Dairy farmers in New England offered suicide help, WI gun victim struggles for compensation; MN touts immigrants; ‘red light roulette’ endangers MKE drivers
Of note: This week we offer stories from Wisconsin and beyond that resonate in our state. New England Public Radio reported that one dairy co-op is so worried about farmers in this era of low milk prices that it distributed a suicide hotline number with the milk checks. The Trace finds that crime victims such as Milwaukee shooting victim Claudiare Motley — featured in a Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism report about the high cost of gun violence — routinely have a hard time accessing state compensation funds. The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reports on the spike in deadly crashes caused by drivers running red lights. And MinnPost highlights a state report that reveals that Minnesota needs immigrants to keep its economy healthy — a message that runs counter to political debate heard in Wisconsin and elsewhere.
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Routine mailing to dairy farmers included a rare note: Suicide hotline info
New England Public Radio — Feb. 7, 2018
Dairy farmers in New England struggle to get by with milk prices at their lowest levels in years. The stress has been tied to suicides among dairy farmers. The most recent twice-monthly check from Agri-Mark, a milk co-op, contained a list of suicide and mental health hotlines. Although recognized as a “great resource,” dairy farmer Will Rogers said, “It’s something that should be available for people that are in trouble. But my God … you open up your milk check and find suicide hotline numbers. It doesn’t do much for your mental state.”
Gun violence survivors struggle to claim funds available to victims of crime
The Trace — Feb. 12, 2018
As part of its national overview of state efforts to compensate gunshot victims, The Trace explores the financial problems of a Milwaukee gunshot victim who struggled to receive compensation from Wisconsin’s program. Claudiare Motley was shot during an attempted carjacking in 2014. Earlier, from WCIJ in the Precious Lives project: The same victim was profiled.
State report: Minnesota needs immigrants to fill jobs and maintain economic growth
MinnPost — Feb. 13, 2018
A recent report “Immigrants and the Economy” shows Minnesota needs more immigrants to fill job vacancies, sustain economic growth and expand the labor market. The report also highlights the need to keep the “immigration pipeline” open to combat the workforce shortage in Minnesota. Experts say most of the recent workforce growth has been driven by immigrants.
Reckless driving forces Milwaukee residents into game of ‘red light roulette’
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service — Feb. 14, 2018
After years of traffic fatalities and injury accidents trending down in Milwaukee, both are on the rise. From 2012 to 2017, injury crashes rose 26.9 percent. Although the problem is widespread throughout Milwaukee, North Side neighborhoods appear to be suffering the most. There is no clear explanation for the rise in reckless driving, but city officials, community leaders and residents all have theories that fall into four categories: youth culture, neglect, lack of driver’s education and police policies.