Milwaukee, WI
Opinion: Manufacturing is Wisconsin’s fastball. Opportunities abound for economic growth.
Opportunity is knocking in our region.
Reshoring is bringing advanced manufacturing jobs back to Wisconsin
Stoughton Trailers is a Wisconsin-based company that suffered mass layoffs due to unfair competition from China. A plant that closed reopened in 2011.
Milwaukee PBS
As our Milwaukee Brewers are headed to the playoffs a baseball analogy seems appropriate.
Fans know a successful pitcher needs a repertoire of weapons in his arsenal. A potent curveball or slider are nice for any pitcher to have in his back pocket. But that overpowering fastball is typically what gets the job done.
The same holds true for a regional economy. A diverse make-up of business sectors defines any successful economic climate, but you need that one sector to drive the region forward. For generations here, it’s been manufacturing.
Companion column: Manufacturing opportunities come to Wisconsin. Do we have a workforce ready?
Manufacturing is our fastball in Wisconsin. We have the highest concentration of these jobs in the country. We are makers and producers here.
Manufacturing jobs pay about 20% higher than service industry
Have the jobs changed? Yes. Advances in technology provide efficiencies that help companies increase productivity while protecting the bottom line.
Has the volume of manufacturing jobs decreased? Again, yes. Over the past quarter century, those same efficiencies coupled with the offshoring of jobs, have caused the overall volume to decrease. In the four-county Milwaukee metro, the latest figures showed about 114,000 area residents employed in manufacturing compared to about 165,000 in 2000.
That said, the loss of manufacturing jobs is not indicative of a post-manufacturing economy here. Quite the contrary. We need to continue growing the sector through expansion and attraction efforts as well as advocating for common-sense policy at the local, state and federal levels.
The future of manufacturing job fair and town hall: Register for the free event Oct. 3 at MATC
Growing our manufacturing base is vital for a strong local economy. These are good jobs – paying about 20 percent more on average compared to those in the service industry. We can lift the fortunes of this generation and those that follow by providing the right opportunities.
On a macro level, investing in manufacturing is also in the best interest of our national well-being. Growing a resilient supply chain will ensure parts are made right here in the United States. Countries like China are cheating by stealing intellectual property and knowhow while providing direct government support to bolster manufacturing and exports. This is a clear threat to the rules of international free trade and presents a substantial threat to national security, our economy and, therefore, our way of life.
Milwaukee is fast becoming home to advanced manufacturing
The cliché about manufacturing floors being dirty, dark and dangerous is a relic of decades past. Today, Milwaukee is fast becoming home to advanced manufacturing. Our density of advanced manufacturing jobs is nearly twice the national average.
Look no further than Rockwell, a global leader in industrial automation, manufacturing products that help businesses optimize their production. Rockwell’s operations paint a perfect picture of advanced manufacturing, conducting it themselves while helping clientele move in the same direction.
At the same time, Microsoft’s historic $3.3 billion investment in a cutting-edge data center will drive AI-powered production in the region. Having forward-thinking manufacturers in an environment where an investment like this is being made makes it clear that Milwaukee is a place where the information technology economy is intersecting with the manufacturing sector. It’s a good spot to be in.
There’s more good news. This spring, the region was named one of 12 U.S. Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs. The designation, focused here on biohealth and personalized medicine, is expected to create more than 30,000 direct jobs, 110,000 indirect jobs and produce a $9 billion economic impact over the next decade.
But the work is just beginning.
Organizations like MMAC, it’s economic development arm – the Milwaukee 7 Regional Partnership (M7) – and partner organizations driving economic growth are working on a number of fronts to create an environment welcoming to manufacturers moving to or expanding in our region. We have a story to tell, this region is where the software economy is intersecting with the traditional hardware economy.
We need to recruit and retain talent. And welcome immigrants.
One of the demands this will place on southeastern Wisconsin is a workforce ready to meet the moment. We already hear our manufacturing members say attracting and retaining talent is a huge challenge. That said, MMAC is working to bring real-world manufacturing programming, such as robotics and other advanced manufacturing education, to high school classrooms in our area. Sparking an interest in our students and making them realize they can thrive in this sector is the first step in getting them into a manufacturing career.
