Author: Lee Matz

More than 5,000 people packed Bradford Beach along Lake Michigan for the annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge. The unseasonably warm weather attracted a near record crowd for the aquatic tradition. In past years, participants had the challenge of navigating snow drifts and ice chunks before entering the frigid Lake. This year, under a cloudless blue sky and bright sun, the water temperature of 30° was very close to the air temperature, making the plunge less of a shock for swimmers. However, taking a dip in winter is still not considered a leisure activity, even in Milwaukee. Rescue...

A blanket of snow covered Milwaukee in the first major storm of the season, dumping up to 9 inches by Sunday, December 11. The Department of Public Works salted and plowed roads across Milwaukee since the first flakes fell on the evening of December 10. With the accumulation and continued snowfall, the municipal service worked with organized precision to dig out the city and keep transportation routes open. Rural areas surrounding Milwaukee County are often called winter wonderlands after a snowfall. Their large swatches of land and trees look majestic with nature’s frosting of ice. In downtown Milwaukee, snow...