1
00:00:07,774 --> 00:00:10,944
PBS Wisconsin original
production.

2
00:00:11,011 --> 00:00:14,815
>> The lines are longer.
The number of new

3
00:00:15,582 --> 00:00:18,218
registrants is escalating
pretty quickly.

4
00:00:18,285 --> 00:00:21,922
>> An alarming escalation
of need is testing the

5
00:00:21,989 --> 00:00:26,059
limits of food pantries,
from food scarcity to the

6
00:00:26,126 --> 00:00:29,363
closure of Head Start
classrooms.

7
00:00:29,997 --> 00:00:32,366
government shutdown hits
families hard.

8
00:00:32,432 --> 00:00:35,035
[MUSIC]
I'm Frederica Freyberg.

9
00:00:35,102 --> 00:00:39,006
Tonight on "Here& Now", we
visit a busy food pantry

10
00:00:39,072 --> 00:00:43,510
that sees long lines and
short hopes. Head start

11
00:00:43,577 --> 00:00:47,648
classrooms have closed
families in the lurch.

12
00:00:47,714 --> 00:00:50,851
[MUSIC]
conduct leads lawmakers to

13
00:00:50,918 --> 00:00:54,254
draft a bill punishing
child grooming.

14
00:00:54,321 --> 00:00:57,457
[MUSIC]
Day, stories come to life

15
00:00:58,058 --> 00:01:02,362
at the state's museum
dedicated to preserving

16
00:01:02,429 --> 00:01:06,567
history. It's "Here& Now"
for November 7th.

17
00:01:07,768 --> 00:01:10,270
>> Funding for Here and Now
is provided by the Focus

18
00:01:10,337 --> 00:01:15,008
Fund for Journalism and
Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

19
00:01:22,883 --> 00:01:26,553
>> The Evers administration
overnight Thursday made

20
00:01:26,620 --> 00:01:30,157
full November food share
payments to 700,000 people

21
00:01:30,224 --> 00:01:33,894
in Wisconsin who rely on
the assistance that after a

22
00:01:33,961 --> 00:01:37,197
federal judge late this
week ordered the Trump

23
00:01:37,264 --> 00:01:40,467
administration to fully
fund Snap, saying people

24
00:01:40,534 --> 00:01:43,470
have gone without for too
long. Trump Friday appealed

25
00:01:43,537 --> 00:01:47,941
that decision, but a stay
was not granted. People's

26
00:01:48,008 --> 00:01:50,878
accounts in Wisconsin have
been restored, at least for

27
00:01:50,944 --> 00:01:54,114
this month. Now the chaos
in the Snap program and

28
00:01:54,181 --> 00:01:57,050
overall higher costs have
drawn more and more people

29
00:01:57,117 --> 00:02:01,255
to seek help from food
pantries, including many

30
00:02:01,321 --> 00:02:04,324
first time visitors. Over
four days this week at one

31
00:02:04,391 --> 00:02:07,494
of Wisconsin's busiest, the
River Food Pantry in Dane

32
00:02:07,561 --> 00:02:12,032
County, they served nearly
5000 individuals. As its

33
00:02:12,099 --> 00:02:16,236
executive director, Rhonda
Adams told me, long lines

34
00:02:16,303 --> 00:02:21,041
and empty pockets tell the
story. What is it been like

35
00:02:21,108 --> 00:02:25,179
here in terms of numbers
and demand on on people's

36
00:02:25,245 --> 00:02:29,816
part for help with food?
>> I can't keep up with it,

37
00:02:30,984 --> 00:02:34,188
to be honest. It's hard to
keep up with them because

38
00:02:34,254 --> 00:02:35,989
they're changing every day.
But we just know that there

39
00:02:36,056 --> 00:02:39,726
is an increase in what
we've been seeing over the

40
00:02:39,793 --> 00:02:43,063
last several months. We're
on track to serve over

41
00:02:43,130 --> 00:02:45,832
20,000 unique individuals
this year, and that's up

42
00:02:45,899 --> 00:02:50,237
from last year, about
18,700. So a lot of people

43
00:02:51,004 --> 00:02:53,207
are coming to us. There's a
lot of need.

44
00:02:53,273 --> 00:02:56,877
>> We've been executive
director for five years.

45
00:02:56,944 --> 00:03:01,281
How does this period of
time right now compare to

46
00:03:01,348 --> 00:03:04,985
prior years?
>> There's no comparison.

47
00:03:05,052 --> 00:03:09,089
This is this is and I don't
even want to say crazy, but

48
00:03:09,156 --> 00:03:11,925
it is crazy how much need
there is right now. So as I

49
00:03:11,992 --> 00:03:14,294
was looking at numbers
again just from last week,

50
00:03:14,361 --> 00:03:17,164
serving close to 5000
people in a week. We never

51
00:03:17,231 --> 00:03:20,334
thought we'd be able to do
that and never thought we'd

52
00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,904
need to do that. But we're
here for the people that

53
00:03:23,971 --> 00:03:25,706
need us through very
dedicated volunteers and a

54
00:03:25,772 --> 00:03:29,243
very devoted staff.
>> Do you ever have

55
00:03:29,309 --> 00:03:33,814
concerns that this amount
of donations won't come in,

56
00:03:33,881 --> 00:03:36,216
won't be able to serve the
people that need it?

57
00:03:36,283 --> 00:03:39,052
>> To be honest, yes, they
did have that concern. But

58
00:03:39,119 --> 00:03:41,288
I will tell you that our
community has been amazing.

