Stories you might have missed from across Wisconsin.
Cudahy: Is Cudahy park contaminated?
here’s a question you never want to ask; “Is my park contaminated and dangerous?” Unfortunately that’s exactly what people are asking in Cudahy. The city and the Wisconsin DNR are trying to find the answer. According to the Journal Sentinel, PCBs were found in sediment along the east property line of Cudahy Park in 2001. The DNR did sampling at the park in 2020 to determine the current levels of contamination. Another study was contracted in 2024 by ATI Forged Products. During a Cudahy Committee of the Whole meeting Wednesday, Linda Michalets, a hydrogeologist for the DNR told city officials “There are some PCBs detected in Cudahy Park, we have to default that ATI? Landish is the source. The former Landish property, now ATI had a drainage channel that cut through what eventually became Cudahy Park. The PCBs are on the ATI property and it’s likely they came from the channel. The DNR and the EPA are reviewing the contamination levels in the park. PCBs are “a group of man-made organic chemicals.” they were banned in1979. The EPA says that PCBs have a range of toxicity. During the presentation it was explained that there is a theoretical health hazard due to the levels of PCBs in the park, but someone would have to have contact with the soil every day for years. Full Story
Sheboygan: First responders receive “REACH-A Child” bags thanks to grant from AT&T.
Dealing with a crisis, whether its an accident, house fire or something else is traumatic for everyone, but the effects those crises are particularly difficult for children. Thanks to the “REACH-A Child” program and a $10,000 contribution from AT&T, the Sheboygan Police and fire Departments will be able to ease a child’s fears during and after a crisis. Both departments have received REACH bags that contain a variety of ‘children’s books, given to kids at the scene of an accident, house fire or other crisis that hopefully can redirect the child’s attention form the crisis at hand and and allow them to experience an educational break from their fears. In a statement announcing the contribution, Curtis Fuszard, Executive Director for REACH-A Child said: “When children are facing a crisis situation like a car accident, fire, or domestic disturbance, our mission is to help first responders engage them in a positive way through the power of a book. Thanks to the generous support of AT&T, we are able to help first responders in Sheboygan and across Wisconsin comfort children in need.” Since 2014, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have contributed over $87,000 to support REACH-A-Child in Wisconsin. Full Story
Medford: Taylor County ramps up efforts to fight opioid abuse and suicide.
The problems of opioid abuse and death by suicide are widespread in Wisconsin but especially in rural areas where resources for prevention, treatment and recovery can be limited.. In an effort to to combat these issues, the Taylor County Health Department will soon launch its first outdoor harm reduction vending machines. Two machines are already installed in the Taylor County Courthouse and Human Services Building in Medford during regular business hours. The machines offer free Narcan, fentanyl test strips, gun locks, CPR kits and other life saving supplies. The two new machines will be accessible around the clock without having to enter the building. Melissa Moore, a public health foundationalist with Taylor County told WPR that a recent community health assessment showed a ratio of just one counsellor for every 750 people in the county. She fears this statistic will become more dire as time goes on. “When we look at access to things like gun locks or Narcan, these are the things that are keeping people alive in order to get them to that next step, including treatment,” she said. Full Story
