Milwaukee, WI
The Best Things to Do in Milwaukee the Week of May 13
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
In May, keep your eyes glued to the trees. It’s peak warbler season! These tiny, cute, colorful birds migrate north over thousands of miles each year, and right now, they’re cropping up all over Milwaukee. My partner and I took to Lake Park early Saturday morning to scout them out. We stood on the Ravine Road pedestrian bridge, which overlooks a canopy of trees perfect for these branch-traversing birds. It’s worth noting that warblers can be tough to spot and tougher to identify. About 35 species of warbler can be found in Wisconsin, and they love hiding between the leaves. Luckily, we had some experienced birders on hand recognizing calls, pinpointing locations and naming the species. Highlight of the day? It was between finding a Blackburnian warbler – showing off its signature fiery-orange throat at the edge of a branch – or seeing a raccoon pee in a tree. Ah, nature.
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR
If you’ve read my story about milking a cow in the May issue yet (which will go online later this month), you might be surprised to learn that I went to goat yoga this past weekend. But it turns out that while cows slightly terrify me, I love baby goats. MKE Yoga Social hosts goat yoga all summer long, and though I’ve gone to their yoga studio for a little over a year, I had not yet gone to goat yoga. So I decided to finally try it, and my oh my what a joyous experience! We did about 30 minutes of yoga – though to be honest it was mostly just stretching and breathing because the goats were quite distracting – and then there were 30 minutes to just pet and play with the goats. I loved when they’d climb on my back. It was so cute! And yes, one did poop on me … it was disgusting but for some reason the power of their cuteness made me not care at all. Register here, and don’t wait – the classes sell out quickly.
Submit your projects for our annual Home & Design Awards!
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
The reason I get sad is because every nice day feels wasted – I feel like I should be out in a park, frolicking with the homies, not hunching over a laptop in the darkness. To avoid this sadness, I often seek out locations where I can hunch over my laptop while at least feeling slightly summerish, and recently that spot has been Vendetta Coffee’s location in Walker’s Point. The cafe is super quaint and the windows let in enough sun to warm my bitter soul. They don’t serve drip coffee, which sucks for someone like me who doesn’t drink fancy coffee drinks, but they do serve cold brew, and might I say that it’s quite good and refreshing on a sunny day.
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
OK, OK, so first things first: Rates and Barrels is ostensibly a fantasy baseball podcast. But the show, particularly with its regular guests, far transcends the roto world and indulges those fans interested in the geekier side of baseball that has quietly been taking over the game. Most of the week, co-hosts Derek Van Riper (a Wisconsin native and Brewers fan) and Eno Sarris are breaking down promising waiver additions or juicy pitcher matchups. But the Friday pods are a showcase for Sarris, who’s become one of baseball media’s best experts at pitching, talking shop about the modern pitching landscape with recent former big league hurler Trevor May. Tuesdays, Athletic writer Britt Ghiroli stops in for another broad look at the week that was in MLB. Both days touch on fantasy relevance but are primarily about two fresh and engaging perspectives on the game in general.
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
The other day, the thought hit me: You know, what I haven’t watched lately is Netflix. I don’t watch much of anything in general – though I am, for obvious reasons, chained to my TV on Wednesday nights when “Top Chef” airs on Bravo. So yeah, Netflix. I had no idea what to watch so I basically picked the first thing I saw when I logged in and that’s “Baby Reindeer.” I know now there’s a buzz around it, but I have avoided reading any publicity – not until I finish. In a nutshell, this seven-episode drama is about a Scottish bartender stalked by a woman who comes the London pub where he’s employed and pursues him in super-creepy ways. But maybe the creepiest thing is the bartender’s odd tolerance, like a passive encouragement. It’s almost as if he needs her. At the very least, he has compassion for her. Richard Gadd – the Scotsman who wrote the story, created a one-man show and stars in the Netflix drama as bartender/fledgling comedian Donny Dunn – also apparently lived it in real life. Gadd based the story on his own experience of being stalked and harassed. I am four episodes in – well, I’m still on the fourth episode, and I shut it off because I felt like something disturbing is about to happen, something that will shed more light on why Donny is the way he is. But I’m still making this show my editor pick. It’s uncomfortably compelling and I’ll come back to it – probably tonight.
Want more great Milwaukee events? Check out our calendar!
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam talks greater involvement, Giannis future
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam says that he will have a greater involvement with the team and that includes the decision on if to re-sign Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Milwaukee Bucks know their placement in the 2026 NBA Draft, slotted No. 10 for their first lottery pick in a decade. Who are some of the possible selections at that spot when June 23 rolls around?
Check out what the first post-lottery wave of mock drafts has to say, most of them pointing to same prospect, that being Nate Ament of Tennessee, a 6-10 freshman small forward.
Nate Ament, forward, Tennessee
From Spencer Woo of ESPN: “While Ament’s stock has slipped from an early top-five projection, he had productive stretches this season within a tricky team context and has room to help himself in workouts. Although scouts are split on whether he has star potential or projects better as a long-term supporting player, there is still plenty of intrigue around Ament in the lottery. As a tall skill player with shotmaking upside, Ament fits a player archetype that teams often love to swing on. As Milwaukee considers a post-Antetokounmpo future, a malleable upside swing such as Ament could be a fit.”
