Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Student behavior now the leading cause of teacher burnout
We are not alone in the cosmos. Why isn't UFO hearing tearing up Google trends? | Opinion
House committees hold hearing on "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth"
You would think if anything could break through the noise of our news cycle, UFOs could.
This needs to be a bigger deal folks because the American people, nay people of the world, need this right now.
Last week, for the second time in two years, there was a Congressional subcommittee hearing on UFOs, or as they have been foolishly rebranded “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” shortened to UAPs.
One of the visionaries helping uncover the truth is none other than Wisconsin Congressman Glenn Grothman, R-Fond du Lac, who chairs the House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs.
Editorial:Hovde's election claims are false. He's blaming Milwaukee – without evidence.
Last week’s hearing, "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth," including a new slate of witnesses that provided testimony about UFO sightings and what the government may or may not know about them. One witness, Luis Elizondo, a former military intelligence officer, went so far to say, "Excessive secrecy has led to grave misdeeds against loyal civil servants, military personnel and the public, all to hide the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos."
Alien spacecraft and dead extraterrestrials now in Congressional Record
Last year’s testimony included former Pentagon official, David Grusch, telling a Congressional committee that he’d learned of a decades-long Pentagon program focused on “crash retrieval and reverse engineering” of UFOs from other planets. Grusch also said that remains found at the spacecraft crash sites were “non-human biologics.”
Yes, crashed alien spacecraft and dead extraterrestrials made it to the Congressional Record.
However, neither in the aftermath of last year's and last week's hearing did the terms "UFO" "Alien" "UAP" or even "government cover up" break the 25 most searched terms in Google Trends.
What were people searching for last week? Would it surprise you if I said: "mike tyson jake paul fight."
To be fair, neither of these hearings has provided real evidence to prove UFOs or UAPs are extraterrestrial in nature. But the collection of testimony indicates that UAPs are very real in the sense there are a number of some as-yet-unexplained phenomenal.
And yet, apparently, most of us do not care enough to let that information even make a blip on our news cycle.
All the more reason that right now is the right time for these tight lipped folks in defense and intelligence departments, whose jobs could very well be on the chopping block anyways in Trump's administration, to just let it rip.
Declassify everything. Tell us the truth is out there. Then send Biden and Trump out to do a tag team Bill Pullman-Independence Day-esque speech, where they encourage us to not be consumed by our petty differences and instead be united in our common interests. Give us a new enemy!
Or at the very least, declassify everything just to remind humans of our standing in the universe. I don't know who said it first but right now feels like a good time for everyone to remember that we’re, "just ghosts driving meat coated skeletons made from stardust riding a rock floating through space."
Kristin Brey is the "My Take" columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Monday, November 18, 2024
Former Bozo the Clown, Joey D'Auria, presides over Grand Prize Game for first time since 2001
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Doctors Who Ended Up Behind Bars
Your child may not be doing as well in school as you think. State lowered bar. | Opinion
Previous standards were implemented with bi-partisan support under Tony Evers
This past summer, behind closed doors and under a veil of secrecy that even included the signing of a non-disclosure agreement, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, quietly took several steps that will lower academic standards for Wisconsin’s students – all with zero input from parents or lawmakers. These unilateral decisions by State Superintendent Jill Underly will not only impact how schools are assessed but will ultimately leave parents in the dark about their child’s progress.
The previous standards were implemented in 2012 under Gov. Tony Evers, who was then serving as DPI Superintendent, with bipartisan support. These standards aligned Wisconsin with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and were designed to assess whether students were ready for college and careers. But now, a much lower bar has been created in Wisconsin and NAEP alignment is gone.
Lowered standards can create false sense of academic progress
For example, on the most recent round of the NAEP, about 32% of Wisconsin 8th graders were found to be proficient in reading. This is comparable to the 36% who were found to be proficient on the 2022-23 Forward Exam. But proficiency among this group jumped to 48.4% in 2023-24 on the state exam, creating a 16-percentage point gap. Even Evers has openly criticized these new lowered standards, stating that he believes, “We need to have as high of standards as possible.”
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Even worse than losing the ability to compare Wisconsin students to students nationally on the NAEP is that the changes were so significant that it will make it nearly impossible to compare progress with previous years. In previous years, scores were reported on a three-digit scale, but now a four-digit scale is used. This change means that the new standards cannot easily be mapped onto the old ones, and any hope of measuring year-to-year progress is lost.
That’s particularly problematic in a post-pandemic environment where most students in Wisconsin fell behind academically and have struggled to catch back up. A study by Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research, found that between 2019 and 2022, Wisconsin student achievement fell by 37% of a grade equivalent in math and 28% in reading. While achievement has rebounded slightly, most districts are still behind their pre-pandemic levels.
