Author: Correspondent

Fourteen-year-old Marley Dias, author and founder of an international social media movement, will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural State of Wisconsin Girls Summit at Alverno College on March 23. The summit will convene thought leaders and inspiring voices to address issues facing girls in Wisconsin, including cyberbullying, poverty, social media and mental health. In November 2015, Dias set out to collect and donate 1,000 children’s books that feature black girls as the lead character. Her social media campaign, #1000BlackGirlBooks, went viral, and to date more than 12,000 books have been collected. She is also the author of...

A new study released recently found that investing in public transit, walking, and biking infrastructure could help Wisconsin attract and retain Millennials, a generation that feels a declining dependance on cars for transportation. The report, entitled “Millennials on the Move,” was released by the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG) Foundation. It indicates that Wisconsin’s current transportation policy priorities – which have focused on expanding major highways at the expense of maintaining existing infrastructure and funding public transit, walking and biking – will fail to create the type of system young adults desire and Wisconsin needs. “Car culture no...

In honor of “National Make a Friend Day” on February 11, the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) talked with four long-time best buddies and co-workers. Mike Allen, David Butler, Greg Lewis, and Kevin Pumphrey first met each other while working for another company and then migrated to MCTS. The interview asked the four about their early years with MCTS, and what it takes to remain close over 30 years of friendship. When and where did you all first meet one another? Greg: Over 30 years ago. David: First at Loomis Armored Car Company. Kevin: We were all working together...

As a salute to their former and longtime home nearby, the Milwaukee Bucks will name their new sports bar after the MECCA Arena, currently scheduled to open in late April at the Entertainment Block adjacent to Fiserv Forum. Located in the same building as Good City Brewing, the 11,500-square-foot, two-story establishment is owned by Head of the Herd Real Estate Development LLC, an affiliate of the Bucks. “The MECCA Sports Bar and Grill will be a major attraction for Milwaukee’s passionate sports fans,” said Michael Belot, Senior Vice President of Bucks Ventures and Development. “The Entertainment Block has a...

Milwaukee Downtown BID #21 is among the latest wave of community influencers to claim a West Wisconsin Avenue address on the burgeoning arterial. The downtown advocacy group announced it will occupy 5,000 square feet at The Avenue, 301 W. Wisconsin Avenue, by early fall 2019. The announcement came on January 21 on the heels of the recently unveiled transformation plan for The Avenue. Formerly The Shops of Grand Avenue, the new space is planned to include the 3rd Street Market Hall and new headquarters for GRAEF. Milwaukee Downtown BID #21 will occupy a high-profile space on the first floor...

The unravelling of the promised investment in Wisconsin, touted by President Donald Trump as proof that he could revive America’s Rust Belt, has set off a political storm and landed the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer in hot water. According to media reports, Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn intends to drastically scale back its proposed Wisconsin operation, yet again. The latest developments in the troubled deal cut by Wisconsin Republicans raises new questions about their actions in December 2018. During the lame-duck session before former Governor Scott Walker left office, one of many policies passed by Legislators to restrict the...