From the Article:

City of Milwaukee officials are ready for the city to take center stage in the 2024 election.

With Wisconsin viewed as a pivotal swing state, Milwaukee could deliver the decisive votes to decide the state’s winner. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit Monday morning against the city for what it alleges is improperly restricting observer access to polling places (detailed in a subsequent article).

Milwaukee, as it has in several past elections, is expected to finish processing and report its absentee ballots after midnight. Given the size of the Democratic-leaning city and its use of a centralized absentee-counting facility, the city’s absentee reporting will likely give a major late-night boost to Kamala Harris.

As they attempted to do in 2020 amidst a sea of conspiracy theories about ballot printing, late-night dumps and machine manipulation, city officials are attempting to explain to the public how the process works proactively. That includes emphasizing that the votes it will report last are almost entirely already in hand.

“As of this morning, we have over 105,000 absentee ballots,” said Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutiérrez in a press conference Monday morning. That includes 67,735 in-person early votes. Additional absentee ballots are expected to continue to arrive by mail or via drop boxes. “They will continue to come in until 8 p.m. on election day.”

There is a cap on how many ballots the city could receive back. According to Wisconsin Elections Commission data, the city has issued 113,487 absentee ballots. That’s down from the approximately 169,000 absentee votes cast in the pandemic-altered 2020 election. The city’s late-night absentee reporting in that election pushed Joe Biden ahead of Donald Trump, which seen as suspicious by some supporters of Trump, who had spent that campaign demonizing absentee voting. In 2024, Democrat and Republican candidates alike have pushed for early voting, leading to the city surpassing Gutiérrez’s earlier estimate of 80,000 absentee votes in the city.

From the Article:

More than 1.5 million Wisconsinites have already cast their ballots ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election. Wisconsin’s top elections official says the state is poised to set a new record for early in-person absentee voting.

All told, more than 41 percent of all active, registered voters in Wisconsin have already cast absentee ballots, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Of those, nearly 950,000 were in-person absentee ballots, which were cast in clerks offices or early voting sites.

During a Monday briefing, Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe said there have been nearly 645,000 mail-in absentee ballots requested by voters for the presidential election.

“To kind of contrast that, in 2020, the volume of by-mail absentee ballots set records,” Wolfe said. “This year, it appears there’s a record number of in-person absentee ballots that were cast.”

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, absentee voting exploded during Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election. That year, WEC data shows nearly 1.9 million ballots were returned. Of that total, there were just 644,843 people who cast early, in-person absentee ballots.

From the Article:

Milwaukee could see expanded service to Chicago after the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) received $72.8 million in federal funding that will be funneled toward boosting freight rail capacity.

The funding will go to the Muskego Yard bypass project, which will upgrade and reconfigure routes to create less traffic between commuter and freight trains. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) announced the funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation this week.

When completed, WisDOT said it will give the railway the ability to increase service to eight daily round trips between Milwaukee and Chicago. Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service currently runs seven daily trips between the cities.

"Along with the completion of the Milwaukee Airport Rail Station project in 2026, WisDOT will be able to implement eight daily round trips between Milwaukee and Chicago, allowing more customers to use this high-demand corridor," WisDOT said in a statement provided to the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Upgrading the railway and creating a two-track mainline would allow freight trains to bypass the Milwaukee Intermodal Station. This would minimize passenger delays and free up track capacity, a news release says.

Additionally, funding would go toward replacing or rehabilitating approximately five bridges along the Milwaukee-to-Chicago route.

“In many ways, the future of rail in Wisconsin hinges on a successful Muskego Yard bypass project,” WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman said in the release. “We’re thrilled to receive this pivotal funding that will significantly reshape our rail infrastructure plans in the coming years.”

Funding will come from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, which invests in railway projects around the country.

From the Article:

We know who Brett Favre and Buzz Aldrin will vote for on November 5. We know who Liz Cheney and Cardi B will vote for on November 5. But who will Milwaukee’s homegrown power-walking and oft-shirtless superhero, the Milverine, vote for on November 5?

