Editor, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Milwaukee Streetcar makes special appearance at Cathedral Square for Bastille Days

Posted by Editor | Jul 19, 2018 |

Bastille Days, Milwaukee’s 37th annual free French street festival, returned to Cathedral Square Park from July 12 and 15, with a special appearance by one of The Hop Streetcar vehicles. The event is known for the impromptu street performers, roaming minstrels, and a variety of interactive and musical entertainment. With a gourmet spread of food and libations, the four-day event included free food and drink demonstrations by the area’s top chefs, ticketed wine tastings, and nearly 25 eateries serving French, Cajun and American cuisines. For 2018, Bastille Days had a slightly new footprint. The modified boundaries were implemented in...

A look inside the USS Cobia and the role Wisconsin-built submarines played in World War II

Posted by Editor | Jul 18, 2018 |

Adjacent to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, the World War II fleet submarine USS Cobia (SS-245) is moored along the Manitowoc River. Named after a species of perciform marine fish, the vessel has local and national significance as an icon of Wisconsin’s shipbuilding heritage, a GATO-class fleet submarine similar to the twenty-eight subs built in Manitowoc during World War II. Technically, the USS Cobia was produced by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut, but it is the same class of submarine built by Manitowoc shipbuilders. All but three were constructed in time to see action during the war, but...

Milwaukee natives participate in world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise

Posted by Editor | Jul 18, 2018 |

Two Milwaukee natives are currently serving in the U.S. Navy as part of the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise known as the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), running from June 27 to August 2. Stephen Hall Augustin Juarez Seaman Stephen Hall, a 2014 Milwaukee Hamilton High School graduate, is a ship’s serviceman aboard USS O’Kane, currently operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. And Petty Officer 1st Class Augustin Juarez, a 2004 West Allis High School graduate, is an information systems technician aboard USS John P. Murtha, currently operating out of San Diego. A Navy ship’s serviceman is responsible...

An underwater experience from the inaugural Lake Michigan Classic Dive Rally

Posted by Editor | Jul 16, 2018 |

Discovery World hosted the first Milwaukee Classic Dive Rally between its south dock and Lakeshore Park from July 13 to 15, attracting dozens of divers and hundreds of spectators. For the dive rally, a group of highly-skilled and certified commercial divers and hobbyists put on vintage diving suits for a decent to the bottom of Lake Michigan. The bulky gear, including metal helmets and air hoses, were in wide use for nearly seven decades by the U.S. Navy, and is still deployed by some commercial companies. Organized by the Lake Michigan Classic Diving Organization (LMCDO), the event also aimed...

Kevan Penvose: God is not something to fear

Posted by Editor | Jul 13, 2018 |

It does not require spending much time with the Pastor of Unity Lutheran Church to realize he is not just doing a job but living out his true calling, a view Kevan Penvose held for his own father’s ministry. His love for the Bay View community is obvious from the work Penvose does with the homeless and those in need. His desire to treat all people as children of God makes him an unconventional advocate of his faith at a time when institutional religion focuses more on self and idolatry than the words in red on the Gospels pages....

Restoration complete for historic 19th century bells at Convent Hill Gardens

Posted by Editor | Jul 11, 2018 |

At the conclusion of the 2018 annual meeting for the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) on July 11, two of the oldest bells in the region will be rededicated at Convent Hill Gardens, near the very spot where they once range in the late 1800s. The bells had originally been part of a massive convent complex, demolished decades ago and forgotten in Milwaukee’s postwar modernization. Located at 455 E. Ogden Avenue, the bells from St. Ignatius and St. Catherine have a special place in Milwaukee history. The elaborate Saint Ignatius bell was cast in St. Louis...