Milwaukee, WI

'Anything you do with your hands I can do with my feet': Navigating life without using your hands

Published

1 year ago

November 7, 2024

'Anything you do with your hands I can do with my feet': Navigating life without using your hands

MILWAUKEE — “I have people come up to me on the street and say, ‘Good for you for getting out in the world.’ Like that’s not normal. I’m just a person.”

Ebony Lewis is just a Milwaukee East Sider who loves art, theater, and her dog. She especially loves to paint. However, she can’t paint with her hands. She uses her feet.

“Feel what you’re feeling through your painting,” Lewis said.

She was born with arthrogryposis. It’s a muscle disorder. All of her limbs are clubbed. Her arm movement is minimal, so she uses her feet to text, heat up coffee, and write things down.

James Groh

Ebony Lewis poses for a photo inside her East Side apartment.

“Honestly, anything you do with your hands, I can do with my feet.”

But that has also brought challenges both growing up and now as she navigates life as a 20-year-old seeking independence.

Since elementary school, she has been involved with school plays. At Tosa East High School, she was a stage manager for many of the productions. After graduating, she wanted to earn her bachelor’s degree at a film school. She tried attending a university in Chicago, but there weren’t many adaptive options. Then she looked at schools in Los Angeles, but there weren’t affordable caregivers, so she stayed in Milwaukee. However, that presented its own set of challenges.

Watch Ebony Lewis’ inspiring story…

How a Milwaukee artist navigates life using just her feet

“I had my roommates move out on me because they said they couldn’t handle the level of care I needed, which wasn’t them taking care of me. It was caregivers coming in, but they didn’t like that,” Lewis said.

Now, she lives in a one-bedroom apartment on Milwaukee’s East Side. While she has a license, she is forced to rely on help getting around because she can’t find funding sources for a modified vehicle to drive.

“It’s just kind of been one slap in the face after another of me just trying to live my life and society not allowing it,” Lewis said.

To handle all the stress, she took up painting as a way to express herself. She paints landscapes, her dog, and anything else that comes to mind.

In addition to her painting, she’s also advocating for herself and her community.

Ebony Lewis Paintings — Paintings Ebony Lewis created.

“I want (life) to be more adaptable for us. I don’t want us to have to fight constantly to just live,” she said. “People view us as things that need to be helped and fixed and not as actual humans. And we’re all placed in the same bubble. It’s taken a lot to show people what I can do, and a lot of people have tried to stop me from just being a normal person. They want to keep you in this box, and you’ll try to change their mindset, but they’re so stuck on it, you know. It’s very hard.”

She also wants people to recognize that not all disabilities are the same.

“Because I have abilities other people don’t. Other people can do things I can’t do,” she said.

Lewis’ goals are to eventually attend film school, get more disabled people involved in filmmaking, and live a normal life.

“I’m very determined. I want to do what I want to do, and I don’t care if people tell me I can’t. I don’t care if I can’t. I’m going to try to figure this out. I’m very go-go-go. Nothing stops me.”

Given Ebony Lewis’ attitude, it won’t be surprising when she accomplishes all her goals.

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Milwaukee, WI

Truck drives in to Grace Coffee in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward overnight

Published

2 hours ago

March 27, 2026

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Truck drives in to Grace Coffee in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward overnight

MILWAUKEE — A truck drove through the Grace Coffee Co. in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward on early Friday morning, the owners announced in a social media post.

Due to the extensive damage that was done, the coffee shop will be closed until further notice.

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“We’re incredibly grateful no one was hurt, and we’ll keep you updated as we begin repairs,” the coffee shop said in the post.

TMJ4 reached out to the Milwaukee Police Department but have yet to hear back.

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Milwaukee, WI

MPS layoffs plan draws pushback as district works to close $46M gap

Published

14 hours ago

March 26, 2026

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MPS layoffs plan draws pushback as district works to close M gap

MPS cuts face backlash

Milwaukee Public Schools plans about 200 layoffs to close a $46 million budget gap, but union leaders say cuts could impact student safety while district leaders say no classroom teachers will be eliminated.

