Lee Matz, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Students design cities of tomorrow for senior citizens at STEM Forward competition

Posted by Lee Matz | Jan 17, 2018 |

More than 250 students from 32 Wisconsin middle schools participated in the 26th Annual STEM Forward “Future City” Regional Competition at MSOE’s Kern Center on January 13. Of the 66 teams to participate in the 2018 tournament, the top team from the five finalists would receive an all-expense-paid trip to the February 18 national competition in Washington DC. STEM Forward asked middle school students to develop an “Age Friendly” city design that provided innovative solutions to serve an urban area’s older population. It would have to be sustainable and enable seniors to remain active, independent, and engaged in the...

Standing up for justice at 34th Annual Martin Luther King Celebration

Posted by Lee Matz | Jan 16, 2018 |

“All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.” – Edmund Burke Hundreds of area residents attended the 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration at Uihlein Hall of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts on January 14. Milwaukee and Atlanta are the only cities to have celebrated Dr. King’s Birthday annually since 1984. “The theme for this year is ‘Take a Stand for Truth and Justice.’ These words were spoken by Dr. King in 1967, and they are certainly timeless,” said Paul Mathews, President and CEO of the Marcus Center....

Milwaukeeans make 2018 Polar Bear Plunge despite subzero temps

Posted by Lee Matz | Jan 2, 2018 |

Throngs of people dashed over the icy shore of Lake Michigan to dive into its frigid waters on January 1, brushing aside historically low temperatures. A number of East Coast cities canceled their Polar Bear Plunges, including Kenosha and Chicago closer to home, due to an Arctic weather blast. The freezing temperatures, hovering at 1° by noon in Milwaukee with a windchill of -14°, did not stop area residents from participating in the annual Bradford Beach event. Hundreds of people stood along the ice encrusted coastline to cheer along those making the plunge, who afterwards sought heat from the...

Photo Essay: Inside the decay of Old Main before its restoration

Posted by Lee Matz | Dec 8, 2017 |

“The Soldiers Home is critical to understanding Wisconsin’s important place at the beginning of veteran patient care. This project is about more than preserving the brick and mortar of buildings, it’s about renewing the legacy of these buildings and returning them to the veterans who they were uniquely designed to serve.” – Jim Draeger, Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office Alderman Michael J. Murphy, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, and developer Kalan Haywood were among the coalition participants at a special press announcement on December 6, where the first part of a $600,000 grant was handed out for the restoration of...

Gingerbread creations baked by MATC students on display at Public Market

Posted by Lee Matz | Dec 7, 2017 |

The public is encouraged to view and bid on the creations, with proceeds from the silent auctions for each entry to be used as scholarships for students in baking programs through the MATC Foundation, Inc. Milwaukee Area Technical College’s annual gingerbread house competition and public display runs this year from December 2 to 13 at the Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N. Water St. All entries were created by MATC’s baking and pastry arts associate degree and baking production diploma program students. In addition to 31 elaborate traditional gingerbread house entries, there will be three replicas of the new Milwaukee...

Pabst Mansion decks the halls for Christmas Twilight Tours

Posted by Lee Matz | Dec 6, 2017 |

The Pabst Mansion is celebrating the holiday season again this year with their popular Christmas Twilight Tours that decorates the former beer baron’s home as it appeared in the Victorian Age. Visitors can experience the Mansion by the glow of the original light fixtures and illuminated Christmas trees. These evening open houses include self-guided tours where guests can explore each beautifully decorated room filled with holiday cheer. “Jodi Rich-Bartz, the Pabst Mansion’s curator, oversees the Herculean effort to transform three floors of the Pabst Mansion into ‘A Grand Avenue Christmas,’ a process that takes a very intense two and a...