Cars, trucks and tractors driving down County Road G in Cedar Grove pass decaying barns, old silos and farm houses that pepper the flat Wisconsin landscape. A few minutes down the road sits Double Dutch Dairy LLC, owned by two brothers, Brody and Jory Stapel. Dozens of cows loiter behind the white barn and four […]
In Recovery: Six People, One Building
After time in a homeless shelter, in prison or on the streets, men come to Our Safe Place in Milwaukee to live in an environment devoid of the things that ruined their lives: drugs and alcohol. The building, on 29th Street near Marquette University, houses 50 men in recovery. Luis Medina Luis Medina had one of […]
Reclaiming Death: Women in the Death Industry
Death is making a comeback, but not in an apocalyptic way. And women are leading the charge. Women like end-of-life doula Christine Dehlinger. Dehlinger, a Wisconsin resident, accompanies dying people and their loved ones through the final stages of life, providing support, resources and comfort. Dehlinger is a part of a growing number of women […]
Deer Poaching in Wisconsin: Illegal Harvests in the Heartland
When Brooke Gilley saw a video on Facebook of two bucks tussling at a Milwaukee County Park, she posted a no-nonsense response: “Please refrain from mentioning the parks where you have been finding bucks.” Gilley is an Outreach Naturalist at Wehr Nature Center, located in Milwaukee’s Whitnall Park. One might expect her to celebrate the […]
So Far, Fiserv Forum is Luring Customers to Neighboring Businesses
What used to be a parking lot between Ugly’s and The Loaded Slate has now been transformed into a beer garden at the entrance to the new Fiserv Forum on Old World 3rd Street. During their first visit to the Fiserv Forum, Courtney Schultz and Lydia Witte walked around the Christkindlmarket in front of the […]
Tug of War: Inside Wisconsin’s Deeply Politicized Abortion Divide
Kelly* felt like she was living inside a cheesy romantic comedy when she saw a tiny, blurry plus sign on her drug store pregnancy test during the summer of 2018. The 26-year-old never expected to get knocked up, much less after a drunken one-night stand with a longtime friend. Kelly knew she wasn’t financially stable […]
Carrie’s Curl Conversation: Natural Hair in Milwaukee
Hair is the subject of an ongoing conversation in the black community. Whether you wear it straight, in a low cut, throw a wig on it or put a relaxer in it, hair is something black women love and can talk about all day long. But something that gets less attention is the hair that […]
The Fight to Stop Sex Trafficking in Milwaukee
One study calls the city “The Hub” of human trafficking. Laura Johnson, 33, sits quietly on her couch, pulling her black cardigan tighter around her slender shoulders. Her black hair is pulled back into a simple bun, her eyes are sparkly and her smile is warm. Johnson absently stirs her frozen dinner as steam rises […]
Milwaukee’s Homeless: In Full View
Over the summer, new residents settled down in Milwaukee’s loneliest park. In the shadow of the County Safety Building and the neo-classical County Courthouse, around 20 tents sat under the trees in MacArthur Square. Clothes were hung up on barriers, trash spilled out of overfilled cans and curfew signs were set up at the entrances. […]
Abortion Clinic Escorts Mark 25 Years in Milwaukee
Inside the first two sets of doors is a waiting room that looks like a typical doctor’s office. Chairs fill the room with mundanereprints of flowers hanging just above. Receptionists wait to help patients check in. Just around the corner from the desk is a stairwell leading up to patient rooms. At the top of […]
Something Local’s Cooking At The Fiserv Forum
It is almost time to open the gates and the aroma of fried chicken and coleslaw is filling the back of the Gold Rush Chicken stand at the Fiserv Forum. You can hear the chicken sizzling on the fryer and many sandwiches getting prepared for a busy night at the Bucks game. The Fiserv Forum […]
Cell Phones In Class: How a Wauwatosa Middle School Deals With a Controversial Subject
The Author Gets His First Phone It was the year 2009 and it was my first day of 7th grade. It was time to be excited, time to be nervous, and time to grow up. Before I could leave and go off to school, my mother told me to meet her in the kitchen. There was […]
Will NORML Win Legalization?
With two pro-cannabis Democrats elected into office in Wisconsin, it is easy to assume that marijuana is on the fast track to legalization in the state. Governor-elect Tony Evers is set to take office this December, replacing anti-weed Republican Scott Walker. Regardless of the number of Republicans opposed to legalization, the results of the referendum […]