Maayan Silver

Wisconsin farmers are already juggling increasing tariffs on goods to and from China. In the meantime, last week, President Trump announced that he'll steadily increase tariffs on all Mexican goods imported to the U.S. because of, what he perceives as, Mexico’s failure to stem illegal immigration.

A Milwaukee group is putting on a children’s opera that was performed during World War II, including in the Thereseinstadt ghetto-labor and concentration camp.

Brundibar was written by a Czech Jew named Hans Krasa, with a libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister, in 1938. Later, Nazis used it in an attempt to deceive the world about how they were treating imprisoned Jews.

Trade talks between China and the United States fell apart a few weeks ago. Now, the two countries are promising to levy new tariffs on each other’s goods. One commodity caught in the crosshairs: American-grown ginseng root.

When you think of the NBA in Milwaukee - of course, the Milwaukee Bucks come to mind. We’ve got Giannis, a fiesty team, and a new arena. But what was pro basketball like here before the Bucks?

Dancing in the streets — it’s something you don’t often see in Milwaukee, let alone on the corner of Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue. But that’s exactly what Angel Alvarez was doing during last Friday’s lunch hour.

With earphones in, he was bringing out the funk in an eye-catching outfit. For about an hour, he was showcasing his range of moves: mostly improvisation, but he says also interpretations of waltz, tango, foxtrot, rumba and cha-cha.

Republicans on the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee stripped Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed Medicaid expansion Thursday. The committee voted against it 11-4, along party lines.

It was one of a number of measures the panel rejected, as members began acting on Evers' biennial spending plan. It only took about a half hour for GOP lawmakers to slice 131 of Evers’ fiscal and policy proposals — cutting $1.4 billion in spending.

Rainstorms are a challenge to clean water. They can cause flooding and potentially damaging runoff. But utilities, landscape architects and others are finding solutions — visible everywhere from the county grounds to your neighborhood ice cream shop.

For the past week, WUWM has been reporting on sex trafficking — what it is, who's affected, and how activists and

Sex trafficking has been reported in all 72 counties across Wisconsin — earning the state a reputation as a hub for the crime. Some elected officials are working to end the problem.

State lawmakers have considered a number of bills in recent years in an effort to toughen laws pertaining to sex trafficking. Federal and state law defines the crime as the use of force, fraud or coercion to compel someone to have sex for money.

Near Washington Park on Milwaukee’s west side, Nancy Yarbrough runs the Humble Beginnings organization for women facing domestic violence, drug addiction or sex trafficking.

In homage to Jeffrey, a 17-year-old boy who lost his life to human trafficking, the organization gives away fleece blankets to victims and others who need help. Yarbrough says the blankets were hand-sewn and donated by a 15-year-old girl from Tomah.

Michelle is a sex trafficking survivor. She says it was a milestone when she started sharing her experiences. “For a long time, due to the fear of being discriminated against and preconceived notions of what it is to be trafficked, I was really too afraid to step out and tell people,” says Michelle, who’s originally from Milwaukee.

It’s important to note that Michelle isn’t the woman’s real name, but we’re using it to protect her identity. Also, Lotus Legal Clinic connected us with her and vouches for her story. 

Milwaukee has a reputation as a hub for sex trafficking. So, what is it? Who is it affecting? What are the numbers?

Here's a primer on what the crime looks like here in Milwaukee.

What It Is  

Sex traffickers get an adult to exchange sex for money through force, fraud or coercion. But it’s also considered trafficking to have a child exchange sex for money, under any circumstance.

Traffickers may separate victims from family, control their lives and even move them from one city to another.