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Here’s a guide to Milwaukee’s Washington Heights neighborhood

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Here’s a guide to Milwaukee’s Washington Heights neighborhood


Milwaukee has more than 75 distinct neighborhoods.

Home to about 7,000 residents and surrounded by budding business corridors is Washington Heights — one of the most historic neighborhoods in Milwaukee.

Where is Washington Heights?

Located on the west side of Milwaukee, Washington Heights’ northern boundary is West North Avenue and its southern boundary is West Vliet Street.

The neighborhood’s western boundary is North 60th Street, which also marks the beginning of Wauwatosa’s Washington Highlands. The eastern edge is North 47th Street, and just east of that is Highway 175, which may be converted to boulevard, and divides the neighborhood from Milwaukee’s Washington Park.

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Much of Washington Heights is old farmland

The area’s earliest nonindigenous civilization in the Washington Heights area began in 1835. George Dousman, a Michigan fur trader’s son was part of the first wave of European settlement that same year. He settled his family farm on much of what Washington Heights is today.

Dousman and his son, George P., continued to hold much of the land until the 1890s when he and his neighbors began to sell parcels to developers. This happened about the same time that the Milwaukee Park Commission Board hired Frederick Law Olmsted to design West Park — what is now Washington Park.

Nearly all of the homes that still currently stand in Washington Heights were constructed between 1910 and 1930. A number of prominent families owned homes in the area, including the Harleys and Davidsons of motorcycle fame.

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As the neighborhood developed, the Germans built three churches, St. Sebastian’s Parish, Mount Olive Lutheran, and St. James’ Lutheran. A smaller Jewish community built a synagogue, Congregation Beth El.

By 1924, the boundaries of the City of Milwaukee were extended west to North 60th Street. The current set of map boundaries was established by the neighborhood association.

According to Richard “Rocky” Marcoux, Milwaukee’s longest-serving city development commissioner, Washington Heights had many attempts at establishing a neighborhood association, but finally the Washington Heights Neighborhood Association was formed in 1989.

There were two separate efforts in the 1990s and mid-2000s by residents to improve the neighborhood and its homes as realtors began to be concerned with status of the neighborhood as one of the most sought after places to live.

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Where to eat, drink and hang out in Washington Heights?

Washington Heights, which is mostly a residential area, has budding business districts on both its northern and southern end.

“I love that the Heights is bookended by North Avenue and Vliet (Street),” said Sabrina Eder, president of the neighborhood association. “These budding business districts that continue to have growth and new businesses open up.”

Eder said the walkability of the neighborhood makes it possible for residents to get to restaurants and shops along the prominent Milwaukee streets. Many of the businesses along these corridors are owned by people who live in Washington Heights.

There are two main coffee shops in the neighborhood, along the southern edge is Valentine Coffee Co. at 5918 W. Vliet St. On the northern edge is Vennture Brew Co. at 5519 W. North Ave.

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Many bars and pubs are in the neighborhood, including Neighborhood Draft at 5921 W. Vliet St. and McBob’s Pub & Grill at 4919 W. North Ave. — a Milwaukee staple known for its corned beef. There is also Charles E. Fromage at 5811 W. Vliet St.

For a hefty serving of barbecue check out Heavens Table BBQ at 5507 W. North Ave and for frozen custard there is Fred’s Frozen Custard & Grill at 4726 W. Vliet St., which has been around since 1967. For pizza, there is Wy’east Pizza at 5601 W. Vliet St.

What is unique about Washington Heights?

Washington Heights has many of its residents involved in the area’s events and the residents strive to get to know each other.

“We are a small town within a large city, and each block is its own community,” said Heidi Steeno, vice president of the neighborhood association. “Having lived many other places in the state of Wisconsin, I’ve never experienced the neighborliness the Heights offers.”

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Many Washington Heights residents have been in the neighborhood for 20 to 40 years. Eder said there are different generations of families that were raised in the Heights, from children to grandchildren, who attend one of the many public and private schools in the neighborhood.

The residents often invest in their homes. “What is really special, is people are continuing to reinvest in their homes by updating them,” Eder said, adding that residents often ask for recommendations on contractors or painters. “So you know that people really care about their homes,” she said.

Likely the event that is most unique to Washington Heights is its nighttime trick-or-treating event it has every year called Spooktacular.

When the neighborhood association sponsored a Halloween party at Hi Mount School in 1991, the event included nighttime trick-or-treating. It was the first time a City of Milwaukee neighborhood had nighttime trick-or-treating in over 25 years.

