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One day after Tyler Herro's name was trending on social media after scoring 25 points in Game 1 of second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, his search engine popularity continued.
And on an off night.
Herro was in the Twitter spotlight again Tuesday after winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
Herro received 96 of the 100 first-place votes.
Herro, who scored more than 2,000 points at Whitnall High School before playing one season at the University of Kentucky, is finishing his third year in the NBA. He averaged 20.7 points per game, five rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in the regular season.
A prolific three-point shooter, Herro has become a dynamic offensive weapon. Only three NBA players averaged more points off the bench in a season.
The 22-year old Herro did not mention Pierce.
But he has his sights set on an additional individual achievement next season.
And he received well-deserved love from a fellow award finalist. | 2022-05-04T02:40:06Z | www.jsonline.com | Twitter reacts to Tyler Herro winning NBA Sixth Man of the Year award | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/03/twitter-reacts-tyler-herro-winning-nba-sixth-man-year-award/9636726002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/03/twitter-reacts-tyler-herro-winning-nba-sixth-man-year-award/9636726002/ |
Oconomowoc removes ban on concealed weapons in most city buildings
CITY OF OCONOMOWOC - The Common Council on Tuesdayunanimously voted to repeal the city's concealed carry ordinance that barred all firearms from entering municipal buildings.
Ald. Matt Rosek proposed the change in March. The concealed carry ordinance was adopted in 2011. Previously, the city could not change the ordinance because city hall also housed the municipal court and police department, which are barred from having firearms present understate statute.
Now that the municipal court and police department are located elsewhere, a repeal was brought to the common council.
"Why would we as a government be more restrictive of people’s rights than Starbucks, or Pick 'n Save or all of the other million places you can go with conceal carry weapons?" Rosek asked at the meeting. "Why can’t we protect ourselves while we are here? Why can’t citizens coming in here for other business protect themselves? We do nothing right now to protect ourselves."
Though council members said they received many emails from residents about the proposed change after it was put on the May 3 agenda, no one showed up to speak on it at the meeting.
Discussion centered on limiting residents' rights and also protection in case of a mass shooting or attack within municipal buildings.
"I can conceal carry at the city beach, but right now how it reads, I can’t walk into the community center," Ald. Low Kowieski said at the meeting. "This doesn’t allow me to enter a building that you felt safe with me 10 feet away. I’m in support of this and addressing people who sent the emails. There are some who feel this is the wrong step, but that same person you feel shouldn’t have the right to carry in that building, you are fine with 10 feet outside."
Ald. Matt Molder said he favors concealed carry, but said the comments he heard most from staff and constituents were, "Don’t we have bigger things to do?" and "Is this really a problem we’re fixing?"
"It’s been fine for 11 years, and I don’t think we have citizens coming up asking if they can bring in a gun as they pay their tax bill," he added. "All of the reasons are fine for those who have their permit. For the general population, they see this as a waste of time."
This was a first reading of the ordinance but the motion to vote on the repeal included waiving a second reading. The repeal passed unanimously.
Concealed carry firearms will be allowed in most municipal buildings but not all. Firearms are still prohibited from the police station and the municipal court under state statutes. They are also still banned from the library; the Library Board makes its own determinations about firearms.
"I would encourage the library to also remove its sign," Rosek said. "All we’re doing is creating a soft target. The mass shooters and all the people who want to pick soft targets. You don't hear of a lot of shootings at gun shows, NRA events or shooting range, and there’s a reason for that. There’s a guy to shoot back at you." | 2022-05-04T14:24:53Z | www.jsonline.com | Oconomowoc repeals concealed carry ordinance for most city buildings | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/04/oconomowoc-repeals-concealed-carry-ordinance-most-city-buildings/9642594002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/04/oconomowoc-repeals-concealed-carry-ordinance-most-city-buildings/9642594002/ |
1. Free admission for moms at Milwaukee County Zoo (and other free Mother's Day doings)
Mothers get in free at the Milwaukee County Zoo on Mother's Day; the zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Info: milwaukeezoo.org.
Moms also get free admission on Sunday at Discovery World, and one parent per group gets in for free at the Milwaukee Public Museum. And there's a free, guide-led Mother's Day Wildflower Walk in Lake Park from 1 to 3 p.m.; see countyparks.com for details.
RELATED:Looking for inexpensive ways to celebrate Mother's Day? These Milwaukee venues have free admission for moms.
RELATED:Here's a look at Mother’s Day brunch and dinner options in the Milwaukee area
2. Maxie's Derby Day party, and other Kentucky Derby bashes
Maxie's, 6732 W. Fairfield Ave., hosts its 15th annual Derby Day party May 7, starting at 2 p.m., with food, drinks and outdoor music. The party, which benefits Hunger Task Force, has two admission options: the "grandstand," which includes full restaurant service indoors, is $35 per person; "infield" admission, for tented outdoor seating, is $20. (Admission doesn't include food, drink or tips.) Note: The race's post time is 5:57 p.m. May 7. Info and reservations: maxiesmke.com.
For a roundup of more Kentucky Derby doings around town, go to jsonline.com/entertainment/events.
3. Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival at Haggerty Museum
The Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W. Tory Hill St. on Marquette University's campus, is hosting a Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival May 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival, to celebrate the birthday of graffiti-inspired pop artist Keith Haring, will feature live music and food trucks as well as all-ages opportunities to create your own art. Admission is free, but you have to register online. Info: marquette.edu/haggerty-museum. | 2022-05-04T14:24:59Z | www.jsonline.com | Things you probably should be doing Mother's Day weekend in Milwaukee | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/events/2022/05/04/things-you-probably-should-doing-mothers-day-weekend-milwaukee-kentucky-derby/9558610002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/events/2022/05/04/things-you-probably-should-doing-mothers-day-weekend-milwaukee-kentucky-derby/9558610002/ |
Milwaukee Childcare Collective provides child care so parents can attend community events centered on social justice
About five years ago, Dalvery Blackwell, president and founder of the African American Breastfeeding Network, heard someone at a meeting mention the Milwaukee Childcare Collective — a group of volunteers who provide child care services to organizations that advocate for racial and socioeconomic justice.
The African American Breastfeeding Network often has meetings and events where staff educate people on the importance of breastfeeding. The organization — which is heavily involved in the mission to decrease the Black maternal and infant mortality rate — also trains birth doulas to support people of color through their pregnancies and births, and often holds events like their annual Lift Up Every Baby celebration.
"All my staff have children under 8 years old. The doulas are of child-bearing age, and many of them have very young children," Blackwell said. "When I heard about the mission of the Milwaukee Childcare Collective, I thought, 'we need them now!'"
Lane Burns said she got the idea for the Milwaukee Childcare Collective, also known as MilChiCo, in 2016 when she attended workshops led by SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice).
"There was often someone putting together child care at these events so more people could attend, and I thought that was a really good idea," Burns said.
She and some of her colleagues started providing child care for other groups and events in the community, like UBLAC (Uplifting Black Liberation and Community), African-American Roundtable and the annual Dontre Day to remember Dontre Hamilton, who was killed by a police officer in Red Arrow Park in 2014.
It was around that time that Burns found out about the Chicago Childcare Collective. Burns and her fellow child care volunteers went to Chicago, where they received training. Upon their return to Milwaukee, they started their own group.
"Basically what we do is create a partnership with local groups focused on liberation movements and racial and socioeconomic justice work," Burns said. "We volunteer as child care providers at their events and meetings for these groups that don't have a lot of money. That allows them to invite everyone to the table."
As the COVID-19 pandemic canceled many in-person events, MilChiCo hasn't been as active as before the pandemic when they had 30 volunteers who were providing child care for five different groups. But with more in-person events and meetings restarting, they're building up their schedule again, working on regaining some partnerships and adding more. They've also been providing child care throughout the pandemic for meetings and events held by the African American Breastfeeding Network, their most consistent client.
It's for activists who otherwise wouldn't be able to participate
Burns was initially inspired to form MilChiCo when she realized that single mothers, mothers who are people of color and mothers who live in poverty are silenced in more than one way. She said their perspectives are often undervalued in society.
"People who have caregiving responsibilities are the same people who are marginalized in other ways in society," said Amber Chavez, Burns' co-lead. "Low-income women of color are affected by the systems that liberation work is looking to change."
But even organizations whose goal is to help marginalized women often don't provide them with what they need in order to get to the meetings and events where they can advocate for themselves. One key necessity is child care.
"At so many of these events and gatherings, there are voices missing because they need to stay home to take care of children," Burns said. "If they feel comfortable bringing the children so they can take part, you have more voices at the table and then you get more perspectives."
It's for volunteers with different skill sets to help the cause
In addition to attracting more perspectives to the table by providing child care, MilChiCo also works to honor a more diverse set of skill sets and personalities.
Burns and her husband have a background in early childhood education, but Burns said she hadn't been deeply involved in racial and economic justice issues before her own child was born in 2013. At that point, she started reading and learning more about racial and socioeconomic justice.
"Having a child really opened me up to seeing how much white privilege plays in how we frame things, and I started thinking about what kind of world I wanted my child to be a part of," Burns said.
"I had always wanted to be involved, but before I felt like I didn't know anything and I didn't have any credibility or skills in how to organize these things. But then I had a moment where I went, 'Maybe I don't know what I'm doing, but why does that matter?'"
She didn't feel she could organize protests, but she did feel confident in her abilities to organize and provide child care for the groups she wanted to support.
Chavez noted that even within the group, there are multiple ways for people to utilize their own strengths and personalities to help the cause. For example, people who don't want to provide child care can do administrative work like communicating with the organizations that need help or coordinating volunteers' schedules ahead of events.
Amy Horst, who also volunteers with MilChiCo, said child care feels like an accessible way for people to be involved in causes they care about.
"Not everyone can go to like a fire and police commission every month because they have to work, but they may have a couple hours on a weekend or a Tuesday evening where they can provide child care for a meeting," Horst said. "Not everybody is going to be able to be all in on the movement, but if everybody does just a little bit, things can get done. I feel like this is my thumb on the scale."
It's for kids who want to learn about social justice activism
For organizers of social justice causes, the sustainability of their movements depends on future participants, which is another reason the MilChiCo's participation is important. Onsite child care allows children to observe and even participate in the same activism as their parents.
Because of the variety of ages represented by the kids who attend the meetings and events, there's also a variety of activities going on in the child care spaces. Young kids often play their own games with the volunteers or sit quietly doing crafts or coloring.
Older kids, though, are often interested in paying attention to what their parents are doing.
"Children have a part to play in this work too," Burns said. "They have questions, and they're having conversations in their houses, so why shouldn't they also be a part of the work that's happening in these spaces?"
Chavez said when her own daughter — who is now 11 — was younger, they would have the "Mr. Rogers" talk about looking for the helpers.
Chavez was referring to Fred Rogers' famous quotation: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”
"Now I get to model being a helper for her," Chavez said. "But she gets to be a helper too. She can see that she has the capacity to make changes, too."
It's for society as a whole to learn how to accept, respect and care for children
One of MilChiCo's core values is anti-adultism, which they describe as treating "young people as powerful human beings by engaging their fierce questions, respecting their bodies and honoring their feelings."
"We generally follow the kids' lead in a way that keeps them safe," Horst said. "We're not telling kids they have to play certain games or what to do because kids are great at making their own fun."
Horst said volunteers also emphasize a second important value — consent. For example, if a child looks like they need a hug, they ask first.
"I'm glad to practice these skills and values, and I feel like they're important in my own parenting," Horst said. "The next generation should be realizing, 'this is how we should be treated.'"
Alexa Marquez Nutile is one of the group's newest child care volunteers. She feels MilChiCo's core values are important not only for parents to grasp for their own families but for people who don't have children.
"A lot of people who are initially interested in this type of work are women, teachers and people who have children," Marquez Nutile said. "What will sustain the effort is for other people who don't have that background in child care to see the need for these values in our society."
She hopes groups like MilChiCo will provide the model for people to realize the importance of respectful child care. "I'm always advocating for childless adults, especially men, to do this kind of work, because that's what we really need in order to live collectively and help each other out."
Marquez Nutile also said it's important for childless adults to learn how to care for children because parents and child care professionals are often already overwhelmed with caring for their children while also working and finding time to advocate for themselves.
"Culturally, we always seem to think we need a superhero to solve things, and then they burn out because we're asking them to do everything," Horst said. "But social movements don't need to take superhuman effort from someone. It just takes a little effort from lots of people. Not only is that more sustainable, but it's also the healthiest way to be together with our co-humans." | 2022-05-04T14:25:05Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee organization offers child care for social justice advocates | https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/wisconsin-family/2022/05/04/milwaukee-child-care-collective-justice-racial-equity/7444933001/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/wisconsin-family/2022/05/04/milwaukee-child-care-collective-justice-racial-equity/7444933001/ |
At a time when people can work remotely and run businesses from practically anywhere, the internet should be a boon to the rural economy. Yet Wisconsin's Public Service Commission estimated that in 2021 roughly 650,000 state residents lacked access to a reliable connection meeting the FCC's broadband standard.
Taking the latest test is easy. Just go to https://expressoptimizer.net/public from a home or work computer by May 8. It only takes a minute, and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. says personal information is protected and never shared.
Even residents without home internet access can log into the site from a local library or other location and click on “Enter an address with No Available Service” to complete the survey.
WEDC has partnered with the state’s nine regional economic development commissions on the test aimed at helping show where the state needs improved broadband infrastructure.
“This speed test map becomes an excellent tool for local broadband committees,” Brittany Beyer, chairwoman of the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, said in a statement.
“It offers the most granular information about access currently available...and every test gets us closer to a full picture of broadband needs around the state,” Beyer said.
The state PSC also has a free internet speed test which can be accessed at https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/Programs/BroadbandConsumerResources.aspx from a home or work computer.
In March, the agency received 194 applications requesting more than $495 million from the state’s broadband expansion grant program. It is expected to award up to $100 million this summer.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in government grants have been poured into bridging the digital divide in Wisconsin, and more funding is coming under the federal infrastructure plan over the next few years.
But the process can be slow, and as the FCC over the years has raised its definition of broadband, in some places even more households and businesses have been considered unserved.
In Northwest Wisconsin, Sawyer County has areas where nothing other than inadequate, and expensive, satellite internet is available.
“For me, it’s barely functionable,” said Steve Beining in the Town of Draper in Sawyer County.
Beining has been frustrated with the county’s attempts to get broadband through state grants. At one point, he considered protesting the applications because he felt there were conflicts of interest with one of the service providers and questions about the coverage areas.
“If you’re a county trying to get broadband for your communities, you just have to have your act together,” Beining said.
Sawyer County, with only about 18,000 residents, is one of the most sparsely populated places in the state. In one of its PSC broadband grant applications, the Town of Draper said the majority of its residents were 70 and older and were not being replaced by the younger generation.
"Having limited or no access to the internet becomes a huge limitation for businesses," town officials said in the $3.2 million grant application last December.
Residents "cannot run a business effectively without high-speed internet, thus limiting the county's promotion of job growth and increasing the tax base."
Beining works remotely as an engineer for Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar Corp. He has satellite internet service but says it's inadequate and expensive.
“I’m kind of limping along,” he said. "But in today’s world, working remotely from a rural area shouldn't mean you have to live off the grid." | 2022-05-04T14:25:17Z | www.jsonline.com | Broadband speed tests in Wisconsin aim to find slow internet service | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/04/broadband-speed-tests-wisconsin-aim-find-slow-internet-service/9629172002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/04/broadband-speed-tests-wisconsin-aim-find-slow-internet-service/9629172002/ |
MADISON – Dane County is pursuing legal action against more than 30 manufacturers of firefighting foam containing "forever chemicals" in an effort to recover money spent monitoring and removing the chemicals from the Madison airport.
The county last week filed the suit against the manufacturers of foam containing PFAS, including Tyco Fire Products, Chemours and Johnson Controls International, which are all linked to a production facility in Marinette. Also listed are Minnesota-based 3M and West Virginia-based DuPont.
In the complaint, the county said contamination found at the Dane County Regional Airport in the soil, groundwater, surface water and wastewater is linked to the use of PFAS-containing foam for fire response and training throughout the last several decades, both by the airport itself and the 115th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard, which operates Truax Field in the same area.
More:Toxic 'forever chemicals' aren't defined as hazardous in Wisconsin — so the state can't force cleanup, judge says
Firefighting foam containing PFAS was produced starting in the 1960s, and by the 1980s, there was emerging evidence that the chemicals were unsafe for humans. By the 2010s, studies linked PFAS and negative health impacts, but the companies still did not warn consumers of the risks of releasing the foam into the environment, according to the complaint.
"A reasonable manufacturer, seller, or distributor, under the same or similar circumstances, would have warned of the dangers or instructed on the safe use of the (PFAS) Products," the complaint says.
More:Maybe 'forever chemicals' don't have to last forever: Study at Dane Co. Airport using microbes aims to naturally destroy PFAS
The contamination at the Madison airport was discovered in 2018. In 2019, the city discovered high levels of PFAS in the nearby city well 15, prompting it to be taken offline. The well remains offline as the city searches for a way to remove the chemicals from the water.
The contamination at the airport has also impacted nearby Starkweather Creek, which has consistently had high levels of PFAS both in the water and in fish harvested from it.
More:Wausau has 'forever chemicals' throughout its water system. What the city does next could set a blueprint for other cities
The Air National Guard is already working to find ways to remediate the soil at Truax Field, recently announcing the end of its remedial investigation of both soil and water in the area.
Dane County isn't the first to file a lawsuit against foam manufacturers. The city of La Crosse in March 2021 filed a suit against a similar list of companies, alleging that they continued to make and sell the foam for use at the city's airport, even though there was knowledge of the danger the PFAS chemicals within them posed to the environment and humans.
More:Fish caught in Madison waters may contain 'forever chemicals'
The contamination stemming from the La Crosse Regional Airport has impacted a large swath of the Town of Campbell, located just outside the airport's borders on French Island. Many residents on the island have been reliant on bottled water for over a year now as the city explores options for providing a long-term source of clean water there.
There is a chance that both the La Crosse and Madison lawsuits could both be heard by a judge in the U.S. District Court of South Carolina, where cases nationwide involving PFAS contamination from firefighting foam are being heard.
The companies named in the Madison case could seek the move, said Amy Tutwiler, the Assistant Corporation Counsel for Dane County.
"Whatever happens, we are prepared to take the action that is in the best interests of the County," Tutwiler said in an email.
The state has also taken action against one manufacturer — Tyco Fire Products, a subsidiary of Johnson Controls. Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit against the company last month, alleging that the company knowingly released PFAS into the environment for years, putting residents in Marinette and Peshtigo at risk.
More: What are PFAS? Here's what you need to know about the emerging contaminant group known as 'forever chemicals' | 2022-05-04T14:25:23Z | www.jsonline.com | Dane County sues foam manufacturers over PFAS at Madison airport | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2022/05/04/dane-county-sues-firefighting-foam-manufacturers-over-pfas-madison-airport/9627271002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2022/05/04/dane-county-sues-firefighting-foam-manufacturers-over-pfas-madison-airport/9627271002/ |
Yes, Brent Suter is a Milwaukee Brewers pitcher. But for a little while on Tuesday, he was also a yellow perch.
He was playing a game at American Family Field with local students, who were also representing different animals and organisms in the food web and learning about who eats what, why that's important and the impact of plastics.
"To see the looks on the kids' faces, learning about the food chains and plastics and what we can do about it, it warms my heart," said Suter, a longtime sustainability advocate.
This spring, the Brewers, the EarthEcho International nonprofit and Racine-headquartered SC Johnson teamed up to create the “Waste-Free Crew," an educational initiative that gives local educators ways to teach students about environmentally friendly practices, according to a news release.
More than 4,000 students in fourth through sixth grades from 55 schools in the Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha areas participated in the inaugural program. This year's lessons focused on plastics and were delivered through EarthEcho Academy.
After completing the program, which ran from World Water Day through Earth Day, hundreds of kids visited the ballpark Tuesday to participate in interactive workshops and activities with about 16 community organizations that complemented what they had learned in their classrooms.
"We did all kinds of really hands-on exercises for the kids so they can get their heads around and make relevant for them what conservation is and what sustainability is," said Alan VanderMolen, SC Johnson chief communications officer.
"I think it's helping them make more connections to what they're seeing now in their own lives," said Emily Useman, a fifth grade teacher from Evergreen Elementary in Waterford.
EarthEcho founder Philippe Cousteau Jr., an explorer and advocate, told the students that spending time with them is "the most exciting work" he gets to do. He started the organization in honor of his father, Philippe Cousteau Sr., and grandfather, explorer Jacques Cousteau.
"We have a saying at EarthEcho: 'It's not that you can make a difference. It's that everything you do makes a difference," he told the students. "The question you have to ask yourself is what kind of a difference do you want to make? And I know that every single one of you here wants to be the positive difference, wants to make the world a better place. And that you can."
Suter told the kids he's excited to see them start recycling, composting, reducing and reusing.
"I just want to encourage you to be ambassadors for change, be people who want to go out and make the world a better place and do everything in your life as a selfless act and try to maybe make future generations have a planet that's very healthy," he said.
The “Waste-Free Crew" program hits home for Suter, who has an environmental science degree from Harvard.
Environmental issues have been on Suter's heart "in a big way" since 2006 after seeing the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," which follows Al Gore's campaign to raise awareness of global warming. Suter said it "smacked me upside the head" and motivated him to make a difference.
Suter doesn't buy paper towels or napkins, frequents farmers markets to buy food that hasn't been packaged, has a garden in his basement and has volunteered for cleanup projects, according to a 2020 Journal Sentinel report. He's also worked with Nature Conservancy, Players for the Planet and EcoAthletes.
SC Johnson, the Brewers and Suter have also launched the Brewers Sustainability Council, an advisory board to review, discuss and implement best sustainability practices at the ballpark, a news release said.
For the second year, SC Johnson is turning plastic cups used at the ballpark into packaging for Scrubbing Bubbles, VanderMolen said. | 2022-05-04T14:25:35Z | www.jsonline.com | Brewers' Bret Suter, EarthEcho teach Wisconsin students sustainability | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/04/brewers-bret-suter-sc-johnson-earthecho-cousteau-teach-wisconsin-students-sustainability/9626350002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/04/brewers-bret-suter-sc-johnson-earthecho-cousteau-teach-wisconsin-students-sustainability/9626350002/ |
CITY OF OCONOMOWOC - Festival of the Arts staff and volunteers have asked the Common Council to consider not giving out temporary-use permits to neighbors of the event who bring in other artists during the festival.
Since 2012, the city has allowed 28 properties along Oakwood Avenue, neighboring the festival, to apply for four permits each to allow artists on their properties to sell goods. The permits are issued for the same days as the festival and allow the sale of any goods except for food or drink.
About 45 to 50 permits are issued each year, according to city planner Jason Gallo. The cost for a permit is $75 for the first year and free to renew each year thereafter. Some neighbors do not charge vendors to set up on their property, while others do. Gallo said one contract he saw was $150 for an artist to set up on resident's property. With four permits, that resident could make $600.
No public hearing was held, but nine residents showed up at the meeting to voice opinions, both for and against.
Festival of the Arts President Philip Heinle mentioned safety and the bad image temporary-use vendors outside of the festival can present.
The annual event, which began in 1970, brings in hundreds of vendors, artists and event goers, which often create traffic problems along Oakwood Avenue.
He suggested the outside permits be phased out in the next four years, giving neighbors one fewer permit each year until no permits are handed out starting in 2026.
"We could really use your help," Heinle said. "Our festival is a nonprofit, none of our members are paid, the food vendors and spotlight groups are all nonprofit, and community organizations. The funds generated are returned to the community through scholarships, band boosters, church organizations and to support other community activities."
Volunteers and other residents also spoke about comments they've heard from artists and vendors about having uninvited artists "piggy-backing" off the juried art show.
"I have attended many art fairs over the years," said Lynne Frank, a festival volunteer. "At all of these festivals, I have only seen the artists who were invited to attend. I’ve never seen any outside sales at any of these shows."
But three neighbors to the event spoke in favor of the permits. Scott and Christina Donald, who have lived on one of the permitted properties for 17 years, said they love the art fair but also appreciate the ability to give other artists a chance to showcase their art.
“Not everybody can get into the fair," Christina told the council. "Not everyone has the funds to do so. Not everyone will make the cut. I also find that the art fair has a lot of the same artists year after year. I feel as an art collector and lover, this is a place for them to get exposure.”
Neighbors also pointed out that the traffic would be there regardless for the festival. They also noted that festivalgoers often leave trash in neighbors' yards.
"I bring in artists from my gallery in Waukesha to let them show their work," said Chris Audley, who has lived on Oakwood across from the festival entrance for 21 years. "They are people who might not get the opportunity to be in there, so we’re very picky. We’re not having a rummage sale. We’re making sure people are seeing this artwork and getting exposed to other things they may not ever see."
Council members considered the possibility of reducing the number of permits, changing the fees for permits and having those with permits help pay for additional resources to manage traffic.
Ultimately, council members tabled the decision until after the festival in August because they want neighbors and the festival to work toward a compromise.
Previously, the festival and its neighbors have not discussed the matter together, according to Heinle.
The council also agreed not to issue any permits for neighbors for next year until after this year's festival.
The issue will likely come before the council again in September. | 2022-05-04T18:23:46Z | www.jsonline.com | Festival of the Arts ask neighbors to stop hosting artists on lawns | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/04/festival-arts-ask-neighbors-stop-hosting-artists-lawns/9643704002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/04/festival-arts-ask-neighbors-stop-hosting-artists-lawns/9643704002/ |
Cedarburg's Strawberry Festival returns June 25-26 after a two-year hiatus
Cedarburg’s Strawberry Festival is slated to return June 25-26 after being away for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The free admission, two-day celebration will take place in the city’s historic downtown area and feature strawberry-themed foods, drinks, art and more.
The Strawberry Festival summer shandy brewed by The Fermentorium will be available, along with Cedar Creek Winery’s strawberry blush. Strawberry shortcake, a festival tradition, will also make its return to the fair.
Artists will be stationed at booths operated by Cedarburg’s art museum, cultural center, garden club and more.
More:A developer has proposed bringing 160 apartments and over 60 homes to Cedarburg, east of the Ozaukee Interurban Trail
The arts and crafts on display could include: jewelry, leather goods, metal and cement yard and garden art, original paintings and prints, drawings, etchings, photography, pottery, glass, sculpture, refurbished and repurposed items, textiles and fiber art, including clothing, florals, wood items, signs, holiday decor and more.
The festival will be open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. A full schedule is expected to be posted soon at cedarburgfestival.org/strawberry.
Live music will be played at stages throughout downtown. Guests can shop for arts and crafts as part of Art on the Avenue along Washington Avenue.
The family event will include shopping, children’s activities, demonstrations and contests. | 2022-05-04T18:23:51Z | www.jsonline.com | Cedarburg Strawberry Festival to return June 25-26 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northshore/news/cedarburg/2022/05/04/cedarburg-strawberry-festival-return-june-25-26/9644224002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northshore/news/cedarburg/2022/05/04/cedarburg-strawberry-festival-return-june-25-26/9644224002/ |
Warm weather events are gearing up in the Menomonee Falls and Germantown areas this month
Summer hasn't even officially begun yet, but activities are already gearing up in the greater Menomonee Falls and Germantown area.
Some events require advance registration. Check for updates closer to the date of the event.
More:Menomonee Falls will use an entertainment company to coordinate downtown events
Where: The front parking lot of the Germantown Police Department, N112 W16877 Mequon Road
What: This event is slated to be a family-friendly event with games and kids activities, a bouncy house, a visit with Germantown Police Department's K9 Arek and several food trucks. Donations will be collected to support Family Promise of Washington County, which urgently needs the following items: baby wipes, black permanent markers, twin-size bedding, paper towels, zip-close bags (snack and sandwich size bags), disinfectant spray, toilet paper, copy paper and stamps.
For more information: For a complete list of donation items for Family Promise of Washington County, visit /familypromisewc.org/how-to-help. For more updates on the event, visit the Germantown Police Department Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GermantownPoliceDepartment.
Sports Card and Memorabilia Show
Where: Wisconsin on Tap, N88 W16521 Main St., Menomonee Falls
What: The Sports Card and Memorabilia Show will feature more than 40 tables with modern and vintage items. There will be food and drinks available with raffles every half-hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be giveaways for the kids.
For more information: Contact Scott at scott@russellrestaurants.com or text 262-391-4931. For updates, visit www.facebook.com/WisconsinOnTap.
Mai Fest
When: 5 p.m. to midnight May 20; 11 a.m. to midnight May 21 and noon to 8 p.m. May 22.
Where: Germantown Marketplace, N112 W16560 Mequon Road (corner of Mequon Road and Squire Drive)
What: After being canceled in 2020 and held only as a drive-thru event in 2021, this German festival to celebrate spring is back as an in-person event this year. The event will have German music; food, including a fish fry; live music; dancing; a sheepshead tournament and cultural dancers. This weekend is slated to be full of "Gemütlichkeit for people of all ages." Proceeds go toward the Deutschstadt Heritage Foundation, which supports local charitable organizations in the Germantown area.
Cost: There will be a $10 cover charge beginning at 6:30 p.m. May 20.
For more information and a schedule of events: Visit maifestgermantown.org.
Old Falls Revolutionary War Days
When: The event opens at 10 a.m. with mock battles scheduled for 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, May 21. A parade is scheduled for 5 p.m. that day. On Sunday, May 22, the event opens at 10 a.m. with mock battles at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and a parade by 4 pm.
Where: Old Falls Village, N96 W15791 County Line Road
What: Old Falls Revolutionary War Days is a two-day event with mock battles,18th-century civilian fashion shows, tomahawk and bayonet competitions and a parade each day.
For more information: Visit www.oldfallsvillage.com.
Kick for a cure! Soccer game benefit
When: The event begins at 2, followed by the game at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22.
Where: Pewaukee Sports Complex, N45 W23440 Lindsay Road, Pewaukee
What: This game is a fundraiser for Sussex Village Trustee Stacy Riedel, who was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in March. There will be the game, concessions and a raffle.
Cost: Free with the opportunity to donate
For more information: To volunteer and for more information, visit bit.ly/StacySoccer,
Old Falls Village Beer Garden
When: Noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22, with Depot Grill offering food; 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday, May 28, with OTR with Attitude classic rock and Rise & Shine food truck
Where: Old Falls Village, N96 W15791 County Line Road, Menomonee Falls
What: This annual beer garden features live music with the sale of drinks and features food trucks. Times and entertainment varies with each beer garden. The beer garden season at Old Falls Village begins May 21 and ends Oct. 8
For more information and a complete schedule: Visit www.oldfallsvillage.com/events/beer-garden. | 2022-05-04T18:23:52Z | www.jsonline.com | May activities going on in and around Menomonee Falls and Germantown | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northwest/news/germantown/2022/05/04/may-activities-going-on-in-and-around-menomonee-falls-and-germantown/9633175002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northwest/news/germantown/2022/05/04/may-activities-going-on-in-and-around-menomonee-falls-and-germantown/9633175002/ |
A popular Sussex YouTuber has opened an online coffee shop, Coffee Brand Coffee.
Jeremy Hambly of The Quartering — which has more than a million subscribers explained that he will sell "quality fresh roasted coffee with no gimmicks" online.
More:Warm weather events are gearing up in the Menomonee Falls and Germantown areas this month
"After years of sitting on the sidelines and watching powerlessly as everything from big budget Disney Movies to Ice Cream & Even Comic Books forced politics onto their customers in ways that at best divided them and at worst outright attacked them I decided to do something about it," he wrote on his Facebook page TheQuartering.
On the brand's website, he wrote that he built direct-trade partnerships with many coffee producers that use "sustainable coffee growing standards."
"These producers are concerned with soil prevention, clean water practices, and maintaining a quality standard of living for their workers. By paying a premium price for quality, and sourcing from small farms and co-ops that focus on sustainability, market forces lead to the best situation for growers, roasters and coffee lovers — and most importantly, we feel that this dedication to quality should be obvious when you have CoffeeBrandCoffee in your cup," he wrote.
He said on his Facebook page that he has about 20 flavors of coffee and that selling tea and cocoa is just weeks away.
Through his YouTube channel, he has donated to charities. In August 2020, he raised more than $75,000 for a Kenosha business, Gravity Gaming Lounge, to cover costs when the lounge was destroyed during the protests in 2020.
To order at Coffee Brand Coffee, visit coffeebrandcoffee.com. | 2022-05-04T18:23:52Z | www.jsonline.com | Sussex's popular YouTuber Jeremy Hambly opened Coffee Brand Coffee to sell coffee online | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northwest/news/sussex/2022/05/04/sussexs-popular-youtuber-jeremy-hambly-opened-coffee-brand-coffee-sell-coffee-online/9628545002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northwest/news/sussex/2022/05/04/sussexs-popular-youtuber-jeremy-hambly-opened-coffee-brand-coffee-sell-coffee-online/9628545002/ |
Fat Tuesday frozen drink bar is coming to the Deer District, its first Midwest location
National chain Fat Tuesday frozen drink bar is coming to the Deer District, making it the first spot for the franchise in the Midwest.
The chain, which features drinks like daiquiris, pina coladas and other frozen drinks, is coming to 333 W. Juneau Ave. in a space in between Good City Brewing and The Mecca.
“Deer District is the prime spot for our Milwaukee debut,” Alex Macedo, chief executive officer of Fat Tuesday, said in a news release. “It’s the home of the Milwaukee Bucks and will also be the home to the first Fat Tuesday in the Midwest. We’re getting our game on and the party started in style, and hope the community is as excited with our arrival as we are."
Milwaukee's Fat Tuesday location is looking to open by this summer.
Fat Tuesday originated in New Orleans in 1984, and now has nearly 40 locations across the U.S. and abroad, mostly in the South and tropical areas.
The closest location is currently in Knoxville, Tennessee, according to a map of its locations.
Another feature of the bar aside from frozen drinks is a variety of fun cups that they come in. Customers can reuse them for a discount. | 2022-05-04T18:24:12Z | www.jsonline.com | New downtown Milwaukee bar Fat Tuesday coming to Deer District | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/2022/05/04/new-downtown-milwaukee-bar-fat-tuesday-coming-deer-district-frozen-drinks/9643324002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/2022/05/04/new-downtown-milwaukee-bar-fat-tuesday-coming-deer-district-frozen-drinks/9643324002/ |
Milwaukee's Bastille Days festival will return for 2022; so will Jazz in the Park
Bastille Days will be back for 2022 — minus the Eiffel Tower.
The East Town Association announced Wednesday that Bastille Days, the free, French-flavored street festival that has been off the calendar the past two summers because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will return July 14-17 to the downtown Milwaukee neighborhood east of the Milwaukee River.
RELATED:When and where the Milwaukee area's summer festivals and fairs are happening in 2022
MORE:Cedarburg's Strawberry Festival returns June 25-26 after a two-year hiatus
In the announcement, the association described the 2022 Bastille Days as "slightly downsized" and said it would have a "new footprint," without providing any specifics. Traditionally, Bastille Days has been held along Kilbourn Avenue from Broadway to Van Buren Street.
Among the changes confirmed for 2022: The 43-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower, the festival's unofficial symbol, will not be part of the proceedings. The structure, the association noted, "requires significant restoration each year," but the East Town Association is "reviewing options" on how to bring it back for 2023 — Bastille Days' 40th anniversary.
“Like many local festivals, we’ve faced significant challenges,” Eddie Sturkey, interim executive director of the East Town Association, said in the release. “But we are committed to bringing a more focused and refreshed version of these events this year so that we can build momentum and come back even stronger next year.”
The East Town Association also said the popular Jazz in the Park concert series, held in Cathedral Square Park, will return Thursday evenings from July 21 to Sept. 29, and that the Cathedral Square Market will be back on Saturday mornings starting June 18.
Bastille Days is the latest staple of Milwaukee's summers to announce its return to the calendar after most of the events were canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. Two summer traditions have confirmed they are not returning for 2022: Festa Italiana and the downtown Memorial Day parade. | 2022-05-04T18:24:18Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee's Bastille Days, Jazz in the Park to return for 2022 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/events/2022/05/04/milwaukees-bastille-days-jazz-park-return-2022/9645247002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/events/2022/05/04/milwaukees-bastille-days-jazz-park-return-2022/9645247002/ |
One of the Milwaukee area's larger apartment portfolios has been sold to investors groups led by two prominent developers.
