steinbring

From the Article:

A critical section of the Oak Leaf Trail running along the Root River Line has been temporarily closed.

The trail runs underneath Highway 100 in Wauwatosa, offering bicyclists and pedestrians a safe crossing underneath the six-lane state trunk highway.

Milwaukee County Parks closed the trail under Highway 100 to perform maintenance on a bridge, but the closure was recently extended into the “foreseeable future” as engineering crews “inspect and repair structural concerns” along the bridge.

There’s a metal cover over the bridge, but Parks doesn’t want Oak Leaf Trail users crossing the bridge right now “out of an abundance of caution,” Peter Bratt, director of skilled trades and operations told Urban Milwaukee.

Parks has suggested a detour on its interactive Oak Leaf Trail map, with trail users crossing Highway 100 along W. Watertown Plank Road.

The Root River Line, which is now cut off at Highway 100, runs north and south through the southwestern quarter of the county. It offers connections to other sections of the more than 135-mile trail network.

From the Article:

Urban Ecology Center in Riverside Park has partnered with Two Birds Event Group to operate its new 300-person Prairie Springs on Park event hall, 1420 E. Park Pl., that’s part of the $8.2 million Riverland Project.

You can read more about the project, including an in-depth look at the history of the cream city brick former industrial building that is being renovated into the hall, in this Urban Spelunking article.

“We are thrilled to partner with Two Birds to bring the Urban Ecology Center's vision for Prairie Springs on Park to life in the spring of 2025,” says UEC Executive Director Jen Hense.

“We admire Ramsey (Renno), Tyler (Curran) and their team's approach to creating memorable spaces and events across Milwaukee and look forward to working together."

Two Birds operates The Ivy House, The Starling and The Society venues as well as a number of events-related businesses. It recently announced another riverside events space called The Rivulet.

From the Article:

The first indoor pickleball facility in the city of South Milwaukee's could open in October after the Common Council approved the transformation of a former team soccer venue.

The plan to bring the $2.5 million Premier Pickleball Center to 305 N. Chicago Ave. will come after conditions imposed by the Common Council have been met, according to Patrick Brever, city administrator for South Milwaukee.

"I think the applicant has expressed agreement and understanding of the conditions imposed by our Plan Commission and Common Council. The applicant has what they need to move forward in order to open," Brever said.

Franklin businessman Guriqbal Sra owns the property. R.H. Chou & Associates will serve as the architect and designer for the project.

The facility has been planned to feature 12 pickleball courts inside the 40,000-square-foot space. The building would also include an event space, a 100-seat restaurant opened daily and a 10-piece gym and locker rooms, according to city documents.

Brever said the city has been told that the facility will open in October to capture high interest in the indoor pickleball season with the aim to open a third-party restaurant with a supper club concept within the facility by Nov. 1.

From the Article:

Changes could be coming soon to more than one White House.

Milwaukee’s own White House, located at 2900 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., is on the market.

The 4,800-square-foot building has been a presence in Bay View for more than 130 years. Now, owner and proprietor Allison Meinhardt is seeking a new leader to take the helm. The property is listed for $1.6 million.

That price tag includes all commercial restaurant equipment on the premises, including a walk-in cooler, stove, 50 antique chairs, antique sofas, glassware and more, according to the listing.

The development comes less than a year after Meinhardt announced significant changes to the venue, which transitioned to hosting events exclusively in early 2024. The move also brought changes to The White House’s eponymous restaurant, which was remodeled and replaced by SAGE, a modern American concept, in February.

The restaurant, opened in partnership with Alexander Stewart, emphasizes vegetable-forward dishes made with seasonal ingredients and colorful presentation. As of Friday afternoon, SAGE had not announced any upcoming changes to its operation.

From the Article:

Three of the state’s major utilities are planning to spend almost $2 billion on five renewable energy projects as part of their plans to cut carbon emissions and shift to clean energy.

We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service and Madison Gas and Electric filed plans with the Public Service Commission to acquire and build facilities that would cost around $1.9 billion combined. The five projects are expected to power about 250,000 homes. They include 500 megawatts of solar, around 180 megawatts of wind and 100 megawatts of battery storage. The wind and solar facilities are being built by developers Invenergy and Qcells USA. They include the Dawn Harvest Solar Energy Center in Rock County, Saratoga Solar Energy Center in Wood County, Ursa Solar Park in Columbia County, Badger Hollow Wind Farm in Iowa and Grant counties and the Whitetail Wind Farm in Grant County.

“As we close our older, less efficient fossil fuel plants, we’re replacing that with clean energy, and these projects are going to be an important part of doing that,” We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway said.

We Energies would own 80 percent of the projects. WPS and MGE would each own 10 percent.

We Energies and WPS, which are owned by WEC Energy Group, plan to invest nearly $8 billion in renewable energy, natural gas projects and storage in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee-based company said it’s part of a larger plan to save customers more than $2 billion over the next two decades.

From the Article:

Milwaukee’s streetcar system, The Hop, recorded 49,573 rides in August 2024. That works out to an average of 1,599 rides per day. August 2024 ridership was up slightly from August 2023, when 47,552 rides were recorded.

The Hop recorded 63,383 trips in July 2024—the highest monthly ridership of the year. That number was down slightly from previous Julys, however, thanks to low ridership during the Republican National Convention.

Prepare to argue.

From the Article:

Remember when Milwaukee pizza stalwart Pizza Man left its 10-year Downer Avenue home in March 2023? Remember when it then moved to the former Stubby’s Gastrogrub space on Humboldt Avenue/Boulevard? Remember when that location closed after only one year? Remember when it was then revealed that Pizza Man was coming back to its old location on Downer Avenue? Weird!

