Election clerks from both parties working to ensure all votes count fairly.

Election Day is just one month away.

Voters here in Wisconsin will have a real opportunity to make their voices heard in November. New legislative maps are finally in place, ending the long reign of gerrymandered districts that gave Republicans their disproportionate hold on power for more than a decade.

The GOP’s concentrated power led to policies that hurt working families and undermined abortion rights in our state. It also fueled the illegal — and frankly, embarrassing — efforts by Republicans to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to restrict our voting rights.

Unfortunately, those efforts continue today. Donald Trump continues to lie about the integrity of our elections and has threatened to make voting harder, and even to jail his opponents, if he wins.

Wisconsin clerks working tirelessly to ensure all votes cast count

Hundreds of clerks here in Wisconsin — Republicans and Democrats — have been working tirelessly to ensure that when you cast your ballot this year, it will count.  These election workers are your neighbors and friends, who want nothing more than to carry out a fair and secure election. 

When you go to cast your ballot this year, you’ll have the opportunity to do so early in-person, by absentee ballot, or at your polling location on Election Day. And, thanks to a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision, callous efforts to prohibit the use of secure ballot drop boxes across Wisconsin have been stopped. Drop boxes help folks who have trouble getting to the polls, like those who are disabled or elderly, have a convenient option to cast their ballot. Unfortunately, some communities in Wisconsin are choosing to forgo their use this election, so make sure to plan ahead.

Thankfully, over the last few years, our governor has been able to stop right-wing bills and efforts to restrict voting rights from becoming law.  But bad actors who want to subvert our elections have not stopped there.

They’ve used the fires of doubt that they themselves lit to justify these efforts — and they’re likely to try it again if they win in November. Republicans continue to raise questions about the legitimacy of our elections by spreading falsehoods about noncitizens voting, even though such voting is already illegal in Wisconsin.

Judging from the past, there’s no telling what radical-right majorities in the legislature might try if Wisconsin voters don’t give them the outcome they want. Republican lawmakers could challenge the legitimate vote count in court, try to derail the certification process, or even try to throw out votes.

Why it’s not unusual for results to not be known election night

When in doubt, get your information from trusted sources like your local election official. We may not know the results on election night, as it sometimes takes several days to count every ballot.  This is part of the normal counting process.

Are we ‘Ready For It?’ Taylor Swift endorsement causes voter registration surge.

Above all the noise this election cycle, remember this: you can make a difference by voting in resounding numbers for the kind of leaders you want to represent you. Here’s how: Make sure your voter registration is up to date, and if you haven’t registered already, do so now at MyVote.WI.gov. Find out the rules for how, where and when to vote, and have a plan to vote. If you vote absentee, make sure to include a witness signature on your ballot to ensure your vote is counted, and get it in the mail so it arrives before Election Day.  

When we work together and participate in our democracy, we can build a better state and a stronger country.

Be informed, be patient on Election Day, and above all, vote.

Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, is the Assembly minority leader.

WAUKESHA, Wis. – A man accused of leading police on a lengthy chase through Waukesha County was found not guilty on Friday due to mental disease or defect.

Joseph Marino, 33, was charged with multiple felonies in the case. Court records show he was ordered to be committed to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for 6 ½ years.

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Case details

The pursuit happened in December 2023 and ended in the town of Delafield. It began in Illinois before crossing the state line and stretching across Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.

The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department said the police chase started in Elgin, Illinois. The sheriff’s department said Illinois authorities notified them of a pursuit involving an armed carjacking suspect who was headed north on I-94 toward Wisconsin. Deputies spotted the car and picked up the chase at speeds in excess of 105 mph in Kenosha County.

Kenosha County deputies continued the chase into Racine and Milwaukee counties before terminating their involvement. Officials said Waukesha police were alerted around 2 p.m. about a car that was wanted in connection with an armed robbery in Milwaukee. 

A criminal complaint states Waukesha police spotted the car speeding and cutting through traffic on State Highway 164. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver refused to pull over – at one point driving into oncoming traffic and nearly striking another vehicle. 

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Waukesha police, Wisconsin State Patrol troopers and Waukesha County sheriff’s deputies became involved in attempting to stop the driver. The complaint states the vehicle ran multiple stop signs and red lights as it sped away from law enforcement. Officers called off the pursuit after nearly two miles due to heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the downtown Waukesha area. 

A second traffic stop was attempted near St. Paul and Barstow. The complaint states the driver continued to flee, reaching speeds as high as 100 mph. A pursuing officer struck a citizen’s vehicle during the chase, per the complaint, and the citizen was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

As the pursuit continued, the complaint states the fleeing driver stuck his hand out the window and a “powder-like material began spraying in the air.” The vehicle hit spike strips near Meadowbrook and Rolling Ridge – but kept going.

