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Wisconsin coronavirus vaccine racial and age gaps are not changing. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday said nearly 55-percent of people in the state have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine. But the majority of those people are older and white. Some two-and-a-half-million white people have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, compared to just 135-thousand Black people, 103-thousand Asians, and fewer than 30-thousand Native Americans. DHS says nearly 85-percent of people 65-plus have gotten the

Don’t respond to a text about your pending unemployment benefits as regulators in Madison say it’s a scam. The state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection yesterday said there’s been a spike in reports of fake texts that claim there is a problem with your unemployment benefits. DATCP says Wisconsin’s unemployment office doesn’t text people about their benefits and would never ask anyone to reset their password and account information over the phone. The state says ifyou get one of

The state of Wisconsin is not going to force people with pools to add-on in order to rent them out. The state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection on Friday quietly backed-off demands that anyone using the pool-rental app Swimply meet the same regulations as larger, community or commercial pools. The app allows homeowners to rent their pools by the hour. DATCP originally pushed back against the idea with a raft of proposed regulations.

 We had a hot and sticky summer, but now, the Farmers’ Almanac is predicting a cold winter. The Old Farmers’ Almanac this week said Wisconsin could see one of its coldest winters in years. Southeast Wisconsin is on the line between ‘cold and dry’ and ‘cold and wet.’ The Almanac says folks a bit to the east of Wisconsin will see a lot of snow this year. The Farmers’ Almanac has about an 80-percent accuracy rate with its forecasts.

Badger fans will need masks, a fully charged phone, and a credit or debit card to see a football game this fall. The University of Wisconsin yesterday outlined the changes for Camp Randall Stadium this fall. That includes cashless purchases, digital tickets, and a mask requirement for certain parts of the stadium. Wisconsin takes on Penn State this weekend, and UW-Madison expects a sell-out crowd.

They are still hiring at Summerfest. The festival opens today, and some vendors say they are short on workers. Summerfest CEO Don Smiley says that means there will be fewer beer tents and longer lines. Summerfest, and the bars and restaurants that dot the Summerfest grounds, have been trying to hire workers for months. Managers at Saz’s say they’re short about a third of their normal staff for Summerfest despite offering bonuses of up to one-thousand-dollars.

 A Dane County man is getting a not guilty in connection with the murder of his parents. Twenty-three-year-old Chandler Halderson appeared in a Dane County court this morning and is facing charges of first degree homicide in the death of his mother and father in July.  Halderson did not speak during his arraignment so the judge entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf.

A multi-state human trafficking sting rescues 59 victims and lands dozens in jail.  There were 102 arrests, including five Wisconsin men, made through Operation United Front, which involved investigations across 12 states.  Officials say the operation was carried out last week. 

The Madison School District is requiring everyone to wear masks at all times on elementary and middle school grounds.  The district announced today the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant has prompted the decision for students, staff and visitors to wear face coverings on school campuses whether indoors or outdoors.  The measure will remain in place for the first quarter of the school year and then will be re-evaluated.

It appears the Packers season opener against the New Orleans Saints will be played in Jacksonville, Florida.  The game time will remain the same on Sunday, September 12th with kickoff just before 3:30 p.m.  The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the road that weekend at Houston.  Two other stadiums could not be used, including Atlanta where the Falcons are playing a home game and the Dallas Cowboys stadium which will host a concert that Sunday night.