Lake Effect is your connection to the community. We bring you conversations about the people, places and organizations that shape Milwaukee.
What Wisconsin’s state superintendent does and why it matters. A strategy Milwaukee is using to capture stormwater and prevent flooding. The documentary "American Reckoning" investigates the unsolved murder of a civil rights activist in Mississippi.
The historical and modern policies undermining Black homeownership. How the economy in Wisconsin’s Northwoods is being impacted by changing winters. Training marginalized Milwaukeeans in the construction trades.
The future of renewable energy growth in Wisconsin. Our Thin Ice series explores how whitefish have been affected by Wisconsin’s warming winters. What contributes to a successful free throw.
How gender-affirming care faces an uncertain future under Trump administration. Our Thin Ice series explores how snowshoe hares are affected by warming winters. We meet Milwaukee Recreation’s new director.
Preserving White House history. How this winter compares to last year's record warmth. An essay from a Veterans Affairs employee sharing the ‘Fork in the Road’ email's impact.
Financial issues the Housing Authority and what’s being done to address them. A preview of the upcoming series, “Thin Ice 2025 – Our Warming Winters.” A new executive director of Milwaukee Film. A mixtape of love songs picked by WUWM staff.
A Wisconsinite impacted by the Trump Administration’s USAID freeze. New efforts to support young people experiencing homelessness. An entomologist changes hearts and minds on insect importance.
The Wisconsin impact of the Trump Administration’s USAID freeze. Historical to horror: movies to watch in honor of Black History Month. A UW professor teams up with rapper Bad Bunny.
How Wisconsin politicians are reacting to the Trump administration’s actions. Books and Beyond goes from the stacks to the stove at the Cargill Community Kitchen. Milwaukee Public Library’s Historic Recipe Files.
Today's show is all about winter: how to stay safe outdoors and be prepared for emergencies; how to keep your pets healthy; help avoid putting extra stress on your car in the cold; a free winter festival.
News literacy: what it means, and how it helps understand a rapidly changing news environment. The story of two brothers from Afghanistan now living in Milwaukee, and a federal funding pause that hurts refugee resettlement. Latinos in Wisconsin, and the intersection of faith and belonging.
Superintendent of Milwaukee County's correctional facility speaks about her approach to rehabilitation. A local man incarcerated as a teenager on post-release challenges. What makes dive bars a staple in Wisconsin culture.
MPD's pursuit policy and how it’s being enforced and monitored. An upcoming lecture about Black history that is often never taught. A documentary that explores the history of Jones Island.
How executive orders on the environment could impact projects and efforts in Wisconsin. An effort to make calls to state jails and prison free. Some millennial nostalgia with author Ira Madison III.
Milwaukee's mayor gives a retrospective on issues facing the city in 1999 and today. A Wisconsin judge discusses attending schools during desegregation in the south. A RuPaul’s Drag Race queen and feature of “Lady Like.”
Why citizens can't petition for statewide ballot initiatives and referendums in Wisconsin. Actor Willem Dafoe remembers his time as a student at UWM. Live at Lake Effect features The Wild Feathers.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson on immigration enforcement in the city. The Milwaukee Badgers: one of the Green Bay Packers biggest, former rivals. How Milwaukee became known as the Cream City.
A Republican state rep shares her hopes for a new session. How to properly dispose of your Christmas tree. How to care for birds this winter.
What illnesses are in the air in Milwaukee County, and how to stay safe. How museums can increase civic education. Staying active and social during the cold winter months.
Remembering Bob Uecker. How changes to rules on paying college athletes have impacted college sports for players and spectators. A Wisconsin author discusses his novel about climate change in the Midwest.
The Domes Reimagined Project and what updates are coming to the horticultural hub. A Milwaukeean who created a surfboard made entirely of eco-friendly materials. How pull tabs ended up in so many Wisconsin bars.
A conservation group working to preserve and protect natural farmland. A homesteading experience gone horribly wrong. Wisconsin’s motorcycle racing scene and why a film about it took 17 years to complete.
A tool that empowers Milwaukee renters. How Milwaukee’s Silent Book Club brings readers together. Reflections on 2024 events at the Manfred Olson Planetarium – including the solar eclipse.
Conversation with the state Democratic Assembly Minority Leader on her hope for more bipartisanship. The Wisconsin Policy Forum’s top findings from 2024. A Wisconsin producer of the Oscar-winning documentary short film “The Last Repair Shop.”
Milwaukee Public Museum's accomplished history. Artifacts left over from Milwaukee’s past mental health care facilities. What Milwaukee is Made Of. We plan a snowmobiling trip.
Upcoming state legislature and state supreme court storylines in 2025. Milwaukee has a new youth poet laureate. Plus, explore earth-conscious New Year’s resolutions with Dig In! and learn a new NA cocktail recipe.
Rethinking new year’s resolutions into opportunities for change. Preparing for severe winter weather. Safety tips for those planning to do any winter recreation on the ice.
The Greentree Apartments provide safety and learning. Renowned taxidermist shares her work in Milwaukee. A restored organ comes to the Oriental Theater. Tap your toes along with two senior dance groups.
MKE Outdoor Indoor Exchange's mission is to reuse and recycle. Two WUWMers go on a cicada seeking adventure. We look at the public museum's geology collection and hear from some folks who have a special connection to Leap Day.
Today’s Lake Effect is a special music show to celebrate the New Year featuring songs from our "Live at Lake Effect" series, as well as conversations with the team involved in creating the episodes.
