Author: Wisconsin Public Radio

Facing a $6.4 million budget deficit next year, the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is preparing to reduce bus service by 10 percent in 2020. Transit officials plan on briefing the Milwaukee County Public Works Committee about the situation on May 8. Even if the proposal by Governor Tony Evers to increase transportation funding by more than $600 million over the next two-year budget cycle is approved — which would provide MCTS $1.6 million next year — the agency will still fall short of filling its budget gap, according to Dan Boehm, MCTS managing director. “There is no way...

The election night map in 2016 brought many surprises, but none more stunning than Wisconsin’s switch from blue to red — marking its first vote for a Republican presidential ticket since 1984. Michigan and Pennsylvania also ended long Democratic streaks that night. But the Badger State was the big shock, because Barack Obama had carried it twice by comfortable margins and Hillary Clinton had led all through the fall in the most respected statewide poll. President Trump himself has since seemed fixated on his Wisconsin win, if fuzzy on the details. Last month, while visiting that state, Trump claimed...

The 1861 Milwaukee Bank Riot was one of those moments that people thought would never be forgotten. Now, there are few remaining articles and references to this flashpoint in city history. The riot was about much more than that single day of chaos on June 24, 1861. To understand full story requires going back a few decades to the presidency of Andrew Jackson. In 1836, President Jackson’s war on banks culminated in one of his final acts: vetoing the reauthorization of the Second Bank of the United States — the only nationally chartered bank at that time. Along with...

The three bee-hive shaped glass structures that are home to tropical, desert and rotating show installations have glistened within Mitchell Park on Milwaukee’s near south side for nearly 50 years. But like other Milwaukee County facilities, the buildings’ maintenance has been chronically deferred. Safety concerns piqued in 2016 when a piece of concrete fell inside the Desert Dome. As a result, all three closed for several weeks. Soon after, a task force formed to try to come up with a long-term solution. Wednesday evening, during another conversation about the future of the domes, consultant Mike Devine shared one vision...

While buying goods online continues to become the norm, there were still plenty of people venturing inside a suburban Milwaukee mall. At Brookfield Square, shoppers can still pick up a book at Barnes & Noble or buy a sweater at J.C. Penney. But like most shopping centers, Brookfield Square has had some setbacks. The mall lost anchor stores Sears and Boston Store in 2018, along with many other retailers. But the city created a special taxing district to help revive the mall and other businesses are in the works. “Consumers are starting to look for more entertainment and experience...