Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee getting new dock for growing cruise ship visits. Some alders say city shouldn’t fund it
Milwaukee is getting a new publicly funded dock to accommodate its growing cruise ship business — despite an attempt by some Common Council members to use $5 million in city cash for other programs.
That dock funding was included in Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s 2025 budget approved by the council.
Work on that new dock, which will better handle large Viking cruise ships, begins in 2025. It’s to be operating by spring 2026.
Here’s what to know.
Viking cruises spur the project
Viking in 2022 began using Milwaukee as a turnaround site for its Great Lakes cruises — with trips starting or ending here. That means more spending by visitors at hotels, restaurants and other businesses, Port Director Jackie Carter says.
But other Great Lakes cities are eyeing that business and Port Milwaukee faces the prospect of increased competition, according to Carter.
That led the port to plan a $17 million project to create a new cruise dock. It will be built on vacant land just east of the Lake Express Ferry Terminal, 2320 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive.
The Viking ships now dock at Port Milwaukee’s heavy lift dock — which mainly serves cargo ships. It’s within an industrial area off South Carferry Drive on Jones Island and “isn’t the most welcoming place” for tourists, according to Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic.
Smaller cruise ships, which can maneuver through shallower waters, dock at Pier Wisconsin, 530 N. Harbor Drive.
Dock funding includes federal, state grants
The project will be funded with $4 million in federal and state grants, $7.64 million in port cash reserves, and $5 million from city taxpayers.
That $17 million tab includes spending on road, sewer and water improvements to make the site available for other development.
Cruise ship passengers visiting Milwaukee generated a $7.2 million regional economic impact from 2022 through 2024, according to a study commissioned by Port Milwaukee.
Ald. Bauman sought to divert funding
Ald. Robert Bauman, who chairs the council’s Public Works Committee, opposed the $5 million funding request that was part of Johnson’s 2025 budget proposal.
He said the cost was too high, and was skeptical of the economic impact study.
Bauman offered an amendment that would have diverted the funding to street reconstruction and paving projects, and a city fund that helps first-time homebuyers with down payments.
Dimitrijevic, whose district includes the dock site, supported the dock funding. She said it would help attract more visitors who spend money in Milwaukee while also setting the stage for additional development at the site.
That amendment was rejected by the council on a 12-2 vote in November. Bauman was joined by Ald. DiAndre Jackson in supporting it.
Other port projects
Meanwhile, a $45 million agricultural maritime export terminal, opened in 2023 on the west side of Jones Island at 1711 S. Carferry Drive.
Clinton-based DeLong Co. uses it to ship dried distillers grain, an animal feed supplement, and other products aimed at international markets.
The terminal is being expanded, with that work likely to start in 2025.
Also, PCB-polluted sediment being removed from the Milwaukee River Estuary will be stored at the port’s Dredged Material Management Facility. It’s being built east of South Lincoln Memorial Drive and north of the Lake Express Ferry Terminal.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Bluesky, X and Facebook.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Panthers Putting Together a Great Run in the NCAA Tournament – World Baseball Network
The Milwaukee Panthers are in the driver’s seat in the NCAA Tournament’s Auburn regional. The Panthers have two wins over the Auburn Tigers and UCF Knights and made it to the regional final.
The Panthers are looking to make it to their first super regional in program history.
From a rocky start to a red-hot Horizon League Tournament run
Milwaukee did not have a smooth start to the 2026 college baseball season. The Panthers were 5-22 overall on April 3 and had an uphill battle to climb to end the season.
From April 3 to the end of the regular season, Milwaukee went 17-9. However, they still had a below-average overall record of 22-31. The Panthers needed to win the Horizon League Tournament to make it into the NCAA Tournament as an automatic bid.
The Panthers posted a solid conference record of 14-10 in 2026. This gave them the number two seed in the Horizon League Tournament, which was played at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio.
Milwaukee defeated Northern Kentucky and the tournament host, Wright State, twice to win the tournament title. They outscored their opponents 23-7 across those three games. The 2026 Horizon League Tournament title is the first conference tournament title for the Panthers since 2010.
Milwaukee’s wins over Auburn and UCF
An automatic bid placed Milwaukee as the fourth seed in the Auburn regional. The Panthers faced off against the Tigers on Friday, May 29.
Milwaukee got off to a huge, early lead on Auburn. Heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Panthers had a 10-0 lead on the Tigers. Milwaukee would go on to win 13-8.
Joey Spence, John Hadley VI, and Grant Ross led Milwaukee offensively with three hits apiece. Spence had two doubles in the game and an RBI. Hadley VI had a double and a triple against Auburn.
Charlie Marion and Bradyn Horn both had three-run home runs early on in the game that were huge for the Panthers. Those home runs allowed them to gain a big 10-0 lead early.
The magic did not stop on Friday for Milwaukee. On Saturday, May 30, the Panthers defeated the UCF Knights in the “1-0” game by a score of 13-6.
Ross continued his big performance in the regional. After a three-hit game against Auburn, the Milwaukee third baseman hit a home run and a double against UCF. He finished the game with two hits, three RBIs, and five runs scored.
Marion finished with a multi-hit game against the Knights. Milwaukee’s center fielder, Dylan O’Connell, had two doubles in the game that led to four RBIs.
Up next for Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Panthers will play the winner of the game between Auburn and UCF in the Auburn regional final on Sunday, May 31.
