Lee Matz, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Photo Essay: Holiday Train rides the rails into Milwaukee

Posted by Lee Matz | Dec 7, 2016 |

The 2016 Holiday Train raised 3,100 pounds of food for Milwaukee families. The Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train returned to the Amtrak Intermodal Station in an effort to raise money, and collect food for the Hunger Task Force. It has stopped in Milwaukee and supported Hunger Task Force as its charity of choice since 2011. The free event has also helped raise more than $56,000 in the past five years, from CP Railroad and individual donors. The Holiday Train featured 14 rail cars, each aglow with hundreds of thousands of lights in holiday designs, and spanned a total distance...

Photo Essay: WWBIC event and D’Amato’s slow simmer

Posted by Lee Matz | Dec 6, 2016 |

The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) showcased their clients and community investments at the organizations’s annual luncheon, held at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino on December 2. The venue placed a spotlight on small business owners, who lined the convention area outside the ballroom. The event’s theme this year acknowledged food and beverage businesses. In 2015, WWBIC assisted 226 Wisconsin companies in the industry, and many were there to display and promote their products. “Main street is a key engine of the American economy, and small businesses create jobs and wealth, and are also sources of social and...

Photo Essay: The transition from Vermont to Northwestern Mutual

Posted by Lee Matz | Nov 30, 2016 |

In the shadow of the nearly completed Northwestern Mutual Tower, a second skyscraper is finally lifting off the ground at Mason Street and Van Buren Street. In the shadow of the nearly completed Northwestern Mutual Tower, a second skyscraper is finally lifting off the ground at Mason Street and Van Buren Street. Northwestern Mutual’s mixed-use Van Buren Tower is in the early stages of construction, for a completion date expected in the Spring of 2018. With foundation pours underway, the 34 floors will feature retail space, penthouses, apartments, a rooftop pool, and much needed parking for the company’s workforce....

Photo Essay: 103 years of festive illumination

Posted by Lee Matz | Nov 21, 2016 |

Thousands of Milwaukee residents joined the century-old tradition of the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting on November 17, returning to its historic location at City Hall. The holiday celebration was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of lights installed downtown, with festive performances of music and dance, and a fireworks show along the river to kick-off the season. These images from the tree lighting ceremony and the holiday lights festival show the multi-cultural spirit that does exist in Milwaukee. The events serve as an example of people coming together in community, to erode the city’s history of self-segregation. © Photo...

Photo Essay: Standing Rock Sioux finds Milwaukee support

Posted by Lee Matz | Nov 19, 2016 |

The Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota have been joined by more than 300 other tribes, and supporters from all walks of life. The peaceful, prayerful encampment of water protectors has been repeatedly attacked by a private security company with attack dogs, sprayed with tear gas, and fired on with rubber bullets by militarized police. A national day of rallies started in Milwaukee outside of the Wells Fargo Bank on 100 E. Wisconsin Avenue, with the public request that the financial institution pull its funding out of the DAPL construction. Wells Fargo is one of several national banks financing...

Photo Essay: An Evening with Dr. Steve Perry

Posted by Lee Matz | Nov 18, 2016 |

Author, educator, and the founder of the Capital Preparatory Magnet School, Dr. Steve Perry spoke candidly to the Milwaukee public on November 14. Based in Hartford, Connecticut and considered one of the top schools in the country, Capital Prep has sent 100% of its predominantly low-income, minority, first generation high school graduates to four-year colleges every year since its first class graduated in 2006. These image are from the event, “An Evening with Dr. Steve Perry” that was held at The Rep’s Quadracci Powerhouse, and produced by the Athena Speakers Bureau. A full audio recording of the presentation was...