Mitigating drought stress on landscape and garden plants during the current local dry spell

Article was written by Vijai Pandian, Horticulture Extension Educator. Originally published in the Kenosha News. Southeast Wisconsin is facing severe drought affecting many landscape and garden plants. Lawn grasses has gone dormant, moisture sensitive trees are exhibiting signs of scorch leaves, defoliation, early fall coloration and branch dieback; wilted strawberries are producing low quality fruits, flowering […]

Community stories: Rules, beliefs, and values about food

Article was written by Terri Ward, FoodWIse Nutrition Administrator, Kenosha and Racine Counties Originally published in the Kenosha News. Two things I absolutely love just so happen to tap into my creative streak and unite people: food and stories. After all, everybody eats and there’s nothing like a story to honor the human experience, explain a perspective, […]

Assisting and responding to mental health challenges

Article written by Mary Metten, Health and Well-being Extension Educator. Originally published in the Kenosha News. Many of us currently are or have been certified for first aid at one time or another. The first time I took a first aid course, I was a teenager and still remember the ABC acronym (although nowadays it’s CAB). […]

Adult & Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

Sign up for FREE Adult or Youth Mental Health First Aid Training! https://wirose.wisc.edu/mental-health-first-aid/ Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. This training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing […]

Farmers markets open outdoor venues with open arms

Article written by Amy Macemon, Healthy Communities Coordinator/FoodWise Educator for Extension Kenosha and Racine Counties. Originally published in the Kenosha News. Farmers’ market: A food market at which local farmers sell fruit and vegetables and often meat, cheese, and bakery products directly to consumers. This definition doesn’t fully capture the sensation of a farmers market. Let’s […]

Protecting against fraud and identity theft

Article written by Mary Metten, Health and Well-being Extension Educator. Originally published in the Kenosha News. During the past year in Wisconsin, complaints to the Federal Trade Commission went from several hundred a month to a peak of 56,000 complaints in March 2021. The top complaint involved fraud, most often related to online shopping, followed by […]

Communication skills to further financial conversations

Article written by Mary Metten, Health and Well-being Extension Educator. Originally published in the Kenosha News. Think about the people you encounter related to housing. People and places like landlords, property managers, realtors, banks, utility companies, plumber, roofer; there is an abundance of options. For the best success it isn’t only the transfer of service, but […]

Civility and diversity

Article was written by Amy Greil, Community Development Extension Educator. Originally published in The Kenosha News. Dating back to 1850’s England, John Stuart Mill argued in an expansive and ground-breaking essay titled “On Liberty” that the charge of people to inform themselves and speak their minds as a matter of necessity. It is through reasoned argument and […]

Take advantage of free credit reports

Article written by Mary Metten, Health and Well-being Extension Educator. Originally published in the Kenosha News. Incorrect information on credit reports is among top consumer complaints to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In Wisconsin in 2020, almost 1,200 individuals filed a complaint about credit reporting with the CFPB. The top complaint involved incorrect information on […]

Holiday Rosemary

Growing Rosemary Indoor Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a popular aromatic herb that symbolizes remembrance, friendship, and loyalty. Often sold during the holiday season in a decorated topiary form, the value of rosemary goes beyond its ornamental use. Since the Roman era, both fresh and dried rosemary has been used for cosmetics, medicinal, and culinary purposes. […]

Winter Mulch Your Landscape Plants

Winterize Your Landscape Fluctuating temperatures in late fall and winter can cause considerable damage to many landscape plants. Especially when the temperature suddenly drops into the 20s, landscape plants need an extra layer of winter protection if there is little or no snow cover. One of the best blanket covers to protect the crown and […]

A practice of gratitude

Article written by Mary Metten, Health and Well-being Extension Educator. Originally published in the Kenosha News. Thinking back to a movie I watched a lot with my brother as kids, Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” All at once, it […]