DPI even changed the names of categories of results on exam
These shifts are made even more confusing by the curious decision of DPI to change the names of the categories of results on the exam. Instead of the long-used labels of Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, the category names have been changed to Developing, Approaching, and Meeting (the highest category — Advanced — stayed the same under the new formulation).
It is unclear why these changes were made. But what is clear is that they make it more difficult for parents to understand how well their children are doing in school. Telling a parent that their child is “approaching” proficiency may be a more hopeful message that reduces the heat on a child’s school, but it may not be true and could create a sense of complacency rather than urgency in parents about the need to improve.
Opinion:Arguments that Wisconsin schools are underfunded fall flat. Data shows otherwise.
Changes to the Forward exam will also exacerbate pre-existing problems with Wisconsin’s state report cards, which already set a low bar for success. On last year’s report card, 55% of schools with ELA proficiency under 30% —including 54 such schools in Milwaukee — were judged to “Meet Expectations” on the state report card. This includes Hi-Mount Elementary in Milwaukee where zero — yes — zero kids were proficient in ELA.
Rather than the lowered accountability standards brought about by these changes, parents actually want greater accountability and focus on academic results. A recent poll showed that 72% of parents nationwide believe that schools are not focusing on ensuring schools are proficient at important basic skills like reading and math. Furthermore, 81% of parents say that “we should expect more out of our public schools and should hold them more accountable for educating students.” This is ripe opportunity for common ground.
Wisconsin parents deserve an accountability system that provides transparent, honest data and not one that is manipulated for political games. Legislators and the Governor should work together in the upcoming legislative session to reverse these changes, and rein in the ability of DPI to make unilateral changes like this in the future.
Kyle Koenen is the policy director at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL). Will Flanders is its research director.
From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/2024/11/17/schools-wisconsin-education-tests-dpi/76338666007/
As far as I'm concerned, this is cheating. I'm grateful for the education I received over 60 years ago. I hate the Catholic Church for its lies and pedophilia, but one thing it did right was education. If you disregard the religious propaganda, the teaching was superb. How can present day parents accept a 32% literacy rate in the 8th grade? That means that the vast majority of the students are illiterate. That also explains why kids today are dumb as rocks.
Lawsuits accuse Kraft Heinz and Lindt Chocolate of lying about ingredients
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Mayor Johnson to attend fallen officer's funeral despite family's request not to
Friday, November 15, 2024
Former West Allis day care employee charged with multiple counts of child pornography
Adrienne Davis
A former West Allis day care employee is facing multiple child pornography charges.
Jonathan Burkee, 25, of West Allis, was charged Nov. 13 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with one count of child sexual exploitation and five counts of child pornography, all felonies. If convicted of all charges, Burkee faces up to 165 in prison and fines of up to $600,000.
Burkee was an employee at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in West Allis
According to the criminal complaint:
On Nov. 6, a West Allis police detective was contacted by an FBI agent regarding a cybercrime discovered on Nov. 5 in an online chatroom. The agent told the detective that the victim was an 11-year-old girl who was a student at St. Paul's Lutheran School in West Allis.
Investigators discovered that several inappropriate photos of a juvenile female were located in the chatroom. The photos appeared to be taken in a school environment while in the presence of other children.
The girl in the photos was identified as a current student at the school. Investigators then contacted the victim's mother, who told them she believed the principal's son (Burkee) was the person who had taken the photos.
The mother told investigators that Burkee worked in the school's day care and was a babysitter who babysat the victim and her sister at his residence in West Allis. Burkee had babysat the children most recently on Nov. 1.
The West Allis Police Department and the FBI executed a search of Burkee's home on Nov. 9
On the morning of Nov. 9, West Allis police and the FBI, having obtained a warrant, conducted a search of Burkee's home in West Allis.
Prior the search, Burkee told investigators, "I know what I did is wrong, I have to go to the bathroom, I have child stuff in my phone. Dad I'm sorry, I have child stuff in my phone."
West Allis police later conducted a search of one of Burkee's cellphones seized during the warrant. It contained multiple photos of female children in the deleted photo gallery.
St. Paul's Lutheran confirmed that Burkee and his father were no longer employees at the school
In an email sent to the Journal Sentinel, Jeff Reinhardt, congregation president of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, confirmed that the school was aware of the situation and that as of Nov. 9, Burkee was no longer an employee at the school.
"We have been and will continue to cooperate with the West Allis Police Department with their ongoing investigation," Reinhardt said in the email. "Please understand that our primary focus at this time is providing our families and students with guidance and support as we navigate this difficult time. Please honor our request and provide our Church, School and families with the privacy we need to work and focus on healing together."
Reinhardt also confirmed that the principal, Burkee’s father, had resigned as principal on Nov. 9.
Burkee appeared in court on Nov. 13. A cash bond was set at $5,000. He is due back in court on Nov. 21.
