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Funeral for Master Trooper Daniel Stainbrook

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Funeral services were held Tuesday in Plover for Wisconsin State Patrol Master Trooper Daniel Stainbrook, who contracted COVID on the job and died. State Patrol Lieutenant Nate Henriksen

“We are very grateful for this opportunity today, that we can have our troopers . . . and the law enforcement community to come out here and pay their final respects for Trooper Stainbrook,” said State Patrol Lieutenant Nate Henriksen.

Governor Tony Evers has ordered flags to fly at half-staff in honor of Stainbrook, who died November 15th at age 42.

COVID-19 is now the number one cause of death for law enforcement officers. The Officer Down Memorial Page shows 285 line of duty deaths from COVID-19 this year.

Republican bills to curtail abortions headed to likely vetoes from Evers

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Republican authored bills aimed at abortion in Wisconsin have passed both chambers of the legislature. And, as Assembly Minority Leader Gordon notes, they’re headed for vetoes by Governor Tony Evers.

Hintz (D-Oshkosh)

“Republicans know these extreme bills won’t become law. And they know the majority of Wisconsinites support access to safe and legal abortion,” Hintz said on Wednesday.

Two of the measures were previously vetoed by the Democratic governor, but Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) defended the votes.

“Everybody in our caucus is proud to be pro-life,” Vos said. “Just because a bill is errantly vetoed by the governor in a previous session doesn’t mean we won’t bring the topic up.”

One bill would require that doctors notify women that a medication-induced abortion could be reversed. Another prohibits the state from certifying abortion providers as Medicaid providers. Two others ban abortions based on sex or race, and require doctors to provide expectant parents information about congenital conditions.

Also on Wednesday, the Assembly passed legislation allowing pharmacists in Wisconsin to administer oral contraception.

Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay)

“What this bill does really is it gives women more choices, it decreases unplanned pregnancies and by doing so decreases abortions. And it saves tax dollars and reduces generational poverty,” said Representative Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay), the bill’s author. “I respect the moral opposition that some people have to birth control. But I think it’s not right for a small minority to impose their values on the rest of the state.”

The bill passed Wednesday on a strong 83-7 bipartisan vote, and would likely be signed by Governor Evers if it passes the state Senate.

 

State Senate Republicans pass package of anti-abortion bills

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Republicans in the State Senate have passed a package of abortion restrictions on party-line votes.

Among those bills are requirements for doctors to offer so-called abortion reversal treatments, a measure to prevent abortion based on a fetus’s race, gender or genetic abnormality, and a bill that would cut off clinics that provide abortions from the Medical Assistance program.

Democrat Kelda Roys says it’s a cynical ploy to rile up the Republican base. 

“This bill and a few others on the calendar, Mr. President, insert political judgment for the most personal intimate choices in people’s lives.”

Democrat Senator Chris Larson called the bills just another method of removing healthcare from women and said you don’t get these sorts of measures when it comes to male vasectomies. 

“The state does not require that that man to be patted on the head and say, ‘you go home and you think about this for 24 hours. This is a really big decision fella.'”

The only Republican to comment on the bills was Senator Chris Kapenga, who defended the bill on abortion reversal, saying it was there to provide choices for women. 

“It’s more information so that she can make a better-informed decision and she knows that she can continue the pregnancy she may continue the pregnancy if she chooses.”

All four bills will likely be vetoed by Governor Evers. 

 

Dane County extends indoor mask mandate

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Dane County is extending its COVID-19 emergency order. Public Health Madison and Dane County cites a rise in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, and high community transmission.

Instead of expiring on Friday, the Dane County health orders are now good through November 5th. The mandate requires everyone age two and older wear a face covering or mask in public indoor places where there are other people.

 

DHS says Pfizer boosters are readily available

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Booster vaccination doses for many people who got the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are now available. Dr. Ryan Westergard with the state Department of Health Services notes an initial vaccine series does remain highly effective.

