Milwaukee, WI
Wade, Diener raise money for youth literacy in Milwaukee
SAUKVILLE, Wis. – They teamed up on the court as part of the famed 2003 Final Four Marquette squad.
Now, Dwyane Wade and Travis Diener are collaborating on their most important project yet.
“I think everything that Travis and I talked about, what we wanted to accomplish in this first year, without doing this before together, it’s been everything that we’ve wanted,” said Dwyane Wade, former Marquette guard and three-time NBA Champion.
Wade and Diener are teaming up once again in Milwaukee, this time to champion a cause near and dear to Wade’s heart. Their goal is to raise awareness for youth literacy.
“I think in the midst of my success, a lot of people forgot that I was academically ineligible when I came to Marquette University,” said Wade. “Because of the community I grew up in, I was behind as well, and I was playing catch up my whole life. I found out a lot of statistics and information about Wisconsin and about the gap when it comes to the minority community out here.”
“We met over 20 years ago, and we come from totally different backgrounds, and we’ve forged this bond between us on the court, but most importantly off the court, so it’s important that we pay it forward,” said Travis Diener, former Marquette guard.
That’s how Wade vs. Diener came to be.
The three-day fundraising event featured a girls’ basketball camp, a tailgate party and the culminating event was an 18-hole golf outing at The Bog in Saukville.
“I’m thankful for Trav to be on board with what we’re trying to do, and lending our time together to try to build something together and try to see if we can make an impact,” said Wade.
Wade vs. Diener will raise funds through Marquette for local youth literacy programs, along with the Tragil Wade-Johnson Summer Reading Program, which aims to combat the summer slide.
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The program is named in honor of Wade’s sister.
“This is amazing,” said Tragil Wade-Johnson. “Someone was saying, what do you want out of this? I just want more conversations to be had about this space of literacy. We have to get involved in helping these grade levels go up.”
And for Wade, the chance to return to Milwaukee to give back, be an advocate for literacy, and do it all with the support of his teammates, is something that is not lost on him.
“We all created something special here,” said Wade. “We’re still in this community here. We’ve done some amazing things, we’ve left some amazing stories, but that cannot be the end of our journey. This team is impactful for a reason.”
But how impactful would their golf game be to cap off a successful fundraiser?
“I beat him yesterday in golf everybody,” said Wade. “Just wanted to let you all know I’ve been golfing for four years.”
“I gave him 22 shots,” responded Diener.
Before hitting the golf course, the pair selected teams.
“He’s had a much better weekend so far winning, but I think I can be a good general manager,” said Diener. “I drafted some good players.”
Then, the competition was on.
So, who are the ultimate winners of Wade vs. Diener? They’re the kids who will benefit from all the funds raised, and the friendships that still endure.
“What is our journey?” asked Wade. “So, like now, me and Travis are on that journey to say let’s continue to do the things together. Let’s see what our next 20 years can be like. What impact can we make in the community of Milwaukee that they will still talk about 20 years from now? Hopefully it’s something bigger than basketball.”
Milwaukee, WI
NBA Cup: Giannis Antetokounmpo stars as Milwaukee Bucks win again
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his second triple-double of the season as the Milwaukee Bucks led wire-to-wire to beat the visiting Indiana Pacers.
The NBA’s two-time Most Valuable Player claimed 37 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as the Bucks won 129-117 on Friday to improve to a 2-0 record in the NBA Cup.
Damian Lillard added 24 points and 13 assists for his third straight double-double, and the result means Milwaukee have won five of their last six since opening the season with a 2-8 record.
They had six players in double figures for points, with Antetokounmpo, 29, recording his 47th career triple-double.
Jaylen Brown had 31 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 108-96 win at the stubborn Washington Wizards.
Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday added 16 points each for last season’s NBA champions, who have won three straight overall and are 2-1 in the NBA Cup.
James Harden had 22 points and nine assists as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to four games with a 104-88 victory against the visiting Sacramento Kings.
The Clippers were without leading scorer Norman Powell because of a hamstring strain and are now 1-1 in the in-season tournament, which concludes next month with the semi-finals and championship game being played in Las Vegas.
Last season’s MVP Nikola Jokic returned for the Denver Nuggets after missing three games for the birth of his second child and had a triple-double of 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.
However, that was not enough to stop the Nuggets losing 123-120 at home to the Dallas Mavericks, for whom Naji Marshall scored a career-high 26 points in the absence of Luka Doncic, who will miss at least four games because of a wrist injury.
