SUPPORT THE ADRC – SUPPORT WISCONSIN
Throughout my life I would tell people that the most significant problem I suffered from was not that I am visually impaired, rather, I suffered from a severe lack of information. Since I was born with my visual impairment I am quite capable of handling that aspect of my life. Everything else though was a challenge for me. A person who has better vision can walk into an office, scan the signs on the wall or a rack full of brochures or forms and quickly find whatever they need. Not me though. I could easily miss information shown on a sign or not notice a rack of ...
OBJECTS IN THE SKY: CONJUNCTIONS – JUPITER AND SATURN
Looking low in the southwest sky at dusk this December, two bright objects stand out. The lower and brighter one is the planet Jupiter. Higher and a bit to the left is Saturn. During this past spring and summer, the apparent distance between the planets has been decreasing. On December 21, 2020, the two planets will be at their minimum separation, about 0.15° apart. This is only about one-third the width of the full moon. Jupiter and Saturn have not been this close since the year 1226 A.D. In historical perspective, Francis of Assisi died in that year and ...
HELPING THE HOMELESS
(Author’s note: This was originally written about homelessness in Duluth, Minnesota. The statistics may differ but the problems AND SOLUTIONS are similar in Wisconsin and across the country.)
"A lot of us are one paycheck away, and there's just a variety of folks that can experience homelessness. It's not just a certain group of people, and it's really important we stop characterizing people and just start helping them." Shelly Bruecken, member of the Loaves and Fishes community and homeless advocate in Duluth.
Homelessness continues to be ...
Video: Norfleet and Kilian Discuss Environmental Justice in Wausau
A video discussion on the "Brother2Brotha Who's Talking" podcast with guests Chris Norfleet and Tom Kilian. Recorded November 7, 2020, it touches on local topics such as the East Riverfront, the Wausau Mall Redevelopment, Thomas Street, and the overall need for local frameworks that foster an inclusive democracy and equity for all.
Note: Tom Kilian has served as a volunteer on Middle Wisconsin's digital efforts since 2013
SCARED AND THINKING
As a healthcare worker, the Coronavirus Crisis has got me scared and thinking.
I am scared for my very dear friend. She made daily rounds in a NYC hospital, a city where one person was dying every 10 minutes from the virus at its peak. I don’t want to lose one of a very few friends who understands me!
My fellow nurses are dying from it without adequate protection. More than 2000 and counting. My wife and/or myself could be next!
My own residents in the nursing homes are suffering from lack of connection with family due to ...
DONATIONS FOR THE WARMING CENTER ARE NEEDED
Donations for the Warming Center can be dropped off at the former Warming
Center location: 540 South 3 rd Avenue in Wausau.
The location for the Warming Center for this year is the First United Methodist
Church in Wausau. It will provide space for up to 25 men and women to assure
more space for social distancing during this winter season. Do not drop off
donations at the Methodist Church.
Warm Items (They cannot accept items for warm weather or bedding.)
Gently used winter coats—Both Men’s and Women’s
Winter ...
PEACE FOR VETERANS DAY
Veterans Days was originally a day to celebrate peace. The original holiday was Armistice Day which marked the end of the fighting in WWI on November 11, 1918. That day became an international holiday to remember the war and work for peace. In 1926, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution creating Armistice Day to “commemorate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.” But in 1954 it was changed to Veterans Day.
WWI was the ”war to end all wars.” It was one of the most unnecessary wars in human history. The horror of ...
WHAT BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY MEANS FOR THE DISABLED
When we decided to write for Middle Wisconsin, our intention was to represent a demographic that is often underrepresented: people with disabilities. As a woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) and a man who has been visually impaired since birth, we have experienced things that many able-bodied people haven’t. We also have a lot in common with many able-bodied people. Like any person, we want to live fulfilling lives.
The two of us have been together for nearly fifteen years. We love one another and wanted to get married years ago, but marriage ...
BARBED WIRE AND ACRES OF HOPE
BARBED WIRE AND ACRES OF HOPE is a collection of essays reflecting on the gifts bestowed upon us by our American forebears, and how the Republican Party has been systematically attempting to take those gifts from us and our children. The brief vignettes remind us that we are not only the beneficiaries but also the stewards of those gifts. Please consider recommending the book to your personal network and asking them to do the same.
Barbed Wire & Acres of Hope is now available in eBook form on Amazon and will be there in paperback form soon.
Barbed Wire & ...
HOW MANY LIVES WILL WE LOSE IN THE WAR AGAINST COVID-19. . .
HOW MANY LIVES WILL WE LOOSE IN THE WAR AGAINST COVID-19...
...because somebody wants to drink
or eat, in a crowded bar or restaurant?
By mid-October, Marathon County had 3,531 confirmed cases of Covid 19 and officially registered 38 deaths to this virus! By the time you read this, the number of cases, and the number of lives lost to this deadly virus will have increased. To find the effect of Covid-19 on your friends, family and neighbors in your county, go to: dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/county.htm.
Like many of you, my family and I ...