S*#t You Need To Know: Love At First Vaccine, Or Not

It's a wake-up call in more ways than one.

Time for some shit you need to know.

At

one point, I just wish we could say it.

Why not

now?

Maybe, maybe.

Are you ready on the next one?

Maybe, maybe, that's right.

All right, so I don't know if you've heard about this, but this is pretty cool.

There's a new bronze statue sculpture honoring Ho-Chunk healer Betsy Thunder that's been installed in Riverside Park in La Crosse.

Now, Thunder was known in the late 1800s for treating both Ho-Chunk residents and white settlers in the region.

This sculpture replaces the former Hiawatha statue, which was removed in 2020 after criticism that it in actual

represented Native Americans and reinforced stereotypes.

Ho-Chunk leaders say the new statue provides a more accurate representation of the tribe's history and presence in the lacrosse area.

This sculpture was created by Debra Fabian using historical photographs and historically accurate clothing and details.

The new Ho-Chunk garden will feature native plants used for traditional medicine and is also intended to highlight themes of healing community and cultural understanding.

Organizers say this project is about more

than honoring one individual.

They hope that it also recognizes the continuing presence and contributions of the Ho-Chunk people in Western Wisconsin.

This garden is scheduled to be officially dedicated on July 30th.

And when I was looking at this story yesterday, I was looking at some of the photos, not only of the statue, but of the garden itself.

Beautiful, beautiful place.

So this is gonna be very exciting.

I'm actually, I love La Crosse.

La Crosse is one of my favorite areas to visit.

If you've never taken a drive down the inner

state, there's this moment where when you come through one of the curves, it's all of the bluffs, all of the trees, and it is one of the most picturesque places ever.

So I love being able to visit La Crosse.

So put that on your list if you're going to be in the area.

More headlines and stuff you need to know.

Milwaukee officials are going to hold a public hearing on June 24th to discuss the possibility of converting wheat energies from an investor owned utility to a publicly owned

utility.

The hearing will include presentations on Wisconsin law governing utilities, information about public power systems, and an opportunity for public comment.

Supporters say that public ownership could give local residents and elected officials more control over energy decisions and rates.

WeEnergies says that its current model provides reliable service, competitive rates, and resources that would be difficult for a city-run utility to match.

No decision is going to be made at this hearing.

It's expected

to start a broader discussion, though, about whether public ownership is a viable option for Milwaukee.

And then without further ado, and stuff you need to know,

Amtrak is expected to release a final plan this month for expanding Hiawatha passenger rail service from Milwaukee to Madison with stops in Pewaukee and Watertown.

This proposal would extend two existing daily Hiawatha round trips that currently run between Chicago and Milwaukee.

Amtrak estimates the extension could attract about 260,000 additional riders each year and views it as one of the most promising passenger rail expansions in the country.

If funding an environmental

move forward, service could begin as early as 2029.

This project is expected to cost between $215 million and $275 million, with federal grants potentially covering up to 80% of those construction costs.

Supporters say that the line would improve travel options between Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago while creating jobs and generating an estimated $46 million in annual economic impact.

Proposed station locations include Piwaki, Watertown, and also a temporary station in downtown Madison.

The expansion would serve as the first step in a broader vision of extending passenger rail service farther west into Wisconsin in the future.

I mean, if you can't get excited about this.

I don't know what you could get excited about, because this opens up so many options to commuters.

If you want to come into the state just for a day, if you... Oh, no, this would

be great for me.

Right?

You'd be able to come up here and check out Madison for a couple of days from Chicago.

I think this is great.

I love that there's federal grants that are going to be an option for this as well.

So I am very excited to see the progress for this.

And you know, we talked about travel briefly in one of our last segments.

And the one thing you notice when you go to other countries is how accessible everything is by public transportation, which is why everybody gets to travel to different neighboring countries because

you just

hop on a train and get there within a few hours.

I wish I could hop on a train tomorrow morning and

get

to Madison.

Yes.

Easy peasy.

I mean, that's the one thing.

We do have Amtrak service in this state, but it's not the commuter type, right?

It's literally you have to be going on a trip.

It's a little bit more of an investment when you do an Amtrak trip right now in Wisconsin.

So I'm excited to see the progress on this.

