Milwaukee, WI
Writer Elaine Schmidt was an evangelist for music in Milwaukee
An elbow injury disrupted the career that Elaine Schmidt might have had as a high-level flutist. Undaunted, Schmidt channeled her mellifluousness into writing about music.
For more than three decades, Schmidt wrote about classical music and the performing arts for Milwaukeeans in many contexts: freelance reviews for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, scripts for Milwaukee Public Television broadcasts, books for Hal Leonard and, in recent years, program notes for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
Schmidt died Dec. 19 after a short illness, according to her family. She was 66. Her death caught many who knew her here by surprise.
“Her passing is a loss for me personally, yes, and I’m heartbroken,” wrote MSO Communications Director Erin Kogler in a Facebook post. “But more important than my personal sadness, the arts community in Milwaukee needs people like Elaine — arts evangelists. People who truly understand how important the arts are in a community and will use whatever wonderful talent they have to keep the arts strong and thriving. Fellow Milwaukee arts lovers, we all have some big shoes to fill.”
Born June 18, 1958, Schmidt was raised in Milwaukee and graduated from Milwaukee Lutheran High School in 1976. After earlier study at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and Concordia University, Schmidt moved to New York to study flute and voice at The Julliard School, according to an obituary prepared by her friend Karen Herzog, a former Journal Sentinel reporter.
Schmidt worked as a musician and singer in New York until her elbow injury. She then earned a master’s degree in music criticism from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Returning to Milwaukee in 1993, she plunged into life as a freelancer or, as she wryly put it, “a gig pig,” teaching flute and voice and also writing for many customers. Her first review for the Milwaukee Sentinel, of a Master Singers Quartet concert, was published on Aug. 16, 1993. Her final review for the Journal Sentinel, of Florentine Opera’s “Maria de Buenos Aires,” was posted nearly 31 years later, on May 17, 2024.
Full disclosure: For many of those years, I was Schmidt’s assigning editor at the Journal Sentinel, commissioning and editing her reviews and articles. During hundreds of phone conversations (rarely short ones, because she liked to gab), I heard Elaine’s warm, cultured voice, often tinged with mock seriousness before unleashing a joke that could lead to boisterous laughter.
On her LinkedIn page, the proudly erudite and eclectic Schmidt wrote: “I am frighteningly well-versed in the trivial and arcane.” Here’s one example: She did a spot-on hilarious imitation of the nasal voice of Fran Drescher (star of “The Nanny”).
Schmidt revealed another facet of her creativity in 2013 when she published “The Travelers: Present in the Past,” a time-travel novel for young readers in which touching an antique quilt sent someone back in time. She followed that up a year later with “The Travelers Companion: Sharing Timeless Handwork Projects With a New Generation,” a guidebook in which she shared her passion for quilting.
Schmidt, who lived in Grafton, is survived by her husband, Mark Hoelscher; her sister Paula Schmidt, and her cat, Junior. Her family plans a celebration of her life in the spring. Memorials can be made to Lutheran Counseling and Family Services of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
Milwaukee, WI
Boston faces Milwaukee on 5-game win streak
Boston Celtics (15-9, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (10-15, 10th in the Eastern Conference)
Milwaukee; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Celtics -7.5; over/under is 226.5
BOTTOM LINE: Boston will look to keep its five-game win streak alive when the Celtics take on Milwaukee.
The Bucks are 8-11 in Eastern Conference games. Milwaukee is 2-3 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Celtics are 11-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference shooting 36.9% from 3-point range.
The Bucks score 115.1 points per game, 4.5 more points than the 110.6 the Celtics allow. The Celtics average 117.3 points per game, 0.7 fewer than the 118.0 the Bucks give up to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ryan Rollins is shooting 47.6% and averaging 17.5 points for the Bucks. Kevin Porter Jr. is averaging 7.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Derrick White is scoring 17.5 points per game and averaging 4.1 rebounds for the Celtics. Sam Hauser is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bucks: 2-8, averaging 111.3 points, 38.9 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.8 points per game.
Celtics: 8-2, averaging 122.1 points, 42.6 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 8.4 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 51.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.5 points.
INJURIES: Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo: out (calf), AJ Green: day to day (shoulder), Taurean Prince: out (neck).
