Milwaukee

From the acrticle:

The U.S. Secret Service on Friday revealed maps of the security zones for the upcoming Republican National Convention.

There are two zones that will be located around Fiserv Forum and around Henry Maier Festival Park. The Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 15 through July 18.

The former includes a vehicle restricted zone with boundaries that stretch north to Cherry Street, south to Clybourn Street, west to Ninth Street and east to the Milwaukee River. This outer vehicle screening perimeter (highlighted in yellow in the maps below) is where vehicles will be screened upon entrance but pedestrians are free to access without screening.

A pedestrian screening perimeter (highlighted in red in the maps below) will be accessible only to people attending or working the event.

Pedestrian restricted area enforcement begins Sunday, July 14, at 6 p.m. Vehicle screening perimeter enforcement will begin Monday, July 15, at 2 a.m.

Only one residential building, 550 Ultra Lofts, is in the pedestrian restricted area. Residents will be permitted to access their homes and parking spaces.

Commercial and recreational water travel will not be permitted on the Milwaukee River between Cherry and Michigan streets beginning July 14 and running through the early morning hours of July 19.

From the Article:

Milwaukee's July 3rd lakefront firework show cancelation is sparking problems with a nearby business.

On Friday, May 24, leaders with Milwaukee County Parks announced this year's show is shut down. Park leaders say a lack of sponsors snuffed out this year's firework show. They also imply it could be long-term.

"At this point, we believe that the 3rd of July fireworks have run their course," Milwaukee County Parks Executive Director Guy Smith said.

The firework show has been a summer staple and a memory maker for decades. It's also the county's War Memorial Center's biggest fundraiser of the year.

The 'Corpse Flower,' also known as “U’Reeka," was given its nickname due to its smell, with some describing its short-lived bloom as smelling like rotting meat, that "offends the human nose."

From the Article:

Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

In Cedarburg on Sunday, May 26, thousands of people shopped and explored for the first ‘Maxwell Street Days’ of the season, a major fundraiser for the fire department.

Sometimes it takes a little strategy to find the perfect items at an outdoor market.

"Knowing what you like and what you want to look for," said Hayden Kolowrat.

From the Article:

A Buffalo Wild Wings Go restaurant opens this weekend in Glendale as the sports bar chain continues to expand its to-go locations in southeast Wisconsin.

The new location opens at 6969 N. Port Washington Road at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a press release.

The Glendale opening follows others in recent months that included Milwaukee, 2900 N. Oakland Ave., in December and Waukesha in March. A Buffalo Wild Wings is also planned for the Pabst Farms development in Oconomowoc.

The Buffalo Wild Wings Go concept launched in 2020 with an aim to streamline customers' orders, whether they choose to dine in or take their food to go, according to the company.

The 1,500-square-foot Glendale location provides in-store seating for dining at the restaurant and also offers options for delivery or takeout with a menu that will include all 26 Buffalo Wild Wings signature sauces and dry rubs. The restaurant will serve traditional and boneless wings, hand-breaded tenders, chicken sandwiches, burgers and sides.

The restaurant will employ eight crew members. Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Another 1,500-square-foot location had been proposed in 2022 for Glendale at 5530 N. Port Washington Road. Glendale officials were not available for comment on Friday, and applicants who proposed the project could not be reached for inquiries on its status.

The sports bar chain, owned by Inspire Brands, has more than 1,200 locations nationwide, including 34 in Wisconsin, according to its website. That figure includes both the full-service restaurants as well as the company's to-go locations.

The restaurant is in the Glendale Market, which is anchored by a Metro Market grocery store, and it features several other businesses including Stone Creek Coffee, Jimmy John’s, Curry & Momo House and Dr. Dawg, according to the website for General Capital Group.

General Capital Group, a real estate firm based in Fox Point, coordinated the initial properties within the boutique shopping center over a period of three years. The firm’s website says that to recoup the cost of demolition and environmental remediation, it worked with the city of Glendale to form one of Wisconsin’s first environmental remediation tax incremental financing districts.

New train! Very excited

WisDOT released their alternatives for WIS175. Ive linked the website that places to submit feedback.

What are your thoughts on the alternatives?

New vendor announced for Vel R Phillips Plaza

In Chicago, venues are booking fast for the Democratic convention in August. But Milwaukee, host of the Republican convention, is wondering if customers will come.

