IN JANUARY 2006, UW-MILWAUKEE SENIOR EVAN MCDONIELS WAS ITCHING TO EXPLORE the world beyond campus. When he heard that the Venezuelan consulate was offering free trips to Venezuela for nearly 40 U.S. citizens, he jumped at the chance to learn some Spanish...

SITTING ALONE AT A LONG, WHITE TABLE BY THE ENTRANCE GATE, KELSEY KAUFMANN SMILED at the festivalgoers, handing them concert schedules as they filtered into the park. They were arriving for a bash called Mess With Texas, one of the largest of the storied day parties...

If state Sen. Lena Taylor was tired at the end of a long day that included tending to a young son, working in the state Senate, the umpteenth campaign debate with Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and preparing for the next forum, to be held at 7:30 the following morning, it didn’t show.

On day two of his new job, Daniel Keegan is juggling the usual problems of a transcontinental move. First there is his car, shipped to Milwaukee from San Jose, Calif., and damaged on arrival. With wind chills hovering near zero, it’s not the greatest day to wait at the bus stop, but one senses that Keegan is warmed by the anticipation of his work. Keegan is the new director of the Milwaukee Art Museum. He’s excited about his job. Although he came here from California, Keegan has more than nodding familiarity with Wisconsin winters. He’s a native of Green Bay, where his mother and siblings still live. “I’m the only one who left Green Bay,” says Keegan, who enjoyed two decades in academia, including chairing the art department at West Virginia Wesleyan College, before becoming director of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City and the San Jose Museum of Art. “They think I’m crazy for coming back because of the weather.”

Both companies are tight-lipped about what’s in store for the future MillerCoors, but it’s apparent that two corporate headquarters will merge in one location, a process that will match Milwaukee in a corporate beauty contest with picturesque Golden—or even another location.

EVERYONE WAS WRITING ABOUT THE WRITERS’ STRIKE AND I WAS WONDERING ABOUT AMERICAN GANGSTER AND CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR. To put it another way, the pundits were focused on the obvious potential impact of an ongoing strike on the big night.

The 2008 election could alter our course, and Sen. Barack Obama is the one person who could transform that desire for change into real results. That’s why Obama has earned the endorsement of the Shepherd Express as the next president of the United States.

"I love you.” The whispered words float across the linen tablecloth, over the delicate silverware, the fine china, between the glasses of wine that glow with the light of a nearby candle. It’s Valentine’s Day and you sit across from the person you love most in the world.

Nine candidates are running to represent the Sixth District on the Milwaukee Common Council, but the contest is marked by the one man who isn’t able to actively campaign for the seat—

Wisconsin consumers are using less energy. That’s a good thing. But we’re paying more for that energy. In 2006, we paid a record amount—almost $19.5 billion, about $1.1 billion more than we spent in 2005.