Wisconsin
More Central Wisconsin towns experiencing problems with missing mail
SAXEVILLE, Wis. (WBAY) – We’re learning new details about missing mail residents from our viewing area are experiencing, causing them to receive late payment notices when they say they paid their bills on time.
Since our story aired earlier this month, more people have reached out to Action 2 News saying they too are missing mail.
Saxeville-Springwater Fire Chief Alex Peterson knew something wasn’t quite right when he spoke with the department’s landscaping company, who accused them of failing to pay their bill for services.
“When he did that I said, ‘Man I swore I paid you,’ and I reached out to my administrative assistant who does all our bill paying and she looked back and said yeah July 3rd I sent out a payment to them,” said Peterson.
The fire department then received late notices from their utility and internet providers before learning a check for $3,000 that was sent to the Poy Sippi Fire Department following a fundraising event never made it to their intended recipients.
Peterson also owns A-J’s Dock Services. He had similar conversations with his customers about not receiving payment for work he did.
“I had customers that sent checks to me that day that I never received and I just actually reached out to them last week and I’m like ‘Hey I never got paid from you,’ and they said ‘Well I sent the check,’ and I asked ‘Was it on July 3rd by chance?’ and it was.”
That’s the same date a Clintonville woman says she mailed out her payment to her utility company but they never got it. She told Action 2 News earlier this month that Clintonville Utilities told her “the mail in two trucks is lost.”
Peterson heard a similar story from his bank after they reached out to multiple post offices in the area, saying mail was lost or stolen at the sorting facility in Milwaukee.
He says he filed a complaint on August 1st with the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General, asking to be reimbursed for the $30 check-canceling fee as well as late fees on bills.
USPS responded the next day stating they were going to forward Peterson’s complaint to the Milwaukee sorting facility to do an internal investigation. He has not heard anything since then.
“Things happen, I understand sometimes mail gets lost but if it goes completely missing because somebody stole it well now I’ve got concerns about it because it’s costing us money and potentially stealing people’s identity and social security numbers and everything else that goes through the mail,” said Peterson.
We reached out to USPS again asking specifically what happened. They responded “At this time, I do not have an update on this issue. We’re making every effort to ensure this is resolved as quickly as possible.”
As some USPS customers grow more frustrated with the continued lack of answers, the fire department is now looking into online electronic payments so they don’t have to worry about lost mail again.
Copyright 2024 WBAY. All rights reserved.
The drought is over.
Yuengling beers are now officially available across Wisconsin, as America’s oldest brewery continues its efforts to expand its reach into the Midwest and bring its nearly two-century legacy to the state.
Watch: Yuengling beer now officially available across Wisconsin
Yuengling beer now available in Wisconsin
“For years, Wisconsinites have been asking when they’d finally be able to enjoy a cold Yuengling close to home — often smuggling our beer back from eastern states and sharing their excitement with us on social media,” said Debbie, a sixth-generation Yuengling family member. “That day is finally here. We are so excited that our Wisconsin fans will no longer have to fill their car trunks with six-packs of Lager and can simply order one at their favorite neighborhood bar!”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Yuengling beer is coming to Wisconsin in 2026
Monday’s announcement comes just under two months after the brewery said the family-owned company would be expanding into Wisconsin and Iowa in its latest effort to grow production and distribution in the Midwest.
D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc.
The Yuengling Co. was established in 2020 with Molson Coors Beverage Co. as a separate joint venture to lead its expansion efforts. Once distribution begins in Iowa, Yuengling will be available in 30 states.
The brewery’s lineup includes Traditional Lager, Light Lager, Black & Tan, Golden Pilsner, Flight, Premium, Premium Light, Dark Brewed Porter, Lord Chesterfield Ale, Oktoberfest, Bock and Bongo Fizz.
To kick off the statewide celebration, Yuengling will host an official launch party at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, at Wolski’s in Milwaukee.
D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc.
The brewery has provided a locator on its website for fans eager to try it.
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In step with global and national trends, Milwaukee logged its lowest number of births on record in 2025, with just over 7,300 babies born in the city last year.
As of Jan. 5, Milwaukee had recorded 7,343 births in 2025, though that number will likely be closer to 7,386 once records are finalized, according to John D. Johnson, a research fellow at Marquette Law School’s Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education.
That’s a 5% decline from 2024 and nearly 22% decline from 2019, when birth rates dipped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year marked the lowest number of births on record since the state began collecting data in 1990, but Johnson noted it’s also likely the lowest since the 1960s, when Milwaukee’s population reached peak levels.
