Hello, Milwaukee!

My name is Julius Shieh, and I am so excited to join you all as the new health reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.

My background

I’m a recent college graduate, I enjoy biking in my free time, and I always appreciate a good restaurant recommendation. I was born and raised in New Jersey, and I spent some time living in Connecticut and Texas before moving to Wisconsin.

I love photography and worked primarily as a photojournalist for a few years, and I enjoy reading.

What you need to know most about me, however, has less do with those things. Instead, it has everything to do with what I love the most about NNS – our readers and our community.

This community is one of the biggest reasons I joined NNS. One of my favorite things about life is being able to listen and learn from everyone around me, and being a part of somewhere as vibrant as Milwaukee certainly allows for that. This city is so much more than just the Brewers, icy winters and traffic on I-94 – it’s a world of its own that has been shaped by the voices and stories of people like you.

What makes a healthy society?

Health, in the most basic sense, is a fundamental need that forms the core of our communities. In the best of cases, it is a beautifully simple question that should be answered, in whole, by those with the power to support and uplift. But as history and reality have shown, the truth about health is often far more complex.

As many of us know, the world we live in does not always prioritize health. Disparities in access and sky-high medical costs serve as barriers that too often block us from getting the health care that we need.

Medical debt, a concept that hardly exists outside of the United States, threatens working class, uninsured and underinsured people constantly. The lead in the water we drink and the pollutants in the air we breathe loom in the background as we go about life, posing a gradual and growing danger to our safety.

Who creates health?

While politicians and institutions may seem like the only ones with enough power to sway the health of our communities, many of the basic necessities we celebrate in our lives today were pioneered and implemented by those around us.

In a community-led effort to address some of the most urgent health needs around them, the Black Panthers were among the first to provide free breakfast for children beginning as early as 1969. The pioneering program addressed hunger and malnutrition, already proven by studies at the time to have a significant impact on children’s health and learning. It was such a successful program that J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI, recognizing how widespread its impact was, called it “potentially the greatest threat” to government efforts to dissolve the Black Panther Party, leading to a rapid expansion of federal school breakfast efforts.

As the early years of the AIDS crisis left devastation in its wake, political figures, including then-President Ronald Reagan, found it more convenient to ignore and stigmatize the illness than to address it in any meaningful way. LGBTQ activist groups such as ACT UP took it upon themselves to organize for change, putting together massive demonstrations, including one that shut down the FDA for an entire day.

Actions like this one would later be credited toward helping shift public opinion and forcing the hand of government agencies to pay attention to the crisis and fund medical research.

Why this matters

The health of a community, as history can teach us, is a balancing act. The health resources we need, as a population, don’t always match the resources that we are provided. But what we have today cannot be accepted as a foregone conclusion – the communities and people around us are what can drive health and public needs to grow and flourish like they should.

Today, as much as advancements in medicine and technology have grown significantly, the existence of some of our most fundamental health needs can be traced back to our own communities. Food for children in schools and the development of medications for HIV/AIDS did not come about on their own – they are a product of widespread struggle, organized action and hope for a better future.

For myself, this remains important because it is a reminder of the role and the responsibility that journalists hold. As much as we are here to report on the people and institutions in power, it is even more crucial to listen to our own communities and to hear your stories.

I am so excited for this opportunity to play a role in the health of this city, and most of all, I look forward to hearing from you.

Connect with me

I can’t wait to hear from you and learn about Milwaukee. You can reach me by email by clicking here

All of Wisconsin is under an Extreme Cold Warning Tuesday morning due to wind chills as cold as -35 degrees in some portions of the state.

The Extreme Cold Warning is in effect in southeastern Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee area, until noon. The National Weather Service warns that dangerously cold wind chills, as low as -30 degrees in the region, could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.

“Dress in layers including a hat, face mask, and gloves if you must go outside,” the weather service says. “Make frequent checks on older family, friends, and neighbors. Ensure portable heaters are used correctly. Do not use generators or grills inside.”

Wind chills will gradually improve throughout the late morning and afternoon but will remain below zero through Wednesday morning. Cold Weather Advisories may be needed over portions of the area following the expiration of the Extreme Cold Warning, NWS says.

Schools and many colleges throughout the Milwaukee area are closed due to the extreme cold. Here’s what to know.

How cold is it in Milwaukee today?

According to the NWS forecast, Milwaukee is expected to see a low of around -10 degrees and a late afternoon high of 1 degree on Tuesday.

Wind chills in the city will be between -30 and -20 until 1 p.m. Then, wind chills are expected to be between -20 and -15 for the remainder of the day. Wind chills will reach around 10 degrees by Wednesday afternoon.