The seven apartment communities, totaling 397 units, were sold by groups affiliated with Supreme Builders Inc. to groups led by Scott Yauck, chief executive officer of Cobalt Partners LLC, and Robert Joseph, CEO of Joseph Property Development LLC.
The apartment buildings are in Oconomowoc, West Allis, Greenfield, Franklin and St. Francis, Yauck told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Supreme Builders also sold a 26-acre vacant parcel near South 92nd Street and West Cold Spring Road in Greenfield. Yauck said a residential development is planned for that site.
The total purchase price for the land and apartments was $59 million, he said.
More:A Milwaukee apartment development that will target people who don't own cars gains first city approval.
Cobalt's projects include Loomis Crossing, a 38-acre mixed-use development along West Loomis Road both north and south of I-894 in Greenfield.
It is to feature the Greenfield Community Ice Center, as well as apartments, a hotel and medical offices.
Cobalt also is developing Allis Yards, a mixed-use project that includes a Home2 Suites hotel on the east side of South 70th Street, south of West Washington Street in West Allis, and a Bayside project at West Brown Deer and North Post Washington roads which will feature apartments, retail space, medical offices and a new home for the North Shore Library.
Joseph Development is partnering with General Capital Group LLP on plans to replace Western Building Products Inc.'s former operations in Wauwatosa with around 500 apartments.
Also, Joseph Development last fall completed a 60-unit apartment building at 321 N. Jefferson St., in the Historic Third Ward. | 2022-05-04T18:24:24Z | www.jsonline.com | Developers buy 397 Milwaukee-area apartments, land for $59 million | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2022/05/04/developers-buy-397-milwaukee-area-apartments-land-59-million/9643394002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2022/05/04/developers-buy-397-milwaukee-area-apartments-land-59-million/9643394002/ |
WAUKESHA - Sunset Drive has received another dose of health care services.
ProHealth Care Medical Group opened its newest clinic May 2 adjacent to the city's largest modern commercial district, which includes the Shoppes at Fox River, expanding the healthcare provider's services into the southwest part of the city also recently targeted by other medical firms.
The 10,000-square-foot clinic is part of ProHealth's strategic efforts to bring its services closer to populous areas in addition to its major medical facilities, such as ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital.
"We strive to provide care close to where people live and work, so we continually evaluate opportunities to better serve the community through additional care sites," the health care provider said in a 2021 statement. "Sunset Drive remains a busy retail corridor. Our new clinic there, providing both primary care and urgent care, will be a convenient location for many of our patients."
The new clinic has 17 exam rooms and a treatment room and offers primary and urgent care as well as laboratory and imaging services. Urgent care is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays on a walk-in basis or through online reservations at ProHealthCare.org/UrgentCare.
For now, the facility is being staffed by Dr. Stephanie McDearmon, a family medicine physician, who is accepting new patients of all ages with a focus on those trying to manage chronic conditions or just maintain their health. Additional providers will be added in the future as demand dictates, ProHealth Care said.
The clinic, which faces Sunset Drive, is accessible off Spring City Drive and includes a sheltered drop-off area on the north side of the building.
It joins an even larger medical facility, Ascension Wisconsin Hospital - Waukesha, which opened in late 2021 in what was previously the site of Waukesha's last remaining Sentry Foods store at the now-redeveloped Fox Run center off Sunset Drive and St. Paul Avenue.
Ascen "micro-hospital" is a two-floor, 32,000-square-foot facility with an emergency room and also offers routine medical services.
Sunset Drive also has other health care centers further east, including a quick-help clinic inside CVS Pharmacy ay the Shoppes of Fox River and Froedtert's FastCare Walk-in Clinic inside Meijer.
Construction on a previously announced Froedtert Health clinic, a 6,000-square-foot plan, at Sunset Drive and Genesee Road has not yet begun. Plans were approved in 2019. | 2022-05-04T21:52:26Z | www.jsonline.com | ProHealth Care opens new, smaller clinic in Waukesha | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/waukesha/2022/05/04/prohealth-care-opens-new-smaller-hospital-waukesha/9640936002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/waukesha/2022/05/04/prohealth-care-opens-new-smaller-hospital-waukesha/9640936002/ |
Brookfield residents are getting a new beer garden just in time for the start of summer.
The Tap Yard Beer Garden is set to open at Fox Brook Park, 2925 N. Barker Road, Brookfield, on Wednesday, May 4. It will feature more than 28 taps of beer, as well as wine, hard seltzers and several food options.
"It's a very family-centered park, and it just gives options for adults to have an adult beverage while their kids are on the beach, on the playground or using the park in general," said Nick Marking of The Tap Yard Beer Gardens.
The beer garden will be open from Wednesdays through Sundays weekly, through Nov. 1. A rotating selection of craft beers will be offered.
There are also different themes each night, including trivia nights, family game nights and a rotating food truck series.
The food truck series, to be held on the last Sunday of each month, includes:
May: Grilled Cheese Fest
June: Taco Fest
July: Barbeque Fest
August: General
September: Bacon Fest
October: Cheese Curd Fest
“It’s great to have a new partnership with The Tap Yard for our community,” Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow said in a news release. “It’s an excellent location to gather and enjoy the outdoors.”
Fox Brook Park is a fee-based Waukesha County Park, meaning a daily park entrance or annual park entrance permit is required for all vehicles entering the park. Visitors can purchase that pass at waukeshacounty.gov/parkentry.
The beer garden will be open from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 .m. Sunday.
Learn more about the Tap Yard Beer Gardens at www.thetapyards.com. | 2022-05-04T21:52:32Z | www.jsonline.com | Fox Brook Park Beer Garden: hours and information | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/brookfield/2022/05/04/fox-brook-park-beer-garden-hours-and-information/9645300002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/brookfield/2022/05/04/fox-brook-park-beer-garden-hours-and-information/9645300002/ |
Wisconsin DOT officials say that Highway 175 by Brewers stadium needs to be rebuilt, and it could become a boulevard.
The State Department of Transportation announced a new study on the future of Stadium Freeway North Wednesday, but it was clear from the comments made by officials at the news conference that they favor tearing down the freeway spur and converting it to an at-grade boulevard.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson even offered up a person to name the future stretch of road after: "Hank Aaron ... I think that's probably enough said. He had been a legend in this community, and it leads right to American Family Field. I think there would be a lot of consensus around Hank Aaron."
DOT Secretary Craig Thompson said the portion of Stadium Freeway North that will be studied is from Wisconsin Avenue to Lisbon Avenue. Phase 1 of the study should take about a year and a half, Thompson said.
"This 60-year-old mile-and-half stretch, from Wisconsin Avenue to Lisbon, is such an important part for this community and it needs to be rebuilt," Thompson said. He added that the study will give the DOT a chance to listen to the community and reconnect neighborhoods.
"A road is really a lot more than asphalt, and concrete, and steel. It really is about the community and quality of life of people in the area," Thompson said.
"For a long time I've recognized Highway 175 as one of those divides that separates our community from one another, it separates residents from both opportunities and amenities," County Executive David Crowley said at the Washington Park news conference.
Crowley said he supports converting the north side's main artery to I-94 to a boulevard because it goes toward his top priority of addressing racial equity in the county.
“In order to move forward, we have to acknowledge that individuals made choices to build freeways through Black and brown communities, like Chicago, like New York, and right here in the city of Milwaukee,” Crowley said.
Thompson, Crowley and Johnson each made sure to acknowledge state Rep. Evan Goyke, whose district the announcement was held in. Goyke has been pushing for the change for over a decade.
The cost for the initial study will be between $2 and 3 million dollars, a DOT spokesperson said.
Thompson said there is an opportunity to use federal dollars in the infrastructure bill passed last year which specifically calls for projects that reconnect neighborhoods.
He said the new road will "work with" the new proposed Stadium Interchange and the timeline hasn't changed on I-94 East-West Corridor work. The DOT will hold informational meetings in June regarding its ongoing environmental impact study and the I-94 project. | 2022-05-04T21:52:50Z | www.jsonline.com | Wisconsin DOT study to explore rebuilding Highway 175 near stadium | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/05/04/milwaukee-stadium-freeway-north-reexamined-grade-boulevard-favored/9640284002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/05/04/milwaukee-stadium-freeway-north-reexamined-grade-boulevard-favored/9640284002/ |
Should college athletes stay off social media during their seasons? 'Tackle the Stigma' panel discusses mental health issues in sports
MADISON - Like many college athletes, Emma Jaskaniec has a tempestuous relationship with social media.
A senior soccer player at the University of Wisconsin, Jaskaniec feels disconnected when she isn’t online.
“My generation,” she said, “I feel that if you’re not on it you are so out of the loop. It is insane.
“I wake up and I check it. I go to class and after class I check it.
“I don’t even know if I am addicted to social media, but I am addicted to my phone.”
Staying online is a lifeline for the graduate of Menomonee Falls High School. But that lifeline can lead to hazards for athletes.
“It is a little different for women’s soccer,” Jaskaniec acknowledged. “We’re not a headline sport.”
“I’ve talked to other female athletes and I think a lot of people expect us to be perfect in everything we do,” Jaskaniec said. “Looking perfect or having the perfect body or having the best performance you can have.
“So, seeing that on social media all the time really takes a toll on you.”
Jaskaniec, who uses meditation to help manage anxiety issues, was part of a four-person panel discussing the stigma of talking about and addressing mental health issues. Joining her Tuesday night at UW’s Union South for "Tackle The Stigma" were former UW football players Montee Ball and Chris Borland and Dr. Kris Eiring, UW’s former director of sports and clinical psychology who is now in private practice.
Athletes reluctant to show vulnerability
The session was sponsored by UNCUT Madison, a non-profit media platform designed to let UW athletes share their life stories. The session lasted a little more than an hour and the topics covered were varied.
Ball, a Heisman Trophy finalist as a junior in 2011 who left UW with 77 rushing touchdowns and 83 total TDs, discussed his battle with alcoholism.
Borland, the Big Ten defensive player of the year as a fifth-year senior in 2013, touched on what life has been like since he walked away from the NFL after his rookie season with the San Francisco 49ers, concerned about potential head trauma.
Eiring, a decorated sprinter at New Holstein High School who ran track at UW from 1982-86, discussed the gains society has made in acknowledging mental health issues and discussing them more openly.
Three female college athletes have lost their lives to suicide since March 2. They are Katie Meyer, 22 and the goalkeeper and captain of the Stanford soccer team; Lauren Bernett, a 20-year-old softball player at James Madison; and 21-year old Sarah Shulze, who competed in cross country and track and field at UW.
Borland told the audience that athletes tend to mask their struggles in an effort to appear invincible.
“I think athletes are notoriously bad patients,” he said. “There’s a lot of reasons not to share any of their struggles, or to appear weak. You have every incentive in the world not to appear vulnerable.”
Ball lasted just two seasons in the NFL after being taken in the second round of the 2013 draft by Denver, largely because of his problems with alcohol. In 2016 he was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to two charges of disorderly conduct and one charge of battery as part of a plea agreement for his role in two domestic abuse incidents.
He sought counseling for alcoholism, wrote a book about his struggles and is an outreach specialist for Wisconsin Voices for Recovery.
Ball, who played sparingly as a freshman in 2009 and contemplated asking to switch positions early in the 2010 season, shared Tuesday how he struggled to deal with online criticism.
“It was just not easy to digest some of those stories or comments,” Ball said. “If I would miss a block, it was grown men and women bashing me. It is an unreal experience.”
How did he cope?
He drank.
“When I was intoxicated, it allowed me to quiet those voices,” he said.
Checking social media during, after games
Borland and Ball both conceded they can’t fathom how college athletes deal with the pervasiveness of social media today.
Some UW athletes insist they stay off their social media accounts during their respective seasons and don’t miss a beat. Some athletes have been known to check their accounts immediately after games — and sometimes at halftime of a contest — to get a feel for fans' critiques.
"Talk about distractions and talk about your mind being completely where you don’t need to be," Eiring said. "That is it."
Eiring suggested coaches shouldn’t be afraid to require their players stay off their accounts during the season.
“Absolutely,” she said. “If that is creating a really toxic environment and decreasing your confidence, eliminate it for a brief time.
“If we know something is affecting performance and it is tangible and we can change it, why not consider it? Because you can always go back. So why not do it, at least temporarily?”
Easier said than done. Coaches who make such a demand could be criticized for exerting too much control over their athletes.
And Jaskaniec acknowledged athletes might resist.
Asked how she and her teammates might react if head coach Paula Wilkins demanded the players stay off social media during the season, Jaskaniec predicted a struggle would ensue.
“I think they’d probably throw a fit and then we’d argue with her,” Jaskaniec said. “And then if she laid her foot down we would do it and we’d realize it is a good thing.”
Wilkins, like other coaches at UW, requires the players dump their phones into a bucket before team meals.
No texting. Just talking.
“That has helped me connect with my teammates so much more,” Jaskaniec said. “Because I’ve gone to restaurants and I’ve seen entire families — all four members — scrolling on the phones.”
Eiring conceded requiring athletes to shut down their social media accounts in the new era of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) could prove problematic.
“If you look at it from a money standpoint (vs.) a well-being standpoint,” she said, “you have to make a choice.”
Editor's note: If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Milwaukee County's 24-hour crisis line can be reached at 414-257-7222. | 2022-05-04T21:53:02Z | www.jsonline.com | UW 'Tackle the Stigma' talks athlete mental health in social media age | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2022/05/04/uw-tackle-the-stigma-talks-athlete-mental-health-in-social-media-age/9630121002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2022/05/04/uw-tackle-the-stigma-talks-athlete-mental-health-in-social-media-age/9630121002/ |
And as for the Hall of Fame, well, NASCAR didn’t even have one of those when Kenseth was growing up in Cambridge in the 1980s.
More:Wisconsinites have played a huge part in stock car racing history. Here are the 7 most important (and a few more).
From 2017:Wisconsin's Matt Kenseth exits NASCAR, leaving legacy of admiration, friendship, success | 2022-05-04T21:53:14Z | www.jsonline.com | Matt Kenseth chosen for NASCAR Hall of Fame 2023 class | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/motor/2022/05/04/matt-kenseth-chosen-nascar-hall-fame-2023-class/9636230002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/motor/2022/05/04/matt-kenseth-chosen-nascar-hall-fame-2023-class/9636230002/ |
Baseball can be a complicated game at times, but in the case of Willy Adames’ current hot streak, the simple explanation may also be the best one.
Few hitters around the league have been swinging the bat better than the Milwaukee Brewers shortstop, who is hitting .303/.361/.848 since April 25 with a National League-leading five home runs and 13 runs batted in.
The torrid run at the plate for Adames resulted in being named the NL player of the week for his performance last week, and his six homers on the season lead all shortstops despite him carrying just a .574 OPS with one homer until the team’s eight most recent games.
The reason for Adames’ turnaround, people around the Brewers said prior to Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field, wasn’t rocket science.
“He's just hitting the pitches he gets to hit,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “I think he was just missing pitches early in the season. It's as simple as that. In the major leagues, if you miss your pitch to hit in that at-bat, the rest of the at-bat is just a battle because you're probably not going to get that good pitch to hit again.
“When you get it, you have to hit it. When you get on a streak like this, it's because you're hitting that pitch. It's really as simple as that. There's a feel. You keep getting that pitch and you try to extend it as long as you can.”
Adames agreed; he’s punishing the pitches that he was either popping up or hitting for a hard out earlier in the year, he said.
The numbers back up that assessment.
Through games on April 20, Adames was 147th, middle of the pack, among all hitters in weighted on-base average on pitches down the middle of the zone. On pitches ranging anywhere from straight down the middle to one inch from the edge of the plate within the strike zone, Adames was near the bottom of the league with a .222 wOBA that ranked 262nd.
Since then, Adames is doing damage any time a pitcher makes a mistake. His wOBA within that larger “shadow zone” is .452 since April 21, good for 36th in the majors.
“That’s what you want to be able to do,” Adames said. “It won’t be all the time, but you want to do that most of the time when they miss a pitch. You want to be able to punish them.”
Adames has also been much better against sliders, a pitch that gave him plenty of troubles last season. He was worth -10 runs against sliders in 2021, according to Statcast, hitting just .163 with a 40.4 percent whiff rate against them. So far in 2022, Adames has cut the whiff rate to 33 percent and is batting .278 with a robust .889 slugging percentage. That slugging percentage ranks third out of 193 hitters with at least 50 sliders faced.
“We’re still getting better, still improving,” Adames said. “It’s still early in the season but I feel like I’ve been swinging at better pitches for me. Better swings on the ball and having better at-bats, that’s what’s been the key for me.”
A hitter can’t do any damage on a pitch right down the middle if he doesn’t swing, and part of the Adames’ mistake-punishing stretch of late has been just that.
Before last Monday, Adames was swinging at 63.5 percent of pitches in the strike zone and just 41 percent overall. Since then, he has been in attack mode, jumping at 80 percent of offerings in the zone.
No matter how good or bad Adames has been going at the plate all year, he hasn’t allowed it to carry over defensively. Counsell has lauded his glove work at shortstop all season and Adames ranks sixth among all big leaguers at his position with two outs recorded above average, per Statcast.
“It’s two different things,” Adames said of hitting and fielding. “You can’t carry that over to the defensive side. With hitting, you’re going to have ups and downs. I feel like as a baseball player you should be able to separate defense from hitting. Hitting is so complicated and so hard, you can’t carry that into your defense or you’re gonna be a mess.”
Update on Josh Hader
Brewers closer Josh Hader has been unavailable since Saturday due to mid-back spasms and didn’t pitch in a save situation Tuesday night, but is nearing a return “today or tomorrow,” Counsell said before Wednesday’s game.
Hader’s availability for the second game of the three-game set with the Reds would be decided closer to game time, Counsell remarked.
Hader threw a bullpen Tuesday and was seen participating in pitchers’ fielding practice drills on the field prior to the game Wednesday. | 2022-05-05T00:55:06Z | www.jsonline.com | The secret behind Brewers' Willy Adames' red-hot stretch at the plate | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/04/secret-behind-brewers-willy-adames-red-hot-stretch-plate/9642640002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/04/secret-behind-brewers-willy-adames-red-hot-stretch-plate/9642640002/ |
Hundreds marched through downtown Milwaukee Wednesday, calling for abortion rights in the wake of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion indicating the court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case.
The march was organized by members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee International Women's Day Coalition. Demonstrators met at Red Arrow Park for speeches before marching down Wisconsin Avenue to the Planned Parenthood clinic on N. 22nd Street and W. Wisconsin Avenue, outside of which organizers gave more speeches before the crowd marched back.
"I want to share with you all today one of the reasons why I am so passionate about this," Mekenna, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation-Milwaukee, said. "And that is because three years ago, I chose to have an abortion, and I learned firsthand not only how difficult of a decision that is to make, but more importantly, how difficult it is it get access to one in the first place."
Mekenna declined to provide her last name to reporters due to internet privacy concerns. In her speech, she described facing logistical challenges to getting an abortion, from having to wait 24-hours from her first appointment to receive the procedure, to having to get an ultrasound.
"Any one person who has made the decision to have an abortion has played through the mental gymnastics, the weight of not only themselves, but the guilt put onto them by society and the government," she said. "They've already played these games with themselves and they know the decision that they're making. This is not one we make lightly."
The crowd, which at its peak stretched three city blocks, included protesters of a broad range of ages, genders and races.
"What's going down is scary and surreal," University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student Kyla Dennis, 20, of Oshkosh, said.
Several of the protesters brought flags and other items to represent the LGBTQ+ community, including Maera Zawacki, 42, of Milwaukee.
"It's going to be non-binary people like myself, and trans people, who are not going to be able to get affirming health care or quality health care," they said, explaining the efforts to curb abortion access raised a broader concern about other limitations on reproductive health care.
Mary O'Connor, 70, of South Milwaukee, said she was sad to see the continuation of the "same story." She started marching in the 70's, and remembers the era before Roe v. Wade made abortions legal in Wisconsin.
"I think it's disgusting that we're still fighting for this. I think it's disgusting. Nobody has the right to force somebody to have a baby," she said.
PolitiFact:Abortion-related fact checks
Celestina Hertz, 19, of Greenfield, said she only heard about the march the day before, but was inspired by the number of young people who came out to march and have their voices heard. As a woman of color, she said she worried about the "domino effect" that the curbing of legal abortion access could have on her community.
"Taking away a woman's right, any woman's right, especially a woman of color's right, it's just adding another wound," she said.
The group is planning a second protest and rally for Saturday at 4 p.m., starting outside the Planned Parenthood on Wisconsin Avenue. | 2022-05-05T03:40:11Z | www.jsonline.com | Hundreds march through downtown Milwaukee, supporting abortion rights | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/health/2022/05/04/hundreds-march-through-downtown-milwaukee-supporting-abortion-rights/9653642002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/health/2022/05/04/hundreds-march-through-downtown-milwaukee-supporting-abortion-rights/9653642002/ |
Brian Stokes Mitchell, 'Jaws' and singalong 'Sound of Music' part of Milwaukee Symphony's next Pops and Special season
Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell and travel guru Rick Steves top the list of guest stars for Milwaukee Symphony's Pops and Special Concerts seasons in 2022-'23.
Also, if your heart has wanted to sing every song it hears, mark your calendar for a sing-along "Sound of Music" screening in December.
All performances will be at the Bradley Symphony Center, 212 W. Wisconsin Ave. Here's a summary of Pops and Special Concerts 2022-'23 lineup.
"Bewitching Broadway," Oct. 28-30. Put on a costume for this program of Halloween-friendly music from "Sweeney Todd," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Wicked" and other shows.
MORE:Milwaukee Symphony's 2022-'23 season will feature Water Festival, more choral singing
"Holiday Pops," Dec. 8-11. Conductor-arranger Jeff Tyzik returns for this annual program of carols, classics and surprises.
"Music of the Knights," Feb. 10-12, 2023. The orchestra and guest vocalists will sing music composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney.
"The Doo Wop Project," March 17-19, 2023. Performers from Broadway's "Jersey Boys" and "Motown: The Musical" will sing music by Frankie Valli, The Drifters and The Del-Vikings, as well as contemporary music rearranged in doo-wop style.
"Aretha: Queen of Soul," April 21-23, 2023. Vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw perform in a musical tribute to the great soul singer.
"Uptown Nights," June 2-4, 2023. Conductor-trumpeter Byron Stripling, vocalist Carmen Bradford and tap dancer Leo Manzari perform music associated with the Cotton Club and swingin' Harlem.
"Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music," 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21. A screening of the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein film musical, with lyric subtitles so audience members can sing along. Costumes are encouraged. Prop bags will be given to ticket holders. A host warms up the crowd and judges the fancy dress competition. Read more at singalonga.net/shows/sound-of-music. Note: The Milwaukee Symphony does not perform at this Bradley Symphony Center Presents show.
"Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey," March 11-12, 2023. TV travel guru Steves guides listeners through a symphonic tour of Romantic-era composers, such as Grieg, Smetana, Strauss, Berlioz, Elgar, Wagner and Verdi, accompanied by video clips from their European homelands and by the orchestra.
"An Evening With Brian Stokes Mitchell," 7:30 p.m. April 28, 2023. A Tony winner for "Kiss Me, Kate," famed for his leading roles in "Ragtime" and "Man of La Mancha," Mitchell joins the MSO to sing music from throughout his career.
"Jaws," June 30-July 1, 2023. Screenings of Stephen Spielberg's blockbuster movie, with the MSO performing the John Williams soundtrack live.
Subscriptions are available now. For ticket info, visit mso.org or call (414) 291-7605. Single ticket sales for these shows begin Aug. 29. | 2022-05-05T11:55:45Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Symphony plans 'Jaws,' singalong 'Sound of Music' in 2022-23 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2022/05/05/milwaukee-symphony-pops-season-brian-stokes-mitchell-rick-steves-jaws-sound-of-music/9633482002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2022/05/05/milwaukee-symphony-pops-season-brian-stokes-mitchell-rick-steves-jaws-sound-of-music/9633482002/ |
South Milwaukee's Crusherfest won't be back this summer but will return in 2023
Clear your schedule, ya turkeynecks, Crusherfest is coming back — next year.
South Milwaukee’s annual event is returning June 3-4, 2023 for its third installment.
The festival celebrates the life of pro-wrestler and South Milwaukee native Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski who is immortalized with a life-sized bronze statue near Milwaukee and 11th avenues. The statue was the result of a $40,000 GoFundMe campaign.
Brats on the grill, beer on tap — not from the keg on Da Crusher’s shoulder — are featured with polka music as background for live wrestling matches and other events. Many famous names in the wrestling business have attended in previous years including Eric Bischoff, Kenny Jay, Madusa, and the High Flyers.
The committee that organizes the festival decided to cancel it this summer as construction of the Bucyrus Commons project moves ahead. The multi-million project will create a new public plaza downtown.
“Though the event will not be held this year, the improvements being made in downtown South Milwaukee will greatly enhance the festival in future years," said Crusherfest 2023 chairperson Peggy Clark in a statement.
The festival was first held in June 2019 but skipped 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The second Crusherfest was held in October 2021 to "pay homage to the culture and heritage" of Da Crusher around Oktoberfest, Clark said. Organizers want to keep the festival in June going forward.
President of The Crusher Foundation and South Milwaukee City Attorney Chris Smith previously indicated the festival would be held in fall 2022, however those plans were abandoned. The city is still holding its Downtown Market and “Music at the Market” concert series this summer.
Lisowski, a World War II Army veteran, wrestled professionally for over 40 years and was known as “The Man That Made Milwaukee Famous.” He was a three-time AWA Heavyweight Champion, a five-time AWA Tag Team Champion with Dick the Bruiser and a member of the WCW Hall of Fame.
More information and updates on Crusherfest 2023 can be found at www.dacrusher.org or on the Crusherfest Facebook page. | 2022-05-05T14:58:28Z | www.jsonline.com | Crusherfest 2022 in South Milwaukee cancelled, but will return in 2023 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/south/news/south-milwaukee/2022/05/05/crusherfest-2022-south-milwaukee-cancelled-but-return-2023/9646613002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/south/news/south-milwaukee/2022/05/05/crusherfest-2022-south-milwaukee-cancelled-but-return-2023/9646613002/ |
Milwaukee's WDJT-TV (Channel 58) names Frankie Jupiter morning news co-anchor
Frankie Jupiter will be the new morning news co-anchor at WDJT-TV (Channel 58), Milwaukee's CBS affiliate.
Jupiter will join co-anchor Mike Curkov and meteorologist Justin Thompson-Gee on the weekday morning newscasts from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on Channel 58, and from 7 to 9 a.m. on sister station WMLW (Channel 49), aka The M, in early June, the station announced Thursday.
RELATED:Milwaukee TV veteran Jessie Garcia joins WDJT-TV (Channel 58) as news director
RELATED:Dario Melendez, host of Brewers and Bucks shows, is named sports director at Milwaukee's WISN-TV (Channel 12)
Jupiter will be arriving from WSTM-TV in Syracuse, New York, where he was morning news anchor. Before that, he had reporting gigs at stations in Cincinnati and Roanoke and Charlottesville, Virginia, according to his LinkedIn page.
Jupiter is filling the spot on Channel 58's roster vacated by Pauleen Le, who left the morning news anchor job in March to become a reporter at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis.
“The people are what made me want to come back to the Midwest," Jupiter, a graduate of Columbia College in Chicago, said in the station's announcement. | 2022-05-05T14:58:34Z | www.jsonline.com | Frankie Jupiter to co-anchor morning news at WDJT-TV (Channel 58) | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/television-radio/2022/05/05/frankie-jupiter-co-anchor-morning-news-wdjt-tv-channel-58-milwaukee-syracuse-wstm/9657077002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/television-radio/2022/05/05/frankie-jupiter-co-anchor-morning-news-wdjt-tv-channel-58-milwaukee-syracuse-wstm/9657077002/ |
Nearly 1,000 households in Milwaukee’s Westlawn Gardens community, on the city’s northwest side, will soon have access to high-speed internet for $15 a month.
The nonprofit PCs for People, with support from Microsoft Corp. and the city’s Housing Authority, says it’s providing the service for free if a resident uses their federal Affordable Connectivity Program benefit.
The new service, made possible by a recently installed 4G LTE wireless tower, won't require a contract or credit check and will include a modem at no additional cost, according to PCs for People.
Estimates vary, but it's widely accepted that millions of city dwellers are at risk of falling behind in education, employment and health care — just like their rural counterparts — because they lack adequate home internet access.
In cities, more often the digital divide is about the monthly cost of internet access than the lack of a service provider.
Earlier, the Housing Authority said Charter Spectrum refused to install internet service at Westlawn Gardens unless it was given exclusive rights to all of the homes.
“We told them we wouldn’t do that because it’s always better when you have multiple service providers. It gives residents a choice of different speeds and price points,” said Willie Hines, the agency's associate director and former Milwaukee Common Council president.
“Competition generally brings down prices."
AT&T agreed to provide broadband at Westlawn Gardens with fiber-optic-cable direct to each residence. Charter Spectrum, in response to Journal Sentinel questions, said the dispute was a misunderstanding about competitors using their wires.
PCs for People and Microsoft said they will provide a complimentary Microsoft Go2 computer to the first 100 residents registered in the pilot phase of the new service. All of the residents could purchase low-cost laptops or desktops through the Affordable Connectivity benefit, according to PCs for People.
Nearly 1,000 housing units are planned for the housing complex with 773 completed or under construction. The new internet service will be available to all of the homes as well as the neighborhood’s playgrounds and garden. It was supported by the Housing Authority.
“By connecting more residents of Milwaukee, affordable, high-speed internet can add to our economy and to educational achievement. It is an effort to empower everyone, and I appreciate all the support this project has received,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said in a statement.
PCs for People has partnered with Microsoft to provide low-cost refurbished computers and digital literacy training, in addition to internet service, in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood.
The goal is to reach about 1,700 people through a mesh network of transmitters mounted on public buildings.
“Our world is becoming more digital every day, but people without broadband and a device to use it are effectively cut off from opportunity,” said Vickie Robinson, general manager of Microsoft’s Airband Initiative, and a Milwaukee native. | 2022-05-05T14:58:52Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee’s Westlawn Gardens to get access to free high-speed internet | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/05/milwaukees-westlawn-gardens-get-access-free-high-speed-internet/9655889002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/05/milwaukees-westlawn-gardens-get-access-free-high-speed-internet/9655889002/ |
Big changes are coming to Milwaukee's Melvina Park. Here's what's in store
The Melvina Park redevelopment is a step closer to completion as the Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhood and Development Committee has endorsed the acquisition of land needed to expand the north side park.
The committee unanimously recommended the two lots owned by the city's independent Redevelopment Authority be transferred to the city. The two lots are at 2900 and 3010 W. Hopkins St.
The council is to review that recommendation at its Tuesday meeting.
The expanded park will have new playgrounds, new trees, a dog park, a soccer field, community gardens, rebuilt basketball courts and a performance stage. It will also have three bioswales to capture rainwater.
The improvements are part of the city’s Connecting the Corridor Action Plan.
Construction could start in late summer or fall, said Tory Kress, Redevelopment Authority environmental project manager.
More:The Art Deco former A.O. Smith building at Century City could be named as historic. That would help obtain financing for redeveloping it.
More:A new urban forest is growing in Sherman Park. Here's why that's big for the neighborhood
“My neighbors in the Century City Triangle neighborhood have been working diligently along with staff to put together a design they believe that spoke to quality of life and I think they’ve accomplished that with this design,” said Ald. Khalif J. Rainey, who supports the park improvements.
“We have everything from basketball courts to soccer fields to extra trees — quadrupling the space. So I think this is a big plus for the city," Rainey said.
The two lots were formerly part of the A.O. Smith Corp. industrial complex.
A.O. Smith, which manufactured car frames, purchased the properties in the late 1970s and early '80s.
Kress said the two parcels previously included houses, as well as industrial uses, including a filling station, a machine shop and a plastics research laboratory.
A.O. Smith razed the remaining structures and used the property for parking and kept a small area grassy, Kress said.
Tower Automotive acquired both parcels as part of its acquisition of A.O. Smith in 1997.
When Tower went bankrupt in 2006, the parcels were acquired by Milwaukee Industrial Trade Center.
The Redevelopment Authority acquired the property in 2009 as part of its overall purchase of the A.O. Smith complex, which has since been converted into Century City Business Park.
Since then, the authority has worked to redevelop the lots, Kress said. The authority received EPA funding to remove underground storage tanks and piping associated with the gas station.
In 2018, the authority partnered with MKE Park, which operates city-owned parks and play areas, and Century City Triangle Neighborhood Association to create a plan for a renovated Melvina Park that could expand and utilize the two properties.
Other partnering organizations were brought in to help residents envision what they wanted to see in the park. The authority has done some fundraising to help support this project, Kress said. | 2022-05-05T14:58:58Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee OKs land acquisition to expand Melvina Park on north side | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/05/milwaukee-oks-land-acquisition-expand-melvina-park-north-side/9631738002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/05/milwaukee-oks-land-acquisition-expand-melvina-park-north-side/9631738002/ |
Wisconsin's largest police union did a statewide survey of police and crime issues. Here are the big takeaways.
A statewide poll sponsored by the largest police union in the state showed consistent divisions along racial lines on a variety of issues regarding policing and crime.
The survey showed people of color were more likely than whites to describe police violence as a broad and high-priority issue, more likely to identify crime and poverty as issues in their communities and more likely to call for a defunding of police resources in favor of increased spending on social programs.
But there were areas of consensus in the poll, sponsored by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. A majority of residents approved of how police handle their jobs, despite about half of respondents still believing major changes in policing were necessary.
More:Fire and Police Commission appoints Aaron Lipski to four-year term as fire chief
Respondents agreed their communities felt less safe than they did five years ago and are in favor of police wearing body cameras and receiving specialized training on mental health issues.
Other issues yielded more nuanced answers. Respondents largely agreed that police in schools increase safety, but they differed along racial lines about their impact on learning environments.
The survey was conducted online in February and gathered responses from 1,100 people. Respondents were 88% white and 55% female. About 58% came from communities with a population of 50,000 people or less, while 14% come from cities of 150,000 people or more.
Here are some big takeaways from the report:
Police satisfaction
Although respect for police fell from 75% in 2019 to 60% in 2022, most respondents across racial lines expressed satisfaction (78% of whites and 66% of people of color) with the way police handle their jobs.
Younger people and those in larger cities were more likely to disapprove. Of those between the ages of 18 and 34, 30% disapproved, compared to 8% of those 65 and older.
One-third of those living in cities of 150,000 people or more disapproved of the way police did their job, about twice as high as those living in cities of less than 50,000 people.
Nevertheless, 45% of all respondents said major changes in policing were in order, with another 44% saying minor changes were necessary. More than half of young people and people of color called for major changes.
More:A wrongfully convicted Milwaukee man deserves $1 million for the decades he spent behind bars, Wisconsin board rules
Community issues
One-third of respondents said their community is less safe now than it was five years ago, an increase of 8% from 2021.
But more than half – 52% – of those living in communities of 150,000 people or more felt their community had grown less safe.
About half of people of color said their community had an extreme problem with regards to crime (52%), drug addiction (53%) and poverty (46%).
Whites were less likely to describe crime (17%), drug addiction (28%) and poverty (19%) as extreme problems.
Police in schools
The survey showed that 63% of respondents believe having police in schools increases school safety, up from 52% in 2021. Only 5% said it would decrease safety.
There appeared to be agreement across racial lines on that front. When asked if having police in schools would reduce school shootings, 62% of whites and 55% of people of color agreed.
However, people of color and whites diverged when it came to other facets of having police in schools.
Nearly half, 46%, of people of color believe police in schools would lead to ordinary student behavior becoming criminalized, compared to 29% of whites.
Police presence in schools would adversely impact the learning environment for students of color, 41% of people of color said. In comparison, 19% of whites said the learning environment for white students would be adversely impacted.
More:Wauwatosa West students will see random searches and more police on campus after students brought a box cutter and a handgun to school
The survey showed deep divisions in how severe of an issue residents consider police violence to be.
Of all respondents, 45% said deaths of people of color at the hands of police were isolated incidents, while 40% said they were a sign of a broader issue. Among people of color, 62% described it as a broad issue, compared to 35% of whites.
Among white people, 20% described police violence across the country as an extremely serious issue, compared to 45% of people of color. Another 34% of whites described it as a moderately serious issue, compared to 31% of people of color.
A majority of respondents favored increasing local taxes in order to outfit police officers with body cameras (61%) and to offer specialized training for helping people with mental health issues (64%).
