Uniquely Milwaukee

On Saturday outside Milwaukee City Hall, solidarity showed itself in the form of hundreds of bike riders. They came together in the name of one of their own: Alex Pretti.

A longtime resident of Green Bay before he moved to Minneapolis, Pretti would make the trip to Milwaukee for the annual Riverwest 24 bike ride. When the 37-year-old was shot and killed by federal border patrol agents while protesting against President Trump’s immigration operations, communities across the country looked for something — anything — they could do in response.

Many of those communities banded together to hold bike rides in honor of Pretti. More than 500 people joined the one in Milwaukee, which added to the 100+ events held as far away as Finland and Australia. The sentiments shared at these rides centered on simple ideas, like the ones shared by Milwaukee resident Parabh at city hall.

“We believe in our basic human rights,” he said, “and those are some things that no one can really take away from us no matter how hard things get.”

You can hear more from the event, including a letter from one of Pretti’s Riverwest 24 teammates, in the full audio story.

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Host: Kim Shine

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the generous support of our members.

Mister Rogers once challenged us by saying: “Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered just one kind word to another person.”

When he gave us these instructions, it wasn’t hard to look at the neighbors to the left and right of our home, and then imagine friendly conversations with them. But what about the neighbors we pass on the street everyday on our commute — those sleeping under bridges, at bus stops, in tents.

As temperatures recently dropped to negative-15 degrees in Milwaukee, the health and wellness of these people became front of mind. And an organization in Milwaukee that for nearly a decade has been extending kindness to our neighbors experiencing homelessness continued their mission in subzero conditions.

On this episode, we talk with Street Angels co-founders Shelly Sarasin and Eva Welch about how a change meeting at a warming shelter in 2016 grew into an award-winning nonprofit with an unwavering mission.

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Host: Kim Shine
Guest Host: Carolann Grzybowski

In the middle of Milwaukee winter, most of us are used to being outside and active if the conditions are juuust right. But there's a cycling group that meets every month — warm or cold, rain or shine — to ride and connect.

Scrappy Hour typically meets on the last Sunday of the month, rolling out from places like Cactus Club and The Daily Bird, with riders of all kinds joining in. Radio Milwaukee director of development Jay Burseth was one of those riders on a foggy and overcast December morning that wasn't exactly ideal cycling weather. But, as he found out, that's one of the group's secrest to community-building: showing up, regardless of the conditions.

To learn more about Scrappy Hour, including info about future rides, follow them on Instagram.

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Episode host: Kim Shine

Guest host: Jay Burseth

Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee members.

We’re changing things on the podcast this year, with shorter stories and themed months, each one with a different topic. For January, it’s Health & Wellness. In this episode, we focus on yet another Milwaukee grocery store in danger of closing, and it's in one of the city’s food deserts.

Earlier this month, the owners of Sherman Park Grocery Store asked the public for support — a message that came amid a string of other grocery stores closing last year and just days before a nearby Aldi on the north side shut down. Maurice “Moe” Wince and his wife, Yashica Spears, have owned the store since July of 2022 and are dealing with setbacks that threaten its future. 

A drop in customers, theft and nearly $100,000 in damage from historic flooding in August have left Wince and Spears in a difficult position. So they've turned to the community --- looking for grants, asking for help from business and marketing experts, inviting new customers into the store, and exploring whether vendors can be more flexible with delivery payment options.

On this episode, we talk with Wince and one of his regular customers who relies on Sherman Park Grocery Store to help her put food on the table.

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Episode host: Kim Shine

Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee members.

Join us for this encore edition of Uniquely Milwaukee as we grab a drink at Agency, Milwaukee's first hybrid bar and a 2025 James Beard Award finalist. Immerse yourself in the choice of indulging in an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage. Plus you'll hear from the founder, Ryan Castelaz, as he shares the story of how this innovative concept came to fruition.

Click here to learn more about Agency.

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Podcast host: Kim Shine
Encore host: Salam Fatayer

Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee members and sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library.

Happy New Year! This Uniquely Milwaukee throwback goes beyond the age-old question: "What's your New Year's resolution?" For this episode, we embraced the idea of rejection therapy by trying new things we were pretty sure would end in failure ... and bust a little ego in the process.

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Podcast host: Kim Shine
Encore host: Salam Fatayer

Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee members and sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library.

Thank you for listening and supporting Uniquely Milwaukee! In this episode, we have a special message of gratitude from Radio Milwaukee executive director Jordan Lee as he reflects on the triumphs and changes of 2025, and looks ahead to a brand new year. 

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Podcast host: Kim Shine
Guest host: Jordan Lee, Radio Milwaukee executive director

Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee members and sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library.

A few years ago, Radio Milwaukee's Tarik Moody tried to buy a house in the city. Every offer got outbid by LLCs with out-of-state addresses and cash offers that closed in two weeks. He gave up.

Recently, Tarik spent time with someone else who went on that journey — with a very different outcome. Keilyn Borrero, a single mom of four, was in the same headspace Tarik was at the start. She convinced herself it would never happen. One income. Prices spiking. The math just didn’t work.

Of course, she said all of that while standing in the house she now owns thanks to the City of Milwaukee’s Homes MKE program. Then she walked Tarik through her new place on the north side: the pantry she insisted on, the big yard where her 10-year-old finally has space to kick a soccer ball, the spot where she wants to plant lavender next spring.

"I was crying the whole time," she said about the closing day, when she thought to herself, "This is finally happening, for me and for my kids."

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Podcast host: Kim Shine
Guest host: Tarik Moody

This story was reported with the assistance of A.I. tools, which were used primarily to outline and create a working draft. Radio Milwaukee staff conducted all interviews, compiled all of the audio and edited all of the media involved with the project.

Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee members and sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library.

Every DIY scene needs its supporters. In Milwaukee, Bay View’s Cactus Club is a big one. This beloved music venue is one of the scene’s most revered spots, and headlining there is a dream for bands from all genres.

So far, you’ve met Fake My Death, an alternative rock/punk DIY band here in Milwaukee. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, go listen to part one right now. In that episode, our former Radio Milwaukee intern and current freelancer, Jonathan Joseph introduced you to the group and their not-so-sexy "other" hustle of day jobs. To round out this two-part series, Jonathan talks with Cactus Club’s owner about the business of DIY, and then Fake My Death take the stage. 

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Podcast host: Kim Shine
Guest host: Jonathan Joseph

Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee members and sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library.

Milwaukee is a place filled with creatives, especially in the city’s music scene. We’re home to dozens of independent artists and bands who’d rather do it their way than rely on a mainstream framework. 

For the next two episodes of Uniquely Milwaukee, we’ll dive into this sub-culture with guidance from someone who knows it well: former Radio Milwaukee intern and current freelance contributor Jonathan Joseph. He followed Fake My Death, an alt-rock/punk band whose members mixed their own DIY styles to create a sound all their own.

In this first installment, Jonathan introduces us to the band and sheds light on the other hustle of DIY life: the day jobs that help keep the dream alive. 

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Podcast host: Kim Shine 
Guest host: Jonathan Joseph

Uniquely Milwaukee is supported by our Radio Milwaukee members and sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library.