59
00:03:41,355 --> 00:03:44,658
They have heard our pleas.
They've heard other food

60
00:03:44,725 --> 00:03:48,729
pantries pleas that please
us money, please give food.

61
00:03:48,795 --> 00:03:51,265
We need help. We need
volunteers. And the

62
00:03:51,331 --> 00:03:56,136
community has responded.
>> Even if by court order.

63
00:03:57,204 --> 00:04:01,441
The SNAP funding is
reinstated. Do you expect

64
00:04:02,109 --> 00:04:04,778
it to be immediate where
people will have that on

65
00:04:04,845 --> 00:04:08,081
their EBT cards?
>> I don't I don't expect

66
00:04:08,148 --> 00:04:10,017
that to be immediate. I
expect that to be weeks.

67
00:04:10,083 --> 00:04:12,886
And also, I think people
are still going to be

68
00:04:12,953 --> 00:04:15,956
apprehensive about is that
is it really true? Plus, I

69
00:04:16,023 --> 00:04:19,426
think people have found us
and now have also found

70
00:04:19,493 --> 00:04:21,862
that we're welcoming, that
we're we're here for them.

71
00:04:21,929 --> 00:04:25,933
And so we I believe we'll
continue to see uptick in

72
00:04:25,999 --> 00:04:28,335
numbers here. And plus
we're coming into the

73
00:04:28,402 --> 00:04:31,371
holidays, which is always a
busy time for us.

74
00:04:31,438 --> 00:04:34,041
>> How confusing and
frightening is it for your

75
00:04:34,107 --> 00:04:37,744
customers, your clients,
the people you serve to

76
00:04:37,811 --> 00:04:41,949
kind of be in the midst of
what's happening in

77
00:04:42,015 --> 00:04:45,219
>> It's very confusing. I
was I was talking to some

78
00:04:45,285 --> 00:04:48,121
of the clients last week
and they said, like, we're

79
00:04:48,188 --> 00:04:51,058
scrambling, but we don't we
don't know which what to

80
00:04:51,124 --> 00:04:54,261
listen to, which side to
listen to. And like, we're

81
00:04:54,328 --> 00:04:57,898
in the middle and and who
is also who's also in the

82
00:04:57,965 --> 00:05:00,234
middle are children. And
that's, that's

83
00:05:00,300 --> 00:05:03,270
heartbreaking that children
are going hungry and maybe

84
00:05:03,337 --> 00:05:06,139
going hungry because of the
snap benefits being cut.

85
00:05:06,206 --> 00:05:10,777
>> What kind of provisions
do you have here to help

86
00:05:12,212 --> 00:05:15,249
the community?
>> Yep. So the river has

87
00:05:15,315 --> 00:05:18,252
eight different programs
and it's really a way to

88
00:05:18,318 --> 00:05:20,087
give different access to to
different people. And how

89
00:05:20,153 --> 00:05:24,057
can they how can they get
food. So we do have a

90
00:05:24,124 --> 00:05:26,793
mobile meal program where
we go out into 24 different

91
00:05:26,860 --> 00:05:30,264
neighborhoods throughout
delivering a meal. We also

92
00:05:30,330 --> 00:05:34,568
have our most busiest and
popular program, which is

93
00:05:34,635 --> 00:05:37,037
curbside. And that's really
what the volunteers here

94
00:05:37,104 --> 00:05:40,274
are, are preparing to put
together bags for our

95
00:05:40,340 --> 00:05:44,044
clients that are coming
curbside with a variety of

96
00:05:44,111 --> 00:05:47,080
things. What we're seeing
here is produce the most

97
00:05:47,147 --> 00:05:51,018
requested item milk and
eggs and dairy products and

98
00:05:51,084 --> 00:05:55,088
shelf stable products, all
those kind of things. Meat.

99
00:05:55,155 --> 00:05:59,293
You mentioned also the meal.
So this week we are serving

100
00:05:59,359 --> 00:06:01,795
chicken noodle soup, which
has been really popular.

101
00:06:01,862 --> 00:06:05,299
But also we do have a meal
here every week. So again

102
00:06:05,365 --> 00:06:08,035
we're serving four days a
week and people can come to

103
00:06:08,101 --> 00:06:11,205
us for the meal. And it
just takes a burden off of

104
00:06:11,271 --> 00:06:13,473
people having to prepare
one more meal. They can

105
00:06:13,540 --> 00:06:15,275
have one already prepared
for them and their families.

106
00:06:15,342 --> 00:06:19,213
>> Do you see a lot of
first time visitors?

107
00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:22,950
>> Another heartbreaking
thing. Yes, we do see a lot

108
00:06:23,016 --> 00:06:24,818
of first time. Last week
was 81. Households had

109
00:06:24,885 --> 00:06:27,120
never been here before.
Came for the very first

110
00:06:27,187 --> 00:06:30,090
time and to see the looks
on their face, they're

111
00:06:30,157 --> 00:06:32,159
frightened. They don't know
what to do or what to

112
00:06:32,226 --> 00:06:34,428
expect. And, you know, for
many of them, they're

113
00:06:34,494 --> 00:06:37,164
feeling shame and they're
making a telling us, you

114
00:06:37,231 --> 00:06:40,968
know, sorry that I'm here
and apologizing for being

115
00:06:41,034 --> 00:06:44,404
here. We greet them with a
smile. You saw Kevin here

116
00:06:44,471 --> 00:06:47,174
as our registration,
registering clients and

117
00:06:47,241 --> 00:06:48,909
treating them with a smile
and with telling them, it's

118
00:06:48,976 --> 00:06:51,411
okay, we're here. We're
going to help you.

