Author: Correspondent

The Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin (UEDA) recently announced it was awarded the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund’s (CFE) Bank On Fellowship. One of the five sites in the country to earn the Fellowship, UEDA’s Bank On Greater Milwaukee Initiative will fund a Fellow who will lead efforts to advance banking access for the “unbanked” or “underbanked.” “Milwaukee is excited to join over 90 communities across the country in the Bank On movement. Our coalition will connect residents to safe and affordable banking products, and help improve the financial stability of our community,“ said Tom Barrett, City of...

When Vincent Xiong was in college, one of his professors asked him a question he could not answer. Something as simple as “who are you” made him think about his culture, family experience, faith, and what it meant to be Hmong. Xiong has some memories of the Thai refugee camp in Nongkhai that was his home from ages 5 to 9 years old: the smell of sewage running down the middle of the street, expired fish for dinner, violence against women and other refugees who tried to cross the fence and fear. But mostly, Xiong has memories of growing...

Milwaukee County Parks announced the return of “China Lights: Treasures of China” to the Boerner Botanical Gardens, on display from September 13 to October 20. Now in its fourth year, the wildly popular China Lights has drawn visitors from 44 states and Washington DC. More than 100,000 visitors have attended the show annually. The design this year will be 95 percent new, featuring cultural gems recreated as lantern displays. The handmade displays range from three-feet to three-stories high. “China Lights is a visionary festival that brings Milwaukee’s legacy of public art and iconic public parks onto the world stage,”...

David J. Drent, Executive Director of the War Memorial Center (WMC), recently announced his retirement effective the end of this year. Drent has served as executive director since 1997, and before that served as the War Memorial Center Operations Manager and in maintenance since 1972. By the time of his retirement, Drent will have 48 years of service to the WMC. He is the third executive director since the memorial was founded in 1957. “The greatest thing about spending most of my life at the War Memorial Center has been getting to know so many veterans,” said Drent. “Even...

Alverno College and Ascension Wisconsin have signed a letter of intent to establish a strategic alliance to improve the health of the state’s residents, through a collaboration of their resources. The relationship aims to amplify the existing clinical relationship between the two Catholic institutions, and seeks to further develop a skilled, mission-driven workforce to help meet the needs of the state’s rapidly evolving healthcare environment. It also will further advance the initiatives of Alverno and Ascension Wisconsin, grounded in their shared Catholic and Franciscan values, to strategically drive improved health outcomes for the state’s residents. “This is a logical...

The Water Council was recently named as a winner of the 2019 Great Lakes Leadership Awards for Water Technology Innovation. The Great Lakes Protection Fund selected six organizations from the U.S. and Canada as recipients of the honor, which highlights water technology innovation that addresses current threats and anticipates future challenges to water quality in the Great Lakes. In announcing the award, the Fund praised Milwaukee for its efforts to spur innovations for the benefit of the Great Lakes Basin’s people and environment. “We are honored to receive this award in recognition of the support we offer promising, innovative...