Editor, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Milwaukee mourns the loss of 88Nine’s Mary Louise Mussoline

Posted by Editor | Feb 5, 2017 |

Mary Louise Mussoline, 88Nine’s Executive Director from 2009-2016, died at age 62. Mary Louise had been the driving force behind the effort to find, rehab, and raise the funds for Radio Milwaukee’s new studio complex in Walker’s Point. Under her leadership, the station was able to relocate its headquarters and take major steps forward in its mission to engage the community. She passed away on February 4 after a long battle with cancer. An outpouring of sympathy and remembrances were expressed across social media, with a public statement released by 88Nine. | Mary Louise’s Radio Milwaukee family is heartbroken....

Mayor Barrett welcomes $50m expansion by Leinenkugel downtown

Posted by Editor | Feb 3, 2017 |

As part the expansion project, MillerCoors plans to bring up to 40 jobs to the neighborhood area for increasing capacity at its Leinenkugel brewing location on North 10th Street. Mayor Tom Barrett expressed the city of Milwaukee’s excitement that the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company planned to expand its operations, bringing employment and economic activity to an needed area of the community. “What we like about this is the location at the northern ring of the downtown area, what I call the heart of the city because it’s close to the neighborhoods where we’ve got pockets of unemployment,” said Mayor...

Resolution denouncing Islamophobia introduced by State lawmakers

Posted by Editor | Feb 1, 2017 |

State Senator Chris Larson and Representative Jonathan Brostoff held a press conference at the Milwaukee City Hall on January 31 to announce the Joint Resolution to Resist Hate (LRB 0234). Along with an online petition in support of it at ResistHateWI.com, the resolution denounces Islamophobia and hate in Wisconsin. According to statistics from the Pew Research Center, there are more than 3 million Muslims living in the United States today, with an estimated 15,000 living in Wisconsin, making invaluable contributions to the economy, social and political life, and local culture. Despite the beneficial contributions the Muslim community has provided...

Milwaukee leaders oppose immigration ban as unconstitutional

Posted by Editor | Jan 31, 2017 |

A group of organizations and elected officials in Milwaukee addressed the issue of President Trump’s Executive Orders on the Muslim and refugee ban at a press conference on January 30, held at the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition. “There is nobody in this country who doesn’t take security seriously. There is nobody who doesn’t want to protect everything this country stands for. But let’s be clear about what it is were protecting. ‘Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion or preventing the free exercise thereof.’ Less than two weeks in office, our President is casually and recklessly...

88Nine Radio hosts talent accelerator to educate students

Posted by Editor | Jan 30, 2017 |

The launch party for Grace Weber’s Music Lab, an education program to develop talent with Milwaukee area high school students, was held on January 27 by 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. Through a partnership between 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, Big Mouth Records, and creative artist Grace Weber, a new Music Lab was unveiled to the public. The music and arts education program will serve as a talent incubator for Milwaukee high school students. The effort will provide local youth with opportunities to learn about the music and entertainment industries, and to collaborate, perform, and build relationships with their peers and industry professionals....

Fallout from Trump’s Refugee Ban hits Milwaukee

Posted by Editor | Jan 29, 2017 |

In opposition to the Executive Order signed by President Trump a day before, more than two hundred Milwaukee residents from Middle Eastern countries held a vigil outside the Federal Courthouse along Wisconsin Avenue on January 28. The bans affect travelers with passports from Іran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and extended to green card holders who were legally granted permission to live and work in the United States. “I had a Canada trip coming up in two weeks, because my mom is there. She is not feeling well and needs help due to her health,” said Soroush...