Milwaukee, WI

Significant moments of 2025 as seen by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff

Published

1 week ago

December 26, 2025

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A year is made of moments. Some of them are significant, and the world turns its eyes to what’s happening in Wisconsin. Big moments like the NFL Draft in Green Bay, August’s historic flooding, Brewers in the playoffs, a Milwaukee County judge charged with obstruction. But a year is made of quieter moments, too. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s visuals staff documented life in Wisconsin in 2025. Throughout the year, their travels across Wisconsin brought national attention to local stories, showcased life and culture of the state, and revealed moments that connect us to each other.

Only in Wisconsin do cows get spa treatment for a photo shoot in an image captured by photographer Mark Hoffman. Scott Ash documented the most exciting day of the year for many a 17-year-old: prom. Sports reporter Dave Kallmann’s still image of speed skaters captures motion. Mike De Sisti perfectly (and creepily) frames 9-year-old Carlos Cannon in his Halloween costume.

And even in moments of chaos, an image can save a quiet moment. Angela Peterson photographed Sheena Scarbrough being comforted after her daughter’s killer was found guilty. Jovanny Hernandez followed stories of immigration throughout the year, including Judge Hannah Dugan’s obstruction charges and Yessenia Ruano’s decision to return to El Salvador after exhausting options in Milwaukee.

This is a curated selection of images chosen for their impact, artistry and ability to represent Wisconsin’s rich cultural diversity. Within this collection, you’ll find photographs that are historic, artistic and ones that simply make you smile. They demonstrate the staff’s skill and dedication in presenting an authentic perspective on life in Wisconsin.

Angela Peterson

This is my favorite photo of 2025 because of the raw emotion of these young men embracing each other after ending a group therapy session. They are part of Bridge to Brighter, an organization that offers housing and life skills to young men who are aging out of the foster care system. On this evening, reporter Bridge Fogerty and I were observing a listening session. The men, between the ages 18-24, spoke candidly about the hardships of growing up without a family. And we heard the pain in their voices as they shared experiences about living with strangers. We were touched by their shared bond and how they created their own family within the program.

− Angela Peterson

Mike De Sisti

Looking back forces me to realize just how much ground I’ve covered photographically in 2025. From the community’s reaction to the loss of beloved Brewers’ broadcaster Bob Uecker and the nonstop fascination with the newly graffitied lakeshore landmark Deep Thought, to the deportation of a schoolteacher with U.S.-born children and the tornadoes that tore through small Dodge County communities. It’s been a year.

But when I’m asked to pick a single favorite image, I keep coming back to my firefly.

It’s a photo I’d wanted for years. I’ve taken wide, long-exposure shots of the night sky and captured fireflies by stacking multiple images, but I’d never managed to catch one solitary bug lighting up. My attention span probably matches theirs. After six or seven minutes of waiting, I’d usually give up.

But on this warm July evening, I was in the backyard with my daughters, trying to coax our indoor cat, Emily, out of her carrier. As we sat there with treats in hand, waiting her out, darkness settled in and out came the fireflies.

I grabbed my camera. After a few minutes of chasing one around the yard, it finally settled on a blade of grass. I waited. It flashed a burst of green bioluminescent light, I fired off a couple frames, and it flew away.

“Got it!” I yelled, as my kids, either uninterested or simply used to me doing this, barely looked up. But it made my night.

Maybe even my year.

− Mike DeSisti

Mark Hoffman

This photo of Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) warming up before their National League Championship Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers captures his work ethic. The graphic nature of the images works for me. It’s something you will not see on television. It’s a quiet moment. Capturing moments that would otherwise slip between the cracks is what makes still photojournalism work.

− Mark Hoffman

Jovanny Hernandez

An image of a young Ojibwe spearer captures a quiet moment in which a young man learns the traditions of his ancestors. Spearfishing is part of a long continuum of cultural knowledge, identity and the expression of treaty rights. A mark in Wisconsin’s history, from the controversial Walleye Wars to a new generation learning these skills.

This image captures the enduring connection between people, nature and history. I am honored to have been welcomed into the lives of the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Nation to document the importance of these relationships for future generations.