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Public Schools is planning to cut roughly 200 positions next school year as the district works to close a multi-million-dollar budget gap — but there’s disagreement over which roles will be impacted.

What we know:

District leaders say the goal is to close a roughly $46 million shortfall, prompting changes that Superintendent Brenda Cassellius says are necessary.

Milwaukee Public Schools said about 201 staff members will be impacted. District leaders say no classroom teachers, counselors or social workers will be cut — something the teachers’ union disputes.

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The reductions stem from a previously approved plan to eliminate about 260 non-classroom roles. The final number dropped after retirements and existing vacancies. The Milwaukee Board of School Directors approved that plan on March 9.

What they’re saying:

“We have a $50 million deficit, we are for sure not going to be able to do business the same way that we’ve been able to do business,” Cassellius said. “Change is just hard. It’s just hard. And every single one of our employees is so important.”

But some educators say the cuts go too far.

“MTEA is setting up a distress signal. We are talking about our teachers, art teachers, music teachers, physical education teachers, counselors — things that the voters of referendum of Milwaukee actually voted for,” said Ingrid Walker-Henry, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association. “Staffing is being cut to the extent that they are concerned about student safety.”

Cassellius acknowledged the uncertainty and asked school leaders for patience.

“We just have to for sure know our budget situation, where we’re at with that after these cuts are made in order to make those decisions,” she said. “So I’m asking my principals, be patient with us.”

By the numbers:

The district outlined the 201 affected positions as:

70 central office roles
62 educators with a teaching license but not assigned to one classroom
59 assistant principals

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MPS says the savings will support new class size guidelines, including:

18 students per teacher in K3
20 students per teacher in K4
22 students per teacher in K5

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)

District leaders say no students will be asked to leave a school to meet class size guidelines. Officials say they are working with schools that may not have space or that require larger classes based on specific programs.

What’s next:

Milwaukee Public Schools plans to present its proposed 2026–27 budget to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors in May.

The Source: Information in this post was provided by Milwaukee Public Schools and prior FOX6 coverage.

Milwaukee Public SchoolsMilwaukeeEducationNews

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Milwaukee, WI

Brewers finally announce cable, satellite TV channels for broadcasts

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

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Brewers finally announce cable, satellite TV channels for broadcasts

Just before the pitch clock hits zero, the Milwaukee Brewers released a rundown of channels on cable and satellite for game broadcasts, mere hours before the 1:10 p.m. CT first pitch on Opening Day, Thursday, March 26.

The club said channels include 1263 on XFinity, 670 on DirecTV, 1743 on U-Verse, and 319 or 469 on Spectrum. The broadcasts are also listed as available on streaming service Fubo.

The Brewers are pointing fans to a channel-finding tool on their web site at Brewers.com/watch, though in the moments after the announcement, the channel finder was not yet locating details for Spectrum customers for Milwaukee-area zip codes. A club spokesperson said Major League Baseball was aware of the error and the games would indeed air on Spectrum in Milwaukee.

The built-in Spectrum guide still showed Channel 308 as the “BREW” offering in Milwaukee, with Brewers Live Pregame scheduled to begin at noon CT and baseball at 1 p.m. March 26.

With the February announcement of a switchover from FanDuel Sports Wisconsin to Major League Baseball productions in 2026, MLB negotiations have gone down to the wire with the various providers around Wisconsin. Several teams covered by Main Street Sports, which operated the FanDuel brand, have been in a similar boat this offseason.

Brewers fans aren’t alone in experiencing the late-arriving channel information. Maury Brown of Forbes has been keeping track of all the late-arriving channel announcements for teams around baseball, specifically those that were covered by the Main Street Sports. As of 7 a.m. March 26, the Royals, Rays, Tigers and Braves also still hadn’t released channel listings.

Streaming customers who used the FanDuel Sports Wisconsin app in previous years can use the new Brewers.TV option to once again watch games. The opener is also one of 10 games simulcast on over-the-air channels this season, including WITI-TV (Channel 6) in Milwaukee.

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