Milwaukee, WI

Track & Field Milwaukee natives compete in hometown event

Published

2 years ago

January 21, 2024

Track & Field Milwaukee natives compete in hometown event

Marquette track & field athletes from Milwaukee got the chance to compete in their hometown meet Saturday at the John Tierney Classic, hosted by cross-town rival University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

It’s a rare opportunity for the Cream City-native Golden Eagles to compete in hometown events — Saturday was the first of two indoor meets in Milwaukee this season — but Joshua Bailey Jr., who is from Milwaukee, said he still feels the city’s support even when running out-of-state.

“They really support us especially when we all got our NIL deals at our Marquette store shop,” the first-year sprinter said. “We sent it out to all our coaches, all the families, they all click the link, share the link with people from the Milwaukee (area), whether it be your coaches or high school coaches.”

Senior distance runner Lexi Keppler, another MKE native, said she enjoys competing against friends and family from other schools in the area.

“It’s so fun because I feel like all of our schools are very close together, distance wise, so there’s a lot of overlap when it comes to people with siblings who are on different teams,” Keppler said. “So it’s really fun to race against people that you know.”

Bailey Jr. seconded Keppler, saying it’s cool to compete at the collegiate level against people he ran against in high school.

“That’s a unique experience, unlike going somewhere down south or on the east coast with track & field,” Bailey Jr. said.

Sophomore jumper John Pitta said he appreciates the upbeat atmosphere of Milwaukee track meets, where positive energy from the crowd fuels his passion for running.

“I will say it’s very fun and positive, there’s a lot of nice people on our track team specifically that make it fun to do,” Pitta, whose parents graduated from UWM, said. “It’s a real great atmosphere to be around.”

Pitta used that energy during the classic to grab second place in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 44-08.50. Keppler, with her family in attendance, also grabbed second place during the meet, in the one mile run, with a personal record time of 5:15.32.

“It’s awesome,” Keppler said about running in front of her family. “My parents, they both run. So they just love watching me compete. And it’s always fun having them.”

But it is not just her family she benefits from, Keppler also has fond appreciation for the greater Milwaukee running community and culture, which she said helps to keep her motivated to keep working.

“Regardless of the weather, people are always running, making it very conducive to training,” Keppler said. “I keep in touch with my high school coach, Joe, and he’s always been helpful.”

Pitta, who also shares a deep connection with the vibrant culture of Milwaukee, said that the city’s cultural influence elevates him to a higher level of competitiveness and intensity in the sport.

“Being up here in the cold and having to work really hard, I personally feel it puts me at a high level of grit,” Pitta said. “Making sure I work hard because it’s cold up here, it’s a different atmosphere. Growing up in Milwaukee, you have to go and get what you want. That’s how I go for it.”

Marquette has one more indoor meet in Milwaukee this season — the Panther Tune-Up on Feb. 17, the final competition before the Big East Championships — and it is one Keppler, Bailey Jr. and Pitta will all be looking forward to running in.

“It’s (MKE meets) better because you get support (from) your own family, your friends,” Bailey Jr. said. “People you grew up with come to watch you and support you. And obviously they could come out to see you if you go out of state, but it’s a different feeling just doing it in the city you were raised in, grew up in.”

This story was written by Dakota Barnes-Rush. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @DakotaRushMU.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Weather – Frosty and cold morning, sunny day ahead

Published

9 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

MILWAUKEE – Forecast from FOX6 Meteorologist Lisa Michaels

Frosty Monday morning with temps in the teens inland to low 20s near the lake.
Mostly sunny to sunny skies on Monday. Highs in the mid-40s inland, upper 30s near the lake.
A total lunar eclipse will happen Tuesday morning, total eclipse from 5-6am. It may be tough to see due to increasing clouds.
Increasing clouds on Tuesday with highs in the low 40s. Chance of rain and storms possible Wednesday through Friday with warming temperatures.

