WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Milwaukee Mile is steeped in history but hasn’t hosted an IndyCar Series event since 2015.

For those who remember sun-splashed days, that distinctive open-wheel engine sound and supportive crowds, it’s been tough to take.

Enter Roger Penske, the biggest mover and shaker in the sport, is bringing the series back to the facility.

“Great track, the best kind of racing when you get a mile flat like this,” said Penske. “It’s just a great spot. The racing and the visibility, you know from the grandstand, you see everything and that’s what’s key.”

Josef Newgarden drives for Team Penske and is the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion.

It stands to reason that he’d support his boss’ pursuits, but Newgarden’s enthusiasm for this return is personal.

“I’ve been waiting nine years, okay,” said Newgarden. “It’s very important to me. The last time I was here, it was my first pole position in IndyCar. I grew up dreaming of being an IndyCar driver. Milwaukee is a staple, it should be on the calendar, so I can’t wait to come back here. I want to see everybody there August 13th through September 1st. We’re going to be there. It’s a good time.”

And it’s a rapidly approaching time. Just like on the track, windows close very quickly when it comes to getting a venue up to speed, especially one that hasn’t hosted this series in almost a decade.

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“Of course it’s daunting,” said Shari Black, Wisconsin State Fair CEO. “Certainly, it’s a challenge. It’s almost, well, it’s similar to planning another fair, maybe not quite as big, but it’s a big deal.”

“Well, I think we’re looking at sustainability,” Penske said. “We’ve got quality sponsors, we’ve got more teams than we thought we’d ever have, we’ve got an entry level of guys that are coming at Indy next and this is the ones that want to be at the Indy 500, so we’ve got a great leader series coming in.”

For years, the Mile’s event was just one week after the Indy 500.

There was a built-in build-up. More recently, the track has been quiet.

Preparations and eagerness are now accelerating toward top speed in regard to the Mile’s return to the IndyCar schedule.

By the time the teams get to town, they will be in final jockeying mode for the season championship. And more history will be made at America’s legendary oval.

The doubleheader at the Mile will be the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend.

There will also be racing in Elkhart Lake on June 9th.

Three men held a person at gunpoint and stole the person’s dog before driving away Saturday night, Milwaukee police said Monday on Facebook.

The dog, Padre, was taken in the armed robbery at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday on the 9500 block of West Fond du Lac Avenue. The men fled in a red SUV and police are seeking information on the suspects and Padre’s whereabouts.

The Facebook post detailed the three suspects. All three were described as Hispanic men between 18 and 20 years old, and between 5-foot-10 and 6 feet tall.

One suspect was described as having a medium build and wearing a gray-hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. He had an olive-colored firearm with a black extended magazine, police said.

The second suspect was described as having a thin build and wearing a gray pullover sweatshirt and gray sweatpants, with a handgun.

The third suspect was described as having a medium build and wearing a gray sweatshirt and black pants, also with a handgun.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7242. To remain anonymous, one can call 414-224-Tips or P3 Tips.

As pro-Palestinian encampments pop up at colleges across the country, student groups have scheduled Monday morning rallies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Milwaukee.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7, protests on Wisconsin campuses have been largely peaceful. The Monday rallies are among the first scheduled in the state since New York police arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University, which set off protests at other colleges nationally.

Check back for updates as the day progresses.

What’s driving students to protest?

The rallies come as the semester winds down and commencement nears. The past school year has left both Palestinian and Jewish students on edge, with many feeling misunderstood, anxious and isolated.

The organizing groups, which include Students for Justice in Palestine chapters and the Students for Democratic Society at UW-Milwaukee, have pushed for their schools to cut ties with Israel.

The groups did not make clear whether their rally plans included setting up encampments. A UW-Milwaukee organizer said the rally would last two hours, while UW-Madison organizers didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Will students be arrested?

The UW-Madison dean of students and interim police chief warned in a Friday email to the 50,000-student campus that disobeying university protest policies and rules “can and will have consequences, both within our code of student conduct and more broadly under Wisconsin law.”

State rules ban people from camping on university land.

At UWM, five students were arrested earlier this semester following a sit-in outside the chancellor’s office that university officials said was unauthorized.

“In the extremely rare instances when UWM Police have made arrests at the site of prior demonstrations, not one person has been arrested because they were protesting,” university spokesperson Angelica Duria said. “Rather, they were arrested and subsequently cited for violations of the laws by which we must all abide.”

More: As pro-Palestinian protests sweep U.S. campuses, here’s what’s happening at Wisconsin universities

Why are pro-Palestinian students protesting at UW-Milwaukee?

The students’ demands include:

• Renaming Golda Meir Library. Meir, who grew up in Milwaukee and is one of UWM’s most notable alumna, was Israeli prime minister from 1969-74. UWM says the UW Board of Regents is in charge of campus building names.
• Ending study abroad trips to Israel. UWM said it has no study-abroad activity in Israel and no jurisdiction over Hillel, an international organization through which local Jewish college students can join and take birthright trips to Israel.
• Divesting from weapon manufacturersinvolved in the war. UWM said its foundation supports the university by investing in mutual funds but it cannot divert money from individual companies within its funds.

About two dozen student protesters staged a six-hour sit-in outside the office of UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone in February. Police arrested five students for assembly blocking, obstructing, unauthorized occupation, prohibited signs and prohibited noise.

The students pleaded not guilty to the citations, which carry fines but no jail time.

More recently, protesters have picketed outside Mone’s home.