Contact Adrienne Davis at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.
WWE Smackdown preview tonight in Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum: Championship matches on schedule, tickets
Christopher Kuhagen
The road to WWE Survivor Series: War Games runs through Milwaukee on Friday night.
WWE Smackdown returns to Fiserv Forum two weeks before one of the company's major premium live events.
And it should be a huge show with two championship matches on the docket as well as the start of the US Women's Championship Tournament.
Moreover, superstars like WWE Undisputed champion Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, self-proclaimed Bloodline leader Solo Sikoa, US champion LA Knight, women's tag team champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, Bayley and more set to appear.
Here's what to know about Smackdown:
WWE Smackdown in Milwaukee
WWE Smackdown returns to Milwaukee on Friday, Nov. 15. The televised show begins at 7 p.m.
Before the show, there's typically one non-televised match beginning at 6:45 p.m.
WWE Smackdown tonight
Smackdown is televised live on USA Network. It's a two-hour show.
WWE Smackdown matches
Two championship matches are scheduled.
The Motor City Machine Guns will put their tag team titles on the line against the Street Profits. Also, Naomi will challenge Nia Jax for the WWE women's championship.
The start of the Women's United States Championship Tournament also kicks off tonight with a triple threat match between Candice LeRae, B-Fab and Bayley.
And expect a response from Solo Sikoa and the new Bloodline after Roman Reigns and the original Bloodline, with Sami Zayn, officially reunited last Friday.
WWE Smackdown tickets
Tickets are still available for Smackdown at Fiserv Forum. The cheapest tickets before fees are $30 via Ticketmaster.
Posts on X about Wisconsin election fraud have increased nearly tenfold since Election Day
Maia PandeyAlex Groth
Social media posts about election fraud in Wisconsin have surged since Election Day, surpassing all other battleground states, according to data collected by PeakMetrics, a software analytics company.
Between Nov. 6 and Nov. 12, the number of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, mentioning election fraud in Wisconsin surged from 2,570 to 22,589 — an approximately 789% increase, according to the report. There has been no evidence to suggest voter fraud is a common issue in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Republican Eric Hovde has been among those sowing doubts about voting integrity on X following the election, which he lost to Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
“Since last Wednesday, numerous parties have reached out to me about voting inconsistencies,” Hovde said in a statement on X.
The Milwaukee Election Commission in a statement said it “unequivocally refutes Eric Hovde’s baseless claims regarding the integrity of our election process.”
“The (Election Commision) celebrates the dedication of Milwaukee residents to participate in the democratic process and is fully confident that Mr. Hovde’s accusations lack any merit,” the commission said in a statement. “Milwaukee voters can rest assured: the (Election Commission) conducted a fair, accurate, and secure election that fully protects voters rights and preserves the democratic process.”
As of Nov. 15, Hovde has yet to concede the race to Baldwin. With 99% of the state’s votes counted, the Democratic senator led Hovde by 49.3% to 48.5%, a margin of 28,958 votes.
Other battleground states see a drop in election fraud social media posts
The surge in Wisconsin posts comes as other battleground states actually saw a downtick in posts claiming election fraud within the last week. On Nov. 11, Wisconsin overtook Arizona as the state most cited in X posts about voter fraud since the election.
By Tuesday, a week after the election, about 70% of all X posts about election fraud in battleground states mentioned Wisconsin, according to PeakMetrics.
The company found most recent posts included allegations that Democrats “stole the Wisconsin Senate seat” and that absentee ballots in Wisconsin are a sign of “criminal election fraud.” It is a well-documented part of Wisconsin’s election process that absentee ballots statewide are counted on Election Day, with results reported all at once, often late in the night.
Alison Dirr and Jessie Opoien contributed to this report.
Ascension Wisconsin to close labor and delivery units at Brookfield, Mequon hospitals amid other cuts
Sarah Volpenhein
Ascension Wisconsin is closing a Waukesha micro-hospital, labor and delivery units at its Brookfield and Mequon hospitals, and inpatient mental health units at its Racine and Mequon hospitals.
It's the latest move by Ascension Wisconsin to consolidate care to fewer hospitals, including services for pregnant women, cardiac patients, and mental health patients needing overnight hospital stays.
It also comes as Ascension, the national health system and parent of Ascension Wisconsin, continues to struggle with large financial losses amid a May cyberattack.
Ascension Wisconsin will close its micro-hospital in Waukesha in January, which only opened a few years ago, spokesperson Mo Moorman confirmed. He said the micro-hospital had "consistently low volumes" in a community with good access to care from other health systems.
Ascension Wisconsin aims to concentrate "higher acuity, specialized care at centralized locations in southeast Wisconsin to optimize patient care and necessary resources, including equipment and clinicians," according to a Thursday press release.
