Lake Effect Spotlight

Every year, Milwaukee Magazine comes out with a feature highlighting the city's most beloved people and places. The Best of Milwaukee issue features dozens of categories readers voted on — like the best pizza and best Indian restaurant.  Chris Drosner is the executive editor of Milwaukee Magazine. He says the magazine's editors also got in on the fun and made their picks for the best custard in the city. Drosner joins Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez to talk more about this year's list. 

Turns out, Wisconsin is a great state for biking! With an average City Ratings score of 48, we're behind only New York and Alaska as the best statewide scores for biking. The People For Bikes report also breaks it down city by city, and to share more about how Milwaukee and other cities are doing to make biking safe and accessible Grace Stonecipher of People for Bikes joins Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski.

In a new Capitol Notes, we'll examine the waiting game around the presidential disaster declaration after flooding in Milwaukee.

There may be no more iconic sound on the south side of Milwaukee than the bells from a paletero's cart. Those are the street vendors who sell paletas, or popsicles. But have you ever wondered, what is the job like? And who does it?Paula Lovo is a Milwaukee artist and educator who grew up on the south side and documented a paletero's story. She also shares her love of paleteros and their connection to the community she grew up in.

Baraboo, Wisconsin has claimed the title of Circus Capital of the World for over 60 years. Today at Circus World, national historic landmarks, museums and circus archives occupy the original winter quarters of the Ringling Brothers circus. The site's new executive director, Julie Parkinson, has family ties to the museum. WUWM's Eddie Morales met Parkinson at Circus World, where they watched a live performance and discussed the museum's future. 

Earlier this summer, an invasive species called Japanese Stiltgrass was spotted in Rock County. Scientists are now asking the public to help prevent the invasive grass from spreading across the state.   Mark Renz is a professor, and an extension weed specialist at UW-Madison. He spoke with Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez about how to identify Stiltgrass and what to do if you find it. 

It's the first day of school for many Milwaukee-area students, and it was a long road to get here. Fifty elementary schools in the Milwaukee public school district were cleaned and painted this summer to cover and remove toxic lead paint. Then, just three weeks before the start of the school year, 24 campuses were damaged during historic rainfall and flooding.  Dr. Brenda Cassellius is the superintendent of MPS. She was featured in this month's issue of Milwaukee Magazine. Dr. Cassellius started the job in March and joins WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal to talk about the start to her first full school year here in Milwaukee. 

There are countless reasons to visit Wisconsin's Driftless Region. The landscape of steep river valleys, exposed rock formations and forested ridges are ideal for any outdoor enthusiast. The area is full of meandering streams and rivers with cold, spring-fed water pushing through the rocks – making the Driftless Region one of the best trout-fishing habitats in the country.  Trout season runs through Oct. 15 with some of the best fishing conditions in the fall. So, to help you plan a fly-fishing trip to the Driftless, Lake Effect's Becky Mortensen is joined by Geri Meyer, the owner of the Driftless Angler and Logan Wroge with Travel Wisconsin. 

Did you know Milwaukee is a city for the birds? It's actually one of 82 official Bird Cities in Wisconsin. Bird City is a conservation program that brings folks together to create healthier communities for birds and people.  Bryan Lenz is the Bird City Network Director for the American Bird Conservancy. He says Bird City first started in Wisconsin and has expanded across the country and internationally. Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez spoke with Lenz for this month's Chirp Chat to learn more about the program. 

The local DIY and school project supply hub American Science and Surplus has started a GoFundMe for financial support. Owner Pat Meyer says the business, which has locations in Milwaukee and Illinois, is facing rising costs and needs to reduce inventory ahead of a move to a smaller warehouse. He tells WUWM's Eddie Morales how customers are showing support in a challenging economy. 

The Wisconsin DNR is looking for Wisconsinites to become community scientists by reporting any sightings of deer and game birds to track reproductive capacities.

This year's class of high school seniors was born in or around 2008. That's one year after the release of the first iPhone and four years after the launch of Facebook. While this generation of students grew up online, they're increasingly heading into schools looking to ban cell phones. At least 19 states have banned phones outright in schools, and sixteen more states are considering it – including Wisconsin. But setting boundaries for kids on technology and social media can be tricky. Enter Devorah Heitner. She's the author of the book “Growing Up in Public,” which guides parents on how to handle social media's impacts on childrens' mental health, geo-tracking, and awkward conversations.   Heitner joins WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal to talk about how to navigate a world of technology that feels like it's changed in the blink of an eye.  

The ACLU of Wisconsin recently released a report detailing how local law enforcement cooperates with federal immigration authorities and is paid for that cooperation. Tim Muth is a senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Wisconsin and the primary author of the report. He joins Lake Effect's Sam Woods to share what they found. 