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports: “The Bucks should take a swing to jump-start their new era, whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo is part of it. Players who can handle, shoot off the dribble, and stand at 6-foot-10 don’t grow on trees. This physical foundation kept Ament in lottery consideration even after a dreadful start to his freshman season when he struggled to score efficiently and make an impact defensively. But over the second half of the year for Tennessee, he flipped a switch and shots began to fall. He averaged 23.8 points over a six-game stretch in January and February that reminded everyone why he was a top recruit in the country. Then he dealt with an ankle injury that ruined his momentum entering March and he severely struggled during the tournament. Bucks general manager Jon Horst has never been afraid to take risks though. If Ament pans out, it could look like a stroke of genius.”
Gary Parrish of CBS Sports: “Ament had an up-and-down freshman season for the Vols – but the upside isn’t hard to spot. Less than a year ago, the 2025 McDonald’s All-American was considered a possible top-five pick. So getting Ament here would be nice for a Bucks franchise that seems on the verge of rebuilding after presumably trading Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.”
The Ringer: “Barring some transactional magic, this could be Milwaukee’s best bite at the talent apple in the draft for a while. The Bucks don’t currently have control over a first-round pick until 2031. If Giannis Antetokounmpo decides it’s time to move on, this roster will be rudderless and talent-deprived. If Giannis decides not to move on, it’ll have a rudder but still won’t go anywhere. Less than ideal, but that makes this a ‘best player available’ scenario, or rather ‘best wager available.’ There are definitely more stable options in this range, but Ament’s higher possible outcomes justify this pick. Ament fell short of expectations this past season, and he slid from top-five consideration as a result, but the jumbo-sized, smooth-moving ball handler is still a worthy bet here. Handling the ball at 6-foot-10 is an intriguing enough skill to instill some belief that he could develop into a quality asset. And the Bucks can take the risk given their circumstances.
Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports: “Ament is a polarizing prospect with a wide range of outcomes on draft night. A late-blooming 6-foot-10 combo-forward who is fluid, has touch, and skill, he’s also inconsistent and needs to get stronger. While his freshman year was up and down, Ament’s overall arc has been linear, and there’s still glaring potential. That upside makes him a logical choice for a Milwaukee team that has a very uncertain future ahead of them.”
Brian Lewis of New York Post: “After the run on guards, taking an upside swing on a gifted developmental player here seems like a worthy gamble for a Bucks team that could be in full-on rebuild in a post-Giannis era.”
Two other names mentioned
From Eric Nehm of The Athletic: “This was an incredibly difficult pick to make without knowing what the Bucks are going to do with Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the 10-time All-Star forward remains in Milwaukee, it might make more sense to look at someone like Yaxel Lendeborg, who could make an impact right away and give the Bucks more size and skill. Instead, though, I went with Philon, who has a lot of offensive upside and could be protected on the defensive end by Ryan Rollins. Philon is an electrifying offensive player who shot 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3 while averaging 22 points, 3.5 rebounds and five assists per game last season.”
From Kurt Helin of NBC Sports: “The Bucks need all the backcourt help they can get, and Burries may not be flashy, but he does a lot of things well — he can play on and off the ball, can knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers but also attack closeouts, and he gets downhill off screens and has a midrange pull-up game.”
Brad Paisley (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE – Brad Paisley is scheduled to perform at the BMO Pavilion in Milwaukee on Sept. 4.
Ticket information
What we know:
The ticket pre-sale for Brad’s fan club members, Paisley Nation, begins on Tuesday, May 12 at 10 am. All tickets available at BradPaisley.com.
The tour will also offer a variety of VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Packages vary but include premium seats, a guided backstage tour, VIP-exclusive gift item, early entry & more. VIP package contents vary depending on the selected offer. For more information, visit VIPnation.com.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Live Nation.
Billionaire Wes Edens, co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA club, is shown at Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 9, 2015. The Wall Street Journal on Sunday identified Edens as the victim of a billion-dollar extortion plot allegedly hatched by an ex-lover. File Photo by Andrew Gombert/EPA
May 10 (UPI) — Wes Edens, the billionaire co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and an owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, was the target of a billion-dollar extortion scheme allegedly perpetrated by an ex-lover, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
A spokesman for Edens, 64, confirmed to the newspaper that the financier is the unnamed alleged victim in a federal indictment brought against Changli “Sophia” Luo of New York City.
Edens, one of world’s most successful global investment management firm leaders with Fortress, has developed and owned businesses in real estate, transportation, infrastructure, health care, financial services, media and entertainment.
He is also a high-profile sports team owner, including the Bucks and soccer club Aston Villa of the English Premier League. He is credited turning the Bucks from a perennial cellar dweller into a champion squad over a five-year span, culminating in the 2021 NBA championship.
But he also fell victim to a lurid alleged “sextortion” scheme, his spokesman confirmed to the WSJ, admitting the Edens is the unnamed “Victim 1” cited an indictment filed last year in Manhattan federal court against Luo.
The indictment reportedly accuses her of trying to extort Victim 1 of more than $1 billion by threatening to release videos and photos of them engaged in sex. Prosecutors alleged Luo also threatened to contact the victim’s family members and business partners in a threat to destroy his fortune if he did not pay up.
According to the indictment, Luo was arrested June 14 at JFK International Airport as she tried to board a flight to China, the New York Post reported.
“Mr. Edens will be making no comment on the case as the indictment speaks for itself with respect to the charges against the defendant,” his spokesman told the Journal. “Mr. Edens expects to testify under oath at the upcoming trial.”
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