Lake Effect Spotlight

When you sell a home, the profit you make is taxed. It's called the capital gains tax. You can exclude a portion of that profit from taxes – up to $250,000 for a single person or $500,000 for a married couple. Some housing experts and politicians think changing the capital gains tax on home sales could motivate more homeowners to sell, and open up homes amid a national housing shortage. WUWM's series, Seeking Solutions: Keys to Homeownership, examines barriers to home buying and possible solutions. WUWM's Race & Ethnicity Reporter Teran Powell speaks with UW-Madison professor of Urban Planning, Kurt Paulsen, to learn more about the capital gains tax and how reforming it could affect housing in Wisconsin. 

Status Pending is a new podcast from WUWM about the pathways that immigrants take to live and work in the U.S.  In this week's episode, WUWM's Jimmy Gutierrez explores the refugee resettlement program – which has changed dramatically this year under President Trump. 

With the holidays around the corner, many Wisconsinites are purchasing a Christmas tree. But fewer trees are being grown. Statewide, Christmas tree harvests have dipped 60% in the last 20 years. This rate of decline in Wisconsin is about double the national average. Possible reasons include the popularity of artificial trees, a dip in production after the Great Recession, and weather-related setbacks. Steven Potter is a freelance reporter for Milwaukee Magazine. In this month's issue, he wrote about how Wisconsin's Christmas tree suppliers are adjusting. He spoke with Lake Effect's Sam Woods. 

This holiday season, many of us are looking for things to do with the family -- including trying out new restaurants. And if you're looking for a great new place to try, Lori Fredrich has you covered.  Fredrich is the dining editor for On Milwaukee, and she regularly joins us to talk about new Milwaukee-area restaurants and reminisce about old favorites that have recently closed. She joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to share more. 

It's difficult for many people to buy a home in Milwaukee, even if they have a stable job. WUWM is examining the systemic problems that contribute to this challenge – and some potential solutions – in our series called “Seeking Solutions: Keys to Homeownership.” Today, we look at how redlining has created barriers to homeownership for people of color. Redlining was a discriminatory practice that labeled homes in Black and brown communities as too risky for loans. WUWM's Eddie Morales spoke with Dr. Kirk Harris. Harris is a UW-Milwaukee professor and director of the Center for Equity Practice and Planning Justice.

On Wednesday morning, Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge Hannah Dugan will have her last hearing before her case potentially goes to trial. Dugan is accused of helping a defendant in her courtroom to evade immigration enforcement officers. The case against Dugan has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown. Federal prosecutors have said they're offering Dugan plea deals. Lawyers for Dugan say their client is innocent and will be going to trial next month. To find out more about what could happen next, WUWM's Maayan Silver spoke with Wisconsin criminal defense attorney Tony Cotton – who is not involved in the case. 

Despite community pushback, the Milwaukee Police Department has been considering expanding its use of facial recognition technology. Milwaukee's Equal Rights Commission and the majority of the Milwaukee Common Council have come out in opposition to the use of facial recognition - citing concerns over misidentification, particularly of people of color.  Others, like Emilio De Torre from the Milwaukee Turners, have voiced concerns over how data collected from facial recognition technology could we weaponized against the community - especially as the Trump Administration continues its crusade against undocumented people.  De Torre is also a member of WUWM's Advisory Board. He recently wrote an Op-Ed for the Shepherd Express, arguing that facial recognition data is bound to end up in the hands of federal authorities and he joins me now to talk about this issue. Emilio, thanks so much for being here. 

Where are all of the city's street signs? WUWM's Jimmy Gutierrez finds out for Bubbler Talk.

Seeing a production of the Nutcracker is a holiday tradition for many Wisconsinites. For fans of the classical ballet – there's an opportunity to not just watch a performance of the Nutcracker but actually immerse yourself in the story. You can do it on a visit to the Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh. That's where we're headed for this month's Wandering Wisconsin. Lake Effect's Becky Mortensen is joined by Aaron Sherer from the Paine Art Center and Amanda Weibel with Travel Wisconsin. 

