College First, Jobs Later

Choosing the right path

Selecting a college has always been one of the most important decisions a person will make, but with today’s one-two punch of rising tuition costs and spiking unemployment, the stakes have rarely seemed higher. For most of the population, a bachelor’s degree is a basic requirement for finding a decent job, but these days it’s far from a guarantee...

Shepherd Express Social Visionaries 2010

Four outstanding Milwaukeeans shaping our community

We asked Shepherd Express readers to nominate “social visionaries” who are dedicated to improving our city. We received nominations of individuals who are building communities and transforming our city. From the many great individuals, we chose to highlight four of the nominees for their passion, creativity and generosity of spirit. They are our Social Visionaries for 2010...

Scams!

The top rip-offs you should avoid

Scams have been around since snake oil was invented. But consumer advocates say that scams have taken a particularly nasty turn thanks to two recent trends: new technologies that allow anonymous scammers to create fake relationships with their marks, and the downturn in the economy, which encourages cash-strapped people to do desperate things—like wiring money to strangers...

Reshaping North Avenue in UWM’s Image

As university expands, North Avenue adjusts to increased student presence

Milwaukee’s East Side lost one of its historic landmarks early in the morning on Jan. 19, when after 40 years anchoring North Avenue, the restaurant Pizza Man burned down in a four-alarm blaze. The fire, which has been ruled arson, demolished a building that also housed Cush Lounge, the Black and White Café, the Grecian Delight restaurant and 10 apartments. Pizza Man will reopen, but almost...

The Bradley Center: It’s Got Game

When the Bradley Center opened in October 1988, it was a gift-wrapped jewel for Milwaukee sports fans. The $90 million arena, paid for entirely by Jane and Lloyd Pettit, helped keep the Bucks in town and raised hopes that Milwaukee would also land an NHL team. The Pettits dropped the latter idea for financial reasons, but for more than two decades...

Never Again

Community efforts to end domestic violence

A community-wide problem like domestic violence requires a community-wide response. That’s why advocates for the survivors of domestic abuse and their families have created partnerships that combine medical, psychological, legal and housing assistance. One collaborative effort, the Sojourner Family Peace Center, the result of a February 2009 merger of the Task Force on Family Violence and the Sojourner Truth...

The Stories You Missed in 2009

Project Censored reveals its underreported stories of the year

Karl Rove’s chief IT consultant, Mike Connell—who was facing subpoena in connection with 2004 presidential election fraud in Ohio—mysteriously died in a private plane crash in 2008. Connell allegedly was the central figure in a long-standing plot to electronically flip votes to Republicans...

The Dawning of a New Decade

The Shepherd’s New Year’s Eve guide

Ten years ago the country braced itself for the biggest technological crisis of all time. Though that feared Y2K meltdown never occurred, the decade instead brought other, far worse tribulations that would have made those computer glitches seem like a cakewalk: terrorism, war, political divide, a housing crisis, followed by a financial meltdown and the promise of a long, painful recovery...

Milwaukee’s Decade of Change

The city has made great strides since 2000

It’s easy to focus on all of the negatives of this decade—the unending wars, the historic terror attacks, the financial instability, the lingering recession. But in spite of these challenges, in many ways Milwaukee made great strides since 2000, and is in the midst of forming its 21st-century identity, one that will keep involved residents in the...

Cheap & Fair Gifts for Milwaukee Shoppers

Presenting new ideas for the holidays

The holiday season and the coming of a new year inspire many of us to inventory past actions, meditate on the meaning within our lives and commit to improving the future. To peruse the past year’s headlines—Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, massive product recalls, record CEO bonuses—is to witness the fallout when the prime motivation...

From Warrior to Civilian

Veterans helping veterans transition from war to peace

Milwaukee’s community of veterans is proving to be adept at healing soldiers from the current wars as well as those who left the battlefield decades ago. Many veterans are reaching out to their peers who are having difficulty transitioning from being warriors in a threat-filled combat zone to resuming their lives as workers, students, spouses, partners or parents. The transition from warrior to civilian isn’t easy, and can be made more difficult by financial stresses...

AIDS Walk Wisconsin, 20 Years On

The battle against HIV turns a new page

Medical treatments for HIV and AIDS have advanced to the point where patients are now leading longer, healthier lives than ever before, with some patients living more than 25 years after being diagnosed. The flip side of that good news is that with AIDS out of the headlines, young, at-risk populations...

Game On: The Campaign for Wisconsin Governor

The race to succeed Gov. Jim Doyle takes shape

An open seat in the governor’s chair is a rare thing. Yet the race to succeed Gov. Jim Doyle is attracting few candidates from both political parties. On the Democratic side, only Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and 17-year-old Jared...

Brew City’s Second Generation

How craft brewers revived Milwaukee’s beer tradition

Packers 2009: Destination XLIV?

Edo de Waart, Milwaukee's New Maestro

September Marks a New Era for Milwaukee's Symphony Orchestra

If there’s one thing that leads to the creation of a good orchestra, it’s bad weather. For Edo de Waart, new maestro for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin’s blustery, frigid winters have helped nurture a body of musicians with the potential to one day become a world-class...

Edo de Waart, Milwaukee’s New Maestro

September marks a new era for Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

If there's one thing that leads to the creation of a good orchestra, it's bad weather. For Edo de Waart, new maestro for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin's blustery...

The Marcus Center Turns 40

Milwaukee's Memorable History of Performing Arts

Debating Milwaukee's Other East Side

In Bay View, big hopes and conflicting visions

Do We Really Need Payday Lenders in Wisconsin?

The big push to block reform and protect profits

All the City's a Stage

Milwaukee People’s Parade

We asked two questions,” explains Jeff Holub, “‘What are your hopes?’ and, ‘what is that which you fear the most?’” It’s a hot, late July afternoon, and the leased industrial space on West Clybourn Avenue is a sweaty forge of fantasia. An intergenerational aggregation of artists are...

Brady Street Festival's Rich History

Shopping, food and music on the East Side

The Business of Water

Milwaukee positions itself as a freshwater leader

Bastille Days Welcomes the Storm

Milwaukee Festival Favorite Offers Wine, Cheese, Music and More

Red Knife Lottery's Soiled Soul

Red Knife Lottery opened their debut EP, So Much Drama, with the plotted rape and torture of Travel Channel personality Samantha Brown, paving the way for five more tales of brutality and murder, penned in the vulgar literary style of Edgar Allan Poe and enacted by the terrorizing screams...