This month's Group Chat features two sisters born in Mexico who grew up in Milwaukee and were DACA recipients. They applied for Green Cards after marrying U-S citizens and they were just approved. They talk with each other, and their husbands, about the experience. They requested anonymity out of fear of retribution. 

It's been hot in Wisconsin this summer with nearly forty days of above average heat. That can be a serious health concern for people who work outdoors, but there aren't many protections for heat safety on the job. Kate McCoy directs the Occupational Health and Safety Surveillance program at the State Department of Health Services. She co-wrote a report last year that shows heat is a concern for workers in Wisconsin. Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez is joined by McCoy to talk about the dangers of high heat in the workplace and ways to stay safe. 

Did you know there's treasure hiding in plain sight at Milwaukee's beaches? Blythe Haney (p. HAY-knee) hunts for beach glass along the freshwater shorelines of Southeast Wisconsin. She spoke with Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez about beach glass and how to find it. 

Flood damage estimate exceeds $23M, officials hope for FEMA funding. Here's what types of personal insurance do, and do not, cover floods.

Rainn Wilson is coming to the Riverside Theatre this week for a celebration of Dwight Schrute, along with a screening of an "Office" episode. 

Jessica Young and her family are one of hundreds of families still facing challenges after an unprecedented storm hit southeastern Wisconsin.

"Have I heard this before?" is a question hip-hop aficionados are constantly asking themselves. Milwaukee musician Kiran Vedula explains why.

Wisconsin State Journal's "Beer Baron" columnist Chris Drosner joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to discuss recent brewery closures and what they could mean for the industry.

Ryan Faurie is a business owner and mother living in Greendale, Wisconsin. Along with her husband Will, she's raising a 12-year-old daughter and looking toward the future. Ryan joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to talk about how the economy is impacting her right now and how she's preparing for the future.

Brenda Cárdenas is Wisconsin's newest poet laureate. As the state's ambassador for poetry, the Milwaukee native hopes to inspire creativity through workshops, projects and meeting with young people.

Milwaukee Public Library's Timothy Rush talks about the Rare Books Room's collection of almost 200 gig posters.

The Fondy Farmers Market is the oldest farmers market in the city of Milwaukee. For more than a century, it's brought produce and other goods fresh from the makers who create them. We explore the market alongside Venice Williams, the executive director of the Fondy Food Center.

Athletes came to Hayward, Wisconsin this July from 16 states and seven countries, to chop, saw, throw axes, log roll, sprint across floating logs and speed climb poles.

Antoine Carter speaks about gardening, public art, philanthropy and his plan to build apartment buildings on vacant lots near Milwaukee's Moody Park.

Twenty-two-year-old Racine native, Willow Newell, is the first Black woman to be named Miss Wisconsin. In September, she'll compete for Miss America in Florida.

Milwaukee's County Transit System recently announced a surprise $11 million budget deficit projected for the year. Last week, the drivers union authorized a strike. So what exactly is going on with the county's bus system?

Habitat loss, climate change and the use of pesticides are to blame for the population decline of monarchs, says Karen Oberhauser, the co-founder and co-director of the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project.

A report claims that the 2024 Republican National Convention generated a $321 million economic impact for the Milwaukee-area economy. But this report does not account for losses of regular business.

As the federal government sliced health care coverage over the next decade, Wisconsin, too, passed its budget. How will it impact people with Medicaid coverage, SNAP benefits or child care needs?

Milwaukee immigration lawyer Davorin Odrcic joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to discuss changing immigration laws over the past year.

WUWM's Joy Powers speaks to ham radio enthusiasts at a National Association for Amateur Radio field day to learn more about the subculture surrounding this unique hobby.

“Choosing Love” co-authors Dawne Moon & Theresa Tobin explore how people can identify as both conservative Christians and a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and the lessons they can teach about relationships, inclusion and justice.

This month's "Group Chat" is a conversation between high school best friends who are off to college. The only problem is they're afraid of what might happen to their parents, who don't have legal status in the U.S.

Headliners include BILAL, Digable Planets, Madison McFerrin and Septeto Charambó. The series is every other Wednesday starting July 2 to August 27 at the Marcus Center's Peck Pavilion.

Author and Bay View Historian Ron Winkler joins WUWM's Audrey Nowakowski to explore the history of Humboldt Park, ahead of its 2025 designation as a Bay View Historical Society site.

The Bay View Massacre was a pivotal moment in Wisconsin's labor and political history, but not much is known about the victims. In this "Bubbler Talk" we explore who they were and where they're buried.

The Texas-based convenience store chain Buc-ee's is slated to make its Badger State debut in 2027. But what does this mean for Wisconsin travelers and residents of Oak Creek?

The Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition is visiting Milwaukee to collect oral histories of the states boarding school survivors.

The American Robin is one of the most common birds in North America. You've probably seen one in your backyard or been woken up by one before sunrise. But did you know this iconic bird is also Wisconsin's state bird?