But there was less consensus when it came to defunding police departments in favor of providing additional resources for social programs.
Only 40% of respondents supported reducing budgets for police to increase spending on programs dealing with mental health and homelessness. But more than half of those between ages of 18 and 44 supported such an idea, along with more than half of people of color.
Two-thirds of respondents said they favor increased spending on social programs, but not at the expense of law enforcement. | 2022-05-05T14:59:04Z | www.jsonline.com | Takeaways from Wisconsin statewide survey of policing and crime issues | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/05/takeaways-wisconsin-statewide-survey-policing-and-crime-issues/9646708002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/05/takeaways-wisconsin-statewide-survey-policing-and-crime-issues/9646708002/ |
Smith: Late spring can't delay start of Wisconsin fishing season
The Wisconsin general fishing season is timed to open on the first Saturday in May.
Many Badger State anglers are thankful this year it falls on May 7, the latest possible date.
With winter conditions lingering into spring, each passing day, even hour, is helping to make more northern waters accessible for the 2022 opener.
"It was nip-and-tuck there for a while, but now the ice is all off her," said Dave Zeug of Shell Lake, speaking about Shell Lake in Washburn County, the site of this year's Governor's Fishing Opener. Zeug is a member of the event's local organizing committee.
Zeug said Shell Lake opened up April 27 or 28. The forecast for the coming days is favorable, including high temperatures in the 60s.
"I think we're out of the woods," Zeug said with a laugh. "We'll see if the water warms up enough to get the fish more active."
As of Tuesday the water temperature on Shell Lake was 39 degrees, Zeug said.
It will go down as one of the latest springs in Wisconsin in recent history, joining 2013, 2014 and 2018.
I remember 2014 very well. It was the year I joined a group, including former Department of Natural Resources fisheries director Mike Staggs, and ice fished on Lake Namakagon near Cable during the Governor's Fishing Opener.
It was the only time over a span of more than 40 Wisconsin fishing openers that I used an auger in order to wet a line.
The lake had about a foot of snow and slush atop at least 12 inches of solid ice.
That's not the kind of novel experience I crave to repeat.
But there will likely still be some Wisconsin lakes mostly covered in ice on Saturday.
"It's late, yes," said Steve Heiting of Minocqua, the recently retired managing editor of Musky Hunter magazine who has lived in Oneida or Vilas County for the last 27 years. "It will be an opener, at least in the far north and northeast, when you'll want to check ahead of time on the conditions for the lake you want to fish."
Speaking by phone Wednesday, Heiting said the spring of 2022 is so tardy that he has yet to get out to fish for crappies near his home. In most years he's on northern lakes to fish for the popular panfish in late April, and sometimes mid-April.
The colder-than-normal water temperatures have delayed fish spawning. Walleyes are likely in the middle of it now on most northern lakes, Heiting said.
"I think anglers who know how to catch spawning walleyes are going to have a great opener in the north," he said.
Although it's been colder than normal, ice left the southern two-thirds of the state weeks ago and as of Wednesday the water had warmed into the low 50s on many lakes in southeastern Wisconsin, said Mike Smith of Dick Smith's Live Bait and Tackle in Delafield.
"The spring has been a challenge with the weather," said Smith, whose family, starting with his parents Dick and Nancy and continuing with himself and his sister Becky have been in business for 40 Wisconsin fishing openers. "But anglers who are getting out are doing pretty good and I think Saturday will be good, too."
Smith said the walleyes in southern Wisconsin waters have mostly finished spawning and should be hungry, while bass and crappies are pre-spawn but can also be caught.
He suggested looking for bass and crappie in bays on the north side of lakes, where the sun helps warm the water most, and in areas with fresh weed growth.
"It's shaping up to be good fishing conditions," Smith said.
Fishing guide Erik Lennartz of Oconomowoc has been finding the best fishing lately in afternoons after the water temperatures increases even slightly.
On a recent outing on a lake in southeastern Wisconsin, he said his group had caught-and-released three bass by 11 a.m., then did 25 more between 11 and 2:30 p.m.
Lennartz said the late spring is evident by the low amount of aquatic vegetation he's seeing this week in lakes. Many years the cabbage weeds are near the surface on Pewaukee Lake in the first week of May; this year they are just inches off the bottom.
"I don't think there is any reason to get out there at the crack of dawn right now," said Lennartz, who owns and operates Tactical Angling guide service. "I'd say have a leisurely morning and then get out for the best action. There's a lot of the fishing year left, so pick your times and spots and enjoy it."
The DNR has the following tips and reminders for anglers ahead of the 2022 general fishing season:
- All residents and non-residents over the age of 16 are required to purchase a license to fish in Wisconsin. Licenses can be purchased through Go Wild, the DNR’s license portal, or from a license agent.
- Always wear life jackets.
- Practice safe and sober boat operations.
- Know the regulations.
- Release your catch responsibly.
- Minimize the spread of aquatic invasive species by removing plants and animals from your boat before and after launching, draining all water from compartments and never moving live fish away from any waterbody. | 2022-05-05T14:59:10Z | www.jsonline.com | General inland fishing season opens Saturday | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/columnists/paul-smith/2022/05/05/general-inland-fishing-season-opens-saturday/9642614002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/columnists/paul-smith/2022/05/05/general-inland-fishing-season-opens-saturday/9642614002/ |
In a relatively short time, Cody Glass has been a historic draft pick, played for an American Hockey League title, scored in his National Hockey League debut, spent nine months off the ice after knee surgery, been traded and rebuilt his game in the minors.
Beginning this weekend, the Milwaukee Admirals center hopes to use the momentum he has built throughout the season to help the Admirals get to the place he was just three years ago – but also a lifetime ago – and then one step further.
“It’s a little bit crazy for a 22-year-old to have the most playoff experience on the team,” said Glass, who was with the Chicago Wolves when they lost to Charlotte in the title round in 2019, the last time the AHL had a proper postseason.
“But when it comes down to it, going to the Calder Cup Finals, that experience, going through adversity and stuff like that, I feel like it helps a lot. And if I can share that with other people, that can go a long way for our team.”
The Admirals open their best-of-five Central Division semifinal series against the division rival Manitoba Moose with games at 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
The Admirals finished third in the division, behind Manitoba, and went 5-5-2 in the season series.
“We’ve had a couple of good stretches, and I think right now we’re playing really good hockey,” veteran defenseman Matt Donovan said. “Especially the last game, that was a playoff type game against Rockford and we knew we needed to win that one to get third place and we got the job done. We played playoff style hockey.”
“If you watch the NHL, guys are fighting that wouldn’t normally fight, big hits, everyone’s finishing their hits, everyone’s skating a million miles an hour,” Donovan said.
“I think we’re ready for it. It’s the type of game we play, and if we do that, if we amp it up a little bit, I think we’re going to be good.”
The Admirals won the AHL regular-season championship the last time they played for one, in the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. Then Milwaukee was idle last season because of COVID restrictions in the city.
The roster has turned over substantially, with promotions to and transactions from the parent Nashville Predators.
Donovan is one of three players on the current Admirals roster who was with the team for the playoffs in ’19. He and left wing Cole Schneider played all five games in a first-round loss to Iowa. Center Tommy Novak played in one.
"It’s something as a staff we’re aware of,” coach Karl Taylor said of the lack of AHL playoff experience, “so maybe our hands are on the wheel a little bit tighter than normal to assist and guide our leadership group and to help them through some different scenarios that might happen.
“You get a couple of bad calls against you, you get calls for you. You can’t get on the roller coaster. That’s a clear sign of inexperience. … When you start focusing on refs or what’s occurring, everything speeds up and the train can’t hit the brakes quick enough.”
Glass has been on a roller coaster for his entire career, but the ride got smoother as this season went on.
A touted prospect in the junior ranks, Glass was the first pick of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights (sixth) in the 2017 draft. He made his NHL debut in 2019-20 and played 39 games before suffering a knee injury. Then his progress stalled, and he was dealt to the Predators last summer.
After starting this season in Nashville, Glass was sent to Milwaukee to get more time on the ice, regain the flow to his game and rebuild the confidence that made him a top-10 pick.
“If he would have stayed in the NHL this year at the start of the year, maybe he’s getting six to nine minutes in game play, whereas here he’s getting 16 to 20 minutes of game play,” Taylor said.
“The focus is on getting a guy like Cody, when he comes back in that situation, to rise up but put him in spots to be successful. He’s killing penalties for us. I’m not sure he would have had that opportunity to do that in Nashville.”
Glass spent four straight months with the Admirals between call-ups and in 66 AHL games has scored 14 goals and collected 48 assists for 62 points with a plus-15 rating. The assist and point totals are team highs. That production became particularly important in mid-March after high-scoring right wing Rocco Grimaldi went down with an injury.
“Obviously it sucked being sent down because everybody wants to play in the NHL, but I feel like just talking to management, talking to the coaching staff up there, they were doing all the right things for me for the future,” Glass said. “Obviously I want to be playing in the NHL for 12, 15 years, so if it takes a little longer at the start, that’s fine by me.
“My game is hockey IQ, hockey sense. Kind of finding players. It’s those little plays that come with lots of touches, lots of ice time. I felt like I finally started getting that back, and that’s when hockey was fun again.”
And there’s no hockey fun quite like playoff fun. | 2022-05-05T14:59:16Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Admirals help Predators prospect Cody Glass rebuild career | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/hockey/2022/05/05/milwaukee-admirals-help-predators-prospect-cody-glass-rebuild-career/9642603002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/hockey/2022/05/05/milwaukee-admirals-help-predators-prospect-cody-glass-rebuild-career/9642603002/ |
Wisconsin Dells bills itself as the Waterpark Capital of the World, and for good reason. The area is home to half a dozen indoor and outdoor water parks, including America’s largest, Noah’s Ark.
The water parks are probably what first drew you to the Dells, and they’re worth a visit on a hot summer (or cold winter) day — especially this year, with new attractions like a rotating water slide at Mount Olympus, a tube ride with multicolored lights at Chula Vista, and two dueling waterslides at the renovated Wild West Waterpark at the Wilderness (to be completed by the fall).
But water parks are not the only things worth visiting in the area, and they’re not what first brought visitors more than a century ago. The area’s natural water attractions are to thank for that.
The dalles of the Wisconsin River were noted on maps as early as the 1700s as an important reference point for French explorers. Dalles, a French word that means narrows or gorge, was anglicized to dells, and the name stuck.
In the mid-19th century, tourists began flocking to those dramatic sandstone cliffs and narrow canyons thanks in part to the photographs of H.H. Bennett.
Today, those dells still provide a backdrop for a slew of adventures in the area, including a new natural water park, Land of Natura, that’s scheduled to open its first phase this summer.
There are also Dells classics like duck boats and Ishnala supper club — those only-in-the-Dells things you have to do at least once.
Here are some of those must-dos beyond water parks for your next trip to the Dells.
Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area
It’s not a visit to Wisconsin Dells without seeing the actual dells. This state natural area protects five miles of that scenery along the Wisconsin River, including towering sandstone cliffs, rock formations and narrow canyons. The 1.5-mile Chapel Gorge Trail — accessible via a parking lot off River Road north of downtown — provides views of those, plus access to a beach on the east side of the river. You can also take in views at a wide spot in the river at the Cambrian Overlook, off 61st Street on the west side of the river. The overlook also has a carry-in boat launch for canoes and kayaks.
The Chapel Gorge Trail is free to visit. Visitors to the Cambrian Overlook need a state parks sticker ($8/day, $28/annual).
Original Wisconsin Ducks
Part land tour, part water tour, a duck boat ride is all Wisconsin Dells. Drivers recite a quirky, sometimes corny, script about the Dells as they take riders on a rollercoaster-like ride along private roads through woods and gorges and a stretch of the cliff-lined Wisconsin River.
The amphibious vehicles were created to transport troops and supplies during World War II and got their duck nickname from their official General Motors name, DUKW (D for 1942 production series, U for amphibious utility vehicle, K for front-wheel drive and W for twin, rear-driving axles). The first duck boat tour was given in the Dells in 1946 with just one vehicle, and more than 75 years later 92 ducks cruise the river and trails every summer.
The one-hour tours depart every few minutes from the Duck Dock, 1890 Wisconsin Dells Parkway, mid-March through mid-November (weather permitting). Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; spring and fall hours vary.
Witches Gulch
One of the coolest natural attractions in the Dells, Witches Gulch is also one of the hardest to get to — it’s only accessible via a Dells Boat Tour.
Photographer H.H. Bennett first discovered the narrow slot canyon off a finger of the Wisconsin River in 1870s and put in boardwalks so tourists could visit it. Those boardwalks lead through a narrow, moss-covered sandstone canyon where water rushes underfoot and mist rises above — a spooky combination that inspired the canyon’s name.
The two-hour Upper Dells Tour takes visitors up the Wisconsin River to the canyon, passing other notable rock formations like Blackhawk’s profile, Chimney Rock and Stand Rock along the way. The latter is the site of a famous 1886 H.H. Bennett photo of his son jumping to the rock — the first stop-action photo, made possible by his invention of an instantaneous shutter. A trained dog makes the leap today as passengers on the tour disembark and watch from the ground.
The company also offers a nighttime Haunted Boat Tour to Witches Gulch, where actors in ghostly garb create a kind of haunted house in the canyon.
Both tours depart from 107 Broadway. Upper Dells Tours are offered daily mid-March through mid-November; Haunted Boat Tours are offered nightly Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and Friday and Saturday nights in September and October.
Lost Canyon Tour
This tour offers a way to see the Dells like some of the first tourists did — from a horse-drawn wagon. The half-hour ride takes visitors through Lost Canyon, the longest and deepest canyon on land in the area. The driver provides history and geology of the area while the horses sometimes barely squeeze between the narrow sandstone gorge walls.
Tours depart from 720 Canyon Road from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, typically March through November.
This 15-inch gauge railway of the Riverside & Great Northern Railroad might look familiar to Milwaukeeans — it was built by the same company that built the train at the Milwaukee County Zoo. But this one takes visitors through the woods and rock formations along the Dells of the Wisconsin River, including over the world’s largest 15-inch gauge railway bridge, according to the railroad. The family-friendly attraction has a gift shop and concession stand, and visitors are welcome to bring their own food for a picnic as well. The train has a railcar that can accommodate one wheelchair (call ahead to arrange).
About 20 miles to the south in New Freedom, the Mid-Continent Railway Museum offers 55-minute rides in century-old steel coaches along a former branch of the Chicago & North Western Railway in a valley in the Baraboo Hills. The grounds also include an indoor-outdoor museum with exhibits and more than 40 cars and locomotives on display.
The half-mile Riverwalk is a quiet contrast to downtown's Broadway Avenue, where it departs from. The paved, accessible walkway offers views of the river and its sandstone cliffs in a slice of nature that was not accessible to the public until the first segment opened in 2003. Informational signs along the route tell the story of the town and its natural beauty, including its ties to a Milwaukee founder, Byron Kilbourn, who gave the town its original name of Kilbourn City.
The aptly named River Walk Pub is situated near the path’s midpoint, offering food with a view from an expansive deck overlooking the river. The restaurant also has a beer garden that’s open in the summer.
Broadway Avenue, Wisconsin Dells’ main drag, represents the other more touristy side of the Dells, with the typical T-shirt and fudge shops you’ll see in many tourist towns, plus plenty of restaurants and bars for a night out.
High Rock Café is a popular option, serving modern American fare for lunch and dinner in three dining rooms — including one on the second floor that offers views of Broadway from above — and an outdoor deck. The restaurant also serves brunch on Sunday.
Monk’s Bar & Grill is a favorite for their famous Monkburgers — half- or third-pound patties that come in a variety of combinations. The restaurant now has six other locations around Wisconsin, but it all started in the Dells in 1947.
By the end of the summer, you should be able to visit Elm Street Plaza, a new 35,000-square-foot plaza with a stage for performances, interactive water features and a mural wall. In the future, the plaza will play host to free entertainment, farmers markets, seasonal celebrations and more.
Also on Broadway is Latte Stone Brewing Co. (pronounced LAT-tee, not LAH-tay), a nanobrewery that opened in a converted 1909 mansion in 2021. The brewery serves a full bar menu, including other local beers, alongside a small menu of Chamorro cuisine, which comes from the island of Guam and includes items like lumpia and Chamorro-style skewers. Owners Ryan and Jennifer DiGiacomo and bar manager Tom Rasmussen are from Milwaukee, but both Ryan and Tom have family in Guam, where they spent time working in the food industry. A large beer garden provides a spot for sipping outside.
For more brews, head to Moosejaw Pizza & Wisconsin Dells Brewing Co. Brewmaster Jamie Baertsch was Wisconsin’s first female head brewer, and today the brewery has a range of brews for every taste. The family-friendly restaurant serves everything from pizza and pasta to burgers and sandwiches, plus a breakfast buffet on Saturday and Sunday.
The area is also home to a handful of wineries, and you can see a few of them — without having to designate a driver — on a Dells Trolley Tour. The five- to six-hour Full Winery Experience tour includes tastings at three wineries and lunch at a local restaurant. The wineries the tour stops at change weekly, but they include Fawn Creek, Baraboo Bluff, Balanced Rock, Broken Bottle and Prairie Hawk. The company also offers a shorter Wine Tour Express, which includes visits to two wineries and lunch.
The tours are offered Friday-Sunday year-round. Tours depart from Bobber’s Island Grille, 750 Wisconsin Dells Parkway South, and the company offers hotel pickup for an additional charge.
Rocky Arbor State Park
The smaller of two state parks in the area (not counting Devil's Lake, which is about 20 miles south in Baraboo), Rocky Arbor is often overlooked for the bigger Mirror Lake State Park. But the little park offers big scenery, with a 1-mile trail traveling along a beautiful sandstone gorge. The park also has a campground that might be easier to get a reservation for in the summer than Mirror Lake, and is a bargain compared with other state parks ($15 per night during the week, $20 on weekends). Choose an interior site to get away from the traffic noise from I-94/90.
The park is open year-round, but the main gate is closed in the off-season (usually Labor Day through May). Visitors can still park at the gate and walk into the park in the off-season. A state parks sticker is required year-round.
Mirror Lake State Park
Mirror Lake State Park seems a world away from the bright lights of Broadway and towering water slides of Noah's Ark, but it’s linked to the Dells via Dell Creek, which runs through the park’s eponymous lake before heading into Lake Delton and eventually the Wisconsin River to the north.
The glass-like surface on the no-wake Mirror Lake is perfect for paddling, with many cliff-lined fingers off the lake to explore. Canoe, kayak and stand-up paddle board rentals are available near the main boat launch, along with a specially adapted kayak available to borrow for use by people with disabilities (contact the park office before your visit to arrange for use of the kayak).
You can also see those gorges from above on more than 19 miles of hiking trails, including a 0.6-mile paved, accessible trail that crosses a gorge via a 150-foot bridge. The park also has a small beach, mountain bike trails, three campgrounds and an accessible cabin.
A state parks sticker is required for admission.
Seth Peterson cottage
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright near the end of his life in 1958, this small cottage is one of the few Wright-designed homes in the country you can rent — if you plan far enough in advance.
The small cottage represents Wright’s Prairie-style architecture with natural sandstone rocks, a soaring roofline and large windows that overlook Mirror Lake. The state purchased the cottage in 1966 as part of the newly created state park, and it sat boarded up and fell into disrepair until a nonprofit began rehabilitating it in 1989. Three years later, the group opened the cottage for rentals and tours.
Reservations for an overnight stay cost $325 per night April-November and weekends in winter ($300 on winter weekdays), with a two-night minimum; they fill up years in advance. Tours are easier to join. They’re offered at 1 and 3:30 p.m. the second Sunday of every month, and reservations are not required. Tours cost $5 for adults and children age 13 and older.
The Seth Peterson Conservancy, which maintains the cottage, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its rehabilitation from 1 to 4 p.m. June 12.
One of the hiking trails in Mirror Lake leads to Ishnala supper club, which has some of the best supper club views in the state. Expansive decks and a wall of windows in the dining room and a horseshoe bar allow for views of the pine-rimmed lake while sipping an old fashioned (served in Instagram-friendly Ishnala-branded glasses) and enjoying classic supper club fare from seafood to steak.
The restaurant is only open seasonally, typically April through October. Reservations are not accepted, and waits can be long in the summer; get there early or visit on a weekday for a shorter wait.
RELATED:Ishnala sells record number of old fashioneds, goes for Guinness World Record
RELATED:From Ishnala to Wedl's, these summer-only restaurants offer unique dining experiences
Another supper club option in the area, The Del-Bar dates to 1943 and is housed in a Prairie-style building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protégé James Dresser. The menu includes steak, seafood and a Friday fish fry, plus a variety of cocktails (including old fashioneds, of course), wines and beers. Reservations are not only accepted, they’re recommended.
Grateful Shed Truck Yard
Food trucks meet food hall at this trendy spot that opened near Noah’s Ark in 2019. The food trucks — offering things like tacos, grilled cheese and milkshakes — are inside, along with a full bar (with many craft beer options on tap) and an eclectic array of decorations, including a Greyhound bus (suspended from the ceiling), VW vans and truck beds that serve as dining spaces. When the weather allows, garage doors open to outdoor space with picnic tables, lawn games, fire pits and live music.
The food trucks are open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday. The bar is open 11-2 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11-2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. | 2022-05-05T14:59:22Z | www.jsonline.com | 15 things you have to do in Wisconsin Dells beyond water parks | https://www.jsonline.com/story/travel/wisconsin/2022/05/05/wisconsin-dells-things-to-do-water-parks-wineries-ducks/9615816002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/travel/wisconsin/2022/05/05/wisconsin-dells-things-to-do-water-parks-wineries-ducks/9615816002/ |
Northwestern Mutual is investing $5 million in two Black-led, Milwaukee-based community development financial institutions to increase access to capital for Black and African American businesses.
The company will partner with Legacy Redevelopment Corp. and Northwest Side Community Development Corp. to fuel small business growth and economic vitality in the Milwaukee community.
"Northwestern Mutual has a legacy of investing in the communities we proudly serve, particularly in our hometown of Milwaukee," Ray Manista, the company's executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer, said in a statement.
"Black and African American business owners, for a variety of reasons, have had limited access to traditional financial markets, and this latest investment will deepen our mission to make a bold and long-term impact that drives access and equity."
According to the 2021 Black Business Owner Spotlight, 56% of Black entrepreneurs reported access to capital as a recurrent obstacle, often limiting their ability to expand their businesses.
Northwestern Mutual created the Sustained Action for Racial Equity task force in July 2020, launching a $100 million impact fund to directly invest in Black and African American communities nationwide.
The fund focuses on three key opportunities: building physical and social infrastructure, increasing access to capital, and creating healthy sustainable neighborhoods and communities.
More:Northwestern Mutual is launching a $100 million impact investing fund for Black communities
More:Here's how Wisconsin's Black chamber plans to create 3,000 new businesses statewide by 2024
The racial wealth gap in the U.S. is significant, and that inequality is particularly evident among Milwaukee's Black residents.
Black-owned businesses are denied loans at twice the rate of their counterparts. Without the ability to access capital, businesses in underserved communities are often unable to gain the resources they require to build capacity and plan for growth.
In Milwaukee, where traditional, Black-led banks are not available, community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, provide financing, business education, one-on-one technical assistance, and credit structures to both mitigate investment risk and support business success to allow small businesses to become more bank-ready.
LRC, led by President and CEO Terese Caro, provides strategic financial solutions for small businesses and nonprofits in the city's underserved markets. NWSCDC, led by Executive Director Willie Smith, is based on Milwaukee's northwest side and collaborates with businesses to build stronger neighborhoods, create economic growth, and encourage urban environmental improvements.
"We're thrilled to partner with Northwestern Mutual and provide much-needed loans to local, Black and African American-owned businesses," Caro said.
"This partnership will change the trajectory of LRC and NWSCDC in terms of what we'll be able to do and the communities we'll be able to impact." | 2022-05-05T17:39:51Z | www.jsonline.com | Northwestern Mutual investing $5M to help Milwaukee Black businesses | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/05/northwestern-mutual-investing-5-m-help-milwaukee-black-businesses/9658286002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/05/northwestern-mutual-investing-5-m-help-milwaukee-black-businesses/9658286002/ |
A convention of National Guard members is coming to Milwaukee in 2025, bringing more than 4,000 visitors and an estimated economic impact of over $6.5 million.
The National Guard Association of the United States will stage its general conference and exhibition from Aug. 22 to Aug. 25, 2025, according to a Thursday announcement from Visit Milwaukee, which markets the city to meeting planners.
Hosted by the Wisconsin National Guard Association Inc., the conference is the association’s annual business meeting. It brings together Army and Air National Guard officers.
Conference guests will include family members, industry representatives and local officials.
More:Downtown Milwaukee's convention center is bouncing back from COVID-19 — and sees a financial benefit from the pandemic response
“Active duty military, veterans and those who lost their lives in service are an important part of the Milwaukee community and the Milwaukee story. We could not be happier to welcome these members of the United States Armed Forces to our city,” said Peggy Williams-Smith, president and chief executive officer for Visit Milwaukee.
“This continues a long and successful relationship with the National Guard," she said in a statement. "From 1998 to 2025, Milwaukee will have hosted the NGAUS three times, more than any other city.”
The city's downtown convention facility, the Wisconsin Center, is undergoing a $420 million expansion that will roughly double its size. That project is to be completed in early 2024.
“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome thousands of citizen soldiers and airmen from the National Guard Association to Milwaukee,” said Maj. General Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general.
“This conference represents a wonderful chance to showcase what makes Wisconsin and Milwaukee such a special place," Knapp said in a statement. "With delegations from all 54 states and territories, we're promoting the professional development, knowledge sharing and partnerships that make the National Guard a vital part of our nation's military.” | 2022-05-05T17:40:03Z | www.jsonline.com | National Guard convention bringing 4,000 visitors to Milwaukee in 2025 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2022/05/05/national-guard-convention-bringing-4-000-visitors-milwaukee-2025/9657770002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2022/05/05/national-guard-convention-bringing-4-000-visitors-milwaukee-2025/9657770002/ |
I-41/I-94 southbound in Oak Creek was closed for hours following a rollover crash this morning
A single-vehicle rollover crash along southbound Interstate 41/Interstate 94 at Ryan Road in Oak Creek has resulted in an hourslong freeway closure.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said in a tweet the lone occupant of the vehicle was ejected from the car in the accident and suffered unspecified but serious injuries. The closure remained in effect as of 9:30 a.m., according to a bulletin from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. All lanes had reopened shortly after 10 a.m.
The accident happened around 6:30 a.m., the sheriff's office said. Traffic was being diverted off the freeway at Ryan Road. Drivers faced severe delays, the sheriff's office said.
Police did not identify the injured driver, but said it appeared their car struck the median barrier wall and swerved across multiple lanes before rolling down an embankment. | 2022-05-05T17:40:09Z | www.jsonline.com | I-41/I-94 southbound closed in Oak Creek after rollover crash | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/05/i-41-i-94-southbound-closed-oak-creek-after-rollover-crash/9658241002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/05/i-41-i-94-southbound-closed-oak-creek-after-rollover-crash/9658241002/ |
MADISON – When Wisconsin opened spring practice in March, walk-on Tatum Grass was on the No. 1 defense at inside linebacker.
New inside linebackers coach Bill Sheridan set up his pairings based on the number of snaps the players got in 2021, and Grass was the leader of a young group trying to replace departed starters Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn.
Then late in the spring Sheridan shuffled his pairings to gauge how the players would respond to the changes.
When UW closed spring ball April 22, Grass was still working on the No. 1 unit.
That was also by design because the 6-foot-2, 234-pounder from Holmen High School was arguably the most consistent inside linebacker during the spring.
Not surprisingly, Grass has been placed on scholarship.
“The work that Tate has put in to this point is a great example for guys, that you just keep going,” head coach Paul Chryst said during spring ball. “It’s not something – in my opinion – you just turn on at the start of spring. It has been his approach.
“He is more than comfortable with who he is. He is trusting the work that he put in, whether it is in the weight room or film room and it’s showing up on the field.
“You’ve got to just cut it loose and play. And I think Tate is doing that. He is trusting his work, trusting his technique and trusting his eyes. He is just going out and playing. I think he is having a really good spring.”
More:Luke Goedeke of Valders High School selected by Tampa Bay, five Wisconsin Badgers picked in rounds 3-7 in the 2022 NFL draft
More:Linebacker Jack Sanborn among six Wisconsin Badgers to land free-agent deals after NFL draft
Grass, who played outside linebacker at Holmen, accepted UW’s walk-on offer on Nov. 7, 2018, and joined the program in the summer of 2019.
He redshirted that season and played in all seven games in 2020, albeit mostly on special teams. Although Chenal and Sanborn took almost all the snaps at inside linebacker last season, Grass played in all 13 games and finished with nine tackles.
Bob Bostad coached UW’s inside linebackers from 2017 through last season before returning to the offensive line. He spoke about Grass’ potential and suggested it was only a matter of time before he would earn more playing time.
“Tate has some really higher-level physical traits,” Bostad said at the time. “You really like that part about him. It’s just putting it all together. Being able to understand what we’re doing out there. If you’re going to be an inside linebacker you have to be vocal. You’re making a lot of calls. You’re making a lot of adjustments.
“He has gained my trust by doing those things. That’s the starting point. And then after that, he has started to be more productive on the field. He is playing more physical. He is playing more confident. He has showed some toughness.”
The coaches likely won't determine the starters until sometime during preseason camp, but it appears Grass could be with the No. 1 unit for the Sept. 3 opener.
Grass acknowledged during the spring that the unit faced a daunting challenge replacing Chenal and Sanborn, who last season combined for 13 sacks, 33½ tackles for loss and 205 total tackles.
“I wouldn’t say it is a clean slate,” he said. “I’d say more of a new opportunity for the whole room.”
Grass was given the opportunity in 2018 to join UW as a walk-on and clearly has taken advantage. | 2022-05-05T17:40:27Z | www.jsonline.com | Wisconsin Badgers walk-on linebacker Tatum Grass goes on scholarship | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2022/05/05/wisconsin-badgers-walk-on-linebacker-tatum-grass-goes-scholarship/9658684002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2022/05/05/wisconsin-badgers-walk-on-linebacker-tatum-grass-goes-scholarship/9658684002/ |
Before the "Ballplayer Bell" could make its debut Wednesday night, Willy Adames broke it.
The newest accessory at the end of the Milwaukee Brewers dugout, a gold bell installed by first-base coach Quentin Berry, is intended to commemorate heads-up baseball plays during the course of a game, but Adames isn't the type to just let something fun sit idle. So he rang it vigorously during batting practice ... and broke the clapper clean off.
"You know I had to come check it out," Adames said before Thursday's game. "I tried it out and I broke it, but it's a good thing because now we fixed it the right way so it doesn't happen during the game (because of airflow). It was a great idea."
The bell got a workout during Milwaukee's 18-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds later that night. Plays such as Kolten Wong's 12-pitch leadoff home run, Rowdy Tellez's grand slam and Trevor Gott's work to escape the sixth inning all merited a ring.
Berry said the bell was intended to commemorate "an instinctual play."
"It can be pitching, it can be whatever," he said. "Certain instances that might get overlooked, if someone does a really smart, intelligent play – a high IQ play – we ring it up for them."
Berry said he'd had the idea to implement a bell for a while but hadn't been successful finding one.
"I went to a bunch of different shops," he said. "I've been looking for a bell the past two weeks. There's got to be like a mom and pop store around here someplace (that has one). We went to one of the train stores here looking for a bell, and the owner had one bell left but wouldn't part with it."
So he went online and found what he was looking for, with the words "Happy Hour" scrawled on the side. An accessory intended for a bar? As Milwaukee as it gets.
"He had to let us know it's not for everything," Adames confessed with a smile. "Now we know it's for something special, and the guys put on a show last night to use it."
That included eight RBI from Tellez, who thus broke a franchise record that Adames shared with 10 others, including Christian Yelich. Adames had just recorded seven RBI in a two-homer performance against Pittsburgh on April 26.
"He didn't want me to enjoy it," Adames joked. "I got mad at him though, because he should have hit a grand slam in his last at-bat. That's what I was telling him at first base. I've never seen a guy have 10 RBIs in a game. It would have been amazing for him in his career to have that record ... but I'm still happy with eight RBIs."
After a sluggish start offensively to the season, the Brewers suddenly have the second-best run-differential in the National League at plus-36, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"April is a tough month, especially after the spring training we had, I felt like we took a little bit more time to get the timing right and get ready," Adames said. "April is always tough ... especially when it's super cold wherever you go."
That's about to change, with summer temperatures anticipated on the team's three-city trip to Atlanta, Cincinnati and Miami, starting Friday. Adames was delighted to learn that the bell may be traveling, as well.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Adames said.
"The last couple years, I always struggle the first couple months," he said. "This year has been not that much, and we're winning, which makes it even better." | 2022-05-05T17:40:33Z | www.jsonline.com | Ballplayer Bell in Milwaukee Brewers dugout gets workout against Reds | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/05/ballplayer-bell-milwaukee-brewers-dugout-gets-workout-vs-cincinnati-reds-at-american-family-field/9656783002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/05/ballplayer-bell-milwaukee-brewers-dugout-gets-workout-vs-cincinnati-reds-at-american-family-field/9656783002/ |
Next president of Mount Mary University specializes in effects of gender on STEM careers
Mount Mary University announced Thursday that social scientist Isabelle Cherney will be its 13th president, succeeding Christine Pharr on July 1.
Cherney previously served as vice provost for graduate education at Merrimack College near Boston. Before that, she served as the dean of Merrimack's Winston School of Education and Social Policy — where she oversaw the doubling of the number of students enrolled despite the COVID-19 pandemic — and the founding director of the Merrimack Institute for New Teacher Support.
She also spent time at Creighton University in Omaha, where she taught, directed the honors program and an interdisciplinary doctoral program in leadership, and ultimately served as associate dean of the Graduate School and College of Professional Studies.
Her research work has focused on the effects of gender on science, technology, engineering and math education, and pathways to jobs in those careers.
More:Mount Mary University President Christine Pharr announces plan to retire
In the university's announcement of her hiring, Cherney said she expects to put a high priority on growing and supporting the university's partnerships with the community, including with regional and national governmental, religious and private organizations.
Her previous experience also includes establishing early-college and dual degree programs that give high schoolers exposure to college classes.
“I am excited at the prospect of being able to shape the goals around women’s education to inspire and transform not only women, but society as a whole," Cherney said in a statement.
Cherney earned her bachelor's degree in psychology at Creighton University, her master's in developmental psychology from the University of Nebraska Omaha and doctorate educational psychology and cultural studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“Dr. Cherney’s professional accomplishments reflect her deep appreciation for educating the whole person, the importance of life-long learning, the Catholic intellectual tradition and charisms, the promotion of peace, social justice, truth, global citizenship and the common good,” said Stephanie Russell, president of the university's board. | 2022-05-05T22:30:43Z | www.jsonline.com | Mount Mary University names president who specializes in STEM research | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2022/05/05/mount-mary-university-names-president-who-specializes-stem-research/9661383002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2022/05/05/mount-mary-university-names-president-who-specializes-stem-research/9661383002/ |
Sharon Purifoy-Smoots becomes the first Black female to achieve rank of assistant chief in the Milwaukee Fire Department
Sharon Purifoy-Smoots became the first Black female to be promoted to assistant chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department on Thursday.
The promotion continues an already trailblazing career for the 19-year department veteran. In 2020, she became the first Black female to be named deputy chief at the department.
Her promotion Thursday was met with excitement from members of the Fire and Police Commission, which approved of the move unanimously after interviewing Purifoy-Smoots privately.
"This is truly a historic day for the city of Milwaukee," said Ed Fallone, the chair of the commission.
Purifoy-Smoots’ ascension has been celebrated within the department as well. On April 30, Chief Aaron Lipski held a news conference at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society to announce her nomination to the rank of assistant chief. Mayor Cavalier Johnson, the first Black man elected to the position in Milwaukee, spoke at the event.
"You're opening doors and opening eyes to so many people, so many kids, kids who live in neighborhoods like this, about the possibilities, because they can see their own reflection in you," Johnson said.
Purifoy-Smoots, a Milwaukee native, joined the department in 2003. As deputy chief, she led the department’s emergency medical services division — the largest such division in Wisconsin, according to Lipski.
She has also served as a cadet instructor and the department’s director of recruitment.
"I am glad that I am first,” she said at the April 30 press event. “But, I know my first is not going to mean much to me unless I am directly responsible in getting the second and the third and the fourth here," she said.
