Wisconsin
Bitter cold temperatures are in effect in Wisconsin. Here’s what you can do to stay safe

Time lapse of Friday’s snowstorm in downtown Milwaukee
Check out a time lapse Friday’s snowstorm in downtown Milwaukee.
After the weekend snowstorms, the National Weather Service is reporting that bitter cold temperatures and very cold wind chills are in effect in Milwaukee until Wednesday, Jan. 17.
Temperatures could drop below zero and winds are expected to be 10 to 30 mph.
The Milwaukee Health Department warns that cold temperatures can quickly become dangerous.
Here’s some tips on what you can do to to stay safe during the bitter cold weather.
How to stay safe in bitter cold when at home
- Check furnaces annually before winter to ensure they are working efficiently and safely.
- Pay attention to local news and weather reports and share information with others.
- Have all cellular phones charged and ready for use.
- Create a cold-weather preparedness kit for your family that includes candles and matches, extra blankets or sleeping bags, extra batteries for flashlights and radios, extra clothing, high-calorie non-perishable food items, extra food and water.
- Assemble first aid kits and any medications you may require
- Have tool kits available and ready for use.
How to stay safe if you go outdoors in bitter cold
- Wear appropriate outdoor clothing and ensure that exposed skin is covered, including your fingers, nose, and ears.
- Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.
- Be aware of the symptoms of both frostbite and hypothermia. Both conditions require immediate medical attention.
- Do not touch metal surfaces with uncovered hands, flesh can freeze instantly to a surface.
- If you have pets, bring them inside and ensure trips outside are brief.
- Avoid alcoholic beverages as alcohol causes the body to lose its heat more rapidly despite individuals thinking they may feel warmer after drinking alcoholic beverages.
How to stay safe while traveling in the cold
- Make a car survival kit that includes blankets or sleeping bags, extra clothing, high-energy foods and water.
- Ensure your vehicle’s fuel tank is at least half-full and that the battery is charged.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services also advises the community members to check on isolated older adults and people with disabilities or hearing loss during extreme cold weather as they can be unaware of rapidly changing weather conditions and may need help when cold temperatures become unsafe.
WDHS says Wisconsin averages about 50 cold-related deaths each year.
People who are in need of public space to stay warm during the day or need overnight shelter locations can visit 211’s list of locations in the Greater Milwaukee Area or dial 211.
If you or someone you know is experiencing hypothermia or frostbite symptoms, the Milwaukee Health Department advises you contact a medical provider. If a health issue is an emergency, dial 911.
More bitter cold weather safety tips are available at milwaukee.gov/coldweathersafety.
Contact Adrienne Davis at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.