According to his Instagram account, Milverine is voting for Kamala Harris.

“Princess and me both endorse this message,” reads the caption to a Thursday night post of a pro-Harris sidewalk stencil. (Princess is Milverine’s dog.)

From the Article:

As part of the America Amplified project, WPR is among dozens of public radio stations reaching out directly to voters and answering their questions.

Some voters had questions about how elections are run in Wisconsin and what measures are in place to ensure election security.

The following answers are compiled from sources including the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Wisconsin laws and interviews with current and former Wisconsin clerks.

From the Article:

For a year, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has operated without a leader at the helm, and some former agency heads say Gov. Tony Evers may be waiting to see whether the election changes prospects for state Senate confirmation of his next appointee.

It’s the longest the agency has been without a DNR secretary in more than two decades, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. Former DNR Secretary George Meyer said he can’t recall any significant gap in the office in more than 50 years.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Meyer said.

Meyer was the last secretary appointed by the Natural Resources Board before former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and the Legislature stripped the board of that power in 1995. Meyer served as DNR secretary from 1993 until 2002, and Thompson reappointed him to the position in 1998.

Meyer said the year-long vacancy is at the heart of a political battle between the Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled Senate, which has rejected 21 Evers’ appointees. They include eight appointees fired last fall, as well as Evers’ appointee to the Public Service Commission in January.

“Hopefully, something will break after the election if the governor feels he needs a different legislature to work with,” Meyer said.

From the Article:

It will be easy to roll up to your polling place in Milwaukee on election day.

Dockless electric scooter provider Lime and bike-sharing nonprofit Bublr Bikes will both provide free rides on Nov. 5.

It’s part of a longstanding practice from both entities. Lime reports having provided more than 90,000 free or “low-cost” rides on election days in more than 12 countries. Bublr has made free rides available for several years on election day.

Lime riders will be able to get up to two free rides to or from a polling police by using the code “VOTE2024” in the Lime smartphone application. The offer is already in effect to promote early voting.

Because Bublr operates a dock-based system, its free rides are a bit more wide open. The first 30 minutes of any ride are free on election day. Individuals can take advantage of the offer by downloading the BCycle app, creating a Bublr Bikes account and checking out a bike. Those with questions can call 414-931-1121. The free rides are sponsored by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

“As a community-supported bikeshare, we believe it’s our responsibility to offer free rides to the polls for residents of greater Milwaukee. Having access to a vehicle should not be a factor in casting your ballot; we hope Bublr Bikes can alleviate that burden,” said Bublr Bikes Executive Director Laura Bolger.

From the Article:

Early in his construction career, Ryan Olson was on a site near Minneapolis. An old farmhouse stood in the path of the crew’s project. He took the controls of a 40-ton excavator. A couple swings of the bucket later, it was game over for the farmhouse, and game on for Olson’s new career path.

“It kind of piqued my curiosity and my interest in wrecking things,” he says. “I got my first opportunity to destroy something with a medium-sized piece of equipment, and I was hooked.”

Fast forward 26 years and Olson has the impressive title of senior director of demolition, operations and business development for Veit, a 96-year-old Minnesota company. In recent years Veit has expanded operations to Wisconsin and become the go-to as Milwaukee’s appetite for destruction has grown.

These are no humdrum buildings but places that formed core memories for legions of Milwaukeeans: the Bradley Center, former home of the Bucks; McCormick Hall, the beer-can shaped dormitory at Marquette; two towers that formed part of Northwestern Mutual’s Downtown campus; and many others. 

Next on its hit list: the rotting carcass of Northridge Mall. Veit in June won a contract to raze the sprawling complex for $10.7 million. It comes as the city took ownership of the property after decades of legal wrangling following the mall’s closure in 2003. Since then, it’s sat empty and unused, a magnet for graffiti artists, drugged-out temporary residents and critters. 

The Northridge project shows the company’s work isn’t always flashy. The main task will come with months and months of preparation, including clearing out asbestos and other nasty leftovers.

