This weekend is the Milwaukee Air & Water Show (presented by WaterStone Bank!), and you know what that means: for one special weekend, Milwaukee residents have the opportunity to feel like we’re living in Fallujah circa 2003. Because why attempt to enjoy a serene afternoon by the lake when you could be getting a neckache while taking in ear-splitting displays of jingoism? YEEHAW!
Milwaukee Officials Were Aware of Cancer-Causing Chemical in Affordable Housing Complex
On March 25, more than 150 residents were forced to evacuate their affordable housing complex months after city officials became aware that the property was contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical. Some parts of the building had 60 times the legal limit of trichloroethylene, or TCE, an industrial degreasing solvent that has been linked to kidney cancer. The question remains: Why did it take more than three months for Milwaukee’s inspection and permitting departments to evacuate tenants who were unknowingly living in a contaminated building? (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
State Rejects 37% of Medicaid Renewal Applicants in June
Last month, 22,639 Wisconsin residents who tried to renew their Medicaid enrollment were rejected by the state, according to the state Department of Health Services. Another 39,000 Medicaid recipients were due to renew their enrollment in June but did not start the process. This is the result of pandemic-era Medicaid protections being rolled back starting in April. In Wisconsin, the so-called Medicaid “unwinding renewal process” is set to take place between June 2023 and May 2024. Using a term like “unwinding renewal process,” of course, is a great way for the state to obfuscate the real harm it’s doing by kicking people off of their health insurance. (Wisconsin Examiner)
Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission Leaders Resign
Leaders on the citizen-led commission that oversaw Milwaukee’s police and fire departments are stepping down in the wake of Act 12, the Republican-sponsored law that stripped the Fire & Police Commission of its policy-making authority. This newfound lack of citizen oversight, paired with the new requirement that Milwaukee County must spend more on its police budget every single year, is sure to be a disaster for our city — and a huge boon for unchecked police power. (Urban Milwaukee)
Wisconsin Republicans Consider The Tough Question: Who Will Look Out for Wealthy Boomers?
Two Republican state lawmakers are circulating legislation that would largely exempt retirement income from state taxes, arguing that the move would entice mid-career professionals to move to Wisconsin or stick around for those sweet sweet tax breaks. “Those last 10 to 15 years of work are certainly focused on retirement for those workers, but it’s also the highest earning years,” Rep. David Steffen, one of the bill’s authors, said. “It helps the state when we have people who are at their prime professional and revenue-generating self.” Which is to say, they will be able to keep generating revenue for themselves without having to share any of their accrued wealth with the rest of us who have to work and pay taxes. (WPR)
Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point
Sen. Ron Johnson, who maintains a fully operational limestone quarry between his ears, told YouTuber Tommy G this week that it’s “certainly possible” that U.S. government agencies were involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and that the circumstances surrounding the 2019 death of Jeffrey Epstein were “fishy.” “The American public deserves the truth, and we haven’t gotten it,” the broken clock said. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
