Tagged Opinion

May 16, 2023

As you probably know by now, the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is doomed.Seriously! That's not hyperbole! The agency responsible for the county's bus system is headed for a "fiscal cliff"—a cliff i...

Is Summerfest’s three-weekend format better or worse than the old format?

July 5, 2022

In A-side/B-side, two Milwaukee Record writers tackle various city issues in an informal, crosstalk style. Insults are hurled, feelings are hurt, and everyone learns something in the end. Maybe.Tyler Maas: ...

Getting excited for Milwaukee’s less-than-exciting mayoral election

March 31, 2022

On Tuesday, April 5, acting mayor Cavalier Johnson will become Milwaukee's next elected mayor. Turnout in the election will be low. Johnson's opponent, former alderman Bob Donovan, will lose in a 75%-25% blowou...

We only have a few years left to enjoy the Milwaukee Public Museum

March 9, 2022

Milwaukee Public Museum's plans to vacate its increasingly deteriorating 60-year home at 800 W. Wells St. and build a new, drastically smaller, and dramatically different downtown museum have been known for yea...

A-side/B-side: Are “classic album” concerts a grand idea or played out?

October 22, 2019

In A-side/B-side, two Milwaukee Record writers tackle various issues in an informal, crosstalk style. Insults are hurled, feelings are hurt, and everyone learns something in the end. Maybe.Joey Grihalva: On...

The “reimagined” Bayshore looks a lot like the same old Bayshore

September 30, 2019

In 2006, Bayshore Town Center opened in Glendale. The new-and-improved retail center was the result of a two-year, $300 million project that transformed the aging Bayshore Mall—first built in 1954—into a much-b...

Hacienda Beer Co. is the latest and (arguably) the greatest example of the East Side’s resurgence

July 10, 2019

Almost exactly three years ago, we bluntly asked the following question: Is the East Side dying?Even at that time, we acknowledged the neighborhood was not quite on its death bed, but there were more than a...

Dear Milwaukee sportscasters: Stop shaming strangers (and children) on social media

June 24, 2019

Sunday afternoon, 41,237 people enjoyed watching the Milwaukee Brewers defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-5 at Miller Park. Among those 41,000-plus people was local sports radio person Bill Michaels, who most decided...

It’s time to admit that it’s (nearly) the end of the Milwaukee Public Museum as we know it

June 13, 2019

Earlier this week, the Milwaukee Public Museum announced its new president and CEO, Dr. Ellen J. Censky. A Cedarburg native, Dr. Censky started her career with MPM back in 1977, and has served as the interim pr...

What makes chili…chili?

March 6, 2019

A few weeks ago, my wife and I were discussing chili. You know, as husbands and wives often do. I mentioned to my wife that she should meet me downtown for lunch, and suggested Real Chili (pictured above) as a ...

Streetcars, the State of Wisconsin, and standing up for Milwaukee

December 19, 2018

Twenty-eighteen was kind of a big year for Milwaukee, wasn't it? Like, an honest-to-goodness, no-kidding, no-hyperbole "transformative" year? Seriously! There was the long-awaited opening of the Fiserv Forum, a...

Milwaukee chef Shay Linkus responds to the death of Anthony Bourdain

June 8, 2018

The following op-ed, responding to the death of chef, author, and TV host Anthony Bourdain, is written by former Vanguard and current Snack Boys chef/owner Shay Linkus. Milwaukee Record would still like to add ...

Waving the white flag on the “People’s Flag of Milwaukee”

March 14, 2018

A few weeks ago, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal interviewed me about the ongoing drama surrounding the Milwaukee city flag. What, the reporter wanted to know, was the deal with the "People's Flag of Mi...

So what do we think of this year’s Summerfest lineup?

June 21, 2017

The new Fuel is nothing like the original Fuel, and that’s fine

March 2, 2017

My first Milwaukee memories are of Fuel Cafe. I moved here in 1996, three years after the now-iconic coffee shop/cafe opened in Riverwest. Like many of my friends, I spent an inordinate amount of time at Fuel. ...

Gary Sheffield will never make the Baseball Hall of Fame

January 19, 2017

Wednesday, Baseball Writers' Association Of America named three new inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Houston Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell pulled in over 86 percent of votes, Montreal Expos great Tim Rai...

Young, shy, and snotty: Being an underage music fan in Milwaukee

Lauren Keene

January 11, 2017

Beer, cheese, motorcycles, sports—these are the things that a lot of people still think about when they hear the word "Milwaukee." I've lived in Milwaukee my entire life and have never really cared about the ...

No, Milwaukee, it isn’t okay to cheer for the Chicago Cubs

October 25, 2016

Hey, fans of the Milwaukee Brewers. Perhaps you've been told otherwise by a columnist who insists "we are still part of Chicagoland" before he chases the outdated rehashing of Milwaukee's little-man syndrome ...

Oh great, there’s going to be another Jeffrey Dahmer movie