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PBS Wisconsin Original
production.

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>> I believe that we need
to be clear eyed about why

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the price of gas is going
up.

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>> Global economic impacts
and the price of oil add to

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the fallout of a war with
Iran.

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And Iranians voiced the
personal toll of the

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ongoing conflict.
[MUSIC]

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Tonight on "Here& Now" we
hear from Iranians in

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Wisconsin watching the war
unfold in their homeland,

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an important bridge
connecting Superior and

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Duluth awaits federal
funding. We hear from

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candidates for Wisconsin
Supreme Court and governor,

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and an Oneida program
maintains traditional

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tribal foods. It's "Here&
Now" for March 13th.

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[MUSIC]
>> Funding for here and Now

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is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and

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Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
>> Watching and living the

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war from afar. That's what
Iranians in Wisconsin face

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as they worry and wonder
about family and friends.

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They're cut off from
communication "Here& Now".

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Reporter Steven Potter
spoke with two Iranian

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people in Milwaukee about
being so disconnected from

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loved ones during these
times, and the hopes they

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have for their homeland
after the war.

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>> Watching the war in Iran
unfold from thousands of

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miles away is causing a lot
of worry for Wisconsin

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residents like Zahra Fakhri
and Ali Soltani.

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Communication with loved
ones still in Iran is

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infrequent at best.
>> It's because of the

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blackout. There's no way to
call them. So they're

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calling us directly by the
phone lines. And the

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quality of the call is
terrible. What they say is

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always that we're we are
okay. Everything is fine.

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>> Have you been in contact
with friends and family

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that you have in Iran?
>> Yes. Internet is cut off,

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right? So my sister just
yesterday through landline

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had called me. They all
have moved to smaller

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cities, so they're not in
Tehran anymore, even in the

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small cities, a couple
places where these are the

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garrisons and security
forces, places that have

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been hit. She knew about
those. But Tehran is really

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a lot of people here, a lot
of loud noises, the bombing

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and scare some people. Of
course.

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>> Fakhri and Soltani have
different feelings about

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the United States and
Israel beginning the war in

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Iran and removing the
country's supreme leader

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from power.
>> It was the last option

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for us. At first, we were
so happy because of the

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intervention that we were
waiting for. After that, we

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got really happy and
thrilled because of the

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death of the Khomeini. But
we all knew that it's not

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just one person, it's a
systematic. We cannot say

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that and topple that
government down just by

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killing one person.
>> We have always opposed

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foreign war. It's a very
brutal regime. So some

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people, because they were
fed up, they they said, oh,

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United States come and
attack that kind of

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mentality. But foreign
interference will never end

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up well in the long run.
>> But Fakhri and Soltani

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do agree that it should be
the Iranian people who

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decide who leads their
homeland, and it should not

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be the leaders of other
countries who choose Iran's

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next government, who should
lead Iran.

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>> Whoever. Iranian people
inside Iran and Iranian

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people outside of Iran
agreeing with.

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>> We want the US, the
international community to

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let the Iranians. After 120
years of fighting for

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freedom, we don't want to
go back to another

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dictatorship. It doesn't
matter how you sugarcoat it.

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It's a dictatorship. We
don't want to go to one man

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rule. We don't want no
clergy. We don't want no

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Shah. We want a non-nuclear,
secular, democratic

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republic based on rule of
law, that if you don't like

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somebody, you can vote them
out, right? Just like us,

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just like France, just like
many democratic countries.

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>> What resolution are you
hoping for in the end?

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>> Getting rid of Islamic
regime, Iranian people

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doing their job to make the
country free and having a

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secular government and
better place and showing

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the world what is real Iran
and what is real Iranian

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people, and how it could be
a better world with

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peaceful country in the
Middle East. That's what we

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are looking for.
>> We want the US and every

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other country to recognize
our right to choose our own

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form of government. That is
what's dear to us. And

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that's what actually, in
the long run, is for the

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benefit of Iran and the
international community.