Jared McCain declared to the crowd that he is “the rookie of the year” after scoring a three-pointer in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 113-98 win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
The 20-year-old, who was the 16th overall draft pick in June, scored 30 points as the Sixers halted a five-game losing streak, despite playing without Joel Embiid and Paul George.
McCain posted his seventh consecutive game scoring 20-plus points, joining Embiid, Allen Iverson, Jerry Stackhouse and Lee Shaffer as the only rookies in franchise history to accomplish that feat,
Milwaukee, WI
Nine-story hotel planned for former Bradley Center site in downtown Milwaukee
The former Bradley Center site in Deer District, just south of Fiserv Forum, is set to be converted in part to a new Moxy Hotel.
NCG Hospitality, the operator of Moxy Hotels, and the Milwaukee Bucks announced Friday that the company has finalized plans to build the downtown hotel project, adjacent to the upcoming FPC Live concert venue opening late next year.
The Moxy Hotel project is set to break ground in late 2025 as well and open in spring 2027. The building is nine stories with 162 rooms. The new hotel joins the Trade Hotel, just north of the arena, which is also owned by NCG Hospitality and opened last year.
“Moxy Milwaukee Downtown will offer a fresh addition to bustling Deer District, creating an ideal destination for concertgoers and Milwaukee visitors alike,” the company said in a news release.
“The hotel will host a vibrant social scene, with check-in at the bar, a signature welcome drink and a lobby filled with games and spaces for guests to socialize and unwind.
“With the new FPC Live concert venue just steps away, guests will have access to world-class entertainment, making Moxy Milwaukee Downtown a hotspot for visitors looking to experience the best of the city’s vibrant nightlife.”
The hotel plans first surfaced in fall 2023 in connection with the FPC Live venue and around six months after NCG opened The Trade hotel north of Fiserv Forum.
Tom Daykin contributed to this report.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee cohousing project receives Mayor Johnson's approval
MILWAUKEE – A unique housing project planned for Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood received the public thumbs up from Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson Friday.
In front of what will eventually be the River Trail Commons cohousing development, the Mayor signed a public file advancing the project. Mayor Johnson also signed a second file authorizing the Environmental Collaboration Office to seek clean energy tax credits to support various projects like the new Martin Luther King Jr. Drive library branch in the Harambee neighborhood.
In addition to the advancement of the project, Friday’s public ceremony served as a chance for several Milwaukee city leaders to show their solidarity with the man who pushed heavily for River Trail Commons and other ideas like it: late Third District Alderman Jonathan Brostoff. The alderman died by suicide earlier this month at just 41-years-old.
Thousands gather to honor late Alderman Jonathan Brostoff
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to sign these files publicly was to honor Jonathan, and to recommit ourselves to Jonathan’s approach, was to be forward thinking,” said Mayor Johnson.
Nine of the 14 living Common Council members flanked Mayor Johnson and Alderman Brostoff’s widow Diana Vang-Brostoff during the event.
“When Jonathan took an oath of office, he decided he would work very hard to create affordable housing in the Third District. The use of this space for townhomes and condos would make him proud at accomplishing an important goal of adding diverse housing to the city,” said Vang-Brostoff.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Planned Milwaukee cohousing project gets first city approval
The cohousing project would be the first of its kind in the city, including 39 housing units at a site formerly occupied by the Milwaukee Beer Bistro and then Big Daddy’s BBQ & Soul Food near Humboldt Boulevard and Center Street. The goal of the project according to its leader, attorney Nola Hitchcock Cross, is to build a community of neighbors around sharing resources.
“We’re creating a new-old fashioned development, where everybody knows your name,” says Hitchcock Cross. “It’s got secret sauce, and the secret sauce is the community.”
As part of the community-building mission, Hitchcock Cross says the development will include a public gathering space for meals, a community garden, library, play room, workshop, guest suites, multifunction room, and outdoor lounge space. There would also be a shared electric vehicle on site.
According to Realtor.com, in July of 2024, the median listing home price in Milwaukee was 219,900 dollars, trending up 15.8% year-over-year. Of the 39 planned units, 13 will be sold at below-market prices to those who meet income restriction requirements. It’s still not known what the rate on the below-market price units will be.
Groundbreaking on River Trail Commons is anticipated sometime in 2025, with the hope of completing the development the same year.
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