Outbreak Wisconsin: ER Nurse Ponders Life After The Pandemic, Calling Spring A 'Season Of Rebirth'
Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 5:45am
Following a March overnight shift in the emergency department at UW Health in Madison, nurse Mariah Clark walked outside and heard birds chirping for the first time in months. After a year of reflecting on the traumas she witnessed while treating COVID-19 patients and losing her own loved ones to the deadly disease, the spring song prompted introspection about a life after the pandemic.
Outbreak Wisconsin: 'I've Been Very Fortunate’
Wednesday, March 3, 2021, 5:10am
Azul Kothari felt sure he would catch COVID-19 during the fall semester as infections surged at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At the peak of last year’s outbreak, the university reported a weekly average of infections of more than 10 percent of students tested.
Outbreak Wisconsin: 'It's A Scary Transition'
Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 5:00am
When Madison bartender Amy Moreland was first laid off in mid-March of 2020, she expected to be jobless for a few weeks, maybe a month. She did not predict the COVID-19 pandemic to rage for so long. With few prospects for a new service industry job, Moreland began pursuing a new career. She enrolled at Madison Area Technical College, aiming to earn a degree in social work.
Outbreak Wisconsin: 'This is Slowly Grinding Us Into Dirt'
Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 5:05am
As a weeks-long surge of coronavirus infections continue to grip Wisconsin, the state’s hospitals are filling up . As of Oct. 12, 74 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in Dane County alone, where Mariah Clark works as an emergency department nurse at UW Health in Madison.
Outbreak Wisconsin: Pizza Lunches And iPads
Monday, August 31, 2020, 5:00am
Jessica Barrera said her son Niko, who turns 11 this week, did well learning at home after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered schools nationwide this spring. Barrera was laid off from her job at an airport transport service in March and was initially denied unemployment benefits because she received federal disability assistance for a rare blood disorder. She has since returned to part-time work on weekends and will stand by as Niko returns to schooling this week.
Outbreak Wisconsin: 'The People Just Want To Be Heard'
Wednesday, July 29, 2020, 5:30am
Adija Greer-Smith is rarely alone these summer mornings when she drives to her Milwaukee bakery, Confectionately Yours. Her oldest son, Xavier Smith, offers conversation while riding shotgun.
Outbreak Wisconsin: 'It Doesn't Look Like There's An End In Sight To This'
Wednesday, July 22, 2020, 6:00am
Madison bartender Amy Moreland, who has been out of work since mid-March, receives an extra $600 per week from the federal CARES Act stimulus package atop her $114 per week in state aid. But this federal benefit is set to expire at the end of this month, leaving Moreland and many other jobless Wisconsinites unsure about what’s next.
Outbreak Wisconsin: ‘Conflict Of Emotions’
Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 5:00am
Mariah Clark is no stranger to dealing with COVID-19 in her work as an emergency department nurse at UW Health in Madison. As the coronavirus pandemic enters its fifth month, the virus as of July 16 claimed more than 130,000 lives in the United States, including more than 846 in Wisconsin.
Outbreak Wisconsin: ‘What If This Is To Be My Last Summer On Earth?’
Tuesday, July 7, 2020, 9:30am
Confined to her apartment since mid-March, senior living facility resident Beverly Blietz grew increasingly depressed. A former recreational pilot, Uber driver, art gallery docent and community volunteer, 85-year-old Blietz loved to drive around Door County visiting with friends and family, but found herself involuntarily locked down when the pandemic hit. Her 680-square-foot apartment, instead of offering independent living, began to feel more like a cage.
Outbreak Wisconsin: 'There's So Much Going On In The World Right Now'
Tuesday, June 16, 2020, 7:00am
Before the pandemic, Jessica Barrera worked part-time for an airport shuttle service in Eau Claire, serving local travelers en route to larger cities like Minneapolis. After three months without a working wage, Barrera started a new job on June 6, working in marketing services at Menards on the weekends.
Outbreak Wisconsin: ‘I’ve Poured My Life Into This Business’
Tuesday, June 2, 2020, 10:00am
Growing up on the northwest side of Milwaukee, Adija Greer-Smith saw plenty of lemonade stands but knew they weren’t for her. She was a baker. So she opened a cookie stand instead in her grandparents’ driveway. Now 40, and having just opened her bakery business in November 2018, Confectionately Yours, Greer-Smith was prepared for a lot of things to go wrong, but didn’t anticipate a pandemic.