Lipski has frequently acknowledged publicly that the Fire Department’s racial makeup is not reflective of the city. In March, he said he was compiling recommendations from a workgroup for improving diversity within the department.
The Fire Department’s percentage of white workers has fallen from 77% at the outset of his tenure as chief in fall 2020 to 71% in March 2022. | 2022-05-06T00:36:41Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Fire Department promotes first Black female assistant chief | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/05/05/sharon-purifoy-smoots-milwaukee-fire-department-first-black-female-assistant-chief/9660256002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/05/05/sharon-purifoy-smoots-milwaukee-fire-department-first-black-female-assistant-chief/9660256002/ |
So you want to take Mom to Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Saturday as a changeup to Sunday Mother's Day brunch?
You might want to stick to spending your money on mimosas.
For Bucks fans, the limited bargain shopping that was available in round 1 of NBA Playoffs is probably over against the Celtics. That $46 standing room space at Fiserv Forum vs. the Bulls in the last series, now starts at $107 plus service charges as of Thursday evening.
The most affordable ticket in a Uecker-like seat upstairs is currently $166 on Bucks.com
If want to ask Giannis Antetokounmpo for a pair of his Air Zoom Freak shoes or hope to get selfie with Aaron Rodgers, you can find a baseline courtside seat starting at about $4,000 (that's the low end)
Are tickets available for Game 3 at Fiserv Forum?
Yes, you can still buy seats for Saturday's 2:30 p.m. game as of Thursday evening on Bucks.com and Ticketmaster.com.
Plenty of resale options are also available on Bucks.com, Stubhub.com, Seatgeek.com and other ticket sites.
Tickets on the lower level start at around $200 plus service charges behind the basket, but jump steadily as the sections move closer to the middle of the floor.
Monday night's Game 4 appears to be a better value on the resale market with a few upper deck seats between $90-100 before service charges.
Bags will not be permitted on the plaza and a security search will be required to enter the Deer District. All prohibited items can be found on the Fiserv Forum website.
Fans with tickets to the game may also enter through the Deer District on the north end of the plaza (off Juneau Ave). | 2022-05-06T02:34:17Z | www.jsonline.com | How to buy tickets to Milwaukee Bucks' NBA playoff series vs. Celtics | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/05/how-buy-tickets-milwaukee-bucks-nba-playoff-series-vs-celtics/9666928002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/05/how-buy-tickets-milwaukee-bucks-nba-playoff-series-vs-celtics/9666928002/ |
A $59 million residential development has been proposed to replace a closed family recreation center in Greenfield
A longtime family recreation center in Greenfield has closed and a $59 million, 257-unit residential development is being proposed for the location just west of Konkel Park.
Milwaukee-based Ogden & Company is proposing to construct a two-building, market-rate multi-family development at 5401 W. Layton Ave., according to Greenfield Community Development Manager Kristi Porter.
It's the current site of River Falls Family Fun Center, which announced its closure Wednesday on Facebook.
A representative for River Falls could not immediately be reached for an interview. An outgoing voicemail message said the business had closed.
The business was no longer able to operate due to health and family issues and wanted to sell the land for a project that would benefit the community as a whole, according to city documents.
River Falls featured miniature golf, batting cages and an arcade, according to its website, with a mission to provide guests with "quality, wholesome family entertainment."
The Greenfield Plan Commission will review a conceptual plan for the proposed development at its meeting May 10.
Greenfield mayor disappointed to see River Falls Family Fun Center close
Greenfield Mayor Michael Neitzke said he's sad to see River Falls close its doors.
"It’s been a part of our community for decades," Neitzke said in an email. "I think that many people in the community may have strong feelings with the thought of replacing it with apartments. Certainly those feelings are enhanced further with the great improvements to Konkel Park next door."
Neitzke said the property is zoned commercial and permitted commercial uses can go there.
Apartments, he said, would require a change in zoning, which requires a public hearing.
"I suspect the public will not hold back its thoughts on the proposed change," Neitzke said.
The development would contain a mix of unit types and styles
Project Verde, as it's named in Ogden's proposal, would consist of two four-story buildings featuring approximately 205,000 square feet of living space.
The 257-unit development would feature a multitude of unit types and styles to "cater to a growing, varying pool of renters who are exiting cities and urban life for a more suburban atmosphere that still provides the amenities of urban living," according to the proposal.
There would be a mix of studio, one-bedroom, one-bedroom + den, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units.
A total of 411 parking spaces would be provided, 282 of which would be underground.
As a nod to River Falls and its history of providing fun, safe activities for people to enjoy together, Project Verde would offer a substantial package of amenities to draw in quality tenants and ensure that they are able to work, live and play in the space, according to the proposal.
Amenities would include a pool, pickleball courts, a dog run area, outdoor grilling stations, poolside cabanas, firepits incorporated into the green spaces, golf simulators, and private workspaces for tenants.
What are the project's next steps?
At the May 10 meeting, Ogden will seek support for the conceptual plan.
The plan commission does not vote on the plan, but rather provides guidance to the applicant on whether the modification to the use and zoning of the parcel is something the commission would support.
If commission members do support it, Ogden could bring final site, landscaping and architectural plans, along with a formal application to rezone the parcel, to the plan commission in July and the common council in August.
A senior living apartment was proposed at the site two years ago
This is not the first time a residential development has been proposed for the parcel.
In 2020, Horizon Development Group proposed a two-building, 100-unit housing development containing a three-story, 86-unit senior apartment community and a two-story, 14-unit non-age-restricted townhome building.
But the proposal didn't gain traction. It never went further than the conceptual plan review stage in September 2020, Porter said. | 2022-05-06T13:04:17Z | www.jsonline.com | Apartments could replace River Falls Family Fun Center in Greenfield | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/southwest/news/greenfield/2022/05/06/apartment-project-could-replace-river-falls-family-fun-center-greenfield/9660100002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/southwest/news/greenfield/2022/05/06/apartment-project-could-replace-river-falls-family-fun-center-greenfield/9660100002/ |
A pristine piece of property along Lake Michigan is a prized target of a group of conservationists hoping to create a nature preserve.
The group, the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust, appears to be in competition with a potential private buyer who plans to develop the land and keep it on the tax rolls in Ozaukee County.
Along the way, the land trust had its plans stymied by an anonymous state legislator who blocked a key grant needed to complete the group's purchase of the land.
The site in question is known as the Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs.
Here's what you should know about the property, and what's happened since the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust started trying to preserve it.
What is Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs?
Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs is 131 acres of undeveloped land along Lake Michigan just a short drive from downtown Port Washington, and about 30 miles from Milwaukee. Cedar Gorge is estimated to be 30 minutes from about a quarter of Wisconsin's population. The site is near Highway C and Stonecroft Drive.
The land may not look like much more than farm fields from the road, lined on three sides by trees and think brush.
But on the other side of the trees on the far side of the property lie stunning views of a Lake Michigan so still it appears like an extension of the sky. The turquoise waters lap at the beach below the clay bluffs towering over 100 feet above the shoreline.
Just north of the bluffs is a gorge deep in the earth — dubbed Cedar Gorge for the cedar trees shading it from view.
Both features are what preservationists say make the property exceptional, an asset to protect from development and to preserve for generations to come.
More: Conservationists hoped to protect Cedar Gorge on Lake Michigan, but an anonymous legislator objected to block funding
Preservation effort began after failed development plans
The Ozaukee Washington Land Trust has been fundraising for years to turn the land into a park, after a series of failed development proposals — including for luxury homes surrounding a vineyard and a winery. Owned by Waukesha State Bank, the property is worth millions of dollars.
The final piece of 10 years of fundraising was set to fall into place this spring — a grant from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program. The funding would bring to fruition a natural area roughly twice the size of the popular nearby Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve.
What happened when the land trust applied for the grant?
The land trust was initially approved for a $2 million stewardship grant during the Department of Natural Resources' review process. The DNR, however, isn't the final authority for money taken from the stewardship fund — that authority lies with the Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance.
After being presented to committee members, an anonymous member objected to the money being used for the project and the members then suggested a smaller grant. Committee members then contended that the land trust took too long to respond to the reduced amount and decided to revoke the offer of less money.
Now, despite pleas from the land trust and members of the public for the committee to look at funding the project again, there has been no movement.
The land trust is now trying to raise the final $1 million in funding to be able to purchase the property without the grant.
The objector remains anonymous
The four Democratic members of the committee have all said they were not the objectors to the project, while Republican members of the committee have remained silent.
Joe Malkasian, the committee clerk, said because the committee reviewed the land trust's application for the stewardship fund last summer, emailed records were already deleted. He also noted that conversations surrounding the anonymous objection were likely had in person, so records wouldn't have existed.
Malkasian said the committee allows the anonymous objection after a lawmaker received blowback on a decision to object years ago, and the practice has been upheld, though it is not codified in Wisconsin state law.
Bill Leuders, the president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, called the practice a problem.
"You know, you shouldn't be able to do some things anonymously, like ... block funding for a worthy project," he said.
What have lawmakers had to say on the topic?
Lawmakers have had a host of input on the Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs saga.
Democrats including those on the Joint Committee have decried the committee's decision to not revisit the grant funding. Democrats on the committee — Sen. John Erpenbach of West Point, Sen. LaTonya Johnson of Milwaukee, Rep. Evan Goyke of Milwaukee and Rep. Beth Meyers of Bayfield — denied objecting to the project.
"We, as the Democratic members of the Joint Committee on Finance, call on you to hold a hearing regarding this proposal," they wrote in the April 7 letter.
Meanwhile, the 12 Republicans on the Joint Committee have largely remained silent. No Republican members of the committee responded to a survey from the Journal Sentinel asking for information about the objection.
The co-chairs of the committee — Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, and Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green — did not respond to questions from a Journal Sentinel reporter about why the funding for the nature preserve is being held up, or if the committee has plans to take up the funding in an upcoming meeting.
Though the Legislature is not currently in session, the Joint Committee is still conducting hearings. Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs was not discussed at the most recent meeting on April 13.
What about the interested buyer?
The identity of the "interested buyer" for the property has yet to be revealed.
So far, the buyer has only said they are a resident of the state and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in a letter shared by Rep. Rob Brooks, R-Saukville. The buyer also shared in the letter their "very real appreciation for nature, the environment, and the need to protect it over time."
The buyer said they plan to develop the land instead of turning it into a park, saying parks become a burden to the county to pay for. In the letter, they compared the land to a "free puppy" sign.
"The puppy is only free the day you take it home," the letter says. "Once the land is acquired by (the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust) it comes off the tax tolls forever and becomes an expense forever."
Also sent to Brooks was an email from the attorney representing the anonymous buyer, Lane Ruhland, who is most recently known for representing former president Donald Trump's 2020 campaign in Wisconsin and for her involvement in attempting to get rapper Kanye West on the ballot in the state for the same election.
Ruhland said the interested buyer is remaining anonymous not to avoid scrutiny by the public, but "rather to ensure that a purchase as important as this is done correctly."
How long does the Land Trust have to raise the funding needed?
The Ozaukee Washington Land Trust's agreement with Waukesha State Bank to purchase the property for $5 million is valid through September, at which point the property would once again be available to other purchasers.
Is Ozaukee County going to help with the purchase?
The Ozaukee County Board on April 6 took up a measure that would have provided $1 million to the Land Trust, bringing it closer to its final fundraising goal.
However, that resolution was defeated because it did not secure yes votes from two-thirds of the board.
As long as the stewardship grant is unavailable, the Land Trust plans to keep fundraising for the final $1 million needed.
"This project is still going to happen," said Tom Stolp, the executive director of the Land Trust. "The community has already raised 80% of the funds to forever conserve this property. I just don't see the prospect of development happening. We're simply too close and too far along in the process."
What if I want to help?
For more information about the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs or to make a donation, visit www.owlt.org/cedar-gorge-clay-bluffs.
How to reach public officials involved
The Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance controls the disbursement of stewardship fund grants.
The committee chairs are Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, who can be reached at Rep.Born@legis.wisconsin.gov, and Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, who can be reached at Sen.Marklein@legis.wi.gov.
Republican members of the committee are: Sen. Dewey Stroebel of Saukville, Sen. Dale Kooyenga of Brookfield, Sen. Mary Felzkowski of Irma, Sen. Kathleen Bernier of Chippewa Falls, Sen. Joan Ballweg of Markesan, Rep. Amy Loudenbeck of Clinton, Rep. Katsma of Oostburg, Rep. Shannon Zimmerman of River Falls, Rep. Jessie Rodriguez of Oak Creek and Rep. Tony Kurtz of Wonewoc.
Democrats on the committee are: Sen. John Erpenbach of West Point, Sen. LaTonya Johnson of Milwaukee, Rep. Evan Goyke of Milwaukee and Rep. Beth Meyers of Bayfield. | 2022-05-06T13:04:35Z | www.jsonline.com | What to know about the effort to preserve the Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/06/what-know-effort-preserve-cedar-gorge-clay-bluffs/7360265001/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/06/what-know-effort-preserve-cedar-gorge-clay-bluffs/7360265001/ |
Eight years ago, Claude Motley was shot in the jaw during a carjacking in Milwaukee.
He's been sharing his story ever since.
The teen who shot him, then 15, was paralyzed in a shooting days later. The teen had tried to carjack a woman who shot him in self-defense. He ultimately was sentenced to just over 12 years in prison for his crimes.
The documentary, "When Claude Got Shot," follows the experiences of all three. The film, directed by Brad Lichtenstein, was released last year and has screened at film festivals across the country. It will premiere Monday on Independent Lens on PBS and be available for online streaming.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel interviewed Motley this week about the film and his healing process. The conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: The last time we spoke, you had undergone several surgeries and still had a long road ahead in your recovery. How are you doing today, physically and mentally?
Answer: The thing about it is physically I'm doing fine. We're all getting older. So you know, some of those aches and pains kind of prolong, but you know as for the shooting, the physical surgeries are over.
Mentally, that's a different thing, because those wounds are so hard to identify sometimes. I've been blessed with the opportunity to tell my story and been able to express a lot of the feelings and emotions that come along with a shooting through this venue. But at this point, you never know. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), the trauma that you experience when it comes down to something that's so violent, something that is so traumatic, it can creep up at any time.
So there's always going to be something I'm going to be dealing with, I think, and I'm always going to have to really monitor how I'm doing.
Q: In our last interview, we spoke a lot about the literal cost of gun violence — the cost of police and prosecutors to investigate, the medical bills, the cost to incarcerate the young man who shot you. How has that continued to affect you today?
A: It's a burden. ... A lot of the bills have not been paid off. We're continuing to chip away and it's an uphill battle. It's another stressor that you have to deal with, as you go forward and make decisions of how you're going to actually handle such a high cost when it comes down to health care and in so many different surgeries and things like that.
Q: The documentary traces your path after the shooting as you try to heal and seek justice and accountability. You seem to take a hard line on punishment for the shooter, supporting him being tried in adult court. But by the end, you seem to have a different perspective and participate in a restorative justice dialogue with him. What changed for you throughout that process?
A: That's the journey that I go through. I will say I changed, but in a lot of ways I did not.
I always wanted him to experience punishment. When you talk about the juvenile system and the way it was set up, especially in his situation where he had suffered from being paralyzed, they did not have the facilities to keep him in a place where he could be away from the environment which created him.
... We decided that we wanted more justice than what was offered in the juvenile system.
When you are a person who has got shot, you are going to deal with the anger and the frustration of going through something that you did not cause yourself. I had to go through those steps of grief and anger and frustration and pity and things like that.
Once that I realized that I was okay, I had to make a bigger statement. And I had started thinking of not just myself but this young man and his future. And how many other young men I've seen with futures lost by making a mistake at such a young age and not being able to recover from it.
I did change, but also I've never changed from the concept of understanding that a person should be punished for the wrongs that they've done, and also should be given the opportunity to be redeemed themselves and become a better person in the future.
Q: Do you have any ongoing contact with Nathan King (the shooter) today?
A: At this point, I have not since our meeting. I'm definitely open to rekindling any type of communication and relationship. But also I'm really hoping that he can come on board and have impact with this film so that he can have a voice.
One of the things that's needed out here is a voice for these young people. He might be able to reach out to some of these kids to talk about the mistakes that he made and the regrets he has but also the future that he wants for himself.
Q: We seem to be in a similar position in Milwaukee as we were back in 2014: an alarming number of crimes involving young people, cars and guns. What do you think should be done to address it?
A: I think that we definitely need to start addressing how these kids are getting guns. Why are they picking up these guns?
We need law enforcement. We need communities to work together. ... But also we need to look at the real issues of why these kids are picking up the gun. We cannot continue to look at it as thinking that these kids have nothing to lose. We need to start giving these kids something so that they can look forward to their future. So they can say, I have everything to lose if I pick up this guy. That's the thing that we're lacking.
We have to engage these kids. We need to have interventions and disruptions to the things that they're doing right now, so that we can start instilling a thought process that they have a future
Q: This documentary is now widely available on PBS. What has the response been like so far from screenings and what do you hope people take away from it when they watch at home?
A: I cannot be more happy with the screenings that we've had. People really get the message. The moviehas so many different layers and so many different things that people have been able to relate to in their own personal lives
... This story is not just my story. It's the story of thousands of people across this country who get shot every week, every month, and they deal with the same exact things I've dealt with.
... I hope that people can take away that there are things that we need to deal with that are larger than just the end result of a person being shot. There are environments that are incubating this type of violence, and what are those causes and those issues?
If we start to deal with those things upstream, we can go ahead and start finding out what are those solutions so then we don't have the end result of a 30-second news clip of another person being killed from gun violence.
"When Claude Got Shot" will air at 9 p.m. Monday on Milwaukee PBS and have other screenings on the channel. Find the PBS schedule at milwaukeepbs.org. Other screenings are listed at whenclaudegotshot.org. | 2022-05-06T13:04:41Z | www.jsonline.com | 'When Claude Got Shot' PBS documentary tells Milwaukee man's story | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2022/05/06/when-claude-got-shot-pbs-documentary-tells-milwaukee-mans-claude-motley-carjacking-story/9657504002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2022/05/06/when-claude-got-shot-pbs-documentary-tells-milwaukee-mans-claude-motley-carjacking-story/9657504002/ |
Bryant's on the Round brings new flavor to Okauchee
Bryant Johnson wanted to bring some new flavor to Okauchee. The former Foolery's general manager broke off for his own restaurant, Bryant's on the Round, in January, and he wants to bring in foodies from Lake Country and the surrounding areas.
The restaurant, N51 W34911 Wisconsin Ave., has a constantly changing menu. It rotates in a few new items every two to three weeks based on how items perform and what vendors offer.
"I wanted to do something nobody else around town is doing," Johnson said. "Pretty much anything we make is a unique food item that we serve."
For Johnson, this means items not offered by restaurants around him like burgers, wraps and chicken wings. Those restaurants are known for that; he wants to be known for something else.
More:Italian restaurant Il Mito Café opens in Delafield
More:The Beach House Bistro, a small-plate restaurant, opens in Pewaukee
Look at the Bryant's on the Round menu, and you'll see things more like wahoo and mahi mahi rather than a cod fish fry. Recently, Johnson offered wild boar, elk and soft-shell crab dishes. All of the food is made from scratch, and he said the only thing they fry are french fries on Fridays.
He even makes a dish inspired by a favorite beverage of his.
"I'm a big fan of White Claw, so I made a shrimp tempura using it and sell it only on Fridays," Johnson said. "We sell a lot of those."
Two popular dishes Johnson recommends are prosciutto-wrapped jalapenos stuffed with peanut butter and cream cheese and served with a sweet Thai chili sauce, and the burrata-stuffed meatball, which is made with ground beef, pork and veal and served over mushroom risotto with a tomato garlic sauce.
"Thinking outside the box is what (chef) Lee Christianson and me do," Johnson said. "Putting our heads together, we come up with so many different things we know people will love. Our hope is to broaden people's taste buds. Not everyone likes to do that, but we encourage people to come and share together."
Johnson said their dishes are mostly small plate and meant to be shared. Depending on prices and what's in season, he switches up the menu every few weeks, usually changing out three to four items.
Since opening in January, the restaurant has continued to update its space and business. In the coming weeks, the restaurant hopes to open its patio, which will double the seating capacity. Johnson also wants to expand his catering operation for weddings, corporate and other area events.
"Catering is what I really like to do more than anything beside the restaurant," he said. "We do pig roasts and all sorts of things."
The business currently operates from 4 to 10 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays. Food is served starting at 4:30 p.m. | 2022-05-06T16:37:12Z | www.jsonline.com | Bryant's on the Round brings new flavor to Okauchee | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/06/bryants-round-brings-new-flavor-okauchee/9657620002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/06/bryants-round-brings-new-flavor-okauchee/9657620002/ |
When Lannon Village Trustee Amy Martin found out her lifelong friend, former soccer teammate and current Sussex Village Trustee Stacy (Landgraf) Riedel had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer, she said, "I never thought I'd actually shave my head."
"I get bored with my hair and need a change sometimes, but this is definitely the most extreme thing I've ever done. I wanted to do it for Stacy, though, and show her that I'm here for her, and she doesn't have to fight this alone," she said.
Riedel has inflammatory breast cancer.
She and Martin played soccer together starting in fifth grade and attended Sussex's Hamilton High School together, where they played four years of varsity soccer and won a conference championship together their freshman year.
Martin said shaving her head isn't enough to show her support for her friend. She has also started a GoFundMe account, organized a soccer benefit game and is working to create awareness about inflammatory breast cancer.
The Kick for a Cure! soccer game is scheduled for Sunday, May 22. The event begins at 2 p.m. with the game at 3 at the Pewaukee Sports Complex, N45 W23440 Lindsay Road, Pewaukee. There will be concessions, a raffle and opportunities to donate. To volunteer or find out how to help, visit bit.ly/StacySoccer.
"My heart broke for Stacy as a woman and a mother. I can't imagine how it must feel to be diagnosed and then all the worry and fears that come with caring for your children, now and in the future," said Martin. "They are so young, and Stacy has so much more mothering to do."
Balancing treatment with work and trustee responsibilities
Riedel, 42, graduated from Hamilton High School in 1997 and was elected to the Sussex Village Board in 2021. She and her husband, Jake, have three sons: Maddox, 10, Mason, 4, and MJ, 2.
She is a business owner and works outside of the home where she is involved in real estate purchasing. She also owns a company that develops and manages websites for private practice doctors.
She was diagnosed in March with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer.
"(The cancer) has not traveled away from the initial site, but it is in the skin," she said. "Stage 3 can be treatable, manageable and curable with a very specific trimodal treatment method."
She plans to manage and balance her treatment while maintaining her businesses and her commitment to the Village Board.
Riedel said she will have three forms of treatment: chemotherapy, with the goal of shrinking the tumor, followed by a modified radical mastectomy to remove the cancer and armpit lymph nodes, and radiation and other treatments such as more chemotherapy or radiation after the surgery. She added she will have 18 rounds of chemotherapy, surgery and six weeks of radiation. She said her treatment plan should take about nine months.
"Afterward, I will receive scans and possibly targeted hormone therapy medication to continue on to a healthy path for life," she added.
She said she has already started the treatments, which are going well. "I feel good, with minimal side effects," she said.
"I am maintaining an active normal lifestyle along with a positive attitude, and my spirits are up. Half the battle is staying healthy in the head. I am very thankful for a wonderful support system to get me through this with amazing family, friends, neighbors and community members," Riedel said.
'Best possible care team treating me'
According to the National Cancer Institute, inflammatory breast cancer, also known as IBC, accounts for just 1% to 5% of all breast cancers diagnosed in the United States.
IBC is the hardest breast cancer to treat, and it is more aggressive because it spreads more quickly than other types of breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
According to the society, inflammatory breast cancer is only diagnosed in the later stages; in one of every three cases, it has already metastasized — spread to distant parts of the body — by the time it is diagnosed.
Inflammatory breast cancer occurs more often in women younger than 40, in Black women more than white women and in women who are overweight or obese, according to the society.
Survival rates after five years are 54% for stage 3, in which the cancer has spread to nearby structures of lymph nodes, but drops to 18% for stage 4, in which it has metastasized, according to the American Cancer Society.
Riedel said she is receiving treatment at Froedtert Hospital Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, which treats only about five patients a year who have inflammatory breast cancer because it is so rare.
She sees Dr. Yee Chung Cheng at Froedtert, who formed an inflammatory breast cancer team that joined the international IBC Connect organization led by the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Riedel said it's important to be treated by an IBC specialist.
"I am very fortunate to have the best possible care team treating me," she said.
"With the close collaboration with other renowned cancer centers in the world, they aim to provide the state-of-the-art management to inflammatory breast cancer in the state of Wisconsin," Riedel said.
"In addition to myself being a patient at Froedtert and under the care of Dr. Cheng, I am also on the Houston M.D. Anderson Cancer Center tumor board, where the team reviews my case and treatment, providing guidance to the Froedtert team," she added.
"This also helps me get the best treatment possible," she said.
'Breast cancer does not always present itself with a lump'
Riedel said she and Martin want to create awareness of IBC.
"Amy and I would like to bring awareness that breast cancer does not always present itself with a lump," Riedel said. "It is important to be aware that Inflammatory breast cancer doesn't commonly form a lump, which is a common occurrence with other forms of breast cancer. Instead, the tumor is linear that forms in the breast skin."
She said she woke one morning in February with "a sudden onset of symptoms that included a swollen breast that was tender, warm to the touch, red, dimpled skin, and had a heavy feeling to it."
She said she was a nursing mother and she noticed her milk ducts were clogged, and she had a sharp pain when nursing.
"I thought all of these signs and symptoms pointed towards mastitis. I went on antibiotics for a week and was told if the symptoms did not get better then we will do additional testing that included a mammogram and ultrasound," she said.
The mammogram did not pick up the cancer; the ultrasound did.
"I was very shocked to learn that what I thought was an infection with no lumps in my breast turned out to be inflammatory breast cancer," she said.
Inflammatory breast cancer can develop rapidly, within weeks or months, according to the National Cancer Institute.
rapid change in the appearance of one breast
thickness, heaviness or visible enlargement of one breast
discoloration, with a red, purple, pink or bruised appearance
unusual warmth
dimpling or ridges on the skin, similar to an orange peel
tenderness, pain or aching
enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above the collarbone or below the collarbone
flattening or turning inward of the nipple
"More research needs to be done and more information needs to be available about IBC. They've come so far but still have so much further to go," said Martin.
"It's shocking, but Stacy has always been a bubbly, positive person, and if she can keep that attitude up and we all can help to alleviate some of the outside stress, she will be OK," said Martin. "She is tough, and she will beat this." | 2022-05-06T16:37:24Z | www.jsonline.com | Fundraisers support a Sussex trustee with inflammatory breast cancer | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northwest/news/sussex/2022/05/06/gofundme-and-charity-soccer-game-formed-support-sussex-village-trustee-diagnosed-inflammatory-breast/9623566002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northwest/news/sussex/2022/05/06/gofundme-and-charity-soccer-game-formed-support-sussex-village-trustee-diagnosed-inflammatory-breast/9623566002/ |
Eight startups — including the creators of a high tech parrot — will compete to win $50,000 at Summerfest Tech event in Milwaukee.
Summerfest Tech will be back in June, giving eight startups from around the world a chance to compete for $50,000.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. announced the 5th annual event will take place June 28-30 across the city, including at the Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel, the new BMO Tower, Milwaukee Artist Resource Network’s (MARN) new location in the Third Ward, and at Henry Maier Festival Park during Summerfest.
All programming will be free of charge.
The event will kick off with a happy hour on June 28 presented by Northwestern Mutual. Northwestern Mutual will also host a breakout session during Summerfest Tech.
On June 29, Chuck Swoboda, author of “The Innovator's Spirit: Discover the Mindset to Pursue the Impossible,” will discuss the six principles that make up the Circle of Innovation and how to apply these principles in daily life.
Swoboda is currently the Innovator-in-residence at Marquette University, executive chairman of Vast Therapeutics, and the retired chairman and CEO Of Cree, Inc.
More:Here's the Summerfest 2022 lineup by date, time and stage for the Milwaukee music festival
The main event — the Summerfest Tech Pitch Competition — will be held at 8 a.m. June 30 at the MARN Art + Culture Hub. Eight startups, including three with ties to southeast Wisconsin, were selected to present.
The startups will compete for a portion of the $50,000 cash prize funded by Molson Coors Beverage Co. The prize money is double the amount of last year.
The pitch competition is organized by Milwaukee's Young Enterprising Society (YES).
Huupe - The world’s first smart basketball hoop, with a high-definition screen for a backboard, which allows you to train like a pro, track your performance and play basketball against other huupe users right from your driveway.
Kwema - A device that works inside and outside your workplace by anonymously connecting and sharing real-time information via Bluetooth beacons placed inside a building or with a smartphone GPS.
Light Pong - The world's first 1-dimensional (1D) gaming platform. Players can play different games, all on a single beam of light. Light Pong is portable, screenless, and extremely social.
Isemantics
For more details or to register, visit Summerfest.com/Tech. | 2022-05-06T16:37:36Z | www.jsonline.com | Eight startups will compete for $50,000 during Summerfest Tech in MKE | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/06/eight-startups-compete-50-000-during-summerfest-tech-mke/9673154002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/06/eight-startups-compete-50-000-during-summerfest-tech-mke/9673154002/ |
Samantha Hendrickson
What started as a real estate listing site has now become a national pastime. And sometimes, that comes with unexpected surprises, and sometimes, they're in Wisconsin.
Zillow, an online marketplace for buying and renting homes, is popular perusing for not just serious seekers, but also casual dreamers. Sometimes, searches may not turn up what either had in mind.
And there are social media accounts, such as Zillow Gone Wild, dedicated to odd finds on the site — and from time to time Wisconsin homes make an appearance.
Here are four recent times Wisconsin Zillow listings went viral.
Four communal toilets
This South Milwaukee home gained viral attention for having four toilets in one bathroom, with no partitions to separate them.
Built in 1851 by the Fowle family, the commonly called “Hawthorne House” was the first home built on Hawthorne Avenue, and has six bedrooms, two full baths and two half-baths.
The Girl Scouts of America once used the home and added the toilets, along with four sinks, to the bathroom, according to Jane DiChristopher, the Realtor marketing the residence for Mahler Sotheby's International Realty.
No partitions were ever added that she is aware of.
“It’s definitely not the oddest thing I’ve ever seen in real estate,” she said.
The house sold in February for $400,000, according to the Zillow listing.
If you're looking to adopt Flynn Rider's attitude about your next home, then this castle in Hartland is for you.
The "castle" was covered by several news outlets inside and outside Wisconsin, and has an interior to match its royal exterior. It has four beds, three and a half baths, two indoor fountains and four gun cabinets.
But this isn't a new project. The family who lived there has been working to make the house the spectacle that it is since the 1970s.
“... This was just what we lived in. This was no different than a normal house to us," Brenda Lee Voght, who lived in this home, told TMJ4.
The house is currently listed as "contingent" on Zillow for $379,000.
Welcome to Poundtown
For all intents and purposes, this Onalaska home is ordinary. But a cheeky sign in the bedroom made the internet explode.
Thanks to Zillow Gone Wild, the home went viral for its "Welcome to Poundtown" sign hung above the bed of the master bedroom.
Twitter, naturally, had some jokes to share and memes to create about the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house.
Jungle paradise
Last, but certainly not least, this New Berlin home went viral for, well, obvious reasons.
Dozens of news outlets have compared this house to the Flintstones' home, a jungle paradise or a mini-resort. It's listed for $1.2 million.
The six-bedroom, six-bathroom property includes an indoor atrium and a backyard lake. Though any interested buyers have likely missed their opportunities to put in an offer, with the current sale pending, keep the house in mind.
Based on what the buyer has said, the home will become an Airbnb, taking advantage of an atmosphere created by the previous owner and occupant.
More:Wisconsin's most expensive home, the Driehaus Estate in Lake Geneva, sold for $36 million
More:A $2.3 million Fox Point home for sale features award-winning architectural design
Samantha Hendrickson can be reached at 414-223-5383 or shendrickson@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @samanthajhendr. | 2022-05-06T16:37:42Z | www.jsonline.com | Four times Wisconsin Zillow listings went viral | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/06/four-times-wisconsin-zillow-listings-went-viral-gone-wild/9632224002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2022/05/06/four-times-wisconsin-zillow-listings-went-viral-gone-wild/9632224002/ |
MADISON – Bob Bostad, who returned to his old post as Wisconsin’s offensive line coach before the start of spring practice, has landed his first recruit for the 2023 class.
James Durand, a 6-foot-6, 285-pounder from Chandler, Arizona, announced his commitment Friday morning.
Durand is scheduled to visit Madison next month. He had scholarship offers from Arizona, California, Oregon State, Utah, Iowa State, Colorado and several other schools.
California is coached by Justin Wilcox, who served as UW’s defensive coordinator in 2016.
Durand is the second player to commit to UW for the 2023 class. He joins Illinois linebacker Tyler Jansey, who committed in January. | 2022-05-06T16:38:06Z | www.jsonline.com | Wisconsin football recruiting Arizona offensive lineman 2023 class | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2022/05/06/wisconsin-badgers-football-recruiting-arizona-offensive-lineman-james-durand-2023-class/9672208002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2022/05/06/wisconsin-badgers-football-recruiting-arizona-offensive-lineman-james-durand-2023-class/9672208002/ |
Bally Sports Wisconsin, the television channel that broadcasts the bulk of Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks games, had previously been available only through a cable subscription or, at minimum, a DirecTV streaming package that costs close to $100 a month.
But starting soon — perhaps as soon as June — the channel will be available with a "direct-to-consumer" streaming option, and now we know how much it'll cost.
As part of its first-quarter earnings report, Sinclair Broadcasting Group (which owns Bally and many other regional sports networks across the country) announced "BallySports+" with a cost of $189.99 annually or $19.99 per month.
The organization said it anticipated a "soft launch" of the service in five markets next month, and it stands to reason that Milwaukee will be among those. The Brewers are one of five teams for which Bally Sports has full streaming broadcast rights, along with the Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays.
It's a service that has a better chance of working in Milwaukee than most markets, given the competitiveness of both the Brewers and Bucks and year-round inventory of games, though postseason games for both and many regular-season Bucks games air elsewhere on national stations. Whether it can survive the churn of consumers canceling during the offseason or when a team falls out of playoff contention remains to be seen.
Bally Sports Wisconsin is not carried on streaming distributors such as Sling, Hulu+Live TV or YouTubeTV. Cord-cutting fans can still watch Brewers games via the MLB.TV app, but not if they live inside Wisconsin borders. | 2022-05-06T16:38:12Z | www.jsonline.com | Channel that carries Brewers and Bucks to become available with app | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/06/bally-sports-wisconsin-which-carries-bucks-and-brewers-games-will-offer-a-direct-to-consumer-app/9672413002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/06/bally-sports-wisconsin-which-carries-bucks-and-brewers-games-will-offer-a-direct-to-consumer-app/9672413002/ |
Luca Vildoza, a guard from Argentina, was named the Spanish ACB League Finals MVP in 2020 after helping Baskonia win the league title. Get to know Vildoza here.
How long has Luca Vildoza been on the Bucks?
He's in his first season with the Bucks.
Has he played for other teams?
Where is Luca Vildoza from?
He was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
What is Luca Vildoza known for?
He was not drafted by an NBA team. He signed with the Bucks in time to be put on the playoff roster. He made his NBA debut in Game 3 of the first round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls. Vildoza was subbed in during the fourth quarter at the 8:02 mark. Vildoza made a three-point shot, grabbed a rebound, recorded two assists, and recorded two steals, as the Bucks won, 111-81. One of his assists came on a monster jam by Thanasis Antetokounmpo. He averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds over 25.2 minutes in 31 games for Kirolbet Baskonia in the 2020-'21 EuroLeague. The Argentinian holds career averages of 8.2 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds over 20.9 minutes over four seasons in the EuroLeague, Liga ACB and the FIBA World Cup. He earned MVP honors after leading Baskonia to the 2020 Spanish ACB championship, the team’s first title since 2010. In the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, he helped the Argentina national team reach the finals and earn the silver medal.
How old is Luca Vildoza?
Other facts?