A massive data center campus is being constructed in Port Washington. Elected officials there say the project will be a boon for the community, but not all residents are on board. Some are concerned about the environmental impact, their bills and quality of life. WUWM has been exploring this data center debate, and today we look at buildings. Vantage Data Centers is the company building this campus. It has purchased more than 100 properties in Port Washington – which means some buildings need to go. That's where David DeVooght (duh-VOHT) comes in. He moves buildings for a living. He sees this land purchase as an opportunity to reuse existing structures rather than have them end up in a landfill. WUWM's environmental reporter Susan Bence met with DeVooght to learn about his work. 

The rates of depression, anxiety and PTSD are higher among physicians compared to the general population. Unfortunately, this problem is not improving, as at least one physician in the U.S. dies by suicide every day. Despite the proven effectiveness of treating mental health conditions, most physicians don't seek help. So why does this treatment gap exist - and what barriers are preventing it from closing? Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld looked into this issue firsthand and co-authored a study that shares a few solutions to reduce barriers to mental health care for physicians. Dr. Ehrenfeld joins me now to share more, and starts by explaining why mental health challenges are prevalent among physicians and others in the medical field. A note to our listeners - this conversation has mentions of suicide. 

For decades, racially restrictive covenants were a common part of deeds for Milwaukee-area homes. These were clauses that typically restricted properties from being sold to non-white people. Although these covenants have been illegal since the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 - their legacy remains in the high segregation we see throughout the Milwaukee-area.  An ongoing project headed by UW-Milwaukee professors Derek Handley and Anne Bonds, is mapping out where these racially restrictive covenants were, and where they remain in some property deeds. They join me now to talk about their work - Derek, Anne, thank you both so much for joining us on Lake Effect. 

College instructors are facing quieter classrooms: few questions, little debate between students, not much feedback. Educators place some blame on the pandemic and virtual learning. Others point to social media. This class of college freshmen were born around 2006. So it's safe to say they've seen their fair share of people fighting online. Dr. Amelia Zurcher is trying to correct that. She launched a civic discourse curriculum three years ago to help teach students how to disagree with one another. WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal spoke with her about the program and how disagreements about campus speech are taking shape. 

For more than a century, an invasive species has been literally sucking the life out of the Great Lakes. They're known as sea lampreys. After nearly decimating commercial fishing operations in the early 20th Century, a management program was created to keep the lampreys at bay.  It's been successful: the number of sea lampreys has been reduced by 90% since the program first began. But the work has been on-going and now cuts to the federal program are threatening that progress. Journalist Katie Thornton tagged along with some of the people doing this work, and wrote about it for The New Yorker. She joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers, along with Mark Gaden, the executive secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, whose work was featured in the piece. 

Some local officials are calling to defund it. Others want to expand it. But they're running into trouble doing that because of a 2023 state legislative package. WUWM's Maayan Silver jumped on the Hop with Jeremy Jannene, president of Urban Milwaukee, to learn how the Hop is funded and what's on the table for the future. 

Wisconsin's FoodShare is funded by SNAP, which was frozen November 1st, because of the longest federal government shutdown in history. Three federal judges have ordered funding to be restored, at least in part.  That led to Wisconsin and some other states issuing November FoodShare benefits. But the Trump administration says states shouldn't have done that. College students are among FoodShare users who've been caught in the middle. UW-Milwaukee says the FoodShare freeze came on top of October cuts to paychecks and other benefits, caused by the government shutdown. That means a growing number of UWM students are using the campus Food Center & Pantry.  

