Author: Correspondent

The Running Rebels Community Organization has been awarded a $25,000 LISC/ESPN Pilot Home Court grant to renovate the basketball court at its recreation facility in central Milwaukee. The grant from ESPN and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is part of $150,000 allocated this year. The LISC/ESPN Pilot Home Court Program is a collaboration between ESPN and LISC that provides non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations, middle schools and high schools with financing and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local basketball courts in selected markets. The Home Court program is part of a larger ESPN social responsibility...

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin made preliminary decisions recently to allocate approximately $5.5 million in incentives per year, for the years 2019 through 2022, to the renewable energy programs within “Focus on Energy.” The decisions came as part of the four-year planning process for the Focus on Energy program. Focus on Energy delivers incentives and education to help utility customers reduce energy usage and save money through energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and projects. The total budget for the statewide Focus on Energy program is approximately $100 million annually. “The decision to fund the Focus on Energy...

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently awarded a $50,000 Our Town grant to the Beerline Trail Neighborhood Development Project in the city’s Riverwest Area. The grant will be used to support ongoing development along the Beerline Trail, a former railway, running diagonally from the intersection of Burleigh and Bremen Streets to the northwest past Capitol Drive. Project activities along the trail will include temporary and seasonal activation of public space. “In Milwaukee we recognize the power of the arts to help move critical city initiatives forward,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “From neighborhood economic development, to activating formerly...

Milwaukee Area Technical College announced on May 3 that MATC will transition men’s and women’s basketball teams from Division III to Division II play. The men’s and women’s tennis teams will begin their debut season this fall as Division I teams in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). MATC planned the move toward Division II and Division I play as part of larger effort to enhance student life opportunities at MATC. The change gives the college the opportunity to award athletic scholarships and offers MATC a competitive advantage in recruiting student athletes. The team is part of the...

The Joint Legislative Committee on Audit recently held a public hearing on the operations of the agency that oversees the Wisconsin State Fair and the operations of the park. Like all of state government, State Fair Park is subject to state laws, standards, and transparency. However, auditors found laws were not always followed and accurate records were not kept. Members of the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau learned about the disturbing trends in the management of the state’s resources: expenses growing faster than revenue, contracts not tracked, procurement laws not followed, environmental laws violated and needed planning not conducted. “The...

Consecutive nights all summer long of live music will be held for free in Milwaukee County Park locations, with events being held at bandshells, beer gardens, and even beaches. Perennial concert favorites return with popular series like Chill on the Hill at Humboldt Park, Music in the Gardens at Boerner Botanical Gardens, and Jazz in the Park at Cathedral Square Park. Volunteer groups are working to enhance concert offerings at Washington Park, Lake Park, and Mitchell Park with expanded line-ups, new food options, and themed nights. “There’s a long tradition of live music in the parks and we’re excited...