− Jovanny Hernandez

Scott Ash

I have been blessed to photograph many events and gatherings throughout my career. Once in a great while, I’ll be fortunate to capture a moment that transports the viewer back in time. A nostalgic reminder of childhood, family and community.

− Scott Ash

Hannah Schroeder

I have spent the majority of the past five months, since I started at the Journal Sentinel, covering the historic flooding in August that devastated the community and its aftermath. Up until this point, I would have chosen a flooding photo as my top photo of the year due to the impact on the community.

However, I recently moved from a small town in New England and studied in rural Ohio, both of which have informed my perspective as a community photojournalist. My favorite moments tend to be intimate, emotional moments that unfold at community events and in day-to-day life. Documenting notable moments around the city and state, like this image at St. Rita Church in West Allis, brings me pride as a journalist. I spoke with countless community members at this final church service who were raised, baptized and married in this church. You could already feel the community’s loss long before the church closed its doors. Though my image, I hope to convey the difficult emotions of the congregation on this day.

− Hannah Schroeder

Angelica Edwards

I made this image while working on a story with Alyssa Salcedo, where we shadowed students at Notre Dame School of Milwaukee’s boys’ and girls’ middle school campuses volunteering in their communities.After photographing a group of boys assembling winter clothes kits at St. Vincent de Paul on West Madison Street, I went over to School Sisters of St. Francis Sacred Heart Retirement Community in Burnham Park. That’s where I met the eighth-grade girls helping seniors with a coloring activity, which involved rolling a die and coloring in a section of a turkey with the color corresponding to the die number.

I went from table to table, observing the girls’ lead a coloring activity, and converse with the seniors. I noticed eighth-grader Tairy Ramirez coloring with 88-year-old Sister Catherine Ollmann and was drawn to their laughter and made a couple of images of them interacting with each other. I selected this photo because I love the endearing moment shared between them and feel like it captures the energy and excitement shared by all of the students and sisters in the room.

− Angelica Edwards

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Sacramento Kings odds, tips and betting trends | January 4, 2026

Published

1 hour ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

The Sacramento Kings (8-27) will be trying to stop a four-game losing streak when hosting the Milwaukee Bucks (15-20) on Sunday, January 4, 2026 at Golden 1 Center. It airs at 9 p.m. ET on FDSWI and NBCS-CA.

The Bucks hit the court as 6.5-point favorites against the Kings. The over/under for the game is set at 228.5.

Bucks vs. Kings betting odds

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 3:29 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

Spread: Milwaukee -6.5
Total: 228.5
Moneyline: Milwaukee -244, Sacramento +200

Watch this game on Fubo!

Bucks at Kings odds, spread, & more

Prediction

Pick ATS: Kings (+ 6.5)
Pick OU:
Over (228.5)
Prediction:
Bucks 116 – Kings 115

Moneyline

The Bucks have won 56.2% of the games this season when they were the moneyline favorite (9-7).
Milwaukee has gone 3-3 when playing as a moneyline favorite with odds of -244 or shorter (winning 50%).
The Bucks have an implied moneyline win probability of 70.9% in this matchup.
This season, the Kings have been the underdog 32 times and won six, or 18.8%, of those games.
This season, Sacramento has won five of its 20 games, or 25%, when it is the underdog by at least +200 on the moneyline.
The implied probability of a win by the Kings based on the moneyline is 33.3%.

Against the spread

The Bucks average 113.3 points per game, 9.2 fewer points than the 122.5 the Kings allow.
Milwaukee has a 4-2 record against the spread and a 4-2 record overall when scoring more than 122.5 points.
When it scores more than 116 points, Sacramento is 9-3 against the spread and 6-6 overall.
Milwaukee’s record is 9-0 against the spread and 7-2 overall when it allows fewer than 110.6 points.
The Bucks are at the 26th spot in the NBA’s scoring charts (113.3 PPG), while the Kings allow the 27th-fewest points per game (122.5) in the league.
The 28th-ranked scoring NBA team (110.6 PPG) is Sacramento, while the Milwaukee squad ranks 14th in the league defensively (116 PPG).
The Bucks have been out-scored by 96 points this season (2.7 points per game on average), and opponents of the Kings have out-scored them by 414 more points on the year (11.9 per game).

