Author: NNS

Once an abandoned and graffiti-covered lot, Turtle Park has come a long way in the eight years since the River Revitalization Foundation purchased the property on the Milwaukee River, below Humboldt Boulevard Bridge. Now, the three-acre plot of land has been restored to its natural state and serves as an ecological haven in the concrete jungle. The River Revitalization Foundation, an urban land trust dedicated to preserving greenspace along the river, was founded in 1994 by the Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee and the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. In addition to restoring Turtle Park, RRF has worked to remove invasive...

German-Americans are joining with historic-restoration advocates and civil rights groups in a “Rescue and Restore” campaign for King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church, formerly Dreieinigkeitskirche. The structure is a landmark on 4th St., one block north of North Ave., in the Harambee/Bronzeville neighborhood, adjacent to Halyard Park, Brewer’s Hill and Riverwest. German immigrants were the initial settlers of the neighborhood. German Evangelical Lutherans formed a congregation called “Dreieinigkeitskirche,” meaning “Trinity Church,” and erected a magnificent building in 1892. Vivid stained-glass windows and murals honor the early German political and business leaders of Milwaukee. The German Lutherans made civil-rights history in...

Bree Kazinski, a 16-year-old actress, had a very personal connection to her role in First Stage’s production of “Luchadora.” The play tells the story of a young Latina girl who discovers that her grandmother was once a masked wrestler in Texas before she moved to Milwaukee. Kazinski felt the connection because her own grandmother migrated from Texas to Wisconsin at a young age. “My grandma felt like she was watching her own story,” said Kazinski. “And that helped me understand not only what my family went through, but what so many Latino families had to go through to come...

Elmo Wendorf of Koepke Family Farms sits behind his table at the Milwaukee County Winter Farmers’ Market, a variety of cheeses for sale in front of him. Beside the container of toothpicks and the free samples of cracked bell pepper cheese sits an informational flier asking customers to voice their support for the Mitchell Park Conservatory. Wendorf first visited the Domes at Mitchell Park when the facility was completed in 1967 and has returned to the park as a vendor for more than four years. The Oconomowoc native said he was sad to learn that the future of the...

At one point, José Lopez, 84, owned three bakeries in Milwaukee, one in Waukesha and another in Racine. Lopez, who came to the United States 49 years ago, opened the first traditional Mexican bakeries in Milwaukee during the 1970s. Over time, all but two of the bakeries — one at 1100 W. Historic Mitchell St. and the other in Racine — closed down. Jeanette Martin and her father, Adolfo Martin, Lopez’s friend and client, succeeded in their plans to reopen the previous location that closed down 10 years ago at 1601 W. Lincoln Ave. Jeanette Martin, 26, was inspired...

Hundreds of third graders across Milwaukee will soon have a new book in their hands — not another dry math or history text — but a vivid guide that inspires them to explore their city and teaches them about the rich diversity across Milwaukee. The book, “Explore MKE: Your Neighborhood, Our City,” is the latest work published by Sharp Literacy, a local organization that promotes reading, writing and research through interaction and the visual arts. The 84-page book, featuring colorful drawings and photographs, “connects people to their instincts of being curious and open to the possibility of being surprised...