Online writing

Netizen journalism

'News you can use', Q&As, and other content tailored for the digital age:

Journal Sentinel •

Wisconsin voters change the state's constitution on cash bail. Here's what the decision means.

Wisconsin voters change the state's constitution on cash bail. Here's what the decision means.

Wisconsin voters decided Tuesday to amend the state's constitution and expand the criteria for setting cash bail — the final step in the process after two consecutive legislative sessions approved the amendment.

The amendment was divided into two questions, both dealing with what can happen to a defendant in the time between when they’re charged with a crime and when they’re convicted — the first dea
UWM Post •

UWM Tuition and Fees to Increase This Year. What Students Need to Know

Base tuition at UW-Milwaukee will increase next year by $364 for in-state undergraduate students.

The move, which was approved by the Board of Regents at the end of March, has been long sought by university leaders operating under tight budgets. The issue is particularly acute at UWM where 88% of the university’s operating budget comes from tuition dollars as the university faces a “daunting dilemma” financially, the Wisconsin Policy Forum said in 2021.

Regents also approved increases to other
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel •

New MPS Foundation director discusses her journey, her goals, and the role public schools play beyond education

New MPS Foundation director discusses her journey, her goals, and the role public schools play beyond education

Local education leader and Milwaukee Public School alum Tiffany Tardy has been chosen as the new executive director of the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation, hoping to expand on existing programs, strengthen the district’s relationship with its alumni and ensure that students are getting their basic needs met at school.

The MPS Foundation, established in 1998, is a non-profit organ
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel •

April welfare referendum: What's on the ballot, what is existing policy, and what would it actually do?

Voters statewide will see a non-binding advisory referendum on the April 4 ballot asking if welfare recipients should be required to look for employment to receive benefits.

The Republicans backing the referendum say the question is necessary to address worker shortages across the state, but Democrats call it a political stunt to influence turnout in the critical Supreme Court race on the sa
Media Milwaukee •

"I think being out of retail makes you realize how terrible the pay and conditions are."

Reide Pearson, 20, studies film at Columbia College Chicago, but the pandemic forced her to move back home to a suburb of St. Louis and pick up a job at a retailer. Now she’s back in Chicago and has reflected on work during the pandemic, as well as work in general.

Q Hunter Turpin: While you were back home because of COVID, did you have a job?

A Reide Pearson: I didn’t work at the beginning of the pandemic because I was unsure of what it was all gonna look like and how long it was gonna last.

Online news & features

Real estate beat coverage, online features, and opinions:

BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News •

Construction could start in spring for 32-story mass timber apartment tower planned in downtown Milwaukee

The 32-story Edison tower on downtown Milwaukee’s riverfront could begin construction next spring, adding yet another peak to the city’s skyline.

Madison-based developer The Neutral Project has filed a proposal for review by the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals, city records show. The proposal also will undergo Plan Commission and Common Council review.

The firm is planning to complete its financing package in the first quarter of 2024, and planning to break ground on the project in the second o
BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News •

Evers doles out ARPA money for Iron District soccer stadium, Bronzeville Center for the Arts

Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday that he plans to use $14.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the soccer stadium planned in the downtown Milwaukee Iron District development and for the Bronzeville Center for the Arts planned for the city’s Bronzeville district.

They are two of five projects in the state that Evers announced today will receive a total of $36 million in ARPA funds. ARPA is a $1.9 trillion federal COVID economic relief stimulus package signed into law by Pres
BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News •

Amazon considered facility at Spring Mall site in Greenfield

Hunter covers commercial and residential real estate for BizTimes. He previously wrote for the Waukesha Freeman and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A recent graduate of UW-Milwaukee, with a degree in journalism and urban studies, he was news editor of the UWM Post. He has received awards from the Milwaukee Press Club and Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Hunter likes cooking, gardening and 2000s girly pop.
BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News •

GOP lawmakers unveil $700 million American Family Field funding proposal

Republican lawmakers unveiled a new plan Monday that would use $600 million in state and local funds to renovate American Family Field and keep the Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin through 2050.

Speaking at a ballpark press conference, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the deal is “good for taxpayers, good for the state and is good for the team,” as without it the Brewers could relocate as early as 2030, when the team’s lease for the stadium expires.

“Today’s proposal from Republicans in the legis
BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News •

Veolia plans to move west side office to downtown Milwaukee

Hunter covers commercial and residential real estate for BizTimes. He previously wrote for the Waukesha Freeman and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A recent graduate of UW-Milwaukee, with a degree in journalism and urban studies, he was news editor of the UWM Post. He has received awards from the Milwaukee Press Club and Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Hunter likes cooking, gardening and 2000s girly pop.
Media Milwaukee •

Milwaukee Co-Housing Development Moves Ahead

Milwaukee’s first co-housing development could be coming to the Riverwest neighborhood. Developers say they hope to address the city’s legacy of racial and economic segregation and incorporate environmental and economic sustainability throughout the project.

