$45 Million Investment in Safer Communities, Violence Prevention Efforts Announced

Gov. Tony Evers, joined by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, violence prevention advocates, and community leaders, this week announced a $45 million investment in ensuring safer communities through violence prevention and support for crime victims. Under the plan announced today, Wisconsin is investing $25 million into violence prevention efforts and $20 million to support victim services in our state. The violence prevention funds will help bolster both statewide research initiatives and community-based solutions, and the funding for victim services will support providers in meeting the recent increase in demand for these services.

Funded through the state’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, these allocations build upon the governor’s previous investments in economic recovery, in mental and physical healthcare, in education, and in the well-being of kids and families across our state—all of which help create strong communities and prevent violence. 

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Republican’s So-Called Election Review Riddled with Problems

This week, Attorney General Josh Kaul called for Speaker Robin Vos, and Michael Gableman, the leader of Speaker Vos’s so-called 2020 election review, to stop their flawed efforts. Kaul stated that the so-called 2020 election review lacks credibility, and is legally questionable.

Deficiencies in the so-called review include a lack of transparency about how and why Gableman was selected to lead the effort; a lack of transparency about the review itself; a lack of impartiality on behalf of the reviewers; the significant delay between the election and the start of the review; inconsistent procedures in the review; insufficient security, including use of unsecured Gmail accounts; and unfounded allegations made by Gableman that the 2020 election was stolen. Gableman has also hired a former Trump administration attorney who has made similar unfounded claims, and has stated that he has an incomplete understanding of how elections work.

Last Friday, while on a talk radio program, Gablman compared the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s reporting to Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister for the Nazi Party. I have called on Gableman to resign, or for Speaker Vos to remove him from his post if he refuses. Trivializing the Holocaust and making anti-Semitic comments have no place in respectable political discourse, and there should be consequences for leaders who engage in this type of divisive, hyperbolic rhetoric.

Speaker Vos and Michael Gabelman continue to play a dangerous game, and are undermining our democracy. As a member of the Assembly Campaigns and Elections Committee, I will continue to fight against these ridiculous shenanigans that Republicans have decided they must engage in to please a defeated and twice-impeached president.

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Gov. Evers Issues Apology for State’s Historical Role in Indian Boarding Schools

On Indigenous Peoples Day, October 11, Governor Evers signed Executive Order #136, issuing a formal acknowledgement and apology for Wisconsin’s historical role in Indian boarding schools. The governor’s order also includes a formal declaration of support for the U.S. Department of Interior investigation announced earlier this year and requesting any investigations in Wisconsin be undertaken in consultation with Wisconsin’s Native Nations.

For more than a century between the 1860s and 1970s, the U.S. federal government induced and coerced thousands of Native American children from their families and homes, placing them into boarding schools funded by the U.S. government operated by the government and religious organizations. Estimates indicate thousands of children were forced to attend day and boarding schools across the country. Residential schools sought to force assimilation of Native American children by isolating them from their cultural identities, punishing them for speaking their native language or practicing their traditions, prohibiting them from wearing traditional clothing, and requiring children to cut their hair. Investigators condemned conditions in the boarding schools in 1928 as "grossly inadequate," and, in 1969, as "sterile, impersonal and rigid, with a major focus on discipline and punishment.”

Available records indicate there were at least 10 day and boarding schools operated in Wisconsin where thousands of Native children attended, while hundreds of children from Wisconsin were sent to attend out-of-state boarding schools in places like Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Virginia. Lack of available and reliable documentation presents challenges for understanding the full scope and effects of boarding schools in Wisconsin and across the U.S. Nevertheless, the residential schools have had intergenerational effects on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, including emotional trauma and culture and language loss, among many other long-lasting, negative consequences.

Gov. Evers’ announcement comes as earlier this year as the remains of more than 1,300 students were discovered in Canada at residential school sites. Following the initial discovery, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and member of the Pueblo of Laguna announced a Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative to comprehensively review historical records and legacy of U.S. boarding school policies.

2021 marks the third year Wisconsin has celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day, first recognized in 2019 when Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #50 to recognize the day annually on the second Monday in October. A proclamation for Indigenous Peoples Day is available here.