It is possible Milwaukee could set a cold temperature record today. According to NWS data, Milwaukee’s lowest Jan. 21 high temperature of -4 degrees occurred in 1883.

When will temperatures warm up in Milwaukee?

Southerly winds will start bringing warmer air Tuesday night into Wednesday, which is when we’ll see our “biggest changes in temperature,” Milwaukee-Sullivan NWS meteorologist Taylor Patterson said.

Air temperatures will climb to between 1 and 3 degrees overnight, with wind chills around -10 to around -16 degrees Wednesday morning.

Wednesday’s high temperatures will be around 22 degrees. By the time we hit Wednesday afternoon and evening, wind chills will be between 8 and 11 degrees.

Overnight Wednesday into Thursday, temps will be in the teens, with wind chills around 2 to 6 degrees. Thursday and Friday are expected to have high temps in the 20s.

Which Milwaukee-area schools and colleges are closed for the cold?

Many schools are closed on Tuesday due to the cold, including Milwaukee Public Schools, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette University.

UW-Milwaukee is canceling all in-person classes, public events and student activities Tuesday, the school announced.

Its Student Union, however, will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. That includes the Food Center and Pantry, as well as UW Credit Union. Residence halls and their dining operations will remain open as well. For UWM off-campus events, people are to contact the event’s sponsoring unit for its status.

While all Marquette classes are canceled Tuesday, the university will be operational with limited on-campus services, the school announced. These areas will remain open — including the Alumni Memorial Union, University Dining Services and the Rec Plex — although hours may be reduced. In general, when classes are canceled for severe weather, most campus events and all student-organized events will be canceled, the university said.

Meanwhile, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is planning to “operate normally” on Tuesday, according to a weather update UW-Madison posted Monday afternoon to X and its Instagram Story.

An extensive list of school closures can be found here.

Extreme cold weather safety tips

The Milwaukee Health Department issued a “cold weather health warning” for Milwaukee County in coordination with the NWS and the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management.

The agencies recommend a series of actions to stay safe in the subzero weather, including:

• Limit time outdoors.
• Dress warmly.
• Monitor for health risks, including symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite.
• Prepare for emergencies by keeping extra supplies in your vehicle and home.
• Only use approved indoor heating devices to avoid fire and carbon-monoxide poisoning risk.
• Ensure pets are inside or in a “sheltered, warm space with access to water.”
• Check in on others.

Individuals in need of public space to stay warm during the day can visit 211’s list of locations in the Greater Milwaukee Area or dial 211. For overnight warming locations, dial 211.

Wisconsin weather warnings

Wisconsin weather radar

Journal Sentinel reporter Hannah Kirby contributed to this report.

More: Four warming centers will open in Milwaukee Monday. Here’s what to know

More: ‘You call this cold?’ Looking back at Milwaukee’s coldest temperatures in January

Several Milwaukee-area services, resources and programs won’t be available Tuesday due to the extreme cold.

Many area schools, including Milwaukee Public Schools, have also already announced Tuesday closures.

Across Milwaukee County, overnight temperatures Monday into Tuesday are expected to fall between -8 and -12 degrees, with wind chills around -30, according to Taylor Patterson, meteorologist for the Milwaukee/Sullivan National Weather Service.

Between 6 a.m. and noon Tuesday, area wind chills are expected to remain between -25 and -30.

The county’s Cold Weather Health Advisory, which started at 6 p.m., will be upgraded to an Extreme Cold Health Warning at 3 a.m. It’s set to last through noon Tuesday, the City of Milwaukee Health Department said.

From certain senior dining services to some youth centers, here’s a list of resources and programs canceled for Tuesday:

Note: This list will be updated, but is not comprehensive. If you need to venture out Tuesday, make sure the place you’re headed to is open beforehand.

If you have an addition to this list, email jsmetro@jrn.com.

Is it safe to go outside in Milwaukee amid extreme cold?

Milwaukee-area services, resources and programs that won’t be available Tuesday, January 21

In need of a warming shelter?

For those without shelter, the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness operates seven warming centers across the city. Here’s what to know about them.

How to stay safe in the subzero weather

The City of Milwaukee Health Department, the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service offered a number of ways to stay safe in extreme cold, including:

• Limit time outdoors.
• Dress warmly.
• Monitor for health risks, including symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite.
• Prepare for emergencies by keeping extra supplies in your vehicle and home.
• Only use approved indoor heating devices to avoid fire and carbon-monoxide poisoning risk.
• Ensure pets are inside or in a “sheltered, warm space with access to water.”
• Check in on others.

For more information on cold weather safety, click here.

Is my school closed Tuesday?

A list of school closures can be found here.

Cailey Gleeson of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.