Wisconsin Life

A lot goes into planning a funeral when a loved one passes away. For writer Yia Lor of Eau Claire, she helped fold thousands of money boats to honor her sister, Jer Lor. She looks back on that time and how she continues the tradition to show her everlasting love.

Every day in courthouses across the state, people’s lives are affected in consequential ways. Author Shauna Singh Baldwin of Milwaukee suggests the stakes can be even higher when there’s a language barrier involved.

The rivalry between Milwaukee Brewers fans and Chicago Cubs fans is heated. All the more so this season, after Craig Counsell went from being the Brewers manager to the Cubs manager. But there is such a thing as a Cubs-Brewers fan — Milwaukee freelance journalist Tom Kertscher is one of them.

Harry Houdini was a master of illusion. Appleton officials have paid tribute to his talents with a museum exhibit and naming rights…all because he spent some time in the city as a child. But, did he love the city as much as it loves him? Does it matter? WPR’s Corrinne Hess takes a barrel ride through the Houdini’s chains to Wisconsin.

Imagine making it as a musician not only once, but at two distinct moments in your life. That’s what happened to jazz saxophonist Frank Morgan of Milwaukee. Author Dean Robbins brings us the story on the musician’s rebirth and stardom.

In the early 1940s, many women stepped up to the plate to become professional baseball players after most men were drafted to serve in the military in World War II. They became players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. 

Heewone Lim brings us the story of the players on the Racine Belles and specifically their uniform — which was a dress. It was made famous in the 1992 film, “A League of Their Own.” One of the movie’s costumes is a part of the Wisconsin 101 collection, which tells the history of the state through objects.

Sometimes, an ordinary experience surprises us — turning the mundane into something extraordinary. Writer Crystal Chan felt this on a walk she took in her neighborhood with a friend, reminding them of the power of being present and enjoying the moment with geese in an Oshkosh pond.

Doran Kemp Jr. was a firefighter with the Milwaukee Fire Department. During his 25-year career, he helped recruit several people of color and women to the force. But earlier this summer, he passed away from cancer. WPR’s Evan Casey has a look at the legacy he left behind.

Waves are everywhere: they make up light, color and heat. In a very literal sense, waves connect us all. WPR’s Avery Lea Rogers is obsessed with how these waves turn into sound. When they visited specialized microphone maker Klover Products in Janesville, Rogers found that these high-tech microphones connect Wisconsin to the world.

It was 60 years ago today that The Beatles played their one and only show in in Wisconsin. To mark the historic event, we’re dipping into the archives and revisiting this story from writer Dean Robbins, who tells us about the madness that greeted John, Paul, George and Ringo on their first American tour and their stop in Milwaukee on September 4, 1964.