In a region where population has stagnated, we also need to be welcoming to an immigrant population that can help us meet the staffing needs necessary to be competitive. Smart immigration policy is paramount in building a strong, growing workforce in southeastern Wisconsin so the history of manufacturing brainpower and muscle is intertwined with the story of immigration.
A historic opportunity: Wisconsin’s largest cities have synergies to make tech hub flourish with new partnership
Lastly, our tax policy needs to be economically feasible for companies looking to move, or even stay here. That’s why it’s critical Wisconsin retains the Manufacturing and Agricultures Activities Credit – which allows business to keep income derived from manufacturing tax free. Losing this credit would force many to look elsewhere – most likely states with no income taxes – to do business.
Opportunity is knocking in our region. In getting back to baseball, one could liken our current situation to being at the plate with the bases loaded. If we take the right approach, it could be a really productive at bat.
Dale Kooyenga is president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
Milwaukee, WI
Food trucks in Milwaukee brace for new curfew
MILWAUKEE — Saturday is the start of the food truck curfew in downtown Milwaukee. That curfew was passed by the Common Council to address safety concerns after several violent incidents.
Alma Juarez is with Tacos Almita on Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. Juarez said since the city passed the curfew, she’s had just over two weeks to adjust.
“We’re trying to think what we’re going to do,” said Juarez. “Maybe we’re going to start in another place or move the food truck after 10 p.m., but that means we have to start over again.”
She said that means she may also have to start building up a news customer base.
“Moving the truck means that… we have to struggle,” said Juarez.
Juarez is not alone in worrying about her financial future.
Last Thursday, a group of owners took their concerns to city hall. Jennifer Martinez, who’s with the food truck known as Tacos El Pastorcito Mixe, was at that demonstration. She said the late-night hours make up roughly 75% of her revenue.
“During the day, I’ve tried opening very early in the morning — 8 a.m. 9 a.m. — it doesn’t make a difference. There’s no… we don’t have much sales throughout the day,” said Martinez.
Ald. Robert Bauman represents downtown and was the sponsor of the ordinance.
Last week he told Spectrum News that he’s aware of the economic burden the truck operators are facing. However, he said safety concerns are a bigger priority.
“And MPD (Milwaukee Police Department) has said on the record repeatedly that food trucks are a major contributing cause for the loitering and disorder that takes place on Water Street,” said Bauman, who represents District 4 in Milwaukee.
He said he’s willing to take a hit on food trucks and prioritize the concerns of larger businesses.
“If they feel that downtown is not safe anymore, they’ll either not come at all, or they’ll leave as soon as their event is over with and not spend any additional money in the downtown area,” said Bauman.
But Juarez said the city shouldn’t have to do that. She said she believes food trucks aren’t the cause of the problem.
“You can see it in any places, but not here,” said Juarez. “It can happen here, but not in front of the food trucks cause they are saying that a lot of violence, a lot of the things that are going on is in front of the food truck. You can see that all the shooting happens after 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. Last shooting, it was after 1 a.m.”
Food truck owners said they hope to continue to turn a profit after the ordinance starts, but they said they face a potentially tough financial future.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee man charged in fatal shooting near 20th and Burleigh
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man is accused of shooting and killing a 32-year-old after a hit-and-run on the city’s north side in April.
In court:
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged 25-year-old Daniel Evans with first-degree reckless homicide and two counts of felony bail jumping. He’s being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $100,000 cash bond.
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Court filings said Evans was out on bond for two different felony cases at the time of the shooting. He’d previously been convicted of misdemeanors in two other cases.
Milwaukee County prosecutors also charged 22-year-old Joshua Evans with harboring/aiding a felon in the case. He’s being held in jail on $15,000 cash bond.
Daniel Evans, Joshua Evans
20th and Burleigh
The backstory:
The shooting happened on April 23. The victim, who the medical examiner’s office identified as 32-year-old Terry Brown-Maben, died at the scene near 20th and Burleigh. A criminal complaint said police found nine bullet casings there.