I mean, really honestly, I know a lot of people think, oh, 2029, it's not that far away.

No,

it really isn't.

It's coming up quick.

It is coming up.

Point

your eyes.

It'll be

here.

It will.

Absolutely.

All right, so we have the big story of the hour though, and I am excited to talk about this one because, you know, dating apps, if you've ever been somebody who's used one of those, it can help people find others with shared interests.

I mean, there's really dating apps right now for anybody, music lovers, sports, religion, hobbies, pet lovers.

Parker, are

you on the apps?

Don't worry about it.

I'm only asking so I could get your phone tomorrow and I can just

play

with them.

Just do power swipe.

Everybody and

anybody.

You can match him with some people.

You can set him up.

It'll be great.

It'll be great.

I think we need a camera then to follow you on the first date, like inconspicuously.

It's fine.

We

can set that up.

We can make that happen.

Give me the metaglasses.

All right, we can make that happen.

Forget that.

I'll just put on a horrible fake mustache and a disguise and follow him around.

I said cameras with you.

That's fine.

Thank

you.

We'll make sure it happens.

Oh,

good.

The question is though, when it comes to dating apps, what happens when your view

on vaccines become one of the most important factors in fighting a new partner.

There is a growing number of niche dating apps that are connecting people based on their vaccination status and views on public health.

Organizers say it's about shared values and personal freedoms.

Now, an anti-vaccination dating app called Unjected, that's the name, which you have to love.

It is, it's actually Unjected.

is hosting in-person meetups around the country, bringing together people who oppose COVID-19 vaccines and many other vaccines.

The events are part of this four city summer of love tour.

That's what they actually call it.

That's designed to help like-minded singles meet potential partners and, you know, build community.

Organizers describe this movement as being focused on personal choice, bodily autonomy and medical freedom rather than just opposition to vaccines.

Well, nobody wants to be around you if you're not taking, if you're not vaccinated because we don't want to catch something from

you.

Well, anti-vaxxers.

do.

They want to be around other anti-vaxxers.

I find

this

really interesting because I feel like this is just a rational person will look at this and be like, okay, this is just a foot in the door.

We still have to talk about other things in life.

Right.

With the understanding that once we have a child, we're not going to take them to the doctor for their vaccines.

Right.

No, this is true.

I mean, because

If you've dated or you're young enough to remember dating, it feels like it was an eternity ago, you know that there's always that one.

You have to have commonalities with people.

That's just it.

We've all been on really good dates.

We've all been on really bad dates.

And usually the worst dates were the ones where you had absolutely nothing in common with that person.

So I feel like this is just that one.

a point where you're like, ooh, we'll latch on to this person because they have this one thing in common with us, right?

And I don't know.

It just feels weird though.

It feels like I would have to, I saw myself to like leave the room.

I really would, yes.

Real quick sidebar.

Parker, when you're perusing.

Perusing.

Are you worried about commonalities?

See girls will get it differently, right?

Harker's not worried

about the

commonalities right off the jump.

You're also young you probably I

don't think women are fully There has to be some sort of physical

attraction.

Of course Those apps

are built for physical attraction.

Yeah,

those aren't built for

unless you're

going to

what about

hinge isn't hinge very prompt base

I'll get back to you.

Sure.

Don't

act dumb.

We'll research that

one.

I am also old enough to remember that when your dating app was literally going to the bar and making sure you hadn't had too much to drink so that everybody looked like they actually looked the next day.

So that's how I remember dating apps.

But for this particular dating app, Unjected.

Attendees have traveled long distances for the event, some flying from other states, others drive hundreds of miles to meet people who share these views.

Unjected launched in 2021, and it markets itself as a dating platform specifically for people who choose not to be vaccinated.

There are several other niche dating platforms that have emerged in recent years targeting unvaccinated individuals and those skeptical of the vaccine requirements.

A lot of experts say that political beliefs, public health views, and personal values have become increasingly important factors in modern dating decisions.

And this particular app was briefly removed from major app stores in 2021 over concerns related to COVID-19 misinformation, later though it returned to Apple and Google platforms.

So now it's okay.

You know, then it wasn't, but now it's fine that it spreads misinformation about vaccines.

It's fine.

you