119
00:06:51,478 --> 00:06:55,916
>> What can people who want
to help you, this pantry or

120
00:06:55,983 --> 00:06:58,986
other pantries, food banks,
what can they do?

121
00:06:59,052 --> 00:07:01,021
>> Yeah. And it's really
for all food pantries

122
00:07:01,088 --> 00:07:03,123
across the country because
we're we're all in this

123
00:07:03,190 --> 00:07:05,826
work together and we're all
wanting to to make a

124
00:07:05,893 --> 00:07:08,095
difference in people's
lives with, you know, just

125
00:07:08,161 --> 00:07:11,965
a basic need of food. So
money is, is, is needed.

126
00:07:12,032 --> 00:07:14,201
And that's what I'm hearing
from other food pantries,

127
00:07:14,268 --> 00:07:17,137
too. Money is the number
one request, right, that we

128
00:07:17,204 --> 00:07:19,039
can again make that dollar
stretch a little bit

129
00:07:19,106 --> 00:07:22,543
farther. We're happy that
we're here and that people

130
00:07:22,609 --> 00:07:25,145
are finding us and they're
trusting us, right, with a

131
00:07:25,212 --> 00:07:29,216
basic need that they need.
Right. It's food, but it is

132
00:07:29,283 --> 00:07:31,385
it's sad. It's
heartbreaking that people

133
00:07:31,451 --> 00:07:33,620
are in this position to
come to us.

134
00:07:33,687 --> 00:07:36,590
>> All right. Thank you so
much.

135
00:07:39,026 --> 00:07:41,695
shutdown became the longest
in U.S. history, the

136
00:07:41,762 --> 00:07:45,265
impacts piled up across
Wisconsin early learning

137
00:07:45,332 --> 00:07:49,102
Head Start programs had to
close down, shuttering

138
00:07:49,169 --> 00:07:51,939
child care programing for
hundreds of children. One

139
00:07:52,005 --> 00:07:55,142
of them covers five
counties and is run by the

140
00:07:55,209 --> 00:07:57,811
Southwestern Wisconsin
Community Action Program.

141
00:07:57,878 --> 00:08:02,149
It closed nine Head Start
classrooms at the start of

142
00:08:02,216 --> 00:08:05,152
this month. We're joined
now by the director of Head

143
00:08:05,219 --> 00:08:08,155
Start programs there, Tawny
Hardyman. And thanks very

144
00:08:08,222 --> 00:08:11,024
much for being here.
>> Thank you.

145
00:08:11,091 --> 00:08:15,128
>> So I see that you are
joining us from one of your

146
00:08:15,195 --> 00:08:18,265
empty classrooms. How hard
is this for you to see

147
00:08:18,332 --> 00:08:21,335
happen?
>> Very difficult. Even

148
00:08:22,970 --> 00:08:26,206
though this is out of our
control, we we feel really

149
00:08:26,273 --> 00:08:29,042
responsible for our
families and the children

150
00:08:29,109 --> 00:08:31,512
and the impacts that we
make within their lives.

151
00:08:31,578 --> 00:08:35,115
And so it's really hard to
have told the families this

152
00:08:35,182 --> 00:08:38,519
after you've encouraged
them to, you know, come to

153
00:08:38,585 --> 00:08:43,090
your center, enroll in your
program to see the empty

154
00:08:43,156 --> 00:08:45,926
classroom is hard. These
are three and four year old

155
00:08:45,993 --> 00:08:49,096
children here at this
center. They have fun every

156
00:08:49,162 --> 00:08:52,299
day. We have great teachers
here and we just worry

157
00:08:52,366 --> 00:08:55,269
about, you know, what are
they doing? We miss them.

158
00:08:55,335 --> 00:08:57,905
>> How disruptive is this
in the lives of the

159
00:08:57,971 --> 00:09:00,807
families whose children are
there?

160
00:09:00,874 --> 00:09:05,045
>> It's extremely
as three and four year old

161
00:09:05,112 --> 00:09:07,814
children, it takes a little
while to transition into a

162
00:09:07,881 --> 00:09:10,217
classroom and to get
accustomed to things. And

163
00:09:10,284 --> 00:09:14,254
then suddenly this routine
that they've been in every

164
00:09:14,321 --> 00:09:17,691
week ends and they're kind
of wondering what's going

165
00:09:17,758 --> 00:09:20,027
on. Additionally, with
families, they rely on

166
00:09:20,093 --> 00:09:22,162
these classrooms for
childcare. While some of

167
00:09:22,229 --> 00:09:26,066
the families go to work or
school, and they have when

168
00:09:26,133 --> 00:09:30,270
they came to our program in
September, they would have

169
00:09:30,337 --> 00:09:32,039
let go of a different
enrollment slot,

170
00:09:32,105 --> 00:09:34,775
potentially at another
childcare provider. This

171
00:09:34,842 --> 00:09:38,278
area is also a childcare
desert in many of our

172
00:09:38,345 --> 00:09:41,648
communities. So they were
having struggles trying to

173
00:09:41,715 --> 00:09:43,750
find other arrangements for
their children. If they

174
00:09:43,817 --> 00:09:46,019
don't have family or
friends that are able to

175
00:09:46,086 --> 00:09:48,889
help them. Another thing
that impacts the families

176
00:09:48,956 --> 00:09:51,124
is that these children
receive breakfast, lunch

177
00:09:51,191 --> 00:09:54,661
and snack at our centers
every day. Many families

178
00:09:54,728 --> 00:09:56,997
were really wondering about
their food security.

