Every Friday, Off The Record looks to other Milwaukee publications (and beyond) for bits of news we missed throughout the week.
• That horrible screeching sound and the sight of your cat dying from heart failure can mean only one thing: it’s time for the 2018 Milwaukee Air & Water Show! Yep, barring a cancelation due to terrible weather (which seems to be a slight possibility right now), those Thunderbirds will be tearing through the sky all weekend long. Heading out of town to avoid the “fun”? Enjoy these links:
• Okay, so those Bird scooters. Earlier this week, the Milwaukee Common Council’s Public Works Committee unanimously approved an ordinance to ban them. The city can impound the things if they see them laying around. They’re currently illegal. BUT! The committee also unanimously approved “the creation of a pilot program to legalize dockless scooters on city streets, conditioned on the scooters’ legalization by the state.” When would the state take it up? Probably not until January 2019, at the earliest. [Urban Milwaukee]
• BUT! Ald. Tony Zielinski is a big fan of Bird scooters, apparently, and wants to “introduce a resolution that would order the city’s Intergovernmental Relations Division to lobby the State Legislature to grant an exception that would legalize the electric-powered scooters.” [Urban Milwaukee]
• Dockless scooter sharing may be up in the air, but dockless bicycle sharing is making its way through local government. (Funny how doing things by the books works!) If all goes well, for-profit LimeBike could scatter at least 250 bikes throughout the city in August. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Collections Of Colonies Of Bees released their latest album, HAWAII, and oh buddy, it’s a stunner. [Bandcamp]
• Our long, “What’s going on with At Random?” nightmare may be over. John Dye—a.k.a. the owner of Bryant’s Lounge and The Jazz Estate—plans to take over the beloved Bay View spot at 2501 S. Delaware Ave. [OnMilwaukee]
• National—sigh—”eatertainment” chain Punch Bowl Social will open a location in the Milwaukee Bucks’ Entertainment Block. The arena-adjacent Punch Bowl “will occupy a 24,000-square-foot, two-story space located at 320 W. Highland Ave. The building will feature a 1,249-square-foot deck on its upper level.” [BizTimes]
• WebsterX is in the middle of his “Restless Summer,” and he’s not fooling around. In addition to releasing a new single, “No End,” the tireless Milwaukee musician has announced two events. The first is a free pop-up art installation/”immersive experience” at 727 N. Milwaukee St. on August 8. The second is a “Stand 4 Peace” show at Tiefenthaler Park on August 25. [WebsterX]
• Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is the subject of a new mural located on the north side of a convenience store at 3600 S. Clement Ave. Milwaukee resident Brendan Jones paid for the mural out of his own pocket (he lives across the street), and Milwaukee-based artist Fred Kaems painted it. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Could Jay-Z’s annual Made In America festival come to Milwaukee in 2019? Ald. Khalif Rainey wants to make it happen. [OnMilwaukee]
• Vincent Van Great and Dana Coppafeel released another track from their upcoming album, A Tape Called Fresh. “Matlock” also features the ever-awesome Yo-Dot. [Soundcloud]
• That vacant building on the corner of Humboldt and North, 2249 N. Humboldt Ave., may or may not become a mixed-use condo thing. [OnMilwaukee]
• Rosie’s On Water, 1111 N. Water St., is closing, and will likely be replaced by a place called Eleven Eleven Dive. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Have a great weekend, Milwaukee!