He was signed by the New York Knicks on May 6, 2021. He played in two NBA Summer League games. The Knicks cut him on October 3. On October 5, he announced that he had undergone surgery on his right foot. He can play either guard position. | 2022-05-06T16:38:24Z | www.jsonline.com | What to know about Milwaukee Bucks No. 6, guard Luca Vildoza | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/06/what-know-milwaukee-bucks-no-6-guard-luca-vildoza/9620751002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/06/what-know-milwaukee-bucks-no-6-guard-luca-vildoza/9620751002/ |
Germantown High School officials and the Germantown Police Department are concerned about a game called "Paranoia" being played by the school's senior students after receiving reports of "reckless behavior."
School officials and school resource officer Toni Olson of the Germantown Police Department wrote a letter to parents of the school's seniors about the game, which involves students creating teams and using Nerf-style guns to shoot opponents, who are then eliminated from the game.
There have been reports of "unsafe driving, disorderly conduct and reports of stalking or hiding near the homes of opponents," the letter said.
"In addition, some of the 'Nerf” weapons that students are using appear to look like real handguns and long guns, especially in dark conditions. Community residents may suspect game behaviors as burglary or assume that the person has a real weapon," said the letter, which was also posted to the Germantown Police Department's Facebook page.
The letter also said the Germantown School District does not support the game and prohibits it from being played on district property or at school functions. Students caught playing the game would be disciplined, "which may also include referral for a violation of our Activities Code of Conduct and subsequent suspension from school-based activities."
"As a result of such reports, we wish to raise awareness of the game and discourage involvement by our students. We care deeply about the safety and security of our students and want to raise awareness of the “Paranoia” game and its risks," the letter said.
The letter also said the Germantown Police Department doesn't support the game. Students referred to law enforcement "can expect to be prosecuted" and that under state law, 17-year-olds can be prosecuted as adults.
"We look forward to the successful completion of another school year. We ask for your partnership in keeping our school and community safe for all," the letter said. | 2022-05-06T19:44:07Z | www.jsonline.com | Letter sent about "Paranoia" game played by Germantown HS students | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northwest/news/germantown/2022/05/06/letter-sent-paranoia-game-played-germantown-hs-students/9674454002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northwest/news/germantown/2022/05/06/letter-sent-paranoia-game-played-germantown-hs-students/9674454002/ |
Wisconsin Innovation Academy in Wauwatosa to host open house in June
A new public charter school in Wauwatosa is planning an open house for June 7.
The Wisconsin Innovation Academy, 11811 W. Bluemound Road, plans to open this fall. Academy director Matt Gibson said the school will start with 4K through fifth grade its first year. He said the school will then expand as each fifth-grade class moves on to the next grade level until the school serves 4K through eighth grade.
Remodeling for the first phase of classrooms in former motel spaces is taking place this summer.
The second phase of remodeling will take place in summer 2023 "to anticipate additional growth in grades 4K through five as well as classrooms for grades six through eight," Gibson said.
"The purpose of this design is to provide the foundation in elementary school to project continued success of the students through middle school," Gibson said in an email May 6.
The school will be at the same location as, and will share space with, the Wisconsin International Academy, which houses international students who attend area private and parochial schools, according to documents provided to the city of Wauwatosa in December as part of the school's plans.
Gibson noted that the school has received the necessary approvals from the city.
The school's June 7 open house is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. at the school, according to Gibson.
Open houses were also held in April and on May 4.
Gibson said student registrations for the fall are currently over 35 and "trending upward."
In an April 21 interview, Gibson said the goal would be an enrollment of 175 students for the fall and then increase to 350 students in the 2023-24 school year.
"We've put together an enrollment model and our construction model to be right ahead of where we need to be to grow the school," Gibson said.
Gibson also said in April that the school will be academic as well as interculturally and internationally focused.
"Those things together, it's very career- and college-bound, but it's intended to attract students from both the suburbs and the city .... So the international focus is to broaden the horizons, I think, for both groups of people because of all the international opportunities that are there," Gibson said.
The school's curriculum will be based in International Baccalaureate and STEM programming, while also providing Mandarin and Spanish instruction.
"What we're trying to do, then, is to have the high-quality academics coupled with the project-based learning coupled with a couple different foreign languages and then the peer groups coming from the city and the suburbs," said Gibson, who was formerly superintendent for the Elmbrook School District.
"We'll be able to get to know families really well over that 10-year span that we'll have with them. Moreover, families will get to know one another," he added. | 2022-05-06T19:44:13Z | www.jsonline.com | New charter school in Wauwatosa to host open house in June | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/wauwatosa/2022/05/06/new-charter-school-wauwatosa-host-open-house-june/9572286002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/wauwatosa/2022/05/06/new-charter-school-wauwatosa-host-open-house-june/9572286002/ |
Wisconsin DOT considering alternative designs for Stadium Interchange
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is considering alternative designs to the proposed Stadium Interchange on Highway 175 in Milwaukee, including a "diverging diamond" pattern they say could be safer and less expensive than other options.
The DOT's previous designs, released last year, caught the attention of some on social media who noticed some apparent flaws on a closer look.
The renderings show many lanes crossing, but there are no traffic signals.
DOT spokesperson Michael Pyritz said "this is just a rendering" and that crossing lanes would obviously have traffic signals.
State transportation officials are reviewing alternative designs while continuing to conduct the environmental analysis of the proposed Stadium Interchange, according to the DOT's spring newsletter. It's part of the I-94 East-West Corridor project, an update of a section of road that's more than 60 years old.
More:Wisconsin DOT officials say that Highway 175 by Brewers stadium needs to be rebuilt, and it could become a boulevard
"We're gonna have a public meeting in June and we hope to have something a little bit more definitive at that point, because we're still working through how that can best work," Pyritz said.
The DOT's new alternative design is a "diverging diamond interchange," which has traffic signals.
The DOT said this style of interchange has been shown to increase capacity and safety, decrease congestion and minimize the cost of new infrastructure.
In its newsletter, the DOT also said that during construction of the new Stadium Interchange, there will be an opportunity to connect the Hank Aaron State Trail and the Oak Leaf Trail.
Modernization of the state's interchanges leads to safer roads, the DOT said, noting that the Marquette Interchange has seen 48% fewer crashes since its reopening in 2008. There have been 29% fewer crashes in the Zoo Interchange since its reopening in 2018, according to the DOT.
The DOT's informational meetings on I-94 will be held June 14 at State Fair Park and June 15 at Marquette University High School.
More:For the second time, a driver fell from a high interstate bridge in Milwaukee and survived | 2022-05-06T19:44:25Z | www.jsonline.com | Wisconsin DOT looks at new designs for Highway 175 near stadium | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/06/wisconsin-dot-looks-new-designs-highway-175-near-stadium-interchange-milwaukee/9664986002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/06/wisconsin-dot-looks-new-designs-highway-175-near-stadium-interchange-milwaukee/9664986002/ |
Bill Glauber Patrick Marley
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Friday he doesn’t believe Wisconsin’s potential ban on almost all abortions would remain in place for long, distancing himself from his four fellow Republicans running for governor.
Speaking to reporters, Johnson did not detail what abortion limits he would like to see but said he did not think a near-total ban would last for long if the landmark Roe v. Wade decision is overturned.
Johnson suggested Wisconsin officials would set different limits — even though Republicans who control the Legislature have given no indication they would do anything other than keep the ban in place.
The four Republicans running against Democratic Gov. Tony Evers have said they oppose exceptions for rape or incest.
Johnson, who is running for re-election to a third term in the Senate, made his comments after a draft of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling was leaked that showed a majority is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. If that happens, an 1849 ban on nearly all abortions would go back into effect in Wisconsin.
“I don’t think that will stand for long,” Johnson said. "I think the democratic process in Wisconsin will have something other than the 1849 law."
On this issue, Johnson’s read of the politics of the state appear to be completely off. Republican lawmakers for decades have made sure to preserve the 1849 ban in hopes that Roe would someday be overturned.
Running against Evers are former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, construction business owner Tim Michels, management consultant Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Tim Ramthun of Campbellsport. All have strongly opposed abortion and would be unlikely to sign legislation loosening the ban.
The 1849 law allows for the prosecution of those who perform abortions except in cases where two physicians determine the abortion is necessary to save the life of the woman. The ban does not include exceptions for rape or incest.
The Republicans running for governor did not immediately react to Johnson’s comments. They have all praised the draft opinion that would overturn Roe, with Kleefisch calling it a “blessing” in a Thursday interview with FOX6-TV.
Asked if she wanted an exception for rape or incest, Kleefisch said, “No, because I don’t think it’s the baby’s fault how the baby is conceived.”
If Evers wins, he would be unlikely to get a chance to sign legislation changing the ban because Republicans are all but certain to maintain control of the Legislature.
A court fight over the ban is likely, which could result in a lifting of the ban.
"Gov. Evers has always been clear that he will do whatever is necessary to protect access to reproductive care for everyone in Wisconsin," Evers campaign spokeswoman Kayla Anderson said in a statement. "Choice is on the ballot in 2022 and it’s critical that we reelect Gov. Evers."
Johnson offered little clarity on what law he would like to see in Wisconsin in the event Roe v. Wade is overturned. He said he believed life begins at conception but added that different states would set different policies. He noted he has supported laws that would limit abortions, including one after 20 weeks and another after 15 weeks.
The bills include Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act. He also signed onto an amicus brief in the current case before the Supreme Court, urging the high court to upholding Mississippi's law limiting abortions after 15 weeks.
More:Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul says he would not assist with enforcing abortion ban
Johnson said the Roe v. Wade decision "settled nothing," adding, "we just had this issue festering, this profoundly moral issue festering in the body politic of America."
"I'm comfortable that now it's going to be put back into the democratic realm where the American people and the people of Wisconsin decide how we deal with abortion," he said.
Johnson was at the Republican National Committee's Hispanic Community Center in Milwaukee where he helped present God Touch Milwaukee and Hispanic families with food drive donations. | 2022-05-06T22:33:50Z | www.jsonline.com | Ron Johnson predicts Wisconsin's abortion ban wouldn't last post-Roe | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/06/ron-johnson-predicts-wisconsins-ban-abortion-would-not-last-long-if-roe-wade-overturned/9679340002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/06/ron-johnson-predicts-wisconsins-ban-abortion-would-not-last-long-if-roe-wade-overturned/9679340002/ |
Brewers add right-hander Luis Perdomo to the bullpen, option Keston Hiura to Class AAA Nashville
ATLANTA – Many roster prognosticators had Luis Perdomo making the Milwaukee Brewers' opening-day roster coming out of spring training.
While the right-hander ultimately didn't make the cut then, he was selected from Class AAA Nashville on Friday in advance of the team's three-game weekend series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.
Keston Hiura was optioned to Nashville to clear room for Perdomo on the 26-man roster.
Perdomo, 29, went 2-0 with a 1.23 earned run average and WHIP of 0.55 in five Cactus League appearances (two starts) with three strikeouts in 7⅓ innings.
A ground-ball specialist, Perdomo is 20-31 with a 5.19 ERA and WHIP of 1.52 in 133 appearances (61 starts) with the San Diego Padres dating to 2016. His best season came in 2017, when he went 8-11 with a 4.67 ERA in 29 starts.
Perdomo made nine appearances for Nashville (two starts) and posted a 2.25 ERA with a pair of saves in two opportunities and 13 strikeouts in 12 innings.
Hiura, meanwhile, was demoted the day after hitting one of the Brewers' six homers in a 10-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
In 15 games, he hit .216 with a pair of homers and five RBI. | 2022-05-06T22:34:02Z | www.jsonline.com | Brewers add pitcher Luis Perdomo, send Keston Hiura to Nashville | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/06/brewers-add-pitcher-luis-perdomo-send-keston-hiura-nashville/9671740002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/06/brewers-add-pitcher-luis-perdomo-send-keston-hiura-nashville/9671740002/ |
Luca Vildoza paused for more than a few seconds, searching for the right way to say how — or where — he learned to play with the flair that he displayed in just a few short minutes of his NBA debut with the Milwaukee Bucks at the end of Game 3 in Chicago.
He began playing professionally as a teenager, he said, so there were influences early in his career that instilled such flourishes in his game.
“Just being me,” he said with a smile. “If they want me as I am, they’re gonna accept me.”
In a shade over eight minutes of game play in the Bucks’ blowout win over the Bulls in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs on April 22, the 26-year-old Argentinian had three assists, the last of which was a behind-the-back pass to Thanasis Antetokounmpo that led to a highlight dunk.
But it was Vildoza’s second assist that caught the attention of Giannis Antetokounmpo from the bench.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo came up with a steal in the Chicago backcourt and flipped it behind his back to Vildoza — but it was too high. The 6-foot, 3-inch guard leapt to corral it with his right hand and, in one motion, landed on the Bulls logo at halfcourt and skipped a perfect bounce pass ahead to Jordan Nwora who finished with a dunk of his own.
“That is high-IQ stuff,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “But at the end of the day, like he had a pass between his legs, a pass behind his back and people would probably say it’s a playoff game, oh, you’re messing around with the game, but that’s how he plays. Whoever knows him, that’s how he plays. When he’s in his comfort zone, when he makes plays, he came out of the pick-and-roll and shot the three very comfortably. He can help us. Obviously I was very happy for him just to play his first NBA game being a playoff game, but the way he showed how much mature he is as a player, that was unbelievable. I think we’re gonna see some great things in the future from him.”
It was an eye-opening NBA debut.
“His story is kind of unique,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We’re excited about him and our front office has had their eye on him. So, for him to get to play in a playoff game and I thought he did well. He’s shown us in practice, he’s shown us in play groups he knows how to play. He’s a very creative, imaginative, passer (and) player. He went out and did exactly what he does in practice. I think there’ a confidence with him that’s important as you’re trying to break through and find your way in our league.”
Vildoza signed with the Bucks on April 6, just days before the end of the regular season. He has been a professional for 10 years, most recently paying in the Spanish ACB league last season.
He had missed all this season with a foot injury and he said he finally felt like a basketball player again about six months ago. Upon joining the Bucks, however, he’s having to adjust his game.
“But I know with Giannis, he’s the point guard, he’s bringing the ball (up), Jrue (Holiday), Khris (Middleton), and you gotta be ready to shoot every time, to create for them,” he said.
“That’s gonna be the main goal, to make that role. To take the corners, to catch and shoot fast, to make plays for them. It’s not everything behind-the-back.”
“I’m just trying to show them," he said. "To play in the playoff for the first time in my life, making my debut and just cheer them on, that’s good.”
As for the response to his first NBA action from back home in Buenos Aires and the whole of Argentina, Vildoza said it was unimaginable for him.
“So many message I have after my debut, after I signed,” he said. “Especially my dad, my mom, my friends, every single day trying to connect, trying to (ask) ‘What is Giannis doing? How is he?' I’m so glad. My happiness is up there.”
Brook Lopez finalist for community award
Brook Lopez smiled, thinking back to his childhood reading books with his brother Robin in his grandmother’s home. It was an important time for Lopez and fostered a love and appreciation for reading that he maintains today — and he’s often seen with a book in hand as he walks to and from stadiums.
The Bucks center wanted to pass that on to others and he donated about $70,000 toward children’s literacy efforts in Milwaukee, which led him being a finalist for the NBA Cares Community Assist Award. Lopez has worked with Next Door Milwaukee for several years, and he continued that partnership through this season.
“It’s been great to give kids a chance to, a place I guess, to go read, enjoy books, kind of get away from things and enjoy all these worlds and the places books can take you,” he said. “That’s something that I was very fortunate to have my mom and my grandmother who gave me those opportunities, always read to me.”
Should Lopez win the award, another $75,000 will be donated to his cause.
“That’s one of the things that made us who we are today and that’s why we still read the way we do. We just wanted to give back the same things my grandmother and my mom did for me, I wanted to give these kids the chance to see how special reading is and what it can do.”
Wisconsin Herd honored
The Wisconsin Herd was awarded the inaugural President’s Choice Award by the G League, which is given to a team that “embodies what an NBA G League team should strive to be.” Within that, the Herd was recognized for its ticket sales, in-game and social media promotions.
Herd president Steve Brandes was also honored, as he was named the 2021-22 G League Team Executive of the Year. Brandes won the award after the 2017-18 season as well. | 2022-05-06T22:34:14Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Bucks Luca Vildoza makes flashy debut during NBA playoffs | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/06/milwaukee-bucks-luca-vildoza-makes-flashy-debut-during-nba-playoffs/9671718002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/06/milwaukee-bucks-luca-vildoza-makes-flashy-debut-during-nba-playoffs/9671718002/ |
The Viking Octantis docked at the Port of Milwaukee Friday, marking not only the first cruise ship to visit the city since 2019, but also the first Viking ship to dock here.
The 665-foot, 378-passenger Octantis is the largest cruise ship to sail the Great Lakes and dock in Milwaukee, which is becoming a more popular cruise destination. Fourteen ships were scheduled to dock in the city before the pandemic struck in 2020, up from 10 the previous year. This year, 33 ships are scheduled to bring 10,000 passengers to the city.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson and other politicians and tourism representatives welcomed the ship, praising the efforts of the Port and others to make Milwaukee a cruise destination.
"Today is a wonderful example of just how the city of Milwaukee is creating new partnerships that are exciting and will create much more activity, economic and otherwise, throughout the city," Johnson said at a press conference after the ship's arrival. "I'm eager to show off our city to the thousands and thousands of tourists, cruise ship passengers, who will pass through." | 2022-05-06T22:34:20Z | www.jsonline.com | Great Lakes cruising season begins in Milwaukee with Viking Octantis | https://www.jsonline.com/story/travel/wisconsin/2022/05/06/great-lakes-cruise-ship-milwaukee-viking-octantis/9657310002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/travel/wisconsin/2022/05/06/great-lakes-cruise-ship-milwaukee-viking-octantis/9657310002/ |
Victor Huyke saw the parallels between 1862 and today clearly.
One of the main organizers of Saturday's Cinco de Mayo family festival on Milwaukee's south side, Huyke spoke of the holiday's roots — the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France in the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Then he spoke of the Ukrainian people's fight to defend their lives and homes against an invading Russian military.
"France had a powerful army that continued to advance on Mexico, but when they got to Puebla, the Mexican general got aid from the farmers who lived there, and they won," said Huyke. "What we've learned from that is that despite overwhelming odds, people can accomplish anything."
Huyke, the publisher of El Conquistador Latino Newspaper, said Cinco de Mayo is a celebration not just of one country, but of the human spirit.
And so on Saturday, the celebration was dedicated to the people of Ukraine. El Conquistador and UMOS, a Milwaukee-based advocacy organization supporting housing, child development and social services for underserved populations, staged it at UMOS headquarters.
The festival featured food trucks, music, contests, a car show and a carnival. It also included a booth sponsored by St. Michael's Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, where Nadiya Kavyuk and fellow church members were selling homemade cookies, Ukrainian Easter eggs and jewelry, with all the proceeds going to support victims and refugees of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"We've been collecting money and sending supplies to people in Ukraine since the war began," said Kavyuk. "But this is the first community event we've been to. We're so thankful to be included."
Although the day is celebrated in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not — as many Americans think — Mexican Independence Day. The celebration has actually become more popular in America than it is in Mexico, as many see it as a way to celebrate Mexican culture.
"The victory wasn't celebrated in Mexico at first, but rather by Mexican Americans as a form of resistance to the effects of the Mexican-American War. The holiday then picked up more traction during the Chicano Movement during the 1960s and 1970s," according to a recent USA TODAY interview with Mario Garcia, a Chicanx historian from the University of California Santa Barbara.
For the Ukrainians at the Milwaukee festival Saturday, that theme of resistance is felt daily.
As other members of St. Michael's continued to accept donations from festivalgoers, Kavyuk scrolled through a group message app on her phone. Kavyuk, who has lived in the United States for the past 16 years, has family members living in Ukraine who are on the app.
One message was from a relative who heard sirens and wondered where her father was. Another was sent from a bomb shelter. Another was sent in the middle of the night. Halfway across the globe, Kavyuk was reading along, feeling the emotions from her homeland.
"Imagine, you wake up to hear that and you have to just go ... to a bomb shelter," she said.
As Kavyuk put her phone away to accept more donations, she noted the similarity between her family members fighting to stay in their homes and the fight of the Mexican people 160 years ago.
"I'm thankful that we're here and we're supporting each other's communities," said Kavyuk. "We need to learn about each other more. What is Cinco de Mayo? It's about fighting for your home and winning victory." | 2022-05-07T22:32:33Z | www.jsonline.com | Cinco de Mayo 2022 family festival in Milwaukee held by UMOS | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/07/cinco-de-mayo-2022-family-festival-milwaukee-held-umos/9687513002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/07/cinco-de-mayo-2022-family-festival-milwaukee-held-umos/9687513002/ |
Smith: Beautiful weather, angling success highlight Governor's Fishing Opener on Shell Lake
SHELL LAKE - Maybe it was because the sun and moon rose Saturday in near synchrony.
Maybe it was Mother Nature deciding winter had lingered long enough and the first weekend in May was time to deliver a full dose of spring.
Or maybe the good people of Shell Lake and hereabouts earned it by putting out the small-town, big-hearted welcome mat.
Whatever it was, the 2022 Governor's Fishing Opener in Shell Lake will go down as one of the most successful in the 56-year history of the event.
As social hour for the banquet began at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Shell Lake Arts Center, the mercury hit 73 degrees under sunny skies. At the same time Milwaukee, dogged by a northeast wind off Lake Michigan, was 52.
If you put an ear to woods, you could hear a blissful "aaaahhh" emanating from northwestern Wisconsin. Out was the ice that covered parts of Shell Lake as late as April 27.
In was a new burst of color – yellow-headed blackbirds and Baltimore orioles – and sound – wood frogs and spring peepers.
And the lake itself was rising rapidly out of months of cold slumber. The water temperature was 57 degrees Friday at the Shell Lake boat landing, an increase of 18 in just a week.
"We didn't think we'd need sun block (in gift bags given to attendees), but I'm OK with the weather proving us wrong," said Kaitlin Hanson, of the Washburn County Tourism Association.
No apologies were necessary. Everybody was loving the weather.
That included Gov. Tony Evers, several members of his cabinet, Department of Natural Resources fisheries and law enforcement staff, local residents and business owners and members of the press.
The Governor's Fishing Opener was started by Gov. Warren Knowles in 1966. Knowles, a Wisconsin native, graduate of the University of Wisconsin's law school and World War II veteran, served three two-year terms as governor from 1965-71.
Knowles was an avid angler who knew fishing was good for the soul as well as the economy. The Republican governor is remembered for pro-conservation and pro-environment policies; the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, Wisconsin's signature public land acquisition program, bears his name.
The event is an opportunity to highlight Wisconsin's fishing opportunities and the tourism industry. Each governor after Knowles has continued the tradition, held on the first day of the Wisconsin general fishing season.
Organizers typically pick a new spot each year.
This year represented a changing of the guard as the Northwest Wisconsin ITBEC’s Tourism Marketing Committee took the reins from Wisconsin Indian Head Country, Inc., which had run it for decades.
The ITBEC (International Trade, Business & Economic Development Council) group covers 12 counties in northwestern Wisconsin – Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Douglas, Iron, Price, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer and Washburn – and markets the region to visitors.
The 2022 event included a Friday evening banquet and a slew of events Saturday, including fishing, meals, educational displays, tours of local sights and businesses and a train ride.
Friday's banquet was held in the wooden-floored Shell Lake Arts Center, which also typically houses the local prom.
The facility was adorned with a display featuring vintage launches, or row boats, and other outdoors memorabilia.
Shell Lake is named for the freshwater bivalves found on its shore. The lakes covers 2,513 acres and has a maximum depth of 36 feet.
It's known for very good water quality and good fishing, even earning the nickname as "walleye fishing capital of Wisconsin."
In addition to walleyes, the lake features northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black crappies, bluegills and muskellunge.
Gov. Evers commended event organizers on the Family Fishing Day portion of Saturday's agenda. The DNR had its "Fishmobile," a traveling fishing tackle loaner and education trailer, on site.
It's important for many reasons to teach kids to fish, Evers said.
"Fishing is fun, challenging and important to economic development in the state," Evers said. "We have to keep working to bring families and people together outdoors, and fishing is the perfect way to do that."
He also said he was looking forward to fishing Saturday and the chance to beat his personal Governor's Fishing Opener record: a 22-inch-long northern pike.
Craig Roberts, DNR fisheries biologist for Washburn County, said Shell was a "good multi-species lake" with an abundant population of 16 to 24-inch northerns. He said anglers would have a good chance to catch some on the opener, as well as smallmouth bass and walleye.
That all sounded good to me especially since I'd be fishing with my friend Dave Zeug of Shell Lake.
Dave, a retired DNR regional warden who also served a term as mayor of Shell Lake, and his wife Wanda have lived on the lake since 1991 and he's gotten to know it well.
When we set out at 6:15 a.m. Saturday, the sun was rising into a clear sky; a moderate SSE breeze riffled the water.
A pair of common loons paddled along shore, alternately snorkeling and looking at a growing fleet of fishing vessels on the lake.
"It's a popular lake, even more so this year," said Zeug as he cut the engine near a basketball court-sized cattail island. "Plenty of room, though. I think we'll be able to find a few (fish)."
We started out throwing a 3-inch white plastic tail on a jig head toward the cattails and working it with a steady retrieve.
After 5 minutes, Zeug's lined stopped.
"By golly, I think it's a fish," he said as his rod bucked.
Of course it was. It turned out to be a 22-inch northern, which was landed and put in the livewell.
Northern pike are delicious table fare and this size, which are abundant in Shell Lake, meet the definition of smart, selective harvest.
My turn was next, with a 21-inch northern on the same type of lure.
We fished around the island for 50 minutes, catching and keeping three more northerns, all between 20 and 24 inches.
The next stop was a reedy, shallow bay.
Yellow-headed and red-winged blackbirds jousted among the cattails as we used the bow-mount trolling motor to slowly ply the 2- to 4-foot-deep water. A bald eagle watched the proceedings from a high branch in a white pine.
We switched to floating crankbaits and kept them close to the surface with a slow retrieve.
Casting as close as possible to shore over the next hour, we drew strikes from three more northerns. Two were released and one, which was hooked deeply, went in the livewell.
Then Zeug connected on a hefty, 18-inch largemouth, which was released.
At 8:30 a.m. the mercury read 56 and the wind was 11 mph out of the S.
"Not bad for early May in the north," Zeug said.
It wasn't just not bad. It was spectacular.
At about 9 a formation of boats attracted our attention in the southern portion of the lake.
At the center we recognized Capt. Barb Carey of Oxford piloting her boat, with Gov. Evers and Jane McMahon of Baraboo at her side.
A DNR warden boat and a photo boat were nearby.
Carey, founder of Wisconsin Women Fish, put Gov. Evers on fish for the second time during his term. This time he landed a 22-inch northern, tying his previous best.
When Zeug and I went to Shell Lake Memorial Park at mid-morning, the stories flowing in were overwhelmingly positive.
"Everybody's catching," said DNR Secretary Preston Cole.
A fish fry was hosted by the Lions Club from 11 to 12:30.
The temperature had increased to 72 when I filed this report at 3 p.m.
Even better action should await this evening, Zeug said, as the water warms in the bays.
That sounded promising.
But in my book the planets had already aligned for the 2022 Governor's Fishing Opener.
The lake had provided fine action and scenery, the community's facilities had shined and the people had extended genuine hospitality.
I never had the privilege to speak to Gov. Knowles. But I'm thinking this Shell Lake event was exactly what he had in mind when he started this tradition 56 years ago. | 2022-05-07T22:32:39Z | www.jsonline.com | Beautiful weather, angling success at 2022 Governor's Fishing Opener | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/columnists/paul-smith/2022/05/07/beautiful-weather-angling-success-2022-governors-fishing-opener/9671825002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/columnists/paul-smith/2022/05/07/beautiful-weather-angling-success-2022-governors-fishing-opener/9671825002/ |
Is Bobby Portis teaching Giannis Antetokounmpo his dance moves?
As the Milwaukee Bucks turned the game around Saturday against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Antetokounmpo was in a dancing mood.
After he passed to Jrue Holiday for a layup on a breakaway midway through the third quarter in Game 3 of their playoff series that put the Bucks up, 66-56, Antetokounmpo brought out a shimmy that Portis has done in the past. Warriors star Steph Curry might be smiling as well.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks had a lot to celebrate in the third quarter as they outscored the Celtics by 17 points to turn a four-point halftime deficit into a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Antetokounmpo leads all scorers with 31 at the end of the third quarter.
Here's the dance.
Social media had something to say about it.
Not everyone loved it, though. | 2022-05-07T22:32:51Z | www.jsonline.com | Giannis Antetokounmpo dance vs. Celtics in Game 3. Social media reacts | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/07/giannis-antetokounmpo-dance-vs-celtics-game-3-nba-playoffs-social-media-reacts/9688110002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/07/giannis-antetokounmpo-dance-vs-celtics-game-3-nba-playoffs-social-media-reacts/9688110002/ |
Here are some tips to avoid tick bites during Lyme Disease Awareness Month
As the risk of contracting tick-borne illnesses increases in spring and summer, health officials have designated May as Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
The campaign highlights education about Lyme and other diseases and offers tips to avoid tick bites.
In 2020, Wisconsin had 3,076 estimated cases of Lyme disease, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
The average number of reported cases has more than doubled over the past 15 years, according to the agency.
But the number of people affected by Lyme and other tick-borne diseases is likely much higher. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the total number of cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. is more than 10 times higher than what is reported through surveillance.
Wisconsin is one of the states reporting the highest number of cases, according to DHS.
The two types of ticks that most commonly bite people and pets in Wisconsin are the deer (black-legged) tick and the wood (dog) tick. A third type of tick that can bite people or pets in Wisconsin, the lone-star tick, is less common.
Bites from all three of these ticks can make you sick. In Wisconsin ticks can spread Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi, ehrlichiosis, Powassan virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.
And a single tick bite can transmit multiple diseases. In fact, tick-borne co-infections are the rule, not the exception, according to LymeDisease.org.
A study of 3,000 patients with chronic Lyme disease published in 2014 by LymeDisease.org showed more than half had laboratory-confirmed co-infections, with 30% having two or more.
The most common co-infections reported with Lyme disease were Babesia (32%), Bartonella (28%) and rickettsial illnesses (26%). Rickettsial illnesses include ehrlichiosis (15%), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (6%) and anaplasmosis (5%).
You can limit your chance of contracting Lyme disease and other illnesses spread by ticks by avoiding tick bites. The DHS and Department of Natural Resources offer the following tips as part of their "Fight the Bite" campaign:
If you do find a tick embedded in your body, remain calm and remove it as soon as you find it. To remove the tick, use tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible while gently pulling it up and out in one fluid motion.
Make a note of the date you removed the tick, as this information may be helpful for your doctor to know. Save the tick in a sealed plastic bag or take a photo of the tick before disposing of it in case you develop symptoms later.
The easiest way to dispose of a tick is by putting it in alcohol or flushing it down the toilet.
Lyme disease symptoms typically develop between three to 30 days after being bitten by a tick.
Symptoms include fever, chills, fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain and nausea. Some people who contract Lyme disease also develop an expanding rash, often in the shape of a bullseye.
If you think you or a loved one may have Lyme disease, contact your health care provider right away. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics, according to DHS.
For more information, visit the DHS's Fight the Bite webpage at dhs.wisconsing.gov. | 2022-05-07T22:32:57Z | www.jsonline.com | Tips to avoid tick bites during Lyme Disease Awareness Month | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/outdoors/2022/05/07/tips-avoid-tick-bites-during-lyme-disease-awareness-month/9671895002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/outdoors/2022/05/07/tips-avoid-tick-bites-during-lyme-disease-awareness-month/9671895002/ |
There were no "Dad" jokes from Giannis Antetokounmpo after the Milwaukee Bucks made a narrow escape in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics.
But he was thinking like a father after he scored 42 point in Milwaukee's 103-101 victory over the Celtics Saturday at Fiserv Forum.
The officiating left a lot to be desired during the rather chippy game. When asked about a call that almost led to a technical foul against coach Mike Budenholzer, the Greek Freak chose his words carefully.
More:Giannis Antetokounmpo dishes to Jrue Holiday and then does a little dance in Game 3 vs. the Boston Celtics | 2022-05-08T01:39:30Z | www.jsonline.com | Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn't risk fine, has diapers to pay for | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/07/giannis-antetokounmpo-doesnt-risk-fine-after-game-3-vs-celtics-has-diapers-pay/9692906002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/07/giannis-antetokounmpo-doesnt-risk-fine-after-game-3-vs-celtics-has-diapers-pay/9692906002/ |
ATLANTA – Having started all 28 games and played 246 of a possible 247 innings at shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers heading into their series finale with the Atlanta Braves on Sunday at Truist Park, Willy Adames was asked when his first game off might be.
“Never,” he said. “We have a day off next Thursday. I want to play every day.”
With the start the indefatigable 26-year-old is off to so far this season, Craig Counsell might honor his request.
OK, maybe not.
But the manager left little doubt that Adames – health willing – is going to be in the lineup almost every time he fills one out.
“I think Willy’s going to be out there a lot,” he said. “As much as we can get him out there.”
Entering Sunday, Adames ranked third in the majors in innings among shortstops behind Toronto’s Bo Bichette (257⅓) and Atlanta’s Dansby Swanson (254), with both players’ teams having logged one more game than the Brewers.
He’d accounted for one out above average defensively compared to Bichette’s minus-5 and Swanson’s plus-six (which was tied for the major-league lead among fielders at any position).
Adames also been one of the straws that stirs Milwaukee’s drink offensively, as he led the team in runs scored, home runs, total bases and walks and was tied for the lead in hits.
It’s hard not to notice the joie de vivre Adames brings both on the field and in the clubhouse.
Quick with a smile, a high-five for a teammate after a homer or a fist bump and a kind word for anyone he comes across, he’s the type of player every team would love to have.
“Not a problem,” is how he responded when asked how he maintains his energy and exuberance.
“I love this and I live for this. This is what I love to do.”
Adames broke into the majors in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays and in 2019 – his first full season – he set the bar for himself personally by playing in 152 games at shortstop. He started 145 and went the distance in 137, finishing with 1,314⅔ innings.
When he was acquired by the Brewers last May 21, Adames found himself in the starting lineup for each of his first 23 games with his new team.
He was on pace to set a career high until a quad strain suffered in late August led to a stint on the injured list and cost him a couple of weeks.
Still, he played a combined 140 games between Tampa Bay and Milwaukee en route to being named the Brewers' most valuable player, a testament to the impact he made in 99 games with his new team.
Adames spent the offseason in his native Dominican Republic working on strengthening his quads, hamstrings and lower back and since the season has started he has worked closely with Milwaukee's athletic training staff to try and stay ahead of any potential physical issues.
"We have a good training staff," he said. "They keep my body fresh. We do whatever we need to do to try to maintain myself on the field. If I feel something, I just come to them and let them know and they help me.
"I feel like that’s a big reason (I can stay in the lineup) – just having good communication with them so they can help me out with anything I have going on."
Unlike some players whose strength and energy level wane the more often they play, Adames believes he actually gets better.
"I feel like your body gets used to playing every day when you’re in there every day," he said. "Some guys play three games, five games and want off, and your body gets used to that. But when I got here last year and I played every day, my body hasn’t felt like that in a long time.
"That’s one thing I wanted my body to get used to, so that’s what I told Counsell in spring training -- ‘Hey, I want to play every day. And if not the whole season, 159, 156.’"
With that in mind, Adames was asked about the NBA's newish trend of "load management," giving healthy or near-healthy players games off with the bigger picture of keeping them fresh in mind.
Baseball, to be fair, has had its prescribed rest days for regulars as well, but its season is nearly twice as long -- and that doesn't include spring training or potential postseason.
"I can’t be on the bench if I don’t have anything going on (health-wise)," he said. "Why, if I’m good? You get your days off from the league (with the schedule)."
When asked what he thought was a good target number for an every day player, Counsell said around 150 games for a season.
Might 162 be a realistic goal for Adames?
"I don’t think it’s going to be for 162, but he’s going to be out there a lot. And he’s done a great job with it," Counsell said. "This is a year you might have questioned it a little bit at the beginning (after the lockout), and I think we can say it hasn’t affected him and he’s been getting better as a player here as he’s been playing.
"A month into it, I think he’s doing great."
Only two players won the unofficial ironman award last season by seeing action in all 162 games, Kansas CIty's Whit Merrifield and Toronto's Marcus Semien.
In Brewers history, only five players have gone the distance for an entire season -- Prince Fielder (2009 and 2011), Carlos Lee (2005), Richie Sexson (2003), Robin Yount (1988) and Gorman Thomas (1980).