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>> Reporting from Milwaukee.
I'm Steven Potter for "Here&

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Now".
>> An iconic connector

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between superior, Wisconsin
and Duluth, Minnesota is

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set to close early next
year. The Blatnik Bridge

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opened in 1961, and now
more than 65 years later,

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is scheduled for
reconstruction. According

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to the governor's office,
more than 33,000 vehicles

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cross every day and more
than 265,000 transport

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trucks traverse the bridge
each year. In 2024, former

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President Joe Biden visited
superior to draw attention

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to funding just over $1
billion for the project. As

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part of the bipartisan
infrastructure law. But now,

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U.S. senators in two states
and Wisconsin Governor Tony

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Evers, have written letters
to the U.S. Department of

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Transportation to release
that funding so the project

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can proceed. Superior
Merrick Jim Paine is part

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of the chorus calling for
the grant money to be

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released, and is heading to
Washington to personally

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appeal to D.O.T. and
Secretary Sean Duffy. So

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the project can get going.
He joins us from Superior

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and Mayor. Thanks for being
here.

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>> Yeah. Of course. Thanks
for having me.

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>> So how critical is it to
get this funding released

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sooner rather than later?
>> Well, at first will be

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okay because the there are
some delays built into the

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project. The problem is
this the later we start,

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the later we finish and the.
The effect of the closure

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of the bridge is
significant. And that's

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what we're preparing for.
And any extension of that

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closure is problematic for
the economy and quality of

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life of both superior and
neighboring Duluth. So the

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later it starts, the later
it finishes.

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>> What has the U.S. Dot
told you about when that

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might happen?
>> Nothing. And until now,

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we had reasonable
assurances that this was

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going to happen. There was
a lot of uncertainty at the

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start of this presidential
administration, but that

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was supposed to have been
resolved that that this

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project was going forward.
So this is a very

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frustrating delay.
>> And Transportation

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Secretary Sean Duffy, of
course, knows the region,

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having represented it and
and knows the importance of

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this bridge.
>> I would hope so. I would

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think so. This is a vital
connector, not just for the

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cities of Superior and
Duluth or the states of

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Wisconsin and Minnesota.
This is an international

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connector. The age of the
bridge already limits the

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freight loads. There's
almost no freight that

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moves over it, but it's
going to be a vital

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connector for international
shipping between Michigan,

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Canada, northern Minnesota,
really the entire continent.

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It's a very vital
connection. The Secretary

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of Transportation should
understand that and

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recognize this. Look, one
of the most important

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things to note here, there
is no question about the

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fact that this bridge is
closing. It is at the end

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of its life. It is going to
close. The only question in

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front of us is whether it's
going to reopen with a new

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bridge and when.
>> So when the bridge

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closes, how will people get
across?

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>> There's another bridge.
The Bong Bridge is another

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major connector which can
handle the load, but it's

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going to create significant
bottlenecks. If you look at

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even a map of Wisconsin,
you can see superior is

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sitting as a nice little
hat there at the very

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northwest corner, and it
already creates some

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backlogs. When enough
freight is moving through

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the city, that will become
demonstrably worse during

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bridge closure. So the
longer that lasts, the the

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greater the impacts on
quality of life and

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commerce.
>> Meanwhile, your city has

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already expended money
toward the eventual

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replacement of the bridge.
What is the preparation and

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that expenditure?
>> There's been millions

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and millions of dollars in
prep. A lot of it has been

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relocation of whole
businesses, some of them as

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much as 100 years old that
were operating at the foot

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of that bridge. We cleared
it all out and look, we did

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our part. We spent a
significant amount of

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public, local money, city
of superior money to help

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relocate businesses, to
improve transportation

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networks, to actually
rebuild streets, improve

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them, to mitigate traffic,
to to prepare for faster

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and more efficient
emergency response during

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bridge closure. We have
done our part. The state of

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Wisconsin, the state of
Minnesota have done their

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part. Everything is ready.
We're waiting for the

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federal government to to
live up to its end of the

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deal.
>> And so the new bridge is

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supposed to be up and
operating by, what, 2031?

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>> Hope so this is a
transportation project, and

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any transportation project
involves delays. So an

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unforeseen delay like this,
a what seems to be a

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political delay only adds
to the uncertainty and

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complexity of an already
uncertain and complex

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project.
>> So Republican lawmakers

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say the funding will be
released and it's not in

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jeopardy. You just used the
word political. What do you

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what do you think the
holdup is?

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>> I honestly don't know.
I've worked with many

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different state and federal
administrations at this

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administration. And while
there have been there's

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been plenty of disagreement
on priorities. I've never

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dealt with this level of
chaos. I don't know what

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the holdup is. I appreciate
that lawmakers are saying

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that it will be released.
Well, then release it, sign

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the document, show us that
we have the money so

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planning and preparation
can resume. I don't know if

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if it's so guaranteed.
Let's hear that from the

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Secretary of Administration.
Words do not build bridges.

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Actions do.
>> Mayor Jim Paine, thanks

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very much.
>> Thank you.

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>> In the last few weeks,
President Donald Trump has

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continued to dredge up
conspiracy theories about

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his election loss to Joe
Biden in 2020. Election

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controversies are often
settled in court. The

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Wisconsin Supreme Court
election is less than a

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month away, pitting
conservative candidate

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Judge Maria Lazar against
Liberal candidate Judge

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Chris Taylor. Here and now.
Senior political reporter

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00:11:44,872 --> 00:11:47,508
Zach Schultz interviewed
the candidates about an

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important Supreme Court
decision from the 2020

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election to ask them how
they would have ruled.

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>> We won. Let's go.
>> In the days after Joe

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Biden won Wisconsin and the
race for president in 2020,

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Donald Trump and his
supporters immediately

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began spreading election
conspiracies among his

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efforts to overturn the
election, Trump's campaign

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sued in Wisconsin,
attempting to throw out

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220,000 ballots in Dane and
Milwaukee counties, the two

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largest Democratic areas of
the state. The case reached

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00:12:22,543 --> 00:12:26,213
the Wisconsin Supreme Court
as Trump v Biden and with

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conservatives in control of
the court, it was Justice

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Bryan Hagedorn who sided
with the three liberal

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justices to deny Trump's
request and refuse to take

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the case, saying the
campaign did not have

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standing to sue. The three
other conservatives did not

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say whether they would have
sided with Trump and thrown

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out the ballots, but they
would have taken the case.

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We asked the candidates in
this election how they

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would have ruled if they'd
been on the court.

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>> I would have rejected
that effort. Again, that

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stands in contrast with my
opponent. My opponent has

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been supported in the past
in her Court of Appeals

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race by the same
individuals that led the

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charge in trying to
overturn our 2020 election.

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I think that was the right
decision. That was, again,

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a one only a one vote
decision, which is alarming

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00:13:15,996 --> 00:13:18,999
because if that case had
been successful, hundreds

237
00:13:19,066 --> 00:13:22,569
of thousands of votes in
the state of Wisconsin

238
00:13:22,636 --> 00:13:25,973
would have been thrown out.
And that's alarming to me.

239
00:13:26,039 --> 00:13:28,575
>> Judge Lazar, like the
conservatives who dissented

240
00:13:28,642 --> 00:13:31,612
in that case, focused on
whether Trump had standing

241
00:13:31,678 --> 00:13:34,281
to file suit.
>> This is sort of an area

242
00:13:34,348 --> 00:13:36,717
that's really deeply in
flux with our state Supreme

243
00:13:36,783 --> 00:13:40,420
Court. They have issued
several opinions that have

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00:13:40,487 --> 00:13:43,257
gone around the edges of it,
and so I'm not going to

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00:13:43,323 --> 00:13:45,392
comment any further on
where they would go,

246
00:13:45,459 --> 00:13:47,528
because I honestly believe
that standing is going to

247
00:13:47,594 --> 00:13:50,664
come back up in our next
term. So when I'm on this

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00:13:50,731 --> 00:13:53,467
court, I don't want to have
someone say, you said in an

249
00:13:53,534 --> 00:13:55,569
interview, so now you can't
rule in this case.

250
00:13:55,636 --> 00:13:57,738
>> As far as whether
someone's going to say,

251
00:13:57,804 --> 00:14:00,474
well, you didn't answer the
question. Trump v Biden,

252
00:14:00,541 --> 00:14:02,509
would you have overturned
all those votes? Can you

253
00:14:02,576 --> 00:14:05,479
give me a reaction to that?
>> I have answered the

254
00:14:05,546 --> 00:14:07,548
question, but with respect
to overturning votes, I

255
00:14:07,614 --> 00:14:10,083
strongly believe that every
vote should be counted. So

256
00:14:10,150 --> 00:14:13,053
every legal valid vote
should be counted. So I

257
00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,455
wouldn't comment, and I
don't actually know the

258
00:14:15,522 --> 00:14:18,158
parameters of how they were
going to try to

259
00:14:18,225 --> 00:14:20,527
disenfranchize or not
disenfranchize voters. So I

260
00:14:20,594 --> 00:14:22,696
really don't have any
further thing that I can

261
00:14:22,763 --> 00:14:25,465
say about that case.
>> Reporting from Madison.

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00:14:25,532 --> 00:14:28,602
I'm Zach Schulze for "Here&
Now".

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00:14:28,669 --> 00:14:31,471
>> On the current Supreme
Court. Former Chief Justice

264
00:14:31,538 --> 00:14:35,075
Annette Ziegler announced
this week she will not seek

265
00:14:35,142 --> 00:14:37,678
reelection, opening another
seat on the High Court for

266
00:14:37,744 --> 00:14:42,883
the spring election of 2027.
Last week, we reported on

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00:14:42,950 --> 00:14:45,786
exploratory mining
happening again in northern

268
00:14:45,853 --> 00:14:48,789
Wisconsin. The company,
Greenlight Metals is

269
00:14:48,856 --> 00:14:51,425
looking for gold and copper
and other minerals in

270
00:14:51,491 --> 00:14:55,629
Taylor County. After the
repeal in 2017 of

271
00:14:55,696 --> 00:14:59,199
Wisconsin's old mining law,
Wisconsin's prove it. First

272
00:14:59,266 --> 00:15:02,336
law, otherwise known as the
mining moratorium, was

273
00:15:02,402 --> 00:15:06,673
passed in 1997 and required
mining companies to

274
00:15:06,740 --> 00:15:09,943
demonstrate where anyone
had safely operated a

275
00:15:10,010 --> 00:15:13,213
metallic sulfide mine for
at least ten years, and

276
00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:16,617
also where a mine had been
safely closed for ten years.

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00:15:16,683 --> 00:15:19,386
The mining company and
environmental groups

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00:15:19,453 --> 00:15:22,456
disagree on whether that
standard could be proven if

279
00:15:22,523 --> 00:15:26,894
it was still in place today.
In 2017, Republicans in the

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00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:30,898
legislature, led by then
state Senator Tom Tiffany,

281
00:15:30,964 --> 00:15:33,934
eliminated those provisions
as part of our continuing

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00:15:34,001 --> 00:15:36,370
series examining the
biggest issues in the race

283
00:15:36,436 --> 00:15:39,506
for governor "Here& Now".
Senior political reporter

284
00:15:39,573 --> 00:15:43,310
Zac Schultz asked the
candidates about mining.

285
00:15:43,377 --> 00:15:46,146
>> Roughly Greenlight
Metals the Wisconsin

286
00:15:46,213 --> 00:15:48,515
chapter of the Sierra Club.
And the friends of the

287
00:15:48,582 --> 00:15:52,085
yellow River are well aware.
Control of the legislature

288
00:15:52,152 --> 00:15:55,556
and governor's office could
flip this fall, meaning the

289
00:15:55,622 --> 00:15:57,858
regulations governing
mining in Wisconsin could

290
00:15:57,925 --> 00:16:01,795
be up for debate. We asked
the leading candidates for

291
00:16:01,862 --> 00:16:04,431
governor what they thought
about mining in Wisconsin,

292
00:16:04,498 --> 00:16:07,034
and if they would seek to
change the current

293
00:16:07,100 --> 00:16:09,469
regulations.
>> You know, I think that

294
00:16:09,536 --> 00:16:14,208
we've seen decades of us
ignoring people's rights

295
00:16:15,209 --> 00:16:17,644
when it comes to some of
that land, whether it's our

296
00:16:17,711 --> 00:16:21,882
tribal nations in the state
and also ignoring the

297
00:16:21,949 --> 00:16:24,785
economic, I'm sorry, the
environmental impact on

298
00:16:24,852 --> 00:16:27,955
some of our areas. Natural
resources in Wisconsin are

299
00:16:28,021 --> 00:16:30,924
the basis of our economy.
We have to protect them,

300
00:16:30,991 --> 00:16:33,827
while at the same time we
have to use them

301
00:16:33,894 --> 00:16:36,163
responsibly. We have to
make sure that our mining

302
00:16:36,230 --> 00:16:39,933
laws are in tune with
current mindset around how

303
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,070
we protect people's rights
in in the land and

304
00:16:43,136 --> 00:16:46,039
protecting the environment
with making sure that we

305
00:16:46,106 --> 00:16:48,742
keep using the resources in
a responsible way.

306
00:16:48,809 --> 00:16:51,478
>> There has to be
community buy in and

307
00:16:51,545 --> 00:16:55,115
community input for people
who have made their homes

308
00:16:55,182 --> 00:16:58,685
in a, in an area, you know,
20, 30 years passed down

309
00:16:58,752 --> 00:17:00,787
generation to generation. I
think that folks should

310
00:17:00,854 --> 00:17:03,524
have some input on what
happens in their backyard.

311
00:17:03,590 --> 00:17:05,993
And all I'm saying is have
the conversation. That's

312
00:17:06,059 --> 00:17:10,230
the important part. When we
have those those times

313
00:17:10,297 --> 00:17:13,433
where we're mining may come
up and in a part of the

314
00:17:13,500 --> 00:17:16,703
state. Yeah, well, talk to
the community. Like let's

315
00:17:16,770 --> 00:17:19,673
talk it out because the
only thing that happens is

316
00:17:19,740 --> 00:17:22,743
more resentment. If that
conversation doesn't happen.

317
00:17:22,809 --> 00:17:27,281
>> I am staunchly opposed
to the type of mining as

318
00:17:28,282 --> 00:17:31,818
well as drilling. When it
comes to line five. I have

319
00:17:31,885 --> 00:17:34,788
been vocal about my
opposition there. I think

320
00:17:34,855 --> 00:17:37,724
the dangers that this is
presenting to communities

321
00:17:37,791 --> 00:17:41,929
who have already seen
services be cut, their

322
00:17:42,696 --> 00:17:46,900
schools, you know, closing.
I think that having this

323
00:17:46,967 --> 00:17:51,205
type of, you know, this
type of harmful. These

324
00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:58,011
types of harmful groups
coming in to impact local

325
00:17:58,078 --> 00:18:02,482
environments and the
quality of life. It's, it's

326
00:18:02,549 --> 00:18:04,618
really unfortunate. And I
think it's very important

327
00:18:04,685 --> 00:18:08,288
that we look at how to hold
these corporations

328
00:18:08,355 --> 00:18:10,490
accountable.
>> What I think we need to

329
00:18:10,557 --> 00:18:13,994
do is to make sure we have
a really good environmental

330
00:18:14,061 --> 00:18:16,330
assessment for permitting
for those mines, and to

331
00:18:16,396 --> 00:18:18,932
make sure that we are
talking with the local

332
00:18:18,999 --> 00:18:21,101
communities. If tribal
nations are involved, we

333
00:18:21,168 --> 00:18:24,037
are having those open
conversations with them and

334
00:18:24,104 --> 00:18:26,039
making sure that we're not
having the environmental

335
00:18:26,106 --> 00:18:28,175
impact that would be
negative for Wisconsin.

336
00:18:28,242 --> 00:18:30,944
>> I think one of the most
important things that we

337
00:18:31,011 --> 00:18:33,013
have in Wisconsin, a
differentiator that we have

338
00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:36,183
in Wisconsin versus other
places around the country,

339
00:18:36,250 --> 00:18:39,720
is the natural beauty, the
ability that we have to go

340
00:18:39,786 --> 00:18:43,323
out and enjoy Wisconsin.
And that's not a partizan

341
00:18:43,390 --> 00:18:45,959
issue. That's not an
ideological issue. That's a

342
00:18:46,026 --> 00:18:48,862
a vision that we share for
the state. And so as we

343
00:18:48,929 --> 00:18:52,299
think about anything that
would do any potential harm

344
00:18:52,366 --> 00:18:55,435
to the state of Wisconsin,
I think we need to be very

345
00:18:55,502 --> 00:18:58,572
cautious about that. I
think there are issues

346
00:18:58,639 --> 00:19:01,942
around economic development
that I think we need to try

347
00:19:02,009 --> 00:19:04,278
to find that right balance.
And if it's time to revisit

348
00:19:04,344 --> 00:19:06,780
that issue or it's time to
have that conversation, I'd

349
00:19:06,847 --> 00:19:09,950
be all for it.
>> I thought we did a good

350
00:19:10,017 --> 00:19:12,186
job of writing the last
mining bill for two reasons.

351
00:19:12,252 --> 00:19:15,022
One is we made sure that we
had the toughest mining law

352
00:19:15,088 --> 00:19:18,325
in the United States so
that we are going to

353
00:19:18,392 --> 00:19:21,862
protect the environment. We
also provided for local

354
00:19:21,929 --> 00:19:24,598
control. I think it's
really important for locals

355
00:19:24,665 --> 00:19:28,335
to be able to have input in
regards to these projects.

356
00:19:28,402 --> 00:19:30,604
But this is something I
mean, we've got a long,

357
00:19:30,671 --> 00:19:33,373
great history. I mean, we
have a miner on our flag,

358
00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:37,010
right? And we have a long,
proud history of mining

359
00:19:37,077 --> 00:19:40,047
here in in Wisconsin.
>> Well, it's about working

360
00:19:40,113 --> 00:19:43,116
with the local
municipalities, working

361
00:19:43,183 --> 00:19:45,686
stakeholders that are on
the ground and making sure

362
00:19:45,752 --> 00:19:48,789
that the work group that we
can put together are giving

363
00:19:48,856 --> 00:19:52,159
us the best information
possible to make the best

364
00:19:52,226 --> 00:19:54,494
decisions. That's going to
have a huge impact that can

365
00:19:54,561 --> 00:19:57,130
have a huge impact on the
environment, as well as a

366
00:19:57,197 --> 00:19:59,700
new industry here in the
state of Wisconsin. And so

367
00:19:59,766 --> 00:20:02,669
you have to take that on a
case by case basis and

368
00:20:02,736 --> 00:20:04,605
really working with all the
stakeholders to make sure

369
00:20:04,671 --> 00:20:06,740
that we're making the best
decision possible.

370
00:20:06,807 --> 00:20:09,543
>> I think the current law
has worked well for us. I

371
00:20:09,610 --> 00:20:12,579
want to see mining
companies prove first

372
00:20:12,646 --> 00:20:16,550
before they open up a
hillside and pollute our

373
00:20:16,617 --> 00:20:18,685
water, that they're going
to be able to extract

374
00:20:18,752 --> 00:20:22,523
things in a safe way that
is consistent with our

375
00:20:22,589 --> 00:20:24,424
natural resources
management and our

376
00:20:24,491 --> 00:20:26,793
environmental goals.
>> Reporting from Madison.

377
00:20:26,860 --> 00:20:29,997
I'm Zach Schultz for "Here&
Now".

378
00:20:30,697 --> 00:20:33,767
>> To combat health
disparities on the Oneida

379
00:20:33,834 --> 00:20:38,071
reservation. Ukwakhwa or
our foods is using a

380
00:20:38,906 --> 00:20:42,509
$250,000 grant to provide
culinary knowledge and

381
00:20:42,576 --> 00:20:46,180
ancestral education to the
Oneida tribal community

382
00:20:46,246 --> 00:20:49,816
"Here& Now". Reporter Erica
Ayisi traveled to De Pere

383
00:20:49,883 --> 00:20:53,587
to learn more about the.
From Seed to Table program.

384
00:20:53,654 --> 00:20:56,557
This report is in
partnership with Icty,

385
00:20:56,623 --> 00:20:59,626
formerly Indian Country
Today.

386
00:21:03,063 --> 00:21:06,233
>> Eldon Powless is an
Oneida chef. He's making

387
00:21:06,300 --> 00:21:10,270
lunch at Ukwakhwa or our
Foods kitchen on the Oneida

388
00:21:10,337 --> 00:21:13,240
Reservation near green Bay.
>> Here I get to just do

389
00:21:13,307 --> 00:21:16,176
what I want. They're just
like, as long as it's. As

390
00:21:16,243 --> 00:21:18,579
long as it tastes as good
and it's nutritious. Go

391
00:21:18,645 --> 00:21:20,981
ahead.
Comfort Bowl is an

392
00:21:21,348 --> 00:21:24,218
indigenous take on southern
comfort food.

393
00:21:24,284 --> 00:21:27,187
>> I wanted to do like a
little twist on that and

394
00:21:27,254 --> 00:21:31,491
use wild rice and use the
beans that we have and

395
00:21:32,659 --> 00:21:36,530
whatever we have available.
>> Local Ukwakhwa is in a

396
00:21:36,597 --> 00:21:39,199
restaurant, but Powless is
their guest chef for this

397
00:21:39,266 --> 00:21:42,569
week's meal. He says he
uses some heirloom

398
00:21:42,636 --> 00:21:45,539
indigenous foods that are
harvested on their farm.

399
00:21:45,606 --> 00:21:48,509
The Oneida way.
>> I try to like,

400
00:21:49,042 --> 00:21:51,945
incorporate whatever we can
get locally.

401
00:21:52,012 --> 00:21:56,049
>> His recipe of diced
celery, onions, carrots and

402
00:21:56,116 --> 00:21:59,453
locally sourced wild rice
are added to a butter cream

403
00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,923
sauce with roasted corn.
Black beans. Simmer in

404
00:22:02,990 --> 00:22:06,460
braised smoked ham hocks on
the side.

405
00:22:07,461 --> 00:22:10,430
>> Larsson. Stieg. Yeah.
>> Stephen Webster is

406
00:22:10,497 --> 00:22:13,233
director of farm and
culinary operations at

407
00:22:13,300 --> 00:22:15,869
Ukwakhwa. He says they're
from sea to table grants

408
00:22:15,936 --> 00:22:18,972
with the Wisconsin
Partnership Program

409
00:22:19,039 --> 00:22:21,775
subsidizes sales of hot
lunches made by indigenous

410
00:22:21,842 --> 00:22:25,312
chefs to restore wellness
to their diets.

411
00:22:25,379 --> 00:22:28,081
>> They get a stipend. They
cook about 80 to 100 meals

412
00:22:28,148 --> 00:22:30,117
for the community. The
community then puts in

413
00:22:30,184 --> 00:22:32,853
orders how many we want,
and then we pretty much

414
00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,189
disburse those meals
throughout the community.

415
00:22:35,255 --> 00:22:37,991
>> Webster says their grant
program offers community

416
00:22:38,058 --> 00:22:41,295
members meals rooted in
ancestral knowledge for

417
00:22:41,361 --> 00:22:44,131
modern living, integrating
traditional ingredients

418
00:22:44,198 --> 00:22:47,701
like corn and beans with
contemporary cuisine.

419
00:22:47,768 --> 00:22:50,537
>> The goal of this was to
try to expand people's

420
00:22:50,604 --> 00:22:53,173
palates.
>> The grant also

421
00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,577
subsidizes hands on meal
preparation workshops using

422
00:22:56,643 --> 00:22:59,613
products harvested on the
reservation.

423
00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,482
>> We've had people make
maple seed cookies, which

424
00:23:02,549 --> 00:23:05,219
blows my mind sometimes
where I was like, it was,

425
00:23:05,285 --> 00:23:07,454
there was no gluten in it.
>> Webster says. In this

426
00:23:07,521 --> 00:23:10,858
first year, the program is
meeting its goals.

427
00:23:10,924 --> 00:23:15,495
>> Like we did 1393 meals
just through the Hot Meal

428
00:23:15,562 --> 00:23:20,501
Noon program. And then we
did another 80 some meals

429
00:23:20,567 --> 00:23:23,003
through the the meal prep
class I talked about.

430
00:23:23,070 --> 00:23:25,205
>> Webster says meals like
the Northern Comfort Bowl

431
00:23:25,272 --> 00:23:29,109
would cost about $30 each
in local restaurants, but

432
00:23:29,176 --> 00:23:32,379
Ukwakhwa is able to offer
it here for $13 to the

433
00:23:32,446 --> 00:23:35,916
Oneida community due to the
reduced pricing by the

434
00:23:35,983 --> 00:23:38,785
grant. Webster says he
hopes to continue the same

435
00:23:38,852 --> 00:23:42,055
pricing when funding ends.
>> But now I feel like

436
00:23:42,122 --> 00:23:45,425
we're much stronger from a
logistics standpoint to

437
00:23:45,492 --> 00:23:48,495
take on this stuff in the
future.

438
00:23:49,296 --> 00:23:51,632
programs help the Oneida
community reconnect to

439
00:23:51,698 --> 00:23:55,035
their indigenous foodways
from a time when their

440
00:23:55,102 --> 00:23:57,971
ancestors were relocated
from New York to Wisconsin

441
00:23:58,038 --> 00:24:01,842
in the early 1800s.
>> When they came here

442
00:24:02,342 --> 00:24:04,545
again, it was they were
following Christian

443
00:24:04,611 --> 00:24:06,513
missionaries, but they were
still people who practice

444
00:24:06,580 --> 00:24:08,615
our our traditions, our
language and all that other

445
00:24:08,682 --> 00:24:11,018
stuff. And a lot of those
seeds came with them as

446
00:24:11,084 --> 00:24:13,520
well.
about indigenous

447
00:24:13,587 --> 00:24:16,456
cultivation?
most people are aware of is

448
00:24:16,523 --> 00:24:18,892
companion planting. The
three Sisters style of

449
00:24:18,959 --> 00:24:21,161
planting.
>> He says. Maintaining

450
00:24:21,228 --> 00:24:23,797
oneida's agricultural
methods of planting

451
00:24:23,864 --> 00:24:27,100
varieties of corn, beans
and seeds next to each

