steinbring

From the Article:

A long-awaited Oak Leaf Trail project may finally move forward.

Milwaukee County Parks is seeking funding in the 2025 county budget for a new access ramp connecting the Oak Leaf Trail directly to E. Hampshire Street on Milwaukee’s East Side. The project would create a safer, more direct commute for bicyclists and pedestrians traveling to UW-Milwaukee and it would fix a tunnel causing sinkholes along the trail.

The department has gone after funding at the state and federal level for the project, estimated to cost approximately $1.85 million. In 2022, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) awarded the county a $1.3 million Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant for the project. Now the Parks is asking county policymakers for the 20% matching cost (approximately $540,000) so it can use the grant and move the project forward.

A 2025 county budget won’t be finalized and signed until November, but the project was ranked as a priority by the parks department for 2025 and it is currently scoring high on the county’s list of infrastructure projects for 2025, based on criteria used by the county’s ad-hoc Capital Improvements Committee (CIC).

“A new trail access ramp at Hampshire Avenue would provide a much safer and direct connection to the campus of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and the 135-mile Oak Leaf Trail system while also addressing an old tunnel that threatens the existing trail,” according to a project summary from Parks. “This ramp would increase bicycle and walking commute rates to campus for students, staff, and the community; improve safety; and reduce driving rates.”

Residents of the local neighborhood and the university have been requesting a trail ramp at this location for about a decade, according to the department.

From the Article:

There was a time when Milwaukee was awash in great bookshops. This is not that time. But don’t fret because there is still a range of great booksellers purveying everything from fine literature to kids classics to cutting edge poetry to political works and more.

Though there are a number of chain shops, I have not included those, nor have I dwelled too heavily on used books, though I have included a few. After you visit these, you might want to delve deeper into some of the other shops – offering mostly pre-owned books.

From the Article:

Milwaukee voters have a good chance of finding a contested primary, potentially with high stakes, on their ballot Tuesday.

There are 10 state-level partisan primaries on city of Milwaukee ballots Tuesday.

While candidates are technically running for the party’s nomination, a handful of primary races will actually determine who wins the seat come November. With few Republicans running for office in a Democratic stronghold like Milwaukee, some winners will coast into the general election unopposed.

Our candidate guide notes which races will be determined by the outcome of Tuesday’s partisan primaries. Uncontested races are not included.

The majority of the races on the ballot are for seats in the Assembly, where representatives serve two-year terms. The only Senate race is a rematch of the special election held in District 4 last month.

From the Article:

After nearly eight decades of family ownership, Glorioso’s Italian Market is being sold.

Brothers Carmine, Dominic and Paolo Presta, an Illinois-based family, are preparing to take over the specialty grocer, 1011 E. Brady St., with plans to honor and continue the store’s neighborhood legacy.

Carmine, who will serve as president of the new ownership group, said the transition will commence as soon as the licensing process is finalized.

“Our thing is to keep everything the same,” he said. “Same staff, same chef, same recipes.”

The brothers plan to work closely with the current general manager and registered agent, Michael Glorioso, who will act as an ambassador and adviser moving forward.

“We’re kind of like Michael’s younger generation that he’s always wanted, to see what he’s done with Glorioso’s, and to see it keep going forward and expanding,” Carmine said. “We thought it was a great opportunity.”

From the Article:

A judge refused Thursday to put on hold his ruling that allows disabled people in Wisconsin to be emailed absentee ballots at home in November’s presidential election in the closely watched battleground state.

Republicans asked the judge to not enforce his ruling while their appeal is pending. But Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell on Thursday rejected their arguments, saying putting his ruling on hold “would inflict significant harm on both the disability rights advocates and the public interest.”

From the Article:

There are 100 new foods in which you can indulge at the 2024 Wisconsin State Fair. But which ones are worth trying?

For the eighth year, I spent a good portion of opening day at the Fair working my way through a list of reader-suggested foods, tasting every single one. I've ranked 16 of them from worst to best (16 being the worst). I’ve also included my tasting notes and candid thoughts for your reading enjoyment.

From the Article:

The Hop, presented by Potawatomi Casino Hotel, will return to regular M-Line and L-Line service beginning Sunday, Aug. 11. The streetcar system had been operating its combined “Festivals Line” throughout the summer months to better accommodate passengers accessing the multitude of summer events held along Milwaukee’s lakefront.

“The combined Festivals Line was a wonderful pilot program that brought a number of benefits to our riders, particularly with so many new riders looking to access the Lakefront and not being familiar with the newer L-Line and need to transfer,” Milwaukee Commissioner of Public Works Jerrel Kruschke said. “We’ve learned a lot over the last few months and will continue to evaluate how we can best serve our riders during peak times, whether they are looking to access the Lakefront or not.”

