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MILWAUKEE - Glorioso’s Italian Market on Milwaukee’s Brady Street will hold their Grand Reopening 80th Anniversary Celebration Jan. 19 through Feb. 28.

In the past month or so, the snowplows in West Allis have been getting some semi-regular use as winter made its flurry-filled presence known to locals early. As useful as the road clearing vehicles have been to this point, the suburb’s snowplow fleet has, sadly, been operating without any names. Well, City of West Allis officials are taking steps to change that, and they’re asking you to help.

Yesterday, the finalists in West Allis’ “Name The Snowplow” contest were announced. Basically, people are encouraged to vote for their favorite snowplow-suited name between now and 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 19. As you might expect, there are some real gems in the final 30 names (which were culled from a field of more than 300 total submissions). Some of our personal favorites include:

• Blizz-erace
• Clearopathra
• Ctrl+Salt+Delete
• Mr. Icy Pants, Esquire
• Ope Let Me Scoop By Ya
• Sleetwood Mac
• Taylor Drift

Statewide data center construction, fueled by the global artificial intelligence (AI) race, is set to reverse a decade-long decline in electricity use across Wisconsin.

Electricity demand, in decline for years, is expected to increase in the coming years as more electricity-gobbling data centers are built across the state, according to a new report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum. Nationally, data centers use approximately 4% of all the electricity in the U.S., but that could rise to as high as 12% by 2028, according to a study cited in the report.

Data centers house the servers and physical infrastructure needed for digital applications and services. For AI companies, the facilities store the data used to train and run their models, which require huge amounts of computational power. There are currently 40 data centers in Wisconsin, and major tech companies like Microsoft, Oracle and ChatGPT are building new “hyperscale data centers” that measure electricity in gigawatts.

For reference, a gigawatt-hour is equivalent to 1,000 megawatt-hours and is roughly the amount of energy capability added to the grid when a new power plant is brought online, according to the policy forum. The largest data centers in the country currently use one gigawatt a year.

It remains unclear exactly how much electricity demand will rise in the coming years. Data center companies have not offered many details publicly about how much energy their new facilities will require. There is information about data use by existing hyperscale data centers elsewhere in the country, and utilities are already preparing for an increase in demand.

Milwaukee Film, the ever-busy nonprofit organization that stages the annual Milwaukee Film Festival and operates the historic Oriental and Downer theaters all year long, has a snazzy new look for 2026. Out with the old (that all-seeing “eye”), and in with the new (see below).

On Friday, Milwaukee Film Executive Director Susan Kerns unveiled both a new Milwaukee Film logo and a similarly redesigned Milwaukee Film website. The name and theme of the logo? “Big Screen,” of course. Fans of retro colors and aspect ratios rejoice!

“This logo, with its colors reminiscent of the Oriental Theatre, the Downer Theatre, and celluloid film stock itself, feels like a part of the theaters and calls one inside,” Kerns says in an open letter. “It’s a logo with movement, with pull, that also lets the film images shine. It’s a logo befitting not just of a film festival but of year-round community. It frames the movies while drawing us together to experience them.”

The logo and website were designed by Milwaukee studio Northern Ground.

What we know: Performers at the 73rd Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in convention, scheduled for July 2026 at Wittman Regional Airport, include aerobatic champions and longtime Oshkosh favorites.

The event features nine air shows over seven days, including night air shows on July 22 and 25. Daily afternoon air shows are presented by Daher, while the July 22 night air show is presented by Covington Aircraft and the July 25 night air show is presented by Hartzell Propeller.

What they're saying: "Each year, we build the air show roster for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh based on welcoming some of the best air show performers in the world, along with suggestions from attendees that include past favorites and new performers emerging on the scene," said Rick Larsen, EAA’s Vice President of Communities and Member Programs. "This year the air shows will also be celebrating America’s 250th birthday and already feature the best of the best, with even more confirmations to come."

According to Shorewood and the project managers, the pavement on Oakland Avenue has deteriorated, requiring it to be replaced. The village will also upgrade underground infrastructure by replacing water mains, laterals, sewers and any lead pipes.

