Get To Know WUWM General Manager John Hess

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted all of us in Wisconsin. But here in Milwaukee some members of our community have been particularly hard hit. Four Milwaukee ZIP codes show the highest incidence of infection — two are predominantly African American and two are Hispanic.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to sicken thousands of Wisconsinites and kill hundreds, the physical threat to all of us is clear. The situation is also having a major impact on our emotions. Stay-at-home orders, layoffs, furloughs, home schooling, and isolation for many, they all add up to a huge disruption in the way we see the world and the way we feel about ourselves.

For the past few weeks, all of us have been living with the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. It has changed our way of life as we watch huge numbers of Americans, including members of our own community, fall ill and sadly, too often, die from the effects of the virus.

While the winter weather is still going strong, that hasn’t stopped scientists at UW-Milwaukee from continuing their research on a big problem facing many of Wisconsin’s lakes: toxic algae. If you've driven by the lagoon at Milwaukee’s Veteran’s Park at the lakefront, you've probably seen the culprit up close. The blue-green algae has covered the southern part of the lagoon like a blanket — and the risk to anyone wading into that water is great.