Author: Correspondent

PrideFest 2021: Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ celebration cancelled for second year due to COVID-19 pandemic

The parent organization of PrideFest, Wisconsin’s largest LGBTQ+ event announced on January 26 that it was officially canceling the four-day event slated for June. The festival was set to take place at the Henry W. Maier Festival Grounds from Thursday, June 3 to Sunday, June 6, 2021. This is the second year in a row PrideFest has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “After much consideration, we cannot move forward with planning a June 2021 festival without knowing how and when a vaccine will be distributed throughout our community equally” said Wes Shaver, Milwaukee Pride, Inc. President. “It...

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COVID-19 changed how the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2021

As the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, communities and memorials around the world are addressing how to meaningfully commemorate the day while protecting public health and safety. The day marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz is ordinarily commemorated with hundreds of individual memorial events across the globe. This year, most of those events will be impossible for any sizable gathering of people due to COVID-19. With the goal of proposing relevant solutions to this challenge, Dr. Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann and research student Tom Divon of the Hebrew University Communication and Journalism Department, examined the...

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MCTS Bus Shelters get design makeover to celebrate Historic Highway 41 route

Three Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus shelters along S. 27th Street in Milwaukee have received a creative makeover that helps beautify the neighborhood while also celebrating the business corridor’s rich history. The shelters at 27th and Oklahoma Avenue and 27th and Ohio Avenue now feature custom-made metal panels with die-cut U.S. Route 41 (Historic Highway 41) logos and messaging. The sturdy paneling, which is covered in a graffiti-resistant coating, replaces standard glass and plexiglass, which can easily become weathered, scratched, or broken. The project was spearheaded by the South 27th Street Business District Association, Milwaukee County Supervisor Jason...

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Longtime home run leader and former Milwaukee baseball player “Hammerin” Hank Aaron dies at 86

Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record and gracefully left his mark as one of baseball’s greatest all-around players, died on January 22. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves, Aaron’s longtime team, said that he died peacefully in his sleep. No cause was given. Aaron made his last public appearance just in early January, when he received the COVID-19 vaccine. He said he wanted to help spread the to Black Americans that the vaccine was safe. “Aaron was beloved by his teammates and by his fans,” said former...

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Anti-Displacement Funds program offers Milwaukee neighborhoods a lifeline against rising assessments

When property taxes increase, the likelihood of displacement does as well. This reality is all too familiar to those who live in Milwaukee neighborhoods such as Halyard Park, Harambee, Brewer’s Hill, and Walker’s Point. It is this issue at the heart of MKE United’s Anti-Displacement Fund. The fund, launched in late 2019, is a direct response to community concerns about displacement in the neighborhoods surrounding Milwaukee’s downtown. MKE United is a collaborative initiative that includes the Greater Milwaukee Committee, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, LISC Milwaukee, Urban League of Milwaukee, and the city of Milwaukee. The cross-sector partnership has raised...

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New alumni-funded scholarship links Cristo Rey Jesuit High School graduates with Ripon College

A new endowed scholarship will link graduates of Cristo Rey Jesuit, a high school in Milwaukee, and Ripon College. The Franzen/Cristo Rey Endowed Scholarship is named for Ripon College graduates Mark Franzen ’83 and Janice Heinz Franzen ’83 of New Berlin who are supporters of the initiative. ”We are delighted to support this scholarship which will enable deserving students from Cristo Rey to attend Ripon College,” said Franzen. “The values and mission of Cristo Rey and Ripon College are very much aligned, with a focus on academics and lifetime learning. Both schools are committed to providing opportunities for first...

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