What they’re saying:
A witness told detectives that he and Brown-Maben had just left a liquor store when an SUV rear-ended them at 20th and Hopkins, according to the complaint. He said the crash snapped his car’s axle, and he was upset but told the people in the SUV to “just pull over” because he did not want to make a big deal of it. At the same time as the witness was talking to a passenger in the SUV, he said Brown-Maben was talking to the driver.
Scene near 20th and Burleigh (April 23, 2026)
Court filings said the SUV drove away, and the witness and Brown-Maben began to walk because their car was left inoperable after the hit-and-run crash. A short time later, the witness said the SUV came back, and the passenger started to shoot at them.
The complaint said the witness told detectives that he took Brown-Maben’s gun and hid it after the shooting, adding he did not see Brown-Maben with the weapon before the shooting. The witness was also “adamant” that there had been no confrontation between them and the people in the SUV after the crash.
Shooting investigation
Dig deeper:
Court filings said detectives watched surveillance video that showed an SUV turn near 20th and Burleigh, after which there appeared to be a muzzle flash from the passenger side of the vehicle. Video from the liquor store and a nearby gas station showed the SUV with front-end damage, and showed Joshua Evans getting out of the driver’s door.
Detectives showed the witness photo lineups in an attempt to identify the driver and passenger in the SUV. Court filings said he identified Daniel Evans as the passenger and shooter, but he did not identify Joshua Evans as the driver.
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Police ran the SUV’s license plates, and determined Joshua Evans was the registered owner. When detectives interviewed him, he said he thought he might have been at work or “with a female” that night but identified himself and Daniel Evans in surveillance video from the liquor store.
Another person told police that she spoke to Daniel Evans. According to the complaint, that person said Daniel Evans told her “Josh” hit someone’s car and there was a “shoot out.” When police showed her pictures of the SUV from the liquor store surveillance, she said she “thought it was Josh’s.”
Five days after the homicide, police interviewed someone who was arrested on unrelated charges. Court filings said he told police he’d bought his gun from “the Evans brothers” for $200. Ballistics tests of that gun determined it matched the casings recovered at the homicide scene near 20th and Burleigh.
The Source: FOX6 News went to the shooting scene after it happened. Information in this story is from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee FPC meeting; to talk Flock cameras, MPD’s ‘use of force’ policy
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission will meet on Thursday night, May 7, to discuss a number of items – including the use of Flock cameras, along with a resolution to tweak the Milwaukee Police Department’s current use of force policy.
Flock cameras
What we know:
Concerns over the use of flock cameras to fight crime – that’s one of the big topics set for discussion at tonight’s FPC meeting.
The cameras have faced push back from the community after prosecutors charged an MPD officer for misusing the technology in March.
Prosecutors allege Josue Ayala used Flock cameras to track a romantic partner and that partner’s ex. They say in the span of a month, the officer searched the pair 179 times. In February, prosecutors charged Ayala with attempted misconduct in public office.
A number of Common Council members wrote a letter expressing “serious concern” to the Milwaukee Police Department over the use of Flock cameras.
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In the letter, the Milwaukee aldermen said they had serious concerns about what they call “a lack of adequate guardrails, auditing, supervision and transparency.”
During Thursday’s meeting, the Milwaukee Police Department will be fielding questions from members of the FPC – including what guardrails are actually in place to avoid potential misuse.
“We also understand, especially from a recent situation, that we can do better. We understand that we have to put in more robust checks and balances,” said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.
Use of Force
What we know:
There are more possible changes coming to how Milwaukee police officers report the use of deadly force.
The modification to the use of force policy is specifically targeted at how and when officers must report the use of deadly force.
Under the current version of MPD’s standard operating procedure, a use of force report must be completed when a department member discharges a firearm. It excludes training situations, or if and when a member points a firearm at a person.
The potential change would include when a member “draws or displays a firearm (including a shotgun or rifle) to effect an arrest or seizure of a person.”
The resolution is sponsored by Alderman Peter Burgelis, who said in a meeting last month this essentially restores a recently deleted requirement previously in place.
Additionally, during Thursday’s meeting, they are also expected to dicuss the ongoing debate over MPD’s chase policy.
The Source: FOX6 News obtained Milwaukee Police Department data and utilized prior coverage.
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