Beats Me

The American Psychological Association defines trauma as an emotional response to a terrible event like a natural disaster, an accident or a rape. But trauma can have many “flavors,” according to Joshua Mersky, Ph.D. He’s a professor of social work in the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare at UWM. He says, "Typically speaking, we’re talking about profound adversities that have long lasting consequences." Rates of adversity are measured by the Adverse Childhood Experiences that respondents report. Those are experiences before the age of 18, such as witnessing or being a victim of violence or abuse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier this year, WUWM reached out to our listeners to find out what questions they have about trauma and its impact on Milwaukee. One of our Beats Me question askers wanted to know: How prevalent is generational trauma in Milwaukee? What resources are available to help break the cycle? Mersky says there’s no precise definition

An estimated 900,000 Wisconsin households rely on private wells for drinking water. It seems with every passing day, we learn wells are being impacted by contaminants — from manure to PFAS — putting families’ health at risk. Some people feel there's not enough support when they have to deal with a contaminated well. READ: PFAS Concern Remains High In Marinette Private well owners John Ridley and his wife Terri have lived in their Mequon house for decades. They raised their kids there. While they haven't dealt with bacteria or nitrates in their water, Ridley says running his own water utility comes with occasional challenges. "One time our water was episodic because the water table in the aquifer had dropped and the pump was no longer fully submerged, and sometimes the pump goes out," he shares. Although he knows it would be a good idea to follow the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recommendation to have their well tested once a year, Ridley says it’s only been tested when a

More companies are pushing to build large solar energy farms in Wisconsin. The state's Public Service Commission is expected to vote soon on a proposed 1,200-acre solar project west of the city of Jefferson, in Jefferson County. Meanwhile, we received a Beats Me question about solar farms displacing cropland, and specifically mentioned a large development proposed for Grant County. So, we went to Grant County for a look. READ: Construction Begins In Wisconsin On Large Solar Farms Amid Neighbor Concerns U.S. Highway 61 is known nationally as the “Blues Highway.” In 1965, Bob Dylan sang about the road in the song Highway 61 Revisited: "Well, just put some bleachers out in the sun, and have it on Highway 61," he sang. Within a couple years, at the intersection of U.S. 61 and County Highway B, north of Potosi, it likely won't be bleachers in the sun. But there could be hundreds of thousands of solar panels. Highway 61 is a popular trucking route. At harvest time, some of the trucks carry

Milwaukee has been called one of the most segregated cities in America, and one of the worst places for black people to live and raise their families. With this in mind, today's Beats Me question put me in the position to try and offer some insight into this question: What's the cultural experience for being black and male in Milwaukee? Of course, there isn't one black experience. So, I sat down with four black males of different ages and professions to discuss the topic. I talked to a high school senior, a medical student, an ACLU organizer, and the executive director of the Near West Side Partners. Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beat Reporters? Keith Stanley is a third-generation Sherman Park resident and executive director of the Near West Side Partners . To explain his perspective, he brings up his experience attending a historically black university — Alabama State University. "When I went to ASU, many moons ago, that was the first time I experienced being an

As part of our Beats Me series, we spotlighted Milwaukee Public Schools parent coordinators , who are tasked with the on-the-ground work of connecting families and schools. But that mission extends beyond a single person in each building. MPS is in the middle of a national partnership to create a more effective family engagement plan. And some Milwaukee schools are already going the extra mile. Read: MPS Family Engagement Starts With Parent Coordinators Every other week at Hopkins Lloyd Community School, children, families and school employees gather in the gym for " homework diners ." One evening in November, eight families were there, filling paper plates with mac and cheese and salad. They sat at tables with teachers — talking, working on students' homework, and playing games. The homework diners are one way the north side elementary school is trying to build relationships with families and help students academically. Foster parent Tobias Butler was at the November gathering with

Tjuna Eggson has worked in Milwaukee Public Schools for more than 20 years. Twelve of those years, she’s had the title of ‘parent coordinator.’ "One of the things that I found out is the position is really underrated," Eggson says. Parent coordinators are classified as paraprofessionals, but their work doesn’t happen in the classroom. Their number one job is parent communication, and they are often the first point of contact for families when they have questions or concerns. They organize parent advisory groups, plan family events at the school, and have a range of other responsibilities depending on the day. It’s a job that’s gotten more focus and funding in the school district since 2014. But Eggson thinks many people don’t understand, or even know about, parent coordinators. She sent WUWM a Beats Me prompt, saying we should spotlight what it means to be on the frontlines of family engagement in MPS. WUWM asked MPS if we could shadow Eggson for a day at Westside Academy, where she

The topic of recycling evokes a variety of reactions. For some people, their practice is a passion. For others, it's sheer confusion. We want to help you feel confident that what you throw away lands where it belongs. That's why we recently reached out to you, our listeners, asking for your questions about recycling, reusing or garbage. Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beats Reporters? We received questions from all over southeastern Wisconsin, but when it comes to recycling programs, there's not a one-size-fits-all model in Wisconsin. "Every community is going to be different depending on who they are contracted with for their material recovery facility," says Tim Last, sanitation and street superintendent with the city of West Allis. That makes answering the many questions you have about recycling tough to answer, so we tackled the most frequently asked questions. To start, we spoke with Samantha Longshore, Department of Public Works resource recovery manager, to learn