Anyway, Pizza Man’s “back-to-Downer” story is nearly complete. According to signs posted on the business’ windows, a grand opening is set for Friday, September 27. That’s tomorrow!

“Our remodeled space is almost ready, and we can’t wait to show you what’s in store!” reads a social media post from three days ago. “Stay tuned for a sneak peek of the new Pizza Man Downer look—it’s going to be better than ever!”

So there you go! Pizza Man is opening on Downer! Again! Under new ownership, apparently, so, um, let’s hope it lasts more than a year? (Pizza Man’s Wauwatosa location remains open.)

From the Article:

The Wisconsin Vehicle Inspection Program (WIVIP) announced on Monday, Sept. 30 a new vehicle emission testing program. It features kiosks which motorists can use to conduct the testing themselves.

A news release says the two self-service kiosks have been installed at the new test-only facilities located at 8718 W. Brown Deer Road in Milwaukee and 9300 S. 27th Street in Oak Creek. Vehicles with a model year of 2007 and newer will be able to test at the WIVIP Self-Service Kiosks.

Officials said the launch of self-service kiosks is part of a larger initiative from the Wisconsin Vehicle Inspection Program to expand emission testing services throughout the seven-county southeast Wisconsin region.

From the Article:

Kwik Trip plans to start the rollout of the first of its 24 planned electric vehicle charging stations, with the initial two slated to open in October.

The first two are under construction in the Wisconsin communities of Ashland and Salem, with two others planned later in 2024. The majority of the stations will be built in 2025, according to Ben Leibl, public relations specialist for the convenience store chain.

The state of Wisconsin previously allocated $23.3 million in funds it received under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program to offset the costs of installing 53 electric vehicle charging stations in the state.

Those stations are expected to cost $33.8 million in aggregate. The remaining $10.5 million is to come from private financing.

La Crosse-based Kwik Trip will open 24 of the 53 EV charging stations planned for Wisconsin, the most of any single entity among the hotels, restaurants and fuel retailers that are part of the project.

The Kwik Trip program will provide direct current fast chargers (DCFCs) for customers. It will include connectors for both Combined Charging System (CCS) and North American Charging Standard (NACS), "allowing drivers of almost any electric vehicle to charge at a safe, clean and staffed 24/7 location," Kwik Trip said in a Monday news release.

According to the retailer, the chargers will offer a minimum of 150kW of power per dispenser when four vehicles are plugged in, or up to 400kW of power for a single vehicle.

"These rates depend on a variety of factors when the vehicle pulls up, but Kwik Trip is excited to be able to offer some of the fastest chargers in the market, furthering their commitment to quality guest service," the company said.

Customers will also be able to view charger availability, pricing and where chargers are through a standalone mobile application.

From the Article:

One of the great local losses of recent years is the loss of the Milwaukee PBS Great TV Auction. A hypnotically watchable and delightfully homegrown staple since 1969, the Great TV Auction was put out to pasture by Milwaukee PBS in 2019. No more overbids. No more table captains. No more handsomely framed photos of Brett Favre and Bart Starr. Boo.

Happily, old auctions in all their live-local-TV glory can be found on YouTube. One recently caught our eye: Behold, a Great TV Auction from 1987, featuring the usual assortment of donated goodies (Summerfest stuff, Wisconsin Dells stuff, a handsomely framed photo of Gorman Thomas and Pete Vuckovich), plus a Waukesha “dream home”!

From the Article:

A complaint filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission says a town in Rusk County is breaking the law by refusing to make voting machines available to voters with disabilities. Despite a warning from the U.S. Department of Justice, the town allegedly conducted the August primary election using only hand-counted, paper ballots.

The complaint filed by Disability Rights Wisconsin says the Town of Thornapple violated the federal Help America Vote Act by not making electronic voting machines available to people with disabilities during the April and August primaries. “By ceasing to use electronic voting equipment and, instead, exclusively using paper ballots completed and tabulated by hand, Respondents are no longer using voting systems that are accessible for individuals with disabilities in a manner that provides the same opportunity for access and participation (including privacy and independence) as for other voters,” the complaint said.

Disability Rights Wisconsin is asking the Wisconsin Elections Commission to order Thornapple to make accessible voting machines. DRW Director of Legal and Advocacy Services Kit Kerschensteiner told WPR the goal is to ensure all town residents are able to cast private ballots in the November presidential election. She said voting machines were used without issue in Thornapple before April.

“This is not the situation of a machine that just isn’t functioning that day at the polling place,” Kerschensteiner said. “This is a place that has chosen specifically, knowing that they were disenfranchising individuals with disabilities, and choosing to go ahead and do that, which we find to be unacceptable.”

From the Article:

Two Wisconsinites have died and a third has been hospitalized because of West Nile virus, according to state health officials.

On Thursday, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported the state’s first three cases of the mosquito-borne illness this year.

West Nile virus is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito and cannot be passed from person to person. The state sees an average of 18 cases annually, with cases usually peaking in August or September.

DHS epidemiologist Rebecca Osborn said on a call with reporters that Wisconsin has seen cases of West Nile virus every year since it was discovered in the state in 2002. She said the location of cases each year is “quite sporadic.”

“It’s an unpredictable disease at times,” Osborn said. “We can have as few as one or two cases in a given year, and we can have as many as 52 cases, I think was our record. So there’s this sort of ebb and flow.”

Osborn told reporters around 80 percent of people who are infected with the virus don’t have symptoms. People who do become ill typically develop a fever and experience symptoms similar to influenza, like headache and body aches.