Author: Staff

Mayor Tom Barrett presents Common Council members with proposed 2020 executive budget

Mayor Tom Barrett presented his 2020 proposed executive budget to Common Council members on September 24. The Finance & Personnel Committee of the Common Council will hold hearings on the Mayor’s Proposed 2020 Budget beginning October 4. That will be followed by a joint public hearing with the Mayor and Council about the budget on October 7, where residents can share their views on the City’s finances and proposed 2020 spending. The Common Council is scheduled to adopt the City’s 2020 budget at a special meeting on November 8. Mayor Barrett’s 2020 Executive Budget Address, as as delivered on...

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Lex Allen shares journey of self-discovery with a love letter to Milwaukee in “Let Go” music video

“I can’t be the everything to everyone all the time. I’ve got to do some things for me, got to clear my mind. Take myself to the beach on the countryside, walking down the street, whiskey neat, feeling just right, no one’s problem in my ear. I can talk without a care because I’m pretty high, city streets, favorite beats, and a bike ride. Me, myself, and I. It’s time to let go.” – Lex Allen, I.D.E.N.T.I.T.Y. Lex Allen put on a magic cape, mounted an enchanted bicycle that came all the way from Burning Man, and shared a...

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County redirects $4.1M from budget to restore cut MCTS routes but special event lines to end in 2020

Amidst current fiscal crisis in Milwaukee County, the 2020 budget will include a temporary solution that invests more than $4 million in additional local funding for routes slated for elimination. However, the Special Events routes like the Brewers Line, State Fair, and ethnic festivals will not be saved. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announced on September 19 that the 2020 Recommended Transit Budget would include a re-direction of $4.1 million in funds to restore multiple routes originally slated for elimination. “I am fully committed to having world-class public transportation throughout the county,...

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Gary Grunau: Civic champion and transformative Milwaukee real estate developer dies of cancer

Visionary Milwaukee developer Gary Grunau died at the age of 80 on September 24 after a two-year battle with brain cancer. Despite his diagnosis and treatment, Grunau continued to charge forward, focused on the city’s future and community development. Grunau’s efforts to revitalize a demoralized Milwaukee, after its post-manufacturing decline, stretched over the past decades. They were transformative for the city’s health, and stand as a public symbols of his social commitment and personal achievements for generations to come. “Our father, grandfather and husband fought this battle as he lived his life, with kindness, humor, fortitude, integrity, humility and...

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Sam Belton to open new jazz coffeehouse in Harambee building renovated by Bader Philanthropies

Bader Philanthropies announced on September 25 that it would begin renovation on a two-story building located at the corner of North Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and North Fifth Street. The renovated building, located across from its global headquarters at 3300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in the Harambee neighborhood, is tentatively scheduled to open in spring 2020. It will be occupied by two tenants, Sam’s Place and Shalem Healing. “Bader Philanthropies moved to Harambee to deepen our commitment to Milwaukee,” said Daniel J. Bader, president and CEO of Bader Philanthropies. “We wanted to be in...

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Environmental restoration of Kletzsch Park key to economic development for Milwaukee River basin

Revised designs for a vital ecological and public access project along the Milwaukee River were released on September 18, highlighting how the project could be the key to unlocking funding for dozens of additional environmental projects in the region. The $2 million project in Kletzsch Park, a collaboration between Milwaukee County Parks, Wisconsin DNR, and Fund for Lake Michigan, is part of an extensive plan to tackle environmental issues in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern (AOC). The Kletzsch Park River Access and Fish Passage Project will improve water quality by making mandated dam repairs and creating universal public...

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