179
00:09:57,064 --> 00:09:59,800
Additionally.
>> How are they dealing

180
00:09:59,867 --> 00:10:01,301
with that? Do you know?
>> They were very upset.

181
00:10:01,368 --> 00:10:06,273
Very worried. Scrambling,
you know, wondering what

182
00:10:07,674 --> 00:10:10,143
were they going to do,
asking our staff if they

183
00:10:10,210 --> 00:10:13,480
would be available to watch
their children while they

184
00:10:13,547 --> 00:10:18,118
went to work, you know, so,
yeah, they, they just kind

185
00:10:18,185 --> 00:10:20,387
of feel like the rug was
yanked out from underneath

186
00:10:20,454 --> 00:10:24,191
them. They had a routine
going. They had made

187
00:10:24,258 --> 00:10:26,093
arrangements, like I said,
to work or go to school.

188
00:10:26,159 --> 00:10:29,229
And then in the middle, you
know, right at the end of

189
00:10:29,296 --> 00:10:32,032
October, we had to let them
know that our funding has

190
00:10:32,099 --> 00:10:34,801
not been approved for the
next 12 month grant cycle.

191
00:10:34,868 --> 00:10:37,237
>> How valuable are the
benefits of Head Start

192
00:10:37,304 --> 00:10:40,307
programing for these
children?

193
00:10:42,009 --> 00:10:43,944
biggest things that kids
learn are some social

194
00:10:44,011 --> 00:10:47,948
skills, like how do I how
do I learn to listen to

195
00:10:48,015 --> 00:10:50,150
instructions? How do I
learn to follow the

196
00:10:50,217 --> 00:10:53,987
routines of school? How do
I make friends? You know,

197
00:10:54,054 --> 00:10:56,190
those things are so much
even more important than

198
00:10:56,256 --> 00:10:59,026
the ABCs. And one two
threes is just learning how

199
00:10:59,092 --> 00:11:02,262
to listen. When? When do I
sit still? When do I get up

200
00:11:02,329 --> 00:11:06,733
to go? And this might be
their first experience away

201
00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,504
from home, so it gets them
prepared for what that

202
00:11:10,571 --> 00:11:13,874
environment would be like
at the school. They are

203
00:11:13,941 --> 00:11:16,009
adjusted. They're used to
coming in. Now we're

204
00:11:16,076 --> 00:11:19,146
worried if the shutdown
happens, you know, for a

205
00:11:19,213 --> 00:11:21,815
long period of time, how
difficult will it be for

206
00:11:21,882 --> 00:11:24,818
them to transition back
into this setting.

207
00:11:24,885 --> 00:11:29,623
>> Even if or when federal
funding resumes? Will you

208
00:11:29,690 --> 00:11:33,327
be able to kind of
seamlessly bring your

209
00:11:33,393 --> 00:11:38,298
programing back up to speed?
>> It won't be as quick as

210
00:11:38,932 --> 00:11:43,303
what a person might think.
So when the federal

211
00:11:43,370 --> 00:11:46,440
government shut down our
regional offices, national

212
00:11:46,507 --> 00:11:49,409
offices that support
programs, those staff were

213
00:11:49,476 --> 00:11:52,980
furloughed on October 1st.
So we have grant

214
00:11:53,046 --> 00:11:55,916
applications. As I said,
our grant cycle runs from

215
00:11:55,983 --> 00:11:58,919
November 1st to October
31st, and that grant

216
00:11:58,986 --> 00:12:01,822
application is in there in
the system waiting to be

217
00:12:01,889 --> 00:12:05,158
awarded. So once the
government opens back up,

218
00:12:05,225 --> 00:12:09,129
they will have to recall
those federal, well, those

219
00:12:09,196 --> 00:12:12,032
regional and national
workers for Head Start.

220
00:12:12,099 --> 00:12:14,234
They'll have to review our
application again. And then

221
00:12:14,301 --> 00:12:18,038
we have to wait for the
notice of award. So we've

222
00:12:18,105 --> 00:12:21,008
our understanding is that
could take about 1 to 2

223
00:12:21,074 --> 00:12:23,877
weeks. And then once we
receive the notice of award

224
00:12:23,944 --> 00:12:27,881
it hopefully it will be for
the full amount that we

225
00:12:27,948 --> 00:12:32,052
have, you know, requested.
Then we would put together

226
00:12:32,119 --> 00:12:35,689
a plan, recall staff, give
them a little bit of time

227
00:12:35,756 --> 00:12:38,926
in the classroom to get
such as getting food,

228
00:12:38,992 --> 00:12:41,028
groceries for breakfast,
lunch and snack and then

229
00:12:41,094 --> 00:12:45,332
contact families. So it's
going to take us at least

230
00:12:45,399 --> 00:12:50,237
probably three weeks would
government reopens.

231
00:12:50,304 --> 00:12:53,273
>> Tawny Hardyman, thanks
very much for explaining to

232
00:12:53,340 --> 00:12:57,277
us what your program does.
>> Well, thank you for the

233
00:12:57,344 --> 00:13:01,148
opportunity.
>> The safety of Wisconsin

234
00:13:01,215 --> 00:13:03,884
schoolchildren is under the
magnifying glass. After the

235
00:13:03,951 --> 00:13:08,088
Capitol Times reported on
more than 200 teachers

236
00:13:08,155 --> 00:13:10,524
accused of sexual
misconduct or grooming of

237
00:13:10,591 --> 00:13:14,995
students since 2018. That
included teachers who were

238
00:13:15,062 --> 00:13:17,865
able to reapply for a
teaching license, according

239
00:13:17,931 --> 00:13:20,701
to the reporting. In
response, Cooke proposals

240
00:13:20,767 --> 00:13:23,904
for new laws and better and
more transparent tracking

241
00:13:23,971 --> 00:13:28,642
of teacher licensing,
including the reasons for

242
00:13:28,709 --> 00:13:31,111
revocation. Republican
State Senator Jesse James

243
00:13:31,178 --> 00:13:34,081
is author of a new bill
that would make grooming a

244
00:13:34,147 --> 00:13:37,918
felony and include prison
time. He joins us now. And,

245
00:13:37,985 --> 00:13:41,889
Senator, thanks very much
for being here.

