break was serving as dialogue coach for legendary director Billy Wilder, in what effectively became a four-year apprenticeship.

Madison School District offers guidelines for staff on how to keep Zoom secure for direct instruction

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Quoted: Dave Schroeder, an information technology strategist with the Division of Information Technology at UW-Madison, wrote in an email that controls like those outlined in the district’s email are “ways to use Zoom securely,” but added that “some of those can only be controlled by the person hosting the meeting.”

Tom Oates: Brace for the unthinkable with college football

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Wisconsin State Journal

Think back to a month ago, when the sports world was first put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, we were talking about pushing the start of the Major League Baseball season back a month, the NBA and NHL going straight to the playoffs after a short hiatus, postponing the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for awhile and resuming spring football practice when the students returned to campus from spring break.

Boy, were we naive or what?

As Gov. Tony Evers closes some state parks, local officials urge park users to follow health guidelines

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Noted: Located within the city, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is also taking steps in its outdoor spaces to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. 

UW-Madison spokesperson Meredith McGlone said the university has posted signs at outdoor locations, including Memorial Union, campus recreational fields and Picnic Point. Also, the university has removed some recreational equipment, like basketball hoops and volleyball nets.

“We understand everyone’s desire to spend some time outdoors staying active, especially as the weather is improving, but we share the concern about maintaining 6 feet social distancing while being outdoors and engaging in recreational activity,” McGlone said in a statement. “Now more than ever, Badgers need to look out for each other and for the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Plenty of blame to go around after chaotic spring election amid COVID-19 pandemic

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Wisconsin State Journal

Quoted: “From a public health perspective, this was counter to all good scientific evidence and advice right now for how to continue to curb the pandemic from having serious impacts in the state,” said Kristen Malecki, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “The fact that politics interfered with sound judgment and jeopardized public safety is something that should not be ignored.”

‘You’re laid off. Sorry.’ When coronavirus closed colleges, student workers lost jobs

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USA Today

As the University of Wisconsin-Madison joined universities around the country in shutting down dorms, classrooms and event venues because of the coronavirus pandemic, Jennifer Morzfeld found herself wading through a barrage of emails.

In the midst of finding out about her coursework, the junior political science and international affairs student got one message in particular that left her with a pressing concern, one that thousands of college students now face.

Milwaukee’s recently hot housing market has slowed due to coronavirus, which has real-estate agents moving to virtual showings

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: That makes the real estate markets difficult to predict for industry experts like Mark Eppli, director of the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“We have a lot of uncertainty and not a lot of data,” Eppli said.

Cats are far more susceptible to new coronavirus than dogs are, but people shouldn’t be ‘fearful’ of their pets, researchers say

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “I don’t think that for most people cat-to-human transmission is the most likely way that they would be infected, but I’d be very surprised if this was impossible,” said David O’Connor, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Wisconsin election poll workers fear catching, spreading coronavirus as thousands will congregate to vote Tuesday

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: For Alyssa Birkeland, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying political science and business, volunteering as a poll worker was an easy decision.

“I felt like it was my duty to volunteer, and hopefully relieve the stress,” she said.

But Birkeland, 21, still worried about the risk of contracting the coronavirus as people flock to the polls.

“It’s definitely a little bit of a concern, but I’m probably one of the best people to be put in that position,” she said. “I rather it be me than someone else.”

Labs throughout Wisconsin could significantly increase COVID-19 testing — if they could get the needed chemicals

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

UW Health has an automated instrument capable of processing about 1,200 COVID-19 tests a day, or roughly four times the number that its lab now typically does.

The instrument has yet to be used for a single COVID-19 test.

UW Health’s lab, like others throughout the state, has been unable to get the chemicals, or reagents, needed to process specimens on the instrument.

Clinical trial to begin using plasma from coronavirus survivors to protect those exposed, treat people who are already sick

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: The University of Wisconsin-Madison joined the project last weekend and is expected to host one of the clinical trials.

The work in Madison will be led by William Hartman, UW Health assistant professor of anesthesiology. Hartman said Madison will be one of the clinical trial sites, though he could not say how many patients will participate.

“I think we can be very hopeful in that it has exhibited success with previous coronaviruses including SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome),” Hartman said, referring to the use of survivor plasma.

‘There’s no protection here whatsoever’: As coronavirus emerges at Wisconsin prisons, workers and inmates try to stop the spread

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: Not only is social distancing impractical in prisons, they are places where “contagion is hard to avoid,” said Cecelia Klingele, an associate professor of law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in criminal justice administration.

