Milwaukee, WI
TMJ4, Milwaukee school transform book fair into free reading celebration
MILWAUKEE — Students at Dr. George Washington Carver Academy of Mathematics and Science in Milwaukee experienced something special recently when a traditional school book fair became a celebration of free reading, thanks to a partnership between TMJ4, the Scripps Howard Fund, Milwaukee Public Schools and Scholastic’s “If You Give a Child a Book” campaign.
TMJ4
Each student was able to choose five free books of their own, removing the financial barrier that often comes with book fairs and giving children the freedom to select books they truly wanted to read.
“For them to have the chance to come in and literally pick whatever five books they want from the current up-to-date books that they’re raving over in class is awesome for them,” said Hayley Awe, a kindergarten teacher at Carver Academy.
TMJ4
The impact was immediate and visible. Student Lamar Allen described the experience as feeling “like a dream” and said it felt “amazing.”
Awe emphasized the importance of students having books at home, noting how meaningful it is to see children build their own personal libraries.
TMJ4
“I’m happy for them. It’s great that they are given that chance to just have books at home,” Awe said.
Parent volunteer Cheynile Johnson believes the initiative levels the playing field for students by providing access to books they’re genuinely interested in reading.
“I think it’s going to be beneficial for a lot of the kids, allowing them to have access to things that they’re interested in,” Johnson said.
TMJ4
Johnson also noted how refreshing it was to see children excited about physical books in an increasingly digital world.
“I noticed a lot of kids aren’t reading anymore. Everybody’s on tablets and on laptops, so this has been refreshing to see them actually excited to see books,” Johnson said.
TMJ4
The “If You Give a Child a Book” campaign has distributed more than one million books nationwide, working toward the goal of ensuring every child has the opportunity to develop a love of reading.
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Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Weather – Frosty and cold morning, sunny day ahead
MILWAUKEE – Forecast from FOX6 Meteorologist Lisa Michaels
Frosty Monday morning with temps in the teens inland to low 20s near the lake.
Mostly sunny to sunny skies on Monday. Highs in the mid-40s inland, upper 30s near the lake.
A total lunar eclipse will happen Tuesday morning, total eclipse from 5-6am. It may be tough to see due to increasing clouds.
Increasing clouds on Tuesday with highs in the low 40s. Chance of rain and storms possible Wednesday through Friday with warming temperatures.
Today: 39 Lake. Mostly sunny.
High: 44°
Wind: SE 5-10
Tonight: Partly cloudy this evening, mostly clear overnight.
Low: 27°
Wind: SE 5
Tuesday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy.
High: 43°
Wind: E 5-10
Wednesday:41 Lake. Chance for scattered showers and t-storms.
AM Low: 32° High: 45°
Wind: E 5-10
Thursday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy. Chance storms.
AM Low: 37° High: 42°
Wind: NE 5-10
Friday: Chance for showers and t-storms Warmer. Warming at night.
AM Low: 37° High: 57°
Wind: SE 5-15
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with AM rain showers. Blustery with falling afternoon temperatures.
AM Low: 47° High: 53°
Wind: NE 5-10
6-day planner
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
FOX Weather
Big picture view:
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
Milwaukee, WI
Four new community-powered fridges open on Milwaukee’s North Side
Community members and city leaders celebrated the opening of four new community-powered fridges on the North Side of Milwaukee. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Friday, Feb. 27, at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, 3624 W. North Ave., to mark the occasion.
The effort to fight food scarcity by opening community-powered fridges comes after several grocery stores closed in the area, creating a food desert.
District 15 Ald. Russell W. Stamper II, who saw several grocery stores in his district close over the past few years, served as the event’s emcee.
“We could either complain about the problem, or we could come together to find a solution,” Stamper said.
In July 2025, a Pick ‘n Save on the North Side closed, prompting the opening of a community-powered fridge at Tricklebee Café in the Sherman Park and Uptown area. Since then, several other grocery stores have closed in the area.
This led Stamper, FEED MKE, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and One MKE to open four more community-powered fridges.
Christie Melby-Gibbons, executive director of Tricklebee Café, talked about the organization’s community-powered fridge. About a week ago, the fridge was empty for the first time since its launch, so staff turned to their online community for support.
“Within 20 minutes, a woman came in with bags of food and filled the fridge for less than $100,” Melby-Gibbons said.
The community-powered fridge network is run by residents on a take-what-you-need, leave-what-you-can model. Taking a grassroots approach to solving food insecurity in the area, community members provide fresh produce and other healthy food options to ensure that their neighbors have access to nutritious foods.
“Everybody deserves to eat. I can’t go to sleep at night knowing my neighbors are hungry,” said Melody McCurtis, deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges.
Here’s a list of all the community-powered fridges:
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges
3624 W. North Ave.
Rooted & Rising- Washington Park
3940 W. Lisbon Ave.
Sherman Park Community Association
3526 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
Dominican Center
2470 W. Locust St.
Tricklebee Café
4424 W. North Ave.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Milwaukee, WI
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