Author: Correspondent

“We consider our volunteers a core part of our mission. Our volunteers, or what we like to call them ‘Peace Builders,’ are integral to our operations. As a volunteer-driven organization, we could not operate without our 2,500+ Peace Builders. This team of passionate individuals creates a place where people know that someone cares. Katie is one of those people. She radiates care and compassion to everyone with whom she interacts.” – Catherine Draeger-Pederson, Executive Director of Friedens Community Ministries Q: How did you become a volunteer? Katie Silva: I was living on the streets, homeless and addicted, when I...

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School recently released a rendering for its upcoming new school location at 1818 West National Avenue in Milwaukee. Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, in collaboration with community partners, will anchor the community by becoming its first high school. The new campus is located in the Clarke Square neighborhood, hosting one of metro Milwaukee’s fastest-growing school-aged populations, and is more strategically and centrally located to better serve students and families. The new location will allow Cristo Rey Jesuit to educate additional children of families with limited financial means. Students at the school have an average household...

Milwaukee County parks, recreational, and cultural facilities face “a seemingly insurmountable backlog of repair and replacement needs,” according to a new report from the independent, nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum. The report, Delay of Game, warns that Milwaukee County lacks the capacity to finance the capital needs of these facilities if it plans to stay within self-imposed borrowing limits and address other capital needs, including the construction of a new justice center. To meet existing capital requests, the county would need to more than double spending on cultural institutions (from $6.2 million to $13.9 million) and increase spending nearly tenfold...

Mayor Tom Barrett presented his 2019 proposed executive budget to Common Council members on September 25. Despite severe budget constraints created by the state, the budget proposal includes significant additional resources to address shared priorities among City officials, community leaders and residents. Among the highlights of this year’s budget is a significant investment in the City’s lead poisoning reduction programs and lead service line replacements. A continued focus on improving housing opportunities, public safety, libraries and other City services were also emphasized throughout the proposal. “The budget squeeze we face – compounded by pensions, public safety costs, and disregard...

Milwaukee County is focusing on changing lives and strengthening communities with an innovative approach to youth justice. Called Project Rise, the collaborative, evidence-driven strategy has inspired several initiatives to transform the County’s approach to youth justice. This transformation ties in with Abele’s commitment to addressing racial equity issues, both within Milwaukee County government and throughout our community. As part of its individualized approach, Project Rise seeks to cut through perceptions that can lead to disparities in the treatment of youth of color within the justice system, and preserve the focus on their individual needs. “Building safer neighborhoods is always...

With the addition of two recent grants from the Brico Fund and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Schlitz Audubon Nature Center announced today that it has raised more than $500,000 for an extensive stormwater management project slated to break ground in mid-January 2019. Schlitz Audubon is located on the shore of Lake Michigan in northern Milwaukee County, and the Stormwater Wetlands & Ravine Restoration Project will dramatically reduce the impact extreme storms have on the 185-acre property, the lake, and the surrounding community. The project will also catalyze the Center’s efforts to educate the public on the importance...