Lee Matz, Author at Milwaukee Independent

After half century Milwaukee is again home to a Streetcar

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 29, 2018 |

The first of five vehicles for the $128 million streetcar system was delivered to Milwaukee on March 26, welcomed by a jubilant crowd of dozens of area residents. The 67-foot long, 83,000-pound streetcar traveled almost four days from its Brookville Equipment Corp. manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania by a special flatbed truck, and was unloaded onto a stretch of rails along W. St. Paul Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets. Operating from a limited battery charge, the streetcar was driven a few hundred yards into its new home, the Operations and Maintenance Facility recently built underneath the Interstate 794 overpass....

Massive crowd of Milwaukee families march to save their kids from guns

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 26, 2018 |

© NOTICE: Please do not download these photos and re-post to social media. All images from this published editorial feature can be found on the Milwaukee Independent Facebook Page. Those versions of these pictures are identical, but have been © watermarked for attribution and can be shared on social media. Direct Link to FB Album “Watching the amazing young people who are leading the way forward in this country, I can’t help but feel inspired by the next generation. My former boss, President Obama, told these students they’ve awakened the nation’s conscience. But the question is, what will the rest...

Milwaukee formalizes Sister City status with Ukraine’s Irpin

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 23, 2018 |

“Whereas, Milwaukee and Irpin, sharing a common interest in education, health care and business, and the desire to promote mutual understanding among our citizens do herby proclaim themselves Sister Cities beginning on December 19, 2017, the date of the Milwaukee Common Council resolution establishing the Sister City relationship became effective.” – agreement signed in English and Ukrainian languages Milwaukee and Irpin, Ukraine signed a Sister City agreement to foster friendship and collaboration between the two municipalities on March 15. The ceremony was held in the City Hall Common Council Chambers. The City of Milwaukee’s Sister Cities Committee Chair Alderman...

Connecting Black and Jewish history with modern repercussions on Civil Rights Tour

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 19, 2018 |

The Jewish Museum Milwaukee organized a bus tour through historic Milwaukee Civil Rights sites on March 11, in predominantly African American and Jewish communities like the Haymarket area and Sherman Park. Dominic Inouye, the founder of ZIP MKE and contributing columnist with the Milwaukee Independent, led the excursion that connected a span of decades. He shared stories about local landmarks, including where Jewish synagogues had once existed. Stops included visits to the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum with a talk by its foundering director Clayborn Benson III, and a session with Sheri Williams Pannell, Artistic Associate of First...

Golda Meir students join national school walkout against gun violence

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 15, 2018 |

“As students attending Golda Meir, our motto is “Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders.”

52nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade honors Milwaukee’s Irish heritage

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 12, 2018 |

The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade returned to Downtown Milwaukee for the 52nd year on March 10. The parade kicked off on Wisconsin Avenue at Old World Third Street and rolled its way through the city streets and crossed the Milwaukee River. The event remains Wisconsin’s oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Although the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin has hosted and produced the parade for more than a half century, the event dates back to 1843. It predates the incorporation of the State of Wisconsin and the City of Milwaukee, making it the sixth...