Wisconsin Right Now

  Six months before Election Day, Milwaukee’s mayor has made a change at the top of his city’s elections commission. Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Monday announced Paulina Gutiérrez as the new executive director of Milwaukee’s Election Commission. “Paulina’s integrity and capabilities are ideally suited to this position. She will lead the office at an important juncture when public scrutiny of the work of the department will be extremely high,” Johnson said in a statement. “I have confidence in her, and I will make certain the department has the resources it needs to fulfill its duties.” Johnson’s statement was silent on the fact Gutiérrez’s promotion means the former head of the commission, Claire Woodall, is being replaced. The mayor told WISN TV that Woodall was offered a different position at the city, but he added that she apparently doesn’t want that job "as it stands right now." Johnson also said the decision to make the change has more to do with the latest

  In the three months after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, antisemitic incidents increased throughout the U.S. by 360%, according to preliminary data published by the Anti-Defamation League. At least 3,283 incidents were reported between Oct. 7, 2023, and Jan. 7, 2024, according to the preliminary data. This represents a 360% increase from the 712 incidents reported over the same time period in the prior year. It’s also higher than any total tracked in any year in the past decade, except for 2022. In 2022, the total number of antisemitic incidents were already at a historic high of 3,697, with an 87% increase occurring in the southwest region of the U.S. With an average of nearly 34 antisemitic incidents occurring every day, 2023 is on track to be the worst year for Jews in America with the highest number of antisemitic acts reported since ADL began tracking this data in the late 1970s. The ADL has yet to release 2023 data for the calendar year. “The American Jewish com