From the Article:

> > > Public worker and teachers unions argued Tuesday that their lawsuit seeking to strike down a Wisconsin law that drew massive protests and made the state the center of a national fight over union rights should be allowed to proceed, even as the Republican-controlled Legislature sought to have it dismissed. > > > > It is the first challenge to the law known as Act 10 since Wisconsin’s Supreme Court flipped to liberal control last year. > > > > Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost questioned Tuesday whether there was another remedy to address alleged problems with the law short of striking it down. He did not rule from the bench and said he would issue a written order on the Legislature’s request to dismiss the case. > > > > The unions’ attorney argued that the 2011 law should be struck down because it creates unconstitutional exemptions for firefighters and other public safety workers. Attorneys for the Legislature and state agencies countered that the exemptions are legal, have already been upheld by other courts, and that the case should be dismissed. > > > > The judge questioned why different classes of employees were created under the law and some public safety workers were “cherry picked” to retain their collective bargaining rights while others were not. > >

From the Article:

> > > Milwaukee's July 3rd lakefront firework show cancelation is sparking problems with a nearby business. > > > > On Friday, May 24, leaders with Milwaukee County Parks announced this year's show is shut down. Park leaders say a lack of sponsors snuffed out this year's firework show. They also imply it could be long-term. > > > > "At this point, we believe that the 3rd of July fireworks have run their course," Milwaukee County Parks Executive Director Guy Smith said. > > > > The firework show has been a summer staple and a memory maker for decades. It's also the county's War Memorial Center's biggest fundraiser of the year. > >

The 'Corpse Flower,' also known as “U’Reeka," was given its nickname due to its smell, with some describing its short-lived bloom as smelling like rotting meat, that "offends the human nose."

From the Article:

> > > Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. > > > > In Cedarburg on Sunday, May 26, thousands of people shopped and explored for the first ‘Maxwell Street Days’ of the season, a major fundraiser for the fire department. > > > > Sometimes it takes a little strategy to find the perfect items at an outdoor market. > > > > "Knowing what you like and what you want to look for," said Hayden Kolowrat. > >

From the Article:

> > > A Buffalo Wild Wings Go restaurant opens this weekend in Glendale as the sports bar chain continues to expand its to-go locations in southeast Wisconsin. > > > > The new location opens at 6969 N. Port Washington Road at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a press release. > > > > The Glendale opening follows others in recent months that included Milwaukee, 2900 N. Oakland Ave., in December and Waukesha in March. A Buffalo Wild Wings is also planned for the Pabst Farms development in Oconomowoc. > > > > The Buffalo Wild Wings Go concept launched in 2020 with an aim to streamline customers' orders, whether they choose to dine in or take their food to go, according to the company. > > > > The 1,500-square-foot Glendale location provides in-store seating for dining at the restaurant and also offers options for delivery or takeout with a menu that will include all 26 Buffalo Wild Wings signature sauces and dry rubs. The restaurant will serve traditional and boneless wings, hand-breaded tenders, chicken sandwiches, burgers and sides. > > > > The restaurant will employ eight crew members. Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. > > > > Another 1,500-square-foot location had been proposed in 2022 for Glendale at 5530 N. Port Washington Road. Glendale officials were not available for comment on Friday, and applicants who proposed the project could not be reached for inquiries on its status. > > > > The sports bar chain, owned by Inspire Brands, has more than 1,200 locations nationwide, including 34 in Wisconsin, according to its website. That figure includes both the full-service restaurants as well as the company's to-go locations. > > > > The restaurant is in the Glendale Market, which is anchored by a Metro Market grocery store, and it features several other businesses including Stone Creek Coffee, Jimmy John’s, Curry & Momo House and Dr. Dawg, according to the website for General Capital Group. > > > > General Capital Group, a real estate firm based in Fox Point, coordinated the initial properties within the boutique shopping center over a period of three years. The firm’s website says that to recoup the cost of demolition and environmental remediation, it worked with the city of Glendale to form one of Wisconsin’s first environmental remediation tax incremental financing districts. > >

