The Wisconsin spring general election on April 4 will decide who fills three open seats on the Common Council, settle a pivotal Supreme Court race and resolve questions on three statewide referenda, including one related to bail reform.
Edgar Mendez
Raised in a South Side neighborhood where he still lives, Edgar Mendez is the managing editor of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Mendez is a proud graduate of UW-Milwaukee, where he double majored in journalism and sociology, and of Marquette University, where he earned a master’s degree in communication. He won a 2018 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and 2014, 2017, and 2018 Milwaukee Press Club Awards for his reporting on taverns, marijuana law enforcement, and lead in water service lines. In 2008, he won a Society of Professional Journalists’ regional award for columns dealing with issues such as poverty, homelessness and racism. His writing has been published by the Associated Press, Reuters, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other media. He has also co-authored three articles published in scholarly journals.
Posted inCommunity
New program helps individuals navigate complicated unemployment insurance system
The Unemployment Insurance Navigator Program at UMOS was designed to help increase access for underrepresented groups.
Posted inHealth and Wellness, Public Safety
Wisconsin sees a sharp rise in deaths of residents in their 20s, 30s and 40s
More young people are dying in the state, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum, a nonpartisan, independent policy research organization.
Posted inCarousel, Community, Home, Neighborhoods, News, South
NNS update: Rest in peace, Jose Vasquez: Remembering a mentor and active community member
Milwaukee is mourning the death this week of Jose Vasquez, a mentor and active community member whom we wrote about four years ago
Posted inCommunity, Public Safety
Advocates worry proposal to change Wisconsin’s cash bail system will penalize the poor
Will a proposal to change the cash bail system penalize the poor? Some advocates say so, but others argue doing nothing about the current system would be a mistake.
Posted inCommunity
Here’s what you need to know before February’s aldermanic races
The election on Feb. 21 will determine which two candidates each from Districts 1, 5 and 9 will move on to the final election in April.
Posted inCommunity
Inside the NNS Newsroom: I’ve been at NNS since its beginning. Here’s why I stay.
I’m now the senior staff reporter at NNS. While I’ve seen many talented reporters move on to television, magazines and other opportunities in Milwaukee and around the country, something special keeps me there — the people and stories we tell.
Posted inCommunity, Public Safety
Traffic-calming poles part of Milwaukee’s efforts to combat reckless driving
Traffic-calming poles are part of Milwaukee’s rapid implementation initiative, which is now in its third season, and one part of the city’s effort to reduce reckless driving.
Posted inCommunity, Public Safety
A new report examines substance-use disorder services in Milwaukee County as drug overdose deaths continue to soar
A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum finds gap in substance-use disorder services as Milwaukee County is on pace to surpass its all-time high for drug overdose deaths for the fourth consecutive year.
Posted inCommunity, Northwest, Public Safety
Hurdles remain before a new youth correctional facility can be built on Northwest Side
As work continues to ease concerns and gain support from residents and others in the area, several other hurdles remain before ground can be broken on a new youth correctional facility on the Northwest Side..