Author: Staff

20 Days in Mariupol: Milwaukee Film Festival screens Ukrainian documentary that won praise at Sundance

The visceral documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” produced by the Associated Press and Frontline (PBS) was awarded the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Documentary Competition Audience Award in January. It will be showcased locally during the 2023 Milwaukee Film Festival on April 27 at the Avalon Theater. The film, which made its world premiere at Sundance, offered a first-person view of the early days of Russia’s invasion of the port city of Mariupol, Ukraine. It is told through the perspective of Ukrainian-born director and Associated Press video journalist Mstyslav Chernov. “I want to thank everyone who believed in us...

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Homes MKE: Initiative begins renovating vacant City-owned houses to build stronger neighborhoods

City of Milwaukee officials, elected leaders, and local stakeholders formally kicked off the Homes MKE initiative on April 19 in the North Division area of the Lindsay Heights neighborhood. In 2021, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and members of the Milwaukee Common Council allocated $15 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to the Department of City Development (DCD) for Homes MKE. “Growing up in Milwaukee, I experienced the effects of housing insecurity like many residents and families currently are. This is personal for me, so I am proud the Department of City Development is working with the Milwaukee Common...

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Terracotta and Photogrammetry: How UWM’s Historic Preservation Institute uses new tech to save the past

The Pabst Mansion is currently seeking permission from the City of Milwaukee’s Historic Preservation Commission to deconstruct and preserve its 1893 terracotta pavilion. While a decision is not expected until a May 1 meeting, the complex process of digitally documenting the structure is already underway. Built with terracotta as a temporary interior structure for the World Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, the pavilion was added to the Pabst Mansion as an auxiliary airing porch in 1895. Italian for “baked earth,” terracotta has been used by artisans and architects in everything from cookware to the ornate facades of Cathedrals...

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Detour Ahead: Wisconsin Policy Forum’s report rings alarm for state action on local transit funding

The independent research group, Wisconsin Policy Forum (WPF), released sobering findings on March 30 concerning Milwaukee County’s fiscal cliff and the massive impact it will have on a key quality of life service relied on by thousands of residents: the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS). The WPF report found that MCTS could face a gap as large as $25.6 million in 2025, and more than $40 million by 2028, without prompt action. MCTS provides a critical source of mobility for the most vulnerable county residents and is a vital cog in the regional economy. Whether harmful impacts to those...

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Making mobility more equitable: MCTS launches fare capping system for public transit with WisGo

Beginning April 1, Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) will offer customers enhanced flexibility and convenience through WisGo, its new fare payment system powered by the Umo Mobility platform. With fare capping enabled, riders now pay as they go, saving money the more they ride, without the need to pay upfront for a daily, weekly or monthly pass. After more than a year of preparation, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, County Supervisor Priscilla Coggs-Jones, MCTS Chief Financial Officer Tim Hosch, and Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly, held a press conference at the MCTS Fleet Maintenance Building on March 29 to welcome...

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Milwaukee photojournalist narrowly misses flash flood that kills 14 in earthquake-battered Türkiye

Floods caused by torrential rains hit two Turkish provinces that were devastated by last month’s catastrophic earthquake, killing at least 14 people and increasing the misery for thousands who were left homeless, officials said on March 15. Milwaukee Indpenent’s senior photojournalist was in Adiyaman on the same day, documenting the condition of survivors with the assistance of Türk Kizilay, the Turkish Red Crescent. Heavy rains hampered some of the team’s outdoor work, but they relocated later on March 15 to Antakya and narrowly missed the impact of the flooding. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said rescue teams had searched for...

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