Still, following the pandemic drop-off, Milwaukee’s birth count had stabilized slightly between 2022 and 2024. Last year, however, the drop was the steepest in several years.
“None of this is surprising,” Johnson said. “Declining birth rates, in general, are super normal, but I don’t have an answer for what happened [in 2025]. It’s a concerning sign for the city.”
Along with people simply having fewer children than they used to, experts say a lack of affordable homes, health care and childcare are all driving the trend. Locally, parents say social isolation and diminishing resources for new families are also making it more difficult to raise kids in Milwaukee.
Why are fewer people having kids in Milwaukee?
The reasons births are declining in Milwaukee largely mirror the reasons births are declining nationally and globally, according to Noelle Chesley, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Some of those reasons are structural, like the skyrocketing costs of child care and declining access to affordable health care, Chesley said. Others are demographic, including a decline in the number of teenage parents and a growing divide between people who do and don’t want children.
Recent surveys have shown men are more likely to want kids than women; conservative-leaning people more likely to want kids than liberal-leaning people; and religious people more likely than non-religious, Chesley said. That could partly explain why the number of babies born in Milwaukee dropped throughout the 2010s, while the numbers in the surrounding suburbs remained relatively stable, she said.
“We’re so split politically between our city and the suburbs,” she said. “There could be an extent of out-migration to the suburbs as people have kids.”
Statewide, school enrollment data tells a similar story: throughout the 2000s and 2010s, enrollment in suburban school districts increased, while rural school enrollment continually declined, according to Sarah Kemp, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Applied Population Lab. Urban school districts, including Milwaukee, saw relatively steady enrollment through the 2010s, but the pandemic brought a sharp decline in student enrollment in most Wisconsin cities.
“There’s maybe not housing available for those young families to move into, or maybe the opportunities aren’t there for young families to find employment, and that may then show up in the school districts with declining enrollment,” Kemp said.
In the long term, declining birth rates will continue to strain social safety nets nationwide, namely the Social Security system, Chesley said. Wisconsin also logged its lowest-ever number of births last year, with 59,517 babies born in 2025, compared to more than 72,000 in 1990, according to the state Department of Health Services.
“When you have too many older people and not enough young people, you might see things like not having enough staff to run healthcare and nursing homes. You might not have enough people running restaurants, grocery stores or other businesses,” Chesley said. “There just could be chronic labor shortages.”
Milwaukee’s north side zip codes see steepest decline in births
The disparity in birth numbers isn’t just between the city and suburbs: Milwaukee’s north and south side neighborhoods have seen the largest decreases in births over the past few years, according to Johnson.
That’s likely because some neighborhoods in the city – downtown, the upper east side, lower east side and Bayview – were already seeing lower birth rates, and other neighborhoods are now catching up, Johnson said. However, the lack of resources for pregnant people and young families could also be driving parents-to-be to move out of certain neighborhoods at higher rates, he said.
Milwaukee’s 53209 zip code, which includes the neighborhoods of Menomonee River Parkway and Rufus King, saw 235 fewer births in 2025 than 2019. The neighboring 53218 zip code logged 182 fewer births, and the 53225 zip code, 134 fewer in the same time period. Most other neighborhoods saw declines below 100 births.
Dalvery Blackwell, president and founder of the African American Breastfeeding Network, said while affordability is a struggle for young families citywide, Black families face the largest barriers. The Breastfeeding Network works to decrease the Black maternal and infant mortality rate in Milwaukee, including by training doulas to support people of color through their pregnancies and births.
“The disparities are higher than any other ethnic group when we look at Black families being able to access quality health care, childcare or even housing,” Blackwell said. “The resources are just not available in large part due to systemic racism and social economic inequalities.”
In addition to decades of research, Blackwell’s assessments have been borne out in recent history: In the past few years, the north side has seen several grocery stores, a pediatric doctor’s office and a youth food program all shutter. All five of the Milwaukee Public Schools recently selected for potential permanent closure are clustered on the north side, though Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said she isn’t ready to recommend those schools for closure this fall.
Parents look for community despite social isolation
As births decline, those who do chose to have kids in the Milwaukee area say early parenthood can be stressful, anxiety-inducing and – above all in a post-pandemic world – lonely.
In March 2020, Heather Puente, health officer for the Cudahy Health Department, had just come back from maternity leave with her second child.
“COVID hits, and I was still breastfeeding,” Puente said. “I was pumping, coming home and showering before I could even see the kids or hold my baby. It was one of the honestly worst times that I can think of.”
With her first baby, Puente said she leaned on support groups and free resources for moms through local hospitals, but these these support systems have been diminishing, notably in Cudahy and Milwaukee’s south side. In 2022, Ascension St. Francis Hospital closed its labor and delivery unit.