“People are given very little access in many prisons and jails to hygiene supplies from soap to toothpaste. Often, we ask prisoners to buy individual supplies,” she said. “There’s no easy access. They’re not washing their hands frequently and not bathing as much as we would hope.”

Wisconsin infectious diseases expert: Allowing in-person voting Tuesday ‘just seems really irresponsible’

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: James Conway, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Global Health Institute, said allowing people to gather at polling locations during Tuesday’s spring election will also damage the effectiveness of state leaders’ message to stay away from each other to blunt the spread of coronavirus.

“It just seems really irresponsible to make this one giant exception,” Conway said in an interview. “I was a little naive a week or so ago in thinking, ‘Oh, they’ve got to realize they’ve got to delay.’ … And then time has crept on and I’m like, really? I am very concerned.”

A simple change that CEO/CFO’s can make to help small and mid-sized companies across the country

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LinkedIn

If your firm is fortunate to feel confident in your survival and has the liquidity, you should take this opportunity to pay your vendors early. This can make a huge difference in their short term cash flow and might very well be the determining factors in keeping them operating until the environment changes and/or other funding sources become available.

Written by Dan Olszewski, UW Entrepreneurship Center Director

Wisconsin Historical Society wants residents to keep journals of how they’re coping with coronavirus

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

When soldiers were training at Camp Randall in 1861 to fight in the Civil War, the founding director of the Wisconsin Historical Society gave them journals to write down their thoughts.

A century later when Freedom Riders, including many University of Wisconsin students, headed to Southern states to work in the civil rights movement, a group of UW grad students collected thousands of pages of contemporary documents that otherwise might have been lost.

Coronavirus can spread quickly through a prison — so what can Wisconsin do to keep inmates, guards and the public safe?

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: There are many options for reducing jail and prison populations, which in turn will reduce the risk of COVID-19 to the public, according to Cecelia Klingele, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Some prisoners have families willing to take them in, but others have nowhere to go, and the social service agencies that can help them are overloaded.

“These are hard questions,” Klingele said, “but they’re ones that we need to answer quickly.”

Grant Langley, Milwaukee’s city attorney since 1984, faces spirited election challenge from Tearman Spencer

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: Spencer’s career has included working as an engineer on transportation infrastructure including railroads, dams and bridges before he earned a law degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and opened a private practice that handles real estate and business cases and consumer protection, according to his campaign.

Coronavirus Pandemic Deals Another Blow To Wisconsin’s Newspapers

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Wisconsin Public Radio

The COVID-19 shutdowns have taken away cornerstones of newspapers’ already-struggling revenue: business ads and events, said Mike Wagner, a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“When news organizations rely on events to advertise about and rely on events that they themselves host, and they’re in an environment where there are no more events, they lose a significant portion of their revenue model,” he said.

Wagner said the situation still has time to get worse.

“It feels like March 84th, but really, we’ve just been at this for a couple of weeks,” he said. “The real economic hits are still to come, and the fact that an organization like the Isthmus had to close down so early, suggests how fragile some news organizations see themselves financially.”

Working At Home With A Toddler Will Be Chaotic. Here Are Some Tips To Help.

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: In the new-world realities brought on by COVID-19, the disease spread from the new coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, early childhood specialist Lorena Mancilla urges parents and guardians to be kind to themselves while figuring out what works.

“Children need regulated, healthy parents more than anything else during this period of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders,” she said. “Life happens. Schedules may not work. It’s okay. Do what you can to keep your children safe.”

‘On My Own’ Author discusses her new book on community college STEM transfer students — and the challenges they face amid the coronavirus.

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Inside Higher Ed

Community college transfer programs face challenges both at their home institutions and at the institutions to which students want to transfer. Add STEM to the equation and the challenges grow. Xueli Wang, a professor of higher education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, explores those challenges and the way students meet them in On My Own: The Challenge and Promise of Building Equitable STEM Transfer Pathways (Harvard Education Press). The book follows 1,670 community college students for four years as they transfer to four-year institutions.

Can he do that? The law (and history) behind the governor’s emergency powers

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Quoted: “One thing to keep in mind, particularly during a crisis like this, is that state actors and governors in particular can often just act more swiftly and more nimbly than the federal government can,” University of Wisconsin Law School professor Miriam Seifter said.

Seifter studies administrative law and constitutional law; much of her recent work has focused on the powers of state leaders.