THU PM Update: Republicans consider legislative, legal action over Evers’ stay-at-home order extension

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Though some have called for beginning to reopen the state’s economy, Gov. Tony Evers said today Wisconsin needs a dramatic uptick in testing capacity, among other things, before that step is taken. Instead, Evers’ administration extended a stay-at-home order for another month, meaning a cancellation of the remainder of the scho… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options. Username or E-mail Password * Remember Me     Forgot Password

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Gov. Evers: Directs DHS to extend Wisconsin’s Safer at Home order

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today directed Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Andrea Palm to extend the Safer at Home order from April 24, 2020 to 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, 2020, or until a superseding order is issued. The order implements some new measures to ensure safety and support the progress we’ve made in containing COVID-19, but also allows certain activities to start up again. The order is available here. “A few weeks ago, we had a pretty grim outlook for what COVID-19 could mean for our state, but because of the efforts of all of you, Safer at Home

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Rep. Sortwell: Evers’ actions lawless

Two Rivers – Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Gibson) released the following statement in response to Thursday’s declaration by Governor Evers to extend the “Safer at Home” order beyond the bounds of state law. “The Governor’s actions today cross the boundary from chaotic and arbitrary to lawlessness,” said Rep. Sortwell. “State law is clear. The Governor cannot extend his emergency authority beyond 60 days without the consent and approval of the Legislature. Nor can he use a secretary or administrative officer to subvert the legal requirement of legislative approval. The people of Wisconsin elect a Governor to execute the laws, not to disregard

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Reps. Pocan, Moore, Kind: Wisconsin has received zero testing materials from FEMA—despite congressional requests

MADISON, WI – Democratic Wisconsin Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02), Gwenn Moore (WI-04), and Ron Kind (WI-03) sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) questioning why Wisconsin has received none of the testing materials it requested on March 28 and 29—specifically testing kits, test collection swabs, and reagents. It has additionally received an inadequate amount of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)—including 50% fewer N95 respirators than expected. FEMA’s failure to provide Wisconsin with adequate testing materials comes at the same time that President Trump has said expanding testing capacity is up to state governors. Wisconsin has gone through the proper supply chains

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Rep. Sargent: Response to F-35A designation

MADISON– In her “record of decision” announced yesterday, U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett officially designated Madison’s Truax Field as one of two sites chosen for the F-3A aircraft operational beddown. Representative Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) released the following statement in response: “Yesterday, the United States Air Force officially selected Truax Field Air National Guard Base as one of the two sites to receive the F-35A aircraft, with the aircrafts set to arrive in 2023. This decision comes after many years of analysis and public discourse. As the State Representative for the 48th Assembly District, which encompasses Truax Field and the

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Gov. Evers: Delivers weekly democratic radio address on the extension of Wisconsin’s Safer at Home order

The following is Gov. Tony Evers’ radio address on the extension of Wisconsin’s Safer at Home order from April 24, 2020 to 8 a.m. May 26, 2020.  Hi, Wisconsin. Governor Tony Evers here. A little over three weeks ago, I asked for your help when I announced our Safer at Home order, and folks, you delivered.  At that time, we had a pretty grim outlook for what COVID-19 could mean for our state, but Safer at Home is working and it’s because of you that we have helped flatten the curve, which has resulted in fewer cases and hospitalizations. But

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Rep. Kind: Rolls out family farm rescue plan, calling for immediate, decisive action by the administration

La Crosse, WI—Today, Rep. Ron Kind introduced his Family Farm Rescue Plan, which focuses on five concrete steps that the Administration can immediately take to support family farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to threaten Wisconsin’s agricultural economy, with some dairy farmers being forced to dispose of thousands of gallons of fresh milk daily due to a drop in demand for dairy products typically consumed in schools, restaurants, and food service. This puts a strain on an already struggling industry. For the past two years, Wisconsin has led the nation in farm bankruptcies with an average of two dairy farms closing per day.

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Midwest Governors: Announce partnership to reopen regional economy 

LANSING, Mich. — Today, Governors Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Mike DeWine (OH), Tony Evers (WI), Tim Walz (MN), JB Pritzker (IL), Eric Holcomb (IN), and Andy Beshear (KY) announced that they will work in close coordination to reopen the economy in the Midwest region. The governors said, “We are doing everything we can to protect the people of our states and slow the spread of COVID-19, and we are eager to work together to mitigate the economic crisis this virus has caused in our region. Here in the Midwest, we are bound  by our commitment to our people and the community. We recognize that our economies are all reliant on each other,

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Evers orders stay-at-home order extended one month to May 26

Gov. Tony Evers announced today he has ordered Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm to extend his stay-at-home order another month to May 26, though with some easing of past restrictions to allow certain activities to start up again. That includes allowing public libraries to provide curb-side pickup and golf courses to open with some restrictions on scheduling and paying for tee times online or by phone only. Still, the order directs public and private K-12 schools to remain closed for the rest of the school year and cancels extracurricular activities. Evers first declared a public health emergency March 12, and

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Priorities Wisconsin: Voters defied Trump last week, so Pence is coming to do damage control

Last night, Vice President Pence announced he is traveling to Madison next week to visit a GE health care manufacturing facility. If at first you’re surprised by these travel plans, once you take a look at what happened last week, it’ll be extremely clear why he’s making this trip. Amid a global pandemic, Wisconsin voters defied the president, rejecting his pick for SCOWIS, incumbent Dan K… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options.

