Reading Time: 4 minutes The search for someone to lead the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, or DOC, is in progress. In a press release, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced the retirement of Kevin Carr, who served as secretary of the DOC for roughly five years. Evers applauded Carr’s accomplishments, including expansion of educational opportunities for people who are incarcerated as well as increased access to medication-assisted treatment, a treatment often used for opioid use disorder. But some people who are currently incarcerated are not so quick to praise Carr.  Prisoners thr ..read more

Reading Time: 3 minutes Diamond Riley plans to pursue a new goal in life once she’s released from the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center. “I want to work with justice-involved youth and young adults and help them overcome the challenges I had,” Riley said. “I found my passion.”  She now has the skills to help her achieve her goal thanks to a workshop that prepares people for successful reentry after incarceration. In March, Riley, 22, completed Building a Path to Success, a six-week workshop of the My Way Out program offered to individuals at the Milwaukee County Co ..read more

Reading Time: 7 minutes Click here to read highlights from the story Recipients of FoodShare, Wisconsin’s food aid program for low-income people, may request replacement funds after power outages or other misfortunes cause food to spoil. Many recipients remain unaware of that option.  Those who are aware face what advocates call unnecessary hurdles. They include requirements in Wisconsin and most states that recipients hand-sign a verification of loss form. Such barriers may grow more consequential as climate change drives more extreme weather in Wisconsin and other states. Wisconsin pla ..read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Need to access or replace FoodShare benefits? You can find a list of local food assistance office locations and phone numbers on Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services website. Feeding Wisconsin’s FoodShare helpline (1-877-366-3635) can help you navigate the application process.  Below are additional resources around Wisconsin.  Southeast Wisconsin: Hunger Task Force (phone: 414-777-0483, online: hungertaskforce.org) can assist in filing replacement forms at three locations across Milwaukee. It also provides kiosks with phones, printers and computers for SN ..read more

Reading Time: 3 minutes As the April 2 election draws near, debate continues over whether voters should support Milwaukee Public Schools’ $252 million referendum, which would raise property taxes. School district officials said the funding increase would allow them to sustain and improve educational programming, attract and retain teachers and avoid budget cuts due to cost increases. “We have to continue to ensure that our students have art teachers, music teachers, smaller class sizes,” said Keith Posley, superintendent of  Milwaukee Public Schools, or MPS, during a recent  ..read more

Reading Time: 3 minutes FlexRide Milwaukee celebrated its 50,000th ride in January. But although the program continues to be in high demand, its future is unclear.  Launched in 2022, FlexRide Milwaukee is an on-demand transportation service that provides affordable transportation to inner-city residents who work in Franklin, Oak Creek, New Berlin or Menomonee Falls. After serving only 11 riders in its first month, FlexRide now averages 4,000 rides each month, said Dave Steele, executive director of MobiliSE, which operates FlexRide with financial support from various city ..read more

Reading Time: 4 minutes News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Learn more at our website or sign up for our texting service here. The multibillion-dollar VineBrook Homes Trust Inc. made its way into Milwaukee in 2019 and now owns about 1,000 single-family homes, primarily on the city’s North Side. As the Texas-based company buys up homes on Milwaukee’s North Side, some residents ..read more

Reading Time: 3 minutes News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Learn more at our website or sign up for our texting service here. Gary Kirksey could see his 6-year-old daughter’s pink sweater – her favorite color – through the glass. He could also see that her shoes matched the sweater. It’s details like these that people who are incarcerated can’t gather from a mere phone call ..read more

Reading Time: 4 minutes News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Learn more at our website or sign up for our texting service here. It’s been seven years since Stephen Jansen was a plaintiff in the American Civil Liberties Union’s landmark Collins lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee over the police department’s unlawful stop-and-frisk policies and five years since a settlement in ..read more

Reading Time: 4 minutes News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Learn more at our website or sign up for our texting service here. Changes in FoodShare and Medicaid requirements have caused benefits to be cut off for many and created difficulties for beneficiaries to get their applications reviewed or renewed. And state workers are struggling to keep up. Beverly Knox and her son C ..read more