The Recombobulation Area

The Wisconsin Politics Group Chat got together once again to talk about all the latest in the news of the week.

The show streamed live on Patrick Kreitlow’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, and now, you can watch the full show here.

Among topics discussed: The Democratic primary in the race for governor, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley’s place in the race, the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs decision and the impact it continues to have, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, and the Bucks trading Giannis Antetokounmpo (and my column about how he saved basketball in Milwaukee).

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The Blake Matthew Mindful Memorial Foundation was founded in 2021 following the loss of Blake Matthew Fenwick, a beloved son, brother, friend, and young Wisconsin man whose life ended far too soon after a struggle with mental health challenges.

What began with a father’s desire to honor his son has grown into a statewide movement focused on making mental health support more accessible, personal, and effective.

The Foundation’s first program was a scholarship initiative, funded with Blake’s inheritance. As community support grew, so did the mission. Through annual fundraisers, partnerships, and grassroots community support, the Foundation has now helped more than one hundred individuals access mental health and wellness services through its innovative Tinman Coin Wellness Grant program.

Unlike traditional approaches that focus solely on crisis intervention, the Foundation embraces a broader view of mental wellness. Recipients can access a growing network of wellness partners offering services such as counseling, breathwork, yoga, support groups, retreats, mindfulness training, and holistic health coaching.

In 2026, the Foundation launched the Tinman Trail, a structured wellness pathway designed to help participants build practical skills for emotional regulation, resilience, self-awareness, and long-term wellbeing. The program combines clinical lab testing, breathwork, community support, education, and healthy lifestyle practices into an accessible, community-based experience.

Today, the Foundation serves individuals and families throughout Wisconsin and continues to expand its network of wellness providers and community partners.

To support this vision, the Foundation recently launched its most ambitious initiative yet: the 10,000 Hearts Campaign.

The idea is simple.

What could happen if 10,000 Wisconsinites each contributed just $5 per month?

Together, those small monthly gifts could create a sustainable source of funding for wellness grants, educational programming, scholarships, and community-based mental health initiatives across Wisconsin.

The campaign is built on a simple belief: meaningful change happens when ordinary people come together to support one another.

One heart can make a difference.

10,000 hearts can help transform a state.

Learn more at blakestinman.com.

The Blake Matthew Mindful Memorial Foundation is an official sponsor of The Recombobulation Area, and this podcast is a sponsored episode.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, email: [email protected].

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

Joel Brennan is one of now six candidates running to be the Democratic nominee for governor. He was the secretary of the Department of Administration for much of Tony Evers’ first term as governor, and before that, was the president and CEO of Discovery World for more than a decade in Milwaukee.

It was around that time that I met Brennan, when I was a reporter at the Milwaukee Business Journal, and wrote a few stories about developments happening at Discovery World, and talked to him for an interview. I find him to be a compelling individual and an intriguing candidate. Far from the flashiest or most well-known, Brennan could prove to be a dark horse in the race, as his record of experience lends itself well to the ability to take on role of governor.

In this conversation, we talked about what he’s learned over the past few months while running for governor (his first time running for elected office since losing a State Senate race in 2003), what he would want to do if elected, how he’d approach working with the state legislature, and much more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin held its annual convention over the weekend in Madison. And as you might expect, the Democratic primary in the race for governor was the big topic at this year’s event, with candidates hosting hospitality suites and delivering speeches and jockeying for position to be The Nominee.

Kate Duffy of Motherhood for Good, Pat Kreitlow of UpNorth News and Dr. Kristin Lyerly were all there in Madison on Saturday and Sunday, and shared stories and insights from being in the building for speeches and being there for the festivities of the convention weekend. Dan Shafer also chimed on with his takes on the state of the race, which you can find more of here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The future of the Stadium Freeway is something we’ve covered a whole lot here at The Recombobulation Area.

Almost exactly five years ago, I wrote a piece as part of our multi-part “Expanding the Divide” series on why we should tear down the Stadium Freeway and convert it to a boulevard, opening up opportunities for housing and development and better connection between neighborhoods.

Here’s that column, to refresh your memory:

About a year later, change did begin to actually happen. Mayor Cavalier Johnson, County Executive David Crowley and Craig Thompson, then the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, stood together at Washington Park to announce they would be initiating a study to reexamine the future of the Stadium Freeway.

I wrote about this at the time, too.

But that was May 2022, and since, a 1.5 to 2-year study turned into a nearly four-year study, and as Jeramey Jannene at Urban Milwaukee reported in mid-May, the determination of what’s next is that … another study is needed.

You can read his piece about this here.

Or, you can listen to our conversation in the podcast and video here. While there appears to be broad support for converting this old, hulking freeway spur into a boulevard, any concrete action on the project still seems years and years away.

