Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee contractors face winter salt shortage, turn to rationing
MILWAUKEE – Private snow service contractors in Milwaukee say they are facing a rock salt shortage this winter, even as the city’s Department of Public Works reports it has enough supply on hand.
What we know:
Contractors say municipalities typically get priority access to salt, leaving private companies scrambling as winter storms pile up earlier than expected.
“This is not like winters past,” said Myron Dorshak, co-owner of Dorshak Tree Service and Snow Plowing Service.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Working in single-digit temperatures is nothing new for snow crews, Dorshak said, but rationing salt this early in the season is raising concerns.
“Certainly we are struggling to keep enough in stock and the prices are skyrocketing.”
What they’re saying:
Dorshak said his company normally buys about 1,000 tons of salt each year at roughly $110 per ton. This season, suppliers are charging more than double that price, around $250 per ton.
“The problem is the prices are doubling. And really, there’s no more coming in from Milwaukee,” Dorshak said. “So we have to get salt from Chicago, and it’s starting to go from other states. They said we could go to Kansas to pick it up, but that’s a far way to go. They have good prices in Kansas, though.”
Dorshak said the company did not anticipate the higher costs when setting up contracts with customers.
“We didn’t put it in our cost structure with our customers and our contract, so we are just going to have to eat that — take a little loss there,” Dorshak said.
He said early November snowfall and multiple winter weather events quickly depleted supplies. Dorshak added that his company is not alone, noting that at least two FOX6 viewers also reached out with similar concerns.
Dig deeper:
As salt supplies tighten, Dorshak said his company is turning to brine as an alternative.
“It’s a liquid salt and it melts at a lower temperature,” Dorshak said. “Brine is actually very good, it’s costly to set up and all that.”
At Jones Island, a major hub for salt from various producers, piles appeared noticeably smaller than in past years.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
“We may not have enough salt for the rest of the season and it’s going to get very slippery,” Dorshak said.
He said moving forward, crews will rely more on brine and ration salt by applying lighter treatments when possible.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
When will wildfire smoke leave Wisconsin?
Let’s clear the haze on exactly how smoke from Canadian wildfires is affecting air quality in Wisconsin. Here are answers to common questions.
A 12-year-old was shot and injured during the afternoon of July 17, and Milwaukee police are asking the public for information.
The shooting happened around 6:35 p.m. on the 5600 block of North 60th Street, according to the Milwaukee Police Department. The child was injured and transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-fatal injuries.
Police said the circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation.
Milwaukee police continue to seek unknown suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call 414-935-7360 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or the P3 Tips App.
Adrienne Davis is a general assignment and breaking news reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Got any tips or stories to share? Contact Adrienne at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.
Milwaukee, WI
‘You can see God’s hand in it’: How Milwaukee women are building a double Dutch community through sisterhood and fitness
On Milwaukee’s North Side, women 40 and up are coming together to jump double Dutch. Members say that beyond the ropes they are building a sisterhood, strengthening their health and becoming confident in aging.
40+ Double Dutch Club is a nonprofit founded in Chicago by Pamela Robinson in 2016 that uses double Dutch and other fitness activities to encourage wellness, sisterhood, mental health and more for women over 40.
“It amazes me how God can use something as simple as a plastic clothesline to connect women all over the world,” said Robinson, who is also the group’s CEO and board president.
Robinson, 55, launched the organization after discussing the idea with her friend Catrina Dyer-Taylor. At the time she was battling depression.
“My husband and I were about to get divorced, my oldest kids were grown and I just had my youngest one in the house,” Robinson said. “I needed to find a happy place.”
She promoted the meetup on social media, and many of her friends and community members came out to support her.
“I remember telling (Dyer-Taylor) that if no one came then we’d tie the ropes to a fence and jump together,” Robinson said. “However, we never had to do that because our friends came out.”
Since being founded, the organization has expanded into hundreds of subclubs nationwide, including Milwaukee’s.
“I knew that God wanted me to do something and it’s given me purpose and he has put me on a path where 40+ Double Dutch is a part of that,” said Angela Scott, captain and founder of Milwaukee’s double Dutch subclub.
Launching the Milwaukee subclub
Scott, 54, established the 40+ Double Dutch subclub in Milwaukee in 2024 after discovering the organization on Facebook. She took weekend trips to Chicago and sometimes Texas to participate with women of the club.
“The feeling I got from the ladies when I entered the gym was like I’ve known them all my life,” Scott said.
As a breast cancer survivor, Scott said she was glad to have found something that brought her comfort that wasn’t a traditional gym space.
“Double Dutching is a full body workout, and I don’t like the gym, but I knew I needed something to keep my body moving and to keep cancer out of my body,” Scott said.
Once officially joining 40+ Double Dutch, Scott talked to Robinson about bringing a subclub to Milwaukee.
“She said that they had been wanting one in Milwaukee, they just had no one that was interested and committed,” Scott said.
Milwaukee’s subclub now consists of 37 members. Among them is Scott’s mother, Shirley Tomlinson, 76, who is the first and oldest member.
“I feel like my family has grown here and that’s a very positive thing for a person my age,” Tomlinson said. “It helps keep me feeling young, and there’s a lot of support in it.”
Tomlinson said she joined the club after hearing about her daughter’s Chicago experience and watching the film “Beyond the Ropes: The 40+ Double Dutch Club Documentary.”
Though Tomlinson doesn’t jump double Dutch, she does other things for the subclub like record keeping, videography, planning birthday celebrations and more.
“I do everything I can because I’m my daughter’s ride or die,” she said.
Reliving childhood memories
Scott said double Dutch gives her a joyous nostalgia from growing up, especially as she learned how to double Dutch from her aunt who was like a big sister.