Hitting that mark in baseball today is an even more noteworthy achievement, in Counsell's eyes.
"The game is significantly longer now, and that makes a difference," he said. "You’re adding 10-15% to game times which, over the course of the season is like playing 20 more games."
Which would be no problem for Adames, with health being the wild card, of course.
"I love this game. I love being in there every day," he said. "I feel bored when I’m not playing. I have a lot of energy and I need to spend it, and the only way I do it is by playing and enjoying that feeling of being on the field.
"I think I was born with that. I can’t be off." | 2022-05-08T20:33:41Z | www.jsonline.com | Brewers' Willy Adames wants to play all 162 games this season | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/08/brewers-willy-adames-wants-play-all-162-games-season/9672692002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/08/brewers-willy-adames-wants-play-all-162-games-season/9672692002/ |
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer keeps a poker face when it comes to player injuries and the potential timelines for returns from those injuries. He’ll offer up whatever may be relevant, or new, but little else.
The mandatory league injury report or team statements on medical updates usually suffice.
Except this year, there was one player Budenholzer continually expressed optimism about when it came to returning to action – George Hill.
Perhaps it was the fluid nature of Hill’s injuries that allowed for optimism, or perhaps it was the fact that there is such an affinity for the veteran point guard and what he could bring to the team and its defense.
First, Hill missed 17 games from Jan. 30 through March 12 with what was called neck soreness but he clarified as an injury between his T6 and T7 vertebrae, an injury he said he will have to have addressed in the offseason.
He played the next 13 games, averaging about 16 minutes off the bench. Though Hill didn’t find his outside shooting touch, it did allow Budenholzer to extend his rotation and build Hill’s basketball conditioning up for an expected playoff role.
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But after playing 16 minutes in Detroit on April 8, Hill exited with an abdominal strain that he said was a rip in an oblique muscle which triggered back spasms. It sidelined him yet again for an extended amount of time. Hill didn’t practice during the Bucks’ bye week, but Budenholzer felt he could be back for the first round series against the Chicago Bulls.
Only he wasn’t. The recovery period crept into the start of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against Boston, and Hill was able to finally get back on the court against the Celtics during Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re looking for the long haul, not for something temporary, so just making sure it’s fully healed and get back to 100% and try to take it one day at a time,” Hill said Sunday.
“Confident I’d come back. I’ve always had little, small things here and there but nothing so far that’s kept me out for long, long periods of time besides probably one time in my career. It’s how I’ve been my whole life and happy to recover and get back out there with the guys.”
In 11 minutes off the bench in the win over the Celtics, Hill attempted one shot and had one assist – but he drew two offensive fouls. And despite having not played in 29 days, he was on the floor to defend for the last possession of the game as the Celtics had hoped to tie it.
“Just a freak accident but you get frustrated because you want to be there for your team and this is the most important part of the season. It’s the playoffs,” Hill said. “This is what you work hard for all year, to be ready for these moments. And to not be there round one with those guys and a couple games in round two, thank God I’m healthy enough to get back out there with these guys and try to do a good job in this series.”
Before Game 3, Budenholzer said Hill would have a minutes restriction but the 36-year-old would not be out there if he wasn’t mentally and physically ready for the toll playoff basketball takes.
“His work ethic, his professionalism, his desire to be there for his team – he’s just an amazing teammate,” Budenholzer said. “If you hear him in the film sessions, hear him in the timeouts, hear him in the locker room. But at some point, you want to be able to do it. If you’re just talking, it maybe just lessens your impact.
“So I think his desire to be out there on the court, physically participate and having given what he’s gone through, it’s a credit to him and his toughness and the way he’s built.” | 2022-05-08T20:33:47Z | www.jsonline.com | George Hill part of Bucks' playoff push after neck, abdominal injuries | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/08/george-hill-part-bucks-playoff-push-after-neck-abdominal-injuries/9698544002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/08/george-hill-part-bucks-playoff-push-after-neck-abdominal-injuries/9698544002/ |
Kenny Chesney at American Family Field: What you need to know before his Milwaukee concert
It's happening two years later than planned, but Kenny Chesney is finally bringing "Summertime" to Milwaukee.
The country superstar, who's made the Milwaukee Brewers stadium a favorite stopover the past decade, announced an April 2020 show at the ballpark way back in September 2019.
That show, of course, didn't happen, due to COVID-19 — nor did the initial makeup date in 2021. But it's finally taking place this Saturday — so much time has passed that the ballpark has since been renamed American Family Field.
This will be the first stadium concert in Milwaukee since Billy Joel played the ballpark in April 2019, and Chesney's first Milwaukee concert since 2018.
It also will be, in terms of crowd size, the single largest concert in the city in three years, with about 41,000 people expected to attend.
So, this is a pretty big deal — and it's a good idea to plan ahead.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of Chesney's return to Milwaukee.
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Arrive early to tailgate (and avoid traffic issues)
Brewers' stadium shows with Paul McCartney in 2013 and Ed Sheeran in 2018 created some of the worst traffic jams in the city in the past decade. Chesney concerts, traffic-wise, are generally much smoother, since they always happen on Saturdays, and people tend to show up extra early to tailgate. The parking lots will open at 2 p.m., three hours before the first act takes the stage at 5 p.m. The ballpark gates open at 4 p.m.
You can pay for parking in advance
The Brewers recommend buying parking passes in advance to avoid any issues. It's cheaper, too, if you don't wait for the day of the show: $25 for general parking, $40 for preferred parking closer to the stadium. Otherwise, you'll need to pay $35 for general parking on-site, $50 for preferred parking. Just know that parking isn't necessarily guaranteed if you wait until Saturday to secure a spot.
Skip driving altogether
The Milwaukee County Transit System has two bus routes that drop passengers off within walking distance of the ballpark: the GoldLine on Wisconsin Avenue and Route 18 on National Avenue. Note: The Route 90 bus won't be running for Saturday's concert.
If you're using Uber or Lyft, the pickup and dropoff point is in the Gantner parking lot. If you take a cab, pickup and drop-off are just outside Helfaer Field.
Previously purchased tickets will be honored — and tickets are still available
If you bought a ticket for either of the Chesney shows originally scheduled for 2020 or 2021, you'll be able to use that same ticket and have that same seat for Saturday. And if you didn't buy a ticket, there are still some available, ranging in price from $74 to $270. That doesn't include platinum seats and a wide variety of higher-priced VIP packages, whose choice of perks includes a limited-edition print that, according to the Brewers site, "artistically commemorates the essence of Kenny Chesney," whatever that means.
If you've got a ticket for the "Sandbar" section — a standing-only pit closest to the stage — you'll need to enter through the third base gate to obtain a wristband and get access to the section. If you have a reserved floor seat, pick up your wristbands at the field level concourse near Sections 110, 118 and 126.
See something, say something
If you run into any problems, flag down a staff member, visit one of the guest services booths (behind Section 116 on the field level and behind Section 419 on the terrace level), or text "Brewers" and describe the issue to 69050.
Also know that all signs cannot be larger than 18 by 24 inches, and poles and banners are prohibited. And remember as you're partying to the music to not stand on the seats or block the aisles.
Lineup tweaks
Florida Georgia Line and Michael Franti & Spearhead — two of the acts attached to the Chesney show when it was announced in 2020 — are no longer on the bill. (No word on a local Florida Georgia Line show, but Franti fans can see him at 10 p.m. July 7 on Summerfest's Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard stage.)
In their place are Dan + Shay — the country-pop duo that sold out Fiserv Forum last September — and Carly Pearce, who won raves for her most recent album "29: Written in Stone" and won female vocalist of the year at last year's CMA Awards and female artist of the year at this year's Academy of Country Music Awards.
And Old Dominion — a frequent Chesney opener who was attached to the tour when it was announced in 2020 — is still performing Saturday.
What to expect from Chesney
As for Chesney himself, despite releasing two studio albums since his last Milwaukee show, his emphasis continues to be the party-ready hits, as the first reviews of his "Here and Now" tour this year attest.
According to reviewer Théoden James from the Charlotte Observer: "With all the talk of 'the new normal' these days, it felt really special — and was a whole lot of fun — to see Chesney work up such a sweat while bringing the old normal back." | 2022-05-09T12:46:55Z | www.jsonline.com | Kenny Chesney at American Family Field: What you need to know | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/05/09/kenny-chesney-american-family-field-what-you-need-know/9631384002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/05/09/kenny-chesney-american-family-field-what-you-need-know/9631384002/ |
Milwaukee Rep goes 'Zing' with powerhouse Judy Garland show, 'Get Happy'
Doing a show about the life and career of Judy Garland, or at least doing such a show well, takes theatrical sense and a female singer with some serious vocal abilities.
“Get Happy,” which opened at the Milwaukee Rep’s Stackner Cabaret on Thursday, is a thoughtfully constructed show about Garland, and one that balances strong singing, musical meaning, and a spot-on impersonation of some of the iconic singer/actress’ trademark vocal stylings, with some artfully balanced storytelling.
Singer/actress Angela Ingersoll, who created, wrote and directed the production, is also the headliner. But she is more than just a mimic. She’s a powerhouse singer who captures many of Garland’s vocal nuances and some of her more famous deliveries of familiar songs but never lapses into a campy, nightclub impersonation.
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Ingersoll weaves her own story and her lifelong fascination with Garland into the show. Rather than creating and maintaining the character of Garland, she creates a fourth wall as she sings, but then speaks directly to the audience between songs, sharing her own fascination and respect for Garland and offering a narration that follows Garland’s career path from MGM to her later years on the concert stage.
Ingersoll also included details about Garland’s personal life, mixing that narrative with her own experience of meeting and working with Joey Luft, Garland’s son.
The frank-but-respectful telling of Garland’s story, as well as the bits of Ingersoll’s story, moved with energy and purpose from one of Garland’s Great American Songbook hits to the next, backed by the onstage trio of pianist Chuck Larkin, bassist Jeff Hamann, and percussionist Charles Heath, who formed a tight, consistently tasteful ensemble.
Ingersoll’s take on Garland was supported by the fact that she bears a resemblance to Garland, both in height and in facial features, and by the fact that none of the bits of Garland’s vocal style that she incorporated into the music seemed to get in the way of her solid, polished vocal technique.
She gave big, roof-raising renditions of quite a few tunes over the course of the evening, including the title song. But she also pulled back and delivered intimate musical moments that pulled the audience deep into what she was singing.
The show’s playlist included “Smile,” “The Trolley Song,” “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart,” and, of course, “Over the Rainbow.”
But this show is more than great songs and a sketch of Garland’s life. It looks at the enduring impact the singer has had on several facets of American life, reminding the audience why, 100 years after Garland’s birth, she is still such a well-loved figure.
"Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland" continues through July 1 at Milwaukee Repertory Theater's Stackner Cabaret, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, visit milwaukeerep.com or call (414) 291-7605. | 2022-05-09T17:16:47Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Rep goes 'Zing' with powerful Judy Garland show, 'Get Happy' | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2022/05/09/milwaukee-rep-goes-zing-powerful-judy-garland-show-get-happy-angela-ingersoll/9701286002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2022/05/09/milwaukee-rep-goes-zing-powerful-judy-garland-show-get-happy-angela-ingersoll/9701286002/ |
Janeen Rogers, 54, is charged with wire fraud, engaging in an unlawful monetary transaction and filing a false claim. Her initial appearance in federal court is scheduled for May 25.
Mattox, who acted as his own attorney and tried to engage several common legal defenses of the Moorish Sovereign Citizen movement, was convicted by a jury in August and is awaiting sentencing.
Several of the fake trusts Mattox filed had names commonly used by members of the Moorish National Republic or Moorish Sovereign Citizen movement.
The trust in the latest Milwaukee case was called Noble Sun Trust. A man who listed himself as a trustee, Terry LeNoir, claimed in an eviction case to be a sovereign citizen and a member of the Moorish National Republic. He could not be reached for this story.
A pair of IRS spokespersons said they were not familiar with trust tax return fraud as charged in the three cases being any kind of trend, and did not have immediate access to statistics about the problem. Federal prosecutors in Milwaukee and Washington, D.C., declined to discuss the cases or the general nature of the fraud. | 2022-05-09T17:17:05Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee woman charged for $3 million fake trust tax return | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/09/milwaukee-woman-charged-3-million-fake-trust-tax-return/9660021002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/09/milwaukee-woman-charged-3-million-fake-trust-tax-return/9660021002/ |
Milwaukee Ald. Nik Kovac has been appointed city budget director, opening a second seat on the Common Council
Milwaukee Ald. Nik Kovac will become the city's budget director, creating a second vacancy on the 15-member Common Council.
His council colleagues at a special meeting Monday confirmed Kovac to the position in Mayor Cavalier Johnson's administration. Kovac was unanimously confirmed, with a 11-0 vote. Three of the council members were excused.
Kovac has represented District 3, which encompasses the east side and Riverwest, since April 2008.
He serves on the council's powerful Finance and Personnel Committee and is a member of the Employes’ Retirement System Board. He graduated cum laude with a degree in mathematics from Harvard University in 1999.
"I think all of us look forward to working with him during this budgeting process," Common Council President José G. Pérez said following the vote.
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He'll be coming into the job at a critical juncture as city leaders confront massive financial challenges.
The city's retirement system is a major focus, given an expected spike in the annual pension contribution that they'll have to confront this fall. That estimated $50 million jump from about $71 million this year to $121 million next year could severely damage city services that residents rely on.
And key decisions will have to be made on uses for the historic influx of federal pandemic aid from the American Rescue Plan Act — much of which appears likely to be absorbed by the cost just to maintain city services.
"The more daunting our structural fiscal challenges get — and they are daunting — the more we are going to need everyone's ideas to mediate the coming crisis," Kovac told the Finance and Personnel Committee that recommended his confirmation last week.
The Budget Office will have to figure out which ideas will work, but any should be accepted regardless of who they come from, he said.
He said it will be necessary to use the city's ARPA allocation very judiciously, especially if the state does not provide additional shared revenue or the ability for the city to raise the sales tax, and the federal government does not provide any additional aid similar to ARPA.
The first priority for the federal funding, he said, has to be delaying cuts to city services such as garbage pickup, road repair and public infrastructure that would result from Milwaukee's financial challenges, including the pending pension spike.
He also said the Budget Office should have more direct contact with the council, adding, "The practice of thinking out loud together about the challenges we face will be our best defense against them."
Kovac said other priorities would be to use the office to help improve equity, inclusion and the quality of life for Milwaukee residents, and offering options to retain city workers who are leaving the city for higher salaries.
Kovac's appointment creates another vacancy on the council, with Johnson's District 2 seat already empty following his victory in the April 5 mayoral election.
A special council meeting to confirm Kovac was held Monday so Pérez could order a special election for Kovac's seat by a May 9 deadline.
That means the election for the District 3 seat would coincide with the Aug. 9 primary and Nov. 8 general election, as does the special election for Johnson's seat on the city's northwest side.
Four people have already filed to run for Johnson's seat. Democratic state Rep. Jonathan Brostoff has said he plans to run for Kovac's seat.
The aldermanic races will appear on the ballot alongside high-profile elections for governor and U.S. Senate. | 2022-05-09T17:17:23Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Common Council appoints Ald. Nik Kovac city budget director | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/05/09/milwaukee-common-council-appoints-ald-nik-kovac-city-budget-director/9586552002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/05/09/milwaukee-common-council-appoints-ald-nik-kovac-city-budget-director/9586552002/ |
MADISON – Congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden was found with a gun in his carry-on bag at an Iowa airport last year, netting him two fines for what he called a mistake.
Details about the incident are emerging soon after U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) was cited for having a gun in a carry-on bag.
Van Orden, a Republican running to fill the seat being vacated by Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse, was cited in August for having a loaded 9mm Sig Sauer handgun in his bag at the security screening checkpoint at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, airport, according to court records.
Van Orden, of Prairie du Chien, entered a guilty plea in December. A magistrate ordered him to pay $360 and show he had taken a firearms safety course. He filed paperwork in April showing he had taken a class for a Wisconsin concealed weapons permit.
Separately, Van Orden was fined by the Transportation Security Administration, according to his campaign. The campaign and TSA did not provide details on the size of that fine, but TSA typically charges $4,100 for first offenses.
Van Orden declined to be interviewed, but his campaign released a statement that said he brought the gun to the airport checkpoint by mistake.
"Derrick Van Orden is a decorated Navy SEAL veteran with 5 deployments to combat zones who is an expert with firearms and firearm safety," the campaign statement said. "Derrick was traveling with his family and this situation was purely accidental. He fully cooperated and apologized to TSA for adding to the stress of their job, thanked them for the work they do keeping us safe, and it has been fully adjudicated."
TSA found 5,972 guns at checkpoints across the country last year. It hit a 20-year record as of the fall with three months left in the year, according to TSA.
Van Orden lost to Kind in 2020 and soon after launched his bid for the 2022 election. Kind announced he is not running in August, about three weeks before Van Orden was fined.
Democrats running for the seat are Eau Claire small business owner Rebecca Cooke, U.S. Navy veteran Brett Knudsen, La Crosse Ald. Mark Neumann, retired CIA officer Deb McGrath and state Sen. Brad Pfaff of Onalaska.
The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will face Van Orden in November. | 2022-05-09T17:17:29Z | www.jsonline.com | Congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden fined for gun in airport | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/05/09/congressional-candidate-derrick-van-orden-fined-gun-airport/9678273002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/05/09/congressional-candidate-derrick-van-orden-fined-gun-airport/9678273002/ |
Major League Baseball deployed its annual Mother's Day promotion for a 16th season Sunday, when players were outfitted with pink accents to their uniforms and pink game equipment.
It wasn't Milwaukee's best showing on the holiday, a 9-2 loss to the Braves.
The Brewers' record of 34-20 (.630) all-time on Mother's Day (coming into the loss) was the best record in the majors, according to Brewers media relations director Mike Vassallo.
But mention Mother's Day and Brewers baseball, and one memory immediately leaps to mind: Bill Hall in 2006. Even Andrew McCutchen, sidelined on the COVID-19 injured list, tweeted during the game a reference to Hall.
On May 14, 2006, Hall hit one of the most memorable walk-off homers in Brewers history, wielding a pink bat for the game-winning blast in the 10th inning against the New York Mets. It was the first year of the pink-bat promotion in Major League Baseball, and many players had used their pink bats for one or two at-bats before setting them aside for something more comfortable.
But not Hall. Despite three swinging strikeouts earlier in the game, Hall stayed with the uniquely colored lumber.
With his mother, Vergie, in the stands, Hall's opposite field blast gave the Brewers a 6-5 win. The bat itself was taken to be auctioned off for breast cancer research, but Vergie got to keep a replica.
Hall nearly made an acrobatic play to end the game in the ninth, but Prince Fielder couldn't corral a short hop throw at first base, allowing the tying run to score with two outs on Xavier Nady's infield single against Derrick Turnbow, marking Turnbow's first blown save of the year.
The Mets put two on with two outs in the top of the 10th against Jorge De La Rosa, but the lefty struck out Carlos Beltran to end the threat.
Hall came to bat with two down and nobody on base in the 10th, but he took a 2-0 pitch from Chad Bradford out for the unforgettable highlight. Milwaukee moved to 19-19 on the year.
And how about this? Milwaukee also won its next two games in walk-off fashion as well, both against Philadelphia.
Hall, who doubled leading off the ninth, was racing to third with nobody out of a 2-2 game when Damian Miller bunted, and an errant throw by Phillies pitcher Ryan Franklin allowed Hall to score the winning run.
One night later, the Phillies scored three runs in the ninth against Turnbow and Brian Shouse to tie the game at 7-7, but Geoff Jenkins won the game with an RBI single with two down in the bottom half. Hall batted right before Jenkins ... and was intentionally walked.
The Brewers finished the year 75-87, but it was definitely the year of Bill Hall, who hit 35 home runs that year to lead the team and drove in a squad-best 85 runs while posting an .899 OPS and playing several positions on the diamond, though mostly at shortstop. J.J. Hardy suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the first win over the Phillies, opening up a consistent spot on the diamond for Hall. | 2022-05-09T17:17:35Z | www.jsonline.com | Bill Hall Mother's Day pink bat heroics for Milwaukee Brewers | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/09/bill-hall-mothers-day-pink-bat-heroics-milwaukee-brewers/9704080002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/09/bill-hall-mothers-day-pink-bat-heroics-milwaukee-brewers/9704080002/ |
It’s fun to think about.
Twenty of the world’s most technically advanced race cars, screaming through the forest and fields on four miles of asphalt, as rural Sheboygan County takes part in the $5 billion circus that is Formula One.
Why not, right?
Road America is a great track and the most like the traditional European courses of any in the United States. It has a 66-year racing tradition and a fiercely loyal fanbase that includes plenty of world-class drivers.
So when a four-time world driving champion drops a casual reference, ears perk up. And on the surface, Sebastian Vettel was not wrong.
“Certainly the money that was spent to build this could have easily, you know, brought the standard up in great places, like Road America,” he said at the start of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix weekend.
“And from a driving point of view, I think they would be a lot more thrilling.”
Yes, it could, and yes, it would.
But hopefully no one was taking Vettel’s words as anything other than a compliment or the idea as anything more than an enjoyable dream.
In this day and age, the event Formula One would want to put on and the race Vettel envisions are entirely different animals.
Road America doesn’t have the resources of Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who reportedly spent $40 million to build a temporary circuit and stands — and even a fake marina — on the Hard Rock Stadium campus. If quaint Elkhart Lake has anything in common with glitzy Miami it’s a little patch of sand.
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“Are you going to get David Beckham and all those film stars to Elkhart Lake and Road America as opposed to downtown Miami? I don’t think so,” said David Hobbs, a former color commentator for American Formula One television broadcasts and competitor in seven grand prix races in the 1960s and '70s.
“That’s what Formula One wants more and more and more these days is the show. Whether they’re going to finally go overboard … well, it’s already spoiled as just a Formula One race, isn’t it? It’s a spectacle now.”
That’s not to say what happened Sunday in Miami was a bad thing.
The race was entertaining with teams split on strategies and tire choices and with an on-track pass for the lead and a good battle won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the reigning champion, over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the points leader.
“It was a hell of a lot better than I’d have thought,” said Hobbs, an Englishman who was drawn by Road America’s lure to settle in Wisconsin.
It just wasn’t at a place where a family of four can picnic without a four-figure tab or on a track where thousands of average Joes and Janes also have had the opportunity to turn a wheel in competition.
And that brings us to the other place Vettel’s flight of fancy and reality collide: the track itself.
Many of the characteristics that make Road America a proper road course worthy of a top-level race also make it a dinosaur in the modern F1 world.
It’s a marvelous, challenging combination of straights and corners of all types, but the lack of runoff area in the Kink would be a nonstarter, the effort to bring Turn 12 “up to standards” would require moving a hillside, and many an oak would become an afterthought.
Asphalt, concrete, artificial track limits and chain-link fencing are hardly what Vettel was thinking about.
In Miami, they took a parking lot and turned it into a racetrack. At Road America, the opposite would occur.
“(Formula One managers) kind of really do some funny things,” Hobbs said in a telephone conversation after the race.
“But when you’re Miami and the Miami Dolphins owner is coughing up millions to spruce the place up a bit, everything seems to take a bit of a backseat.”
Eighteen months from now, Las Vegas will try in a first-time nighttime race on the Strip to outdo whatever Miami has done in two tries.
The newest homes for Formula One in the United States are as synonymous with money and makeup as any two cities. The promotional arm of the sport already is spending $240 million on a 39-acre square of land east of the Strip to build permanent pits and paddock facilities. So expect to see Paris Hilton, Post Malone and a whole lot of other folks you’ll never see at Road America.
Driven by the popular Netflix series “Drive to Survive” — sort of a documentary/“Summer House” mashup — Formula One interest in the United States has grown exponentially in the past few years, especially among a desirable, younger audience.
Vettel, continuing his answer to a question about U.S. race venues, went on to concede he has a different perspective from people who are going to pay a thousand dollars for a ticket or use their status to hobnob with other A-listers in the paddock and at the parties.
“The last time I sat on the grandstand to watch the race was in 2001,” Vettel said, referencing the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim when he was 14. “So I guess it's more for the fans in a way to decide. But certainly from a racing and driving thrill, I'd love to go to proper tracks.”
If nothing else, Vettel’s comments and the Miami weekend had the racing community buzzing and in some cases turned the conversation toward events that actually do take place at Road America (such as the June 10-12 IndyCar weekend).
“If you love @F1, then you will love @IndyCar,” two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden tweeted. “I love and respect both. Seeing the rise in popularity for the F1 side is such a positive for open wheel racing as a whole.”
IndyCar driver Graham Rahal and his father, team owner and former driver Bobby Rahal, even offered to put Vettel in a car for a test at Road America.
It's hard to imagine such a drive actually happening, at least while Vettel is an active F1 driver. But it’s fun to imagine that, too. | 2022-05-09T17:17:41Z | www.jsonline.com | Sebastian Vettel says Formula One at Road America would be great | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/motor/2022/05/09/sebastian-vettel-says-formula-one-road-america-would-great/9700716002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/motor/2022/05/09/sebastian-vettel-says-formula-one-road-america-would-great/9700716002/ |
The Milwaukee Bucks held on to home-court advantage in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals with a 103-101 Game 3 victory over the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum.
But it was far too close for comfort.
The Bucks can take a commanding 3-1 lead in the playoff series with a victory Monday night, but it appears the betting industry doesn't exactly consider that a lock after Saturday afternoon's nerve-wracking conclusion.
Here's the skinny on the odds for Game 4, which is at 6:30 p.m. Monday night on TNT.
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They list the Bucks as a 1.5-point favorite. Milwaukee is -117 on the money line and Boston is -103. The over/under for the game is set at 211.5 points.
Milwaukee is a 1.5-point favorite. Max Stankey wrote: "After averaging 29.5 PPG against the Brooklyn Nets, Jayson Tatum is now averaging just 20.0 PPG against the Bucks and is coming off a 10-point showing in Game 3. But, aside from Game 3, he's been a phenomenal playmaker throughout the postseason. Tatum is averaging 6.6 APG and has put up at least 6 assists in five of his seven playoff games. Milwaukee has done an excellent job defending Boston's best perimeter threat, so look for him to be more of a playmaker in Game 4."
Jason Radowitz writes: "If the Celtics remain consistent and try to contain (Giannis) Antetokounmpo a little bit better as they did in Game 2, Boston could absolutely regain home-court advantage on Monday. The Celtics are playing more together while Antetokounmpo continues to play bully ball. Eventually, he’s going to foul out or take some bad shots for the Bucks and shoot them out of the game as he did in Game 2. So let’s take the Celtics to even up the series at two." | 2022-05-09T17:17:47Z | www.jsonline.com | What oddsmakers are saying about Game 4 of the Bucks-Celtics series | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/09/what-oddsmakers-saying-game-4-bucks-celtics-series/9700390002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/09/what-oddsmakers-saying-game-4-bucks-celtics-series/9700390002/ |
The Kettle Moraine High School of Health Sciences has been ranked as the best high school in the state of Wisconsin for 2022, according to U.S. News and World Report.
The school, a public charter school on Kettle Moraine High School's campus in Wales, is part of the Kettle Moraine School District. It was among several suburban Milwaukee high schools in the top 10 in the state, as ranked by the U.S. News and World Report. It was given an overall score of 99.26.
Cedarburg High School ranked second in the state, with a score of 98.69.
Cedarburg School District superintendent Todd Bugnacki said in a district news release that the achievement recognizes "the extraordinary work" of the district's teachers and students.
"While we don’t seek out these accolades, our schools can celebrate many points of pride," he said in the release. "Our passionate teachers, committed students, and supportive parents contribute to a healthy and vibrant learning environment.
"We are fortunate to be in a community that values a standard of educational excellence that celebrates everyone’s success. It’s rewarding that our efforts are recognized by respected entities."
Cedarburg High School principal Casey Bowe said in the release, "Anyone fortunate enough to walk these halls and spend time with our students and staff already knows Cedarburg High School is a special place. Being recognized as one of the very best schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report is confirmation we aren't unrealistic in our beliefs.
"We want to share our praise with our community, families, and school staff, whose support, hard work, and dedication pave the way for accolades such as this. Of course, the biggest congratulations to all of our students who make us look forward to coming to school every day and whose daily achievement is truly prestigious.”
Whitefish Bay High School took third with a score of 98.61, while New Berlin Eisenhower Middle/High School took fifth with a score of 98.04 behind fourth-place Lakeview Technology Academy in Pleasant Prairie (98.12). Homestead High School in Mequon was sixth with a score of 97.81 to round out the suburban Milwaukee area high schools within the top 10 in the state.
Other high schools in the top 25: Carmen High School of Science and Technology in Milwaukee Public Schools in 10th place (97.33); Brookfield East in 11th (with a score of 97.21); Shorewood in 12th (97.06); Brookfield Central in 13th (97.05); Waunakee in 14th place (96.83); Arrowhead in 15th (96.67); Reagan College Preparatory in 16th (96.29); Pewaukee in 17th place (95.65); Grafton in 18th place (95.36); Platteville in 19th (95.33); New Berlin Middle/High School in 20th place (95.2); Nicolet in 21st place (94.89); Madison West in 22nd (94.71); Sussex Hamilton in 23rd place (94.69); Germantown in 24th (94.64) and Menomonee Falls in 25th (94.42).
Calculating the data
U.S. News ranked about 17,840 of nearly 24,000 reviewed public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It worked with RTI International, a nonprofit social science research firm, and ranked schools based on factors including college readiness, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rate. Schools were ranked among schools in their respective states, as well as nationally and by metropolitan area.
For its 2022 data, U.S. News "adjusted its calculation of these measures to account for the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on schools in the 2019-2020 school year, according to its website.
"With most states closing schools for in-person instruction beginning in March 2020 — typically just before most states conduct assessments — the U.S. Department of Education granted waivers allowing all states to forego state testing for the 2019-2020 school year," U.S. News said.
To account for the lack of 2019-20 assessment data, U.S. News "relied on historic assessment data from the three prior ranking years while also incorporating for the first time state science assessment data from the 2018-2019 school year to capture a broader measure of student learning."
U.S. News also used 2019-20 scores of 12th-grade students for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam data to make calculations, according to its website.
To see U.S. News and World Report's complete list of Wisconsin high schools, visit www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/wisconsin/rankings. For more information on the methodology used to complete the state and national rankings, visit www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/how-us-news-calculated-the-rankings. | 2022-05-09T21:15:31Z | www.jsonline.com | Area high schools ranked among best high schools in state by US News | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/09/area-high-schools-ranked-among-best-high-schools-state-us-news/9680541002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/09/area-high-schools-ranked-among-best-high-schools-state-us-news/9680541002/ |
Composer Raven Chacon has won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in music for a composition that Milwaukee's Present Music premiered in 2021.
Chacon's "Voiceless Mass" was commissioned by the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ, Plymouth Church UCC and Present Music. Present Music premiered it at its annual Thanksgiving-themed concert in November 2021 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
In its citation, the Pulitzer jury called "Voiceless Mass" "a mesmerizing, original work for organ and ensemble that evokes the weight of history in a church setting, a concentrated and powerful musical expression with a haunting visceral impact."
During a pre-concert interview in 2021, Chacon described "Voiceless Mass" as a work for organ and ensemble that lasts 17 to 20 minutes, constantly moving and shifting. In composing it, he thought about the way cathedrals are designed to amplify voice and sound. He also thought about the desire some people express "to give voice to the voiceless, but not necessarily cede space to those same voices."
In the same interview, Chacon said the original impulse that stirred him into music as a boy was curiosity about what musical instruments can do.
MORE:Guest composer creates 'Voiceless Mass' for Present Music's Thanksgiving concert
Chacon has composed dozens of works for choirs and instruments, even a chorale for docked ships with fog horns. But "Voiceless Mass" was his first chance to write for pipe organ.
Chacon is a member of the Diné (Navajo) people. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. | 2022-05-09T21:15:37Z | www.jsonline.com | Pulitzer Prize winner for music premiered at Milwaukee cathedral | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/05/09/pulitzer-prize-winner-music-premiered-milwaukee-cathedral/9709041002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/05/09/pulitzer-prize-winner-music-premiered-milwaukee-cathedral/9709041002/ |
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals broke ground on a major $220 million project in Verona on Monday with financial help from state and local officials.
Gov. Tony Evers announced the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is providing $2.5 million in performance-based tax credits to Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals.
The city of Verona is also providing up to $16 million in tax incremental financing to help support the project. The endeavor plans to create more than 230 "high-paying jobs."
“In the last few years, Wisconsin has been recognized as a powerhouse not just for discovering the latest advances in biopharmaceutical research and development but in manufacturing and producing these lifesaving treatments as well,” Evers said.
“That means that companies like Arrowhead can research new therapies for debilitating diseases, bring them to market, and manufacture them all right here in Wisconsin. To me, that’s pretty remarkable and worth investing in. So, I’m proud to celebrate our state’s investment of $2.5 million in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals’ project to expand its presence here in Wisconsin and create good-paying jobs for Wisconsinites.”
“WEDC is pleased to partner with Arrowhead because they have the potential to transform health care, and all of our lives, through innovation, persistence and collaboration,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC.
“Arrowhead joins a growing list of biopharmaceutical companies that have chosen to locate in Wisconsin because of the strategic investments our state has made in worker education and training, infrastructure and strong communities in recent years.”
More:Wisconsin's largest solar farm will be constructed on nearly 5,000 acres in Dane County
More:Early-stage companies had a record year in Wisconsin. Here's how some of the top companies did.
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, based in southern California, broke ground on a new campus in Verona on Monday. The campus plans to consist of a 125,000-square-foot laboratory and office facility, and a second 160,000-square-foot drug manufacturing facility.
“We have seen firsthand the tremendous value that the Wisconsin biotech ecosystem can afford a nimble and aggressive company like Arrowhead,” said Christopher Anzalone, president and CEO of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals. “The local community has supported us graciously over the last decade, so we look forward to this expansion contributing to the further growth in the region as we work to make medicines with a potential global impact.”
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is developing new medicines for intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. It does this by tapping into a process called RNA interference, or RNAi. RNAi is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein.
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals’ therapies trigger the RNAi mechanism in cells to reduce the amount of a target protein produced. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is conducting clinical trials all over the world to create potential medicines for cardiovascular, liver, lung and muscle diseases, as well as for cancer. | 2022-05-09T21:15:43Z | www.jsonline.com | Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals breaks ground on $220 million Verona campus | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2022/05/09/arrowhead-pharmaceuticals-breaks-ground-220-million-verona-campus/9703915002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2022/05/09/arrowhead-pharmaceuticals-breaks-ground-220-million-verona-campus/9703915002/ |
Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is adding more than 1,800 slot machines, a Starbucks Coffee outlet — and a restaurant affiliated with two members of the rock band KISS.
Those features will be built on the third floor of the casino, 1721 W. Canal St., in a $100 million renovation project that's to be completed by spring 2023.
The additional slot machine stations will include a new bar with 28 bar-top “slot seats," a new feature for Potawatomi, according to a Monday announcement. The new project will give the casino around 3,000 slots.
Also, Potawatomi is adding a full-service Starbucks as well as a Rock & Brews, a rock music-themed restaurant chain co-founded by musicians Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, from KISS.
Rock & Brews will be located just off the parking ramp skywalk as guests enter the casino. It will include classic American food, a large variety of local and craft beers and a stage for live music.
A groundbreaking for the new restaurant will take place at 3 p.m. Wednesday, with Stanley and Simmons scheduled to appear.
The casino also will open three new “quick service” food and beverage stations, where guests can grab a bite or have food delivered to their gaming station, and a new gift shop.
Finally, Potawatomi is adding a new room for high-limit gamblers. It will feature a craft bar, gourmet kitchen featuring a brick oven and a stage for live performances.
The new features are renovating third-floor space that had housed a bingo hall, poker room, off-track betting facility, gift shop, a food court, Bella Italiana restaurant and some banquet space, said Ryan Amundson, the casino's corporate communications/issues manager.
The casino is looking for new locations for bingo and poker, Amundson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“Not only will this elevate the brand, it will further our long-standing status as the premier entertainment destination in the region as the market becomes significantly more competitive," said property Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Dominic Ortiz, in a statement.
Greenfire Management Services of Milwaukee, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Potawatomi Business Development Corp., is teaming with Gilbane Building Services as the general contractors on the project. I-5 Design Build will serve as architect.
The announcement comes as the casino also plans to add a sports betting area under a February agreement between the tribe and Gov. Tony Evers.
