Lake Effect: Full Show

The impact data centers could have on Wisconsin's utility landscape and infrastructure. What Wisconsin's version of C-SPAN shutting down means for transparency in our state's politics. Meet this year's Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate.

Breaking down the basics of data centers. A Wisconsinite is heading to the Winter Olympics to compete in the biathlon with Team USA. A survivor of a Native American boarding school shares his story.

Today on Lake Effect, we learn about the need for reading comprehension services for adults in Milwaukee. Wisconsin's version of C-SPAN shut down because of a lack of funding so we look at what that means for transparency in our state's politics. We speak with the outgoing co-director of the Milwaukee Water Commons. Plus, we learn about Liberace's Wisconsin upbringing and the lack of recognition for the famed performer in his hometown.

What impact new data centers could have on Wisconsin's utility landscape and infrastructure. Changes to the Milwaukee County Transit bus operations. We speak with the Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate.

The top five reports by the Wisconsin Policy Forum over the past year. We revisit a conversation with late writer and teacher Jerry Apps. The Burlington Liars Club – a club for anyone who thinks they can tell a clever lie.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley talks about challenges in 2025 and ahead in 2026. Milwaukeeans with roots in Venezuela tell us how their feeling right now. How Milwaukee Public Schools removed lead particles from 100 schools last year.

Reactions from Venezuelans living in Milwaukee about the capture of Venezuela's president. The potential environmental consequences as of AI data centers. 91% of public school students in Milwaukee can't read at grade level.

How ICE arrests are being carried out in Wisconsin compared to other states. A local Christmas tree farmer stays optimistic after a slow holiday season. How we can think differently about new year's resolutions.

We look at the multi-million dollar lead remediation project that MPS underwent last year. How to stay active and social during the cold winter months. We explore some of Wisconsin's weirdest museums.

We chat with Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley about 2025, and what's to come in 2026. Capitol Notes brings us a preview of state politics in this midterm election year. Could singing improve heart health? We talk with a local doctor who's leading the research.

The documentary “Sally” shares the hidden love story of iconic astronaut, Sally Ride. An album released by a Wisconsin musician this year that's all about birds. How Milwaukee's Silent Book Club gives readers a chance to get together.

The misconceptions around organ donation and the impact donations can have. Two people's experiences of donating a kidney. Some millennial nostalgia with author Ira Madison III.

We look back at some of our favorite Bubbler Talks this year. We start with an investigation of the victims of the Bay View massacre. Then, we learn about a 1950s plane crash on Milwaukee's Jones Island. Plus, we tell you about Milwaukee's legacy of celery farms.

How the Milwaukee Community Land Trust could be one solution to the systemic housing issues in Milwaukee. UW-Milwaukee's ended its Atmospheric Science degree program this year. The lead of Milwaukee Film sits down with filmmaker Susan Seidelman to talk film.

Intergenerational trauma Indigenous communities face and how to heal. The history of sanctuary movements in Wisconsin and the U.S. We investigate some mysterious bird art found on some of Milwaukee's trails.

The economic impact the Republican National Convention. We speak with the street artist behind the koi fish you see around Milwaukee. A local metal detectorist helps people find treasure on their properties.

'Christmas at the Oriental' is a special holiday music show featuring music recorded at Milwaukee's Oriental Theatre on their historic 1925 Wurlitzer organ. 

We chat with the new leader of the Milwaukee Art Museum. We tag along with the Milwaukee Public Library Educational Outreach Services team. We learn about Chimney Swifts in our birding podcast, Chirp Chat.

Why many home insurance policies don't cover flood damage. Federal cuts to a program that helps teachers incorporate local history into their lesson plans. The history of the historic LGBTQ bar This Is It, which closed this year.

How Minneapolis created more affordable housing and how it could work here. The present and future of data centers in Wisconsin communities. A new episode or our internet culture podcast, Milwaukee Based.

Nursing is no longer considered a professional degree by the federal government - learn how that impacts student loans. A dispute over beach access in Shorewood. Plan a trip around winter sports and food with Wandering Wisconsin.

How the Public Trust Doctrine works and how it might apply to a beach access dispute in Shorewood. A new episode of Chirp Chat and learn about the joys of duck-watching in the winter. Our annual Books to Gift conversation.

The final episode of WUWM's Status Pending podcast. The history of holiday breads. We cook up a batch of soup with Dig In! contributor Venice Williams.

How a tip line for Wisconsin students who are experiencing bullying is being used. Our annual Games to Gift conversation, where we share some of the top games from 2025. Plan a trip to a U.S. Biathlon Training Center in Wisconsin.

The trial of Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan – who's accused of helping an undocumented immigrant evade ICE at the courthouse. Holiday movie traditions and we always return to feel-good films. Tips on how to keep your pets safe during the cold winter months.

How a former Milwaukee teacher's aide is adjusting after deportation earlier this year. We meet a Wisconsin man who's living a full year on food he's foraged. Fat Body Hotties — a local group celebrating fat liberation.

