Author: Correspondent

CelticMKE, the organization behind Milwaukee Irish Fest, announced the passing of its visionary founder Edward Ward from cancer at his home on October 13, surrounded by his family. What originated as the seed of an idea for a three-day event to celebrate Irish music and heritage in a city known for its German roots has emerged into a thriving year-round organization centered on the mission of preserving and promoting all things Irish in the Milwaukee area and beyond. “We have lost a true champion of Irish and Celtic music and culture. More importantly, we’ve lost a dear friend,” said...

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele released a statement on October 16 explaining his decision to not run again for reelection, a reversal of his announcement in May. | On my first day as County Executive, I pledged to make the tough decisions and face the challenges we had not confronted, no matter what. Every day for the past nine years, I have tried my best to do just that – to put our fiscal house on stable ground, address the root causes of homelessness, modernize our approach to the youth justice system, promote economic development throughout our region, and...

The City of Milwaukee’s Department of Public Works (DPW) is accepting nominations for a tree to serve as the 2019 City Christmas tree, to be displayed at City Hall in downtown Milwaukee. Residents and property owners within the City of Milwaukee are asked to check their yards for a Christmas tree to donate this holiday season. Eligible trees must be located in the City of Milwaukee. The ideal tree should be 30 to 40 feet tall, and must be accessible for harvest with a crane, meaning no overhead wires present to interfere with the process. Generally, the crane is...

Milwaukee Film aims to inspire and ignite conversation around Latinx stories through its Cine Sin Fronteras program at the 2019 Milwaukee Film Festival, presented by Associated Bank. This year’s slate of films brings humanity to highly politicized issues like the rise and exposure of immigrant detention centers, showcases the power of art and culture in healing, explores Afro-Latinx identity, and addresses the intertwined issues of family, identity and belonging. The program will include nine feature films and three short pre-feature films, hailing from the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Argentina. “In our fourth year, we...

The Milwaukee streetcar’s lakefront line will continue to be delayed at least another year as city officials wait for a multimillion-dollar high-rise development to break ground. Construction of the lakefront line, which would extend the city’s 2.1-mile streetcar system about another half-mile, is roughly two-thirds finished. The line is supposed to include a stop at the base of the Couture development project, which was first announced in 2012, but has yet to start. The city received a $14.2 million federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant in 2015 for the lakefront line because of the Couture’s transit hub....