The newly constructed road will include curb extensions and enhanced bicycle accommodations. The village said it will remain the same width.

Also, rectangular rapid flash beacons will be installed at Elmdale Court and Glendale Avenue to improve pedestrian safety. They are also going to replace and modify RRFBs at Jarvis Street.

The southbound right turn lane at Metro Market will also be removed.

The trial against two people charged with felony forgery in Wisconsin in connection to the 2020 false electors scheme will proceed after a Dane County judge found probable cause on Monday.

At a lengthy preliminary hearing in Dane County Circuit Court, Judge John Hyland found the state presented enough evidence against Jim Troupis, who served as Trump’s Wisconsin attorney in the 2020 election, and Mike Roman, a 2020 campaign aide, for the criminal trial to go forward.

A third co-defendant, former Trump campaign attorney Ken Chesebro, was separated out based on questions his lawyers raised about what evidence is admissible. He will face a separate probable cause hearing later.

Shorewood is only 1.5 square miles, and it isn't cheap real estate. Moving it into Riverworks would make sense. They already have a post office annex over on Holton Street.

Milwaukee could get a new public works facility, but it would be for a neighboring suburb.

The Village of Shorewood is looking to move its public works facility to a vacant, 4.2-acre site near Capitol Drive.

A newly filed occupancy permit request is just the latest step in a long-running effort by the village to relocate its public works operation from a constrained, New Deal-era site located between the Oak Leaf Trail and N. Morris Boulevard.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is demanding reports from Milwaukee’s two public transit systems about their plans and funding for addressing fare evasion.

In letters sent Friday afternoon, FTA Administrator Marcus Molinaro demanded the heads of the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) and, curiously, The Hop provide the information by Dec. 22. If the entities don’t respond, the letters say funding could be withheld.

In a letter to Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) Interim Director John Rodgers, the FTA is asking for MCTS “actions and plans” reducing crime and fare evasion, and a breakdown of all funding being used to improve transit security and reduce crime and fare evasion. The agency also told MCTS it should “expeditiously and appropriately” begin targeting FTA grants for projects addressing crime and fare evasion.

A hearing in the felony case against a key figure in Wisconsin’s false electors scheme will proceed Monday — even as allies of President Donald Trump have ramped up pressure to stall the proceeding.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Trump ally, asked the U.S. Department of Justice to review the case against Jim Troupis, an attorney who faces 11 counts of felony forgery tied to his role as Trump’s Wisconsin campaign lawyer in 2020.

Troupis is alleged to have worked with Trump campaign attorney Ken Chesebro and campaign aide Mike Roman to develop and implement the false electors plot, where Republican electors from key swing states gathered in 2020 and signed official-looking documentation asserting Trump’s victory in states that he had lost.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission on Thursday denied a demand from the U.S. Department of Justice for the state’s full voter registration list, including personally identifiable information such as dates of birth, driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers.

At a special meeting Thursday afternoon and in a letter sent in response to the DOJ demand, WEC stated that Wisconsin law explicitly prevents the commission from sharing the personal information of voters.

“The U.S. DOJ is simply asking the commission to do something the commission is explicitly forbidden by Wisconsin law to do,” commissioner Don Millis said.

This is the second time this year the DOJ has requested Wisconsin’s voter database. Both times, the department has been informed that Wisconsin state law requires that the commission charge a fee to obtain the list.

A local man is headed to municipal court in Shorewood Dec. 2 to challenge a claim that he trespassed on a private beach.

The case could serve as a test of just how much access the public has to Lake Michigan’s shoreline. It’s a question that has yet to be definitively decided in Wisconsin.

Shorewood native Paul Florsheim is a professor at UWM’s Zilber School of Public Health.

He says for years, he’s walked the winding path down to Shorewood’s public Atwater Beach, and then headed north, walking the shoreline below homes along Lake Drive.

“I sort of beelined for the shoreline because my understanding has always been that along the shoreline, you can walk,” Florsheim says.

But late last summer, Florsheim’s routine was broken when a homeowner just north of Atwater Beach told Florsheim he was trespassing.