Lake Effect Spotlight

Doors Open Milwaukee celebrates 15 years since its first event in 2011. Learn how the event got started, and what keeps people coming back. 

Jimmy Gutierrez interviews Elizabeth Ai on her new documentary, New Wave, which explores how Vietnamese immigrants influenced new wave music. See it at the Downer Theater at 7 p.m. on Sept. 24.

We’ll explore the State of Working Wisconsin report and learn how federal policies are impacting workers.

The weather is getting a bit cooler, and summer is slowly coming to an end - but Milwaukee musicians are continuing to put out new music. As always, Matt Wild is listening.  

Wild is the co-founder of Milwaukee Record and every month, he joins Lake Effect's Joy Powers to share some of the best new music from local artists. 

A 1000-year flood devastated the Milwaukee area in August. The flooding left at least two people dead and caused over 52-million-dollars in damages. Last week, the federal government approved FEMA assistance, which will provide financial relief to residents in three counties who were impacted by the flooding.  

Erren Streeter is a FEMA media relations specialist. She joins WUWM’s Jimmy Gutierrez to outline how residents can apply for assistance and what to expect from the process. 

As the weather becomes more unpredictable in Milwaukee — the Milwaukee County Zoo is adapting.  

Tracey Dolphin is the zoo’s Director of Animal Management and Health. She says the zoo has emergency plans they update and rehearse year-round. Dolphin speaks with Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez about how the Milwaukee County Zoo prepares for weather disasters — and how they handled the recent historic flooding. 

Last week, a national tour came to Milwaukee. Bay Area artist James Shields is on his third nationwide tour to interview Black farmers about Black agriculture and history.  

Previous legs of the tour brought Shields across the South and Northeast. Now he’s tracing the Midwest, stopping in Milwaukee to interview farmers at Alice’s Garden. He conducts his interviews on a hand-made watermelon couch he tows with him across the country. 

Lake Effect’s Sam Woods joins Shields on the couch in Alice’s Garden to discuss the project, the commonalities he sees across regions, and what stands out about Milwaukee. 

Last year, Lake Effect reported on MKE Roots - a program from Marquette University that helps Milwaukee-area teachers incorporate local history into their lesson plans. The goal is to make social studies feel more relevant to students by focusing on local history.  

But earlier this summer, MKE Roots’ federal grant funding was abruptly cut, along with about 20 programs nationwide. In its place, the Trump administration is now funding civics education that commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  

Lake Effect’s Sam Woods revisited members of the Milwaukee Roots program to discuss how the program has adapted, what the future holds, and how the Trump administration is redefining education.  

Last week, President Trump approved 30 million dollars in federal assistance for people impacted by devastating floods in August. That means residents in Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Washington counties whose homes or property were damaged by the floods, may get some relief. One of the homeowners trying to rebuild is Wauwatosa resident Jessica Young.  

WUWM Eric Von Fellow Maria Peralta-Arellano spoke with Young the day after her home was flooded. She joins us once again, to explain what the last month has been like for her family.  

Songwriter Hillary Reynolds splits her time between her hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin and Los Angeles. Her songs have been recorded by Little Big Town and Dani Rose and can be heard on Yellowstone and Loudermilk. 

However, over the past five years Reynolds has been working on her debut album, “Changing Seasons,” which is full of songs that felt too personal to write for other musicians. They’re meant to be a soothing companion to our morning routines to help ease us into a new day. Reynolds joins Audrey Nowakowski in the Lake Effect performance studio to discuss her album and give a brief performance.