Stories from across Wisconsin you may have missed.
Cudahy: Woman uses tragedy to help abuse victims.
Tragedy can devastate a person or move them to action. When Sherri Fansler’s niece Liz was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in front of her two-year-old son, Sherri decided to make sense of her family’s tragedy. Two days before her niece’s murder, Sherri saw a Facebook post in which Liz announced she had left her boyfriend because things weren’t getting better and declared, “You are enough.” After some conversations with a nurse who works at a center for sexual assault victims, Sherri decided to provide hygiene supplies to victims of abuse because the makeshift supplies given out by hospitals were very antiseptic and she wanted to show victims that someone cared. Fansler named her project “You Are Enough” in honor of her niece. When the project started five years ago, the first donation was 25 hygiene bags. Her last donation in April was 225 bags. Fansler told the Journal Sentinel she puts a lot of effort into October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. So far, she has enough supplies for 450 bags. She collects donations of “everything you need in the shower.” Fansler also collects clothing and feminine hygiene products, the latter mostly going to the Sojourner Family Peace Center. Full story
Westfield: Wisconsin primate sanctuary is running out of space.
According to 2023 figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 7,200 primates spend their lives in Wisconsin undergoing research. A portion of these animals are moved to a sanctuary after experiments are completed. Some of these primates go to Primates Incorporated in Westfield. Primates Incorporated is one of about 10 recognized sanctuaries in the United States. They are home to 12 monkeys, some from research labs, others from the exotic pet industry. Unfortunately, the 17-acre sanctuary is outgrowing its space. In an effort to build more monkey enclosures, a medical building, and a community kitchen, Primates Incorporated is launching a fundraiser in hopes of raising $600,000. If the goal is met, the area would triple and the sanctuary could house 30 more monkeys. The CEO of Primates Incorporated told WPR that they have already raised about $228,000 and plan to start some smaller projects in the fall. She added, “We are showing that there is an alternative to euthanasia, which is that you can put monkeys in a sanctuary. But that requires funding. It costs $15,000 a month to care for these monkeys.” Amy Kerwin, the founder of the sanctuary, made the decision to start Primates Incorporated after working in a research lab where she cared for 97 rhesus monkeys. Full story
Green Bay: Goats on the Go clears Green Bay Park.
It’s not often that commuters see a herd of goats roaming a public park in Green Bay. That happened recently, causing quite a traffic jam as cars lined the side of the road listening to the goats bleat. The goats weren’t out for a leisurely stroll and to graze. They were in the park for a targeted grazing, according to Stephanie Bowers, whose family owns Goats on the Go in Green Bay. Bowers told the Press Gazette, “The biggest challenge is controlling invasive species like buckthorn. It sprouts earlier than other plants and kills our native species. Goats can go where people can’t safely go, and they’re a vegetation solution that people love.” The job in Green Bay required a well-trained herd. Bowers had spent a lot of time with the herd to make that possible. Her goat adventure began with a goat she thought would be a great 4-H project for her son. Then she and her husband heard about an endangered species, the San Clemente Island Goats. They brought the goats from New York to Wisconsin. Then Bowers discovered Goats on the Go, joined the network, and the rest is pasture history. Training the goats is a huge undertaking. The goats need to be used to fences and have nutritional knowledge. They also need to be pasture-ready. Full story
Milwaukee: Local content creator is accredited with DNC to reach younger voters.
Young voters will play a big role in the November election. To reach those voters, the Democratic Party took a different approach at the DNC by opening it up to content creators. More than 200 content creators were invited to Chicago and accredited by the DNCC. One of those creators is Madison native, Milwaukee-based radio historian and columnist Kristin Brey. Brey was accredited and covered the convention all week. When asked for her opinion on the Creators program, Bey said, “I think it’s really smart because we know there’s a whole population that today, for better or worse, gets their news from Tik Tok or other social media.” During the convention, Brey represented herself and her platform, As Goes Wisconsin, whose content covers news, politics and culture in the state. Creators had the same opportunities as traditional media to cover the entire convention and speak with politicians and delegates. Now she’s back to her boring day job. Full story
