In 1954 at a meeting of the Audio Engineering Society in New York, Les Paul proposed the ideal device for music listeners. He recalls his words as if the meeting had been held last week: “Ideally, it would be something you could carry in your pocket that had no moving parts and held every song you ever wanted to hear.”

Year after year, for 11 straight days, Summerfest delivers an unforgettable live music experience, bringing an amazing array of today's hottest stars and emerging talent to Milwaukee. The 23,000 capacity Marcus Amphitheater, 10 permanent ground stage areas, 45 diverse food and beverage vendors and four unique marketplaces are set against the scenic lake Michigan and downtown backdrops, creating a setting and experience like no other.

People look at Lake Michigan and it looks like an ocean,” said Pat Henderson, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “And they wonder why they should conserve water.” But Henderson said that concerns about the availability of Great Lakes water are real. He noted that the Great Lakes account for 20% of the world’s fresh water—70% exists in the polar ice cap—but climate change, industry, rising population levels and a lack of awareness are putting pressure on this critical natural resource.

Some of the most prestigious awards in architecture were handed out earlier this year. But while the initial flurry of excitement greeting the annual American Institute of Architects awards or the much coveted Pritzker Prize has subsided, one set of accolades still remains for Milwaukee’s design:

MANY WERE SHOCKED WHEN THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL and Prevention (CDC) reported last year that one in four teenage girls had contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD). But Milwaukee experts weren’t. Milwaukee has a long-standing problem not only with teen pregnancy, but with teen STDs as well. The city routinely rates in the top five or 10 cities for chlamydia, gonorrhea and teen pregnancy. Milwaukee County accounts for 50% of all STDs in the state of Wisconsin, and the city of Milwaukee has the 10th highest rate of STD infection among the 63 cities studied by the CDC.

The Traveling Shepherd’s Best Wisconsin Towns poll is perfectly timed for those who want a close-to-home trip instead of a wallet-busting holiday. In our survey, nearly 3,000 people voted for favorites in 20 categories of Wisconsin towns. Now those recommendations can be your inspiration for summer day trips, weekends away or full-blown vacations. These are Wisconsin places you can afford to visit—even if gas prices reach the dreaded $4 a gallon. Here are the winners, close runners-up and tips on what else to look for when you get there.

For 2,000 years the Jews were a people without a homeland who made the world their home. The first Jews to arrive in Milwaukee came in the 1840s from German-speaking Central Europe. They found a village at the edge of a wilderness, far from the centers of the Jewish culture. Within a generation a full community grew from the seeds of Milwaukee’s first Jewish settlers. Soon the city elected a Jew to Congress, Victor Berger, a socialist remembered for his principled stand against America’s entry into World War I. A few years later North Division High School graduate Goldie Mabowehz moved to Palestine under the inspiration of Milwaukee’s socialist Zionists.

There’s no need to haul canoes, hiking shoes or mountain bikes Up North. Milwaukeeans have paradise in our own back yard. The Milwaukee River valley—home to factories and condos, as well as endangered but vibrant plants, animals and birds—

“I WISH EVERY CAR COULD BE LIKE THIS!” Seven-year-old Annie Rhoads was mesmerized by a ZAP Xebra sedan at the recent Home and Garden Show at State Fair Park. The electric car comes with zebra-stripe decals, runs on three wheels and looks like a cross between a golf cart and a VW Beetle.

If you haven't heard, or if you've been ignoring the message, now is the time to begin paying attention: America’s digital transition is less than one year away. On Feb. 17, 2009, all television stations will cease broadcasting the analog signals that the medium has used since 1941, and will switch entirely to digital signals. If you’re like the average American, you don’t fully understand what this transition means for you. A poll released in November found that less than half of respondents were even aware of the switch, and only 17% could correctly identify the year analog signals would be cut off.