Audrey Nowakowski

Growing up Avoca, Wisc., Emily Kuester felt like an outsider in her small town community. As a transracial adoptee, she navigated life without feeling completely part of either white or black culture — something that was jarringly obvious once she moved to Milwaukee for college.

"I was just excited to be around people who looked like me and be around diversity and all of that," recalls Kuester. "I quickly realized that I didn't know anything about black culture."

It’s not too often that the fourth time is the charm. But actor and first time film director Bradley Cooper hopes his version of the classic movie, “A Star Is Born,” is indeed a charm in its fourth version.

"It’s the Hollywood tale that the business just won’t let die," says film contributor Ryan Jay. "It seems to reinvent itself and whenever there's a leading lady, or in this case an up-and-coming leading lady with Gaga, it's a showcase for that talent. It has chops for your acting and for your singing ability."

The 2018 Milwaukee Film Festival opens on Oct. 18. This year’s festival marks 10 years in its current incarnation, and the first in which will feature a renovated Oriental Theater as home to Milwaukee Film.

"[The Oriental is] something that a lot of filmmakers who come through the city comment on. A lot of cities don’t have theaters like the Oriental. Milwaukee does — it’s one of the festival’s main selling points," says Milwaukee Magazine Cultural Editor Lindsey Anderson.

Prenatal providers recommend that women undergo a variety of health screenings while they’re pregnant. Among those is a test for GBS, or Group B streptococcus, between weeks 35 and 37 of pregnancy.

GBS is a relative of the bacteria that causes strep throat and is found naturally in about 30 percent of adult women. It is only considered a risk during child birth, when it can infect a newborn - especially in premature births. Women who test positive for Group B strep are intravenously given antibiotics during labor to reduce the chance of transmission to their baby.

The show "This is Us" has captured television audiences in vast numbers. Now in its third season, the show boosted producer Dan Fogelman to the big screen: Amazon Studios' film “Life Itself.”

Starring A-list actors (such as Antonio Banderas, Olivia Wilde and Annette Benning) the film follows a young couple’s journey and the twists of their life that impact generations and strangers from afar.

For many college students, life on campus may be their first opportunity to live on their own. And once they’re at school, their physical and mental comfort can spell the difference between a good or bad college experience. Those issues can be especially significant for students who identify as LGBTQ.

This weekend’s Doors Open Milwaukee allows visitors into some remarkable spaces that are not typically open to the public. But there are other, remarkable spaces around the city that people can visit annually. Take the Pabst Mansion, an example of the Gilded Age that has stood for more than a century on Milwaukee's near-west side.

According to the AARP, at least 90 percent of people in a recent survey say they want to age in their own home. But sometimes health and mobility issues can make that hope a challenge.

The Milwaukee Short Film Festival takes place this Friday, Sept. 7, and Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Fox Bay Cinema and Grill in Whitefish Bay. Fifty films will be screened over the two days, including the first film shown at the festival 20 years ago.

Ross Bigley, the festival's founder and director, recalls that the festival began as a simple gathering at a coffee shop with a projector. "When I was making these short films, there was really no place in Milwaukee to screen anything like that," he says.

According to a 2017 study from Common Sense Media, 98 percent of households with children age 8 and under now have access to a mobile device like a tablet or a smartphone. That’s an increase of 52 percent from 2011.

This past week President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to a multitude of charges, including falsifying submissions to a bank and campaign finance violations. Campaign finance regulations are considered by many to be among the most pressing issues affecting American democracy, but it can be hard for the average citizen to understand them.

Turmeric is a plant similar to ginger. It's found and used commonly in India, Pakistan, and other parts of south Asia, where it's an essential part of the flavors of many foods. But two Milwaukee men believe there is an emerging market for turmeric, or at least a key component of it — so much so they gave up business careers to start a beverage company.

Even though Milwaukee Irish Fest is over, there is still one Irish singer who will be traveling through the Midwest — except it isn’t for a concert or festival.

Irish country music star Daniel O’Donnell initially gained public attention in 1983 with his first recording, and has since become a household name internationally. While O’Donnell is known for his singing, lately he has embarked on a new journey into television with his wife Majella.

Stories and storytelling flourish in Ireland and Irish descendants scattered around the world, like Irish/American author Sheila Post.

Post’s newest novel, Your Own Ones, uses her family’s Irish heritage by telling the journey of Canadian/Irish wild salmon conservationist Áine O’Connor. In the book, O’Connor travels to the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland, and discovers a 1,000-year-old family tradition of protecting the land and sea, as well as a hidden family history.

Britney Freeman-Farr and Quinten Farr first met as teenagers at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, playing together in the jazz lab. A marriage, vocal cord surgery and a few albums later, the two are still together.

Britney, known by her stage name B~Free, boasts a soulful sound and a creative vision. The musical couple continues to push each other to achieve their goals while maintaining balance between support and criticism.