A new mask mandate as MPS kids return to the classrooms

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·5 min read
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Milwaukee Common Council approves pared-down mask mandate

  • The Common Council approved a change to the city's existing mask ordinance to require masks for anyone at least 3 years old in buildings open to the public. City ordinance had required masks whenever a health order was instituted by the city's Health Commissioner. The city's health order expired June 1, and the health commissioner has resisted reinstating it for a series of reasons. The city has had a mask "advisory" in place instead.

  • The measure exempts performers who are part of rehearsals or performances, athletes taking part in athletic activities and restaurant customers who are eating or drinking. It also ditches the fine of up to $500 for businesses that violate the mask ordinance, part of the enforcement mechanism that was previously in place. Instead, the new legislation states the city's Health Department may submit a written statement about the violation to be added to business owners' license renewal applications.

  • Ald. Mark Borkowski was the lone vote against the legislation, and Ald. Scott Spiker abstained. Both of their districts border other communities without mask requirements, creating a situation where business patrons can cross from one community to the other to avoid the requirement.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos questions GOP contract for legal representation, exposing internal dispute

  • Rep. Janel Brandtjen of Menomonee Falls, the chairwoman of the Assembly Elections Committee, signed a contract in November with attorney Joseph Voiland to defend the committee in a lawsuit over the election review. Voiland is to be paid $350 an hour, according to his contract with Brandtjen.

  • Vos suggested to reporters the contract isn't valid. “He has no contract with the Legislature,” Vos said of Voiland. “The committee can't sign one. … There's no contract... I have no contract,” he said. “I didn't authorize him. I have no idea.”

  • Vos last summer hired former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to review the presidential election at a cost of $676,000 to taxpayers on behalf of Assembly Republicans. Here's your reminder: Recounts and court rulings found Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by nearly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. Independent reviews have found no signs of widespread voter fraud.

MPS students return to classrooms after two weeks of virtual learning and hints of good COVID news

  • As teachers welcomed students back to classrooms, some data pointed to a possible decline in COVID-19 cases and a hope that the omicron variant has passed its peak for Milwaukee kids, but officials said it's too early to tell.

  • While state case counts continue rising, that may be in part due to the delay in processing a backlog of cases. County numbers, meanwhile, are showing more hopeful signs, with case counts in early January declining for all age groups except 5-9 years old. That may partially reflect a decline in testing, Weston said, though the percent of tests coming back positive increased.

  • The district is maintaining a policy of monitoring COVID-19 numbers and, if 3% of a school population tests positive in a two-week period, moving that individual school to virtual learning for 10 days. MPS didn’t report any schools as being virtual Tuesday.

The at-home COVID test website launched a day early. Here's how to order free testing kits from the government.

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The Money

SENDIK'S: The Milwaukee-based grocery chain said Tuesday it plans to open a store in western Waukesha County this fall. The store is planned for 1408 Summit Avenue in Oconomowoc in the Olympia Fields development, according to a statement from Sendik's.

WALKER'S POINT: Plans are proceeding to redevelop a historic Walker's Point building, last used as a school, into offices for a Milwaukee marketing and advertising firm as well as retail space.

The Fun Stuff

SLIPKNOT: If you missed out on the Slipknot Roadshow stop at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater last September, you won’t have to wait too long to see them in the Milwaukee area. The nightmarish metal band will be at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy June 4, this time with openers Cypress Hill and Ho99o9.

THE REP: In Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 'Toni Stone,' a Black woman finds herself while playing baseball.

The Games

BUCKS: Brook Lopez is getting some work in on the court and the Bucks game Saturday night has been moved up an hour so it doesn't directly conflict with the Packers playoff game.

BADGERS: It always seems to come down to the wire with these Badgers but they always seem to win. They took another close one over Northwestern for the 7th in a row to move to 15-2. The 8th ranked Badgers go up against Michigan State Friday night. That should be a great one.

Today in Wisconsin History

On Jan. 19, 1976, Federal Judge John W. Reynolds ruled that Milwaukee Public Schools were racially segregated in violation of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and ordered that the district develop a desegregation plan. The order didn't specify how desegregation was to be accomplished. (A busing program involving 54 of 158 MPS schools began that fall.) - Chris Foran

Today's Weather

Back to reality today. High of 14 under sunny skies.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A new mask mandate as MPS kids return to the classrooms