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The event was such a success it became an annual event, sparking other neighborhoods to take notice and bring back nighttime trick-or-treating. Washington Heights has the longest running nighttime trick-or-treating in Milwaukee.

Washington Heights is also home to the city’s only remaining independently owned children’s bookstore — Rainbow Booksellers at 5704 W. Vliet St. The side of the building features a mural called The Heights Dream Library and has many created book titles named by nearby residents.

“They’re not books that exist. They’re books that people would dream about finding,” said the building’s owner, Dan Schley.

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Schley said the mural has become a staple in the community. “There’s been people taking wedding shots in front of it. There’s been people taking baby bump photos in front of it,” he said.

The mural was painted by artist Fred Kaems, a Washington Heights resident, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020.

Bastille Days, the popular downtown Milwaukee festival celebrating all things French, also has a west side adaption of the festival in Washington Heights called Bastille Day West.

Two noted painters lived in Washington Heights, Karl Priebe and John Wilde, and two former mayors of Milwaukee have lived in the neighborhood, Henry Maier and Tom Barrett.

This research comes from previous Journal Sentinel coverage, John Gurda’s “Milwaukee, City of Neighborhoods,” and Urban Anthropology Inc.

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New to the neighborhood? Here’s how to access Milwaukee services

Tell us about your Milwaukee neighborhood. We want to hear from you!

What makes your Milwaukee neighborhood special to you? Do you have any photos in the neighborhood you’d like to share? Share more at bit.ly/MKE_Neighborhoods.



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Washington

Deadline passes for Mountain West, Washington State, Oregon State to renew football scheduling deal

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Deadline passes for Mountain West, Washington State, Oregon State to renew football scheduling deal


The Sept. 1 deadline for the Mountain West and Washington State and Oregon State to renew their football scheduling arrangement passed without an agreement, and the conference said Monday it is anticipating making schedules for next season without the Pac-12 schools.

The announcement does not necessarily close the door on the two sides agreeing to another arrangement as the 12-team Mountain West typically does not release its conference football schedule until December at the earliest.

“For the 2025 season, the Mountain West and its member institutions are moving forward with their conference and nonconference schedules,” the league said in a statement.

Oregon State and Washington State are operating as a two-team league this season and intend to do so in 2025 as well after 10 Pac-12 schools scattered to other power conferences this year.

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To fill out football schedules, Washington State and Oregon State agreed to a deal with the Mountain West to play six games against those schools that do not count toward the conference standings. The deal paid the Mountain West about $14 million for this year.

The Mountain West and the Pac-12 schools said at the time they would look to possibly extend the agreement another year by Sept. 1, but the sides could not come to terms.

Oregon State currently has seven football games booked for next season, including against Washington State.

Washington State has six games booked, including its conference game against the Beavers. Major college football teams typically play 12-game regular seasons.

Mountain West schools could also arrange games separately with Oregon State and Washington State.

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Oregon State and Washington State struck a separate scheduling agreement with the West Coast Conference for basketball and other Olympic sports. That does not include Oregon State’s traditionally strong baseball program, which is operating as as an independent this school year.

Oregon State and Washington State are taking advantage of an NCAA rule that allows them to operate as a two-team conference for two years. Schools leaders have said their first priority is the rebuild the Pac-12 and they have accumulated tens of millions of dollars in conference related funds they hope can aid those efforts.

Their agreement with the Mountain West included millions of dollars in extra fees over the next two years if Oregon State and Washington State tries to add MW schools to the Pac-12.

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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Did the Philadelphia Eagles endorse Harris for president? – Washington Examiner

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Did the Philadelphia Eagles endorse Harris for president? – Washington Examiner


It was a beautiful Labor Day in the Philadelphia area Monday afternoon. The sun was shining, and the temperature was warm enough to enjoy but not so hot that the heat was unbearable. As I have done many times before, I took my dog Kitt for a walk on my old college campus at the University of Pennsylvania. It was then that I observed something odd and peculiar and unquestionably something I had never seen before: a poster that appeared to be from the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles endorsing Kamala Harris for president. 

At a bus stop on 34th Street, in Philadelphia’s University City section, a giant poster, between 5 and 6 feet tall, was enclosed in a case at a bus stand for the city’s public transportation company. It featured a cartoonish graphic resembling Vice President Kamala Harris, who wore an Eagles helmet, held a football, and had on a black top. Then there was the Eagles logo above the word “Kamala,” which was above text that said “official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles.”

