Lake Effect Spotlight

More and more people of all ages are using AI for companionship.  Some states are trying to require periodic reminders to users that the chatbots are not real people. In New York, those reminders would appear in the conversation every three hours. But some researchers say those reminders could harm users' mental health. UW-Milwaukee associate professor Linnea Laestadius took that position in a recent piece she coauthored. Laestadius joins WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal to talk about why her research backs up that concern.  A warning to our listeners that this conversation includes mention of suicide.  

What's your go-to cocktail order? Well, if you're in Milwaukee or somewhere in Wisconsin, there's a good chance it's a brandy old-fashioned. But even where the old fashioned reigns, Milwaukee has a strong cocktail bar scene where you can get endless combinations of cocktails.  For cocktail writer and author Robert Simonson, Wisconsin has always held its own in the cocktail world – even when he moved away from home to be a writer in New York City for decades to cover cocktails.  Simonson recently returned home to Milwaukee where he will continue to write about food, drink, history and regional culture. To share more about his experience and how the Midwest compares to the East Coast in its cocktail culture, Simonson joins Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski.

During February we've been exploring how winters are changing in Wisconsin in our Thin Ice series. We've looked at the impact on ice fishing and storm water management. Today, WUWM environmental reporter Susan Bence looks at new data from Climate Central on just how much winter temperatures and even the length of the winter season is changing. 

Many Midwesterners have worn a pair of ice skates to hit the rink or a frozen pond in the winter. But have you ever tried a skating ribbon? It's essentially an ice skating trail in the woods and the first one opened up in Wisconsin last winter. It's called “The Glide” and it's at Boulder Junction Winter Park — an outdoor winter recreation area. And for this month's Wandering Wisconsin, we'll help you plan a trip there. Lake Effect's Becky Mortensen is joined by Mary Jones, the executive director of the Boulder Junction Chamber of Commerce and Amanda Weibel with Travel Wisconsin. 

This year marks 100 years of recognizing Black people's contributions to the United States with Black History Month. It began as Negro History week in 1926.The Association for the Study of African American Life & History was established in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who is often referenced as the Father of Black History. In honor of the milestone year, WUWM's Race & Ethnicity Reporter Teran Powell is joined by the national president of the Association, Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead to learn about the origin of Black History Month. 

You don't have to fly to Italy to see Olympic-level skiers. They're coming to Wisconsin this weekend. As the largest ski marathon in North America, the American Birkebeiner promises to attract over 10,000 people to Hayward Wisconsin for a celebration of cross country skiing. Starting tomorrow and running through Sunday, there are several races for kids, dogs, and yes, Olympic-level skiers. But the main race is where the action is, and it involves carrying a real-life infant for a portion of the course. A new baby is chosen every year. While this year's baby was not much of a talker, Lake Effect's Sam Woods caught up with 2010's baby and his parents. 16 years later, their story reveals a tapestry of love, living history, and a life of skiing. 

The library is more than just books, and our Books and Beyond series with Milwaukee Public Library showcases just that. We share resources, book recommendations, and some cool stuff you might not know about. For this edition of Books and Beyond, we're learning about an early literacy program called ABC Academy offered at the Central Library Branch. This program hopes to help fill Milwaukee's literacy gap. Since 2009, our public-school literacy rates have fallen, and just this year MPS launched a new plan to try to turn these rates around. The library's ABC Academy program is for young readers to help with kindergarten readiness. The program goes beyond your typical story time and focuses on different activities to help build on letter recognition.  To share more, Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski is joined by Central Library children's room librarian Erin Sloan and Milwaukee artist Wave Chapelle – who's here today as a dad helping his son learn to read.  

Milwaukee native Malik Johnson is a grammy-nominated cellist, composer and music producer. He recently added the title of Artist in Residence at Milwaukee's Betty Brinn Children's Museum.  Johnson became the museum's first artist-in-residence last year and returns to the role this year to continue connecting with children and families through music. He spoke with Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez about his work and the Betty Brinn artist-in-residence program.

