Wisconsin
ASU, University of Wisconsin partner to empower Black people to quit smoking
Arizona State University faculty at the College of Health Solutions are teaming up with the University of Wisconsin to determine which treatments work best to empower Black people to quit smoking.
In Phoenix, 11.8% of all Black residents are smokers, 70% of whom say they want to quit and 60% of whom attempt every year.
Stephanie Marita Carpenter, an assistant professor at the College of Health Solutions, is a co-investigator on the project and the ASU site lead who will oversee study data collection in Phoenix. Carpenter is an expert in the development and testing of engaging health behavior change interventions.
“Considerable tobacco-related health disparities exist for Black adults across the United States, including in Arizona,” Carpenter said.
According to the American Lung Association, more than 75% of Black adult smokers use menthol cigarettes, which is three times higher than white smokers. Menthol cigarettes are also easier to get addicted to and harder to quit.
This study will examine the effects of three treatment packages for 1,500 Black adults who want to quit smoking across metropolitan areas with elevated smoking rates among Black adults in Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
“Our multistate team is well suited to address the critical need for more accessible and engaging smoking cessation programs that better meet the interests and needs of Black communities,” Carpenter said.
The first package provides four counseling sessions and two weeks of nicotine patches, similar to a state quitline program. The second package increases the sessions to eight culturally specific counseling sessions (virtual or in person) and eight weeks of nicotine packages, as well as a video designed to help Black adults quit smoking. The third package is similar to the second but offers an additional $50 to incentivize participants to attend the counseling sessions.
The five-year-long research study is funded by a $10 million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to the University of Wisconsin, led by Megan Piper, co-director of research at the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI) and Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria, director of UW-CTRI.
“Research has shown that Black adults want to quit smoking, so let’s make sure they have access to treatments that work for them,” Piper said.
The goal of the study is to see if culturally specific intervention packages will increase the quit rate among Black adults relative to standard practices. The reason for the three packages is that individual aspects of each package are effective quitting methods among Black adults, and were identified as especially promising through feedback from the study’s community advisory board.
“I am delighted to be part of this outstanding team,” Carpenter said. “We are seeking to address smoking-related health inequities by identifying effective cessation interventions that will help Black adults quit smoking in Arizona and beyond.”
Chai Vang died at a hospital, Wisconsin officials confirmed Friday.
A St. Paul man convicted in Wisconsin’s 2004 tree stand killings has died in custody.
Wisconsin corrections officials said Friday that 57-year-old Chai Vang died at a hospital.
Vang was serving six life sentences in the case.
The shootings happened Nov. 21, 2004, on private hunting land south of Hayward near Exeland. Six hunters were killed and two others were wounded.
Prosecutors said the group confronted Vang for trespassing before he opened fire. Vang claimed he acted in self-defense.
A jury convicted him in 2005 of six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of attempted homicide.
Sunday is Flag Day — and in the small Ozaukee County community of Waubeka, Wisconsin, it is more than just another day on the calendar. It is recognized by Congress as the birthplace of Flag Day.
Neighbors are already getting ready for the big day, cutting grass and touching up fences ahead of the celebration.
John Finch owns the town’s Stony Hill Pub and Grill and knows firsthand how much the day means to the community.
“Flag Day is just a day for the community to all come together,” Finch said.
Watch: Waubeka, Wisconsin, celebrates Flag Day as the birthplace of an American tradition
Waubeka, Wisconsin celebrates Flag Day as the birthplace of an American tradition.
The tradition draws visitors from far beyond Waubeka’s borders.
“People come from all over, and people that used to live here and moved away, they come back every year for it,” Finch said.
It all started at the one-room Stony Hill School, where Bernard J. Cigrand gave his students an assignment on June 14, 1885.
David Janik, President of the National Flag Day Foundation, described how it began.
“He set a 38-star flag, in an inkwell on a desk, and had them write an essay on what the flag means to me, an exercise that we still carry on today,” Janik said.
