The case against a Madison priest who's accused of attempting to sexually assault a child is moving forward.

The post Madison priest appears in Waupaca County Court on charges including attempted child enticement appeared first on WPR.

A man is being held in the Dane County Jail after being accused of threatening to blow up the Wisconsin state Capitol.

The post Police: Man jailed for threatening to blow up Wisconsin Capitol appeared first on WPR.

Republican state lawmakers are seeking co-sponsors for more than half a dozen bills that they say are aimed at increasing Wisconsin's supply of affordable housing.

The post GOP lawmakers: Newly unveiled bills aim to boost Wisconsin’s affordable housing supply appeared first on WPR.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are available in Wisconsin, and the state’s Department of Health Services is continuing to recommend anyone over 6 months old get the shot. Officials say that will […]

The post What questions do you have about this year’s COVID-19 vaccine? appeared first on WPR.

Wisconsin lawmakers are unveiling proposed tax incentives designed to bring a wood pulp plant to northern Wisconsin. If the project takes off, pulp from that facility would be used to make fuel for planes and other aircraft.

The post Wisconsin officials hope to lure plant that would turn wood pulp into aircraft fuel appeared first on WPR.

The American Civil Liberties Union is suing five Wisconsin sheriffs over their practice of holding people in jail at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The post ACLU sues Wisconsin sheriffs who hold people in jail at ICE’s request appeared first on WPR.

A group of rural Wisconsin hospitals is joining forces to explore shared contracts and other financial opportunities.

The post These 10 rural hospitals are joining financial forces in Wisconsin appeared first on WPR.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services is continuing to recommend that anyone over 6 months old get an updated, annual version of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, the state’s DHS has put out a standing order for the vaccine. State officials say that will ensure that most Wisconsinites are able to get the COVID vaccine at pharmacies across Wisconsin without a prescription. 

This year’s Wisconsin DHS guidelines mirror guidance from a broad range of medical experts. And the guidance echoes what state and federal health officials have recommended in recent years.

Wisconsin’s recommendations stand in contrast, however, to recent moves at the federal level.

This year, the federal Food and Drug Administration has approved the new COVID vaccine for Americans ages 65 and older and for people with certain higher risk conditions. At the national level, a panel is set to meet later this week to discuss vaccine recommendations that will be provided to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a vaccine skeptic who has promoted false information about vaccines.

Wisconsin is now one of several states where health officials have moved to take statewide action on vaccines because of worries about how federal actions could impede vaccine access.

“In the past several months, leaders at federal agencies have made policy decisions and issued recommendations that aren’t supported by or directly contradict scientific consensus,” Dr. Ryan Westergaard, a chief medical officer within DHS, said during a news conference.

The latest announcement from Wisconsin’s health department comes a day after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order directing the Wisconsin DHS to put out its own COVID vaccine recommendations.

The order also attempts to ensure that Wisconsinites won’t have to pay out of pocket for COVID vaccines. It says that the state Office of the Commissioner of Insurance shall “direct all health insurers within their regulatory authority to provide coverage for the COVID-19 vaccine without cost-sharing to all their insureds.”

“Vaccines save lives, folks,” Evers said in a statement accompanying his order. “RFK and the Trump Administration are inserting partisan politics into healthcare and the science-based decisions of medical professionals and are putting the health and lives of kids, families, and folks across our state at risk in the process.”

State health officials are recommending that Wisconsinites get their new COVID vaccines to coincide with the fall spike in respiratory diseases. Those shots are recommended even for people who have gotten COVID shots in the past. That’s because the vaccines released in 2025 are designed to hedge against potentially waning immunity and to target newly emerging versions of the virus, Westergaard said.

“The same way that we recommend getting your flu shot booster every year, because the flu that’s going around this year might be slightly different than the flu that was going around last year, we recommend a COVID booster,” he said.

This story was originally published by WPR.

Wisconsin health department continues to urge new COVID-19 vaccine for anyone over 6 months old is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Voters in DeForest have agreed to oust a trustee mid-term following a special recall election Tuesday. Those results could eventually lead to fluoride being restored to the village's water supply.

The post Wisconsin village’s voters unseat trustee after anti-fluoride vote, other controversy appeared first on WPR.

The state's health department put out a standing order for the COVID vaccine. The goal is to ensure that Wisconsinites can get the jab at pharmacies across the state even without a prescription.

The post Wisconsin health department continues to urge new COVID-19 vaccine for anyone over 6 months old appeared first on WPR.

The F.J. King sank 139 years ago. A group of maritime enthusiasts chartered a boat to try and find its wreckage.

The post Citizen scientists discover wreck of Lake Michigan ‘ghost ship’ appeared first on WPR.

Three candidates are facing off in a special election in DeForest that follows a years-long dispute involving police reports, a burner email account and Facebook fights over dental hygiene.

The post 3 compete in DeForest recall election following vote to remove fluoride from water appeared first on WPR.

When can someone be ordered to take medications against their will? The Wisconsin Supreme Court is weighing that question when it comes to people facing criminal charges.

The post When can a court force someone to take meds? The Wisconsin Supreme Court weighs a case. appeared first on WPR.

Wisconsin Democrats are once again introducing labor rights legislation, designed to repeal laws enacted by Republican former Gov. Scott Walker. The proposals face a difficult road in
Wisconsin's GOP-controlled Legislature.

The post Wisconsin Democrats again call for repeal of Walker-era labor laws appeared first on WPR.

Congregants at a downtown Madison church say their goal is to respond to the city's affordable housing crisis.

The post Madison congregation aims to build affordable housing atop new church building appeared first on WPR.

The federal complaint accuses Kalshi of false advertising and of breaking laws that regulate gambling.

The post Lawsuit from Ho-Chunk Nation accuses online platform of illegal sports betting in Wisconsin appeared first on WPR.

Officials are monitoring the health of a nearby creek after millions of gallons of sewage spilled from a cracked pipe in south Madison.

The post Millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled from busted pipe in Madison appeared first on WPR.

The case against Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan will move forward following a federal court ruling. Dugan is accused of helping a man evade ICE by ushering him through a side door of her courtroom.

The post Criminal case against Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan will move forward, court rules appeared first on WPR.

More than a century ago, a cargo ship ran into a rocky outcrop while fog engulfed Lake Michigan. Its wreckage remained lost, until a Door County tour guide spotted something unusual.

The post A Wisconsin shipwreck was lost for 138 years until a boater spotted something unusual appeared first on WPR.

A former manager within Madison's Department of Civil Rights violated multiple city policies, Madison's Human Resources department concluded.

The post Madison’s former equal opportunity manager violated policies, report concludes appeared first on WPR.