'Group Chat' is when we hand over the mic to community members and let them share their stories and experiences. This Group Chat is all about falling in love. And while that might conjure up images of young couples making wrinkle-less eyes at each – this conversation is about loving later in life. As people get older, they can lose their friends, family and partners. But some seniors still want to find connection…and love.  On this month's Group Chat, we hear from two seniors, Laeh, 82, and Allen, 78, who've been dating for the past three years. They talk about the joy of finding someone, the hurdles they've had to overcome, and what it's been like to feel butterflies again. 

Data centers serve as the foundation of the internet. With tech companies like Microsoft investing billions of dollars in artificial intelligence, even larger data centers are being built and proposed around world. In Wisconsin, projects like the Vantage data center in Port Washington have stirred controversy. In Mount Pleasant, Microsoft is building what it calls “the most advanced data center in the world. With these large-scale, billion-dollar projects comes questions about what how it will impact Wisconsin communities. To help answer these questions, WUWM has a new resource on our website for you to better understand what's happening with data centers. WUWM reporter Eddie Morales is here in studio to talk about it. Eddie, thank you for being here. 

There are many ways to observe and celebrate Black History Month, including a trip to the movie theater. Milwaukee Film curated a month-long lineup to recognize Black History Month. Ty Williams is the Black Lens Programmer for Milwaukee Film, and he handpicked a variety of films you can see on the big screen that reflect Black icons in fiction. They're all a part of the series “Afrofuturism: Fates Beyond Fiction.” Williams joins Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski to share more.  

In case you missed it, Bad Bunny put on a halftime show that doubled as a love letter to Puerto Rico during last weekend's Super Bowl. Here in Milwaukee, Puerto Rican businesses have been taking inspiration from the artist's ascent to the big stage.  Last month, West Allis coffee shop Aroma Cafe began serving Bad Bunny lattes. The drink is inspired by coquito, the coconut cocktail usually made with rum. WUWM reporter Katherine Kokal stopped by the shop a few days before the game to try the zero-proof coffee drink.  

In this special episode of Lake Effect Spotlight, we bring you a recent episode of Uniquely Milwaukee from our public radio friends at Radio Milwaukee.

In this week's Bubbler Talk, we investigate how the oldest building in the western hemisphere journeyed from medieval France to modern Milwaukee.

Wisconsin's population grew by 3.6% in the last census - but that data also shed light on another reality: the state's youth population is continuing to decline. It's been a trend that's played out slowly over the last two decades, but now that trend is accelerating - especially here in Milwaukee.  John Johnson is a research fellow at the Marquette Law School Lubar Center and he recently published data on Milwaukee's so-called “Baby Bust.” He joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to talk about it and what the baby bust could mean for the city's future.   

Companies around the nation are waiting on the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the legality of President Donald Trump's tariff war. The president has been using tariffs as both a threat and punishment against nations that he believes have slighted him and the U.S.   The implementation of these tariffs has been haphazard, leaving many businesses unsure about how to handle them. That's been especially true for small businesses importing foods - like coffee, chocolate, or wine - many of which can't be made in the U.S.  Journalist Drew Dawson chatted with some local businesses for this month's Milwaukee Magazine to see how these tariffs are impacting them. 

According to Point-in-Time data, Milwaukee has been uniquely successful in preventing homelessness. Whereas rates of homelessness have increased nationwide over the last decade, they've declined in Milwaukee. Krystina Kohler is the impact manager for the Safe and Stable Homes Initiative at United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County. United Way is the lead agency applying for federal funding for homeless services. Kohler joins Lake Effect's Sam Woods to discuss Milwaukee's approach to homeless services, success in getting people housed, and how new priorities in federal funding threaten to undermine that success.  

