Uniquely Milwaukee

On this episode, we take you inside a community health clinic at a place known for being as concerned about how their customers feel as how they look: Gee’s Clippers. Started as a way to help fill an access gap in the community, the clinic is now part of an even larger mission: Gee's MKE Foundation , a nonprofit that owner Gaulien "Gee" Smith recently launched to expand his focus on wellness, ment...

Libraries are sacred, public spaces that are typically quiet. But, every other Tuesday at Milwaukee’s Washington Park Library, you’ll hear the hum of a sewing machine and conversations about seams. It’s a recurring event they call “ Mind Your Mending ” — a place where anyone can get simple clothing fixes done for free. Washington Park resident Carol Lee Hopkins helped launch the clinic in January,...

We're in the heart of the Milwaukee Film Festival, and there's one member of our Radio Milwaukee team who chose some of the movies you'll see this year. In addition to being an 88Nine DJ and co-host of La Alternativa , Paula Lovo is the new programmer for Cine Sin Fronteras , created 10 years ago to showcase the Latin Diaspora. Paula, an artist and documentarian herself, is continuing that mission...

Casimir Pulaski High School’s automotive program is the largest in Wisconsin. Created in 1963, it’s also the only one left within Milwaukee Public Schools. Episode host Kim Shine takes you inside the shop where students learn everything from changing oil and gas lines to replacing alternators and brakes, as they travel the road to becoming certified technicians. ##### Host: Kim Shine Uniquely Milw...

The Milwaukee Film Festival has always been a place to see movies from a variety of filmmakers, including local talent from here in southeastern Wisconsin. One of the groups getting their own spotlight at this year's event: the area’s youth filmmakers. As part of the “Rated K: For Kids” program, the Milwaukee Youth Show features eight short films made by the city’s next-generation creatives. Befor...

‘What is justice without democracy? This was the question asked at Marquette University's 10th annual "Justice in Action" conference. It's a student-led initiative encouraging students, and residents, to think critically about their world. “Justice is something that I think is hard to define. I think people have different understandings of justice, but being at a conference like this and seeing ho...

“1,2,3 swing those arms!”  This is the magic of young students learning to let go. They’re understanding the power of movement, as part of the in-school dance program – Mad Hot Rhythm. The Danceworks series is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a competitive event. Episode host Kim Shine visited Trowbridge School in Milwaukee as elementary students practiced their African Jazz, Tap and Tango sk...

Comité Sin Fronteras has diligently worked alongside other organizations on leading immigration reform in Milwaukee. They support a community-defense network that’s responding to the growing ICE presence in the Midwest. A grassroots collective, the help local undocumented communities in various ways, from family-to-family mutual aid, DACA support, migra watch and more. Comité co-chairs, Iuscely Fl...

Wisconsin’s Spring Election is April 7, and the most high-profile race is the State Supreme Court seat vacated by conservative judge Rebecca Bradley. So who better to talk with than someone who put the court at the center of an entire podcast season? “Right now, the liberals are in the majority of the court. So, there are seven seats on the court, liberals hold four of those.” That’s how Sam Woods...

Q: What do Queen, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and Martin Luther King, Jr. all have in common? A: They’ve all played at the historic Miller High Life Theatre. The venue earned that official designation in December of 2025, and a few weeks later the Wisconsin Center District commissioned a study to explore the “highest and best use” of the area that also includes UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena....

The last time Lisa Caruthers visited the Wisconsin State Capitol she was about seven or eight years old, and on a school trip. More than 50 years later, she returned as part of “Black Advocacy Day," hosted by the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus on Feb. 26. Uniquely Milwaukee host Kim Shine takes you to Madison, where residents of all ages met with elected officials and learned how to champion t...

“You know, we all are made in the image and likeness of God, and God is creation. So we're all creative, but sometimes I think some of us are given an extra dose.” Celine Farrell has lived a lot of life, and those words are just a sliver of the knowledge she’s picked up along the way. She's seen what it takes to get inspired and fired up creatively. At the end of the day, it's why she's kept engag...