In the absence of larger support systems, some parents are working to create and provide their own free resources for young families. Puente is a board member for Park Pals WI, a Milwaukee-area nonprofit organizing free programming to children and their families, in hopes of connecting both kids and parents with one another.
A need for connection is also what drove Mequon resident Stephanie Ciatti to start Babbling Babes MKE, a social club for moms across the Milwaukee area. When pregnant with her third child, Ciatti said she “made a vow” to herself to start visiting the coffee shops, stores and restaurants she had loved before becoming a mom but began to feel inaccessible with small children.
Going with a group of other parents made the experience less intimidating, she said. These gatherings have also become a space for moms to connect over their struggles with limited maternity leave, postpartum support and other challenges of raising kids in the city.
“We need to do a better job nurturing those moms in the first year of life when isolation is so high, especially with winters in Wisconsin,” Ciatti said. “If you really lay out the facts, the support does not equal what these women are going through.”
Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s Wealthiest Suburb Is Known For Its Small-Town Charm And Gateway To Nearby Lakes – Islands
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Milwaukee may be a busy, bustling hub, but there are plenty of ways to escape the big city without straying too far. Tucked along the outskirts of Wisconsin’s largest city is one such escape, where small-town charm can be found in droves. Chenequa is a village 30 miles west of Milwaukee, nestled in Wisconsin’s Lake Country. The village surrounds the 703-acre Pine Lake, and includes parts of Beaver Lake to the east and North Lake to the north. Not only is this charming village surrounded by natural beauty, but it is also the state’s wealthiest suburb, according to Forbes.
With a population of about 817 residents, this charming village maintains a small-town, rural feel despite its close proximity to the lively Milwaukee. Chenequa is easily accessible from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, which is about 35 miles away, where you can rent a car for a short drive to the town. As for lodging, there are plenty of cost-efficient options nearby, such as the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in the nearby Delafield, a city with award-winning food. For a more upscale stay, try Mon Bijou, a boutique hotel in a historic circa-1879 mansion about 10 miles away in Oconomowoc.
Immerse yourself in Chenequa’s small-town charm
Nestled in Waukesha County, Chenequa’s small-town charm makes it an attractive option for retirees and families. Incorporated in 1928, this is a family-friendly community with excellent public schools and low crime rates, according to Niche, making it a great place to consider setting down roots. Many of the businesses in and near Chenequa are locally owned, such as Stone Bank Farm Market, a year-round market that often hosts events to bring the local community together. There are plenty of local shops in the nearby Hartland, a lovely village with tasty eateries, such as Kalon Boutique, a trendy women’s clothing store noted for its kind and helpful staff on Yelp.
Chenequa’s small-town charm is maintained by zoning laws requiring large minimum lot sizes, allowing the area to retain a spacious, rural atmosphere. Since 1985, the community has been named a “Tree City USA” each year, and it’s one of the smallest destinations to achieve this recognition. While Chenequa itself is mainly residential, it acts as a great access point to areas like Nashotah Park, a scenic 444-acre park filled with diverse wildlife and nature trails. The park’s unique landscape is due to a glacial advance over 10,000 years ago, which created features such as a lake and a cedar glade, providing fishing and hiking opportunities for visitors.
Explore Wisconsin’s Lake Country
Chenequa sits in the heart of Lake Country, a scenic region of northwestern Waukesha County known for its numerous lakes. The village of Chenequa surrounds Pine Lake, with affluent properties and rare white pine trees lining its shores. In fact, the village is named after the Native Potawatomi word for pine, “Chenequa”, due to the prevalence of those white pines. Noted for its water clarity, Pine Lake offers excellent swimming and fishing, with fish species such as northern pike, walleye, and bass. It also has a public boat landing for easy water access.
Beaver Lake, to the east, is a 313-acre lake near the village that provides even more fishing opportunities, though its access is restricted for non-residents. North Lake is the northernmost lake near Chenequa, sitting between the village and the nearby town of Merton. Spanning approximately 437 acres, this quiet, private lake has no public boat access, giving residents a special lake for their communities. Regardless of the lake you choose to visit, you’ll be met with stunning views and a tranquil atmosphere.
Though Chenequa has three lakes in close proximity, there is still much to explore in Lake Country. With over 20 lakes in Waukesha County’s Lake Country, Chenequa makes for a great access point to everything that this picturesque region has to offer. Just about 15 minutes away is Pewaukee, a timeless suburb with a lively downtown. That’s where you’ll find Pewaukee Lake, a 2,437-acre lake and the largest in Waukesha’s Lake Country.
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