The Auburn-UCF elimination game is at 3 p.m. ET at Plainsman Park, and the game can be watched on ESPN2. Milwaukee’s game against the winner will be at 8 p.m. ET. That game will be on ESPN+.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Via Dominic Kibler on Instagram (@dominic.kibler)
How will Auburn baseball approach pitching for rest of NCAA regional?
What’s Auburn baseball’s strategy on the mound after its upset loss to 4-seed Milwaukee? Here’s what Butch Thompson said.
Milwaukee proved its offensive outburst in the Auburn Regional opener was no fluke, though UCF’s pitchers certainly aided the Panthers’ efforts on May 30.
The Horizon League champs tagged the Knights for five extra-base hits and capitalized on five walks in the first three innings to cruise for a 13-6 victory at Plainsman Park. Milwaukee (27-31) sits in the driver’s seat to become just the 10th regional No. 4 seed to advance to supers in NCAA baseball tournament history.
UCF (32-22) will meet Auburn (39-20) at 3 p.m. Sunday in an elimination game. The winner will turn around and face Milwaukee at 8, needing to upend the Panthers twice.
Milwaukee scored the game’s first nine runs to win for the 22nd time in their last 30 games. They jumped out to a 10-0 lead the day before to stun Auburn.
Andrew Williamson demolished his fourth home run of the regional to lead off the sixth inning, a 443-foot blast with an exit velocity of 110 mph off the bat. Evan Jones gave the Knights a chance at an improbable comeback with a career-high 4⅓ innings of two-run relief.
Here are three takeaways from an untimely upset that puts the Knights on the brink of elimination.
UCF had no answers for the top of Milwaukee’s order
Milwaukee’s big bats at the top of the lineup set the tone and proved to be near-impossible outs for UCF’s pitchers.
Panthers leadoff hitter Grant Ross reached base in each of his five plate appearances, including an unorthodox solo home run deflected off the head of UCF center fielder De’Amez Ross — reminiscent of an infamous 1993 José Canseco blooper in Cleveland.
“We’re just gritty, man. We’re grinding it out,” Grant Ross told the ESPN+ broadcast crew after the game. “We knew we had the talent all along. It’s just clicking.”
Charlie Marion singled twice, walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored twice. Dylan O’Connell smacked doubles in his first two at-bats and drove in four runs.
The Panthers chased Mateo Gray after 1⅓ innings. He found the strike zone on just 13 of his 27 pitches, allowing three hits and three earned runs. UCF burned through five of its bullpen arms, a potentially problematic situation for the rest of the weekend.
Home plate umpire exits after taking foul tip off mask
Play was halted for 20 minutes in the second inning when home plate umpire Blake Felix absorbed a foul ball off the face mask — a fastball thrown by Milwaukee starter Aric Ehmke that UCF catcher Zak Skinner tipped.
Felix was visibly shaken up, and he met with the on-site athletic training staff before heading into the dugout. He underwent testing for a concussion and did not return, replaced behind the plate by second base umpire Travis Carlson.
Alan Gorewitz filled the void at second base for the remainder of the evening.
UCF faces elimination against No. 4 national seed Auburn
The Knights will need to knock out the fourth-ranked team in the country to keep hope of a first trip to supers alive.
Auburn rebounded to eliminate NC State in a 17-13 slugfest in earlier action Saturday. Five Tigers had multi-hit games; Ethin Bingaman and Cade Belyeu each homered twice, and Chase Fralick drove in six RBIs.
UCF has a 5-6 all-time record against the Tigers, though it swept a three-game series at Plainsman Park during the abbreviated 2020 season.
Auburn’s pitching staff has allowed 26 runs through two regional games. During the regular season, the Tigers ranked fourth in Division I with a 3.45 ERA.
Jeremy Peña of the Houston Astros slides into home against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 30. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images)
HOUSTON – Christian Walker hit a three-run homer and Jeremy Peña had a home run among his three hits to help the Houston Astros roll to a 9-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
By the numbers:
Peña’s two-run shot made it 3-1 in the second and the Astros added three runs in the fifth to pull away after the Brewers got within 1. Walker’s shot to the seats in right field made it 9-2 with two outs in the eighth.
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It’s the seventh win in nine games for the Astros and snaps Milwaukee’s four-game winning streak.
Houston starter Peter Lambert (4-4) allowed five hits and two runs with three walks in five innings for the win.
Milwaukee’s Brandon Sproat (1-4) permitted six hits and five runs in 4 1/3 innings.
William Contreras gave the Brewers an early lead with a two-out RBI double in the first.
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Cam Smith was on second base with one out in the second when he scored on a single by Jake Meyers to tie it.
The home run by Peña came with two outs in the inning to put the Astros on top 3-1.
Garrett Mitchell walked to start the fifth and moved to second on a wild pitch by Lambert with one out. Christian Yelich walked with two outs before the Brewers cut the lead to 3-2 on an RBI single by Jackson Chourio.
The Astros had runners on first and third with one out in the fifth after Sproat hit Walker with a pitch. Sproat was replaced by Carlos Rodriguez and Taylor Trammell hit an infield RBI single to make it 4-2.
Isaac Paredes then doubled to left field to score two more and put the Astros up 6-2.
What’s next:
Houston RHP Tatsuya Imai (2-2, 6.17 ERA), who was the starter in a combined no-hitter his last time out, starts in the series finale Sunday against RHP Jacob Misiorowski (5-2, 1.83).
The Source: The Associated Press provided this report.
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