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Port Washington has filed its response to a lawsuit led by business and real estate trade groups that seeks to block an ordinance that would require voter approval before the city can issue public incentives — and the city says it "largely agrees" with the concerns raised by the plaintiffs.

The complaint, filed last week in Ozaukee County Circuit Court, challenges the resident-proposed ordinance that Port Washington's Common Council has put as a referendum on the upcoming April 7 ballot.

If residents choose to implement it, it would require a citywide vote before the creation of tax incremental financing districts exceeding $10 million in project costs or base value, or involving what the legislation terms “large capital expenditures."

Companies across the country are waiting on the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the legality of President Trump's tariff war. Throughout his second term, Trump has used tariffs to pressure countries into trade deals, punish those who impede his foreign policy objectives and retaliate against critics.

These tariffs have been implemented haphazardly, with many businesses struggling to budget for the future. That’s especially true for small businesses who import food and beverages like coffee, chocolate, wine or other items that aren't produced at a large scale in the U.S.

"[Stone Creek Coffee] has to import every single bean, and they do 600,000 beans a year — which is no small number," says journalist Drew Dawson. "But that cost means they had to pay an additional $270,000 on tariffs alone last year."

For this month's Milwaukee Magazine, Dawson chatted with folks from Stone Creek, Chocolate Sommelier, 2A Wine Merchants and Pan-Asia Supermarket to see how they're handling tariff uncertainty. He spoke with Lake Effect's Joy Powers to share what he found.

The North Shore Library reopened at 10 a.m. on Feb. 2 in its new Bayside building after years of planning and construction.

The new library, at 711 Grace St., contains a story time room for children's programming, nine study rooms, a stage area, a young adult section, a community gathering space and a sensory room.

The space is not yet in its final form, Library Director Rhonda Gould told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Over the next several weeks, staff will help move in more furniture, signage, art and equipment before a grand opening ceremony on March 14.

In the meantime, visitors can still explore the new space, check out books and other items, and utilize services for printing, scanning and faxing.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has opened the Stritch Family Literacy Center, which supports literacy development among local elementary and middle school students.

The now-shuttered Cardinal Stritch University previously housed the program. After Cardinal Stritch closed in 2023, UWM faculty offered to move the program to UWM’s Children’s Learning Center, according to a Tuesday news release.

The Stritch Family Literacy Center offers individualized learning plans and private tutoring sessions for students with literacy challenges. This spring, the program’s first 15-week session will support 24 elementary and middle school students.

“The depth of the program makes it stand out from other tutoring programs in the area,” said Mary Kellner, the president of the board of the Stritch Family Literacy Center. “We do a thorough assessment that pinpoints the exact skill sets the child may be lacking, such as phonics or reading comprehension. Then master instructors zero in on those skills.”

A federal judge has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to withhold millions of dollars in funding for electrical vehicle infrastructure, including $62.5 million that had been previously awarded to Wisconsin.

The ruling was issued last week in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, according to a press release from Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul.

The millions of dollars in federal funding is supported by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which launched under former president Joe Biden.

Wisconsin was originally awarded more than $62.5 million in NEVI grants in 2024, which the Trump administration blocked last June.

Wisconsin, along with 16 other states, joined a lawsuit in May 2025 seeking release of the previously approved funds.

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.