The gales of November are upon us. On this day fifty years ago, the cargo vessel SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior amidst an intense storm. All 29 crew members on board were lost. The sinking of the Fitzgerald remains one of the most mysterious and controversial shipwrecks of the Great Lakes. Decades later, the Gordon Lightfoot ballad continues to garner public interest in the shipwreck not just in the Midwest, but worldwide.  To learn some theories of why the Fitzgerald sank and how some of the crew members are being remembered today, Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski is joined by Kay Dragan - curator and exhibits manager at the Door County Maritime Museum.  

Millions of Americans and thousands of people in Wisconsin are struggling to get food. Because of the federal government shutdown, funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP has run out. Two federal judges ordered the Trump Administration to use emergency funds to pay for the program. But SNAP beneficiaries will get half of the usual benefits and its unclear how long those funds will take to arrive. In Milwaukee, food pantries have been trying to keep up with increased demand. The House of Peace on West Walnut Street is the largest food pantry in the city. It serves more than 18-thousand people a year. WUWM's Race & Ethnicity Reporter Teran Powell is joined by Armondo Diaz, the pantry's coordinator to learn how the House of Peace is managing the uptick in people they're serving.  

This month's issue of Milwaukee Magazine features the five winners of its 2025 Betty Awards. The awards honor extraordinary women doing remarkable work in Milwaukee. One of the recipients is Linda Edelstein, the CEO of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra – or MYSO. She's played instruments since her childhood and had an extensive career in music education and performance.  Edelstein has led MYSO since 2012, and every year up to a thousand students across the region participate in their wide range of programs. To share more about the impact of MYSO and the benefits of music education outside of performance, Edelstein joins Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski.

Back in September, Lake Effect reported on the sudden cancellation of federal funding for MKE Roots. The program trains Milwaukee-area teachers on how to make social studies relevant to students by connecting them to local history.  Last month, MKE Roots was notified that it would again receive federal funding. But the money came with the stipulation that the program focus on commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Melissa Gibson is an associate professor at Marquette University and the faculty director of MKE Roots. She speaks with Lake Effect's Sam Woods about the changes to its federal grant funding, and how it will – and won't - change what the program does. 

A new state historical marker in Milwaukee honors the city's Chinese Laundry Era. Beginning in the late 1800s, for over a century, Chinese immigrants owned dozens of laundries to provide for their families. The historical marker sits outside the YWCA on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. That's where one of the last businesses, Fred Moy Laundry, operated from 1940 to 1976. A short film, by Beijing native and UW-Milwaukee lecturer, Yinan Wang (pronouncer: e-non wong) covers the marker's unveiling and previews a new one expected to be installed at Forest Home Cemetery next spring. WUWM's Eddie Morales asked Wang about the film and his experiences living in Milwaukee for the past decade. 

The federal government shutdown has now stretched on for more than a month and money for some vital services is not being distributed. In Milwaukee County, 125-thousand children benefitted from food assistance at some point last year.  Two Head Start childcare programs in our state are now poised to close their doors this month due to the shutdown. Jennie Mauer is the executive director of Wisconsin's Head Start Association. She joins WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal to talk about the challenges facing Wisconsin's most vulnerable families.  

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.  

Alice's Garden Urban Farm has been growing on Milwaukee's northside for over 50 years. It's built on land that marks the beginning of Wisconsin's underground railroad and named after Milwaukee's first Black executive director of Milwaukee county extension. The farm is rooted in local Black culture and history.  WUWM's Eric Von Fellow Maria Peralta-Arellano visited Alice's Garden to speak with its executive director, Venice Williams for our series on urban agriculture. 

The scientific journal, Nature Climate Change found 89 percent of the world's population wants to see their government act on climate change. As the annual global climate change conference is about to kick off in Brazil, we're looking at attitudes on climate change here in Wisconsin WUWM Environmental Reporter Susan Bence checked in with Cody Kamrowski, the executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.  

