DHS Seeks Public Input on Opioid Settlement Funds (UNDATED)
Wisconsin health officials want your input on fighting the opioid crisis. The Department of Health Services is asking residents to complete an online survey about how opioid settlement money should be spent. DHS Substance Use Initiatives Director Michelle Haese says community voices are critical because people with firsthand experience can help identify the greatest needs. The survey is available on the Department of Health Services website through September 30th.
Evers sends letter to Trump administration over Head Start changes (UNDATED)
Governor Tony Evers is pushing back against proposed federal changes to Head Start. Evers has sent a letter to federal health officials urging them to scrap a Trump Administration proposal that would roll back Head Start program standards. The governor says the plan would eliminate requirements covering class sizes, services for children with disabilities, educational quality, and child safety. Evers argues the changes would weaken a program that serves about 700,000 children nationwide. In Wisconsin, Head Start and Early Head Start programs served more than 12,000 children and families last year.
UW-Eau Claire joins Direct Admit program (EAU CLAIRE)
Another UW-System campus joins the Direct Admit program. UW-Eau Claire has joined the program that allows eligible graduating high school students directly into UW-System universities without having to go through an application process. The hope is to help bolster enrollment at the Universities. Enrollment has been flat across the system, but was up at nine of the 13 Universities in 2025. Eau Claire, Madison and La Crosse did not join the program at its inception in 2024.
Fire damages under construction West Allis DPW building (WEST ALLIS)
Damage assessments are underway after a fire at West Allis’s new public works building. The fire started Thursday morning, with construction teams still on the building’s roof. Everyone escaped safely, but there is extensive damage to the warehouse building that had been set to house the city’s road crews and public works administrative staff by the end of the year. That’s uncertain now. Cause of the fire and the extent of damage is under investigation.
DHS tracking E. coli outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts (UNDATED)
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is tracking an E. coli outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts. D H S says 17 people have been sickened and one hospitalized after eating sprouts from the Calco and Everything Sprouts brands. The outbreak has also hit Minnesota with 23 cases there. Anyone who has purchased any sprouts from either Calco or Everything Sprouts should immediately throw them out, and if you’ve eaten them get yourself checked for E. coli infection.