“Be Heard”: Jordan In The Morning | Locust Street Festival

Listen: This past weekend, I had a chance to check out the Locust Street Festival in the late afternoon. As I walked around, I was blown away by the atmosphere — an incredible mix of race, age, and every other kind of diversity you’d want. Best of all, everybody seemed to be enjoying the music and [...]

“Be Heard”: Milwaukee’s Water Privatization Discussion Continues

 
Listen: One of my least favorite slogans for Milwaukee: “A Great City On A Great Lake.” I could never figure out why it didn’t rub me the right way, but the recent discussion over water privatization in Milwaukee may have put the answer into focus — the slogan is too indefinite and impersonal. It’s not “Our [...]

“Be Heard”: Jordan In The Morning | Jazz In The Park

 

Listen: Every year, the crowd seems to grow larger and larger and larger (see above). So what could possibly deflate a Milwaukee summer flagship like Jazz In The Park? There’s a simple and straightforward answer — no more carry-ins. In accordance with standing state law (see: Statute 125.32(6)(a)), outside alcoholic beverages will no longer be allowed [...]

“Be Heard”: 4th Street Forum | Race and Media

This week at the 4th Street Forum: As background or foreground, race is an unavoidable fixture in media. Any given report can reinforce, challenge, or simply skirt racial presuppositions. How are our accounts of race shaped by the media? Are those accounts fair? How can we be savvy media consumers?
This week, the 4th Street Forum gathered a [...]

“Neighborhood Project”: An Unexpected Drive Through Milwaukee

Listen: I am an extremely lucky Milwaukeean. My job demands that I run around town, tracking down interesting people and stories. While I grew up in the city, our current campaign, the Neighborhood Project, has allowed me to get a much deeper and nuanced understanding of Milwaukee. It’s been phenomenal. Again, I am very lucky.
The reason [...]

“Be Heard”: Restorative Justice In Milwaukee Continued

Listen: Milwaukee’s been buzzing about a group of drug dealers who were linked to a rash of break-ins around an East Side neighborhood last fall and winter. Rather than traditional forms of punishment, Milwaukee employed a community approach based on the restorative justice model, putting emphasis on accountability and reform rather than incarceration. Check out our piece [...]

“Be Heard”: Downtown Milwaukee Dreaming

Listen: Milwaukee’s downtown has so much going for it — the arts, great restaurants, beautiful buildings, and perhaps best of all, its potential. Milwaukee has never exactly been a downtown city, but the building blocks are all there. The City of Milwaukee is creating a plan for our downtown for the first time since 1999, and [...]

“Be Heard”: Milwaukee’s Latest Public Art Discussion

Listen: If you haven’t paid attention this past week, there’s been an ongoing conversation with a bit of a déjà vu feeling. More public art in Milwaukee, more argument and misunderstanding. While it may not feel that way, we’re fortunate to have a couple controversial public art pieces in our recent past — if we’re lucky, we [...]

“Be Heard”: Got Brewer Fever?

Listen: We’ve suffered through the long off season, dreaming of a big parking lot packed with cars, hard plastic seats, and spring baseball. And it’s almost here. So close! To stem the hunger just a little longer, we put together a collection of pre-season ruminations from some Milwaukee natives.
What do heart throbs Craig Counsell, Paul Molitor, and [...]

“Be Heard”: 4th Street Forum | Should Health Insurance and Business Divorce?

This week at the 4th Street Forum: Since the national conversation has shifted so intently to the economy, the dialogue surrounding health insurance has been placed on the back burner. However, the state of health insurance in the United States will demand attention if it does not improve. In this piece, I spoke with a [...]