The nuclear family is often thought of as a pillar of American achievement. Two-parent families have been championed in both rhetoric - and policy - as having a key role in climbing the social ladder in the U.S. But a new book by Milwaukee-native Christina Cross is challenging this idea. Cross is a sociologist and the author of Inherited Inequality: Why Opportunity Gaps Persist between Black and White Youth Raised in Two-Parent Families.  In her book, Cross breaks down the data along racial lines - finding that the nuclear family isn't nearly as beneficial to Black Americans as it has been for white Americans. Cross joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to talk about her findings - and how prioritizing two-parent families has shaped U.S. policy for decades. 

Will Allen is a former professional basketball player, but he decided to trade the court for crops. Allen is credited as a pioneer in urban agriculture in Milwaukee.  He started Growing Power in 1995. The non-profit initiative revolutionized how the city thought about local food production and education. Growing Power ceased operations in 2017, in the face of legal and financial problems. But the organization left its mark, paving the way for future flourishing urban agriculture initiatives in the city.  WUWM's Eric Von Fellow Maria Peralta-Arellano spoke with Allen as part of her series called Feeding the City: The People Powering Local Food. 

How does Wisconsin keep track of teachers accused of misconduct? That's the subject of a recent yearlong investigation by Cap Times reporter Danielle DuClos. She found that between 2018 and 2023 nearly 200 school employees were investigated for sexual misconduct or grooming.  Internal records obtained by the Cap Times show the department investigated allegations of sexual assault, educators soliciting nude photos from children or initiating sexual relationships immediately after students graduated.  WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal is joined by DuClos of the Cap Times to learn about the reporting.  

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.

It's local budget season again, and Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee are finalizing budgets. While the Mayor's proposed budget for the city escapes major cuts to services, Milwaukee County's budget includes cuts to MCTS, rising public safety and building maintenance costs, and increased property tax rates. Rob Henken, immediate past president of the Wisconsin Policy Forum joins Lake Effect's Sam Woods to discuss both budgets, with a focus on Milwaukee County. 

Jazz legend Herbie Hancock plays in Milwaukee tonight. He's produced dozens of albums, spanning jazz, jazz-rock fusion, funk, and electronic music. He's also collaborated with other music greats, from Miles Davis to Joni Mitchell.  On that journey, Hancock has picked up 14 Grammys and an Oscar for best soundtrack. He's playing at Milwaukee's Pabst Theatre tonight. Ahead of that he joins WUWM's Maayan Silver who first noted that he has a voice for radio. 

The library is more than just books, and our series with the Milwaukee Public Library called Books and Beyond showcases just that. This month we are exploring some stories in honor of the spooky season with MPL's special collections and archives department. They're hosting an event called ‘Milwaukee Mysteries: True Crime and Paranormal' to take a historical spin on the theme with real people, places, haunts, and events in the Milwaukee area.  To learn more, Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski is joined by librarian archivist Casey Lapworth, who begins by explaining how their librarian take on spooky season came about.

Today, we're continuing our tour of some of Milwaukee's Yemeni coffee shops. Over the past year, five of them have opened in the area. The shops offer drinks made with Yemeni coffee beans and stay open late into the night.  WUWM's Maayan Silver and Eddie Morales visit one shop that has a particularly active evening social scene. 

It's been just over a decade since the game-changing discovery of gravitational waves in the distant universe. Gravitational waves are ripples in space-time caused by cosmic collisions. By processing massive amounts of data, UW-Milwaukee scientists played key roles in the discovery, contributing to a Nobel Prize in Physics.  The discovery of gravitational waves opened a new door of study, and this work continues in our backyard today. To learn more about the significance of this anniversary and the new discoveries it led to, Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski speaks with UWM physics and astronomy assistant professor, Lia Medeiros.

A Black-owned art gallery in Milwaukee is at risk of closing. Fatima Laster purchased the building in 2018 seeking to make a communal space for underrepresented artists. Since then, hundreds of artists have come through the doors of the 5 Points Art Gallery.  Laster acquired the building through the city of Milwaukee's Art and Resource Community Hub loan program, or ARCH. She's now in talks with her lender, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, about restructuring the terms of her loan. She's also launched a fundraising campaign to help with a large mortgage payment due on December first. Laster joins WUWM's Race & Ethnicity Reporter Teran Powell to talk about the gallery and how she's trying to make sure it stays open. 