The $18 million, 39-unit development, River Trail Commons, took a step forward in February with the purchase of the project site for $1.4 million, developer documents show.

The site, located at 2730 Humbolt Blvd. and the two adjacent lots,
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel •

Young voters can help Democrats. Will enough of them cast ballots in Wisconsin Supreme Court race?

The Gordon Dining Center voting ward on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus usually draws about 50 voters in spring primary elections.

But this February, 515 voters cast their ballots there, according to turnout data from the city of Madison clerk's office. Other campus-area voting wards reported similarly high voting rates. A dorm along Lake Mendota reported 39% turnout.

Those are the nu
UWM Post •

UW System President Asks for 5% Tuition Increase Next Year

Tuition for in-state UW-Milwaukee undergrads could increase by about $480 next year as the UW System pursues its first tuition increase in over a decade, UW System President Jay Rothman said Thursday.

Speaking at an informational hearing for the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, Rothman said he plans on asking the Board of Regents to approve a system-wide tuition increase of about 5% at the Regents’ next meeting.

The increase, which would be implemented for the 2023-24 school ye
Media Milwaukee •

Soaring Mental Health, Academic Needs Overwhelm UWM Students and Staff

After graduating high school at the beginning of the pandemic, UW-Milwaukee student Theresa Jackson faced obstacle after obstacle in college. First her grandma died, then she struggled financially, then her other grandma died. She felt guilty, depressed and anxious.

“I felt like I was drowning, and I couldn’t come back up or like someone had tied an anchor to my feet and it was just constantly weighing me down,” said Jackson, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy.

As a result, she
Media Milwaukee •

Canvassers Take Passion to the Streets, Urging Black Residents to Vote

Along Walnut Street in Milwaukee’s Walnut Hill neighborhood, some homes are decorated with trick-or-treat signs and pumpkins, some have wire grates over the windows, and one has bullet holes in the siding.

At each one, canvassers with Power to the Polls, a Milwaukee-based get-out-the-vote organization left a flyer that said “Black Voters Matter” across the top.

Canvassers were going door to door in this neighborhood in mid-October urging residents to vote in the November general election. Many
Media Milwaukee •

Milwaukee Protest: Activists Call for Abortion Rights

As hundreds of abortion rights protesters marched past Zilber Hall on the Marquette University campus, students smiled, waved and blew kisses from the third floor.

“Do you need to get your steps in?” a young woman from the crowd shouted to a young man waiting to cross Wisconsin Ave. at 13th Street.

The crowd cheered as he was handed a cardboard sign that said “choice” on the front and “abortion is a human right” on the back.

Hundreds of young people and college students attended the rally and
Media Milwaukee •

“Crash” by Charli XCX Debuts at No. 7 on Billboard 200

Charli XCX sees her highest-charting album yet as her latest release “Crash” debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, Billboard reported.

The English singer-songwriter has not had consistent success on Billboard charts since her first appearance on the chart in 2013.

She posted a photo of herself on Instagram with the caption “my album went top 10 in the USA. number 7 to be precise. literally gagged.”

Billboard magazine publishes numerous charts, some genre or nation-specific such as “Dance Clu
Media Milwaukee •

The UWM Student Union is Getting a Facelift

UW-Milwaukee announced a $40.7 million renovation of the student union to improve navigation, aesthetics and infrastructure at a kickoff event Nov. 30.

This comes after students rejected a union renovation project in 2017, but union officials warned of failing mechanical systems that threaten to shut the building down.

“I’m very serious when I say we are at risk of something happening that would cause us to not be able to open our doors,” said Rick Thomas, the director of the student union.

A
UWM Post •

Thanksgiving Food: Is It Any Good?

Among younger generations, Christmas seems to be the favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is the day you go to your relative’s house, eat wet and mushy yet simultaneously dry food, have uncomfortable conversations and then go home to resume pre-Christmas festivities.

While I do enjoy Christmas, I’m here to say that I also really like Thanksgiving.

With that said, I don’t understand why a day dedicated entirely to food is defined by dishes that people don’t want to eat.

I have spent years formulatin
UWM Post •

Race Theory Course Will be Taught At UWM This Spring

UW-Milwaukee’s global studies department announced that it will offer a course studying the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S. and globally as an online class for the Spring 2022 semester.

“Global Studies 391: Black Lives Matter, A Comparative Study” is an interdisciplinary course taught in three-week modules by five different instructors, all of whom are Black, focusing on different countries.

The class is meant to build on material from previous courses which study the foundations of ra
Load More