Celtics: Jayson Tatum: out (achilles).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Milwaukee, WI
Jingle Bus brings holiday cheer to downtown Milwaukee with new warming house location
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s beloved Jingle Bus holiday lights tour is back for another season, offering families a cozy way to experience downtown’s festive decorations while learning about the city’s history and landmarks.
Watch: Milwaukee’s Jingle Bus adds new Red Arrow Park warming house location
Jingle bus returns for the holidays
The 40-minute tour through downtown Milwaukee has become a seasonal favorite, now featuring a brand new warming house location at Red Arrow Park in the heart of downtown. Each ticket includes a free cup of cocoa and warm cookie from Bigby Coffee.
“We’re in the heart of downtown at Red Arrow Park, and this is our brand new warming house location, and we’re so excited,” said Isabel Ullrich, with Milwaukee Downtown, BID 21.
Sandra Dempsey
The comfortable coach bus takes passengers around the city to see holiday lights while guides narrate information about Milwaukee’s landmarks along the way. For Shaina, who has been riding the Jingle Bus for 15 years, the experience never gets old.
“I love that it’s a comfy coach bus that takes you around to see the lights, and they narrate as you’re going by the landmarks in Milwaukee,” Shaina said.
The Jingle Bus operates Friday through Sunday throughout the holiday season. Since 2018, the tour has offered special Spanish-language tours on Sundays, led by Sandra Dempsey, to better serve Milwaukee’s Latino community.
“It was a great addition from Milwaukee downtown to include and incorporate something new and different for the Latino community,” Sandra said. “We do them in Spanish, so we also get to say some jokes in Spanish, so it’s been really fun for the Latinos to come and actually enjoy downtown in their own language.”
Sandra emphasized that the Jingle Bus serves as more than just entertainment – it’s an educational experience that helps families learn about their city while establishing new traditions.
“Jingle Bus is a great way to establish a tradition with your family, right? Getting to know Milwaukee downtown,” Sandra said. “Some people don’t know some facts or history about Milwaukee. So coming to the Jingle bus tour helps them to understand more like what is the city about, what the city offers, so it’s been a great way for families to come, learn more about Milwaukee, and do it in their own language.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee residents frustrated as leaf piles remain buried under snow; DPW has plan to address the leaves
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee residents are expressing frustration as leaf piles remain buried under snow and ice more than a week after a post-Thanksgiving snowstorm, with some areas still waiting for city cleanup crews to address the mess.
The issue has become one of the main complaints brought to Alderman Lamont Westmoreland’s office, discussed during this month’s town hall meeting focused on the city’s leaf collection problems.
“In our area, they have done a terrible job as well,” Rose Lane said.
Brendyn Jones/TMJ4
The Department of Public Works had not finished its leaf collection before the snowstorm hit shortly after Thanksgiving. When snow plows made their way through the streets, they avoided large leaf piles and pushed smaller ones back up into the curb, creating additional problems for residents.
“Pretty soon, the entire street was occupied by leaves, and nobody could park,” said Randy Crawford, a resident of the fifth district.
Watch: Milwaukee residents frustrated as leaf piles remain buried under snow
Leaf cleanup delays frustrate Milwaukee residents after snowstorm
Not everyone blames the city entirely for the situation.
“But I don’t think it was entirely the city’s fault, like I said, it’s just Mother Nature,” Crawford said.
In a release on Monday, DPW said many large piles of leaves around the city are marked and will be addressed in the coming weeks. Residents can report large piles for the department’s consideration.
However, the city says leaves pushed to the curb or into driveways by snow plows generally won’t be addressed, meaning some areas might not see cleanup until spring.
DPW says it’s not feasible to resume rake-out and leaf consolidation until warmer weather returns.
Some residents hope for earlier action if conditions improve.
“I think if we do get a break in the weather in January, we should address that,” Crawford said.
Others are already planning for spring cleanup.
“I’ll have to do whatever I have to do to get rid of the leaves I don’t want my grass to die, so we’ll see what we do,” Joe Schorse said.
Brendyn Jones/TMJ4
For now, many leaves will remain stuck to the curb throughout the winter months.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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