Author: Staff

The end of the year holidays brings a lot of attention to helping those in the community who are less fortunate. That short-lived spirit of good will often ends just as abruptly as the season. But for Milwaukee’s homeless, their hunger and needs continue daily, throughout the entire year. One ongoing campaign aims to end homelessness through an outreach coordinator and housing placements. Milwaukee Downtown has been appealing to the local community to aid in its homeless outreach efforts. As part of its Key to Change campaign, BID #21 has set a goal of raising $225,000 to fund a...

Wisconsin Veterans Network (VetsNet) recently announced that it reached two major milestones in 2018, making it a landmark year for the new organization. VetsNet served its 1,000th Wisconsin veteran in need of aid or emergency services and was awarded $150,000 in grants to continue its critical work in supporting the most vulnerable veterans – including those experiencing homelessness, health crises or employment struggles – in the Wisconsin community. Since its inception in 2015, VetsNet has reached more than one thousand veterans, including 442 in 2018. The assistance ranged from qualifying for healthcare, finding emergency housing and assisting with emergency...

The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announced several route improvements and changes in late 2018 that took effect on January 6. To provide faster and more efficient service on 27th Street, Route 27 was fully merging with the PurpleLine. All buses and trips that travel on 27th Street will simply be known as the PurpleLine. Riders can expect more consistent arrival times, faster trips, additional connections and an easier-to-understand route and schedule. Routes 28, 30-30X, 31 and 35 were also extended to allow for new layover locations that give MCTS drivers better access to restrooms. All the new routing...

Wangard Partners recently announced plans for a 250 unit condominium development on the city’s east side, where Brady Street meets Water Street at 1701 N. Water Street. Plans for the development, called Brady & Water, are divided into three phases of construction. The first phase will have up to 70 units. The development will feature 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units, and include townhouse models as well as river home models with accessibility to both the street and riverfront. The location will also have boat slips and space for boathouses to store kayaks, boats, and other recreational equipment. “We’re very...

Many Milwaukee County facilities became more accessible on December 20, thanks to a first-of-its-kind partnership between the County and Aira. Aira is a visual description service for people who are blind or low vision to explore new locations and complete day-to-day tasks. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele announced that the service now available free of charge in select County facilities. Aira is a service that connects people who are blind or low-vision to highly trained, remotely-located agents. Using a smartphone application and phone camera, Aira users can connect with live, sighted agents who provide on-demand visual descriptions and guidance....

Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born 127 years ago on January 3, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. For what has become an annual tradition, fans around the world will toast the author of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” on the anniversary of his birthday. J.R.R. Tolkien set the standard for legendary tale-telling. He inspired generations of authors and creators with his incredible imagination. To celebrate his work and enduring memory, The Tolkien Society invites fans of the books and films set in Middle-earth to drink a toast at 9:00 p.m. local time, and share a...