Additional information about that project, including its location at the casino, has yet to be announced. It would cover a variety of sports, including a new off-track betting parlor for horse racing. | 2022-05-09T21:15:49Z | www.jsonline.com | Potawatomi Casino adding 1,800 slots, Starbucks and a rock restaurant | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2022/05/09/potawatomi-casino-adding-1-800-slots-starbucks-and-restaurant-kiss-gene-simmons-paul-stanley/9704700002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2022/05/09/potawatomi-casino-adding-1-800-slots-starbucks-and-restaurant-kiss-gene-simmons-paul-stanley/9704700002/ |
Officials with the city’s police, fire and violence prevention departments appeared with members of the United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee to announce gun locks will be available for free at six new locations and encourage residents to take advantage.
The new locations include community centers on Milwaukee's north, northwest, west and south sides.
“Every single gun owner has a moral obligation to make sure their firearm is secure,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. “Under no circumstances should a gun be within reach of a child.”
But the benefits of a gun lock do not stop at preventing their access to children, officials argued. They can make it less likely a gun will be stolen and could prevent someone carrying a gun to make impulsive decisions.
“If you can add one more step to give a person just a few seconds to think about what they’re doing, we are adding another few seconds of consideration that fatal violence may not be the answer,” Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said.
The announcement comes after another violent weekend in Milwaukee. Police reported 14 shootings from Friday through Sunday in which 18 people were injured and 16-year-old Javarius D. Fowler was killed.
Fowler died in a shooting that erupted Saturday afternoon outside a McDonald’s restaurant on the 4900 block of West Hampton Avenue. Multiple people exchanged gunfire, also injuring a 14-year-old and another male were also injured.
Local officials have consistently pointed toward the access of guns as one factor driving a historic violent crime rate in Milwaukee, and the nation, since 2020.
As of Sunday, police reported 71 homicides in Milwaukee this year, compared to 51 as of the same date in 2021. More than 90% of homicides in 2021 and so far in 2022 are firearm-related, according to police.
Where to find free gun locks
United Neighborhood Center of Milwaukee, 1609 W. North Avenue.
City on a Hill, 2224 W. Kilbourn Avenue, during outreach events on the second Saturday of each month.
Milwaukee Christian Center, 807 S. 14th Street, at their food pantry, which operates Monday through Thursday, from 1 to 3 p.m.
Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, 2819 W. Richardson Place.
Neu-Life Community Development, 2014 W. North Avenue.
Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, 5460 N 64th Street.
COA Youth and Family Centers, 909 E. Garfield Ave. and 2320 W. Burleigh St.
Northcott Neighborhood House, 2460 N. 6th St.
Journey House, 2110 W. Scott St.
All Milwaukee Fire Department stations and health centers run by the Milwaukee Health Department also hand out free gun locks. Directories for fire stations and health centers are available online.
How to safely store guns
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, roughly a third of U.S. homes with children have guns, and even young toddlers are capable of finding unlocked guns and are strong enough to pull the trigger.
In homes with guns, the likelihood of an accidental death by a gun is four times higher. The most effective way to prevent unintentional shootings is the absence of guns in homes.
But for those that do have them, the academy recommends guns be locked away and ammunition locked and stored separately. Children and teens should not be able to unlock the boxes that store firearms and guns that are loaded and unlocked should not be stored in a car or anywhere else on your property.
The academy recommends guns be unloaded any time they are set down. | 2022-05-09T21:15:55Z | www.jsonline.com | Where to find free gun locks in Milwaukee | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/09/where-find-free-gun-locks-milwaukee/9702189002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/05/09/where-find-free-gun-locks-milwaukee/9702189002/ |
MADISON – Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels said Monday the last presidential election might have been stolen despite repeated findings it was conducted fairly.
Michels, a co-owner of a family construction business, is the latest Republican to join a crowded field for governor with an argument that the 2020 election was deeply flawed.
In an interview on WTAQ-AM, Michels said he wanted to see if he could make changes to the Wisconsin Elections Commission before deciding whether to dissolve it and criticized Assembly Speaker Robin Vos by saying he hoped the Rochester Republican could eventually achieve a passing grade.
Asked by conservative host Joe Giganti if he believed the election was stolen, Michels said, "Maybe."
"Certainly, there was a lot of bad stuff that happened," he said. "There was certainly illegal ballots. How many? I don't know if Justice Gableman knows. I don't know if anybody knows."
Gableman has been conducting a review of the election at taxpayer expense on behalf of Assembly Republicans. His work is expected to cost $676,000.
Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in Wisconsin by about 21,000 votes. Federal judges and the state Supreme Court upheld Biden's victory. Nonpartisan legislative auditors and a conservative group issued separate reports that found no evidence of significant fraud.
At a campaign stop in Sheboygan on Saturday, Michels suggested the way the election was conducted kept Trump from winning.
"President Trump probably would be president right now if we had election integrity," Michels said on Saturday, according to a recording of his remarks.
The other Republicans running for governor have remained skeptical of the 2020 election and have gone further than Michels in making it a campaign issue. The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in November.
State Rep. Tim Ramthun of Campbellsport has led an effort to try to decertify the results, which constitutional scholars say is legally impossible.
Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch initially said Biden won but months later would not say whether she would have certified the results if she had been governor. Last month she called the election "rigged."
Management consultant Kevin Nicholson has called the election poorly conducted and, like Kleefisch and Ramthun, called for getting rid of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
In his interview Monday, Michels suggested he would want to dissolve the commission only as a last resort, saying he would use the strategies he does at Michels Corp. to figure out what to do.
"I'll look at WEC," Michels said. "Let's see what going on there. If we can fix it as is, then let's fix it as is. If it can't be fixed, we'll get rid of it. But at Michels Corp., we just don't throw something out the window right away because it's not working. We've got to work hard to fix things."
Republican lawmakers voted to create the commission in 2015 to replace a board that they viewed as biased against them. Many of them have since come to distrust the commission, which consists of three Republicans and three Democrats.
Vos and other legislative leaders have said they want to keep the commission, but some Republicans have pushed for handing its duties over to a new agency or the secretary of state.
Michels said he would work with Vos or whoever leads the Assembly if he wins the governor's race.
"I don't know if he's reformable or not, but we'll try," Michels said. "Before we terminate someone at Michels, we sit down, we give them a lot of counseling. ... I think with some leadership maybe we can get him to a passing grade."
Asked if that comment meant he views Vos as currently failing, Michels said, "I didn't say that."
Ramthun and Nicholson have taken a hard line against Vos, in part because Vos took away one of Ramthun's legislative aides in January. Kleefisch has ties to Vos but disagreed with him over getting rid of Ramthun's aide and has said Republicans need to "choose wisely" when they hold a vote for speaker next year.
Michels opposes legalizing pot
Also in the Monday interview, Michels said he opposed legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational purposes.
"I think it's all a slippery slope," he said. "I really do. There's a thousand medicines out there today. I think marijuana, medical marijuana, is just hiding behind the path for legalization of marijuana." | 2022-05-09T21:16:08Z | www.jsonline.com | Tim Michels says 'maybe' election was stolen despite court rulings | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/05/09/tim-michels-says-maybe-election-stolen-despite-court-rulings/9705815002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/05/09/tim-michels-says-maybe-election-stolen-despite-court-rulings/9705815002/ |
You'll have to enjoy the nice weather outside another day so you don't miss any of Game 4 between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics.
Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between No. 3 Milwaukee and the second-seeded Boston Celtics is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks lead the best-of-seven series, 2-1. | 2022-05-09T21:16:32Z | www.jsonline.com | Bucks vs. Celtics NBA playoff Game 4: how to watch on TV, live stream | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/09/bucks-vs-celtics-nba-playoff-game-4-how-watch-tv-live-stream-may-9-2022/9707260002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/09/bucks-vs-celtics-nba-playoff-game-4-how-watch-tv-live-stream-may-9-2022/9707260002/ |
Journal Sentinel's 'Wires and Fires' investigation named Pulitzer Prize finalist for Public Service
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been named a Pulitzer Prize finalist for its investigation into deadly electrical fires.
The Pulitzer committee announced Monday that “Wires and Fires,” an investigation last year by reporters Raquel Rutledge, John Diedrich and Daphne Chen into how electrical code violations and fatal fires are rampant in the city's poorest neighborhoods, is a finalist for the Gold Medal for Public Service.
The Washington Post, for its coverage of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, won the Gold Medal for Public Service.
The New York Times also was named a finalist in the category for challenging official accounts of American military engagement in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
The judges cited the Journal Sentinel "for powerful coverage that exposed an unknown epidemic of electrical fires in the city’s rental properties and a widespread lack of accountability."
"The Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service is the highest honor in journalism," Journal Sentinel Editor George Stanley said. "It's great to see our staff's work recognized alongside the New York Times and the Washington Post's truly extraordinary coverage of the assault on our nation's Capitol last Jan. 6."
"Most importantly, their work has prompted the public to demand changes that will protect people from fatal dangers hiding behind the walls of rental homes in Milwaukee," Stanley said.
The Journal Sentinel has been named a Pulitzer Prize finalist 10 times in the 21st century in categories including investigative reporting and feature writing. It has won the prize three times.
The series found that suspected electrical fires ravaged rental units in Milwaukee’s most impoverished neighborhoods at five times the rate of the rest of the city. A master electrician hired by the Journal Sentinel to inspect homes found numerous electrical problems.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called the Journal Sentinel’s findings "gut-wrenching," and local and state officials vowed action. Elected leaders and community activists have advanced solutions, such as restoring inspections, requiring landlords to carry insurance and educating the public on the dangers of faulty electrical systems.
“Wires and Fires” also won a first-place award in health-science reporting from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing and a first-place award from Investigative Reporters and Editors.
The project was also a finalist for Harvard University’s Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. | 2022-05-10T00:44:17Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's 'Wires and Fires' named Pulitzer finalist | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2022/05/09/milwaukee-journal-sentinels-wires-and-fires-named-pulitzer-finalist/9708138002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2022/05/09/milwaukee-journal-sentinels-wires-and-fires-named-pulitzer-finalist/9708138002/ |
CINCINNATI – For the first time in his major-league career, Rowdy Tellez is playing every day at first base.
And so far, he's made the most of his opportunity, hitting .258 with seven home runs while leading the Milwaukee Brewers with 24 runs batted in and an OPS of .887.
"Players earn that," manager Craig Counsell said in advance of his team's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night at Great American Ball Park. "That's something that has to be earned."
Tellez earned a major honor Monday as well, being named the player of the week in the National League after batting .321 with three home runs, 12 runs batted in and an OPS of 1.107 in helping the Brewers to a 4-2 record.
Most of the damage incurred by Tellez came last Tuesday, when he slugged a pair of home runs and set a Brewers record by driving in eight runs to power an 18-4 victory over the Reds at American Family Field.
Seven of Tellez's nine hits for the week were for extra bases.
“I don’t think it ever wavers," Tellez said when asked where his confidence level is this season as he's become one of the foundational pieces of Counsell's daily lineups.
"My confidence is always pretty high, regardless of whether I’m doing good or not. I think the confidence, for me, comes not with numbers, but with consistent at-bats. The numbers are always going to keep you confident, but being able to get the numbers and the consistent, good at-bats.
"Look at games I’m 0-for – there are still two good at-bats; I’m hitting the ball hard at least twice a day. I think when you have a team that has that kind of confidence in you as a player, to be in the lineup every day, it breeds confidence in the individual as well."
Tellez, a first-time winner of the award, gives the Brewers consecutive NL players of the week with Willy Adames having earned the honor previously.
More:The Brewers wore their traditional pink again on Mother's Day, which gives us a chance to talk about Bill Hall
It marks only the fifth time Brewers players have accomplished the feat in back-to-back weeks, with Lyle Overbay and Ben Sheets the last to do it in 2004.
Larry Hisle and Don Money (1978), Jim Gantner and Robin Yount (1987) and Paul Molitor (two straight weeks in 1987) were the others.
Pitcher José Ureña moves on
José Ureña cleared waivers on Monday, was outrighted to Class AAA Nashville and elected free agency, ending his tenure with the club.
The right-hander was signed to a minor-league contract March 29, selected to the 40-man roster a day later and made the opening-day roster despite pitching only once in Cactus League play.
He didn't impress in four outings this season, posting a 3.52 earned run average and WHIP of 1.57 with five strikeouts in 7⅔ innings.
He lost his roster spot last Monday when Luis Urías was reinstated from the injured list.
"Look, he just didn't pitch a lot with the way we were structured and the way we were pitching," Counsell said. "We didn't see a lot of him, and we had to make a decision without seeing a lot.
"It's obviously a right and a decision that players have (to elect to move on), and we wish him all the best." | 2022-05-10T00:44:29Z | www.jsonline.com | Rowdy Tellez becomes Brewers' second consecutive NL player of the week | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/09/rowdy-tellez-becomes-brewers-second-consecutive-nl-player-week/9701146002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/09/rowdy-tellez-becomes-brewers-second-consecutive-nl-player-week/9701146002/ |
Severe thunderstorms are possible across the Milwaukee area on Tuesday as well as for much of southern and central Wisconsin.
The main threats are damaging winds and large hail. The area of most concern among forecasters is north of I-94, said Rebecca Hansen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sullivan.
"Be weather aware," she said. "The storms could get a bit feisty in the late afternoon or early evening."
Some of the cities included in the areas of most concern are Milwaukee, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Appleton, Oshkosh, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids and Madison.
All of this is being caused by a cold front that is poised to collide with unseasonably warm, humid air that is flowing up into Wisconsin from the Gulf of Mexico.
"We sort of skipped spring and went straight into summer," Hansen said. "With the warmer and more humid air, there are more chances for thunderstorms."
The cold front that is set to move through won't be enough to overpower all that warm air, but it will be enough to potentially stir up some storms.
"It looks like the peak (time for thunderstorms) is going to be between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., but storms could linger a little longer than that," on Tuesday, Hansen said.
Storms are expected to initially pop up and be isolated along the front. "During that initial period, we can't rule out a tornado," Hansen added.
Eventually, the thunderstorms are expected to become more numerous and could form into a line of storms along the front, Hansen said.
Warmth will hang around all week
While storms are expected to fire up along a cold front on Tuesday, the front won't be strong enough to overcome the summer-like weather that is forecast for the week throughout much of Wisconsin.
Highs away from Lake Michigan are forecast to reach into the 80s on Tuesday.
The high on Tuesday in Waukesha is forecast to be 83. The high in Milwaukee on Tuesday is forecast to be 76.
The humidity will be rising along with the temperatures. Madison is forecast to hit a high of 89 degrees on Thursday and some folks will no doubt be switching on their air conditioners for the first time this year.
The summer-like temperatures are expected to remain in place at least through the end of the workweek, according to the weather service.
"It's going to get warm," Hansen said. "It's everybody's favorite time of year: Cooler by the lake." | 2022-05-10T03:46:49Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee area, much of Wisconsin could see severe storms Tuesday | https://www.jsonline.com/story/weather/2022/05/09/milwaukee-area-much-wisconsin-could-see-severe-storms-tuesday/9709525002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/weather/2022/05/09/milwaukee-area-much-wisconsin-could-see-severe-storms-tuesday/9709525002/ |
The Milwaukee Bucks are jet-setting again.
The Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks will play two exhibition games in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, the NBA announced early Tuesday morning.
The league announced its partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi in November to bring the NBA to the Arabian Gulf for the first time. Tickets have not gone on sale, but fans can register at www.nba.com/abudhabi for information as it is released, including pre-sale access.
Other NBA-related events will take place around the games, such as junior leagues, an NBA 2K video game exhibition and fitness clinics.
This will be the third time the Bucks have played internationally since Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted in 2013.
The team played in London on Jan. 15, 2015, beating the New York Knicks 95-79. They were then a part of the first NBA regular season game in Paris on Jan. 24, 2020, when they played the Charlotte Hornets.
The league shut down less than two months after that game due to the global coronavirus pandemic and did not have any international competitions this season. but NBA commissioner Adam Silver had hoped the league could resume games for the 2022-23 campaign.
On April 6, Silver was asked about holding competitions in the UAE even though the country has criminalized the LGBTQ+ community as well committing other “significant human rights issues,” per a 2020 report by the United States Department of State.
“It’s a fair question,” Silver said. “We continue to believe that using sports, using basketball, we can improve people’s lives through sport and that, as Nelson Mandela famously said, sport can change the world. I think that we bring our games all over the world.
“I mean, part of why we choose certain markets is of course economics. There’s no question about that. It’s enormously expensive and resource-driven to bring teams around the world. We also want to try bringing our games to places we haven’t been before, and the Middle East is one of those markets. | 2022-05-10T09:03:59Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks to play 2 preseason games in Abu Dhabi | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/10/milwaukee-bucks-atlanta-hawks-play-2-preseason-games-abu-dhabi/9707946002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/10/milwaukee-bucks-atlanta-hawks-play-2-preseason-games-abu-dhabi/9707946002/ |
Drive into the city of Oconomowoc on Highway 16 in spring, and there's a fair chance you'll see a pop-up greenhouse on the side of the road.
A vibrant array of flowers and plants line the shelves inside and outside, drawing loyal and new customers looking to spice up their gardens. While the colors and variety catch the eye, one of the most unique features sits beside the register: a large Mason jar with a child's photo and story affixed to it.
It's a tradition Sandy Marchese, who runs the stand, has cherished for the past five seasons. Each year, she seeks out a child in the area whose family might be in need. In past years, she's done this via word of mouth, referrals and talking to people coming in.
Once she's decided, she sets out the jar, watches it fill up and crochets a blanket to give to the child.
"That's why I do this. To let the family know they are not alone, and bring the child to the people because the people really do care," said Marchese, of Summit. "There’s so many good people in this world. We’re so used to seeing all the doom and gloom in the world that we forget how many good people are really out there."
Her customers have rallied around this annual act. For six weeks starting in April each year, the jar fills up over and over again. Regulars already know to ask Marchese about this year's choice, and new customers are welcomed to listen to Marchese share the story while checking out. Most put in their change or a few dollars. Others have donated as much as $100.
"That's just how people are around here; they want to help," Marchese said. "They're just good people."
At the end of the season, she'll present the jar and the blanket to the family — something she has done every year since she was inspired to start the project in 2017 after a chance encounter with a grandmother and her granddaughter.
What planted the seed
Marchese has managed her stand since 2014 after leaving her job as outdoor plant manager for Stein's Garden & Home. In her first year, she worked for Jim Stamper of Stamper's Greenhouse. A family friend, it took only one season for Stamper to ask Marchese to become his partner and the sole operator of the Oconomowoc stand (there are two other Stamper's stands: in Sauk City and Waunakee).
With decades of gardening expertise, Marchese can answer any question about every plant in stock. It's why she draws big crowds each season, and she remembers everyone and their stories.
She especially remembers when Julie Klug and her granddaughter Mirabel stopped by the stand in 2017. Mirabel, who was 5 at the time, had the biggest smile on her face, Marchese recalled.
"This little girl had such a happiness and glow to her that just kind of pulled you in," Marchese said. "So I told her to go pick out a pack of flowers, and she picked purple petunias because her favorite color was purple."
As this happened, Marchese was talking with Julie. That's when Marchese learned that Mirabel was battling cancer, a form that had kept popping up in the child's life. The family had been through a lot because of it, yet Mirabel was always smiling.
Touched by the story, Marchese asked if she could help.
"I asked her (Julie) if it would be OK to set out a Mason jar with Mirabel's picture so people could throw their change in there," Marchese said. "People started filling it right away."
In addition to the jar, Marchese also decided to crochet a purple blanket for Mirabel, inspired by her favorite color. At the end of the season, the jar had about $200 in it.
"They came to the stand, and I handed them the jar and said this is for you, do whatever you need to," Marchese said. "If you want to pay bills, if you want to set up an account for Mirabel, whatever you want to do. This is for her."
The gesture meant the world to the family. Although Mirabel died later that year, they stayed in touch with Marchese and continue to contribute to and support the jar for the families Marchese has helped since.
But that one moment, as well as the others that inspire her to put the jar out every year, keep Marchese coming back each year.
"Mirabel planted that seed in me," Marchese said. "I just want to share that with the community."
Being a messenger
Putting out the jar seems like a simple act, but the effect on the family that receives the fruits of this small act of kindness is vast.
Last year, Marchese raised about $600 for the family. Marchese said the families often return to pay it forward, and she commends every regular who comes in now, asking before they get to the counter who this year's child is.
"A lot of people come to me and say, "What you're doing is amazing,' and 'you're a hero,'" Marchese said. "The hero is the child going through this. The heroes are the parents dealing with this. The heroes are the people in the community who open their hearts to these children. I'm just the messenger. I'm just getting the message out. That's all it is."
This year's child
This year's child is Chloe Lundy of Dousman. The 14-year-old was born with infant Pompe disease. Diagnosed at 8 days old, she was given six to nine months to live. Chloe has surpassed that but still lives with the condition, which affects her muscles, heart and lungs. She has had numerous surgeries and is limited in what she can do because she has zero immune system.
Marchese found the story by posting on a Waukesha County Facebook group. When she heard Lundy's story, Marchese approached the family about having Chloe be this year's recipient.
The stand opened April 28 and will operate until flowers run out, which Marchese said is usually around the second week of June. The stand is open for 11 to 12 hours daily, starting in the morning and going until about 9 p.m.
At the end of the season, Marchese will deliver the jar to the Lundy family. Usually, the family comes to the stand. Because of Chloe's condition, Marchese will go to her this year.
"When it's time, I smoosh all of the money down into the jar, nice and tight, and I meet with the family and give them the jar and the blanket," Marchese said. | 2022-05-10T11:23:10Z | www.jsonline.com | Annual tradition at Oconomowoc flower stand helps local child in need | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/10/annual-tradition-oconomowoc-flower-stand-helps-local-child-need/9702943002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/05/10/annual-tradition-oconomowoc-flower-stand-helps-local-child-need/9702943002/ |
In the North American touring company of the musical "Cats," Milwaukee native Indalecio De Jesús Valentín is the chief, Old Deuteronomy, the elder who will decide which Jellicle cat gets to have another life.
"He is wise and loving and commanding," with understanding and empathy for all the kitties, Valentín said.
Valentín returns home to perform Tuesday through Sunday at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, 929 N. Water St., as part of its Broadway series. His cluster of family and friends in the audience could include some of the former students he taught or coached at several local schools, including Notre Dame School of Milwaukee.
The "Cats" tour publicity proudly proclaims that Valentín is the first Latino actor to play Old Deuteronomy in a national production.
"That means I get to be what I never got to see on stage when I was studying musical theater," he said.
"That's really what pushes me through a lot of performances on this tour," he continued. "Seeing one little brown face in a box on the side or seeing just like the one girl with her natural hair sitting next to her dad."
More:Milwaukee Rep goes 'Zing' with powerhouse Judy Garland show, 'Get Happy'
More:Wisconsin arts and culture sector is rebounding, but movie theaters are still hurting, new fiscal report says
Valentín also sees himself as adding to the legacy of Ken Page, the first person of color to play the Old Deuteronomy role. "And I'm proud of that."
He makes a tangible connection to his role's legacy each time he puts on Old Deuteronomy's shaggy costume, which has been worn by several previous performers. "It's huge and it's fuzzy and it's very warm, and it has withstood the test of time," he said.
It's also lighter than it might appear: Valentin weighed it recently at 13 pounds.
"Cats," which premiered on London's West End in 1981, is a familiar musical to many, especially for the frequently performed ballad "Memory." Does Valentín have any secret tips for watching the show?
Many characters in the musical have different levels of relationships within the show, he said. "If you watch closely, you could see more than one story happening throughout the entire thing."
Impishly, he also said that Old Deuteronomy has three sons among the cats in the show, but audience members will have to watch to figure out who they are.
The national touring company performs "Cats" May 10-15 at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, visit marcuscenter.org or call (414) 273-7206. | 2022-05-10T11:23:22Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee native Indalecio De Jesus Valentin is top feline in 'Cats' | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2022/05/10/milwaukee-native-indalecio-de-jesus-valentin-top-feline-cats/9673494002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2022/05/10/milwaukee-native-indalecio-de-jesus-valentin-top-feline-cats/9673494002/ |
Wisconsin's pristine Driftless Area will soon be home to a new industrial farm capable of producing thousands of pigs, after the Department of Natural Resources approved its pollutant discharge permit.
The approval allows the farm to move forward with the construction of its new facility, without any requirements for monitoring water quality in the area, nor limiting the number of animals allowed to be housed on the property.
Roth Feeder Pig II, owned by Howard "AV" Roth, will produce up to 140,000 weaned piglets a year, which will then be transported to other farms to be raised for meat production. The farm will also house about 5,100 female pigs and about 50 boars, in addition to other pigs.
Some residents of Crawford County, where the farm will be built, are worried that having an additional hog concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO, will have negative impacts on a region known for its cold, clear trout streams and uninterrupted rolling hills.
Crawford County is already home to another hog CAFO, also owned by Roth. Roth Feeder Pig opened in 2010, and residents say they're already concerned about the impacts that farm is causing to the area.
More:Crawford County residents are worried about their water. To keep it clean, they want to prevent more factory farms from starting.
The Driftless Area, while known for its hills and water, also has a unique geological makeup. Beneath the soil, different types of rock give the area the clean, crisp water it's known for, but that same rock and thin layers of topsoil also make the area susceptible to pollution from manure.
Many of the residents in Crawford County rely on private wells that pull water from the ground that isn't receiving the same type of filtration as water that goes through a municipal treatment plant.
Residents like Jahnke are worried that liquid manure could be over-applied to fields as fertilizer, and potentially sink down into the groundwater, or that if spread at the wrong time, could run off of the soil and into streams and rivers.
In the documents accompanying the permit, the DNR addressed many concerns raised by the community during the comment period, including worries that the liquid manure generated at the industrial farm will harm surface and groundwater in the area.
According to the DNR, the farm will generate more than 9.4 million gallons of liquid manure a year, and will then apply that liquid manure to about 1,300 acres. The farm will consist of three barns, a composting building and an equipment shed, with manure collection tanks under the barns, where manure will be kept until it is able to be spread on fields in the area.
According to the documents, the agency believes that as long as the farm follows the nutrient management plans, there will be no issues for water.
The farm would employ 14 people full-time with an annual payroll of $900,000 a year, documents say. Roth has said his operation would be a good steward of the land.
Jahnke and others in the Crawford County stewardship program have already been monitoring the water quality around the existing farm, and have found evidence of contaminants such as phosphorous and E.coli in small creeks during sampling paid for out of pocket by the stewardship program.
The DNR doesn't typically test those types of small surface waters, Jahnke said, and he's worried those small creeks could have an impact on other larger bodies of water in the area, like the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers and other wetlands nearby the planned farm.
"At the end of the day, these bigger rivers are made up of all the tiny creeks that flow into them," he said.
In the permitting documents, the DNR notes the concerns residents have raised over water quality, but said that the nutrient management program should prevent issues.
Currently, there are 251 permitted CAFOs in Wisconsin, according to information from the DNR. Each CAFO with a certain number of animals must apply for a Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, which are renewed every five years.
The permit requires several different steps, including a nutrient management plan, an environmental analysis, manure storage calculations, and other plans and specifications for the structures and systems that will be in place on the property.
Aside from the Roth Feeder permit, the DNR also recently re-issued a permit for Kinnard Farms, the controversial Kewaunee County CAFO. In that permit, the DNR limited the number of animals on the farm to what already was housed there, and required water monitoring at two of the locations where the farm applies manure to the land as fertilizer.
The farm filed a lawsuit against the DNR in late April, alleging that the water monitoring will cost too much, and the cap on the number of animals will cause the farm to lose its "competitive flexibility."
Jahnke said he and other community members have started to talk about potentially filing for a contested case hearing for the newly permitted farm, which would begin a process in which the DNR will review the issuance of the permit and give residents a chance to again raise their concerns with the agency.
Aside from that Jahnke said the DNR needs to start listening to residents in the areas where they're approving large factory farms, because those are the people who would be impacted by nutrient runoff and groundwater contamination.
"I think we really need not only participatory processes and public input, but it needs to mean something," he said. "People need to feel a little more heard, and I don't think people are going to feel heard after this process." | 2022-05-10T11:23:52Z | www.jsonline.com | DNR permits hog factory farm despite local worries over water quality | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2022/05/10/dnr-permits-hog-factory-farm-crawford-county-despite-local-concerns-water/9680056002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2022/05/10/dnr-permits-hog-factory-farm-crawford-county-despite-local-concerns-water/9680056002/ |
Public information officer Abby Pavlik said the department recently received several reports of people going door to door inquiring about home energy efficiency.
"As the weather warms up, we tend to see an increase in door-to-door sales," Pavlik said.
"While most salespersons who go door to door are legitimate, there are some who may not have residents’ best interests in mind," she added.
Some door-to-door scammers could be looking to take advantage of residents or look for houses where residents are not home.
The department does issue direct sellers permits; it issued 33 in 2021 and 11 so far in 2022.
There are also ordinances on the books in Wauwatosa that regulate door-to-door sales.
"It is unlawful for any direct seller to engage in direct sales within the city of Wauwatosa without being registered for that purpose," the ordinance says.
There are some exceptions, including charitable organizations or school-related fundraising.
A salesperson can go door to door only from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
They're not allowed to stop at homes where a sign that says "No Peddlers" or "No Solicitors" is displayed.
They're also not allowed to remain on the property after the occupant asks them to leave.
Here are some safety tips if a salesperson comes to your residence or home:
You don't have to answer the door if you don't want to.
If you are interested in their product or service, ask to see their direct sellers permit. If they don't have a permit, don't provide any financial or personal information or money.
Always ask for identification. Check for a badge, a uniform or a marked vehicle that has a company’s logo on it.
Contact the company the salesperson is working for through a phone number listed on the internet and not the one they give you directly. Ask the company if they have any salespeople in Wauwatosa. If the company can't verify the information or refuses to, think twice before doing business with the salesperson.
Contact the Better Business Bureau to determine if there have been any complaints or to assist in verifying the legitimacy of a company.
Be cautious about the information you provide, including any information about you, your home, your family or other personal information.
Don't invite strangers into your home.
"If the service that is said to be provided sounds too good to be true, it probably is," Pavlik added.
Pavlik said anyone who is concerned about a door-to-door salesperson should call the department at 414-471-8430. | 2022-05-10T15:26:47Z | www.jsonline.com | Wauwatosa door-to-door salespeople scams: safety tips | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/wauwatosa/2022/05/10/wauwatosa-door-door-salespeople-scams-safety-tips/9702845002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/wauwatosa/2022/05/10/wauwatosa-door-door-salespeople-scams-safety-tips/9702845002/ |
Streaming service Disney+ on Tuesday released the official trailer for "Rise," the new movie about Giannis, Thanasis, Kostas and Alex Antetokounmpo and their journey to global fame in the NBA.
The streaming service will debut "Rise" on June 24.
Kostas is with the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the title in 2020. Giannis and Thanasis, of course, are on the Milwaukee Bucks team that won the NBA title in 2021 and making another run at it this year — making the Antetokounmpos, the trailer notes, the first three brothers to win an NBA crown. (Their younger brother Alex is in the NBA G League.)
"They said I didn't belong, that it was impossible, that we could never make it, that we couldn't have an impact," Giannis, as played by Uche Agada, says in the trailer. "But we knew together we couldn't lose."
More:A three-story Giannis Antetokounmpo mural is being painted on a building in downtown Milwaukee
More:What to know about Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks' two-time MVP, his stats, brothers, parents and more
"Rise" follows as the Antetokounmpo family struggles to survive after immigrating to Greece from Nigeria. In the trailer, Giannis and Thanasis (Ral Agada, Uche's real-life brother) are talked into playing street basketball and soon show their abilities on the court — abilities, Giannis realizes, that could help lift up the whole family.
"Papa always talks about opportunity," Giannis says in the trailer. "What if this is it?"
Although the trailer shows the hardships of the family's life in Greece — including threats of deportation and worse — the tone is mostly a mix of inspiration and celebration, the latter on full display during clips of real-life Giannis' performance in a Bucks uniform.
In the trailer, Giannis says: "They can knock us down, but they can't stop us from getting back up."
“Rise” also co-stars Jaden Osimuwa and Elijah Shomanke as Kostas and Alex, respectively. Dayo Okeniyi and Yetide Badaki play their parents Charles and Vera.
Giannis' Bucks jersey gets a lot of attention in the trailer, which ends with actor Taylor Nichols, as Bucks general manager John Hammond, asking the team's all-time-leading-scorer-to-be:
"You know anything about Milwaukee, Giannis?"
"No sir," the actor playing Giannis replies, "but I would love to learn." | 2022-05-10T17:23:54Z | www.jsonline.com | 'Rise,' about Giannis Antetokounmpo and family, gets release date, trailer | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/television-radio/2022/05/10/rise-giannis-antetokounmpo-and-family-gets-release-date-trailer-disney/9716448002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/television-radio/2022/05/10/rise-giannis-antetokounmpo-and-family-gets-release-date-trailer-disney/9716448002/ |
"We felt right at home. Just because, that’s who we are. The physicality. The adversity. The hostile environment. We’ve been doing this all year." Boston guard Marcus Smart, on the Celtics’ dominant fourth quarter of Game 4.
There is respect between these two teams. There’s extreme competitiveness on both sides. Subplots have developed within individual matchups. And there are some mind games being played. It’s all snowballed into a thrilling Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics that’s appropriately tied at 2-2 after Boston won Game 4, 116-108, on Monday night at Fiserv Forum.
But while the general audience here in Wisconsin is smitten with this Bucks team and charmed by superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and the new mural of him that towers over downtown, the Boston Celtics are not quite so amused.
And they certainly are not fazed.
Boston won Game 4 because it had more left in the tank at the end, but more importantly because the Celtics can beat the Bucks at their own game with a physical, gutsy, unencumbered and especially undaunted style of play.
And when it led to clashes between titans, momentum tipped to Boston’s side.
For example: When Antetokounmpo got tangled up with Celtics guard Marcus Smart on a rebound, and both crashed to the floor, Smart offered a hand to Antetokounmpo to assist in helping him up. And, as he’s done for years now, Antetokounmpo refused to acknowledge the fallen. But it irritated Smart.
“I was boxing him out,” Smart said. “He jumps over my back — with a no call. We go to the ground. We tangled up; I'm trying to help him up. He's doing a good job of making sure I don't get back into the play by holding me down.
“You can see he kicked me in my face with his foot. And then when I try to help him up…he would throw his hand down. And then he put his hand up to help; and then when I tried to help he takes it back. …
“So I was just like, you know what, I'm done. Like, I tried; I'm not going to keep playing this game with you, dude."
Another example: Antetokounmpo successfully dunked over Celtics forward Al Horford in the third quarter and, as the officials interpreted it, taunted Horford. It appeared to just be a look from Giannis — it was hard to tell what, if anything, was said — but official Tony Brothers saw and/or heard something and T'd up Antetokounmpo.
Whatever was exchanged, Antetokounmpo’s mean mugging — once admired in general by fans — fired up Horford. He nodded emphatically back at Antetokounmpo and appeared to say, "OK."
Reporters are allowed to ask officials a question through a designated pool reporter immediately after a game, but in the aftermath Monday night no questions were submitted to the officiating crew.
“Yeah, I don’t really know what he said to me,” Horford said after the game, “but the way he was looking at me and the way he was going about it really didn’t sit well with me.
“And, at that point, I think something switched.
“With me. In the game.”
Horford took offense and then took over the game. He hit a three-pointer soon after that and then was 6 for 6 in the fourth quarter: two three-pointers, two jump shots and two buckets in the paint.
A final example: Horford dunked on Antetokounmpo and erupted with his own emotions, which were directed more in the general atmosphere of the arena than at anyone specific.
But a large roar went up in Fiserv — there was a considerable Celtics crowd there, or they were at least very boisterous — and Boston, already on an 8-0 run, tied the game at 80, rallying behind the play and rare emotion from their 35-year-old veteran that earned him a dead ball technical foul. It was worth it.
"Big time play. Big time moment,” Smart said. "Al still has it at this age, he's able to get up like he does. The energy changed once that happened from Al."
"I guess you kind of pick your spots, your moments," Horford said. "And this was an emotional game."
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said it's a best-of-three series now, and the Bucks should be concerned. They'll have to steal another win at Boston.
Boston looks and acts and sounds a lot like a trophy-hunting team.
Smart said that even with Boston trailing by 10 points late, shooting poorly and turning the ball over — Milwaukee had 15 points off Boston’s 10 turnovers heading in to the final 12 minutes — the Celtics were still positive.
