Lake Effect Spotlight

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 Milwau...

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 Morte...

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 camp...

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...

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-M...

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 launch...

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 ha...

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 us...

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 n...

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...

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 MY...

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 si...

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...

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 Wiscon...

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 Communit...

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...

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 Wil...

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 W...

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...

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 sol...

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...

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 Eff...

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 Ma...