From the Article:

The Midwest Gaming Classic celebrates its 23rd anniversary this year and will take place the weekend of April 5-7 at the Baird Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave.

The event is a whirlwind of activity with over 10,000 games on free play from cherished vintage classics to cutting-edge releases. Attractions also include classic pinball and arcade games, every generation of console, tabletop games, a 125,000 square foot vendor hall with over 200 vendors, live entertainment including pro wrestling, bands, and meet and greets with pop-culture personalities.

Among the unique programming attractions this year will be Steve Henneberry (AKA “Tower” from American Gladiator), who will combat attendees in Johann Sebastian Joust, a no-graphics, digitally-enabled playground game designed for motion controllers. Attendees can also look forward to a wider variety of esports, gamer podcasts, the MGC Cosplay Championship, and The World of Nintendo Exhibit.

From the Article:

Three months after announcing the closure of its 126-year-old city club, the University Club of Milwaukee is in the process of selling its downtown building to Northwestern Mutual.

The University Club of Milwaukee's board president Jim Caragher and Northwestern Mutual confirmed the news to the Milwaukee Business Journal Monday morning after Urban Milwaukee president Jeramey Jannene shared the news on X, formerly Twitter.

Northwestern Mutual has "reached an agreement (in principle) to purchase the University Club property at 924 E. Wells St.," Northwestern Mutual senior director of strategic communications and corporate reputation Julia Fennelly said in an email.

"As an active real estate investor, Northwestern Mutual is a steward of our downtown Milwaukee campus and neighboring area and the opportunity to invest in the University Club property allows us to ensure the building continues to serve as a prominent, thriving downtown hub for the Milwaukee community," Fennelly said.

Northwestern Mutual plans to share its intended use for the building in the near future, she said. The company declined to share the terms of the agreement and the purchase price.

The University Club property's total assessment is $2,728,500 and the estimated fair market value is $3,277,871, according to its 2023 city property tax bill.

After the building sells, the University Club would use the proceeds to refund former members who paid a $5,000 assessment the club levied in April 2023 as it attempted to raise money to keep the club open and pay for facility upgrades, according to previous Milwaukee Business Journal reporting.

From the Article:

The city has found a contractor to stabilize the again-failing facade at Milwaukee City Hall.

Urban Milwaukee reported in October that pieces of the terra cotta facade were breaking off, less than 15 years after they were replaced as part of a $76 million project.

The city, said a Department of Public Works (DPW) spokesperson in October, was pursuing “accountability.” But as Urban Milwaukee reported, a 2014 settlement could very well bar the city from recouping any of the costs.

And now, the public has an indication of what the starting point for those costs is.

A newly filed building permit indicates a $1.62 million “temporary facade stabilization” effort, primarily netting, will be installed by Wiss, Jannet, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) and general contractor Mark 1 Masonry, both of Illinois.

“There is some flaking of the fabrication and as our first and main responsibility is safety, the netting is being put up as a precaution to hold the flaking pieces of the terra cotta in place and prevent any from falling to the sidewalk or street surrounding City Hall,” said a DPW spokesperson Friday. “The work should begin in April and conclude in October.”

From the Article:

The school funding referendum, less than two weeks away, is make or break for Milwaukee Public Schools, according to administrators.

MPS principals told Urban Milwaukee that for their schools the referendum is a question between maintaining their current level of staffing and resources, or budget cuts.

“A ‘Yes’ referendum is going to make our school function very similar to how it’s functioning today, and a ‘No’ referendum will change our schools significantly,” said Frank Lammers, Principal of the German Immersion School.

The district is trying to make its case with voters for an additional $252 million in funding over the next four years, with approximately $125 million coming from a property tax increase in the City of Milwaukee. The district successfully went to referendum just four years ago for an additional $87 million.

MPS, the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association and their political allies have been trying to generate support for the funding increase. The city’s powerful business lobby, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) has bankrolled an ad campaign opposing the referendum. Another opposition campaign organized by local attorney Daniel Adams is arguing the proposed tax increase will negatively affect housing affordability.

“I would say in my tenure, as a principal, this is the most significant budget that we’ve that I have had to go through,” said Lammers, who has been principal of German Immersion School for seven years.

DPW just released plans and renders for the upcoming Michigan St redesign. What are your thoughts?