Lake Effect Spotlight

Fat Body Hotties is here to celebrate fat joy in Milwaukee and they’re proud about it. Sarah Chojnacki started the group after seeing a need for affordable and size-inclusive clothing. Alongside their co-organizer, Ashley Mertes, they regularly host free clothing swaps for fat folks.  

Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez spoke with Chojnacki and Mertes about how the group has created community through its inclusive and accessible events.  

The next clothing swap is tomorrow, Saturday October 11.

For many people facing end-stage organ failure, a donated organ is their only life-saving option. But the waiting list is long, and finding the right organ match is incredibly difficult. In Wisconsin it’s becoming even more difficult, as more than 800 people have removed their names from the organ donor registry this year. Experts say misinformation about organ donation may be driving some of those removals.  

Lake Effect's Joy Powers is joined by two people who are trying to counter misinformation and share the benefits of becoming an organ donor. Dr. Nikole Neidlinger is a transplant surgeon and medical director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation. And Colleen McCarthy is the vice president of organ and tissue donation at Versiti Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s drinking water is facing a growing crisis of nitrate contamination. That’s according to a new report by the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Nitrates are commonly caused by fertilizers, manure, and agricultural runoff. They can be harmful to people at high levels. In Wisconsin, agriculture accounts for 90% of nitrate contamination - but communities are often left footing the bill for cleanup.  

Angela Blatt is the senior agriculture policy manager at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, and she joins me now to talk about the report. 

Aspiring actor Matt Kemple first came to Milwaukee in 2005 – he’d only intended to stay for a year, but 20 years later, he’s still here.  

During that time, he helped build the Milwaukee comedy scene, including through his work creating and running the annual Milwaukee Comedy Festival. The festival, now in its 20th year, kicks off today [Oct. 7], and runs through Sunday. Kemple was featured in a Milwaukee Record article in July, recounting his evolution from performer to producer.  

Kemple joined WUWM’s Rachel Owens, to talk about his 20 years of making Milwaukee a funnier place.   

Milwaukee Public Schools hired more than 200 teachers from other countries to help fill open jobs this year. The school district uses the temporary H-1B visa program to hire international teachers for three years at a time. This type of visa is reserved for people working in “specialty occupations” like teaching, computer sciences and engineering. Many employers like hospitals and tech companies, rely on these visas.  

Last month, President Trump announced sweeping changes to the H-1B visa program. His proclamation creates a 100,000-dollar fee for new applications. That’s a steep hike from the current fee of about 3,000 dollars.  

As part of our Check-In series exploring immigration updates, WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal spoke with Milwaukee immigration lawyer Kelly Fortier about the work visa changes. 

With two weeks left of Latine Heritage Month, WUWM’s Jimmy Gutierrez speaks to three leaders who are building up Latine community and culture in Milwaukee.

Jeremy Novy's signature koi fish stencils have decorated Milwaukee's streets since 2006. His latest piece of street art will be unveiled on October 6th. The Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project commissioned Novy to design rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of 2nd and National in the Walker’s Point neighborhood.

Engravings on bullet casings. Manifestos. Online profiles filled with hate. How deep does the rabbit hole go for mass shooters? Extremism experts warn that politicians and media outlets are getting the motivations of these young, isolated shooters all wrong.

For this edition of Books and Beyond, we’re leaving the library and going out into the community with Milwaukee Public Library’s Educational Outreach Services team.

Three Milwaukee residents have made the trip to the Palestinian territories to offer help where they could and check in on loved ones. WUWM’s Jimmy Gutierrez brings us their stories as they recorded audio diaries of their journeys, documenting what they witnessed firsthand.