Stories you might have missed from around Wisconsin.
Neillsville: Mumps case in Clark County raises vaccination concerns.
The debate over vaccinations is ongoing and shows no signs of stopping. The hesitation to get children vaccinated is raising concerns with public health officials. A confirmed case of mumps in Clark County, which has one of the State’s lowest rates of vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella, or MMR, has officials on alert. Dr. Jonathan Temte, a professor of family medicine and the associate dean of Public Health and Community Engagement for the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, spoke with WPR. He said that vaccine hesitancy, access challenges, and mistrust of the medical system are common barriers to improving vaccination rates in rural areas like Clark County. “I think there’s access to care issues,” Temte said. “To get vaccines very, very close to home, we have to have sufficient pediatricians and family physicians. There can also be increased hesitation in rural areas, sometimes because of that lack of availability of trusted clinical practices.” Mumps begins with Flu-like symptoms including fever, muscle aches, pain in the front of the neck and trouble chewing. Complications can become severe, ranging from encephalitis to deafness. Full Story
Green Bay: School District moving to clean energy.
Green Bay Area Public Schools will start work toward long-term carbon-neutral sustainability goals, focusing on electricity, renewable energy and upgrades as it completes a series of referendum projects. How those goals will be met is still unknown. Cale Pulczinski, chief operations officer for the district, told the Press-Gazette, “The strategy we’re recommending is a pathway, our best pathway to meet that goal. So not necessarily a plan. It’s really a recommendation of how we can meet that goal.” In 2020, the School Board set a series of clean energy benchmarks — 50% carbon neutrality by 2035, 75% by 2040 and 100% by 2050 — and established an advisory committee in October 2023. The committee, which included several Board members, spent 2024 preparing a series of sustainability recommendations to meet these goals, which were presented to the board Monday. Green Bay schools will move away from fossil fuels and toward electrification and renewable energy. No cost projection for the project were presented. For something to be carbon neutral, its greenhouse gas emissions must be offset by actions that reduce those emissions, like investing in renewable and efficient energy. Full Story
Manitowoc: WWII submarine heading to Door County for repairs.
When you’re 81, you might need to get a little work done to help return you some semblance of your former glory. A historic, decorated World War II submarine credited with sinking more than a dozen enemy ships is heading to Door County this fall for repairs and maintenance, and it’s likely people will be able to view it as it passes by in Lake Michigan. The Press Gazette reported that The USS Cobia, docked outside the Wisconsin Maritime Museum where the Manitowoc River meets Lake Michigan, will be brought to Sturgeon Bay and go into drydock for at least six weeks of work to help preserve it and make sure it remains afloat. It’s the first time the 310-foot-long Gato-class sub, launched in November of 1943 and first pressed into service in 1944, will be in drydock in almost 30 years. The entire sub is restored to 1945 specs, including restoring its SJ-1 radar, thought to be the oldest operational radar in the world. There’s nothing wrong or broken on the Cobia, it’s simply due for the types of work that comes from its age and not being drydocked since 1996. Full Story