Eventually, the car went off road in an open area west of the Orthopaedic Associates of Wisconsin building in the town of Delafield. Officers used a PIT maneuver to stop the car, which was stopped in a marsh area. Four Waukesha police squad cars were damaged during the incident, and the complaint states an Illinois State Patrol squad was “slammed” into earlier in the day.

The suspect was revving his engine, which police said made it obvious to officers the suspect was continuing to attempt to flee. The suspect would not listen or surrender to law enforcement. A Waukesha police K-9 was eventually able to apprehend the suspect – now identified as Marino.

The complaint states Marino was taken to a hospital for treatment of a dog bite from the K-9. In his wallet, prosecutors said dollar bills had a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine. The pursuit stretched roughly 10 miles in Waukesha County, and police said several other vehicles were struck either by Marino as he fled or by authorities “attempting to catch up” with him.

An addiction treatment center in northeastern Wisconsin is receiving a federal boost to address the fentanyl and opioid epidemic.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin recently announced $750,000 will be given to CORE Treatment Services in Manitowoc to support its rural recovery programs. 

The funding was made possible through the federal Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Impact.

The 16-bed facility offers residential and day treatment to individuals facing drug or alcohol abuse, according to Carmen Persaud, the co-executive director.  

“We can help people in the emergency room, experiencing an overdose,” she said. “Instead of going back out on the street, they can come by us and we’ll put them in a crisis bed.”

On WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Persaud said about 90 percent of people coming from hospitals transition to a crisis bed and then to treatment, which is funded by the Manitowoc Human Services Department. 

She added that the greatest challenge in rural Wisconsin is the lack of supportive services for people looking to maintain their sobriety after undergoing 30 to 45 days of treatment.

“We’re literally setting people up for failure,” she said. “If they can move into a recovery home, they have a better chance of success because they’re surrounded by that support.”

The CDC released data earlier this month, showing a decline in overdose deaths in Wisconsin and across the nation. 

Persaud told host Rob Ferrett that it’s critical to provide hope to people with substance use disorder, especially after leaving a hospital.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Rob Ferrett: How important is it to provide that next step for people at that moment?

Carmen Persaud: If you’re getting discharged from the hospital and you have nowhere to go, what is your level of hope going to be at that point? What are your choices? Probably, to return to drugs because that’s the easiest and the most calming effect you can have on yourself.

But, we give you a warm bed. We give you food, a roof over your head and you’re surrounded by people who are doing the work to improve themselves through treatment. We’ve seen some great outcomes from that. It’s been wonderful.

RF: You opened in 2020.  During the start of COVID, the use of fentanyl accelerated in the drug supply in the country. What was it like to get going in the midst of that chaos?

CP: We received our state license to open mid-March, and it was right before our state got shut down for COVID. It was quite devastating at first, but myself and my co-director are good at pivoting, and that’s what we did.

We took our day treatment program and we made it virtual. It wasn’t ideal, but it was what we could do to start helping people. By that summer, we were opening with eight beds. We limited the capacity in our building, just went from there. 

RF: What does $750,000 in federal funding mean for your operation and your ability to reach more people?

CP: We have a four-year plan on how we can expand our services, both treatment and recovery. We have an outpatient behavioral health clinic in Waupaca. We provide recovery support services in Shawano and two recovery homes in Shawano, one for men and one for women.

We started a Resiliency Initiative, which allows us to go into rural communities and start setting up services. Shawano was our first attempt at that, and so far, we’ve been quite successful.

We are looking to expand to the Menominee Tribe, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and other surrounding tribes. The grant is going to help us to increase that reach. It’s also going to allow us to work with Theda Care and help develop bridge clinics where we can bring medication-assisted treatment to people that cannot easily access it. 

RF: Talk about the range of treatment people are getting when they meet up with CORE Treatment Services? 

CP: We started CORE to effectively treat substance use disorder. You really have to get inside people. There are things that have occurred in a person’s life that have led up to their only option being using a substance. I’m speaking about trauma. 

We try to offer a wide variety of different treatment modalities, like cognitive behavioral therapy, which works in helping people change the way they think. We’re also incorporating approaches to treatment regarding Native American traditions. 

We offer physical exercise. We get people out to recovery meetings while they’re in treatment. We try to connect them with resources in their own community. We offer case management services so as soon as someone’s walking in the door, that case manager is working with them. Then, we build their treatment plan around what works for that person.

We find a lot of people adapt well to music and art. When they’re coming out of addiction, they forget who they were. Exposing them to healthy sober activities can oftentimes light a fire in them about something. It’s important that they have healthy outlets when they leave that don’t involve drugs and alcohol.