The Republican National Convention was forecasted to have $200 million economic impact on Milwaukee

The balloons dropped. The delegates arrived and left with souvenirs along with promises to return to Milwaukee. Mayor Cavalier Johnson proclaimed mission accomplished, “We were able to elevate Milwaukee,” he said in a post-convention interview with the Journal Sentinel.

Even the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, noted the huge economic impact of hosting the convention on Milwaukee, quipping during his acceptance speech Thursday night that he was “trying to buy” Wisconsin’s vote. He put the impact at $250 million, though the official estimate is $200 million. The actual numbers will be closely scrutinized in the weeks and months to come with reports of disappointing sales from some downtown businesses.

As life downtown slowly returns to normal and we stop seeing Milwaukee and RNC on national news, we’d like your take on the convention and it’s impact on Milwaukee. This is not a question about the politics of the event. Indeed, the standard line from event organizers was that the RNC wasn’t about blue or red, but green.

We will begin posting your feedback as soon as grades start rolling in:

A big thanks to readers who have weighed in throughout the week about the convention, including:

Donald Trump’s acceptance speech: Rambling mess of falsehoods. I liked all of it! God spared this man for us!

The selection of J.D. Vance for VP: A Trump clone. Much-needed youth.

Your mood heading into the convention: Here is what you are most looking forward to, and dreading, about the RNC

Reaction to an attempted assassination: How you’re feeling after Saturday’s Trump rally shooting

By Ted Chisholm

When we elect leaders to represent us, we rightfully ask them to explain how their policies will provide a tangible benefit to our community. As a candidate for Milwaukee County Treasurer in the August 13 Democratic primary, I am frequently asked that question. I am always happy to respond because the County Treasurer’s Office can do much more to support a thriving community for all.

First, the County Treasurer can drive economic growth that actually benefits our communities, and not just well-heeled developers in downtown Milwaukee. The Treasurer is responsible for enforcing property tax delinquencies in eighteen of Milwaukee County’s nineteen municipalities – the City of Milwaukee has its own elected treasurer. That means that in Glendale, Brown Deer, Wauwatosa, Shorewood, West Allis, and communities across our county, the Treasurer can take action to foreclose on vacant and abandoned industrial and commercial sites whose owners have failed to pay property taxes in years.

All too often, vacant and abandoned properties languish for years, while Milwaukee County foots the tax bill to the municipality. This is a problem for our entire community, and the Treasurer’s Office must do more to acquire these properties, even if that means working with state and private-sector partners to identify, on the front end, funding that the county’s economic development staff can use to make the properties suitable for sale upon acquisition.

By acquiring vacant properties more rapidly, the Treasurer’s Office can help restore them to active use. Once a property is acquired by Milwaukee County through foreclosure by the Treasurer’s Office and the Office of Corporation Counsel, the property can be cleaned up, as is often required of old industrial sites and sold by the county’s Economic and Community Development Division. The sale of these properties will create new revenue for Milwaukee County, enabling greater investment in human services and infrastructure that benefit all Milwaukee County residents.

At the same time, in communities directly served by the Treasurer’s enforcement function, there is a need for greater housing equity and for the buildout of locally-owned businesses – including Black-owned businesses seeking to expand. When we look at growing communities like Brown Deer, Glendale, Oak Creek, and Franklin, we see a common pattern: the potential for business growth and investment in new markets.

At the same time, industrial and commercial prospects are not the only opportunities made available by the redevelopment of land obtained by the Treasurer’s Office. Milwaukee County needs more affordable housing, particularly in our suburban communities, that is truly accessible and welcoming to all members of our community. The Treasurer’s Office can help catalyze this critical form of development by working with municipal partners to acquire abandoned properties that could be redeveloped into opportunities for new housing, such as single-family homes, multi-unit complexes, or mixed-use residential developments with retail outlets on the ground floor.

I hope this summary helps illustrate how an engaged and effective Treasurer’s Office could provide better service to our community!

The Minnesota Twins (54-42) welcome the Milwaukee Brewers (55-42) to Target Field Saturday for the 1st of a 2-game series. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Brewers vs. Twins odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

Season series: Tied 1-1

The Twins went into the All-Star break having won 5 of their last 8 games. They did lose 2 of 3 to the San Francisco Giants in the series prior and dropped the final game of that stint 3-2 Sunday. Minnesota is 27-18 at home and has won 4 of its last 6 at home. It is 45-51 against the spread (ATS) on the season.

The Brewers won their final game before the break 9-3 against the Washington Nationals Sunday, snapping a 3-game win streak. Despite that, they still sit atop the NL Central and are above .500 at 26-25 on the road. Milwaukee is 3-7 over its last 10 games and and 1-3 in its last 4 on the road. The Brewers are 52-45 ATS on the season.

Brewers at Twins projected starters

RHP Freddy Peralta vs. RHP Pablo Lopez

Peralta (6-5, 4.11 ERA) makes his 20th start. He has a 1.19 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9 and 11.4 K/9 through 103 innings.

• Last start: Loss, 5 IP, 4 ER, 10 H, 0 BB, 6 K in 5-2 home loss to the Washington Nationals July 12
• 2024 away splits: 3-3, 3.74 ERA (53 IP, 22 ER), 1.26 WHIP, 7 HR, 10.9 K/9 in 10 starts
• Career vs. Twins: 0-0, 4.15 ERA (13 IP, 6 ER), 1.54 WHIP, 15.9 K/9 in 5 appearances (1 start)

Lopez (8-7, 5.11 ERA) makes his 20th start. He has a 1.18 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9 and 10.5 K/9 through 104 innings.

• Last start: No-decision, 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K in 3-2 road win over the Chicago White Sox July 10
• 2024 home splits: 3-4, 5.74 ERA (47 IP, 30 ER), 1.36 WHIP, 7 HR, 9.4 K/9 in 9 starts
• Career vs. Brewers: 1-1, 3.41 ERA (37 IP, 14 ER), 0.95 WHIP, 10.2 K/9 in 6 starts

Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.

Brewers at Twins odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:05 a.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML): Brewers +106 (bet $100 to win $106) | Twins -124 (bet $124 to win $100)
• Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Brewers -1.5 (+168) | Twins +1.5 (-205)
• Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

Brewers at Twins picks and predictions

Prediction

Brewers 5, Twins 3

Moneyline

BET BREWERS (+106).

The Brewers are 12-7 when Peralta takes the mound and are 6-4 when he is their starting option in road games. As for Lopez, the Twins are 11-8 when he starts and 2-3 in his last 5 home starts. The Twins also are just 21-20 following a loss while the Brewers are 29-25 following a win.

Minnesota’s offense has had too many issues lately as well, scoring 3 or fewer in 4 of its last 5 games. Meanwhile, the Brewers totaled 14 in their last 2 before the break. Put it all together and back BREWERS (+106).

Run line/Against the spread

PASS.

The Brewers as a run-line favorite are too risky here to take, especially given their moneyline odds. The Twins, especially as an expensive run-line underdog, aren’t worth a run-line play either.

Over/Under

BET OVER 7.5 (-115).

The Brewers have scored 9 or more in 3 of their last 7 games and have gone Over the projected total in 5 of those.

Milwaukee has been hot for most of the season, having a 52-40-4 O/U record on the year. The Twins, who are 47-47-2 O/U, have struggled offensively but are still 8-5 O/U in their last 13 games.

Considering those trends, back OVER 7.5 (-115).

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