Milwaukee, WI

Live: UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee students organize pro-Palestinian rallies Monday

Published

2 years ago

April 29, 2024

Live: UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee students organize pro-Palestinian rallies Monday

As pro-Palestinian encampments pop up at colleges across the country, student groups have scheduled Monday morning rallies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Milwaukee.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7, protests on Wisconsin campuses have been largely peaceful. The Monday rallies are among the first scheduled in the state since New York police arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University, which set off protests at other colleges nationally.

Check back for updates as the day progresses.

What’s driving students to protest?

The rallies come as the semester winds down and commencement nears. The past school year has left both Palestinian and Jewish students on edge, with many feeling misunderstood, anxious and isolated.

The organizing groups, which include Students for Justice in Palestine chapters and the Students for Democratic Society at UW-Milwaukee, have pushed for their schools to cut ties with Israel.

The groups did not make clear whether their rally plans included setting up encampments. A UW-Milwaukee organizer said the rally would last two hours, while UW-Madison organizers didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Will students be arrested?

The UW-Madison dean of students and interim police chief warned in a Friday email to the 50,000-student campus that disobeying university protest policies and rules “can and will have consequences, both within our code of student conduct and more broadly under Wisconsin law.”

State rules ban people from camping on university land.

At UWM, five students were arrested earlier this semester following a sit-in outside the chancellor’s office that university officials said was unauthorized.

“In the extremely rare instances when UWM Police have made arrests at the site of prior demonstrations, not one person has been arrested because they were protesting,” university spokesperson Angelica Duria said. “Rather, they were arrested and subsequently cited for violations of the laws by which we must all abide.”

More: As pro-Palestinian protests sweep U.S. campuses, here’s what’s happening at Wisconsin universities

Why are pro-Palestinian students protesting at UW-Milwaukee?

The students’ demands include:

Renaming Golda Meir Library. Meir, who grew up in Milwaukee and is one of UWM’s most notable alumna, was Israeli prime minister from 1969-74. UWM says the UW Board of Regents is in charge of campus building names.
Ending study abroad trips to Israel. UWM said it has no study-abroad activity in Israel and no jurisdiction over Hillel, an international organization through which local Jewish college students can join and take birthright trips to Israel.
Divesting from weapon manufacturersinvolved in the war. UWM said its foundation supports the university by investing in mutual funds but it cannot divert money from individual companies within its funds.

About two dozen student protesters staged a six-hour sit-in outside the office of UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone in February. Police arrested five students for assembly blocking, obstructing, unauthorized occupation, prohibited signs and prohibited noise.

The students pleaded not guilty to the citations, which carry fines but no jail time.

More recently, protesters have picketed outside Mone’s home.

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Milwaukee, WI

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

Published

12 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

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.

TMJ4

“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

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

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

2 days ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

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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