“We cut it to seven through all the mistakes we made, our buckets, the free throws we gave up, turnovers," Smart said. "The game was only a seven-point game. So it was very encouraging on our end, because we knew we could play better.”
The exaggerated physical play — high even by playoff standards — took its toll, again. When Antetokounmpo’s driving layup in the fourth quarter drew the fourth foul from Horford, Giannis remained down on the court for quite a while, completely spent.
Smart was asked by the Boston media: Did he notice that the Bucks looked gassed, especially Antetokounmpo? Did they see that he looked tired or that he took a long time with his free throws?
"We did. Both teams were. It was a physical game,” Smart said. “The whole game. Everybody's fighting. Got the best players out there going at it. Both teams were exhausted.
“We just tried to make sure we weren't the more tired team."
After the game, Antetokounmpo arrived at the table for his postgame news conference and immediately flipped over the final box score/stat sheet that was set out for him. He didn’t want to look at it.
Already incentivized to rebound after a disappointing Game 3 that they nearly won, the Celtics found more motivation to win Game 4. They closed out the final quarter making 16 of 19 shots, a rate of 84.2%.
Milwaukee withered. Is this finally a sign that playing nearly non-stop for two years — a pandemic-affected schedule, a championship run into mid-summer 2021, the Olympics, hardly any time off in the offseason — is catching up with the Bucks?
The Celtics expect the best from the Bucks going forward either way.
"Obviously with them being the defending champs ... they know what it takes, so they're not going to lay down, or anything like that," Tatum said. "So I'm excited to get back home, excited to play in front of our fans." | 2022-05-10T17:23:59Z | www.jsonline.com | Boston Celtics outlast Milwaukee Bucks in physical NBA playoffs Game 4 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/10/boston-celtics-outlast-milwaukee-bucks-physical-nba-playoffs-eastern-conference-semifinals-game-4/9701180002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/10/boston-celtics-outlast-milwaukee-bucks-physical-nba-playoffs-eastern-conference-semifinals-game-4/9701180002/ |
A fire at a Wauwatosa home early Tuesday sent one firefighter to the hospital with minor injuries.
The fire began at 1:25 a.m. at 2629 N. Wauwatosa Ave.
"Upon arrival, firefighters encountered flames showing from the front porch and smoke inside the home," said a news release from the Wauwatosa Fire Department.
The Fire Department, along with the West Allis Fire Department and Milwaukee Fire Department, had the fire under control in 20 minutes, the release said.
One firefighter from the Wauwatosa Fire Department sustained minor injuries from falling debris. He was taken to Froedtert Hospital for treatment and was released later that morning. He's expected to make a full recovery.
Much of the fire was contained to the front porch and attic space, according to the Fire Department. There was also moderate smoke and water damage throughout the home.
The estimated damage to the home is not yet known; the Wauwatosa fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. | 2022-05-10T19:08:37Z | www.jsonline.com | Wauwatosa fire injures one firefighter | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/wauwatosa/2022/05/10/wauwatosa-fire-injures-one-firefighter/9718749002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/wauwatosa/2022/05/10/wauwatosa-fire-injures-one-firefighter/9718749002/ |
An affordable apartment development at Wauwatosa's Mayfair Collection and one on Milwaukee's near west side are proceeding with tax credits
Two Milwaukee-area apartment developments, including one at Wauwatosa's Mayfair Collection mixed-use project, are proceeding with federal tax credits to help finance them.
The Wauwatosa development will feature two buildings, each with four to five stories, to be built on a vacant site just north of Synergy at the Mayfair Collection, a higher-end apartment community, 11221 Synergy Drive.
It will total 80 apartments, with 56 units set aside for low- to moderate-income families.
Also, the five-story, 68-unit Bethesda/AbleLight Corner Village building, with 62 units set aside for lower-income seniors, is to be built at 3200 W. Highland Blvd., on Milwaukee's near west side.
They are among around two dozen Wisconsin apartment developments that are receiving state and federal affordable housing tax credits from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.
The tax credits are sold to raise cash, with developers seeking bank loans and other funding sources to complete their financing packages.
Developers that receive tax credits must generally provide at least 85% of a building's apartments at below-market rents to people earning no higher than 60% of the local median income for 30 years.
The authority on Tuesday announced the award of $23.3 million in federal and state tax credits to help finance 23 housing developments in 20 communities throughout Wisconsin. Those projects total 1,466 units, including 1,310 units for low- and moderate-income people.
This year's tax credit allocation dropped by about one-third from the 2021 award of $35 million. That was due to an expired federal policy that had temporarily increased tax credit awards over the past three years, according to the authority.
Also, the big increase in the inflation rate has made it more difficult for developers to pay for materials and labor.
That's led to supplemental tax credit awards, as well as grants from federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, to help pay for affordable housing developments.
Developments winning supplemental grants include Milwaukee's Bethesda/AbleLight Cornerstone Village, which received tax credits in 2021 along with this year's award.
Meanwhile, another AbleLight development, proposed for West Allis, was among five Milwaukee-area apartment projects that had its tax credit request placed on hold.
That includes the proposed conversion of Perlick Corp's former factory, 3100-3112 W. Meinecke Ave. into 80 apartments for seniors.
Still, the use of tax credits continues to be one of the best ways to attract private capital to finance affordable housing, said Elmer Moore, authority executive director.
"I commend our developer partners for their commitment in advancing housing equity and economic opportunity despite the challenging market conditions we are all facing," Moore said, in a statement.
The Milwaukee near west side project is being done by Watertown-based nonprofit group AbleLight Inc., previously known as Bethesda Lutheran Communities Inc., and Madison-based Cardinal Capital Management Inc.
Its housing developments include apartments set aside for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The Mayfair Collection apartments' developer is MSP Real Estate Inc., based in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.
That development will complement the high-end units at Synergy, according to MSP. People living there could include those who work at Mayfair Collection's stores, restaurants and hotel.
The mixed-use development includes Whole Foods Market, Dick's Sporting Goods, Nordstrom Rack, Good City Brewing and Homewood Suites among its businesses. | 2022-05-10T19:08:55Z | www.jsonline.com | Wauwatosa affordable apartments at Mayfair Collection win tax credits | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2022/05/10/proposed-affordable-apartments-mayfair-collection-wauwatosa-win-tax-credits/9715269002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2022/05/10/proposed-affordable-apartments-mayfair-collection-wauwatosa-win-tax-credits/9715269002/ |
It will be warm enough so you can wear your Bucks jersey without an undershirt.
Put it on early so you don't miss any of Game 5 between the Bucks and the Boston Celtics.
Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between No. 3 Milwaukee and the second-seeded Boston Celtics is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at TD Garden. The best-of-seven series is tied at 2-2. | 2022-05-10T19:09:07Z | www.jsonline.com | Bucks vs. Celtics NBA playoff Game 5: how to watch on TV, live stream | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/10/bucks-vs-celtics-nba-playoff-game-5-how-watch-tv-live-stream/9719788002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2022/05/10/bucks-vs-celtics-nba-playoff-game-5-how-watch-tv-live-stream/9719788002/ |
A suspect in a retail theft was struck and killed by a vehicle while he was fleeing the Oak Creek Menards, police say
A 41-year-old man matching the description of a retail theft suspect was struck and killed Tuesday by a vehicle in Oak Creek.
While police were en route to a retail theft call at Menards, 6800 S. 27th St., an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen running north around 12:45 p.m. in the 6500 block of South 27th Street, according to a news release from the Oak Creek Police Department.
He was struck by a vehicle also traveling north, police said.
Officers treated the individual and the Oak Creek Fire Department attempted life-saving measures, but the man, whom police did not identify, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Oak Creek Police Department is working with the Wisconsin State Patrol to investigate the incident. No additional information was immediately available. | 2022-05-10T20:53:01Z | www.jsonline.com | Retail theft suspect struck, killed by vehicle at Oak Creek Menards | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/south/news/oak-creek/2022/05/10/retail-theft-suspect-struck-killed-vehicle-oak-creek-menards/9720692002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/south/news/oak-creek/2022/05/10/retail-theft-suspect-struck-killed-vehicle-oak-creek-menards/9720692002/ |
A custodian at Whitnall High School was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography
A Whitnall High School custodian is facing 18 child pornography-related charges.
Jerome Slack, 39, of West Allis, was charged Monday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with nine counts of child sexual exploitation and nine counts of possession of child pornography, all felonies.
The child sexual exploitation charges each carry a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. The possession of child pornography charges each carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
Slack worked second shift at the high school, according to a May 6 letter sent by the Whitnall School District to district families and staff members. He was not present during regular school hours and was not in buildings serving the district's youngest students.
He joined the custodial staff in February 2021 and was not provided with a district device, school officials said.
According to a criminal complaint, West Allis police began their investigation after receiving an online tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Slack used Snapchat and the Kik messaging app to share several sexually explicit videos of children, the complaint said.
The crimes occurred from on or about July 4, 2021, through May 6, 2022, according to the complaint.
Authorities do not believe any Whitnall students were involved in the alleged conduct and believe the alleged conduct occurred outside of work hours, the district said in its letter.
"No one at Whitnall was aware of this conduct until the charges were made," the letter said. "And nothing from the hiring process could have prepared us for this outcome. This individual had a clean background check and positive references at the time of hiring."
Whitnall officials did not immediately respond to a question about Slack's employment status with the district.
The Whitnall School District serves the village of Hales Corners, the city of Franklin and the city of Greenfield.
It has about 500 employees and a yearly student population of around 2,500, according to the district website.
Cash bond was set at $15,000 during Slack's initial court appearance Monday, according to online court records. | 2022-05-10T20:53:07Z | www.jsonline.com | Whitnall High School custodian facing child porn charges | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/southwest/news/greenfield/2022/05/10/whitnall-high-school-custodian-facing-child-porn-charges/9717597002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/southwest/news/greenfield/2022/05/10/whitnall-high-school-custodian-facing-child-porn-charges/9717597002/ |
Milwaukee's Common Council on Tuesday approved a recommendation to allocate $96.9 million of the $197.1 million of the second tranche of federal aid with a focus on maintaining city service levels.
This time the plan is to support financial sustainability across the city by injecting money into streetlight infrastructure and housing programs.
The proposal laid out at the council meeting noted that $75 million of the second tranche of America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds be used as revenue loss provision in 2023 so that city services are not hampered and as a way to shore up the city's pension spike.
Over the course of 2023 and 2024, $9.4 million of the tranche is to be used on housing programs and $2.5 million on administrative and compliance staff. The money will be used to support several housing programs, including Strong Homes Loans, Housing Infrastructure Preservation Fund and Code Compliance Loans, as well as providing funds for demolition and deconstruction efforts and handling of foreclosed properties held by Milwaukee.
More:Milwaukee Ald. Nik Kovac has been appointed city budget director, opening a second seat on the Common Council
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In a key change to the spending allocation recommended at the committee level last week, aldermen emphasized the importance to quality of life in Milwaukee to improve the city's aging streetlight infrastructure.
"The people in Milwaukee — across the city — deserve to have those lights on and not just some nights, not just in the summer, but in fall, winter, spring," Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic said after the council meeting.
Alds. JoCasta Zamarripa and Russell W. Stamper co-sponsored a proposed change to the original allocation made during a committee meeting last week — directing $10 million to street lighting circuitry replacement. The city also allotted money from the first tranche of ARPA funding to tackle streetlighting issues.
During the council meeting, Alds. Ashanti Hamilton, Robert Bauman, Scott Spiker and Mark Borkowski requested to be named co-sponsors of the substitute resolution.
Zamarripa, along with Dimitrijevic, Common Council President José G. Pérez and Jerrel Kruschke, the interim commissioner of the Department of Public Works, discussed the next steps for the city's streetlights.
"I believe strongly that one of our essential city services is simply to keep the lights on and that is what the entire council agreed to do with the $10 million of the second tranche of funding," Zamarripa said.
The plan to modernize Milwaukee's streetlight system will encompass 79,000 streetlights across the city, according to Kruschke.
On a table, the commissioner laid out some examples of what has caused circuitry troubles across the city: roots from trees growing around circuits, aging infrastructure, fraying wires and lightning strikes, to name a few.
"Some of these layers that exist in the ground are nearly 100 years old," Kruschke said. "If there's one simple pinhole that happens in any of these cables, it fails."
He also noted that the first tranche of ARPA money devoted to tackling the streetlights issue led to action on 13 of the city's worst circuits, which had reports totaling about 420 troubles per year. On an annual basis, the city has 3,000 troubles.
The second tranche will aim at dealing with 16 circuits that have 417 troubles reported per year.
Streetlight construction from the first tranche of money will take place between 2023 and 2024. The second tranche of $10 million will be designed in 2023 and 2024.
Kruschke expects to see results from the construction work between 2025 and 2026.
"We're decades, if not hundreds of years behind on paying this bill," Dimitrijevic said. "We're dealing with the deferred maintenance and now the time has come."
But with the allocation of the $10 million, Dimitrijevic sees this as a move in the right direction.
"It's a huge dent in what is a large bill that has been deferred maintenance, but it's also going to lighten the load," Dimitrijevic said.
This all comes after the council's Finance and Personnel Committee held off on approving the creation of an ARPA task force last week, following concerns about the makeup of the task force.
Former Mayor Tom Barrett signed off on the eagerly anticipated first tranche of American Rescue Plan Act funds late last year, allocating roughly $180 million in council-approved spending on affordable housing, lead paint abatement and pandemic response — among other citywide initiatives.
The council now only requires Mayor Cavalier Johnson's signature to begin the disbursement of funds when they arrive in the next month or so. The mayor has until the close of business May 19 to sign off on the proposal. | 2022-05-10T20:53:19Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Common Council approves allocation of $96.9M in federal aid | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/05/10/milwaukee-common-council-approves-allocation-96-9-m-federal-aid/9707275002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/05/10/milwaukee-common-council-approves-allocation-96-9-m-federal-aid/9707275002/ |
Milwaukee Brewers will honor 1982 team in August to commemorate 40th anniversary of World Series berth
The Milwaukee Brewers are planning a full-on celebration of their legends during a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 5-7, hosting a number of former stars to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1982 team — the only Brewers team to reach a World Series.
The Brewers will also add Prince Fielder to its prestigious Walk of Fame during the weekend and add Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun to the Wall of Honor.
On Aug. 5, Brewers will welcome back numerous representatives from the American League championship 1982 team, including former team owner and Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig.
Other attendees include Baseball Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Ted Simmons. Among those also scheduled to appear are:
Jerry Augustine
Dwight Bernard
Cecil Cooper
Jamie Easterly
Jim Gantner
Moose Haas
Larry Hisle
Roy Howell
Harvey Kuenn Jr. (on behalf of father Harvey Kuenn)
Pete Ladd
Don Money
Ed Romero
Jim Slaton
Gorman Thomas
Dina Warner & Beth Ledbetter (on behalf of father Harry Warner)
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On Aug. 6, Fielder will be inducted into the Walk of Fame, becoming the 21st inductee since the establishment of the commemorative walkway outside of American Family Field in 2001. Fielder is still the franchise leader in OPS (.929) and slugging percentage (.540), with 230 home runs in his seven years with the Brewers good for third place all time.
On the same day, Braun and Lucroy will be added to the Wall of Honor, and Francisco Rodriguez — a 2021 inductee who did not travel to Milwaukee last year for the ceremony — will join them at American Family Field.
Wall of Honor designees automatically qualify for the honor after achieving certain statistical benchmarks.
On Aug. 7, the first 35,000 fans will receive a 1980s Robin Yount replica jersey. Yount went 12 for 29 in the 1982 World Series, including a 4 for 4 showing in Game 5 that put the Brewers ahead, 3-2, though the St. Louis Cardinals rallied to win the series in seven games. Yount also had a massive day on the last contest of the regular season to help the Brewers hold off Baltimore for the AL East crown. | 2022-05-10T20:53:31Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee Brewers will bring back 1982 team, Fielder, Braun and more | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/10/milwaukee-brewers-bring-back-1982-world-series-team-fielder-braun-and-more/9720963002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/10/milwaukee-brewers-bring-back-1982-world-series-team-fielder-braun-and-more/9720963002/ |
Waukesha County officials are hoping $200,000 — and $17 million over the next 18 years — will help lower the rising number of drug overdoses and overdose deaths experienced across the county in recent years.
In 2020, a record 95 lives were lost to drug overdoses in Waukesha County. In 2021, 79 overdose deaths were reported.
The rise is concerning to Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, who spoke at a news conference Tuesday morning in recognition of National Prevention Week.
"We need to make a difference. The challenge that we face is engaging everyone we can to help us overcome this," Farrow said. "So National Prevention Week is just an opportunity for us to shine a spotlight on the issues but also the successes that we're having."
Farrow announced that $200,000, secured through Substance Abuse Block Grant funds, will help with prevention efforts across Waukesha County, mainly through the help of the Addiction Resource Council Inc. That organization, based in Waukesha County, works with several public and private organizations in the area.
A $420 million settlement with opioid distributors will help fund the effort
Waukesha County is also set to receive $17 million over the next 18 years through a $420 million settlement with opioid drug distributors that must be used to combat the epidemic.
Those funds can be used in several ways, including expansion of training to use a drug that reverses opioid overdoses, availability of medication-assisted treatment and treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Farrow is hopeful the funds will help address the recent increase in overdoses as fentanyl continues to be a deadly killer across the county and nation. Fentanyl, either alone or in combination with other drugs, accounted for 62 of the 79 drug overdose deaths in Waukesha County last year.
More:As overdose deaths hit record highs, this nasal spray can help save lives. Here's how to get it and use it.
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Drug overdoses in Waukesha County were actually decreasing from 2017 to 2019 but that all changed in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic began.
"Unfortunately, we had a major setback when COVID hit," Farrow said. "Individuals' lives were disrupted, but more importantly the programs that we had to help them were disrupted and we couldn't get back to them right away."
John Kettler, the integrated services coordinator for the Waukesha County Department of Health and Human Services, said the county secured $421,000 in Substance Abuse Block Grant funds.
The funds, secured through a federal program, can be used for prevention strategies, which include education, problem identification and referral and information dissemination.
Kettler said just over $100,000 of that amount has been allocated already.
"Those funds are being utilized by the Addiction Resource Council to provide prevention activities in both the school and community," Kettler wrote in an email.
Tuesday, Farrow announced an additional $200,000 had been allocated.
"That $200,000 will be used directly by schools as well as through contracted efforts with the licensed prevention agencies in our area to do work in schools and the community," Kettler said.
One of the programs the funds are helping includes "Resist the Influence" from the Addiction Resource Council Inc. That program teaches students about the impacts of drug and alcohol.
The additional funds will help the organization expand the program into more schools in Waukesha County, including at private and parochial schools.
Here's what Waukesha County has already done to address the problem
Farrow said Waukesha County has held more than 500 Naloxone trainings since 2017, training more than 4,800 people on how to use the medication, which is more commonly known as Narcan.
Narcan is often seen as the most-effective way to reverse an opioid overdose.
Since 2017, nearly 300 lives have been saved with Narcan in the county, according to the Waukesha County Naloxone Project.
Farrow also said the move by the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office to embed a full-time mental health professional was a step to address the rising number of calls to law enforcement that are related to mental health.
The department responded to 691 mental health-related calls in 2020, compared with 236 in 2018. In 2021, that number rose to almost 800.
Waukesha County is also set to receive about $1 million later this year through the settlement with opioid drug distributors. The funds are part of a $26 billion settlement that involves various defendants, including McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
Overdose deaths continue to rise
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that there were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021.
A 2020 state report pointed to the crippling stress and isolation suffered by many during the coronavirus pandemic as possible reasons behind the large increase in drug overdoses and deaths since the start of the pandemic in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services report found that there was a 47% increase in suspected opioid overdoses during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to ambulance run data.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. Call 800-662-HELP (4357).
You can find the closest Narcan provider on the Wisconsin Narcan Direct program website at bit.ly/narcandirect. | 2022-05-10T22:37:04Z | www.jsonline.com | Waukesha County to use $200,000 to fight opioid epidemic | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/brookfield/2022/05/10/waukesha-county-use-200-000-fight-opioid-epidemic/9707026002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/brookfield/2022/05/10/waukesha-county-use-200-000-fight-opioid-epidemic/9707026002/ |
MADISON – Provisions in contentious Wisconsin lame-duck legislation that require Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul to get Republican lawmakers’ permission to settle certain lawsuits are unconstitutional. a judge has ruled.
A group of labor unions challenged the statutes affecting Kaul in 2019. The state Supreme Court upheld them in a July 2020 ruling but left the door open to future challenges.
Kaul filed one in November 2020, arguing the settlement approval requirements are unconstitutional as applied to civil lawsuits involving environmental and consumer protection cases as well as cases involving the executive branch.
The attorney general argued the law in those instances violates the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches.
The case likely will end up before the state Supreme Court again. | 2022-05-10T22:37:10Z | www.jsonline.com | Wisconsin lame-duck law on legal settlements ruled unconstitutional | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/10/wisconsin-lame-duck-law-legal-settlements-ruled-unconstitutional/9722240002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/10/wisconsin-lame-duck-law-legal-settlements-ruled-unconstitutional/9722240002/ |
Dario Melendez, sports director at WISN Channel 12 in Milwaukee, tweeted that the Chicago Blackhawks expected to schedule a game in Milwaukee during the 2022-23 season, in October, at Fiserv Forum.
Melendez followed up adding that the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild, two teams who join the Blackhawks with a following in the Milwaukee area, would be the likeliest opponents.
The Predators serve as the parent club for the Milwaukee Admirals, a championship-winning American Hockey League franchise that has played in Milwaukee for more than five decades and calls the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, a block from Fiserv Forum, its home.
The NHL typically releases its schedule for the upcoming year during the third week of June.
Most Milwaukee residents know the story of the since-demolished Bradley Center, initially constructed with one eye toward attracting an NHL franchise to the city. But Jane and Lloyd Pettit rescinded their bid for a team in 1990, citing several financial factors, and the possibility never materialized.
Instead, the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA served as the arena's anchor tenant during its run from 1988 to 2018, with the Admirals also playing their home games there.
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The venue was made possible because of a massive donation from Jane Bradley Pettit and her husband, Lloyd, owners of the Admirals and philanthropists who had also helped fund construction of the Pettit National Ice Center, an Olympic training rink at State Fair Park. The arena was named after her father, Harry Lynde Bradley, the former board chairman and co-founder of Allen-Bradley. Cost of construction was $90 million, and the new venue helped keep the Bucks in Milwaukee.
But on Oct. 1, 1988, the first event in the Bradley Center featured the Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers in an NHL exhibition game, a game that maintained its buzz even after Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in August.
Lloyd had been an Emmy-winning radio broadcaster for the Blackhawks, but bringing an expansion NHL franchise would have cost an extra $50 million entrance fee, plus an added indemnity fee (potentially $10 million to $15 million) for starting a new franchise in the Blackhawks' orbit. Milwaukee was just 13 miles away from being considered outside Chicago "territory." The structure of the expansion draft also made it unlikely that Milwaukee would have fielded a competitive team for several years.
The arena also hosted an exhibition game between the Vancouver Canucks (then affiliated with the Admirals) and Los Angeles Kings in 1989 (Gretzky played this time), with the Canucks spending an extended part of the preseason training in Milwaukee. The Canucks and Blackhawks played another exhibition game in 1990, and the Canucks played the Minnesota Stars in 1991.
The Bradley Center then hosted regular-season games in 1992 (Blackhawks vs. Kings) and 1993 (Capitals vs. Red Wings).
Fiserv Forum hosted the inaugural Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off college hockey tournament, featuring the University of Wisconsin, in 2021 and has a contract with event organizer The Gazelle Group to host the event twice more.
The Predators and Wild both made the playoffs this year, with Nashville eliminated in the opening round and Minnesota tied in its first-round series with St. Louis, 2-2. The Blackhawks, who won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, have not won a playoff series since and only reached the postseason once in the past five years. | 2022-05-10T22:37:16Z | www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee to host Blackhawks NHL regular-season game, per report | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/hockey/2022/05/10/milwaukee-host-blackhawks-nhl-regular-season-game-per-report/9720427002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/hockey/2022/05/10/milwaukee-host-blackhawks-nhl-regular-season-game-per-report/9720427002/ |
CINCINNATI – The truncated spring now behind him, J.C. Mejía is finally getting his first opportunity to show the Milwaukee Brewers what he can do.
With the need for a fresh arm in their bullpen, the Brewers recalled the right-hander from Class AAA Nashville on Tuesday and optioned right-hander Jandel Gustave there.
Milwaukee traded a minor-leaguer to Cleveland for Mejía on Nov. 22.
With 17 major-league appearances and 11 starts to his credit last season, the 25-year-old figured to push for a spot on the opening-day roster with his new team.
But he failed to impress over six opportunities in Cactus League play and began the season in the minors.
"I think with how spring training worked, it hurt a guy like him," manager Craig Counsell said. "Just had to prioritize certain things in spring training, and I think some of the things he wanted to accomplish got pushed to the back burner as far as how much we could get him out there and things like that."
More:Milwaukee Brewers will honor 1982 team in August to commemorate 40th anniversary of World Series berth
Mejía performed well at Nashville with a 0.84 earned run average in nine relief appearances and 15 strikeouts over 10⅔ innings.
"I feel good," he said through translator Carlos Brizuela. "I feel like all the hard work from the offseason and spring training has been paying off from my mechanics to just attacking the zone.
"It's all coming together, and I feel really good about it."
Added Counsell: "He's had a good start to the season. Just getting comfortable with our operating, and done a really nice job."
Gustave last pitched in Monday's 10-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, allowing three hits and a run in two-thirds of an inning.
He's logged a 6.00 ERA and WHIP of 1.33 in 11 appearances and struck out 14 in 12 innings. The Brewers love his arm and potential, however, as he has hit 98 mph on the radar gun.
"Jandel's going to be back, and he's going to be back soon," Counsell said. "And we're going to continue to count on him."
Jake Cousins to miss 6-8 weeks
Counsell said Jake Cousins, on the injured list with a UCL injury in his right elbow, won't undergo surgery.
Cousins had developed into one of the Brewers' more reliable relievers after making his major-league debut last June, featuring a devastating slider.
The right-hander was 2-1 in eight appearances this season with 13 strikeouts over eight innings but had an ERA of 4.50 because of a couple rough outings.
Counsell also said right-hander Justin Topa, who's been out since early last September after tearing a flexor tendon and undergoing surgery, will head out on a minor-league rehab assignment in 3-4 weeks.
"He actually threw his first live batting practice today," Counsell said.
Willy Adames gets a rest – sort of
Willy Adames stated over the weekend one of his goals was to play in all 162 games this season.
His streak remains intact as he was in the lineup Tuesday, but for the first time it wasn't at shortstop. Instead, he was serving as the team's designated hitter while hitting in his usual second spot.
"Look, with (Andrew McCutchen) being out, I feel like we have some room to spread that DH spot around," Counsell said. "Right now, the plan is to continue to do that, just switch it up and use that as a way to get some guys a day off their feet.
"So, I'd look for that to continue." | 2022-05-11T00:17:06Z | www.jsonline.com | Brewers recall right-hander J.C. Mejía from Class AAA Nashville | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/10/brewers-recall-right-hander-j-c-mejia-class-aaa-nashville/9714784002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2022/05/10/brewers-recall-right-hander-j-c-mejia-class-aaa-nashville/9714784002/ |
This St. Francis High School staff member who works with at-risk kids has become an 'invaluable resource'
Invaluable is just one of several words that can be used to describe the work St. Francis High School intervention specialist Eric Gyland does with at-risk students every day.
Exhibit A: a student who arrived from Albania after the school year had started. Neither the student nor his family spoke English, according to Katy Holahan, a school counselor at the high school.
Holahan said Gyland took the student under his wing immediately. He made flashcards with common sayings that the student might use in the classroom and distributed them to teachers, used Google Translate to communicate with the student, and purchased a device with his own money for the student to download different language apps on.
Holahan also said Gyland found a student who spoke Albanian at a different high school and set them up to meet so the student had someone else to speak Albanian with, and even helped the student enroll in driver's education and get translation support to help the student get his driver's license.
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Gyland said his interactions with students are about asking what he can do to help.
"A lot of the kids, when they figure out that you're not trying to butt in their business — they figure out that you're really just there trying to help to do whatever it is they're willing to accept, they really open up and I really don't have to do a whole lot," Gyland said. "They come to me."
Holahan noted that the Albanian student actually finished on a high honor roll and handled challenging math and science courses.
"I think with [Gyland's] support, he was able to showcase his full academic support," Holahan said.
Students with all kinds of difficulties know they have support
Yet another example of Gyland's important work with students is a study hall he runs that supports at-risk students who struggle academically or struggle in a traditional classroom setting.
Gyland is very compassionate with students, Holahan said.
"He is the most caring, kind, understanding, non-judgmental, easy-to-talk-to staff member, so he really is ... a trusted adult in the building, somebody that students can count on, somebody that students are comfortable talking to about difficulties at home or other situations that they're in," Holahan said.
The other part of what makes him special, according to Holahan, is his ability to support students with their schoolwork. She said he manages up to 75 students throughout the day each semester. Holahan said Gyland knows what classes the students are taking, the graduation requirements they need, what credit recovery they're working on, as well as due dates and deadlines for those students' projects and assignments. He also supports special education students or those who need accommodations and helps with testing and homework.
Holahan even noted Gyland's ability to teach himself different subjects so he can then help his students, as well as his ability to help students stay organized and get challenging work done when they aren't feeling motivated.
Holahan also saw Gyland's passion extend when the school was in virtual learning due to the pandemic, as he conducted study groups for students outside school hours over Zoom.
"Taking his own time in the evening to support students because he's so dedicated to seeing these kids succeed," she said.
What led Gyland to his current job?
Gyland grew up with teachers for parents. He said his interest in helping kids came from volunteering at his two sons' schools when they were growing up. Then he heard about the intervention specialist position at St. Francis High School.
"It sounded like it would be a good fit. I wasn't sure that it would work, but I applied and came in and interviewed. It started off as a part-time thing, and it's just sort of kept going from there," Gyland said.
Gyland has now been at the school for 10 years and works full-time.
"It's honestly the kids and the staff," he said about what's kept him there. "The people I work with are fantastic. At this point, I've got little brothers and little sisters and cousins and nephews of people that I've known for years. It really does feel like family here," Gyland said.
Gyland won an award from the Wisconsin School Counselor Association
Gyland's work isn't only being recognized by his colleagues. In November, the Wisconsin School Counselor Association awarded Gyland the Friends of School Counseling Award Nov. 12 at its annual conference.
The award recognizes parents, volunteers or other educators "who through leadership, acts or support have made contributions to the school counseling profession," according to the Wisconsin School Counselor Association website.
For Gyland, the award was an unexpected honor.
"Honestly I was kind of shocked. I wasn't even sure what it was. I spoke to the guidance counselors in the office and they explained it to me. It was pretty exciting," Gyland said.
"It's just well-deserved," said St. Francis High School Principal Michael Lewandowski. "He's one of those guys that comes to work and works with our students that are non-traditional kids and they just flock to him and he works really hard. It's an award that for somebody that generally in our business doesn't get recognized, so it's really cool and fulfilling to see somebody like that get recognized like that for what he was." | 2022-05-11T12:32:07Z | www.jsonline.com | St. Francis High School specialist honored for work with at-risk kids | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/south/news/st-francis/2022/05/11/st-francis-high-school-specialist-honored-work-risk-kids/8811788002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/south/news/st-francis/2022/05/11/st-francis-high-school-specialist-honored-work-risk-kids/8811788002/ |
Styx's Dennis DeYoung brings musical 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' to Skylight Music Theatre
The story of how Skylight Music Theatre came to perform a musical by the former lead singer of Styx began on a Chicago street in 1994.
"Fate had a lot to do with me connecting with Dennis," Skylight artistic director Michael Unger said.
Back then, Unger was assistant-directing a production of "A Clockwork Orange." Riding his bicycle to work, he saw a man standing in front of Steppenwolf Theatre who was "unmistakably Dennis DeYoung" of Styx. Unger introduced himself as a fan. During their conversation, the gregarious DeYoung told Unger he was writing a musical based on "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
It was a friendly chat that might have led nowhere. But months later, the Steppenwolf office called Unger. A guy named Dennis DeYoung wants your phone number. Is it OK to give it to him?
DeYoung invited Unger to his home, where "he single-handedly sang the entire score for me. And I just fell in love with it," Unger said.
If you're one of Milwaukee's eleventy-nine thousand Styx fans, you may feel the same way as Unger after hearing the heart-on-sleeve songs DeYoung wrote for the musical.
Skylight has assembled a cast of 21 to stage this show, including Broadway veterans Ben Gulley and Kevin Anderson. Performances begin May 20.
Composing a big and Romantic musical
After departing Styx, DeYoung toured in the 1993 revival of "Jesus Christ Superstar," performing 268 times as Pontius Pilate. During that period, the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables" was in the middle of its spectacularly successful run on Broadway.
Writing a musical for other people seemed easier than performing eight times a week, DeYoung joked. More seriously, he said, "I thought my music would be best adapted to something big and literary and Romantic" – trenchant self-analysis from the songwriter of the Styx hits "Come Sail Away," "Babe" and "Mr. Roboto."
DeYoung picked up another Hugo novel, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," because he had fond memories of the 1939 movie version starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara. While he didn't love the novel per se (too much architecture and printing press for him), DeYoung was deeply moved by the scene where Frollo, the cathedral's archdeacon, rescues the abandoned hunchback child. That led him to write what would be the musical's opening song, "Who Will Love This Child."
What unlocked the musical for DeYoung was conceiving of Frollo not as a one-dimensional villain but as a more complex, tragic figure, who became a priest more out of obligation than a calling, and who loved Quasimodo like a son. When this emotionally constrained man sees the beautiful Esmeralda on the street dancing, he understood immediately that his life as he had known it up to then was over, DeYoung said, paraphrasing the novel.
From Newton to Milwaukee
Back in 1994, as a young assistant director, Unger didn't have the clout to make a production happen. He did bring Steppenwolf co-founder Gary Sinise over to DeYoung's home to hear the songs, but Sinise became busy with other work after receiving an Oscar nomination for his role in "Forrest Gump."
DeYoung kept "Hunchback" alive by recording an album version in 1996, singing the male roles himself with his sister-in-law Dawn Marie singing the female ones. (You can listen to it on streaming services.) His "Hunchback" received barebones stage productions in Nashville in 1996 and at Chicago's Bailiwick Theater in 2007.
Unger kept in touch with DeYoung over the years. They worked together on a musical adaptation of "101 Dalmatians" in 2014 in Newton, Massachusetts, where Unger is producing artistic director of the NewArts theater program for children. When Unger came to the Skylight as artistic director, he put "Hunchback" on the schedule for September 2020, only to be tripped up by the long pandemic delay.
Portraying Esmeralda's Roma identity
Staging "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in 2022 requires that a director face the question of Esmeralda's ethnic identity and the words spoken about her.
Many Roma people believe that novelist Hugo contributed to negative perceptions of their community by his misinformed stereotyping of Esmeralda as a Gypsy — a word that comes from mistaken old beliefs that her people originated in Egypt. While many Roma people reject the G-word completely, some others accept it now, Unger said.
Unger and DeYoung decided to change positive and in-group references to Esmeralda's people in "Hunchback" to Romani, while leaving "gypsy" in the mouths of the show's villains as a pejorative they would have used.
"Hunchback" ensemble member Jackey Boelkow, who has Romani heritage, is also serving as the production's Romani consultant, helping Unger navigate these questions.
Give DeYoung the last word about this show, and he'll tell you that words are not the most important thing.
"It's music, my friend," he said. "Music is sound waves. It connects us magically, somehow, with every fiber of the universe. … How can listening to a human voice give you goosebumps or raise the hair on your arms? … The melody … will stick into human experience long after what was being said."
Skylight Music Theatre performs "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" May 20 through June 12 at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, visit skylightmusictheatre.org or call (414) 291-7800. Skylight recommends this production for people 12 and older. | 2022-05-11T12:32:13Z | www.jsonline.com | Styx's Dennis DeYoung brings 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' to Skylight | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2022/05/11/styx-dennis-deyoung-brings-musical-hunchback-notre-dame-skylight-milwaukee/9656526002/ | https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2022/05/11/styx-dennis-deyoung-brings-musical-hunchback-notre-dame-skylight-milwaukee/9656526002/ |
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