The Recombobulation Area

The Wisconsin Politics Group Chat of Kate Duffy , Dr. Kristin Lyerly , Patrick Kreitlow and Dan Shafer got together once again to talk about all the latest happenings, from socialism scaremongering to data center moratoriums to the Democratic primary in the race for governor (controversies, microprimaries, etc.) and beyond. We also talked about the end of Child Care Counts (on June 30) and the beg...

The Wisconsin Politics Group Chat got together once again to talk about all the latest in the news of the week. The show streamed live on Patrick Kreitlow ’s Facebook page and YouTube channel , and now, you can watch the full show here. Among topics discussed: The Democratic primary in the race for governor, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley’s place in the race, the fourth anniversary of th...

The Blake Matthew Mindful Memorial Foundation was founded in 2021 following the loss of Blake Matthew Fenwick, a beloved son, brother, friend, and young Wisconsin man whose life ended far too soon after a struggle with mental health challenges. What began with a father’s desire to honor his son has grown into a statewide movement focused on making mental health support more accessible, personal, a...

J oel Brennan is one of now six candidates running to be the Democratic nominee for governor. He was the secretary of the Department of Administration for much of Tony Evers’ first term as governor, and before that, was the president and CEO of Discovery World for more than a decade in Milwaukee. It was around that time that I met Brennan, when I was a reporter at the Milwaukee Business Journal, a...

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin held its annual convention over the weekend in Madison. And as you might expect, the Democratic primary in the race for governor was the big topic at this year’s event, with candidates hosting hospitality suites and delivering speeches and jockeying for position to be The Nominee. Kate Duffy of Motherhood for Good, Pat Kreitlow of UpNorth News and Dr. Kristin Lyer...

The future of the Stadium Freeway is something we’ve covered a whole lot here at The Recombobulation Area. Almost exactly five years ago, I wrote a piece as part of our multi-part “ Expanding the Divide ” series on why we should tear down the Stadium Freeway and convert it to a boulevard, opening up opportunities for housing and development and better connection between neighborhoods. Here’s that...

In light of the Callais decision, the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition is firing up its demand for an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) that empowers citizens — not political parties. For the past year, they have been building public support for a draft proposal that aims to be transformative in how Wisconsin draws its maps. On Thursday, June 4, they are holding coordinated statewide rallies...

Angela Lang and I always have a lot to talk about when we get together, so for these podcast episodes, we each bring three headlines or topics to discuss. This time, my headlines were: * WPR: Failed surplus deal would have sent Wisconsin budget into the red, analysis finds * NPR: Transportation Secretary Duffy filmed a reality show, funded by firms he regulates * Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Schlit...

Emily Mills recently won a Milwaukee Press Club GOLD award for their column, “How AI is harming Wisconsin’s path to renewable energy.” So, they joined the podcast to talk about that prescient piece, how the politics of AI and data centers has taken off as a major issue over the past year, and how this is an issue that does not cut along traditional political lines. We talked about that piece, alon...

Thanks so much to everyone who came out for our LIVE PODCAST event at Anodyne Coffee’s Walker’s Point Roastery in Milwaukee! It might not have been April 14, but we still showed up for the 4-1-4! Turns out you can celebrate Milwaukee Day on May 7, after all. Our guests for the podcast included Angela Lang and Kristin Brey, and we were also joined by Milwaukee Day founder Andy Silverman and 414 Day...

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . Thanks so much to everyone who came out for our LIVE PODCAST event at Anodyne Coffee’s Walker’s Point Roastery in Milwaukee! It might not have been April 14, but we still sh...

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . The Wisconsin Department of Transportation recently held a pair of Public Involvement Meetings about the future of the Lake Interchange in Milwaukee, otherwise known as 794....

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . Our guest for this episode is Angela Lang, the co-executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities and an award-winning contributor here at The Recombobulation...

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . The 18th annual Milwaukee Film Festival is happening from April 16 - 30, with nearly 250 films screening as part of the festival. The Recombobulation Area is proud to be a C...

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . The Spring Election in Wisconsin was just a couple short weeks ago, and while the big headline statewide was on Chris Taylor’s landslide victory in the race for Wisconsin Su...

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . The 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival officially kicked off last night with the premiere of “UECK” at the Oriental Theatre. Over the next two weeks, nearly 250 films will screen...

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . Today is April 8, 2026, and that means we just wrapped up the Spring Election here in Wisconsin. There’s a whole lot to recombobulate on as we dig through the results from r...

This is a special edition of The Recombobulation Area. Gary Witt, president and CEO of the Pabst Theater Group, sits down with Dan Shafer for an extended conversation, backstage at the Riverside Theater for an exclusive video podcast. Gary Witt is one of the most interesting people in Milwaukee to talk to. He always speaks his mind, he always has a lot to say, and he brings a perspective that exis...

Dan Shafer and Angela Lang each bring three headlines from recent news stories in politics from Wisconsin, Milwaukee and beyond. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . The first Marquette University Law School Poll of 2026 was released this week, and this survey of political opinion of Wisconsin voters included a ton of information about our state’...

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . Angela Lang is the co-executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) and has been a longtime contributor at The Recombobulation Area, winning several Milwaukee...

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . Mark Becker is the former chairman of the Brown County Republican Party, a party he has now left. In 2024, he was part of Wisconsin Republicans for Harris-Walz. He also hosts the rad...

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media . So, we have something a little different for you today. There is, of course, a ton happening in the political universe in Milwaukee and Wisconsin and beyond, but as anyone who follow...