WUWM

Updated 2:15 p.m. CST

Racine is the first local government in Wisconsin to offer free, confidential, one-on-one financial counseling to help individuals and families with low and moderate incomes. It's part of a national initiative called Financial Empowerment Centers, or FEC.

Racine Mayor Cory Mason and others announced the effort on Monday. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need.

 Editor's note: As of Friday, Dec. 11, all of the MKE Black gift boxes have sold out. 

Over the last decade, Oak Creek has been evolving and city leaders believe a new housing development will continue that trend.

Oak Creek’s evolution began when a former major manufacturing plant site was reimagined as a 21st century town square, with an adjacent restored wetland.

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 list of possible future state highway projects continues to change, as transportation officials discuss shifting costs and needs. Things to consider down the road may be less commuting due to COVID-19, and what might happen with driverless and internet-connected vehicles. 

Milwaukee County is going to make another attempt to raise the local sales tax to pay for services. County Executive David Crowley says he and partners plan to ask the Republican-controlled legislature to approve a binding referendum asking local voters to increase the sales tax by 1%.

The county would use the extra revenue for mental health services, as well as COVID-19 and property tax relief.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments virtually Tuesday in a case that could determine whether local health officials can close schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With COVID-19 patients filling many hospital beds, some health care systems are expanding care of milder coronavirus cases at the person's home. When Green Bay resident Dan DeGrave tested positive for COVID-19 in late September, he wasn't admitted to the hospital. He was sent home, and soon after, an iPad was delivered to his house.

Select healthcare workers and long-term care residents in Wisconsin could start getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as this month. Wisconsin Deputy Health Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk briefed reporters on vaccine plans Monday.

Updated Dec. 8 at 11:04 a.m. CST

State spending in Wisconsin is projected to exceed revenue by about $373 million in the coming two years, without taking into account Medicaid costs and new spending requests from state agencies, according to a policy research organization's report released Monday.

Four states — Wisconsin, Oregon, Michigan and Utah — are reporting outbreaks of the coronavirus among mink at about 15 mink farms. That's less than 10% of the roughly 275 farms nationwide. But, the impact on the mink industry could still be significant, especially if the coronavirus situation in the U.S. goes the way of Denmark, where the government ordered millions of mink to be put to death.

It’s shaping up to be another busy week for the Wisconsin courts. The state Supreme Court rejected a couple of lawsuits last week related to President Donald Trump’s claims that the election was conducted illegally in the state.

The court ruled that Trump’s grievances must first go through lower courts. His attorneys then filed similar claims in federal court in Wisconsin.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many teachers and students out of their classrooms, and onto their computers. But K-12 education wasn’t built to be virtual. So how have teachers adapted their in-person instruction for the computer screen? WUWM's Emily Files visited virtual classrooms to find out, and will tell those stories this month. In this first installment, we learn how a Milwaukee fourth grade English teacher breaks up a 90-minute class to keep kids engaged.

The holiday season doesn’t just mean snow, decorations, and cookies. For many people, it’s also the highly anticipated time of year to watch a slate of new TV Christmas movies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a community-wide traumatic event. On top of a health crisis, we’re also facing a mental health crisis as nearly every aspect of our lives is touched by the pandemic. Many of us are ready for the end of 2020, but the new year won’t necessarily bring clarity to help us move forward. And with the holidays coming up, there are additional stressors to face.

The holiday season is here. And although this year looks different, there are still a lot of ways to celebrate the season in Milwaukee.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Adam Carr from the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has joined Lake Effect to talk about community events in Milwaukee. The list includes a wide array of things to enjoy, both virtually and in-person.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he’s pleased that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has been approved in the United Kingdom – and is optimistic it will soon be rolled out in the U.S.

In a media update Thursday, Barrett estimated Wisconsin would initially receive about 50,000 doses of the vaccine. He said they’ll be distributed to those most in need.

A Kenosha County court commissioner has ruled that there is sufficient evidence to warrant a trial for Kyle Rittenhouse. He’s the 17-year-old white Illinois teenager accused of killing two men during a night of unrest in Kenosha, which followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who is Black.

Rittenhouse is charged with six counts, including homicide and attempted homicide, for fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz on Aug. 25. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened economic stability for many Milwaukeeans, but for renters there has been some protection due to a moratorium on evictions. That thin safety net halting some evictions is due to dissolve at the end of the year without congressional action. This means there's a looming eviction crisis hanging over the heads of a lot of Wisconsin households.

When museums, galleries and theaters close that means painters, dancers and musicians don’t have a place to perform or a source of income.

Dozens of them talked about the challenges they face in a video conference Tuesday arranged by the Wisconsin Arts Board. The meeting included 15 arts organizations to help brainstorm ways for artists to survive the pandemic. Dozens of artists took turns speaking.

The holiday season is in full swing and many of us are already trying to figure out what to buy our loved ones. Although extended family gatherings may not be safe this year, there are still ways to stay connected and gaming is one of them.

Every year gaming expert James Lowder gives us his picks for the games to gift.