Author: Correspondent

Milwaukee’s City TV Channel now broadcasting programs with closed captioning in Spanish

Viewers of broadcast televised programming on the Milwaukee City Channel are now able to access bilingual closed captioning, according to City Clerk Jim Owczarski. As the City Channel is broadcast in English on CC1 (standard) and in Spanish on CC3 (secondary), viewers at home can switch to CC3 on their remote control to have Spanish captions, Owczarski said. The City Channel recently activated automated closed-captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing. The system also performs translation into Spanish at no additional cost. Owczarski noted, however, that automated translation was still in its infancy. “Our staff was able to...

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Mental Health Complex to permanently close as County fully transitions to community-based care

The Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Behavioral Health Services (BHS) announced on August 15 that the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex and Psychiatric Crisis Services (PCS), located for more than 40 years at 9455 W. Watertown Plank Road in Wauwatosa, would permanently close its doors September 9. Services would be transitioned to the new Mental Health Emergency Center, Granite Hills Hospital, and other community-based services. The highly anticipated transition to the state-of-the-art Mental Health Emergency Center marks the next phase in the redesign of Milwaukee County’s behavioral health system, which began more than a...

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Governor Evers slams latest delay by Republicans over releasing funds to treat opioid abuse in Wisconsin

Governor Tony Evers and Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Attorney General Josh Kaul slammed Republicans on August 17 after the Wisconsin State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) delayed a plan to use the first tranche of Wisconsin’s $31 million in National Prescription Opiate Litigation (NPOL) settlement funds to combat the state’s opioid epidemic. The funds were awarded as part of agreements that Attorney General Kaul entered into with pharmaceutical companies, settling the state’s legal claims. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) received its first $6 million payment on July 29 to begin using immediately, while the remaining...

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MCTS continues to transform fleet with 73 new clean diesel buses to serve Milwaukee County routes

Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announces the arrival of 73 new clean diesel buses resulting from federal and local funding sources. The investment in more fuel-efficient and cleaner air buses enables MCTS to continue transforming its fleet in alignment with Milwaukee County’s health and environmental sustainability initiatives. MCTS will retire 73 buses federally recognized as past their useful life, replacing each with an advanced clean diesel bus by fall. “Clean air is a key component to giving residents’ every opportunity to enjoy good health. If simply walking outside your front door puts you at risk of breathing harmful toxins,...

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MCTS rolls out three phase plan for transitioning to new WisGo fare collection system in 2023

Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) has been working over the past year to modernize its fare collection system, and announced the three phases of the transition to the new system on August 8. The phased approach includes estimated timeframes provided there are no further supply chain delays. The new system is expected to launch in mid-2023, alongside Milwaukee County’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, introducing a new era of transit in Wisconsin. “Metropolitan Milwaukee is transforming into a world class city, with more conventions, cruise lines to our port, internationally recognized sports teams, additional airline services, leading hospital...

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Uptick in transit ridership: MCTS surpasses one million more rides than same time in 2021

Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) gave one million more rides than this time last year for a total of 8.4 million rides. MCTS thanked the community on August 11 for the positive sign that ridership was bouncing back. Each day, hundreds of bus operators connect thousands of residents to work, appointments and other destinations along 40 bus routes, traveling 55,000 miles each day, nearly 24-hours a day. “It’s an achievement worth celebrating as we win back ridership we lost during the height of the pandemic. We are grateful to our riders, our operators, and our community for choosing public...

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