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UW-Madison: Advance could enable control of soft robots

MADISON – Soft materials, such as rubber or polymers that can endure drastic changes to their shape, are promising for applications where flexibility and shapeshifting abilities are paramount. For example, these materials can be used to create soft robots suited for specialized tasks, ranging from medical devices that could navigate around inside the body to robots for search-and-rescue missions that can squeeze through small openings. But to power a soft robot’s movement or transformations, researchers often use actuators that need to be physically connected to the robot, which limits its usefulness. “These actuators are usually much larger than the robot

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Dept. of Military Affairs: April 12-18 is Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. – Gov. Tony Evers has declared April 12-18, 2020, as Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in Wisconsin. The week is designed to recognize Wisconsin’s call takers and dispatchers for their dedication to helping citizens in need and supporting law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services. Currently, Wisconsin has over 100 public safety answering points (PSAPs) or 9-1-1 dispatch centers that receive more than 2.9 million emergency calls and 5.9 million non-emergency calls each year. It is estimated that Wisconsin has over 1,600 telecommunicators serving more than 2,200 first responder agencies and 5 million citizens. View the proclamation here: https://evers.wi.gov/Documents/Proclamations/041220_Proclamation_National%20Public%20Safety%20Telecommunicators%20Week_KO.pdf

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WEDC: Kelliann Blazek named to head of Office of Rural Prosperity

MADISON, WI. APRIL 14, 2020 – Kelliann Blazek has been named the first director of the newly created Office of Rural Prosperity within the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), the organization’s secretary and CEO, Missy Hughes, announced today. “Even as WEDC concentrates on helping the entire state’s economy recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to give special attention to our rural communities that were already experiencing huge challenges before the outbreak,” said Hughes. “I’m pleased that WEDC was able to find someone with Kelliann’s knowledge and commitment to rural development to lead this vital effort.” Governor Tony

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WPHA, WALHDAB: Public health organizations support Gov. Evers for extension of safer at home, offer data‐driven path forward

The public health measures implemented in the Governor’s Safer at Home Order have been key to our state’s efforts to protect health and safety. Everyone’s commitment to and diligent practicing of proven physical distancing measures has helped slow the spread of the COVID‐19 virus. The Wisconsin Association for Local Health Departments and Boards (WALHDAB) as well as the Wisconsin Public Health Association (WPHA) are grateful for Governor Evers’ announcement that Safer at Home will be extended to May 26. Representing over 1,200 public health professionals statewide, WALHDAB and WPHA are dedicated to promoting and protecting public health in Wisconsin. “We

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Mayor Rhodes-Conway: Statement on extension of Gov. Evers’ safer at home order

I thank Governor Evers for taking this strong stance to continue to protect public health at this critical time when Wisconsin is still witnessing significant levels of illness and death from COVID-19. What is clear from the science is that we will have to continue to take precautions and make adjustments to the way we go about our daily lives until a vaccine is widely available. Even if the summer results in a decrease in the levels of illness, the CDC is predicting that a vaccine will not be available for a year or more. Future waves of illness will

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Gov. Evers: Directs DHS to extend Wisconsin’s Safer at Home order

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today directed Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Andrea Palm to extend the Safer at Home order from April 24, 2020 to 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, 2020, or until a superseding order is issued. The order implements some new measures to ensure safety and support

Read More »

Rep. Sortwell: Evers’ actions lawless

Two Rivers – Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Gibson) released the following statement in response to Thursday’s declaration by Governor Evers to extend the “Safer at Home” order beyond the bounds of state law. “The Governor’s actions today cross the boundary from chaotic and arbitrary to lawlessness,” said Rep. Sortwell. “State law is

Read More »

Reps. Pocan, Moore, Kind: Wisconsin has received zero testing materials from FEMA—despite congressional requests

MADISON, WI – Democratic Wisconsin Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02), Gwenn Moore (WI-04), and Ron Kind (WI-03) sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) questioning why Wisconsin has received none of the testing materials it requested on March 28 and 29—specifically testing kits, test collection swabs, and reagents. It has additionally

Read More »

Rep. Sargent: Response to F-35A designation

MADISON– In her “record of decision” announced yesterday, U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett officially designated Madison’s Truax Field as one of two sites chosen for the F-3A aircraft operational beddown. Representative Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) released the following statement in response: “Yesterday, the United States Air Force officially selected Truax

Read More »

Rep. Kind: Rolls out family farm rescue plan, calling for immediate, decisive action by the administration

La Crosse, WI—Today, Rep. Ron Kind introduced his Family Farm Rescue Plan, which focuses on five concrete steps that the Administration can immediately take to support family farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to threaten Wisconsin’s agricultural economy, with some dairy farmers being forced to dispose of thousands of gallons

Read More »

Midwest Governors: Announce partnership to reopen regional economy 

LANSING, Mich. — Today, Governors Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Mike DeWine (OH), Tony Evers (WI), Tim Walz (MN), JB Pritzker (IL), Eric Holcomb (IN), and Andy Beshear (KY) announced that they will work in close coordination to reopen the economy in the Midwest region. The governors said, “We are doing everything we can to protect the people of our states

Read More »

Evers orders stay-at-home order extended one month to May 26

Gov. Tony Evers announced today he has ordered Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm to extend his stay-at-home order another month to May 26, though with some easing of past restrictions to allow certain activities to start up again. That includes allowing public libraries to provide curb-side pickup and golf courses

Read More »

UW-Madison: Advance could enable control of soft robots

MADISON – Soft materials, such as rubber or polymers that can endure drastic changes to their shape, are promising for applications where flexibility and shapeshifting abilities are paramount. For example, these materials can be used to create soft robots suited for specialized tasks, ranging from medical devices that could navigate

Read More »

WEDC: Kelliann Blazek named to head of Office of Rural Prosperity

MADISON, WI. APRIL 14, 2020 – Kelliann Blazek has been named the first director of the newly created Office of Rural Prosperity within the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), the organization’s secretary and CEO, Missy Hughes, announced today. “Even as WEDC concentrates on helping the entire state’s economy recover from the

Read More »