GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) -A handful of Wisconsin female political candidates hosted a rally at Harbor Park in Kewaunee Monday afternoon on the two-year anniversary of the Roe v. Wade reversal.

Among the speakers at the rally were State Assembly candidate Renee Paplham, Second District Senate candidate Kelly Peterson, and Dr. Kristin Lyerly, a candidate for the 8th Congressional District.

All of the speakers discussed personal stories of how the ruling led them to run for office in 2024.

“I am a pro-patient physician, and a pro-patient candidate, and that means I want my patients to have the health care they need and deserve,” said Dr. Lyerly. “It’s so much more than an abortion issue, a reproductive rights issue, than a health care issue, this is about our rights and freedoms.”

Action 2 News reached out to each of the three Republican candidates in the race for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District for a statement, but have not received a response.

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Children’s Wisconsin has named a new president and CEO who will succeed longtime CEO Peggy Troy in mid-August.

On Aug. 12, Gil Peri will become president and CEO of the Wauwatosa-based health system, which has nearly $1.8 billion in annual operating revenue and operates hospitals in Wauwatosa and Neenah, as well as primary care and specialty clinics throughout southeast Wisconsin, according to a press release issued Monday by Children’s Wisconsin.

The health system, as an affiliate of the Medical College of Wisconsin, also does research and trains doctors, nurses and other health care providers.

Peri was named by Children’s Wisconsin’s board of directors following a national search that began in 2023, after Troy, who has served as president and CEO for the past 15 years, announced her intention to retire, the release says. Troy was the first woman to head the organization.

“I am pleased to welcome Gil to Children’s Wisconsin,” Troy said in Monday’s news release. “His values, expertise, and strategic vision are perfectly aligned with our organization and where we are headed in the future. Gil has an unwavering commitment to improving whole-child health, and I am confident that he will serve our organization and our community with passion and integrity for years to come.”

Peri last was president of Riley Children’s Health in Indianapolis, a 485-bed children’s health system part of Indiana University Health and the Indiana University School of Medicine, the release says. News outlets in Indiana reported he left the Indiana hospital system in February, after less than three years with the organization.

Before that, he was president and chief operating officer of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, according to a previous Riley Children’s Health press release. Prior to that, Peri held leadership roles at other children’s hospitals, Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

“I look forward to working alongside the tremendously talented and dedicated Children’s Wisconsin team and partnering with individuals and organizations across the state who are committed to ensuring all kids have a chance to grow up healthy and happy,” Peri said in Monday’s news release.

Children’s Wisconsin is the latest Milwaukee-area health system to undergo a change in leadership. Last year, Bernie Sherry left his position as CEO of Ascension Wisconsin and was replaced by Daniel Jackson, who formerly led a Detroit hospital. Froedtert Health President and CEO Cathy Jacobson also announced last year that she would retire in 2024.

Under Troy’s tenure, Children’s Wisconsin embarked on a multi-year $385 million expansion project starting in 2018, which recently culminated in the opening of a new, expanded emergency department at the Wauwatosa hospital that medical professionals hope will better serve the more than 70,000 patients who visit the ER each year.

In 2019, Children’s Wisconsin announced a five-year plan to improve access to mental and behavioral health care for children and adolescents. Since then, Children’s has placed therapists in all of its primary care offices, using money from a $20 million gift from former Fiserv CEO Jeffery Yabuki. The hospital also opened the Craig Yabuki Mental Health Walk-In Clinic in 2022, to help children and adolescents experiencing urgent mental health issues.

Toward the end of Troy’s tenure, Children’s Wisconsin came under fire for recently closing a primary care office in Metcalfe Park, where there is a shortage of primary care providers and where the rate of lead poisoning in young children is among the highest in the city and the state.

Among the reasons cited in the press release for selecting Peri was “his demonstrated ability to build key strategic partnerships among organizations with missions focused on improving the health and well-being of kids and families.”

Many people know that the badger is Wisconsin’s state animal, the robin is our state bird, and milk is our state beverage.

But, did you know that each state also has a state flower?

Here’s what to know about Wisconsin’s state flower and the story behind it.

What is Wisconsin’s state flower?

Wisconsin’s state flower is the wood violet, known in the scientific community as Viola papilionacea.

According to Authentic Wisconsin, wood violets are irregular in shape, and the flowers are deep blue-purple, violet or white with blue markings. The flowers have white throats and stems that droop slightly. This gives them the appearance of a head bending toward the ground, perhaps why the flower is associated with modesty and decency, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says.

Wood violets typically have five petals. The upper two petals generally boast a deeper shade of purple. Two of the lower petals often have fine hairs and are separated by a third lower and broader petal where pollinators land. The flowers are in peak bloom from April to June.

Wood violet flowers and young leaves are edible, Authentic Wisconsin says. Leaves have high levels of vitamins A and C.

Why is the wood violet Wisconsin’s state flower?

According to the Wisconsin Blue Book, school children in 1908 nominated four candidates for the state flower: the wood violet, wild rose, trailing arbutus and white water lily. On Arbor Day 1909, the final vote was taken, and the wood violet won. It was officially recognized as Wisconsin’s state flower by law in 1949.

However, Wisconsin residents admired the wood violet long before it was the state’s official flower, Proflowers.com says. Pictures of the flower appeared on a state stamp all the way back in 1848.

Are wood violets native to Wisconsin?

Yes, wood violets are native to Wisconsin and much of eastern North America.

According to Proflowers, wood violets can be found in nearly all Wisconsin counties and thrive in wet woodlands.

Does Wisconsin share a state flower with any other states?

Wisconsin is the only state that claims the wood violet as its state flower, however, three other states have the violet as their state flower: Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

More: How are Wisconsin’s state symbols, like the state bird, chosen? Schoolchildren often play a part.

More: What is your state’s official flower? Here’s a list of the state flower for all 50 US states