From the Article:

> > > The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is requesting that the state budget committee release $20 million meant to create a grant program that would support communities where a University of Wisconsin branch campus has closed. > > > > The request is the third submitted to the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) by Gov. Tony Evers’ administration this week, bringing the total amount to be released to $45 million. The requests come as lawmakers and Evers have been in conflict over the release of other state funding that was improved in the budget, including funds for fighting PFAS contamination of local drinking water supplies, grants to support hospitals in western Wisconsin and a new literacy program in schools. > > > > The closure of UW branch campuses, including UW-Platteville’s Richland campus, UW-Milwaukee’s Washington County campus and UW-Oshkosh’s Fond du Lac campus, have left local communities facing potential economic crises. > > > > WEDC’s request would allow the agency to implement the grant program as instructed by a law passed by the Legislature in February and signed by Evers in March. Under the law, communities will be eligible for a $2 million grant. > > > > Evers said in a statement that a lack of “meaningful investments” in the UW system has caused the recent campus closures along with staff layoffs, and the state needs to quickly work to address the challenges to prevent additional layoffs and closures. > > > > “This funding is critically important in the meantime to help communities like Richland Center, Washington County, Fond du Lac, and Marinette find new uses for the infrastructure and existing buildings to support local communities and economies,” Evers said. > >

From the Article:

> > > A Republican appointee to the Universities of Wisconsin’s Board of Regents says he’ll continue to serve on the board, even though his term officially expired at the start of May. > > > > In 2017, Republican Gov. Scott Walker first appointed Robert “Bob” Atwell, the founder of Nicolet Bankshares, to a seven-year term on the board overseeing Wisconsin’s public university system. > > > > But in an email this week, Rothman wrote that, acting on the advice of Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, he intends to stay on the board indefinitely. > > > > WisPolitics first reported on the existence of the email sent from Atwell to UW leaders, including UW System President Jay Rothman. > > > > “Speaker Vos brought to my attention that the statute directs that, in the absence of a resignation regents remain in office until their successor is appointed and confirmed,” Atwell wrote using his business email for Nicolet Bank. “Jay has recently confirmed this understanding. In light of that, I will remain on the Board until I resign or my successor is seated. I hope that my temporary continuation as a regent can support good communication between the Legislative Council and the BOR.” > > > > A successor to Atwell would need to be appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and confirmed by Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Senate. > >

From the Article:

> > > The Midwest Gaming Classic celebrates its 23rd anniversary this year and will take place the weekend of April 5-7 at the Baird Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave. > > > > The event is a whirlwind of activity with over 10,000 games on free play from cherished vintage classics to cutting-edge releases. Attractions also include classic pinball and arcade games, every generation of console, tabletop games, a 125,000 square foot vendor hall with over 200 vendors, live entertainment including pro wrestling, bands, and meet and greets with pop-culture personalities. > > > > Among the unique programming attractions this year will be Steve Henneberry (AKA “Tower” from American Gladiator), who will combat attendees in Johann Sebastian Joust, a no-graphics, digitally-enabled playground game designed for motion controllers. Attendees can also look forward to a wider variety of esports, gamer podcasts, the MGC Cosplay Championship, and The World of Nintendo Exhibit. > >

From the Article:

> > > Three months after announcing the closure of its 126-year-old city club, the University Club of Milwaukee is in the process of selling its downtown building to Northwestern Mutual. > > > > The University Club of Milwaukee's board president Jim Caragher and Northwestern Mutual confirmed the news to the Milwaukee Business Journal Monday morning after Urban Milwaukee president Jeramey Jannene shared the news on X, formerly Twitter. > > > > Northwestern Mutual has "reached an agreement (in principle) to purchase the University Club property at 924 E. Wells St.," Northwestern Mutual senior director of strategic communications and corporate reputation Julia Fennelly said in an email. > > > > "As an active real estate investor, Northwestern Mutual is a steward of our downtown Milwaukee campus and neighboring area and the opportunity to invest in the University Club property allows us to ensure the building continues to serve as a prominent, thriving downtown hub for the Milwaukee community," Fennelly said. > > > > Northwestern Mutual plans to share its intended use for the building in the near future, she said. The company declined to share the terms of the agreement and the purchase price. > > > > The University Club property's total assessment is $2,728,500 and the estimated fair market value is $3,277,871, according to its 2023 city property tax bill. > > > > After the building sells, the University Club would use the proceeds to refund former members who paid a $5,000 assessment the club levied in April 2023 as it attempted to raise money to keep the club open and pay for facility upgrades, according to previous Milwaukee Business Journal reporting. > >

From the Article:

> > > Anyone familiar with the local dog community knows there is an abundance of pups in Wisconsin who were rescued from southern states like Texas, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama – just to name a few. This leads to the question: Why are so many dogs rescued in one state, but then transported to Wisconsin for adoption? > > > > Experts and animal enthusiasts speculate some of the reasons why Wisconsin is home to a surplus of rescues is because, generally speaking, attitudes towards pets are different here. In Midwest culture, dogs are more often than not viewed and treated as family members. Of course, there are many loving and responsible dog owners in the South, but there are many who are not. > > > > Glenna Tucker operates Sweetpups, a rescue and sanctuary in Winnie, Texas, and she has taken in thousands of ailing and abandoned dogs over the past decade. She then nurses them back to health and then transports the pups to rescues in Wisconsin. > > > > "The situation is bad here – you’d probably think I was making these stories up, but I’m not. It’s common here for people to throw a litter of puppies into a garbage can like they’re disposable diapers," says Tucker. "We get emails every day. Yesterday we found out about 20 dogs living about five miles from here whose owner has been gone for more than two months and a neighbor finally contacted us. Some of the dogs died, and the others are emaciated." > > > > Tucker says Texas animal advocates rely on Wisconsin for our animal compassion and low euthanasia rates. > > > > "We have euthanasia rates of 80 to 85 percent here. Wisconsin is filled with people who want to help because they know what’s going on in Texas where dogs are looked at like property not pets," says Tucker. > >

From the Article:

> > > The city has found a contractor to stabilize the again-failing facade at Milwaukee City Hall. > > > > Urban Milwaukee reported in October that pieces of the terra cotta facade were breaking off, less than 15 years after they were replaced as part of a $76 million project. > > > > The city, said a Department of Public Works (DPW) spokesperson in October, was pursuing “accountability.” But as Urban Milwaukee reported, a 2014 settlement could very well bar the city from recouping any of the costs. > > > > And now, the public has an indication of what the starting point for those costs is. > > > > A newly filed building permit indicates a $1.62 million “temporary facade stabilization” effort, primarily netting, will be installed by Wiss, Jannet, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) and general contractor Mark 1 Masonry, both of Illinois. > > > > “There is some flaking of the fabrication and as our first and main responsibility is safety, the netting is being put up as a precaution to hold the flaking pieces of the terra cotta in place and prevent any from falling to the sidewalk or street surrounding City Hall,” said a DPW spokesperson Friday. “The work should begin in April and conclude in October.” > >

From the Article:

> > > The school funding referendum, less than two weeks away, is make or break for Milwaukee Public Schools, according to administrators. > > > > MPS principals told Urban Milwaukee that for their schools the referendum is a question between maintaining their current level of staffing and resources, or budget cuts. > > > > “A ‘Yes’ referendum is going to make our school function very similar to how it’s functioning today, and a ‘No’ referendum will change our schools significantly,” said Frank Lammers, Principal of the German Immersion School. > > > > The district is trying to make its case with voters for an additional $252 million in funding over the next four years, with approximately $125 million coming from a property tax increase in the City of Milwaukee. The district successfully went to referendum just four years ago for an additional $87 million. > > > > MPS, the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association and their political allies have been trying to generate support for the funding increase. The city’s powerful business lobby, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) has bankrolled an ad campaign opposing the referendum. Another opposition campaign organized by local attorney Daniel Adams is arguing the proposed tax increase will negatively affect housing affordability. > > > > “I would say in my tenure, as a principal, this is the most significant budget that we’ve that I have had to go through,” said Lammers, who has been principal of German Immersion School for seven years. > >