Over/Under

Milwaukee’s average implied point total this season is 0.3 fewer points than its implied total in Sunday’s game (117.7 implied points on average compared to 118 implied points in this game).
So far this season, Milwaukee has scored more than 118 points in 10 games.
The average implied point total on the season for Sacramento (121) is 10 more points than the team’s implied total in this matchup (111).

How to watch Bucks vs. Kings

Watch this game on Fubo!

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Milwaukee, WI

60th and Vliet crash, Milwaukee man pronounced dead at the scene

Published

13 hours ago

January 3, 2026

Press Room

60th and Vliet crash, Milwaukee man pronounced dead at the scene

article

Crash investigation at 60th and Vliet

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash at 60th and Vliet on Saturday morning.

What we know:

It happened at around 11:50 a.m. The Wauwatosa Police Department said investigators determined an SUV was headed west on Vliet Street when it ran a red light at a “high rate of speed,” collided with another vehicle and then hit a tree.

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A 71-year-old Milwaukee man, who was the driver and sole occupant of the SUV, died at the scene.

The Wauwatosa Fire Department, Milwaukee Fire Department and Milwaukee Police Department assisted with the crash response. At Vliet Street, 60th Street is the municipal boundary between Milwaukee and Wauwatosa.

What we don’t know:

Wauwatosa police said details of the crash remain under investigation. Police did not say whether anyone was in the other vehicle that was struck.

The Wisconsin State Patrol is assisting the Wauwatosa Police Department with the investigation.

The Source: FOX6 News went to the scene of the crash and received information from the Wauwatosa Police Department.

MilwaukeeNews

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee shoppers frustrated by grocery prices as election year nears

Published

6 days ago

December 29, 2025

Press Room

Milwaukee shoppers frustrated by grocery prices as election year nears

Voters in Wisconsin are frustrated with high prices, which could impact the 2026 midterm elections.
Financial experts suggest that prices, which have risen significantly since 2020, are unlikely to decrease.
Many shoppers are cutting back on expenses like food, travel, and personal care to cope with the rising cost of living.
A recent poll found that 75% of Wisconsin residents surveyed said their grocery costs have gone up.

Adriana Maldonado is a yoga therapist in Wauwatosa with two children at home and three who are grown up that she tries to help with groceries. She has a one-word description for the economy.

“Awful.”

Maldonado said she’s had to pick up extra work to pay bills and other expenses.

“I also bartend at Gibraltar’s, and I also drive for Veyo, which picks up medical patients,” Maldonado said. “And whatever odds and ends I can do, I will do.”

Maldonado added she has cut back on some spending.

“I had to get rid of car insurance for a little while and then I just picked up a cheaper (policy),” Maldonado said. “I cut back on any eating out.”

Maldonado said her faith in the political system and in politicians is broken.

“This is just playing a game on humans,” Maldonado said of the political process.

Maldonado said she encourages people to shop at small local businesses.

“Stop shopping at large companies, come to more local places, put money back into our community,” Maldonado said. “It makes more sense. If we continue to shop the big (stores) we’re going to lose people. There’s so many businesses closing right now, it’s so sad.”

Maldonado is in the sweet spot for one of the most consequential discussions happening across the country: How is the country doing economically? Is daily life affordable? Are we facing sticker shock at the grocery store?

And the enduring political question: Are we better off today than the last time we voted?

President Donald Trump says the Golden Age is upon us, complaints about affordability are a hoax, and any concerns are the fault of the Biden administration combined with the Federal Reserve’s refusal to slash interest rates.

Countering that perspective:

National consumer sentiment sits near all-time lows, according to the University of Michigan’s monthly survey. The latest survey released Dec. 5 found sentiment improved slightly from November but remained 28 percentage points below December 2024 levels. “Consumers see modest improvements from November on a few dimensions, but the overall tenor of views is broadly somber, as consumers continue to cite the burden of high prices,” University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu said.
The U.S. job market is showing signs of slowing, adding just 64,000 jobs in November, according to the most recent employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, the highest in four years. Preliminary data for October 2025 released Dec. 16 showed a loss of 105,000 jobs that month, largely driven by layoffs of federal workers.
The Urban Institute reported in October that Americans are struggling to afford essentials like food, childcare and housing. Nearly four in five Americans believe the U.S. economy will not improve in the year ahead.
The U.S. job market has been stagnant in recent months, and paycheck growth has been falling steadily for more than three years.
Consumers never adjusted to the supply chain chaos and dramatic rise in prices during the COVID pandemic. Many of those prices never came down. “The price level changed so much because we had such high inflation for a couple of years there and you’re continuing to add inflation to an already high price level … people haven’t had time to adjust to that,” said Dominic Ceci, chief investing officer for Johnson Financial Group. “In the last five years, we’ve had more inflation than we did in a long time. If you think about prices in 2020, pre-pandemic versus now, it’s a huge difference. It’s a whiplash effect.”

Marquette Poll indicates widespread pessimism

According to the most recent Marquette Law School Poll, 47% of those surveyed in early November said their groceries have “gone up a lot,” and 28% said groceries have “gone up a little.”

In the same poll, people were asked to predict if the cost of living would increase, decrease or stay the same in the next 12 months. Two-thirds said they expect the cost of living to go up.

Historically, the party in power performs poorly in midterm elections. That means Republicans and Trump are running short on time to change people’s minds, according to Marquette Law School Poll director Charles Franklin.

“He is now suffering from this widespread perception, and especially with swing voters, these policies aren’t helping inflation, they’re really exacerbating it,” Franklin said. “That’s tied to tariffs but also other things.”

The widespread frustration with the economy helped Democratic candidates in New York, Virginia, New Jersey and Miami win races in 2025.

“Politicians need to react to that,” Ceci said of voters’ feelings on the economy. “There’s some stuff they can do. There’s tax policy. There’s all kinds of things, but is it realistic that any of that gets done or gets done effectively? Probably not. You really need all of the people to come together to agree to pass bills and make things happen.”

People coming together is not exactly a hallmark of today’s politics.

Milwaukee resident Blanca Rivera, a former parent educator with Bay View Community Center, said food in particular has gotten more expensive. She has three children, and two of them have already moved out or contribute financially to her household.

Even with fewer people to feed, Rivera said she’s spending around $400 per week on food for her family.

“The same amount of money that we spend now for only us three, it’s the same amount of money I used to spend for four to six people before,” said Rivera, who sometimes also shops for other relatives.

To save money, Rivera has cut back on trips to see family members in El Salvador. She used to visit at least two or three times per year, but her budget now only allows for one.

“When you want to go over there, you don’t want to go empty handed. You wanted to bring something” for relatives, Rivera said. “I used to bring seven luggage bags – now I bring two.”

Rivera is also reducing personal care-related expenses to save more money for her family’s more basic needs.

“Before, I used to go and do my nails, my hair, maybe go to buy a nice perfume,” she said. “Now, I’ve got to wait three, four months to do my hair.”

The Journal Sentinel went shopping last year. And then went back.

President Trump said prices would start falling shortly after he took office in January 2025, and in recent months said his administration is bringing down some prices and slowing inflation.

But lower prices have not been seen in Milwaukee area grocery stores.

In August 2024, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel collected the price of a basket of groceries at five Milwaukee-area stores: Walmart, Pick ‘n Save, Target, Festival Foods and Woodman’s.

On Dec. 2, 2025, the Journal Sentinel returned to the same stores to compare how prices changed over the past 16 months. Totals were collected using the same list of common staple items across all five stores. Name brand items were purchased; some stores offer house brands that would significantly bring down prices.

The full grocery list was:

Almond Milk: 64 ounces
100% whole wheat bread: 24-ounce loaf
Bacon: one pound
Bananas
Beef: one pound, 80% lean, not certified Angus
Butter: one pound
Cheerios: 8.9-ounce box
Cheez-its: 12.4-ounce box
Eggs: one dozen
Flour: five pounds
Green beans (canned)
Strawberry jelly/jam: 18 ounces
Iceberg lettuce: one head
Milk: one gallon
Oranges
Paper towel: two-roll package
Peanut butter: 18 ounces
Toilet paper: six pack

At Walmart, 401 E. Capitol Drive in Milwaukee, the cost was $63.84 in August 2024, and $69.31 on Dec. 2 2025, up around 8.6%. Walmart remains the cheapest of the five stores.