In the heart of the Riverwest neighborhood is a weekly showcase of some of Milwaukee’s most talented voices. Linneman’s Acoustic Open Stage began in 1993, making it the city’s oldest open mic and a staple of the local music scene. “Linneman's is an institution, and it's meant a lot to tons and tons of people,” said Chris Porterfield, frontman for Milwaukee-based band Field Report and an alum of th...

A true calling always finds its way to you. Valencia Caldwell is living proof. Her father was an air-traffic controller who always encouraged his children to follow their dreams. After his death, a special flight helped lead Caldwell back to her first love — one that wouldn't be easy to reconnect with. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates there are 213,000 aircraft pilots and engineer...

Step by step… Left foot, then right.  Each month, line dancing takes over the Sherman Phoenix Marketplace at a free community event held in partnership with Primetime Line Dance.  Whether they're grooving on the floor or have two left feet, participants say the classes build community,  boost their mental health and provide an all-around good time. Kim Shine joined in as everyone celebrated the ev...

On Saturday outside Milwaukee City Hall, solidarity showed itself in the form of hundreds of bike riders. They came together in the name of one of their own: Alex Pretti. A longtime resident of Green Bay before he moved to Minneapolis, Pretti would make the trip to Milwaukee for the annual Riverwest 24 bike ride. When the 37-year-old was shot and killed by federal border patrol agents while protes...

Mister Rogers once challenged us by saying: “Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered just one kind word to another person.” When he gave us these instructions, it wasn’t hard to look at the neighbors to the left and right of our home, and then imagine friendly conversations with them. But what about the neighbors we pass on the street everyday on our commute — those...

In the middle of Milwaukee winter, most of us are used to being outside and active if the conditions are juuust right. But there's a cycling group that meets every month — warm or cold, rain or shine — to ride and connect. Scrappy Hour typically meets on the last Sunday of the month, rolling out from places like Cactus Club and The Daily Bird, with riders of all kinds joining in. Radio Milwaukee d...

We’re changing things on the podcast this year, with shorter stories and themed months, each one with a different topic. For January, it’s Health & Wellness. In this episode, we focus on yet another Milwaukee grocery store in danger of closing, and it's in one of the city’s food deserts. Earlier this month, the owners of Sherman Park Grocery Store asked the public for support — a message that...

Join us for this encore edition of Uniquely Milwaukee as we grab a drink at Agency, Milwaukee's first hybrid bar and a 2025 James Beard Award finalist. Immerse yourself in the choice of indulging in an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage. Plus you'll hear from the founder, Ryan Castelaz, as he shares the story of how this innovative concept came to fruition. Click here to learn more about Agency....

Happy New Year! This Uniquely Milwaukee throwback goes beyond the age-old question: "What's your New Year's resolution?" For this episode, we embraced the idea of rejection therapy by trying new things we were pretty sure would end in failure ... and bust a little ego in the process. ##### Podcast host: Kim Shine Encore host: Salam Fatayer Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee mem...

Thank you for listening and supporting Uniquely Milwaukee ! In this episode, we have a special message of gratitude from Radio Milwaukee executive director Jordan Lee as he reflects on the triumphs and changes of 2025, and looks ahead to a brand new year.  ##### Podcast host: Kim Shine Guest host: Jordan Lee, Radio Milwaukee executive director Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee...

A few years ago, Radio Milwaukee's Tarik Moody tried to buy a house in the city. Every offer got outbid by LLCs with out-of-state addresses and cash offers that closed in two weeks. He gave up. Recently, Tarik spent time with someone else who went on that journey — with a very different outcome. Keilyn Borrero, a single mom of four, was in the same headspace Tarik was at the start. She convinced h...

Every DIY scene needs its supporters. In Milwaukee, Bay View’s Cactus Club is a big one. This beloved music venue is one of the scene’s most revered spots, and headlining there is a dream for bands from all genres. So far, you’ve met Fake My Death, an alternative rock/punk DIY band here in Milwaukee. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, go listen to part one right now . In that episode, our...

Milwaukee is a place filled with creatives, especially in the city’s music scene. We’re home to dozens of independent artists and bands who’d rather do it their way than rely on a mainstream framework.  For the next two episodes of Uniquely Milwaukee , we’ll dive into this sub-culture with guidance from someone who knows it well: former Radio Milwaukee intern and current freelance contributor Jona...