Milwaukee, WI
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
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.”
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.”
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 – Officials with the WaterStone Bank Air & Water Show held a news conference on Wednesday, May 21 where they will announce the entire updated 2025 schedule of performers, as well as other new event details & information, including info on the 2025 Navy Blue Angels.
Headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Teams, the 2025 Bank Air & Water Show will announce several new performers that have never flown the skies over the Milwaukee lakefront.
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In addition, they will have announcements about the all-new Robby Allen Water Show, and also details about the new lineup of vendors that will be at the Air & Water Show this year, providing event attendees with a great selection of food and beverage options!
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the WaterStone Bank Air & Water Show.
Milwaukee fans can catch WNBA games on local television for four contests this season, with WMLW airing Chicago Sky games as well as 30-minute specials on the team called “Sky Unguarded.”
Now known as “The M,” the over-the-air channel will broadcast games on Sundays, including May 25 (against the Los Angeles Sparks, 5 p.m. CT), June 22 (against Atlanta, 2 p.m.), July 6 (against Minnesota, 6 p.m.) and Aug. 8 (against Phoenix, 5 p.m.).
The Sky lost their first game of the season against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on May 17. The 2021 WNBA champion Sky feature a number of high-profile players, including Angel Reese, Courtney Vandersloot and Kamilla Cardoso.
The “Sky Unguarded” news magazine program airs at 4:30 p.m. May 25, 1:30 p.m. June 22 and 10:30 a.m. Aug. 30.
The channel can be found using an over-the-air antenna on 49.1 or 58.3, and Spectrum customers can find the channel on 7, 8, 608, 982 or 1007. DirecTV customers can find the channel at 49, and AT&T customers can locate The M on 7 or 1007.
The WNBA’s surge in popularity in recent years has led to expansion, with a new team in San Francisco this year and teams coming for Toronto and Portland. A group in Milwaukee has also explored submitting a bid for a future team.
Milwaukee, WI
Investigation confirms racist behavior against Rufus King athletes at Waterford Union High School track meet
MILWAUKEE — A letter from Waterford Union High School has confirmed allegations of racist behavior at a recent track meet, nearly two weeks after the Rufus King track team left the event early due to reported racist remarks.
The internal investigation by the Waterford School District involved more than 40 interviews and reviews of video footage, confirming multiple instances of racially charged comments and stereotypical behavior directed at athletes from Rufus King High School.
WATCH: Investigation confirms racist behavior against Rufus King athletes at Waterford Union High School track meet
Investigation shows racial taunts occurred at Waterford track meet
According to the district’s findings, volunteers were intentionally mispronouncing students’ names, middle school students were referring to Rufus King students as “gangsters,” and a WIAA meet official used racially insensitive language directed at a King athlete.
WATERFORD STATEMENT
A joint statement from Waterford and Milwaukee Public Schools indicates that on May 13, Waterford leadership met with King athletes, coaches and administration to formally apologize.
Joint statement from MPS and Waterford
The investigation report states that Waterford will be retraining meet officials and clerks.
TMJ4 asked about disciplinary actions for the students involved and Superintendent Luke Francois sent the following statement:
“Waterford Union High School is committed to holding students accountable through our established disciplinary processes, in alignment with district policy and state law. While we cannot comment on specific disciplinary actions due to student privacy protections, I can confirm that appropriate consequences are being applied based on the findings of our investigation. Our focus remains on accountability, education, and ongoing efforts to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all students.”
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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