Lake Effect Spotlight

Milwaukee is known for its deep ties to Socialism. It was the first city to elect a Socialist mayor and was the first place to elect a Socialist to Congress. But their rise to power was rocky and their status as a third party often made progress an uphill battle.  

We’re exploring the accomplishments of the Milwaukee's three Socialist mayors, where we see their legacy today, and how the party has evolved. 

In this episode, we look into what happened after the monumental election of 1910, which propelled the city’s first Socialist mayor into office — Emil Seidel.

The legacy of the Milwaukee Socialists looms large in the city. But the rise of the Social Democratic Party was anything but inevitable. It was a struggle against monied interests, powerful political parties, and a fight for the rights of those whose labor had made others rich.

Milwaukee is known for its summer festivals but none is as anticipated as the Big Gig. Crowds will flock to the lakefront as Summerfest gets underway tomorrow. 

To help you plan your first weekend of Summerfest, our friends at Radio Milwaukee are here to share their recommendations. They’ll be joining us throughout the run of the festival to talk about the music and what sets Summerfest apart from other music festivals. Carolann Grzybowski and Anthony Foster join Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski in studio.

June 19th, or Juneteenth, commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas learned they had been freed from bondage. It was two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. 

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, and a city of Milwaukee holiday one year later. 

But Milwaukee has been celebrating Juneteenth for much longer -- 55 years. It’s thanks, in large part, to community leader Margaret Henningson and Northcott Neighborhood House, which put on the first Juneteenth celebration in 1971. Henningson says she learned about Juneteenth in a conversation with her grandmother, during a family trip to Georgia when she was a teenager. 

Henningson tells WUWM Race & Ethnicity Reporter Teran Powell that message came full circle for her when she began working for Northcott in the 1970s. 

American Science & Surplus is a Milwaukee staple for many science enthusiasts and DIYers. While its online store has closed, its brick-and-mortar locations in Milwaukee and Illinois, remain open under new employee ownership. 

The previous owner, Pat Meyer, started a GoFundMe last year to try and keep the stores open. But when efforts failed to reduce inventory and relocate its warehouse, Meyer stepped down as owner. Now, former store manager Kim Stenglein owns the Milwaukee location. Stenglein spoke with WUWM’s Eddie Morales last December about how a challenging economy is shaping the store’s inventory and future. 

As part of WUWM’s Economic Check-in series, Stenglein shares some of the ongoing and new economic challenges the store is facing. 

Recent reporting from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looked into Walgreens leases throughout the city.  

The reporting found that leases contain terms that restrict pharmacies and other businesses from moving into the stores – even if it has closed. And those leases can last for decades – so long as the company continues to pay rent.  

One of the closed down Walgreens locations on North King Drive and West Hadley Street has a lease that was signed in 2009 that lasts until 2084 – preventing new business from moving in. WUWM’s Race & Ethnicity Reporter Teran Powell is joined by Chad Venne, a real estate expert, to learn more about these types of leases and their provisions. 

If you’re a frequent listener to WUWM, chances are you’re familiar with the voice of Paula Poundstone. She’s a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait! Wait!...Don’t Tell Me, and also hosts the podcast, “Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone." 

Poundstone’s career spans stand-up comedy, radio and voice acting. She’ll be performing her stand-up in Lake Geneva this weekend. Lake Effect’s Audrey Noawkowski talked to her ahead of the show. 

As the midterms approach both Republicans and Democrats are trying to court prospective voters. But a new book by Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy argues that both parties have become disconnected from the communities they hope to represent. 

His book called It’s All Local explores how independent political candidates have attempted to redirect politics in favor of what voters need, and how political leaders of all stripes can incorporate a bottom-up approach to their priorities.  

Earlier this month the Wisconsin Humane Society welcomed the first beagles rescued from Ridglan Farms. That’s a dog breeding facility in Blue Mound, Wisconsin that gained national attention after activists broke in. So far, the WHS has taken in 132 beagles from the rescue, which is one of the largest efforts for them in the last decade.   
 

Most of these dogs have gone to foster homes since they’ll need some extra care and attention before they’ll be ready for adoption. So, what do you need to know or consider if you’re thinking about welcoming one of these beagles into your home? 
 

To learn more, Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski is joined by Angela Speed from the Wisconsin Humane Society VP of Marketing & Communications. She starts by explaining the coordination efforts that helped to support these rescued beagles. 

You may have heard that one of Milwaukee’s largest landlords is in big legal trouble. 

David Tomblin, founder of Highgrove Holdings Management LLC, owns over 200 rental properties in Milwaukee. But lawsuits brought by the city and major lenders could ultimately take those properties away. 

These lawsuits are not the beginning of this story. They follow a years-long campaign by Common Ground, a nonpartisan advocacy organization, that united Tomblin’s tenants against him. 

WUWM’s Jimmy Gutierrez and Sam Woods spent a few months with Common Ground and some of Tomblin’s tenants to learn about him, what he represents and how tenants took back their power. This is part one of, “How to Evict Your Landlord.”