Beginning Aug. 11, The Hop will once again operate the M-Line and L-Line independently, with three cars serving the M-Line during peak hours and one car dedicated to the L-Line. Service will continue to be provided during the system’s regular hours of operation from 5 a.m. to midnight Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

From the Article:

The last coal-fired passenger steamship in the U.S. is attempting to become more green while maintaining its steam-powered charm as it travels to and from Wisconsin.

Last year, the SS Badger received a $600,000 federal grant to study alternative fuel sources beyond coal in efforts to make the ship zero-carbon.

The Badger connects Manitowoc to Ludington, Michigan, through a four-hour ferry ride across Lake Michigan. The ship first set sail on the lake more than 70 years ago. In 2016, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated the Badger a National Historic Landmark.

From the Article:

Vice President Kamala Harris has closed the polling gap with former President Donald Trump among Wisconsin voters, according to polls taken since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

“What we’re seeing is that voters under the age of 50, independents and ethnic minorities, especially African American voters, are swinging back towards the Democratic party,” said Matt Taglia, a senior director at Emerson College polling.

Emerson’s poll is one of several that show Harris leading Trump when voters are asked to choose between the two. A survey conducted July 22-23 showed Harris leading Trump 51-49, within the poll’s margin of error.

When other candidates were included in the question, Harris and Trump were tied 45-45, with independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. getting 3 percent support and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 1 percent.

“She changed the dynamics of the race substantially. She moved five points in the margin in Wisconsin, and so I don’t think we necessarily need to wait to see what changes are taking effect as a result of Harris on the ticket,” Taglia said.

Still, with an expected vice presidential announcement in the next several days and the Democratic National convention in less than two weeks, he said it will take some time to get a firmer sense of how the race has changed.

From the Article:

Wisconsin Republicans are asking voters to take away the governor's power to unilaterally spend federal money, a reaction to the billions of dollars that flowed into the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers was free to spend most of that money as he pleased, directing most of it toward small businesses and economic development, angering Republicans who argued the Legislature should have oversight.

That's what would happen under a pair of related constitutional amendments up for voter approval in the Aug. 13 primary election. The changes would apply to Evers and all future governors and cover any federal money to the state that comes without specific spending requirements, often in response to disasters or other emergencies.

Democrats and other opponents are mobilizing against the amendments, calling them a legislative power grab that would hamstring governors' ability to quickly respond to a future natural disaster, economic crisis or health emergency.

If the amendments pass, Wisconsin’s government “will become even more dysfunctional,” said Julie Keown-Bomar, executive director of Wisconsin Farmers Union.

“Wisconsinites are so weary of riding the partisan crazy train, but it is crucial that we show up at the polls and vote ‘no’ on these changes as they will only make us go further off the rails,” she said in a statement.

But Republicans and other backers say it's a necessary check on the governor's current power, which they say is too broad.

From the Article:

Major cleanup is about to get underway on the expansive campus of the Milwaukee VA Soldiers Home. The work on three buildings, to the tune of $25 million, is expected to benefit, not just the veterans who live here, but the entire Milwaukee area. Michele Fiore reports.

"It is a real win for the veteran community and really everyone in Milwaukee and the state to see this transformed again to what it once was," said Jonathan Beck, Development Project Manager, The Alexander Company.

Three solid structures, rich in Milwaukee history…

"You have people that actually fought in Gettysburg sitting in these seats at one point in time," said Beck.

…about to be brought back to life after sitting vacant for some 40 years.

"So where are we standing right now? -35 Jonathan: We are standing in the Ward Memorial Theatre," said Beck.

In the 1880s, a number of soldiers called this home. Now, some buildings that had fallen into disrepair, will be making a full return.

From the Article:

Starting next week, tens of thousands of high school students across Wisconsin will be directly admitted to Universities of Wisconsin schools without filing applications.

The admissions are part of a new program, launched in December, to boost admission on the state’s public university campuses.

Next week through September, students will start receiving emails letting them know they’ve been admitted. School districts across the state participating in the Direct Admit Wisconsin program shared student grade point averages and course credits with University of Wisconsin administrators for rising seniors. The program identifies if a student qualifies to be directly admitted to any of the 10 participating campuses.

UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire are not participating.

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said this week 50,000 students across 330 high schools are eligible under the program.

In recent years, enrollment across the UW system has declined. Historically, more than 30% of the state’s high school graduates enroll in a UW school but that number had dropped to 27% in 2020.

“These students have already demonstrated through their junior year of high school that they have the ability to succeed at one of our universities, and to put themselves on a path to a better life and to a better career,” Rothman said.