That includes closing the labor and delivery units at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital-Ozaukee, in Mequon, and Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital-Elmbrook, in Brookfield.
Those patients will instead be directed to Ascension Wisconsin's flagship hospital Columbia St. Mary's on Milwaukee's east side, or to St. Joseph Hospital on the city's west side.
The labor and delivery unit at All Saints Hospital in Racine will remain.
The release did not give a date by which the units in Brookfield and Mequon will close. It said obstetricians and other providers were working with patients to adjust their birth plans.
“All decisions about how we deliver care are led by what's best for our patients and communities,” Daniel Jackson, CEO of Ascension Wisconsin and senior vice president at the parent company Ascension, said in the release.
St. Francis Hospital inpatient mental health expanding, units at other hospitals closing
The health system also plans to consolidate its southeast Wisconsin inpatient mental health care at Ascension St. Francis Hospital on Milwaukee's south side. It plans to spend $10 million at St. Francis to expand its inpatient behavioral health center to up to 60 inpatient beds.
The expansion is to be completed by July.
That means the closure of inpatient mental health units at All Saints in Racine and Columbia St. Mary's in Mequon. Moorman did not give a timeline for those closures.
St. Francis already has around 20 inpatient mental health beds, though not all are filled, said Connie Smith, president of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, the union representing health care workers there. The unit has experienced staffing issues that make it hard to fill all the beds, Smith said.
"Mental health in our city is very important and those individuals in our city need to be taken care of," Smith said. "We, as a union, welcome the ability to make sure that the most vulnerable people in our community are going to be taken care of."
Moorman said the health system would grow its workforce to support the expansion.
St. Francis Hospital will continue to operate its emergency room, operating rooms, and other inpatient and outpatient health services, the release said.
Ascension closing some cardiac cath labs
Ascension Wisconsin also plans to close cardiac catheterization labs, which are critical for patients having heart attacks, at St. Joseph and St. Francis hospitals.
That means patients experiencing chest pains will be sent to other hospitals, Smith said.
In light of the closure, Ascension plans to make cath lab services available 24/7 at Ascension SE Wisconsin Franklin Hospital. Previously, cath lab services alternated between the Franklin and St. Francis hospitals, or were only available during certain times of the day.
"What we aren’t happy about is the fact that St. Francis has lost so many services over the years and we don't want to see the acute care part of St. Francis continue to decrease," said Smith, the union leader. "Taking away that service line, it’s sad for our community."
The cath lab at St. Francis is slated to close Dec. 14 and will affect two nurses and two techs working there, Smith said.
The cath labs at Columbia St. Mary's in Milwaukee, Elmbrook hospital in Brookfield and All Saints in Racine will remain, according to Ascension's press release.
Labor and delivery units in Brookfield, Mequon only the latest to close
The labor and delivery units closures had been rumored for several weeks.
Last year, the Ascension hospitals in Brookfield and Mequon each reported a little over 300 baby deliveries, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association Information Center.
In the last two years, Ascension has closed the labor and delivery units at two other hospitals in Wisconsin: St. Francis Hospital and the Mercy campus in Oshkosh.
That has raised concerns that expectant mothers must travel further to give birth, and may face additional health challenges because of lack of access to delivery services or other obstetrical care.
The next closest hospitals with delivery units to the Brookfield hospital are Froedtert Hospital and ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital, each about seven or eight miles from the Elmbrook campus in Brookfield.
Ascension's St. Joseph hospital is about 10 miles east of the Elmbrook campus, and Aurora West Allis Medical Center is about 11 miles southeast.
The next closest hospital with a delivery unit to Ascension's Ozaukee campus in Mequon is Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, about five miles north of the Ozaukee hospital.
Ascension Wisconsin has defended its decision to close the units, saying that overall birth rates have declined, its obstetricians in those units were leaving, and its other nearby hospitals could provide better, safer care.
The closures also have come as Ascension Wisconsin struggles to keep and hire physicians. The health system has lost many of its primary care doctors and specialists in recent years to competing health systems.
Columbia St. Mary's Hospital, Ascension Wisconsin's flagship hospital, reported about $210 million in losses in the year ending in June 2023, according to the latest data available from the Wisconsin Hospital Association Information Center. That's nearly seven times its reported losses over the prior year.
As for the parent company, St. Louis-based Ascension reported about $1.4 billion in losses from recurring operations in the year ended June 30 of this year, according to its latest annual financial statement.
Ascension's finances took a major hit from the May cyberattack that devastated its hospitals and doctor's office nationwide for more than a month, its financial statement says.
In Racine, I've avoided Ascension because of their terrible reputation. In the early years, Aurora was great. Over time, however, I've found doctors that have lied to me. When confronted about it, they drop me as a patient. I'm very careful how I interact with them now.
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