Features

Wisconsin State Senator Dora Drake began her career the way many Milwaukee-born senators do, with roots that run deep and a community that she has never been able to turn away from. “I lived in the district I represent now, the 4th Senate District,” she said. “It comprises the north portion of Milwaukee to the […]

Meeting Professor Leslie Harris in her Johnston Hall office felt less like an academic interview and more like sitting with someone who had spent years listening, really listening to Milwaukee. Her space was warm, filled with books, and somehow made the conversation feel bigger than the room itself. As soon as we asked about her […]

Daran Wiley is remembered as a protector with a big heart by his mother, Rashawn McKenzie. “He wasn’t just my protector; he protected his siblings,” McKenzie said. “I learned that it didn’t just stop there, that he genuinely cared about everyone around him. He wanted everybody to be treated equally and fairly, and he stood […]

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. […]

Dr. Thomas Gamboa is the Director of University Bands at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, but his journey in music stretches far and wide. Stephen Wielebski has the story as he shares Gamboa’s journey through music and how it has led him to Milwaukee’s band music scene.

In Milwaukee, beer is more than a beverage; it’s history, tradition, and identity all in one glass. From immigrant roots to modern craft breweries, the city’s brewing legacy still runs deep. Leslie Nicolas-Miletty explores how Brew City earned its name.

Since the Fiserv Forum opened in 2018, the Deer District has become one of the main hubs of downtown Milwaukee. Events such as Bucks games and concerts have been the focal point, but things like a Holiday Market also add life to downtown. But is it enough, especially if the Bucks contention window closes? Jack […]