Wisconsin is home to eleven federally-recognized Native Nations and one federally unrecognized nation, including Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Forest County Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Sokaogon Chippewa Community Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, St Croix Chippewa Tribe of Wisconsin, Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Tribe, and Brothertown Indian Nation.

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COVID-19 Update

Dane County remains under its Face Covering Emergency Order until November 5. Face coverings are required for people ages two and older when in any enclosed space open to the public where other people, except for members of the person’s own household or living unit, are present and while driving or riding in any form of public transportation.

The CDC has recommended that people 65 and older and certain populations who are at high risk of COVID-19 who have received the Pfizer vaccine receive a booster shot at least six months after the completion of their Pfizer vaccine primary series. This decision follows authorization by the FDA. News about Moderna's booster shot is forthcoming.

DHS recommends that the following populations SHOULD receive a booster dose of Pfizer at least 6 months after receiving their second dose of Pfizer in order to further strengthen their immunity:

• People 65 years and older
• All residents in long-term care
• People ages 50-64 years with certain underlying medical conditions

DHS recommends that the following populations MAY receive a booster dose of Pfizer at least 6 months after receiving their second dose of Pfizer vaccine, after considering their individual risks and benefits:

• People ages 18-49 years with certain underlying medical conditions
• People ages 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of their job or institutional settings. Occupations at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission include front line essential workers and health care workers.

For more information, view the DHS news release on Pfizer booster shots.

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Emergency Rental Assistance Still Available

Dane County Human Services is continuing to provide Emergency Rental Assistance for Dane County residents with Dane Core 2.0 to help prevent evictions and cover some additional housing costs such as utilities. Dane Core is a partnership to assist eligible households through non-profits and community partners.

CAC is processing applications for rental assistance for residents of the city of Madison. The Dane County emergency rental assistance page provides information on whether someone should reach out to Urban Triage (in Dane County, outside of Madison) or CAC (City of Madison). 

Click here for more information about the Dane Core program.

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New Blue Books Available!

The 2021-2022 edition of the Wisconsin Blue Book is here!  If you'd like a copy please email my office at Rep.Subeck@legis.wisconsin.gov, and I will have my staff provide you with your very own copy. I also still have copies of two previous versions (2017-2018, and 2019-2020) available. If you are downtown during normal business hours, you can also stop in to my office (Room 109 N in the Capitol) to pick one up in person (please note that masks are required in my office).

(Pictured is a young constituent who loves reading his Blue Book every night before bed.)

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Flex Lane Project Update- Lane and Ramp Closures Continue

Daily lane and ramp closures are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday (October 18-21) on the Beltline between Verona Road and John Nolen Drive.

In addition, daytime ramp closures may occur Monday through Thursday for the Fish Hatchery Road and Todd Drive ramps to the westbound Beltline as well as the Todd Drive ramp to the eastbound Beltline. Message boards on those ramps will indicate the exact dates and times of the closures.

Delays are anticipated on the Beltline and drivers should plan extra time when traveling through the area. Motorists are also urged to pay attention and slow down in the work zone.

Crews will continue Beltline median construction as part of the Flex Lane project. The daily lane and ramp closures, and work operations are weather dependent and subject to change.

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Wisconsin Fun Fact 

Fairlawn Mansion, located in Superior, was built as the family home for lumber and mining baron, Martin Pattison, his wife Grace, and their six children. Fairlawn was completed in 1891 at the cost of $150,000, an equivalent of well over $3 million today. The mansion stands as an enduring testament to Pattison’s success and standing in the community and state.

The Queen Anne Victorian house, featuring a four-story tower complete with widow’s watch overlooking the bay, is a unique and well recognized landmark in the City of Superior. In summer, gardens dot the expansive lawns with traditional flower varieties such as peony, rose, hydrangea and lily. Guests are welcome to stroll through the grounds at their leisure and may photograph the gardens and exterior of the mansion.

The fully restored first floor of the mansion features gilded murals on the ceilings and frieze, a grand entrance hall and open staircase, marble and tile fireplaces, and original leaded and stained glass windows. The second floor of the mansion includes access to the master bedroom suite, furnished much as it was during the Pattisons’ time in the house. The third floor is dedicated to the Children’s Home era from 1920 to 1962, when the mansion served as a home to the less fortunate.

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