246
00:13:42,422 --> 00:13:45,158
>> So one of the things
that your bill does is set

247
00:13:45,225 --> 00:13:48,161
a definition for grooming,
and I'm just going to read

248
00:13:48,228 --> 00:13:51,131
it. It is quote a course of
misconduct pattern of

249
00:13:51,198 --> 00:13:54,968
behavior or series of acts
intended to condition,

250
00:13:55,035 --> 00:13:57,938
seduce or entice a child
for the purpose of sexual

251
00:13:58,005 --> 00:14:02,042
activity or exploitation.
How does that definition

252
00:14:02,109 --> 00:14:06,613
help to investigate, charge,
and remove educators who

253
00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:09,783
are predators?
>> This isn't about just

254
00:14:09,850 --> 00:14:14,188
educators. It could be US
law enforcement. It could

255
00:14:14,254 --> 00:14:17,891
be doctors. It could be
just general citizens

256
00:14:17,958 --> 00:14:23,397
within our communities. So
I think the story breaking

257
00:14:23,463 --> 00:14:28,202
out just intensifies and
actually brings forth the

258
00:14:28,268 --> 00:14:33,006
true need of this grooming
statutory language to be

259
00:14:33,073 --> 00:14:36,376
included in our statutes. I
think the sensitive crimes

260
00:14:36,443 --> 00:14:39,813
that I have investigated as
a law enforcement officer,

261
00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,050
having these additional
tools and mechanisms

262
00:14:43,116 --> 00:14:47,855
available for charging is
extremely valuable. And

263
00:14:47,921 --> 00:14:52,492
with the amount of times
that each grooming act is

264
00:14:54,127 --> 00:14:58,699
defined, you can have a
person that is charged with

265
00:14:58,765 --> 00:15:03,103
multiple felonies with just
the grooming statute alone.

266
00:15:03,170 --> 00:15:07,007
And I think when we get to
the courts in the in the

267
00:15:07,074 --> 00:15:11,345
charging of these cases, I
think more is better. It

268
00:15:11,411 --> 00:15:14,381
brings more negotiation. It
brings more potential

269
00:15:14,448 --> 00:15:18,919
compromise to not drag
these these cases out to a

270
00:15:20,087 --> 00:15:23,991
12 person jury trial. It
brings on more plea

271
00:15:24,057 --> 00:15:27,427
agreements in having these
people realize that you're

272
00:15:27,494 --> 00:15:32,232
guilty. I mean, I I've had
a pretty successful career

273
00:15:32,299 --> 00:15:34,268
as a sensitive crimes
investigator back in the

274
00:15:34,334 --> 00:15:39,072
day. And these this was
never available. But I can

275
00:15:39,139 --> 00:15:41,842
specifically think of cases
where it's totally

276
00:15:41,909 --> 00:15:44,778
applicable because there
seems to be grooming in

277
00:15:44,845 --> 00:15:48,916
every single type of child
sexual assault case.

278
00:15:48,982 --> 00:15:51,818
>> Indeed, what does
grooming look like in

279
00:15:51,885 --> 00:15:55,222
practice?
>> Oh my. It could be where

280
00:15:57,124 --> 00:16:02,162
individual will literally
pick up a young lady after

281
00:16:02,229 --> 00:16:06,700
school and take her out to
eat out to buy a new pair

282
00:16:08,402 --> 00:16:12,005
of shoes, out shopping,
getting her her own private

283
00:16:12,072 --> 00:16:16,543
cell phone. It could be
text messaging that, you

284
00:16:19,513 --> 00:16:23,083
know, simply saying what?
You look really nice today

285
00:16:23,150 --> 00:16:25,319
and, you know, flattering
comments and stuff. Stuff

286
00:16:25,385 --> 00:16:30,057
that would not be normal.
Where if I had my daughter

287
00:16:30,624 --> 00:16:33,861
in high school and I look
at her phone and I see a

288
00:16:33,927 --> 00:16:36,697
text message like that, it
would definitely raise

289
00:16:36,763 --> 00:16:39,166
concern.
>> Why has it taken so long

290
00:16:39,233 --> 00:16:43,303
for someone to write a bill
that would turn into law in

291
00:16:43,370 --> 00:16:46,240
the state of Wisconsin on
this?

292
00:16:46,306 --> 00:16:50,310
>> That is an awesome
question. I think. The

293
00:16:53,413 --> 00:16:57,651
traditional ways of
grooming. Are being more

294
00:17:00,654 --> 00:17:03,891
like upscaled with the
amount of technology that's

295
00:17:03,957 --> 00:17:07,261
available, the apps that
are out there trying to

296
00:17:07,327 --> 00:17:10,464
keep up with technology
today. I think that is one

297
00:17:10,531 --> 00:17:13,267
of the challenges in the
amount of grooming that's

298
00:17:13,333 --> 00:17:16,904
going on through technology.
I think it's really

299
00:17:16,970 --> 00:17:20,140
intensified and it's
dramatically increased. We

300
00:17:20,207 --> 00:17:23,177
need to address it.
>> Do you think, given the

301
00:17:23,243 --> 00:17:26,747
gravity of this, the state
will throw its weight

302
00:17:26,813 --> 00:17:31,718
behind this and funding to
tightening up, not just

303
00:17:31,785 --> 00:17:34,988
like the statute around
grooming, but having to do

304
00:17:35,055 --> 00:17:38,926
with revocations of
educators licenses and, you

305
00:17:38,992 --> 00:17:42,829
know, making that process
more transparent.

