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Milwaukee native Cristina Costantini brings Sally Ride's story to the big screen

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Milwaukee native Cristina Costantini brings Sally Ride's story to the big screen


MILWAUKEE — Documentarian Cristina Costantini has been inspired by pioneering astronaut Sally Ride since childhood.

In 2023, the stars aligned as she collaborated with National Geographic Documentary Films, Story Syndicate, and Muck Media to create a film exploring both the public and private aspects of Ride’s life—a side of her that many only discovered after her passing in 2012. Tam O’Shaughnessy, Ride’s partner of 27 years, steps into the spotlight in this 1 hour and 43-minute film to reveal the Sally Ride that many were unaware of.

Watch: Milwaukee native Cristina Costantini brings Sally Ride’s story to the big screen

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Milwaukee native directs opening film for the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival

Here is an excerpt from a conversation that Milwaukee Tonight host Shannon Sims had with Costantini in the very theater where she grew up watching documentaries—the Oriental Theater.

Shannon: “Cristina, having come off a successful run at Sundance to come home to open the film festival. How does it feel? “

Cristina: “This means the world to me to be here, to be in this theater, this is where I grew up, seeing all of the films that made me want to be a filmmaker. So it’s really a homecoming for me.”

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Shannon: “What drew you to this story ?”

Cristina: ” I’ve been a huge fan of Sally since I was a little girl….I think it was simply, you know, seeing a woman in space jumpsuit, breaking the highest glass ceiling. There was something just symbolic and powerful to me. If she could do it, I’m a girl, maybe I can do big things too. I went to Golda Meir Elementary, and if you drive by on Martin Luther King, You can see there is a there’s a little Sally Ride, looking at a shuttle. And I painted that when I was in third or fourth grade, and it’s crazy that it’s still there .

“I’ve been obsessed with her for a long time, but when she passed away in 2012, I learned with the rest of the world that she was survived by her female life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy. And I started to think at that point, you know, wow, you know, NASA was barely ready for a woman. They definitely would not have been ready for this. What was that internal struggle? And so I started to get really interested in the more interesting story of who the true Sally Ride was.”

Shannon: “What were some of the challenges in making this film, even with all of that archival video?”

Cristina: “We brought in 5000 reels from NASA, and then we had to sound sync it. All the audio was in a different building, and all the reels were in different buildings, no good system to sync them.”

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Shannon: “So I read that you started out as an investigative reporter. What was it about documentary filmmaking that drew you to make the transition? “

Cristina: “I was an investigative reporter at ABC and Univision, and I really that I that’s where I picked up a camera. That’s where I learned how to tell a story, and also all the skills that go into filmmaking. You learn making news…..I grew up watching documentaries here in this theater. And I, you know, I really see them as empathy machines. They they show us what other people’s lives are like. They teach us things we could never have known, or take us to worlds we could never visit.
So I hope people you know gain empathy for this woman, Sally, and for the experiences that people who live in the shadows, or people who have had to hide something experience in their day to day.”

Digital Exclusive: Tam O’Shaughnessy, Sally Ride’s life partner talks about the premiere of ‘Sally’

Tam O’Shaughnessy talks about the new Sally Ride documentary

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Milwaukee, WI

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

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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.

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


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.

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

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


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:

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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:

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“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.

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“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.”

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By the numbers:

The district outlined the 201 affected positions as:

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  • 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)

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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:

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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.

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Milwaukee, WI

Brewers finally announce cable, satellite TV channels for broadcasts

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Brewers finally announce cable, satellite TV channels for broadcasts


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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.

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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.

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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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