Every Friday, Off The Record looks to other Milwaukee publications (and beyond) for bits of news we missed throughout the week.

• We write about some pretty goofy shit here at Milwaukee Record. Burying free George Webb hamburgers in the woods. Listening to pre-recorded music at Summerfest. Shedding a tear for the Shops of Grand Avenue. It’s kind of what we do. So while we don’t want to be a pot calling the kettle black (and god knows we understand the need for #content), we have to ask: What the fuck is up with all the media coverage of Ald. Tony Zielinski building a house? Seriously.

Yes, in case you missed it and are itching for a story that wouldn’t feel out of place in a neighborhood Facebook thread and/or the Dodge County Pionier, a city that constantly calls itself “world-class” is currently all about a Bay View alderman and his wife building a house in Bay View. The house is kind of big and it’s kind of modern, and it kind of doesn’t fit in well with nearby houses. Some neighbors are peeved. One neighbor even filmed the house with his drone!

And that’s it. That’s fucking it. No code violations. No called-in favors. No unearthed burial grounds. Nothing. Just a dude who, yes, has fought against similar out-of-place developments in Bay View, and, yes, has his share of critics, but still. A house. A fucking house. And cranky neighbors. Maybe it’s good for a chuckle, and maybe the house is pretty tacky, but is this ripped-from-Nextdoor story really worth the time (and the additional drone footage) of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

‘It’s hideous’: Bay View residents bristle at towering three-story mansion being built by Ald. Tony Zielinski

or WISN…

Milwaukee alderman labeled a ‘hypocrite’ for erecting ‘tone deaf’ Bay View home

or FOX 6…

Alderman Zielinski under fire for home he’s building in Bay View; he calls it ‘a personal matter’

or CBS 58?

Milwaukee Alderman’s new home towers above neighbors, draws criticism

Okay, maybe CBS 58, but come on, Milwaukee.

• Speaking of public figures and their private residences, former governor Scott “We don’t want Wisconsin to become like Milwaukee” Walker and wife Tonette are renting a condo in—get this—downtown Milwaukee. The rent for the Walkers’ new “pad” is listed at a cool $2,975 per month. [Urban Milwaukee]

• Longtime broadcaster Mike Gousha will step down from his UpFront public affairs show on Channel 12 at the end of February. Gousha is leaving the show in order to focus on his full-time gig at Marquette University Law School, where he serves as a distinguished fellow in law and public policy. [BizTimes]

• Milwaukee one-man band Bum Alum will release a debut record this summer called The Breaks. In the meantime, enjoy the single “All Things Said,” which is super good. [Soundcloud]

• Canary Coffee Bar is coming to downtown “sometime in late spring or early summer.” Canary will be located in the Hotel Wisconsin at 720 N. Old World 3rd St., and will offer an experience “that’s not unlike a craft beer bar.” [OnMilwaukee]

• The new La Merenda Market, located around the corner from La Merenda at 809 S. Barclay St., is open. [OnMilwaukee]

• The new Glorioso’s Appetito, located at 1020 E. Brady St., is open, too. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

• NEW ZED KENZO. [Shepherd Express]

• What else? Um, there’s some new playground equipment in Cathedral Square Park? [OnMilwaukee]

• And Margaret Rozga is Wisconsin’s new Poet Laureate? [Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service]

• And things aren’t going well for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel[Milwaukee Business Journal]

• Wisconsin-iest headline of the week: “Woman arrested in St. Francis for allegedly hitting man with wooden cribbage board.” [CBS 58]

• Have a great weekend, Milwaukee!

About The Author

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Co-Founder and Editor

Matt Wild weighs between 140 and 145 pounds. He lives on Milwaukee's east side.