From the Article:

> > > A quickly-expanding trail could soon link Milwaukee’s South Side and southern suburbs with Lake Michigan. > > > > The City of Milwaukee and three suburban cities are moving forward on a study of expanding the Powerline Trail. The completed trail would roughly parallel Howard Avenue from S. 104th St. all the way east to Lake Michigan. A northern leg would parallel Interstate 894, running north to the Zoo Interchange and Hank Aaron State Trail. > > > > The central portion of the 10-foot-wide paved trail was recently completed and a second segment is expected to join it later this year. > > > > In 2022, the City of Greenfield opened the $1.5 million first phase between the intersection of S. 99th Street and W. Cold Spring Road and the intersection of S. 60th Street and W. Plainfield Avenue. An on-street segment on W. Cold Spring Road links the three-mile trail with the Oak Leaf Trail just west of S. 104th Street. > > > > A $1.2 million second phase, slated for construction in 2024, will extend the trail east into the city of Milwaukee. The trail will be extended east from S. 60th Street to S. 35th Street, Pondview Park and Zablocki Park. State-administered federal grants are covering most of the construction costs of the first two segments. > > > > A $250,000 study is now about to begin to design a trail extension east of Pondview Park to Lake Michigan and north from the trail’s western terminus toward the Hank Aaron State Trail. Additional efforts could see the trail extended southwest. > >

From the Article:

> > > The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will close its Waukesha campus at the end of the spring 2025 semester. > > > > At a Monday news conference, UW-Milwaukee chancellor Mark Mone cited declining enrollment, shifting demographics and budgetary issues as reasons for the closure, which was made under a directive from Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. > > > > “Today, higher education is challenged,” Mone said. “We need to make very difficult decisions, to, in every possible hope for opportunity, avoid some of the more consequential types of decisions that we may see in the future.” > > > > Around 550 full-time equivalent students are enrolled at the campus currently according to Mone. The campus closure will impact more than 100 employees and require layoffs of staff and tenured faculty as well. > > > > The university’s Waukesha campus, which used to operate independently of UW-Milwaukee as the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha until 2018, has seen a total enrollment decline of more than 65 percent from 2014 to 2023. > > > > “These are double digit enrollment declines, that make things rather challenging and they’re not unlike other some of the numbers that we’re seeing at other two-year campuses in this state and certainly nationally,” Mone said. > > > > The cost to run the Waukesha campus is the same per student as it is to run the main UW-Milwaukee campus, but students in Waukesha pay half the tuition. > > > > “So that puts us in a very untenable, very difficult situation,” Mone added. > >

From the Article:

> > > The $148 million project to offer north-south commuter bus service on 27th Street starting in 2028 took a step forward Monday with a route endorsement from a Milwaukee County Board committee. > > > > That 18-mile “Connect 2” route would span almost the entire county, running from Bayshore mall in Glendale to the Ikea store in Oak Creek. The new BRT, or Bus Rapid Transit, service would replace the existing PurpleLine bus route. It would run faster, with more frequent service at stations to be a more practical alternative for commuting workers. > > > > The east-west Connect 1 BRT route between downtown Milwaukee and Wauwatosa began passenger service in June 2023. > > > > Pending additional approvals, construction could begin in 2026 for a start of passenger service in 2028, according to a Monday presentation to the Milwaukee County Board’s Committee on Transportation and Transit. That committee unanimously endorsed the route for the Connect 2 line, sending it to the full County Board for a possible approval on March 21. > > > > County Board approval for that locally preferred route is a necessary step for the BRT to continue its planning and start more detailed engineering work, said David Locher, manager of enhanced transit for the Milwaukee County Transit System. The route can still be changed in the future, and more steps are needed in order to spend federal construction funds, Locher said. > > > > “It’s a milestone to get us on to other milestones,” Locher said. > > > > The bulk of the project’s funding would come through the Federal Transit Administration’s Small Starts grant program. Milwaukee County funding would cover about 20% of the budget. > > > > The line would run primarily on 27th Street, with 64 stations serving 32 destinations. Those include a stop at 27th Street and Drexel Avenue outside the Franklin office campus that Northwestern Mutual intends to close and eventually sell as it moves those 2,000 jobs to downtown Milwaukee in 2027. > > > > That announcement came about a year ago. The planning for the north-south Connect 2 line began in 2020. > > > > County Board Supervisor Patti Logsdon asked about the impact of Northwestern Mutual’s move on the anticipated route. > > > > “I’m sure that’s got to have a big effect on the ridership,” she said. > > > > Locher said that even without Northwestern Mutual employees, “the ridership continues to be very strong.” The existing PurpleLine, like the proposed Connect 2, goes south to Ikea. > > > > “Our commitment has always been to invest where the ridership is the highest,” he said. “At the outset of the study, yes, there was that NML component with their campus on the south end. There were even early discussions of maybe it could route through there. Front-door service.” > >

From the Article:

> > > A cherished liquor store that's been on Milwaukee's east side since 1934 is embarking on a new journey with new ownership. > > > > "This has been a long time in the making," said Sarah Zimmerman. > > > > Tonit Calaway and Sarah Zimmerman, of Boss Babes, Inc., have recently acquired Downer Wine & Spirits. > > > > "Tonit and I are both attorneys and so we come from a legal background," explained Zimmerman. > > > > Both women are longtime residents of the Downer Avenue neighborhood. Zimmerman said she and her husband moved to the area nearly 17 years ago. > > > > "We've been coming here as customers ever since we started living here," she added. > > > > When the friends heard brothers Mark and Steve Nord were selling their store after about 18 years, they had to jump in on the opportunity. > > > > "Downer Avenue thrives when it's bustling, when all the storefronts are full, and we really wanted to contribute to keeping that going. We didn't want to see another vacant spot," Zimmerman said. > > > > For 90 years, this wine and liquor store has been at this exact location under similar names and different ownership, all while still maintaining their diverse selection. > > > > Manager Michael Morris has been working at the liquor store since 2006. > > > > "We try to have some of the best beer and wine and liquor that's available out there," he told CBS 58 News. > > > > Morris said it's no surprise many customers, like Zimmerman and Calaway, always come back. > > > > "We try everything that comes into the store and make sure that everything's great, so that you can pick anything out and it's going to be a quality good product," he added. > > > > Zimmerman said the essence of the neighborhood staple will remain intact under new ownership. > >

From the Article:

> > > Wisconsin taxpayers paid millions for the Talgo trainsets, but will need to spend even more on a plane ticket if they ever want to ride them. > > > > Instead of welcoming passengers traveling between Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison, the Badger-colored trainsets are ferrying passengers in Lagos, Nigeria. > > > > The first 17 miles of Lagos’ planned 23-mile Red Line opened to passengers on Feb. 29. The line is the second commuter rail line in Africa’s largest urban center, which boasts a population of greater than 21 million. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who initiated the project more than two decades ago as governor of the city-state, attended the much-anticipated opening. > > > > “This is the dream realized,” said Tinubu. But it certainly wasn’t Wisconsin’s dream. > > > > In 2010, then-governor-elect Scott Walker refused a $823 million federal grant to build an Amtrak Hiawatha Service extension to Madison and plan an extension to Minneapolis, but the state was still on the hook to pay for the trainsets ordered in 2009 by predecessor Jim Doyle. Rather than invest in a maintenance facility to put the trainsets into use on the existing line, Walker and the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature had the state default on the contract. Talgo, which assembled the trains in a facility in Milwaukee’s Century City business park, sued in 2012 as the trainsets were completed and the equipment was placed into storage for a decade. > >