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., close behind heart disease. So, when there's talk of a new cancer drug discovery, patients and their relatives often want to know more about the pharmaceutical and when it might be on the market. Jackie Iannarelli is a quilter . She's doing a lot of quilting these days for friends, family, and charities. But over the last decade, she hasn't always felt up to it: she's had two bouts of breast cancer. The disease is currently in remission. But cancer is still on Iannarelli's mind. The Grafton resident recently sent us a Beats Me question asking that when we report on possible cancer drugs, that we look into the clinical trial process and how long it takes pharmaceuticals to reach consumers. "I just had a friend who had cancer 15 years ago, die a month ago from this same kind of breast cancer. And, anytime anyone talks about cancer, it's still 'The Big C.' You want to find out as much information as you can, so that you're educated

With street names like Winnebago and villages such as Mukwonago, there's no denying the historical presence of Native Americans in Wisconsin. That spurred one of our listeners to reach out to Beats Me : "What groups of Indigenous people lived in southeastern Wisconsin?" We're going to answer that question. But we're also going to explore the importance of not just talking in the past tense when it comes to Native Americans. Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beats Reporters? Dawn Scher Thomae says the presence of native people in Wisconsin dates back thousands of years. She's the curator of anthropology collections at Milwaukee Public Museum . "There were a lot of tribes that moved in and out. So, we are on the traditional homeland here in Milwaukee of the Ho-Chunk, Potawatomi and Menominee," Scher Thomae explains. "But there were many other groups that were here also in Milwaukee and in the Milwaukee area. But they kind of came and went, like the Odawa or the Ottawa, for

A UW-Milwaukee center that works on disability issues is developing an online way to inform people about access to public buildings like restaurants. It's hoped the computer system will be ready by the time the Democratic National Convention comes to town next summer. But once finished, the access ratings could be used by anyone. Inside a fast food restaurant near the UW-Milwaukee campus, there's plenty of noise — piped-in music and a customer filling his glass with ice from the soda machine. During a visit last Friday, Anna McCartney, who's hard of hearing, made note of the surroundings. Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beat Reporters? Stepping outside, McCartney explained that along with the ambient noise, the design of the glass sneeze guard over some of the restaurant's food makes it difficult for her to understand the server's questions about what toppings she wants. "The sound just gets interrupted and blocked. And if they're not looking at me, I have to ask them

Hundreds of communities across the United States have designated themselves a "sanctuary" for immigrant families. Some have created policies vowing they won’t share information about a resident’s immigration status with the federal office of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). But what does a "sanctuary city" really mean? And who has a say in the matter? Sara McKinnon, a UW-Madison associate professor, says a sanctuary city isn't an official government term. "It’s really actually not a legal term at all. It has no legal meaning. But we use the term 'sanctuary city' a lot to refer to local municipalities, counties, and states that don’t cooperate fully with federal institutions in relation to immigration," she explains. McKinnon adds that when a place designates itself a sanctuary, it’s saying it will limit the extent to which it will volunteer local resources to do the work of federal immigration enforcement. "This might mean saying no to federal requests or detainers to

Several states have taken steps to make college more affordable by creating free-tuition " promise" programs . Each one is different, but in general, they allow students to attend community college, or sometimes public universities, for free. Last year, Wisconsin’s flagship school, UW-Madison, announced the creation of Bucky’s Promise . The program guarantees free tuition to lower-income students. But one WUWM Beats Me listener wonders why Madison, and not other Wisconsin schools? Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beat Reporters? In Wisconsin, there is no state-supported promise program, so each institution that wants to set up a free-tuition pathway must independently fund it. How was Madison able to afford its promise program? Because it didn't require much additional investment. Office of Financial Aid Associate Director Greg Offerman says the school was already providing that level of financial aid to students with family incomes under $58,000. “It hasn’t been costing

Plastic is difficult to escape. Many products are wrapped, sealed and mailed in some sort of plastic material. And it can be difficult to know what to do with plastic bags, especially since curbside programs in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin don't accept plastic bags . However, they can be put in collection bins at some grocery stores and other businesses. But turns out, lots of people are confused about what sorts of plastic bags can be dropped off in those collection bins. As long as they're clean and dry, the items listed below can be dropped off: Grocery bags Bread bags Case overwrap Dry cleaning bags Newspaper sleeves Ice bags Wood pellet bags Ziploc and other resealable bags (Those are all considered plastic film: soft, flexible polyethylene packaging.) But there’s still a pressing question: Are the plastic bags we're dropping off really recycled? Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have About Getting Rid Of Stuff You Don't Want? To find out, we headed 30 miles west of Milwaukee

