MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has declined to take up a conservative legal group’s challenge to Dane County’s mask mandate. In a 4-3 ruling issued Friday afternoon, the court refused to exercise its own jurisdiction over the recent public health order, instead leaving it up to the state’s lower courts to consider any future legal challenges first. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty challenged the mask […]
The vice president of Pharmacy Services with SSM Health Wisconsin region says the FDA did not rush in giving full approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Mo Kharbat says the vaccine has undergone the same rigorous regulatory review as dozens of other established vaccines. "Because it's been available under emergengy authorization, tens of millions of doses were given already, far beyond what any normal clinical trials would allow. Normal clinical trials […]
OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) — Oshkosh Area School District officials postponed a school board meeting after a group of protesters stormed the room and refused to wear masks. The district implemented a mandatory mask policy on Monday. A group of 20 to 30 people showed up at the school board meeting Wednesday to protest the policy. The group refused a police officer’s order to don masks and an argument broke out […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s top education official is urging everyone headed into school buildings in coming days to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks. Jill Underly says those steps will help ensure schools don’t have to shut down amid a spike in new cases. The state superintendent of schools wrote an editorial Wednesday urging a united front against the virus. She noted that the situation was different than […]
The Fond du Lac interim police chief is asking for prayers for a Fond du Lac police officer who is hospitalized with COVID-19. Interim police chief Aaron Goldstein told WFDL news that an officer is hospitalized with the virus. "We do have one police officer diagnosed with COVID and has had complications from the disease and has been hospitalized," Goldstein told WFDL news. "I'm in constant communication with the department […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — University of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson is pushing back against Republican lawmakers who claim campuses need their permission to implement COVID-19 policies. A key Republican lawmaker promised to pursue a lawsuit if Thompson won't abide. UW campuses implemented a range of protocols this month heading into the fall semester, including mask and testing mandates. Republican lawmakers responded by voting to block the system from implementing […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The office of a Wisconsin lawmaker who has been an outspoken critic of vaccine and mask mandates has declined to update his condition, even as a fellow legislator asked for prayers, saying the state senator was hospitalized with COVID-19-induced pneumonia. Wisconsin state Sen. Andre Jacque was hospitalized on Aug. 16 after he tested positive for COVID-19. The Republican from De Pere is one of the Legislature’s […]
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee's mayor has ordered mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for city employees. Mayor Tom Barrett made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. The requirement applies to general city employees as well as temporary employees and interns. The mandate will go into effect Sept. 1. Unvaccinated employees will have until Oct. 29 to produce proof of vaccination. Workers who won't comply will face 30-day unpaid suspensions. Workers who continue to refuse to […]
The FDA has given full approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says it comes at a good time. The full authorization is for everyone age 16 and older. Mueller says she hopes it encourages unvaccinated people that Pfizer’s shot is safe and effective. The FDA has never before had so much evidence to judge a shot’s safety. More than 200 million doses […]