Lake Effect Spotlight

Tucked away just outside Sheboygan…is probably the most important raptor research site you've never heard of. The Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station has been banding raptors for the past 76 years. It operates throughout fall migration from mid-August to mid-November nearly 24/7.  

Danny Erickson is the station’s banding director. He controls all banding activities and oversees the station’s volunteers and interns. Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez caught up with Erickson at the research station for this month’s Chirp Chat. He shares the history of the station, and what researchers can learn from banding raptors. 

The Brewers’ World Series run continues tonight in Tampa Bay after two games here in Milwaukee over the weekend. 

If you’ve watched Brewers baseball on TV at any point in the last 14 years, you may be familiar with Sophia Minnaert. She does English and Spanish post-game interviews on the field with players and managers. WUWM reporter Katherine Kokal caught up with Minnaert before the start of the World Series.  

They talk about the long road that’s brought this team and this city to the biggest stage in baseball.  

Whether it's the anxiety of bases loaded and two outs or the euphoria of seeing a grand slam — it turns out rooting for the Brewers… or any sports team… can be good for your mental health.  

Shilagh Mirgain is a health and sports psychologist at UW Health. She joins me to talk about the psychology of being a sports fan. 

We interview Democratic candidate for governor David Crowley. Republican candidate Tom Tiffany did not agree to a recorded interview. We detail his positions and list the questions we would've asked him.

For a special drop this Friday, enjoy one of the episodes from season three of Swing State of the Union, WUWM's election podcast. This episode covers immigration, and who on your ballot has power over this issue.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison has 16 acres of gardens to explore as well as a domed conservatory full of tropical and exotic plants.  

By day, it’s a lovely place to stroll and enjoy the many plant varieties. But by night, it’s transformed into an art exhibit and light show called GLEAM. It's a unique opportunity to see the gardens illuminated by vibrant colors at night and enjoy several interactive displays that play with the natural beauty of the gardens. 

To learn more and help you plan a trip to see GLEAM, Lake Effect’s Becky Mortensen is joined by Missy Jeanne, the Public Programs Manager for Olbrich Botanical Gardens and Amanda Weibel with Travel Wisconsin. 

There’s a network of players involved in delivering food to communities in need. During the COVID-19 pandemic a federally funded program called the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program strengthened this network.The program enabled states and tribes to purchase locally produced food, improving regional food systems. It supported farmers and brought fresh food to underserved communities. But the program ended in 2025.  

Now, the Wisconsin Food Hub is collaborating throughout the region in its place. Their goal is to create a reliable model to safeguard against funding cuts. WUWM’s Eddie Morales has the story as part of our series “Seeking Solutions: Food Access in Milwaukee.” 

2 Chainz is a grammy-winning Hip-Hop artist, known for hits such as I’m Different, Feds Watching, and It’s A Vibe. He’s a businessman, a family man, and most recently, he added author to his list of accomplishments. 

2 Chainz’ autobiography, “The Voice in My Head is God,” was released earlier this year. It details the spiritual journey behind his success. The rapper had some help with the book from UWM English professor Derrick Harriell, who co-authored it. Harriell joins WUWM’s Race & Ethnicity Reporter Teran Powell to share what it was like working on the book with 2 Chainz.  

It’s the start of the spookiest month of the year, and that’s especially true for educator and content creator Geo Rutherford. The UWM grad and Sauk City based artist celebrates every October with her TikTok series “Spooky Lake Month.” In it, she explores the world’s most eerie and unusual bodies of water - including some right here in Wisconsin.  

Rutherford’s work was featured in this month’s Milwaukee Magazine. She joins Lake Effect’s Joy Powers to talk about the series and what makes water so spooky. 

Up to one billion birds die from building collisions every year in the U.S. In downtown Milwaukee alone — hundreds of birds die from flying into glass buildings each year.  But one local program is working to change that.  

Wisconsin Night Guardians for Songbirds, also known as WINGS, has volunteers document bird collisions downtown during spring and fall migration. They bring injured birds they find to the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Wildlife Rehab Center. All of the data WINGS volunteers gather is used to better understand the scale of collisions and help building managers reduce them.  

Amanda Tokuyama is the GIS and field data manager at the Urban Ecology Center, and Maggie Steinhauer is the research manager at the Urban Ecology Center. They speak with Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez for this month’s Chirp Chat about the WINGS program.