Public health is top of mind in Wisconsin this week, and for good reason.
First, there’s all that wildfire smoke drifting south from Canada. Today marks the 23rd day that air quality somewhere in Wisconsin has been impacted—topping the 21 days from 2023. Fine particle pollution can pose serious health risks—especially for kids, older adults, and people with heart or lung conditions. The haze hanging over Wisconsin is a sign of how climate change is lengthening the fire season and having real effects here at home.
Meanwhile, measles cases have been confirmed in Wisconsin for the first time in years, all linked to out-of-state travel so far. While the risk to the general public remains low, state health officials are urging caution for any individuals who suspect exposure—and vaccinations. The measles vaccination rate for kindergarteners in Wisconsin is among the worst in the country.
Clean air is something most of us take for granted, and measles is a disease we thought was long behind us—so in this rapidly evolving health landscape, watch out for one another and stay healthy!
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Henry Teckam
Intern, UpNorthNews
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A bear with a jar stuck on its head in northern Wisconsin was successfully freed this weekend. (USDA APHIS Wildlife Services)
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A young black bear spotted roaming Bayfield, Douglas, and Sawyer counties with its head stuck in a plastic jar is now safe and back in the wild.
After more than a week of tracking, wildlife experts with USDA Wildlife Services were able to safely sedate the bear near Cable and remove the jar, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Monday.
“We do not know how long the jug was on the bear’s head, but it was a little skinny when captured. There were punctures in the jug – likely from the bear’s claws – and a public observation indicated that it was able to drink by dunking its head in water,” said Randy Johnson, DNR large carnivore specialist, in a press release. “The bear was likely surviving on body fat reserves (which can be significant on bears by midsummer).”
The 2-year-old female bear was a bit underweight but uninjured—and was last seen happily munching on wild berries. Shout out to alert residents who helped make the rescue possible by reporting sightings to the DNR.
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Hugging the spot where the Chippewa River and the Eau Claire River meet, Pablo Center at the Confluence is the city’s largest entertainment and arts center. (Megan Zabel Holmes/Visit Eau Claire)
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By Kristine Hansen
Until Justin Vernon holed up in a Northern Wisconsin cabin during the winter of 2006-07 to write and produce the debut Bon Iver album “For Emma, Forever Ago,” his hometown of Eau Claire wasn’t exactly on the map as a destination for creatives to find their muse. While home to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, students weren’t sticking around post-graduation, and few young people were moving here or scouting it out as a vacation spot.
Now, however, there’s an infusion of creatives flocking to Eau Claire, inspired by Vernon’s enthusiasm for his hometown. You can check into a boutique hotel themed around music and farm-to-table food, organize an art gallery hop, and see Broadway-style shows at a contemporary theater. Many shops are indie-owned and work hard to represent the local community.
Consider this your handy guide to exploring Eau Claire, a community of 70,000 people.
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By Pat Kreitlow
The city of Superior has found success building out its broadband network, and now the second phase is underway to connect another part of the city to the state’s first publicly-owned, open-access system for high-speed internet.
“We’re two weeks in and it’s already a hit,” Mayor Jim Paine said on Mornings with Pat Kreitlow, powered by UpNorthNews.
An open-access network means any internet service provider can use the fiber optic lines and sell its services to customers.
“We combined what I thought is the best of the political philosophies on the left and the right,” Paine said. “We believe in private sector competition to lower prices and increased innovation. But the public should own the infrastructure. We shouldn’t allow the private sector to control infrastructure that is vital to modern life. And so that’s what we did.”
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