306
00:17:42,896 --> 00:17:46,567
>> I think there will be
strong support for this.

307
00:17:46,633 --> 00:17:49,203
The governor has already
expressed his support for

308
00:17:49,269 --> 00:17:53,140
this. And I think that
having this extra tool

309
00:17:53,207 --> 00:17:57,277
available for specific
crime of grooming is going

310
00:17:57,344 --> 00:18:00,647
to be highly beneficial for
any type of case to help,

311
00:18:00,714 --> 00:18:06,053
hopefully deviate or have
these individuals that like

312
00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:10,624
to prey on our children
think twice about it.

313
00:18:10,691 --> 00:18:15,062
>> And this bill, soon to
be law apparently will will

314
00:18:15,128 --> 00:18:17,364
help with that. Senator
Jesse James, thanks very

315
00:18:17,431 --> 00:18:19,099
much.
>> Thank you very much. I

316
00:18:19,166 --> 00:18:22,069
appreciate the conversation
today.

317
00:18:22,135 --> 00:18:25,005
>> November is the month we
pay special tribute to

318
00:18:25,072 --> 00:18:27,975
those who have served our
country's military with

319
00:18:28,041 --> 00:18:30,711
Veteran's Day. Wisconsin
soldiers and landmarks play

320
00:18:30,777 --> 00:18:34,848
a key role in that rich
history "Here& Now".

321
00:18:34,915 --> 00:18:38,085
Reporter Murv Seymour made
a visit to the one place in

322
00:18:38,151 --> 00:18:40,854
the state that houses and
displays these stories. You

323
00:18:40,921 --> 00:18:44,391
can see it for free at the
Wisconsin Veterans Museum

324
00:18:44,458 --> 00:18:48,262
in Madison. Here's a clip
from his InFocus interview

325
00:18:48,328 --> 00:18:51,765
with the museum director,
Chris Kolakowski.

326
00:18:51,832 --> 00:18:56,003
>> The museum is right at
the top of State Street, so

327
00:18:56,069 --> 00:18:58,205
right across from the State
Capitol. And when you walk

328
00:18:58,272 --> 00:19:01,775
in, you get a basically a
tour of the history of

329
00:19:01,842 --> 00:19:04,178
Wisconsin veterans. We
start with the Civil War,

330
00:19:04,244 --> 00:19:07,014
and we go right around to
the present day. And it's

331
00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:10,150
not necessarily a museum
about wars and battles,

332
00:19:10,217 --> 00:19:12,019
although we do talk about
that because it's a

333
00:19:12,085 --> 00:19:14,188
veteran's museum, but it's
really a museum about

334
00:19:14,254 --> 00:19:17,224
people. You get a feel for
who some of these people

335
00:19:17,291 --> 00:19:20,894
are in uniform a little bit
about what they experience,

336
00:19:20,961 --> 00:19:24,331
some of the service
all the conflicts from the

337
00:19:24,398 --> 00:19:26,967
Civil War right up to the
present, and we always try

338
00:19:27,034 --> 00:19:30,270
and find a way for anybody
that walks in the door to

339
00:19:30,337 --> 00:19:32,873
find something to connect
to, at least something, if

340
00:19:32,940 --> 00:19:37,411
not more than one thing in
the museum, whether it's a

341
00:19:37,477 --> 00:19:40,013
hometown, whether it's some
personal aspect, you know,

342
00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:43,283
went to the same college,
whatever the case is. And

343
00:19:43,350 --> 00:19:47,154
I'm really glad you came in
and I know you, you had a

344
00:19:47,221 --> 00:19:49,823
great time with my staff.
Yeah. I mean, I found it to

345
00:19:49,890 --> 00:19:52,593
be really interesting that,
you.

346
00:19:52,659 --> 00:19:56,897
is, you know, it's somewhat
centered on Wisconsin and

347
00:19:56,964 --> 00:19:59,967
you how do you how do you
guys pull that off?

348
00:20:00,033 --> 00:20:02,803
>> So we actually were
founded by Civil War

349
00:20:02,870 --> 00:20:05,606
veterans for the people of
Wisconsin. We turned 125 in

350
00:20:05,672 --> 00:20:10,277
2026. So we were founded in
1901, in the capital as the

351
00:20:10,344 --> 00:20:13,380
Gar Memorial Hall. Now the
Gar is the Grand Army of

352
00:20:13,447 --> 00:20:15,015
the Republic. It's the it's
the veterans organization

353
00:20:15,082 --> 00:20:18,752
for Civil War, Civil War
veterans. And our mission

354
00:20:18,819 --> 00:20:21,088
has since expanded to
include all Wisconsin

355
00:20:21,154 --> 00:20:24,992
veterans, all services, all
time frames. And so the

356
00:20:25,058 --> 00:20:28,862
stuff that we get, some of
it, we sometimes go out and

357
00:20:28,929 --> 00:20:31,131
acquire, but the vast
majority of IT veterans and

358
00:20:31,198 --> 00:20:36,069
their families will donate
to us. And so, you know,

359
00:20:36,136 --> 00:20:38,105
when you have a veteran
that walks in and says,

360
00:20:38,172 --> 00:20:41,108
here's the uniform I wore
in Vietnam, or here's what

361
00:20:41,175 --> 00:20:44,144
my father or mother did in
World War two, here's their

362
00:20:44,211 --> 00:20:49,449
letters back and forth. You
know, it's just a fantastic

363
00:20:49,516 --> 00:20:51,885
it's a fantastic
introduction.

