News

Some are watching the daily news with bated breathe - waiting for new information about international relations, investigations, and other salacious details packed with political intrigue. But Lake Effect essayist Mel Miskimen is not among these throngs of political junkies. Instead, Miskimen has her sights set on 18th century Scotland.

If the Smithsonian Institution is known as “The Nation’s Attic,” the Wisconsin Historical Society holds that distinction here in this state.  But leaders from Historical Society believe the attic could use some significant work.

Married mothers — and mothers with live-in partners — are doing more housework than their single counterparts. That’s according to a new study, which found that married mothers do around 32 minutes more of daily housework than single mothers. But why? Researchers Joanna Pepin and Noelle Chesley say the differences may be based in gender expectations.

Milwaukee poet and Lake Effect contributor Jenny Benjamin, reading Closer to Sundown.

Closer to Sundown 

Are those willo-the-wisps to lead me along a new path?
Or has the water tricked my eyes to believe in myth?
These feathers, really leaves making golden pillow puddles,
take shape, and will they fade with sunset at the close of day?

So for a lot of families, there’s this thing that happens when they find out they’re expecting a baby. Once they get past the Is this really happening? stage and all the excitement that can come with knowing you’re growing a life, in can set the worry.

Am I eating the right foods? Am I getting enough sleep? Is this safe for the baby? Is my baby moving enough? How will…. What if… and on, and on.

For me, this was personal. 2018 was a monumental year for my family.

My husband and I welcomed our daughter.

Cartoons and comics mean a lot to many kids.  But for some young people, the effect is especially strong and drives them to pursue a career in animation.  From medical, architectural and science, to forensics, industrial and gaming field — there's so much more to animation than Hollywood blockbuster films.

Feast of Crispian, a Milwaukee theater troupe that uses Shakespeare to help veterans cope with trauma and reintegration issues, is taking their mission one step further this week. Thanks to a partnership with the Milwaukee Rep, the country's first National Veterans Theater Festival is running Thursday, May 23 through Sunday, May 26 the Rep's Stiemke Theatre.

Look around Milwaukee and it’s easy to notice a rise in reckless driving. And while sometimes you wish that there were a police car in the area to stop a reckless driver, there has also been a rise in police pursuits in Milwaukee. And that has people worried as well.

If you were on social media over the weekend, you probably saw the video.

A stolen Ford Escape tumbling end-over-end on North 45th and West Center Street after rear-ending a taxi and striking a pole — with police in hot pursuit.

A federal program scheduled to spend $60 million dollars in Wisconsin continues to try to get people to share their health and lifestyle information, plus their DNA. The effort known as All of Us has the ambitious goal of enrolling one million people nationally, and 33,000 in the Greater Milwaukee area. 

The promised reward is a $25 enrollment payment and eventually, specialized disease prevention and treatment. 

State Republicans held their annual convention this past weekend in Oshkosh, WI. Party members and leaders used the event to look at what went wrong for the GOP in the fall of 2018 — and to better position the party for the 2020 elections.

While Republicans maintained the majority in the state Legislature in the fall elections, the party's candidates lost in all statewide races.

JR Ross of Wispolitics.com says presenters at the convention talked about how GOP candidates suffered last fall by drifting from the grassroots.

Milwaukee County's Lynden Sculpture Garden is currently collecting cast iron cast offs. But they’re not going to simply stack them next to a Henry Moore sculpture. The plan is to work with the public/community to transform the donated cast iron into something new in the Garden’s first iron pour on May 25th.

President Trump this week rolled out his revised approach to immigration policy, one which he says is focused on "merit." His recommendations were met with skepticism by many in Congress, and the debate over immigration will likely continue into the campaign season.

Lake Effect contributor and essayist Art Cyr says there is some history to consider as you follow the immigration debate.

Most of us see birds every day — it might be a pigeon shuffling down the sidewalk or a robin hopping past the yard — but few of us take much notice of them. A new book is hoping to change that and make bird-watching a bit more accessible.

It’s known as the best worst movie ever made. That might sound like a huge contradiction - and it is. But for fans of the film The Room, it is an all-too-relatable phenomenon.

The film follows the story of Johnny, an All-American man and successful banker who lives with his future wife, Lisa. He has a best friend named Mark and a neighbor Denny, whose relationship to Johnny is confusing, at best.