October marks the start of the respiratory viral vaccine season in earnest. Illnesses like the flu, covid, and RSV are making the rounds. Fortunately, there are tried and tested tools to help us stay healthy while protecting others – like vaccines.  To go over the vaccines available, how they work, and the importance of getting your annual shots, Dr. Jim Conway joins me now. He's the medical director of the UW Health immunization program, and he begins by explaining what factors contribute to the flu and other illnesses peaking at this time of year.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, thousands of Native American children were sent to schools run by the federal government and churches. Many suffered abuse at the schools, where the goal was to erase Indigenous cultures starting with the communities' children.    On this Indigenous Peoples' Day, we have the story of a Wisconsin survivor of one of these schools. His name is Dewey Schanandore (shan-an-door). When he was a child on the Menominee reservation, he went to a Catholic school called St. Anthony's. Dewey shares his story and what it took to heal with WUWM reporter Jimmy Gutierrez and Eric Von Fellow, Maria Peralta-Arellano. 

Fat Body Hotties is here to celebrate fat joy in Milwaukee and they're proud about it. Sarah Chojnacki started the group after seeing a need for affordable and size-inclusive clothing. Alongside their co-organizer, Ashley Mertes, they regularly host free clothing swaps for fat folks.  Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez spoke with Chojnacki and Mertes about how the group has created community through its inclusive and accessible events.  The next clothing swap is tomorrow, Saturday October 11.

For many people facing end-stage organ failure, a donated organ is their only life-saving option. But the waiting list is long, and finding the right organ match is incredibly difficult. In Wisconsin it's becoming even more difficult, as more than 800 people have removed their names from the organ donor registry this year. Experts say misinformation about organ donation may be driving some of those removals.  Lake Effect's Joy Powers is joined by two people who are trying to counter misinformation and share the benefits of becoming an organ donor. Dr. Nikole Neidlinger is a transplant surgeon and medical director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation. And Colleen McCarthy is the vice president of organ and tissue donation at Versiti Wisconsin

Wisconsin's drinking water is facing a growing crisis of nitrate contamination. That's according to a new report by the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Nitrates are commonly caused by fertilizers, manure, and agricultural runoff. They can be harmful to people at high levels. In Wisconsin, agriculture accounts for 90% of nitrate contamination - but communities are often left footing the bill for cleanup.  Angela Blatt is the senior agriculture policy manager at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, and she joins me now to talk about the report. 

Aspiring actor Matt Kemple first came to Milwaukee in 2005 – he'd only intended to stay for a year, but 20 years later, he's still here.  During that time, he helped build the Milwaukee comedy scene, including through his work creating and running the annual Milwaukee Comedy Festival. The festival, now in its 20th year, kicks off today [Oct. 7], and runs through Sunday. Kemple was featured in a Milwaukee Record article in July, recounting his evolution from performer to producer.  Kemple joined WUWM's Rachel Owens, to talk about his 20 years of making Milwaukee a funnier place.   

Milwaukee Public Schools hired more than 200 teachers from other countries to help fill open jobs this year. The school district uses the temporary H-1B visa program to hire international teachers for three years at a time. This type of visa is reserved for people working in “specialty occupations” like teaching, computer sciences and engineering. Many employers like hospitals and tech companies, rely on these visas.  Last month, President Trump announced sweeping changes to the H-1B visa program. His proclamation creates a 100,000-dollar fee for new applications. That's a steep hike from the current fee of about 3,000 dollars.  As part of our Check-In series exploring immigration updates, WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal spoke with Milwaukee immigration lawyer Kelly Fortier about the work visa changes.