steinbring

From the Article:

Wisconsin Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany is introducing a bill that would designate the Apostle Islands as the state’s first national park.

The proposal would redesignate the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore as the Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve. The country has 63 national parks, but Wisconsin currently lacks any such designation.

While some elected leaders and communities applaud the bill, the proposal is sparking concerns among local officials about its effects on tribal treaty rights, housing, workforce and infrastructure.

Tiffany, who chairs a House subcommittee on federal lands, said people are drawn to the lakeshore’s historic lighthouses, shipwrecks, sandstone cliffs and sea caves. During a hearing Wednesday, Tiffany said designating the Apostle Islands as a national park would increase tourism and attract more visitors to the area.

From the Article:

Anglers are now off the hook if they carry a firearm while fishing after the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has agreed to repeal a regulation preventing them from doing so.

The move follows a lawsuit filed by the conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, or WILL, on behalf of Sheboygan Falls resident Travis Kobs. The legal group sued Acting DNR Secretary Steven Little last month over the 25-year-old rule that bars firearms and guns on waters and shores used for fishing.

The group’s complaint states any angler found in violation of the regulation could have been punished by a $200 fine plus court costs that would have pushed the total penalty past $500.

WILL argued the rule is an unconstitutional violation of Kobs’ Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. Now, a settlement between the parties states Little intends to repeal the regulation “as soon as practicable and without delay.”

Skylar Croy, associate counsel for WILL, said it’s important to ensure unconstitutional laws and rules are removed from the books as quickly as possible.

“There is a constitutional right under both the state and federal Constitution to protect yourself using firearms,” Croy said. “That right doesn’t disappear just because you’re in the great outdoors.”

From the Article:

Motorcycles are all over Milwaukee this weekend, but a different kind of bike is taking over the Riverwest neighborhood.

We're now three hours into the Riverwest24.

The 24-hour bike race started as a community block watches in the neighborhood, giving people a way to welcome new people and strengthen the community together.

Some people try to do the while 24 hours, but others form teams to break it up into shorter segments.

Either way, it's always a popular event every year.

From the Article:

After nearly eight years in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, Hamburger Mary’s is preparing to bring its burgers, bloodies and beauties to a new locale.

The restaurant, known for its drag performances, will close its doors at 730 S. 5th St. after service on Sunday, July 28.

Co-owners Ashley and Brandon Wright told Urban Milwaukee they plan to reopen in a new location. At this time, the brothers are still unsure exactly where that will be.

“This is bittersweet,” Brandon said in a statement. “While we are sad to announce that Hamburger Mary’s will be closing, we are excited for the possibilities that a new location can offer.”

The brothers also own Hunty’s Social Club (formerly Mary’s Arcade Bar) at 734 S. 5th St. The space, which adjoins Hamburger Mary’s, has quietly been on the market for over a year.

The brothers said they listed the social club space for sale after reckoning with the lingering effects of COVID-19.

From the Article:

Researchers have discovered a new parasite in freshwater mussels after investigating hundreds of mussels that died along the Embarrass River in Shawano County six years ago.

The findings were recently published in the international, peer-reviewed journal Parasitologia. Researchers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources were among agencies that collaborated to study the mass die-off in 2018. Biologists observed sick mussels lying on their sides on the surface of the river with open shells when they’re normally buried in the river bottom.

Researchers examined 29 mussels from six different species within the river. They then cut them in half and examined the organs of some samples to see if the mussels were healthy or diseased.

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/14727808

From the Article:

Milwaukee backers of the Republican National Convention coming to the city, who have predicted a $200 million economic impact from the event, said they weren’t fazed by former President Donald Trump citing an impact of over $250 million during his speech accepting the party's nomination.

Two leaders of the Milwaukee 2024 RNC Host Committee said Friday they don’t yet know the final estimated impact of hosting the convention and don’t rule out finishing higher than their $200 million prediction.

Here is what Trump said Thursday night at Fiserv Forum:

“By the way, Wisconsin, we are spending over $250 million here creating jobs and the other economic development all over the place, so I hope you will remember this in November. Give us your vote. I am trying to buy your vote – I’ll be honest about that.” Trump's remarks drew cheers from the audience, which included the Wisconsin delegation near the stage.

A reporter from Milwaukee CBS affiliate WDJT-TV (Channel 58) reported the teleprompter for Trump's speech said $200 million, indicating Trump deviated from the script. However, the audience at Fiserv Forum and on television, streaming and other platforms heard the $250 million figure.