At Woodman’s, 8131 S. Howell Ave. in Oak Creek, the cost was $61.38 in 2024 and $69.80 on Dec. 2, an increase of 13.7%.

At Festival Foods, 11111 W. Greenfield Ave., in West Allis, the cost was $85.62 in 2024 and $94.58 on Dec. 2, an increase of 10.5%.

At Target, 2950 S. Chase Ave., in Milwaukee, the cost was $69.88 in 2024 and $70.21 on Dec. 2, an increase of 0.5%. However, this Target does not carry a name-brand bag of flour, the house brand was substituted, likely lowering the overall cost.

Finally, at Pick ‘n Save, 605 E. Lyon St. in Milwaukee, the price was $83.18 in 2024 and $81.53 on Dec. 2. That’s a decrease of 2%.

Substituting store-brand alternatives for name-brand grocery items does offer some savings for customers. For example, Pick ‘n Save’s store-brand grocery list cost $57.33 in December.

Some items fluctuated wildly in price since August 2024. A bird flu epidemic drove national egg prices to more than $6 per dozen in March 2025. Prices have dropped significantly since then, but the national average price of a dozen eggs in September 2025 remained above August 2024 levels.

The cost of a dozen Grade A large eggs at the five Milwaukee-area stores ranged from $1.97 to $2.49 on Dec. 2.

Is the affordability issue overblown?

Chris Dare was at the Milwaukee Public Market with his son Jake and noticed that meat prices were higher than at their butcher shop back home in Oshkosh.

Still, both wondered if the broad reaction to elevated prices wasn’t a bit exaggerated.

“I don’t think it’s as bad as people are making it sound,” Chris Dare said. “The disappointing thing for me was COVID was an open door for prices to go up, with somewhat legitimate reasons, but of course when those reasons went away, prices didn’t go back down, which we knew was going to happen.”

His son Jake believes candidates will “weaponize” prices in upcoming elections.

“The cost of living and the cost of buying things, the purchasing power of the wages you make is going to affect politics,” Jake Dare said. “After the elections come and go, I think it’ll flatten back out again and you’ll have two years of, probably, steady increases … it’s cyclical, any time the elections come around.”

Both father and son think about how prices impact them when they go to the polls, and they encourage other voters to research candidates and vote based on what impacts them personally.

“I don’t think anybody wants to admit it,” Chris Dare said, but “let’s be realistic, I’m voting 100% selfishly how things affect me.”

Chris and Jake consider themselves conservative, but question what Trump could do in the near-term to lower prices.

“And unfortunately I don’t think any president has that much immediate control over the economy,” Chris Dare said. “As much as you’d like to have somebody march in and suddenly things turn around. … it doesn’t happen that quickly on the economy side.”

Shoppers want specifics from candidates on solutions

Karen and Lee Veldboom live in the city of Waukesha and have learned to be more selective when at the grocery store.

“We don’t buy beef,” Karen Veldboom said, adding that her family has cut back on sweets and other treats as well. “Everything is so volatile right now, you kind of go with what it is.”

Both believe prices and the economy will play a role in how people vote in 2026. And both yearn for the days of more civility and less anger.

“We lean conservative but there’s so much craziness going on now, you don’t even know who to support,” Lee Veldboom said. “You can’t go two days in a row without hearing something totally outrageous.”

Heather Wiese from Pewaukee has taken up thrift shopping since doing it with her daughter in 2020.

It’s a good way for her to save money and support smaller businesses, she said.

But it’s a different feeling at the grocery store.

“Prices are high, holy moly,” Wiese said. “The price of beef is way up. The price of everything is way up.”

Wiese doesn’t expect the issue of affordability to go away anytime soon.

“People really can’t afford a lot of stuff right now,” Wiese said.

What she doesn’t want to hear is a lot of rhetoric without specifics.

“I would like more details,” Wiese said. “I don’t think on day one everything is going to go down.”

Despite promises, they certainly haven’t in the past.

The grocery bill is just one of many factors affecting households each month. Here’s the price of other common household expenses as of Dec. 16, 2025, compared to a year ago: