Dear Friends,

Governor Evers continues to botch Wisconsin's vaccine rollout. This week, our state dropped to 48th in the percentage of vaccine distributed. Only Alabama and Pennsylvania are ranked lower. Although I've sent multiple letters to the governor asking for his plan to improve our ranking. He has continued to dodge even basic questions about the rollout. In the meantime, I will continue to seek answers for you and continue to push the governor to be transparent and urgent with his vaccine distribution plan.

Please be careful and continue to follow CDC guidelines, wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands. It’s important to avoid lockdowns that create their own health crises in delayed medical care, mental health stresses, and the loss of businesses and jobs.

As always, if you have any concerns or ideas on how to improve our great state, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 608-266-5830 or by email at Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov.

On, Wisconsin!

To commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Allied Forces liberating Auschwitz, I am introducing legislation to help make sure the Holocaust is never forgotten and never repeated. The bipartisan legislation is sponsored by more than 75 lawmakers from all across Wisconsin.

As the number of living Holocaust survivors and witnesses dwindle, it is up to us to ensure that the unforgivable events of the Holocaust are never forgotten and never repeated. My goal is to ensure that Wisconsin students understand the important lessons of the Holocaust and the dangerous consequences of rising anti-Semitism and religious bigotry. The need for Holocaust education is greater than ever.

Two-thirds of American millennials surveyed could not identify Auschwitz. Twenty-two percent of millennials in the poll said they haven’t heard of the Holocaust or are not sure whether they’ve heard of it — twice the percentage of U.S. adults who said the same. Education is the key to turning those numbers around.

We can’t expect kids to know better if no one is teaching them the truth about what happened during the Holocaust. My hope is the bill will not only teach about the Holocaust and other genocides but also foster empathy and understanding for different people and cultures.

Sixteen states now require some form of Holocaust education in schools. My bill adds Holocaust education to the model academic standards for social studies. In addition, it guarantees that Wisconsin students learn about the Holocaust at least once during middle school and once during high school.

The Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center (HERC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin will provide the materials, programming, and professional development necessary to implement this requirement at no additional costs to schools. Over the past few months, HERC has built a comprehensive website that includes over 140 lesson plans (with even more in development) for schools to use free of charge

It's School Choice Week! As one of the original authors of our state's landmark legislation, I've seen first-hand how School Choice has improved the lives of children. It's exciting to see children have the opportunity to succeed in school no matter where they live.

Students aren't the only ones who gain from School Choice. As a matter of fact, we all benefit from School Choice. Click on the video for a celebration of School Choice!

Without providing details on how to sign up to get a vaccine, Governor Evers announced Wisconsin residents 65 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting January 25th. While I continue to press for a plan from Governor Evers, our local health departments are doing their best to keep you informed on the COVID-19 vaccine.

You can sign up for emails to stay updated on when you can be vaccinated by visiting our county health department websites. Click on your county's health department for more information.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services also recommends that you contact your healthcare provider to sign up to be vaccinated. You can also register with Meijer Pharmacy and they will notify you when the vaccine is available.

One way you can help is by donating blood. If you have recovered from COVID-19, please especially consider donating your plasma.

You can find out where to donate here and here.

The table above contains data reported on January 27, 2021 from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services on coronavirus cases in our area.

Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker

The Germantown Police Department's K9 unit is looking for your help. Currently, the department has two K9 officers, Hatto and Arek.

Click on the picture to find out more on how Hatto and Arek are serving the Germantown community and how you can help them continue to serve.

The Thiensville Fire Department is looking to hire firefighters. Click on the picture for more information.