What 211 call data tells us about the region's social safety net. We meet a Wisconsin man who's living off only foraged food for a year. Real-life advice on how to handle stressful holiday situations, with the help of holiday movies.

Options for immigrants who are victims of domestic violence, seeking both support and citizenship. Meet Fat Body Hotties — a local group celebrating fat liberation. How to navigate questions kids might have about Santa.

A grassroots program helping to connect people with food needs to those who can help. Is a real or fake Christmas tree better for the environment? New local music in the Milwaukee Music Roundup.

How a former Milwaukee teacher's aide is adjusting after deportation earlier this year. How the state supreme court is addressing challenges to the state's congressional voting maps. A new affordable housing complex in Milwaukee.

One Wisconsin town has been drinking bottled water for years because of PFAS. The environmental impact of road salt has on our local waterways. The changing market of Christmas trees, and how sellers are adapting.

A lawsuit over PFAS contaminating the water supply of Wisconsin communities, and why PFAS has kept one Wisconsin town drinking bottled water for years. The story of two brothers from Afghanistan now living in Milwaukee, and how the near-constant changes in immigration policy could affect people like them.

Two MPS teachers from Nigeria speak on how work visas changes could impact their lives. Why a Wisconsin group of Catholic sisters transferred land to a Native American tribe. UWM's planetarium explores astronomical themes in children's books.

The founder of the Milwaukee Diaper Mission reflects on its rapid growth over five years. The environmental impact road and sidewalk salt have on our local waterways. What happened in Wisconsin during prohibition.

A live taping of Lake Effect in front of an audience at Forest Home Cemetery. We learn about the cemetery's history and residents, beekeepers, arboretum and one the neighborhood's historic bowling alleys.

We hear from refugees living in Milwaukee who made it here before President Trump suspended the refugee program. One potential solution to Milwaukee's housing shortage: reforming the capital gains tax. A local business owner and mother speaks about how she's planning for the future.

Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan's legal team considers whether to go to trial or take a plea deal. How redlining affects access to homeownership today. The changing market of Christmas trees, and how sellers are adapting.

Milwaukee Police Department potentially expanding its use of facial recognition technology. Wisconsin hemp business speaks on upcoming federal ban. A local lawyer and online influencer speaks about her platform.

We speak with MSOE students who want ICE operations moved off the campus. We head to Oshkosh to learn about the Nutcracker in the Castle. We look into Milwaukee's missing street signs in a new Bubbler Talk.

The second episode of WUWM's new series about immigration pathways. How ABCD – After Breast Cancer Diagnosis – helps people with breast cancer. A business that's moving structures to make way for data centers.

Why the rates of mental health challenges are so high among physicians. A UW professor collaborated with Bad Bunny on his award-winning album. A local artist who paints signs you'll recognize from around Milwaukee.

A project that's mapping racially restrictive covenants in Milwaukee County. How people across the political spectrum are feeling about data centers. How the data centers coming to our area could impact the Great Lakes.

A course at Marquette that's teaching young people how to disagree and debate civilly. How sea lamprey nearly wiped out commercial fishing on the Great Lakes. Kwik Trip's enduring pull.

The first story from 'Status Pending', WUWM's new series about immigration pathways. How The Hop is funded. What happens when severe weather strikes at the Milwaukee County Zoo.

We visit UW-Milwaukee's food pantry, which has been feeding even more students during the government shutdown. Support for Wisconsin businesses working to be environmentally sustainable. We learn about Milwaukee County's Veterans Treatment Court.

We recognize the fiftieth anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. WUWM's new podcast on the immigration system 'Status Pending' premieres. We meet a Columbian-born female conga drummer in Milwaukee. We close with the first episode of 'Milwaukee Based.' 

We visit Milwaukee's largest food pantry and learn what's changed after delays in food assistance. We explore the importance of news literacy and what that means. We uncover the history of Milwaukee's celery farms in a new Bubbler Talk.

We look at the future of MKE Roots, a program that helps teachers make social studies relevant to students. How tribal schools across the Great Lakes region test for safe drinking water. Plus, we look at the history of the ghost army – a unit of soldiers in World War II who used fake weapons and other deception to trick the Nazis.

We learn about the Democratic Socialist Party's resurgence in Wisconsin. We visit a Milwaukee Dia de los Muertos event, filled with dancing and ofrendas. We speak with astrophotographer who captures the universe. 

We look at how the federal government shutdown is impacting children in Wisconsin and learn how lawmakers in Wisconsin are responding to the shutdown. We tell you about a tool that helps Milwaukee renters learn about their landlords. Plus, explore the cultural significance of a bad film. 

We learn about the Milwaukee Community Land Trust and its role in solving housing unaffordability in Milwaukee. The importance of urban farming and growing our own food. How Wisconsin farmers view climate change and that impacts their farming practices.