— A coalition of Milwaukee-based organizations is getting $500,000 in planning funds after being chosen as a finalist for a federal economic development initiative.
Grow Milwaukee was one of 22 groups selected from 565 applicants for the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, putting it in the running for up to $50 million in funding, President Joe Biden announced yesterday during a visit to Milwaukee.
This program of the U.S. Economic Development Association was authorized for up to $1 billion in total funding in the CHIPS and Science Act, including $200 million for the 2023 competition, the EDA website shows. The Recompete Pilot Program aims to support areas of the country where employment among residents between the ages of 25 and 54 is well below the national average.
The initial strategy development grant will help Grow Milwaukee work on its plan for the 30th Street Industrial Corridor, an 880-acre area of the city that officials have targeted for a revitalization effort. In a release on the announcement, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin noted the corridor has a “history of segregation and business exodus that has stunted economic prosperity” in the surrounding area.
“I am thrilled that Milwaukee has been selected for this program, putting us on the path to connect more people with good-paying jobs, grow our Made in Wisconsin economy, and ensure that no community is left behind,” the Madison Dem said.
According to the group’s Phase 1 plan document, the effort will support advanced manufacturing business expansion to create jobs, helping to address the area’s “chronic underemployment” problem.
“We will tightly link industrial land preparation and business expansion with investments in paid pre-apprenticeships for union trades and workforce partners,” plan authors wrote.
The coalition is made up of the city and county governments and businesses including the Milwaukee Bucks, Rockwell Automation and Jonco Industries, as well as the nonprofits Northwest Side Community Development Corporation and WRTP Big Step, the Milwaukee School of Engineering, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and others. Their goals include developing vacant and underutilized sites, expanding workforce opportunities and supporting business growth.
The NWSCDC is the lead applicant, and other organizations are listed as strategic partners including the Milwaukee Area Labor Council AFL-CIO and Froedtert Health.
Phase 2 applications are due April 25, with winners being announced by the end of summer 2024.
See more on the program: https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/recompete-pilot-program
See the city’s plan for the corridor: https://city.milwaukee.gov/DCD/Projects/30thStreetIndustrialCorridor
— Wisconsin could see about $5 million from the nationwide lawsuit Attorney General Josh Kaul joined against Google’s alleged anticompetitive conduct on the company’s app store.
Google in a settlement reached with Kaul and 52 other attorneys general yesterday is slated to pay out roughly $700 million for allegedly monopolizing Android app distribution and in-app payment processing on its Google Play Store. Wisconsin’s share of the payout will depend on how many Wisconsinites are eligible for restitution, meaning the state’s share could vary widely.
Those eligible for payouts won’t have to submit a claim because restitution will be paid automatically through PayPal, Venmo, check or a deposit into their bank account.
The suit that prompted the settlement argued Google signed anti competitive contracts to prevent other app stores being preloaded on Android devices, bought off potential rival app developers and created tech barriers to deter users from downloading apps without Google’s store.
Kaul in a press release said Google’s consumers and others “shouldn’t have to pay extra because of anticompetitive practices.”
“The Wisconsin Department of Justice will continue working to protect people’s pocketbooks and to ensure that markets are competitive,” he added.
See the release and details about the settlement: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/dept-of-justice-attorney-general-kaul-announces-700-million-settlement-with-google-over-play-store-misconduct/
— Organic Valley added 84 family farms to its cooperative this year, including 12 located in Wisconsin.
The La Farge-based co-op, now owned by more than 1,600 organic family farms, this week released figures on its 2023 activities. The group’s release highlighted a “farm crisis” defined by agricultural consolidation and declining farm numbers.
“Last year, we brought in farms that were abruptly dropped by their milk buyers, and this year, we’ve welcomed 84 more into our organic dairy community,” said Shawna Nelson, the co-op’s executive vice president of membership. “Our commitment to organic family farmers is unwavering, and we aim to be the go-to option for those seeking a stable future in farming.”
Of the farms newly added this past year, 26 were from Pennsylvania, 22 were from New York, six were from Ohio and others hailed from Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont.
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— Biomedical engineers at UW-Madison have identified a compound that could allow COVID-19 vaccines and other mRNA therapeutics to be stored at room temperatures.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
Sign up here: http://forms.gle/o8FtqTLviGJPja8C9
#TOP STORIES#
# Froedtert, ThedaCare to become one organization at the start of 2024
# Music man: How promoter Herb Frank shaped Madison’s concert scene
# Microsoft completes purchases of Mount Pleasant sites, pays hold-out landowner $76 million
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Baldwin delivers $27 million to help grow Wisconsin’s agricultural businesses
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1095&yr=2023
– ‘Once you’re no good to them, they get rid of you:’ Immigrant workers in Wisconsin’s dairy industry cast aside when hurt
# BANKING
– Associated Bank enters new phase with high-profile hires, expense cuts
# CONSTRUCTION
– Biden highlights progress for Black-owned businesses, lead pipe replacement in Milwaukee visit
– The truck stop at Monroe Road was demolished. Here’s why
# ECONOMY
– Wisconsin unemployment system will get yearly checkups after overhaul
– Milwaukee is a finalist in an economic development program that could yield $50 million
– Neenah celebrates creation of 3,000 jobs, $45 million in tax base
# FOOD AND BEVERAGE
– From Buck Bradley’s to Lazy Susan, here are 19 Milwaukee bars and restaurants that closed in 2023
# HEALTH CARE
– States are trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire
– Dane County judge ruling that abortions are legal in Wisconsin is appealed
– Some Wisconsin hospitals return to mask requirements as COVID-19 and other viruses spread
– Potawatomi Tribe installs Narcan vending machines to address opioid crisis in northern Wisconsin
# INVESTING
– Lake Geneva-based Joy Research names new CEO while raising $2 million seed round
# LEGAL
– State Bar of Wisconsin is sued over diversity program
– OSHA fines Florence Hardwoods $1.4 million after 16-year-old’s death
# REAL ESTATE
– Affordable Whitefish Bay apartments among projects poised to receive county funding
# RETAIL
– Texas-based generator dealership opening corporate satellite office in Waukesha
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Festival Foods: Introduces paid parental leave, enhancing associate benefits package