364
00:20:51,952 --> 00:20:55,022
>> So are you still even to
this day? Do you still get

365
00:20:55,088 --> 00:20:58,292
people that pop in and say,
hey, look what I found in

366
00:20:58,358 --> 00:21:01,061
my attic, or look what I
found in this shoebox that

367
00:21:01,128 --> 00:21:03,230
was in the basement. Like,
are you still getting

368
00:21:03,297 --> 00:21:06,033
artifacts in that way, too?
>> That happens about every

369
00:21:06,099 --> 00:21:09,102
2 to 3 days. We either have
somebody contact us by

370
00:21:09,169 --> 00:21:11,238
email, or you'd be amazed
what walks in the door.

371
00:21:11,305 --> 00:21:13,373
Sometimes we just had a
general's aid. Family found

372
00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,210
stuff in the attic and was
like, hey, this guy was an

373
00:21:16,276 --> 00:21:20,047
aide to this general in
World War Two. Would you be

374
00:21:20,113 --> 00:21:23,984
interested in collecting
the material? And so we we

375
00:21:24,051 --> 00:21:26,954
took it in. Yeah, yeah.
>> I was really impressed

376
00:21:27,020 --> 00:21:30,157
with some of the artifacts
I saw and the fact that

377
00:21:30,224 --> 00:21:33,760
they were authentic, not
replicas, you know, and the

378
00:21:33,827 --> 00:21:36,964
actual items give us a
sense kind of of what kind

379
00:21:37,030 --> 00:21:39,099
of things that people will
see when they walk in.

380
00:21:39,166 --> 00:21:42,336
>> Well, that's what I call
the power of the authentic,

381
00:21:42,402 --> 00:21:45,305
the real thing. Standing in
front of the real thing is

382
00:21:45,372 --> 00:21:47,875
different than looking at
it in a picture or reading

383
00:21:47,941 --> 00:21:50,377
about it in a book. There's
a power of the real thing,

384
00:21:50,444 --> 00:21:52,846
the real place power, the
authentic. Some of the

385
00:21:52,913 --> 00:21:56,283
stuff that we have. We've
got battle worn uniforms

386
00:21:56,350 --> 00:21:59,386
from from all the conflicts.
We have a machine gun in

387
00:21:59,453 --> 00:22:02,756
World War One that the only
Wisconsin Army Medal of

388
00:22:02,823 --> 00:22:05,158
Honor recipient earned the
Medal of Honor, capturing

389
00:22:05,225 --> 00:22:07,961
and brought it home as a
war trophy. We've got

390
00:22:08,028 --> 00:22:11,164
speaking of the Medal of
Honor, we've got four of

391
00:22:11,231 --> 00:22:13,967
them on display from World
War Two and Korea. We've

392
00:22:14,034 --> 00:22:18,005
got Vietnam helicopter that
was in battle has some

393
00:22:18,071 --> 00:22:20,073
battle damage. I don't know
if they showed you that on

394
00:22:20,140 --> 00:22:23,010
the tail. It's amazing. How
can you miss it? So it's

395
00:22:23,076 --> 00:22:25,045
it's it's some really
incredible stuff and some

396
00:22:25,112 --> 00:22:27,414
really incredible stories
that we have on display.

397
00:22:27,481 --> 00:22:31,318
>> Yeah. And you guys have
an actual cannon from the

398
00:22:31,385 --> 00:22:33,954
Civil War period, right?
>> A battle capture 2 was a

399
00:22:34,021 --> 00:22:36,690
Confederate cannon that was
captured at Shiloh by the

400
00:22:36,757 --> 00:22:39,459
14th Wisconsin on the
second day of battle on

401
00:22:39,526 --> 00:22:43,263
April 7th, 1862. And they
brought it back as a war

402
00:22:43,330 --> 00:22:48,268
trophy to show off and help
raise war bonds. And for

403
00:22:48,335 --> 00:22:51,271
years it was every July 4th.
It was the salute cannon

404
00:22:51,338 --> 00:22:53,907
that they'd fired down
State Street from the

405
00:22:53,974 --> 00:22:57,211
grounds of the Capitol.
What? Yeah. So it's it's

406
00:22:57,277 --> 00:23:01,815
it's just got this
incredible story, and it's

407
00:23:01,882 --> 00:23:03,984
it's one of the first
things you see when you

408
00:23:04,051 --> 00:23:06,119
first walk in.
>> Now, how many artifacts

409
00:23:06,186 --> 00:23:09,323
do you guys think you have
in that space down there?