Along with discussing this project, we also talked about Jeramey’s recent reporting on a number of topics, including:

* Wisconsin Center District CEO Marty Brooks (who was discussed at length in a recent podcast episode with Gary Witt of the Pabst Theater Group) now cleaning out his office as the board has considered removing him from his position

* After Congressman Bryan Steil got in some hot water over celebrating funding for lead pipes that he voted against, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we talked about what is actually happening in the city of Milwaukee when it comes to lead pipe replacement. Milwaukee’s lead pipe replacement has become more efficient and less costly, and they’ve been able to replace more lead pipes because of it, but the program is still at risk. Read more here.

* 2026 has been dubbed the “Year of Housing” in Milwaukee by Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and we talked about a recently proposed project to use funding from downtown projects to fund housing and infrastructure west of I-43 in the King Park neighborhood. Read more about that here.

Urban Milwaukee is a terrific publication and you should really be subscribing. Do that here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

In light of the Callais decision, the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition is firing up its demand for an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) that empowers citizens — not political parties.

For the past year, they have been building public support for a draft proposal that aims to be transformative in how Wisconsin draws its maps. On Thursday, June 4, they are holding coordinated statewide rallies in Madison, Milwaukee, Appleton, Menomonie, Janesville, Green County (Monroe), Wausau and more. Find out more about the “Our Maps, Our Say” rallies here.

Listen to this episode featuring Organizing Director iuscely Flores and Coalition Volunteer & Relational Organizer Nicole Gabriel, where they talk about the work they’ve been doing to build a “Wisconsin model” for redistricting, how the gerrymandering arms race is impacting this debate, and what’s in store for the June 4 rallies.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

Angela Lang and I always have a lot to talk about when we get together, so for these podcast episodes, we each bring three headlines or topics to discuss.

This time, my headlines were:

* WPR: Failed surplus deal would have sent Wisconsin budget into the red, analysis finds

* NPR: Transportation Secretary Duffy filmed a reality show, funded by firms he regulates

* Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Schlitz beer production ends after 175 years

And for Angela, they were:

* Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tom Tiffany says Jan. 6 defendants ‘possibly’ are owed restitution

* Fox 6: Watertown band members play LGBTQ+ history song banned by board

* Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: This report says Milwaukee is the top US city for creatives. Here’s why

This episode is sponsored by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, which is hosting “Our Maps, Our Say” rallies in cities across the state on Thursday, June 4.

Find out more about the events and register to attend here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

Emily Mills recently won a Milwaukee Press Club GOLD award for their column, “How AI is harming Wisconsin’s path to renewable energy.” So, they joined the podcast to talk about that prescient piece, how the politics of AI and data centers has taken off as a major issue over the past year, and how this is an issue that does not cut along traditional political lines.

We talked about that piece, along with Emily’s latest column, on “habitual drama king” Kirk Bangstad, and his run for governor.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

Thanks so much to everyone who came out for our LIVE PODCAST event at Anodyne Coffee’s Walker’s Point Roastery in Milwaukee! It might not have been April 14, but we still showed up for the 4-1-4! Turns out you can celebrate Milwaukee Day on May 7, after all.

Our guests for the podcast included Angela Lang and Kristin Brey, and we were also joined by Milwaukee Day founder Andy Silverman and 414 Day Executive Director Mocha Harris, as well as Carmen Murguia, sales director at the Milwaukee Courier, another publication that, like The Recombobulation Area, has recently come under the umbrella of Civic Media.

It will always be of the utmost importance to us at The Recombobulation Area to build community, and that community would not be possible without the city we call home: Milwaukee.

Topics discussed include: How much we love Milwaukee, the final year of the Milwaukee Public Museum, the driving in the city (and construction on I-94), Milwaukee Record's "Mandatory Milwaukee" feature, the origins of Milwaukee Day, the latest on the holiday, what's happening at the Milwaukee Courier, and much more.

Video credits:

* Video Editor, Tony Zimmerman

* Audio Recording Engineer, Chris Kasper

* Video Producer/Audio Editor, Aaron Zommers

* Additional Editing, Jennie Brand

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out for our LIVE PODCAST event at Anodyne Coffee’s Walker’s Point Roastery in Milwaukee! It might not have been April 14, but we still showed up for the 4-1-4!

Our guests for the podcast included Angela Lang and Kristin Brey, and we were also joined by Milwaukee Day founder Andy Silverman and 414 Day Executive Director Mocha Harris, as well as Carmen Murguia, sales director at the Milwaukee Courier, another publication that, like The Recombobulation Area, has recently come under the umbrella of Civic Media.

It will always be of the utmost importance to us at The Recombobulation Area to build community, and that community would not be possible without the city we call home: Milwaukee.

Thanks again, y’all!

Production and engineering for this episode by Chris Kasper and Aaron Sommers.

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he and the publication joined Civic Media, where he is currently a Contributing Editor. He’s written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 24 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

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Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer, at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social, and on Threads at @danshafer.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe