Milwaukee, WI

Writer Elaine Schmidt was an evangelist for music in Milwaukee

Published

1 year ago

December 31, 2024

Writer Elaine Schmidt was an evangelist for music in Milwaukee

An elbow injury disrupted the career that Elaine Schmidt might have had as a high-level flutist. Undaunted, Schmidt channeled her mellifluousness into writing about music.

For more than three decades, Schmidt wrote about classical music and the performing arts for Milwaukeeans in many contexts: freelance reviews for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, scripts for Milwaukee Public Television broadcasts, books for Hal Leonard and, in recent years, program notes for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Schmidt died Dec. 19 after a short illness, according to her family. She was 66. Her death caught many who knew her here by surprise.

“Her passing is a loss for me personally, yes, and I’m heartbroken,” wrote MSO Communications Director Erin Kogler in a Facebook post. “But more important than my personal sadness, the arts community in Milwaukee needs people like Elaine — arts evangelists. People who truly understand how important the arts are in a community and will use whatever wonderful talent they have to keep the arts strong and thriving. Fellow Milwaukee arts lovers, we all have some big shoes to fill.”

Born June 18, 1958, Schmidt was raised in Milwaukee and graduated from Milwaukee Lutheran High School in 1976. After earlier study at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and Concordia University, Schmidt moved to New York to study flute and voice at The Julliard School, according to an obituary prepared by her friend Karen Herzog, a former Journal Sentinel reporter.

Schmidt worked as a musician and singer in New York until her elbow injury. She then earned a master’s degree in music criticism from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Returning to Milwaukee in 1993, she plunged into life as a freelancer or, as she wryly put it, “a gig pig,” teaching flute and voice and also writing for many customers. Her first review for the Milwaukee Sentinel, of a Master Singers Quartet concert, was published on Aug. 16, 1993. Her final review for the Journal Sentinel, of Florentine Opera’s “Maria de Buenos Aires,” was posted nearly 31 years later, on May 17, 2024.

Full disclosure: For many of those years, I was Schmidt’s assigning editor at the Journal Sentinel, commissioning and editing her reviews and articles. During hundreds of phone conversations (rarely short ones, because she liked to gab), I heard Elaine’s warm, cultured voice, often tinged with mock seriousness before unleashing a joke that could lead to boisterous laughter.

On her LinkedIn page, the proudly erudite and eclectic Schmidt wrote: “I am frighteningly well-versed in the trivial and arcane.” Here’s one example: She did a spot-on hilarious imitation of the nasal voice of Fran Drescher (star of “The Nanny”).

Schmidt revealed another facet of her creativity in 2013 when she published “The Travelers: Present in the Past,” a time-travel novel for young readers in which touching an antique quilt sent someone back in time. She followed that up a year later with “The Travelers Companion: Sharing Timeless Handwork Projects With a New Generation,” a guidebook in which she shared her passion for quilting.

Schmidt, who lived in Grafton, is survived by her husband, Mark Hoelscher; her sister Paula Schmidt, and her cat, Junior. Her family plans a celebration of her life in the spring. Memorials can be made to Lutheran Counseling and Family Services of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee fatal shootings Sunday; 2 dead, 1 in custody

Published

9 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee fatal shootings Sunday; 2 dead, 1 in custody

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Scene near 107th and Wabash, Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee police are investigating two separate fatal shootings that occurred within hours of each other on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 4.

107th and Wabash

What we know:

The first shooting was reported around 2 p.m. near 107th and Wabash, according to the Milwaukee Police Department. A 40-year-old victim suffered gunshot wounds and later died from those injuries.

The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation, and police are continuing to search for a suspect or suspects.

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64th and Mill

What we know:

A second fatal shooting was reported around 3:40 p.m., near 64th and Mill. Police said a 53-year-old victim was shot and died from their injuries. A suspect is in custody and charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.

The shooting remains under active investigation.

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Authorities say the incidents are not related.

MPD tips

What you can do:

Anyone with information related to either shooting is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or via the P3 Tips app.

The Source: Anyone with any information is asked to contact the MPD at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 Tips app.

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Milwaukee, WI

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

Published

21 hours 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

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Milwaukee, WI

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

Published

1 day 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.

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