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has signed a bill that could speed the introduction of faster wireless service known as 5G to the state. The industry promises that 5G would mean things like better cell phone connections and faster movie downloads. But there are concerns that 5G, which stands for fifth generation, could bring health problems like cancer to local communities. For WUWM's Beats Me series, we received a question about when the Milwaukee area will get 5G. Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beat Reporters? One answer appears to be sooner than some people want. The 5G legislation moved quickly through the state legislature this spring, and Evers quietly signed the bill last week. After an event near Milwaukee, WUWM asked the governor about concerns that 5G is unsafe, and that the bill takes away the ability of local governments to require tougher controls on the faster wireless service. "Any time we go down a new road with new technology, we have to be careful and

Updated on July 9, 2019 It looks like Wisconsin's largest landfill is putting off retirement. The owners of Orchard Ridge are asking the Department of Natural Resources to allow them to dig up some 1.3 million cubic yards of contaminated waste and move it elsewhere on the 725-acre property. The Journal Sentinel reports the project, along with another expansion approved this spring, was expected to add another 21 years to the life of the landfill. A longer lifespan means millions of dollars in revenue for the village of Menomonee Falls, which will earn about $3 million in tipping fees this year. The Waukesha County Environmental Action League is raising concerns about potential environmental threats from the expansion. Original Dec. 11, 2017 One point twenty-seven million tons. That’s how much garbage was added to Orchard Ridge last year alone. The landfill is located in the village of Menomonee Falls. Of the 85 licensed operations in Wisconsin, Orchard Ridge is the largest. On an

The late Dr. Allen L. Herron set the pace for black physicians in Milwaukee, especially black men. He’s believed to be the first African American male doctor to practice here. Herron wasn’t a native of Milwaukee but came here in 1900. He practiced until he died at the age of 93 in 1956. In the decades since, black men have followed in his footsteps. But the number of African American physicians isn’t as high as you might expect. For this week’s Beats Me question, one of our listeners wanted to know why. Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beat Reporters? Dr. Norma Poll-Hunter was the project lead when the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in Washington, D.C. studied the issue five years ago. The study looks at things like how many black men applied to medical schools, and how many were accepted. "In terms of matriculation — those that actually entered — in 1978 there were 542 black male matriculants to our MD granting institutions, and then the number in 2014

Chances are good your local school district has gone directly to voters asking for more money to stay afloat. Tight state funding and restrictions on local taxing power have pushed more than 70% of Wisconsin school districts to seek operating referendums. These referendums aren’t about borrowing money for new buildings. They’re requests for more property taxes to sustain basic costs. In recent elections, most referendums were approved . But what happens to the unlucky districts where voters say no? Delafield resident Sherrie Flemming sent our Beats Me series a question about the impact of failed operating referendums. Her five children go to school in Waukesha County’s Kettle Moraine School District, where voters rejected an operating referendum in the April 2 election. Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beat Reporters? “I was shocked that the referendum failed,” Flemming says. “I sit there thinking, I’ve got kids from kindergarten all the way through. What’s going to be

Updated on June 11 at 2:12 p.m. CT Milwaukee County is home to more than 15,000 acres of parkland. Keeping those spaces green and healthy is daunting, especially as funding diminishes and park crews are cut. While many people cherish public green spaces, some worry about the pesticides that Milwaukee County Parks uses to manage the land. Turns out the Milwaukee County Parks, Energy and Environment Committee is listening. On Tuesday, June 11, the committee unanimously called for the parks department to develop a written pesticide policy that will be public. Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beat Reporters? Jon Canavan is in charge of turf throughout the parks system — from golf courses to Juneau Park's 15 acres that hug the bluff above Lake Michigan. The park features two imposing statues and a lush canopy of trees. Its friends group planted and cares for a small but profuse pollinator garden. “We really don’t treat anything here,” says Canavan. He points to Juneau’s sea

A federal program scheduled to spend $60 million in Wisconsin continues to try to get people to share their health and lifestyle information, plus their DNA. The effort known as All of Us has the ambitious goal of enrolling 1 million people nationally, and 33,000 in the greater Milwaukee area. The promised reward is a $25 enrollment payment and eventually, specialized disease prevention and treatment. WUWM's Beats Me series recently received a couple questions related to the program. Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beat Reporters? All of Us is part of the Precision Medicine Initiative , which began during the Obama administration. It's an approach to disease treatment and prevention that looks at people's lifestyle, environment, and biological makeup, including their genetic structure. The thought is that if doctors have a better idea of someone's family health history and gene makeup, the medical community can recommend steps to prevent a disease, find it early, or do

We're looking at the impact of using "loaded" words, such as labels that describe certain areas of Milwaukee, in our latest Beats Me . For example, "inner city" is a term that may ignite many thoughts. One dictionary definition says the inner city is "the usually older, poorer, and more densely populated central section of a city." A post on a travel site from 2017 advises people visiting Milwaukee to "stay away from certain areas in the inner city … including the northern part of the city." Beats Me: What Questions Do You Have For WUWM's Beat Reporters? It's this kind of language that has a member of our community calling for a stop in using the label "inner city." She says she's "always kind of resented that most of the labeling comes from the press and from suburbanites. And one of them that's particularly annoying is inner city because of the implications." Pat Mayes, an English professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, says there's referential meaning in language. "You