The birth of the American flag dates back to June 14, 1777. The tradition of honoring the flag is rooted in this rural Ozaukee County community, which is home to a museum that tells the story of those who served and their famous schoolteacher.
June 14 is packed with events, including a parade featuring more than 100 units.
“After the patriotic program, we’ll have over a 100-unit parade go through Waubeka, including our Waubeka Fire Department, which you met earlier today,” Janik said.
The fire department also showed off their 40 by 60 foot flag that will fly on Sunday.
Flag Day kicks off with a military tribute, followed by a patriotic parade at 1:30 p.m. through downtown Waubeka.
Sunday’s celebration will be held at the Flag Day Foundation Americanism Center, 4200 Valley View Drive in Waubeka. Events include:
10:00 a.m. Veteran/Honored Guests Sign In, Welcome Reception, VIP Package, Drawings
Prior to 1:00 p.m. Parade Line-Up – Check in with Parade Team
10:00a.m Food Stands & Trucks (No service during the program)
11:00 a.m. Music Prelude under the Pavilion
11:30 a.m. Uplifting Program, Essay Contest Winners, Guest Speakers, VIP Drawing
1:30 p.m. Patriotic Parade thru Waubeka
3:00 p.m. Family Day Events, Museums Open, Special Displays, Music, Games, Prizes
5:00 p.m. Live Music by “Liquid Crush”
9:00 p.m. Famous Fireworks
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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The biggest World Cup ever is here
The biggest World Cup ever is here, with 48 teams and three host countries. How will it change soccer and can the U.S. seize its home-field moment?
TORONTO – Jesse Marsch and Esmir Bajraktarević have never met.
But if the Canadian men’s national team coach and midfielder from Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively, were to link up following the June 12 Group B kickoff as Canada hosts its first World Cup match? Break out the Euchre and cheese curds.
“Maybe we’ll get together and talk about the Packers and Cheeseheads and all that kind of stuff,” Marsch said at a June 12 news conference. “I hope he still remembers that.”
Bajraktarević was born in the United States – Appleton, Wisconsin, specifically – after his parents left war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2001. He maintained close ties to his parents’ home country and, despite coming up through the U.S. national team’s system, switched allegiances to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a move that was approved by FIFA in 2024.
“It’s just very proud for me every time I play for Bosnia,” Bajraktarević told ESPN Netherlands. “It’s a different feeling. It’s where my parents come from and it’s what I always thought of myself as – as a Bosnian. It’s the best feeling.
“In (my) heart, I always knew since I was little that it was going to be Bosnia at the end of the day. There’s videos of me wearing (Bosnian legend) Edin Džeko’s jerseys growing up. He was my favorite player growing up, and it’s just something you dream of.”
Dubbed “The Milwaukee Messi” after he netted the game-winning penalty kick against Italy to send Bosnia and Herzegovina to its second-ever World Cup (and first since 2014), Bajraktarević told FOX Sports the moment was “one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in my life.”
“It was like a dream come true,” he told FOX Sports. “It sounds (cheesy), but that’s the only way I can explain it.”
The soccer universe is expansive. It’s the world’s game, after all. Except in Wisconsin, the circles are close-knit.
A native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, Marsch said there is plenty of crossover between people they know from the Badger State. More importantly, for Marsch’s scouting purposes, he knows those who have coached the precocious 21-year-old at his professional spots, the New England Revolution and PSV in the Netherlands.
Bajraktarević left Wisconsin at 16 to start at the Revolution’s youth academy and made 48 appearances with New England from 2022-24. Since joining PSV, he’s logged 38 caps and scored 7 goals with 5 assists across all competitions
“Certainly, as a Wisconsinite, I’m proud of what a great player he is. He’s one of, if not the best, player to ever come out of that state,” Marsch said. “I maybe held that for, like, a three-week period.
“He’s a very talented young man. I still think he has a big future. And he is one of the players that we’re keying in on to make sure he doesn’t have an easy day, because we know when he has time and space, that he can be a creator, he can be a contributor. He’s an important guy for them for sure.”
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