Dems spar in Senate debate and Fuller school nears fundraising goal

The candidates in the Democratic primary for US Senate met in a debate last night. Here are some takeaways:

• Roe v. Wade: The subject of the Supreme Court overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision produced the most dramatic moments of the debate.

  But it was Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes who made the biggest news on the subject. When asked if he supported putting abortion clinics on federal land, he responded, "I support any option that is within reach" for the federal government to make sure "abortion care is protected." Like the other candidates, Barnes also voiced support for ending the filibuster in the U.S. Senate so that Congress could codify Roe v. Wade.

• Godlewski and Nelson: When pressed, state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski said she backed a ban on assault weapons. Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said he wanted to nationalize oil companies.

• The front-runners didn't stumble: Barnes and Bucks executive Alex Lasry, running Nos. 1 and 2 in the polls, got through the debate without any gaffes. Barnes was strong talking about his middle-class roots, Milwaukee ties and the need to confront gun violence. He also spoke movingly on support for transgender rights and touted his proposals to combat climate change. Lasry pushed his credentials as a "make-it-in-America Democrat." And a multi-millionaire, he didn't try to make up an answer to the question on how inflation has affected him. Instead, he said, "This isn't about me or anyone on the stage. Instead, it's about the people of Wisconsin."

Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy nearly two-thirds of the way toward raising $25 million for new high school in Bronzeville

• The development, which still needs city approval from Milwaukee's Board of Zoning Appeals, would add space for hundreds more students in the high-demand charter school. The land at 2212-2228 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave., just south of West North Avenue, is currently a parking lot and storage building. It would be gifted to the school by its current owner, Royal Capital, which is also the developer for the project, said Cory Nettles, a co-chair of the school's capital campaign.

• The new location was chosen in part because of other developments in the surrounding Bronzeville neighborhood. It's across the street from the American Black Holocaust Museum. Plans are underway for two major arts-oriented developments just blocks away on North Avenue: the Bronzeville Center for the Arts at King Drive, and the Bronzeville Creative Arts and Technology Hub at 6th Street. And construction started early this year on a $105 million redevelopment of the old Schuster's department store into new offices for the Medical College of Wisconsin and Greater Milwaukee Foundation, affordable and market-rate apartments, a food hall, an early childhood education facility and a blood donation center.

• Howard Fuller, a North Division graduate, former Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent and lifelong civil rights activist, founded the academy in 2004 with a group of pastors who wanted to see a school controlled by African Americans that focused on leadership. Fuller stepped down in 2020 from Marquette University, where he served as a distinguished professor of education and founder and director of its Institute for the Transformation of Learning. "The idea is to take every single child," Fuller said.​​​​​​​

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Dems spar in Senate debate and Fuller school nears fundraising goal