Visit Milwaukee president and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith said Friday that her organization and the Host Committee's $200 million figure was based on the impact of previous national political conventions.

“I do not control what Donald Trump says,” she said. “I’m still going with $200 million.”

Williams-Smith said she’s awaiting financial reports on the convention’s impact before declaring a final dollar amount.

“Obviously with inflation, I can totally see that ($250 million) happening, but I’m not going to increase it right now,” she said. “My gut feel says it’ll be higher (than $200 million), but we have to wait and see.”

Tim Sheehy, senior adviser and past president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said the convention met performance goals for attendance and impact on the local hospitality industry.

“I don’t know whether it’s $200 million or $250 (million),” Sheehy said. “Past conventions, it’s been around $200 (million). I don’t make this as a political statement, but inflation’s going to drive that up.”

Sheehy acknowledged that while the convention delivered revenue boosts for hotels and many hospitality and service businesses, it wasn’t a win for all businesses.

“I’m going to have to describe it as 'lumpy peanut butter,'” he said. “The reason I describe it as 'lumpy peanut butter' is I think the spread of exposure for Milwaukee nationally and internationally was fantastic.

“The lumpy part is not every business met the expectations that they had for the convention. That’s somewhat understandable,” he said.

Sheehy said convention guests faced challenges entering and exiting the security zone, which likely limited their access to businesses beyond the perimeter.

Williams-Smith said she was sad that not all businesses in Milwaukee did as well as their owners and managers thought they would, but she said the Host Committee never promised all businesses would benefit. She said activity picked up through the course of the week at bars and restaurants.

Before the convention started, the Host Committee announced raising over $85 million from businesses and organizations in Wisconsin and beyond. The sales pitch to local donors was that their contributions would boost the Milwaukee area during the convention week and lead to opportunities for more large conventions.

Sheehy, who worked on the fundraising campaign, said the final figure was about $87 million, and about $40 million of that was raised in Wisconsin.

From the Article:

Milwaukee backers of the Republican National Convention coming to the city, who have predicted a $200 million economic impact from the event, said they weren’t fazed by former President Donald Trump citing an impact of over $250 million during his speech accepting the party's nomination.

Two leaders of the Milwaukee 2024 RNC Host Committee said Friday they don’t yet know the final estimated impact of hosting the convention and don’t rule out finishing higher than their $200 million prediction.

Here is what Trump said Thursday night at Fiserv Forum:

“By the way, Wisconsin, we are spending over $250 million here creating jobs and the other economic development all over the place, so I hope you will remember this in November. Give us your vote. I am trying to buy your vote – I’ll be honest about that.” Trump's remarks drew cheers from the audience, which included the Wisconsin delegation near the stage.

A reporter from Milwaukee CBS affiliate WDJT-TV (Channel 58) reported the teleprompter for Trump's speech said $200 million, indicating Trump deviated from the script. However, the audience at Fiserv Forum and on television, streaming and other platforms heard the $250 million figure.

Visit Milwaukee president and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith said Friday that her organization and the Host Committee's $200 million figure was based on the impact of previous national political conventions.

“I do not control what Donald Trump says,” she said. “I’m still going with $200 million.”

Williams-Smith said she’s awaiting financial reports on the convention’s impact before declaring a final dollar amount.

“Obviously with inflation, I can totally see that ($250 million) happening, but I’m not going to increase it right now,” she said. “My gut feel says it’ll be higher (than $200 million), but we have to wait and see.”

Tim Sheehy, senior adviser and past president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said the convention met performance goals for attendance and impact on the local hospitality industry.

“I don’t know whether it’s $200 million or $250 (million),” Sheehy said. “Past conventions, it’s been around $200 (million). I don’t make this as a political statement, but inflation’s going to drive that up.”

Sheehy acknowledged that while the convention delivered revenue boosts for hotels and many hospitality and service businesses, it wasn’t a win for all businesses.

“I’m going to have to describe it as 'lumpy peanut butter,'” he said. “The reason I describe it as 'lumpy peanut butter' is I think the spread of exposure for Milwaukee nationally and internationally was fantastic.

“The lumpy part is not every business met the expectations that they had for the convention. That’s somewhat understandable,” he said.

Sheehy said convention guests faced challenges entering and exiting the security zone, which likely limited their access to businesses beyond the perimeter.

Williams-Smith said she was sad that not all businesses in Milwaukee did as well as their owners and managers thought they would, but she said the Host Committee never promised all businesses would benefit. She said activity picked up through the course of the week at bars and restaurants.

Before the convention started, the Host Committee announced raising over $85 million from businesses and organizations in Wisconsin and beyond. The sales pitch to local donors was that their contributions would boost the Milwaukee area during the convention week and lead to opportunities for more large conventions.

Sheehy, who worked on the fundraising campaign, said the final figure was about $87 million, and about $40 million of that was raised in Wisconsin.

From the Article:

Despite years of delays, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport officials are preparing for potential reignition of a dormant project.

Mitchell International submitted a request for proposal for the demolition of the existing Concourse E and the construction of a new international terminal building. Bids are due on July 25 by 2 p.m.

This is the most recent development for a project that has been in the works since 2016. With funding originally included in Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele’s 2018 budget plan, the airport has had to pivot its plans due to an increased price. In March, Milwaukee County airport director Brian Dranzik said inflation has increased the cost to more than $80 million.

The project is anticipated to begin as early as 2025, though that could change based on funding availability and other contingencies, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport director of public affairs and marketing Harold Mester told the Business Journal in an email. The project would take approximately two years to complete and final costs will be determined by the bids that come in, Mester wrote.

Instead of receiving funding through the Milwaukee County budget plan, the airport will apply for federal grants from the Federal Aviation Administration through its Airport Terminals Program which distributes $1 billion annually to provide competitive grants for airport terminal development projects. FAA grant applications are due July 31.

“Hopefully we get that award next year, and hopefully we get enough funds to then actually bring that project along,” Dranzik said in March.

From the Article:

Women’s rights, a free Palestine, defeating the Republican agenda, immigrant rights, the end of war and LGBTQ+ protections.

The Coalition to March on the RNC offered messages on all those topics and more as it snaked through downtown Milwaukee Monday afternoon.

The coalition, formed by more than 100 groups nationwide, spent more than a year preparing for the march. Its efforts included suing the City of Milwaukee for a permit to march its own route near Fiserv Forum and developing a team of medics and organizers to support the disparate groups.

Co-chair Blake Jones said the primary mission Monday was to “show the Republicans that their hateful and racist agenda is not welcome here.”

In the months leading up to the march, co-chair Omar Flores stressed the group would hold a “family friendly” and peaceful march. On Monday, it appeared they delivered on that promise. Flores, in an interview, estimated 3,000 people attended, but added, “maybe I’m being optimistic.”

The group was big, but the large contingent of international media members and police officers circling through the area made it tough to precisely measure the numbers.

I received this email earlier today. I wasn't sure how safe it was going to be at the Marcus Performing Arts Center anyway.

From the Article:

Commercial aviation was just getting off the ground when this photo was taken in 1940. Milwaukee County had opened its first primitive airport in what is now Currie Park in 1919, only 16 years after the Wright brothers terrorized the resident birds of Kitty Hawk, but the focus of attention shifted steadily to what we know today as Mitchell Airport, pictured here.

Milwaukee County began to buy land near the intersection of Layton and Howell avenues in 1926, and commercial planes were soon taxiing down cinder runways on what had once been a seasonally soggy horse pasture.

Scheduled passenger service began less than a year later, when a Northwest Airways three-seater made its inaugural daily flight from Chicago to Minneapolis, stopping in Milwaukee en route. The one-way fare was $50 – nearly $900 in today’s dollars – and the plane cruised at an airborne snail’s pace of 85 miles per hour.

As flying became faster, cheaper and easier, demand soared, and Milwaukee soon needed a genuine passenger terminal. In 1940, with major help from New Deal relief programs, the building pictured here was dedicated at 1011 E. Layton Ave. It served paying passengers, but there was still plenty of room for airline offices, a weather station and a control tower.

Within a decade, rapid growth had made the “new” terminal obsolete. In 1950, Milwaukee County decided to shift the airport’s operations center westward. A state-of-the-art facility opened on the Howell Avenue side of the field in 1955, and it became the nucleus of the sprawling complex familiar to today’s travelers.

Useless for anything but storage, the Layton Avenue terminal was demolished in 1966. Its site was eventually occupied by private hangars, and sleek corporate jets now touch down where biplanes and Trimotors once ruled the runways.