Feature Stories

Two Black men both raised in Milwaukee, both shaped by hardship, grew up on different sides of the city, yet their paths eventually converged around a shared mission. Their childhoods echoed similar realities: sirens at night, boarded windows, and the constant tension of living where many children learn the sound of gunfire before they learn […]

We met Jennifer Koss on a quiet afternoon at the UWM Golda Meir Library. A former Milwaukee Public Schools teacher of 17 years, she greeted us with the warmth of someone used to listening, observing, and carrying more stories than most people ever will. We sat around a table in a small study room, and […]

Timothy Shum lost his son, Dave, to suicide many years ago. Shum is now the chapter leader of the Milwaukee branch of The Compassionate Friends, a worldwide organization for peer support groups to deal with the loss of a child. However, it took Shum time to end up in this leader position due to the […]

Public education in Milwaukee has long served as a critical support system for children growing up in low-income, under-resourced neighborhoods. But in recent years, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) has faced a troubling decline in student attendance and rising concerns about student safety. The lack of resources, staffing shortages, and the daily realities many children face […]

One of the first things Bryant Triplett ever cooked for his mother was a T-bone steak which he delivered to her when she was sick in bed so that she would eat something. Bryant Triplett was 14 when he was killed by an act of gun violence on Dec. 28, 2024, just three days after […]

As I looked at him from across a computer screen, I saw the calm of someone who has lived several different lives. When we asked about his background, he shrugged gently, almost apologetically. “I’ve only been the director for less than three months,” he said, but his path to that office was anything but simple. […]

An insider tells how easy it is to get drugs.

A college degree was once the pinnacle of the American dream. Today, much of the younger generation holds a significantly less positive attitude towards college education, according to various studies and student opinions. “I don’t know, my general attitude towards it is clearly not positive,” said Carly Janscha, a Cybersecurity student at Waukesha County Technical […]

To most passersby in 2002, the boarded-up building on Burleigh Street still looked like a fire scene frozen in time. But to Don Krause, a local interior designer, the charred doorway marked a turning point—an uncomfortable pause before a chance to rebuild. Behind the plywood, he saw possibilities: a bar, a gallery and a place […]

Tables of merchandise, chattering friends and an air of busyness filled the UWM Student Union lobby as students gathered near tables set up by the Feminist Flea Market, an event organized by the Woman’s Resource Center on Dec. 2. Such a crowd might seem unusual as the semester nears its end and study efforts are […]

Sisters Charlotte and Ella discuss the integral part Wicked played in their childhood, and how it holds them together now.

Once the most chaotic shopping day of the year, Black Friday in 2025 has transformed into something far different than what we remember.