452
00:24:27,167 --> 00:24:30,804
other is a balancing act of
traditional and modern

453
00:24:30,871 --> 00:24:33,407
farming.
>> For 2 or 3 people like

454
00:24:33,473 --> 00:24:36,476
me and my wife to do it, we
have to use the tractor, we

455
00:24:36,543 --> 00:24:39,479
have to do stuff, but we
still make it a point to

456
00:24:39,546 --> 00:24:42,249
hand plant and hand Weid
and so forth to keep those

457
00:24:42,316 --> 00:24:44,284
traditions alive.
>> Twice a month, the

458
00:24:44,351 --> 00:24:45,786
Ukwakhwa team delivers
their culturally relevant

459
00:24:45,853 --> 00:24:49,156
meals to seven different
drop off sites along the

460
00:24:49,223 --> 00:24:53,093
Oneida Tribal Department's
route. Webster Ana Ukwakhwa

461
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,896
staff and volunteers packed
up his truck with dozens of

462
00:24:55,963 --> 00:24:59,333
hot and ready, preordered
meals prepared by that

463
00:24:59,399 --> 00:25:01,568
week's chef.
>> Hello there. You get a

464
00:25:01,635 --> 00:25:05,973
bite one. All right.
>> Toni House picked up her

465
00:25:08,976 --> 00:25:12,312
three meals at the Ukwakhwa
farm, reflecting on her

466
00:25:12,379 --> 00:25:15,516
childhood memories of food
insecurity from

467
00:25:15,582 --> 00:25:17,618
colonization.
>> I remember what it was

468
00:25:17,684 --> 00:25:21,588
like to be hungry as a
child, you know? And I

469
00:25:22,556 --> 00:25:25,392
remember thinking, how come
people didn't hand me good

470
00:25:25,459 --> 00:25:27,427
foods?
>> She says the program

471
00:25:27,494 --> 00:25:30,430
will help younger children
have an appetite and desire

472
00:25:30,497 --> 00:25:33,667
for healthy indigenous
meals.

473
00:25:33,734 --> 00:25:38,872
>> Nutrition right here
impacts three generations

474
00:25:38,939 --> 00:25:40,274
automatically.
Scientifically. We know

475
00:25:40,340 --> 00:25:43,310
that. Now.
>> Back in the Ukwakhwa

476
00:25:43,377 --> 00:25:45,879
kitchen, Powless says,
traditional indigenous

477
00:25:45,946 --> 00:25:49,483
ingredients can be cooked
with love and risk while

478
00:25:49,550 --> 00:25:52,186
exploring new recipes.
>> You don't have to be

479
00:25:52,252 --> 00:25:55,055
super traditional and make
it a certain way you can

480
00:25:55,122 --> 00:25:56,990
incorporate it however you
would like.

481
00:25:57,057 --> 00:25:59,660
>> Webster says. From seed
to table incorporates the

482
00:25:59,726 --> 00:26:00,928
past.
>> Make sure that we kind

483
00:26:00,994 --> 00:26:03,764
of like go back as much as
we can.

484
00:26:03,830 --> 00:26:06,400
>> For a healthier diet in
the future.

485
00:26:06,466 --> 00:26:08,535
>> To what maybe our
ancestors were eating to

486
00:26:08,602 --> 00:26:11,238
help combat some of that
and address some of that.

487
00:26:11,305 --> 00:26:14,708
>> In De Pere. I'm Eric
Ayisi for “Here& Now” and

488
00:26:14,775 --> 00:26:17,244
ICT.
>> For more on this and

489
00:26:17,978 --> 00:26:20,581
other issues facing
Wisconsin, visit our

490
00:26:20,647 --> 00:26:24,785
website at PBS Wisconsin
and then click on the news

491
00:26:24,852 --> 00:26:27,688
tab. That's our program for
tonight. I'm Frederica

492
00:26:27,754 --> 00:26:29,189
Freyberg. Have a good
weekend.

493
00:26:29,256 --> 00:26:32,492
[MUSIC]
>> Funding for Here and now

494
00:26:45,272 --> 00:26:49,710
is provided by the fund for
Journalism and Friends of

495
00:26:49,776 --> 00:26:51,445
PBS Wisconsin.