Apparently, this image was not the only one in the city. Social media featured numerous posts of the graphic being reported in locations throughout Philadelphia’s Center City area. The posters’ existence caused quite a frenzy throughout the city, with many people angry the team would support a candidate like Harris. It also left people wondering if the poster is as authentic and legitimate as it looked and why the Eagles would endorse a presidential candidate when the organization has never done so. 

In search of answers to these questions, I contacted the Philadelphia Eagles media relations officials. The team directed me to a statement it had posted on its social media accounts. 

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“We are aware counterfeit political ads are being circulated and are working with our advertising partner to have them removed,” the release said.

So, the first question was answered: The Philadelphia Eagles did not endorse Harris for president with political posters placed around the city. But if the Eagles didn’t do this, how could it happen? This wasn’t just some flier posted around the city on telephone polls. It was enclosed in a locked display case at a bus stand about 6.5 feet tall. 

I asked the Eagles this very question on Monday, but the team declined to comment. Instead, a media relations representative once again directed me to the team’s statement on social media as its only comment on the incident.

Still searching for an answer, I contacted the media relations department at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Philadelphia’s public transportation company. It informed me that SEPTA doesn’t own the bus stands and is not responsible for the advertisements placed there. That responsibility belonged to the city of Philadelphia. 

“SEPTA does not own the bus shelters, so we don’t handle those ad spaces,” a representative said. “The shelters are owned by the city.”

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CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Attempts to contact the city of Philadelphia’s media inquiry department late Monday afternoon have been unsuccessful. This story will be updated accordingly.

However, if true, this would seem to be an egregious violation of ethics. Philadelphia would have been responsible for publishing this deceptive image without permission from the Philadelphia Eagles. Furthermore, if the city approved it, it would also seem that this image was used as political propaganda to misrepresent the Philadelphia Eagles and try to interfere with people’s thinking about how to vote in the election. 





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George Clooney praises Biden stepping aside as ‘most selfless thing’ since George Washington

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George Clooney praises Biden stepping aside as ‘most selfless thing’ since George Washington


Actor George Clooney praised President Biden’s decision to leave the 2024 race as “the most selfless thing that anyone’s done since George Washington” on Sunday.

In July, Clooney famously penned a New York Times guest essay headlined, “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee,” which admitted Biden had declined and insisting the Democratic Party needed a new candidate to defeat former President Trump. Biden eventually obliged, and Clooney couldn’t be happier. 

“The person who should be applauded is the president who did the most selfless thing that anyone’s done since George Washington,” Clooney told reporters when asked about the easy, according to the Washington Post. 

GEORGE CLOONEY URGES BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE OR HE’LL LOSE, SAYS HE’S CLEARLY DECLINED

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George Clooney withdrew his support for President Biden in a New York Times opinion piece published in July. (Getty Images)

“What should be remembered is the selfless act of someone who — you know, it’s very hard to let go of power. We know that. We’ve seen it all around the world,” Clooney continued. “And for someone to say, ‘I think there’s a better way forward.’ All the credit goes to him … And all the rest of it will be long gone and forgotten.”

Clooney, who spoke to the press at the Venice Film Festival where his new film “Wolfs” premiered on Sunday night, did not mention Vice President Kamala Harris during his remarks, according to the Post. 

“I’m just very proud of where we are in the state of the world, which many people are surprised by, and I think we’re all very excited for the future,” Clooney told the media outlet.

Clooney’s call for Biden to step aside “was seen as a major influence on the president leaving the race,” the Post reported. It was published on the heels of Biden’s disastrous presidential debate that forced a variety of his allies to publicly call for a new candidate. 

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‘NOBODY BELIEVES’ HARRIS’ DEFENSE OF BIDEN’S HEALTH, CNN’S SCOTT JENNINGS TELLS PANEL DURING TENSE EXCHANGE

VENICE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 1: Brad Pitt and George Clooney attend the "Wolfs" photocall during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at Palazzo del Casino on September 1, 2024 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by JB Lacroix/FilmMagic)

VENICE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 1: Brad Pitt and George Clooney attend the “Wolfs” photocall during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at Palazzo del Casino on September 1, 2024 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by JB Lacroix/FilmMagic) (JB Lacroix/FilmMagic)

“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney wrote. 

“Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe. But our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw. We’re all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we’ve opted to ignore every warning sign,” he added. “”This is about age. Nothing more. But also nothing that can be reversed. We are not going to win in November with this president.”

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Fox News Digital’s Kristine Parks contributed to this report. 

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