Author: Staff

Following global attention that was attracted by a Milwaukee County Transit System bus driver Irena Ivic, for an act of saving a child from the street, her family has decided to organize a charity crowdfunding campaign and honor Irena’s “big hearth and fearless spirit.” The “Be Like Irena” fundraising effort seeks to help children who live on the streets. The goal of the charity initiative is to raise $50,000, out of which $35,000 would be directed to Covenant House, a non-profit organization that provides housing and supportive services to youth facing homelessness. “Our wish is to make the best...

Milwaukee County, City of Milwaukee, State of Wisconsin and other partners continue working together to connect individuals in encampments with permanent housing, and County Executive Chris Abele gave an update on January 16 about the progress. Following extensive regional cooperation to address the health, safety, and housing needs of homeless individuals at outdoor encampments, Milwaukee County, the City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin have made enormous progress in connecting individuals to permanent, supportive housing. In recent months, a number of homeless residents had temporarily located near the interstate overpass at 6th and Clybourn Streets, drawing significant community...

Gathering Art Stories and Place (GASP) begins its second year with Milwaukee’s Día De Los Muertos Parade founder as the 2019 Artist-in-Residence. Erick Ledesma was selected as the first Artist-in-Residence for the City of Milwaukee National Endowment of the Arts “Our Town” grant in 2018. Artists Working in Education (AWE) unveiled the final permanent art installation of Ledesma’s residency at the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch on On December 19. It was then announced that Celeste Contreras was selected to lead AWE’s second year of creative placemaking at Mitchell Street Branch. “Erick Ledesma really set the pace for...

Unconstitutional legislation that restricted Wisconsin voting rights, passed by Republicans and signed into law by former Governor Scott Walker in the December lame-duck session was tossed out on January 17 in a decisive ruling by federal Judge James Peterson. Judge Peterson’s decision comes after plaintiffs in federal lawsuit, One Wisconsin Institute, et al v. Thomsen, et al, asked Judge Peterson to enforce his rulings and previous injunctions from July 2016. At that time, he tossed out similar measures that Republicans had passed. In his legal opinion the legislation was defined as restrictive and deemed racially motivated. In the November...