From the Article:

The Universities of Wisconsin system is getting ready to launch its search for a new chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as Mark Mone prepares to step down from his role next year.

Board of Regents President Amy Bogost said at the board's Sept. 26 meeting that members of a search and screen committee to identify Mone’s successor are expected to be announced in early to mid-October. The Milwaukee Business Journal reached out to the UW System for additional information; no further details regarding the committee were provided.

The composition of the committee is one of the early steps in the UW System’s search for a chancellor.

The committee will include at least three regents who are part of a special regent committee in charge of the selection process for a replacement, as well as five non-regent members who must include at least two faculty representatives, one staff representative from the institution, one student and one community and/or alumni member.

One of the regents will serve as chair of the committee, and one of the faculty members will be selected as the committee vice chair.

The search and screen committee is responsible for conducting interviews of semifinalists before the special regent committee determines the finalists who will be invited to continue in the selection process.

Mone plans to step down from his role effective July 1, 2025. He will return to his professorship with the school’s Lubar College of Business at that time. He took over the position in December 2014 following the departure of the late Michael Lovell, who became the president at Marquette University.

Mone is the ninth chancellor in UWM’s 68-year history.

From the Article:

A critical section of the Oak Leaf Trail running along the Root River Line has been temporarily closed.

The trail runs underneath Highway 100 in Wauwatosa, offering bicyclists and pedestrians a safe crossing underneath the six-lane state trunk highway.

Milwaukee County Parks closed the trail under Highway 100 to perform maintenance on a bridge, but the closure was recently extended into the “foreseeable future” as engineering crews “inspect and repair structural concerns” along the bridge.

There’s a metal cover over the bridge, but Parks doesn’t want Oak Leaf Trail users crossing the bridge right now “out of an abundance of caution,” Peter Bratt, director of skilled trades and operations told Urban Milwaukee.

Parks has suggested a detour on its interactive Oak Leaf Trail map, with trail users crossing Highway 100 along W. Watertown Plank Road.

The Root River Line, which is now cut off at Highway 100, runs north and south through the southwestern quarter of the county. It offers connections to other sections of the more than 135-mile trail network.

From the Article:

Urban Ecology Center in Riverside Park has partnered with Two Birds Event Group to operate its new 300-person Prairie Springs on Park event hall, 1420 E. Park Pl., that’s part of the $8.2 million Riverland Project.

You can read more about the project, including an in-depth look at the history of the cream city brick former industrial building that is being renovated into the hall, in this Urban Spelunking article.

“We are thrilled to partner with Two Birds to bring the Urban Ecology Center's vision for Prairie Springs on Park to life in the spring of 2025,” says UEC Executive Director Jen Hense.

“We admire Ramsey (Renno), Tyler (Curran) and their team's approach to creating memorable spaces and events across Milwaukee and look forward to working together."

Two Birds operates The Ivy House, The Starling and The Society venues as well as a number of events-related businesses. It recently announced another riverside events space called The Rivulet.

From the Article:

The first indoor pickleball facility in the city of South Milwaukee's could open in October after the Common Council approved the transformation of a former team soccer venue.

The plan to bring the $2.5 million Premier Pickleball Center to 305 N. Chicago Ave. will come after conditions imposed by the Common Council have been met, according to Patrick Brever, city administrator for South Milwaukee.

"I think the applicant has expressed agreement and understanding of the conditions imposed by our Plan Commission and Common Council. The applicant has what they need to move forward in order to open," Brever said.

Franklin businessman Guriqbal Sra owns the property. R.H. Chou & Associates will serve as the architect and designer for the project.

The facility has been planned to feature 12 pickleball courts inside the 40,000-square-foot space. The building would also include an event space, a 100-seat restaurant opened daily and a 10-piece gym and locker rooms, according to city documents.

Brever said the city has been told that the facility will open in October to capture high interest in the indoor pickleball season with the aim to open a third-party restaurant with a supper club concept within the facility by Nov. 1.