From the Article:

> > > Two lawsuits seeking to kick former President Donald Trump off Wisconsin ballots were dismissed this week in the wake of a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. > > > > On Monday, justices rejected an attempt to disqualify Trump from the Colorado primary ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. The unanimous Supreme Court decision came a day before Super Tuesday primary elections happening in Colorado and other states. > > > > It also ended similar attempts to knock Trump off the ballot in Wisconsin, prompting Dane County judges to dismiss two lawsuits Monday. > > > > One suit was filed in January by Kirk Bangstad, a liberal activist and owner of Minocqua Brewing Company. The other was filed in August by John Anthony Castro, a Texas resident and longshot Republican candidate who’s filed similar challenges across the country. > > > > The legal arguments for disqualifying Trump pointed to Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which bars anyone who’s previously taken the oath of office from holding public office if they’ve engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” against the United States. > > > > But this week, a majority of justices concluded that Congress, rather than the states, is responsible for enforcing that provision against federal officeholders and candidates. > >

From the Article:

> > > A little over five months since the Downer Theatre unexpectedly closed, the organization behind the annual Milwaukee Film Festival said it will assume operations of the movie theater next month, starting with the 2024 running of the film festival followed by regular movie showings afterward. > > > > The Downer Theatre, at 2589 N. Downer Ave., was the city's oldest operating theater when it closed in September 2023. It was operated by Landmark Theatres, and the building is owned by Bridge33 Capital LLC of Seattle, which owns 61,000 square feet of building spaces on both sides of Downer Avenue, which house businesses including Cafe Hollander, Stone Creek Coffee and Boswell Book Co. > > > > In a press release, Milwaukee Film did not disclose the nature of its business arrangement with the theater, whether it is being purchased or leased. An organization representative did not immediately respond to a request for more information. > > > > The 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival is scheduled for April 11 through April 25 and will include screenings at the Downer Theatre, Milwaukee Film’s Oriental Theatre, and two other local theaters, the Avalon Theater and the Times Cinema. The festival will revive the Downer starting April 12. > > > > Susan Mikulay, chair of Milwaukee Film’s board of directors, said the Downer has been a cornerstone of Milwaukee's cinematic and cultural scene since its opening in 1915. After the closure, Milwaukee Film made its interest in the theater public. > > > > "Our mission has always been to make cinematic experiences possible for as many people as possible, and expanding our footprint in this way is a key next step in doing that,” Mikulay said in a press release. > > > > Beginning April 26, the Downer will offer a year-round program of first-run independent, foreign and documentary films, curated by Milwaukee Film's programming team. > > > > “Our being able to reopen the Downer this spring is a significant occasion for our organization as well as for the neighborhood,” said Cara Ogburn, artistic director at Milwaukee Film. “When the Downer closed last year, it meant that many films could not show on screens in our city. Adding these two screens to our footprint will allow us to better serve our community with high-quality films year-round.” > > > > The Downer will become the second former Landmark Theatre to be acquired by Milwaukee Film. In 2017, the organization took control of the Oriental Theatre on Milwaukee's east side and embarked on a multiyear, multimillion-dollar restoration project. At that time, the organization also publicly expressed its interest in the Downer Theater. > >

From the Article:

> > > Ethan Hawke – four-time Oscar-nominee, noted Rihanna appreciator and silver fox – is on his way to Milwaukee. Hawke will be in town for two screenings of his new film, Wildcat, on Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 19 at 2 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre. > > > > Wildcat, which Hawke directed and co-wrote, stars his daughter, Maya Hawke, as Flannery O’Connor, the mid-20th-century author of A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Everything That Rises Must Converge and more. The film follows the legendary Southern Gothic writer at the age of 24, when she was diagnosed with lupus (a disease that would eventually take her life). The diagnosis inspires her to explore her Catholic faith and her belief in the power of art, as she begins to compose her greatest stories. > >