410
00:23:09,389 --> 00:23:11,024
>> So in our total
collection, both there and

411
00:23:11,091 --> 00:23:14,127
in our off site storage
facility on the east side

412
00:23:14,194 --> 00:23:15,996
of Madison, we have 27,000
objects ranging in size

413
00:23:16,063 --> 00:23:20,367
from the Huey all the way
down to collar insignia and

414
00:23:20,434 --> 00:23:24,004
everything in between that
where we are in the museum

415
00:23:24,071 --> 00:23:28,141
right now, we have about 3%
on display just because of

416
00:23:28,208 --> 00:23:32,045
space limitations. Wow. So
I'm not good at math, but

417
00:23:32,112 --> 00:23:34,448
I'm sure your viewers can
can do the math and figure

418
00:23:34,515 --> 00:23:37,618
out what we've got there.
>> But so you're saying

419
00:23:37,684 --> 00:23:40,554
there's like 97% of all the
other stuff you have is in

420
00:23:40,621 --> 00:23:42,923
a warehouse someplace else?
>> Yes, yes. Think of an

421
00:23:42,990 --> 00:23:45,526
iceberg. You just saw the
tip of the iceberg, and

422
00:23:45,592 --> 00:23:47,861
there's this whole
underneath under the water.

423
00:23:47,928 --> 00:23:50,964
And we've got some
incredible stories there

424
00:23:51,031 --> 00:23:54,801
on display.
keep? How do you know what

425
00:23:54,868 --> 00:23:58,038
to collect?
things when, when like if

426
00:23:58,105 --> 00:24:01,375
you were to if you were to
offer us a collection, one

427
00:24:01,441 --> 00:24:04,144
of the biggest things that
we look at is we look at,

428
00:24:04,211 --> 00:24:06,113
first of all, what best
tells your story, you know,

429
00:24:06,180 --> 00:24:08,048
photographs, letters,
diaries. That's pretty

430
00:24:08,115 --> 00:24:09,850
obvious. But then objects.
And sometimes if you're

431
00:24:09,917 --> 00:24:12,519
giving an oral history to
us, we actually have the

432
00:24:12,586 --> 00:24:14,154
largest state owned oral
history of veterans oral

433
00:24:14,221 --> 00:24:17,157
history collection in the
country. If you're talking.

434
00:24:17,224 --> 00:24:18,959
>> When you say oral
history, does that mean

435
00:24:19,026 --> 00:24:21,094
like recordings of people
talking about things.

436
00:24:21,161 --> 00:24:23,096
>> Or exactly sitting down
and doing an interview

437
00:24:23,163 --> 00:24:26,967
where I would be asking you
about your your military

438
00:24:27,034 --> 00:24:29,036
service? And if there are
things that you mention or

439
00:24:29,102 --> 00:24:32,206
you hold up and say, you
know, oh, I brought this

440
00:24:32,272 --> 00:24:35,008
back from wherever I served,
we want that as well,

441
00:24:35,075 --> 00:24:39,112
because that helps document
your story.

442
00:24:39,179 --> 00:24:42,749
>> Veterans Day is November
11th. In Environmental news,

443
00:24:42,816 --> 00:24:45,552
a culturally and
ecologically important

444
00:24:45,619 --> 00:24:50,190
controlled burn happened in
superior this week.

445
00:24:51,258 --> 00:24:54,928
Wisconsin Point along Lake
Superior was the site of

446
00:24:54,995 --> 00:24:58,866
what is known as a cultural
prescribed burn. The fire

447
00:24:58,932 --> 00:25:02,769
removed invasive species
and added nutrients to the

448
00:25:02,836 --> 00:25:06,773
soil to nurture native
plants. The restoration

449
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,410
effort was a partnership
with the fond du Lac Band

450
00:25:10,477 --> 00:25:12,946
of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The point was settled by

451
00:25:13,013 --> 00:25:17,217
the Ojibwe and site of
burial grounds, but the

452
00:25:17,284 --> 00:25:21,288
community was forced from
the land in the early 1900s

453
00:25:21,355 --> 00:25:25,359
and the cemetery desecrated
to make way for harbor

454
00:25:25,425 --> 00:25:28,529
expansion. The tribe
regained the land from the

455
00:25:28,595 --> 00:25:33,400
city of superior in 2022,
which called the prescribed

456
00:25:33,467 --> 00:25:35,969
burn part of a broader
healing process of honoring

457
00:25:36,036 --> 00:25:39,840
the land and those who came
before. For the Ojibwe,

458
00:25:39,907 --> 00:25:42,976
such burns are a sacred
connection to the health of

459
00:25:43,043 --> 00:25:46,046
the land.
>> This Great Lakes area.

460
00:25:46,113 --> 00:25:50,250
All the plants here are
fire dependent. They depend

461
00:25:50,317 --> 00:25:53,253
on fire to keep growing.
There's a lot of states

462
00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,224
that are turning to the
indigenous tribes in the

463
00:25:57,291 --> 00:25:59,993
use of fire to promote what
their traditions were of,

464
00:26:00,060 --> 00:26:02,863
you know, using fires to
shape their environment, to

465
00:26:02,930 --> 00:26:06,834
slow down the spread of
large, you know, large,

466
00:26:06,900 --> 00:26:10,003
uncontained fires. But
there's something we

467
00:26:10,070 --> 00:26:13,073
learned traditionally was
fire. You know, the

468
00:26:13,140 --> 00:26:17,477
cleansing, it helped heal
us, you know, physically,

469
00:26:17,544 --> 00:26:20,781
mentally, spiritually.
>> For more on this and

470
00:26:20,848 --> 00:26:23,283
other issues facing
Wisconsin, visit our

471
00:26:23,350 --> 00:26:28,322
website at PBS Wisconsin
and then click on the news

472
00:26:28,388 --> 00:26:31,225
tab. That's our program for
tonight I'm Frederica

473
00:26:31,291 --> 00:26:34,194
Freyberg.
Have a good weekend.

474
00:26:45,439 --> 00:26:47,975
>> Funding for "Here& Now"
is provided by the Focus

475
00:26:48,041 --> 00:26:52,713
Fund for Journalism and
Friends of PBS Wisconsin.