“We are prolonging or extending the potency or the high level effectiveness of the vaccines, which are effective to begin with but might decrease over time. It’s a little bit complicated but the data tell a pretty clear story.”))

People age 65 and older, and those with a variety of medical conditions, are recommended for a Pfizer COVD-19 booster shot.

Stephanie Schauer is the state Division of Public Health Immunization Program Manager. “We do have a wide network of vaccinators available to give both the primary series and the boosters. It is important for folks that are looking for the booster to check and make sure that they have the Pfizer product.”

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are still in the process of being approved for booster shots.

People can find initial vaccines series and booster vaccines at vaccines.gov.

Amid latest COVID-19 surge, health care workers ‘tired, stressed, frustrated’

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As COVID-19 cases continue to surge across Wisconsin, the head of the Wisconsin Hospital Association wants people to understand the pressures that’s putting on health care workers.

WHA CEO Eric Borgerding said that ICU beds are hard to find for the critically ill. “ICU capacity across Wisconsin right now is really, really tight.”

Borgerding noted the current wave of COVID-19 patients tend to be younger and sicker, and in the hospital longer than last fall.

“It’s really my hope that folks will understand we’re really stressed right now, and not just take for granted that the health care system can handle this,” he said.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has reported that the majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, and that vaccination remains the best protection against hospitalization, serious illness and death.

WHA provides a daily COVID-19 Situational Awareness Update on its website.

LeMahieu says he’ll fight gov’s order on COVID-19 testing for state employees

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State Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostberg) said he’ll be looking to challenge Governor Tony Evers’s order on COVID-19 testing for state employees.

The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) on Tuesday announced a new weekly testing requirement for all executive branch employees, interns, and contractors. The testing requirement will go into effect beginning October 18, 2021, and will apply to all employees who have either not submitted their vaccination status or reported their status as not fully vaccinated.

LeMahieu calls the requirements an invasive overreach of governmental authority, and said the State Senate will explore all options to ‘protect the rights of citizens.’

Study: alcohol use declines, cannabis use increases among college students

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A new study shows college students reported record high marijuana use, and record low drinking in 2020.
According to the 2020 Monitoring the Future study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, alcohol use among college students dipped from 62 percent in 2019 to 56 percent.

The percentages reporting being drunk in the past month and reporting binge-drinking also declined. Also according to the report, 44 percent of college students reported using marijuana in 2020, an increase from 38 percent in 2015.

Researchers are unsure whether the pandemic may have driven the record in cannabis consumption.

Eighteen states have legalized recreational marijuana, 37 states have legalized it for medical purposes. Wisconsin allows neither.

Wisconsin state employees report nearly 70 percent vaccination rate

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Nearly 70 percent of state employees in Wisconsin have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Eighty-seven percent of state employees have reported their vaccination status, and close to 70 percent report getting at least one dose, according to a Monday press release from the state Department of Administration.

That’s above the 55.5 percent of Wisconsinites who’ve received at least one dose of a vaccine.

So far, the Evers administration has not mandated vaccination for more than 30,000 state workers. DOA Secretary Joel Brennan said that given the ongoing public health threat posed by the Delta variant, vaccination remains the best tool for beating back the latest surge.

Keep an eye on your kid’s mental health as in-person classes resume

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As many kids head back to school for in-person classes, it’s important for parents and teachers to keep an eye on them to see how they’re adjusting.

UW-Health child psychologist Dr. Jason Horowitz says in most cases kids are going to be better off being with their peers, but in some cases that’s not true. 

“Kids who may be prone to anxiety particularly in social situations may have difficulty making the transition from what may be more comfortable for them, doing school at home or doing school virtually.”

Parents should be on the lookout for their kids acting out more or being more withdrawn than usual. Those sorts of behavioral changes could be signs their kid is having a tough time transitioning to school. 

“Teachers are really good at looking for those kinds of warning signs and I’m sure that they will be doing that as school kicks off again!”

Horowitz says it’s up to parents and teachers to help their kids make the adjustments they need to flourish with their peers.