Today: 39 Lake. Mostly sunny.
High: 44°
Wind: SE 5-10

Tonight: Partly cloudy this evening, mostly clear overnight.
Low: 27°
Wind: SE 5

Tuesday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy.
High: 43°
Wind: E 5-10

Wednesday:41 Lake. Chance for scattered showers and t-storms.
AM Low: 32° High: 45°
Wind: E 5-10

Thursday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy. Chance storms.
AM Low: 37° High: 42°
Wind: NE 5-10

Friday: Chance for showers and t-storms Warmer. Warming at night.
AM Low: 37° High: 57°
Wind: SE 5-15

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with AM rain showers. Blustery with falling afternoon temperatures.
AM Low: 47° High: 53°
Wind: NE 5-10

6-day planner

FOX6 Weather Extras

Local perspective:

Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:

FOX6 Storm Center app

FOX LOCAL Mobile app

FOX Weather app

FOX Weather

Big picture view:

Maps and radar

We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.

School and business closings

When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.

FOX6 Weather Experts in social media

Daily ForecastWeatherMilwaukee

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Milwaukee, WI

Four new community-powered fridges open on Milwaukee’s North Side

Published

21 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Four new community-powered fridges open on Milwaukee’s North Side

Community members and city leaders celebrated the opening of four new community-powered fridges on the North Side of Milwaukee. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Friday, Feb. 27, at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, 3624 W. North Ave., to mark the occasion.

The effort to fight food scarcity by opening community-powered fridges comes after several grocery stores closed in the area, creating a food desert.

Ald. Russell W. Stamper, II, emceed the ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of four new community-powered fridges.

District 15 Ald. Russell W. Stamper II, who saw several grocery stores in his district close over the past few years, served as the event’s emcee.

“We could either complain about the problem, or we could come together to find a solution,” Stamper said.

People fill up the community-powered fridge with fresh produce.

In July 2025, a Pick ‘n Save on the North Side closed, prompting the opening of a community-powered fridge at Tricklebee Café in the Sherman Park and Uptown area. Since then, several other grocery stores have closed in the area.

This led Stamper, FEED MKE, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and One MKE to open four more community-powered fridges.

Christie Melby-Gibbons, executive director of Tricklebee Café, talks about opening the first community-powered fridge at her cafe.

Christie Melby-Gibbons, executive director of Tricklebee Café, talked about the organization’s community-powered fridge. About a week ago, the fridge was empty for the first time since its launch, so staff turned to their online community for support.

“Within 20 minutes, a woman came in with bags of food and filled the fridge for less than $100,” Melby-Gibbons said.

Danell Cross (right), executive director at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, Metcalfe Park resident Farina Brooks (left), and other attendees applaud during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The community-powered fridge network is run by residents on a take-what-you-need, leave-what-you-can model. Taking a grassroots approach to solving food insecurity in the area, community members provide fresh produce and other healthy food options to ensure that their neighbors have access to nutritious foods.

Residents line up to fill the community-powered fridge with fresh produce.

“Everybody deserves to eat. I can’t go to sleep at night knowing my neighbors are hungry,” said Melody McCurtis, deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges.

Here’s a list of all the community-powered fridges:

Metcalfe Park Community Bridges

3624 W. North Ave.

Rooted & Rising- Washington Park

3940 W. Lisbon Ave.

Sherman Park Community Association

3526 W. Fond du Lac Ave.

Dominican Center

2470 W. Locust St.

Tricklebee Café

4424 W. North Ave.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Milwaukee, WI

At the Bar

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

The bar can be “the place” where memories are made, friendships blossom, and stories live forever. This episode of Real Stories MKE features stories from Dasha Kelly, Kristia Wildflower, Shep Crumrine, and Katelyn Nye. Real Stories MKE is hosted by Kim Shine and Joel Dresang with support from producer Jasmine Gonzalez and audio engineer Sam Woods.

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