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 exemption

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 w

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 wou

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 unders

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 t

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 situatio

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

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 genera

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 con

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

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

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 vac

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 wa

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

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 Fe

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.