Shorewood resident Paul Florsheim was ticketed for trespassing for walking along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Florsheim was walking north of the public Atwater Beach where residential homes meet the shore. Florsheim took the case to court, arguing it's everyone's right under Wisconsin's public trust doctrine to walk along the lakeshore. But last week a municipal judge found Florsheim guilty. He plans to appeal.  Rob Lee is a staff attorney at Midwest Environmental Advocates. He says his team is following the case because it could go to the court of appeals or the state supreme court. Lee joins WUWM's environmental reporter Susan Bence to talk about the ruling and the implications.

When it comes to the housing challenges in Milwaukee, a lot of it comes down to cost. People may want to buy but can't afford to. WUWM is examining systemic housing problems – and solutions – for more affordable housing. Today, we're looking into community organizations that are creating their own paths to homeownership. And hearing from people who've been waiting their whole lives for a home to call their own. WUWM's Jimmy Gutierrez brings us the story. 

Dee Anderson was a pastor at West Granville Presbyterian Church for forty years. He retired in 2025, but for years he helped oversee the resettlement of international teachers coming to teach in Milwaukee Public Schools.   You heard from two of those teachers in a previous Status Pending episode - Chigozie Okonkwo and Chioma Mba, from Nigeria. They're part of Dee's congregation, and that's how WUWM's Audrey Nowakowski and Katherine Kokal met him.  Here's Pastor Dee talking about why his church stepped up to meet the moment, and how it's changed them for the better. 

Milwaukee Public Schools recently approved Annie Kubes as the new senior director of Milwaukee Recreation.  Milwaukee Rec runs hundreds of programs in the city – from afterschool care to youth sports and cooking classes.   Kubes has worked for the department since she was sixteen years old. Throughout her career, she's overseen various Milwaukee Rec programs — from Special Olympics to driver education and aquatics. She was most recently working part-time as Milwaukee Rec's special projects coordinator. Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez speaks with Kubes about her job experience and the goals she has for this role. 

One of the country's most fundamental environmental laws is under threat. President Trump is rolling back the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.NEPA requires federal agencies to consider a project's potential environmental impacts before deciding whether to approve it. The Trump administration says scaling back NEPA would bring infrastructure and energy projects to life without unnecessary delays.  Ron Eckstein is very familiar with NEPA. He's a retired state DNR wildlife biologist who spent his career in northern Wisconsin. He saw firsthand how NEPA helped with management of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Eckstein is also a founding member of Wisconsin's Green Fire, a group that promotes science-based management of our state's natural resources. He joins WUWM environmental reporter Susan Bence.  

For weeks, Minnesota has been targeted by an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign. Federal immigration agents have surged through the Twin Cities, going door-to-door, arresting immigrants, and U.S. citizens alike. One woman, Renee Nicole Good, was killed by an ICE agent. So, how do you report on something like this? Katelyn Vue is an immigration reporter at the Sahan Journal, an outlet in the Twin Cities that covers immigrant communities. She spoke with WUWM's Jimmy Gutierrez last week. During their interview, you'll hear clips from news reports about what's happening in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.  

A bitter cold snap is gripping southeast Wisconsin. Many of us are under an extreme cold warning or watch with temperatures creeping into the negative teens. Weather-related emergencies can happen at any time. That's why it's especially important to be prepared. Katie Rousonelos is the public information officer with Wisconsin Emergency Management. She joins Lake Effect's Sam Woods to share how to prepare for winter emergencies and how to stay safe during this cold snap. 

We now have a snapshot of the health and well-being of Milwaukee residents. The Milwaukee Health Department has released its 2025 Community Health Assessment, the first since 2022 when the pandemic was still looming large as a public health concern. This new report finds that violence, drug abuse and housing all play a role in whether we can live healthy lives.  Ali Tahler-Reed and Dominique Hyatt-Oates of the health department join WUWM's Katherine Kokal to look at what's in the report and how it'll be used. 