Wisconsin
Wisconsin chef shares tips to ensure your apples don’t go to waste

Laurel Burleson, a Dane County chef, thinks ugly apples make the best dishes.
One of her goals as a chef and restaurant owner is to save usable produce from the waste bin.
“I know how hard (Wisconsin farmers) work every day, making these products that are delicious and nutritious and for anything to get thrown away just because it’s not aesthetically perfect is just outrageous,” said Burleson, owner of Ugly Apple Cafe.
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The latest fruit monitoring report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows many parts of the state having great harvests, although northeastern Wisconsin orchards suffered from a cool spring. But most apple orchards are busy with the fall harvest. So what do you do with that abundance of apples?
Burleson shared some recipes and her philosophy on cooking with WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”
This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Rob Ferrett: What do you like to do with apples apart from just eating them?
Laurel Burleson: One that I really like to do is making apple marmalade. That is shredding apples and preserving them in sugar so that they keep their structure. It’s kind of the opposite of making applesauce.
But we also make a lot of apple sauce and apple butter. That’s a good way to use a lot of apples all at once.
RF: What goes into making apple butter?
LB: Very basically you make applesauce, so just cook down your apples and blend them up. Then you take that applesauce and cook it extremely slowly, either in a slow cooker or in the oven. Cook it down until it’s dark and rich and more closely resembling a peanut butter than applesauce.
From there, you can put in whatever spices you want: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, bay leaf. You just have to be careful because whatever you start with in the big batch will get super concentrated and reduced in your end product.
RF: With applesauce or apple butter, do we have to be fussy about the type of apples? Or can we mix and match?
LB: I like to mix and match, especially because the apple season starts really early. Some years you can get the first season apples in July.
They don’t hold very long and they’re very juicy, so they break down really easily, but they are very tart. I like to get some of those early season apples and make them into applesauce and freeze them and then when I have other sweeter varieties later I mix them and then reduce that all down into butter.
RF: You shared a savory recipe with us for pork chops with apple bacon cabbage. Tell us a little bit about this recipe.
LB: It’s really fun for the fall and even into the winter. You can kind of use any kind of variety of apple that’s a little bit tart and it’s OK if it breaks down and blends in because the cabbage is going to maintain its structure.
If the onions and apples melt away into a delicious sauce it’s just fine. But also, if you end up with some apple pieces, then it’s a nice little surprise like a little sweetness.
The Ugly Apple Cafe operates cafes inside the Dane County Courthouse and the City County Building in Madison and sells its products at the Monona Farmers Market.
Wisconsin
Former Wisconsin transfer scores 43-yard touchdown in Indiana’s big win over Illinois

While the Wisconsin Badgers struggle on the football field, sitting at a disappointing 2-2 through four weeks, some of the program’s former transfers continue to find success.
One of those players is tight end Riley Nowakowski, who transferred to Indiana this offseason after five years with the Badgers. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native originally walked on to the program as an unranked outside linebacker. After playing sparingly during his first few seasons with the Badgers, he flipped over to fullback in 2022, then out to tight end after Phil Longo arrived in 2023. Nowakowski totaled 18 receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown from 2023-24; his two years as a primary offensive contributor.
The former Badger is already making significant progress toward those totals, now just four games into his Indiana career. He has four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, plus one carry for a one-yard score. The versatile fullback/tight end delivered the highlight play of his career during Indiana’s blowout win over Illinois on Saturday, taking a 1st-down screen pass 43 yards to the house.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, has received solid contributions from Montana State transfer tight end Lance Mason. The veteran has 14 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns to date, leading the team in each of those respective categories.
While Mason has been one of the Badgers’ few bright spots through four weeks, it’s hard to ignore Nowakowski’s emergence as one of Indiana’s dependable offensive playmakers.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Wisconsin
Southeast Wisconsin weather: Dry Today, Warm Workweek Ahead

Get ready for an overall warmer stretch of weather as we head into this upcoming workweek. After some fog lifts this morning, we’ll have plenty of sunshine today with highs in the mid to upper 70s along the lake and low 80s inland.
Tonight will be dry with lows in the low 60s lakeside and upper 50s inland.
Monday through Wednesday should be very similar, with upper 70s to near 80 near the lake and low to mid 80s inland with plenty of sun.
We’ll start to bring in chances of showers or a T’storm starting Thursday right on into the weekend.
WATCH: Southeast Wisconsin weather: Dry Today, Warm Workweek Ahead
Southeast Wisconsin weather: Dry Today, Warm Workweek Ahead
TODAY: Any fog lifting through the morning, then becoming mostly sunny.
High: 77 lakefront… 83 inland.
Wind: E 5-10 MPH.
TONIGHT: Mostly clear.
Low: 62.
Wind: ESE 3-8 MPH.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny.
Highs: 78 lakefront… 83 inland.
Wind: ESE 5-10 MPH.
TUES: Mostly sunny and warm.
High: 80 lakefront… 84 inland.
WEDS: Mostly sunny and warm.
High: 81 lakefront… 85 inland.
THUR: Partly cloudy with a chance of a shower
or T’storm.
High: 80.
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