While Historic Mitchell Street is now the main artery running through a densely populated, largely Hispanic area of Milwaukee's near-South Side, St. Stanislaus Catholic Church...

(1) In December, Daniel Gable, 61, was arrested for breaking and entering a neighbor's apartment in Fargo, N.D. Gable allegedly triggered the resident's "burglar alarm," which consists of a stack of empty beer cans the resident places just inside his front door every night. (2) In Morehead, Ky., in December, two men, ages 44 and 18, were charged with theft for allegedly swiping...

Since heading off to California to move up the ranks of the record biz, Milwaukee native Cheryl Pawelski has worked at EMI, Concord and Rhino Records. Among the projects she has produced include box sets on Miles Davis and John Coltrane, The Band and Big Star. Once again she has...

Republicans claim it’s unfair to characterize them as simply “The Party of No,” but then an incredible windfall of jobs and development is announced for the state of Wisconsin to a rising chorus of Republicans shrieking “No!” Republicans, of course, are skeptical of anything new and unproven. In this case, the federal government is showering $823 million on Wisconsin...

Besides the Super Bowl, February brings three super-mega-hyper sports spectacles aimed at stirring fans' passions and gluing their eyeballs to TV screens—the Winter Olympics, Daytona 500 and NBA All-Star Weekend. Being fairly detached, however, the Observers can be underwhelmed by certain events, though not always unanimously.

There is an interesting, eco-friendly shop in Bay View named Future Green (2352 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.). Though it’s not large, it has a wide choice of organic clothing, hand-woven fabrics and organic cleaning supplies. There is even a biodegradable paint stripper. Wander to the back of the shop and you will discover Café Tarragon...

South Milwaukee is home to large factories, but it doesn’t have much of a downtown area. There is a strip of about three blocks, but restaurants and even bars are few in number. One place, however, does stand out: Azteca, and its artificial saguaro cactus standing on the sidewalk with a sign announcing a lunch buffet and happy hour...

The urban modern (with retro flair) style of the Radisson Hotel (2303 N. Mayfair Road), its lobby decorated with colorful paintings of Milwaukee landmarks, was a striking addition to Wauwatosa when it opened in the late ’90s. Along with accommodating visitors to the metro area, the Radisson’s restaurant and bar (especially the bar) provided...