Milwaukee Public School leaders learned last week that the state was releasing the final portion of money it withheld in 2024. The money has been held up after the district missed financial reporting deadlines. The financial woes led to the resignation of former Superintendent Keith Posely. Now, Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction has released eight million dollars to the district after it submitted all its late financial reports. It marks another major turn for the state's largest school district as it tries to earn back the trust of the public and state regulators. WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal catches up with MPS' Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius.

This month, WUWM has been looking at ways that schools are addressing low literacy rates among Milwaukee children. But what about our city's adults? One in four adults in Milwaukee reads at or below a third grade level. Thousands of adults have sought help through free programs offered by Literacy Services of Wisconsin. WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal met with Literacy Services executive director Holly McCoy-Perez at the organization's new headquarters in the Brewer's Hill neighborhood. They discuss how strengthening reading education for young children can have a snowball effect on future generations. 

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games are coming up in February. Athletes from across the globe will be performing together on the highest platform their sport can reach. It's an exciting time not just for the athletes who have trained incredibly hard to qualify, but for all of us watching from home. In this Winter Olympic Games we have a fellow Wisconsinite to cheer on – Staff Sargent Deedra Irwin. She's on Team USA competing in the biathlon and currently holds the best placement for an American athlete in the event with her 7th place finish from her Olympic debut in Beijing. Irwin is from Pulaski, Wisconsin and is also part of the Army's World Class Athlete Program. To share more about how she got into the biathlon and her outlook on the upcoming Olympics, she joins Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski.

Every year, Woodland Pattern selects a Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate through a competition. Last summer, the local non-profit crowned Angela Wang with the literary honor. She's a senior at the University School of Milwaukee and wraps up her service this upcoming May.  As Youth Poet Laureate, Wang shares her poetry across the city and helps guide other young poets through writing workshops. Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez talks with Wang about what inspires her poems and what's she learned in the year-long role. 

Starting this week, some bus riders across Milwaukee County will need to wait longer for their rides. Especially on the weekends. That's because the Milwaukee County Transit System reduced service to some routes to help deal with a multimillion dollar budget deficit.   Regular fares also went up by 75 cents at the beginning of this year. To learn more about the changes, WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal is joined by Jesus Ochoa and Brian DeNeeve Brian with MCTS. 

Massive data centers are coming to Wisconsin to help power the global boom in artificial intelligence. The data centers will add demand for electricity and water. And this comes after years of declining usage of both in Wisconsin. So how might that impact Wisconsin's electricity and water infrastructure? To find out, WUWM's Maayan Silver is joined by Tyler Byrnes. He's senior research associate for the Wisconsin Policy Forum, which recently released a report on data centers and utilities. 

Lance Armstrong. Elizabeth Holmes. Jay Gatsby. Typically, we shun liars in all forms whether they are politicians, financiers or fictional characters. We tell our kids to never lie, and expect our friends to be truthful, even when it hurts. But the Burlington Liars Club is different. Here, lies are celebrated and platformed in an annual contest for who can tell the best lie. Truthfully, Tea Krulos is a contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine, who wrote about the Burlington Liars Club for this month's issue. He joins Lake Effect's Sam Woods to put WUWM's journalistic integrity to the test, and celebrate the liars among us.  

Data centers are the factories that run the internet. We rely on them every day, for things like sending emails, watching videos and uploading photos. Now, even larger data centers, to help power artificial intelligence, are being proposed and built in Wisconsin. Data centers require millions of gallons of water to operate. Some can consume as much energy as a town. Port Washington residents want to recall the city's mayor over a 15-billion-dollar Vantage data center that's under construction. Microsoft is building one in Mount Pleasant. To learn more about data centers and their environmental impacts, WUWM reporter Eddie Morales is joined by Amy Barrilleaux. She's the communications director at Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy group. 

91% of students in Milwaukee Public Schools cannot read at grade level. But a new literacy plan by the school district promises to change how students learn to read. The plan comes in response to new state legislation, called Act 20, that requires districts to use science-based reading instruction.  WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal is looking into literacy in her series called Turning the Page: Teaching Milwaukee to Read. She talked with Ana Gabriela Bell Jiménez, the Academic Superintendent for Literacy at MPS, and Jennifer Mims-Howell, the district's Chief Academic Officer. 

WUWM has committed to covering issues our listeners say are top priorities, including the economy. As part of that coverage, we're exploring how the economy is impacting Wisconsinites with different financial needs and concerns. Tom Oberhaus is the co-operator of Cozy Nook Farm in Waukesha County. Cozy Nook is primarily a dairy farm, supplying milk to Prairie Farms mainly for their cheese products. The farm supplements its dairy businesses with seasonal pumpkin and Christmas tree sales. When Lake Effect's Sam Woods last spoke with Oberhaus in October, pumpkin sales were going strong. This month, the two discuss how Christmas tree season went, and how Cozy Nook is preparing for 2026. 

2025 was a whirlwind for Milwaukee Public Schools. It hired a new superintendent and dealt with flooding right before the start of the school year. But the biggest story was the school district's multimillion dollar cleanup of toxic lead paint in its classrooms and common spaces.  The project began after a student tested positive for elevated lead levels and the contamination was traced back to the student's school. That was one year ago in January. WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal is joined by Michael Turza. He's the interim chief operating officer at MPS, and he's been at the helm of the lead remediation project. 

2025 was a big year in politics. For many Wisconsinites the year brought uncertainty and cuts in services, despite paying more for most necessities. That includes major increases in property taxes and bus fares, alongside cuts to bus services.  Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to talk about what the past year has been like for the county, and his hopes for the future.

UW-Milwaukee's Atmospheric Science degree program has come to an end. That program prepared students for careers in weather and climate forecasting and research. UWM says the program ended this year due to low enrollment and faculty retirements. Its closure comes on the heels of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facing federal cuts to its research and staff. As Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez explains, that means UWM atmospheric science students are facing the loss of their degree program and an uncertain job market. 

The average price of a home in Milwaukee County rose about 8-percent since last year. Even with a stable job, buying a home feels out of reach for many. But why is housing so expensive and what can be done about it? WUWM's series Seeking Solutions: Keys to Homeownership digs into systemic housing problems in Milwaukee and sheds light on solutions. One emerging solution is the Milwaukee Community Land Trust, which offers homes under 100 thousand dollars and a fixed appreciation rate to keep that home affordable long term. The organization is new and has just nine homes in its portfolio as of this summer. As Lake Effect's Sam Woods explains, the model isn't a perfect solution to solve housing affordability. But it is built on decades of nationwide experience, proven to keep individual homes affordable forever, and reveals truths about why homes are so expensive in the first place. 

This year, WUWM explored Milwaukee and Wisconsin's immigration history through a series called Making Wisconsin. The idea was to help better understand who our neighbors are and how immigration has shaped our city, state and country. One part of the series explored the concept of sanctuary.  Throughout history there have been waves of sanctuary movements stemming from religious organizations, activists, and legislation. To help understand sanctuary and how it shaped our history and politics Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski spoke with Marquette University assistant professor of history and author Sergio González.  

Milwaukee hosted the Republican National Convention last year. City officials touted a potential economic windfall. Visit Milwaukee released a report claiming the event carried a 321-million-dollar economic impact. But this number doesn't include normal business that was crowded out by the RNC. Instead, it's a tally of what was spent by visitors and the cost of putting on the event. Lake Effect's Sam Woods looks at what's in the report. 

The Milwaukee Art Museum has a new leader at the helm. Kim Sajet was previously the director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, where she worked to increase the representation of women and people of color in the collection. In May, President Trump claimed to have fired Sajet from the Smithsonian in part because of her work to diversify the collection.  Although the Smithsonian made it clear the president has no authority to fire employees of the institution, Sajet decided to resign from her position a couple weeks after the incident. But DC's loss is Milwaukee's gain. Sajet brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience, and a desire to invigorate the Milwaukee Art Museum's space with new community engagement efforts.