“If you were a girl that jump-roped, then you know it takes you back to that space,” Scott said.
When the Milwaukee subclub appears at local events like the Juneteenth parade, residents typically will jump in the ropes with smiles and recall memories as they walk down the streets.
“As you watch us grow, you can see God’s hand in it,” Tomlinson said.
The women of Milwaukee’s subclub meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday at Abundant Faith Church of Integrity, 7830 W. Good Hope Road.
The meet typically begins with a stretch, then leads to open play that includes dances and songs to let them double Dutch, hula hoop or play a rhythmic game.
One fitness activity recreated by 40+ Double Dutch is African Hopscotch, which includes members jumping to a song called “Double Dutch Bus” by Frankie Smith and sometimes holding pompoms.
To end the session, members close with a double Dutch hymn followed by a circle of prayer.
“We hold hands and then we sing the song,” Scott said. “Regardless of what meet you go to each one will have the same format.”
Building a strong sisterhood
Scott said the relationships being built at the club remind her of the organization’s mission.
“Part of the mission is friendship, fitness, fun and fellowship,” she said. “All of those things resonate with me and in my spirit because it’s a sisterhood that’s based on God’s direction.”
When away from the ropes, members try to support each other in different ways.
“There are several of the ladies in our club that have businesses, and we’ll do anything to support them,” Scott said.
For Tomlinson, who experienced a few health crises this year, it brought relief knowing that there was a sisterhood standing behind her.
“They reached out to me and let me know they were praying for me,” she said. “It’s like having a big family of daughters.”
Achieving long-term goals
Within the next few years, Scott hopes to see the subclub grow in membership and the women begin to intentionally take more time for themselves.
“I truly believe that a healthy and strong woman makes a healthy and strong world because we are the mothers of this world,” she said. “If the woman is not healthy mentally, physically or spiritually, then the world is not healthy.”
Another goal of hers is to visit with incarcerated women.
“For whatever reason that they’re there, I just want to take them out of that space for just 30 to 40 minutes,” she said.
Tomlinson said it amazes her to see her daughter lead, receive support from the community and promote health to other women.
“It’s been wonderful watching her grow and watching how dedicated she is because that’s a big responsibility,” she said.
How to join 40+ Double Dutch Club
If you are a woman over 40 and interested in joining, click here to find a subclub near you and find details about weekly meetups.
Membership is $120 and includes a digital ID card, access to all nationwide subclubs, subclub support and more.
Scott said the summer has been the busiest time for the organization and wants to remind women that you don’t have to jump to be a part of it.
“People are starting to realize we’re in the city and we like it that way because the more women that know then the more that can be impacted by what we have to offer,” she said.
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 <a target=”_blank” href=”https://wisconsinwatch.org/2026/07/milwaukee-women-double-dutch-jump-rope-club-community-sisterhood-fitness/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://wisconsinwatch.org”>Wisconsin Watch</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-WCIJ_IconOnly_FullColor_RGB-1.png?fit=150%2C150&quality=100&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>
<img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://wisconsinwatch.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=1318844&ga4=G-D2S69Y9TDB” style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https://wisconsinwatch.org/2026/07/milwaukee-women-double-dutch-jump-rope-club-community-sisterhood-fitness/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”//cdn.parsely.com/keys/wisconsinwatch.org/p.js”></script>
MILWAUKEE — It’s well known that Milwaukee is famous for beer, brats, the Bucks, and the Brewers. But let’s put some respect on the comedy scene here.
The Laughing Tap features weekly stand-up performances with nationally touring acts. They opened up their new venue at 761 N. Jefferson St. in Milwaukee back in March.
Since then, they’ve had dozens of acts perform. Now, they are putting on a new type of comedy show, The Milwaukee Comedy Challenge.
According to the website, the challenge is: “A friendly battle of wits with over $2000 in Cash Prizes, more than 2.5 hours of Paid Gigs awarded, and the chance to challenge yourself to be the best comic you can be. This isn’t about competing with your fellow comics, it’s about challenging yourself to write great material, get bigger laughs, and become a better comic.”
The first round has finished. The challenge continues on July 22 with the start of the second round. The remaining 20 comics will perform a four-minute set. Only 10 will make it to the next round. There will be four more rounds afterwards. In the finals, comics will have to perform 20-minute sets with completely new jokes. The winner will be receive a paid headliner gig at The Laughing Tap, a spot in the 2026 Milwaukee Comedy Festival, and $1,000.
If you think you’re pretty funny, you can get on stage for The Laughing Tap’s weekly stand-up open mic on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Every aspiring comic gets about three to four minutes.
Milwaukee comedy club The Laughing Tap hosting comedy challenge
Let’s talk:
Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip
-
Movie Reviews8 minutes ago“The Odyssey” is Christopher Nolan’s Most Singular Film Yet (Movie Review)
-
World21 minutes ago
Iran War Updates: Bridges and Water Plants Hit as Strikes Stretch to 7th Straight Day
-
Lifestyle1 hour agoSpain could make World Cup history: The first to win men’s and women’s trophies back-to-back
-
Technology1 hour agoTaylor Farms pulls iceberg lettuce from the US market after cyclosporiasis outbreak
-
World1 hour agoWho is Andy Burnham? The Trump critic set to become the UK’s next prime minister
-
Politics2 hours agoMajor appeals court declares New Jersey AR-15 ban unconstitutional in landmark Second Amendment ruling
-
Health2 hours agoFirst death reported in Upper East Side Legionnaires’ disease outbreak as cases rise to 67
-
Sports2 hours agoRaising Cane’s owner Todd Graves on how viral Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski dunk tank came to be at Fanatics Fest
