OCTOBER 2026 NEXT ISSUE ON STANDS
NOVEMBER 1, 2026
YEE LENG XIONG
DAVID CROWLEY
STATE TREASURER
WISCONSIN GOVERNOR
ROBYN VINING
MITCHELL BERMAN
5TH SENATE DISTRICT
1ST CONGRESS DISTRICT
JOSH KAUL
ATTORNEY GENERAL
REBECCA COOKE
3RD CONGRESS DISTRICT
JOCASTA ZAMARRIPA SECRETARY OF STATE
TREVOR JUNG
21ST SENATE DISTRICT
ENDORSEMENTS PLEASE VOTE NOVEMBER 3 RD
SEE PAGE 6
OCTOBER 2026 | 3
NEWS 6
Endorsements
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12 Does Wisconsin Need Tax Credits In-State Film Production? 13 This Modern World 16 How Immigration Benefits Wisconsin’s Economy — Issue of the Month
NOVEMBER
18 From Crisis Intervention to Disaster Response, Montréal Cain is Building a Better, Safer Milwaukee — Hero of the Month
ENDORSEMENTS
22 Nicole Goins Speaks on Helping Disadvantaged Black Girls Achieve Self-confidence and Success — MKE SPEAKS: Conversations with Milwaukeeans
FOOD & DRINK
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28 Mediterranean Cruise in Milwaukee’s Downtown
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30 Guy Rehorst, Great Lakes Distillery and the New Era of Wisconsin Craft Spirits — Beverages
SPECIAL SECTION 34 Preserving Milwaukee's Architecture with Steeple City Restoration — Home & Garden 38 Montana Morris Teaches Food Sovereignty with Garden Dreams — Home & Garden 40 Mastering Financial Speak: You Really Have to Talk the Talk — Personal Finance
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44 Milwaukee Bucks Preview: New Season Brings New Direction — Sports Spotlight
CULTURE 48 Bob Reitman’s Musical Poetry 52 Zach Pietrini Can’t Go Back
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56 This Month in Milwaukee
LIFESTYLE 60 Ask Ally 62 We're Being Poisoned — Out of my Mind 64 What Happens in Vagus? — True Health
HEAR ME OUT 66 Say Hello to my Little Friend(s)! — Dear Ruthie SPONSORED BY
68 Marking Milwaukee LGBTQ History Month through Art — My LGBTQ POV SPONSORED BY
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72 Uncertain Horizons for Badger Cannabis Industry — Cannabis
SPONSORED BY
ART FOR ART'S SAKE 74 From the City that Always Sweeps 4 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
Cover - Photo of David Crowley of David Crowley for Wisconsin, photo of Josh Kaul courtesy of Kaul for Attorney General, photo of Yee Leng Xiong courtesy of Yee for Wisconsin Campaign, photo of JoCasta Zamarripa courtesy of JoCasta for Wisconsin.
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Chuck Hill (chuck@shepex.com) IN MEMORY OF DUSTI FERGUSON (OCTOBER 18, 1971 – NOVEMBER 20, 2007
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Photo of Mitchell Berman courtesy of Mitchell Berman for Congress, photo of Rebecca Cooke by Knorth Studios, photo of Robyn Vining by Brandon Brown, photo of Trevor Jung courtesy of Trevor Jung for State Senate, colored background by GettyImages/tomoyo hoshino.
OCTOBER 2026 | 5
NEWS ENDORSEMENTS
NOVEMBER
ENDORSEMENTS BY THE SHEPHERD EXPRESS ENDORSEMENT COMMITTEE
The Shepherd Express Enthusiastically Endorses Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley for Governor of Wisconsin
Photo courtesy of David Crowley for Wisconsin.
D
avid Crowley’s life history is a classic American success story. He grew up in the inner-city of Milwaukee and his parents struggled with narcotics addiction issues. As a child he saw his family suffer the trauma and humiliation of three home evictions. On an upbeat note, Crowley’s parents recovered from their addiction issues.
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As a very smart child, he quickly learned that “grit, resilience, and hope for a better future tomorrow can carry us through even the toughest challenges.” Crowley graduated from Bay View High School and UWM. He is the classic selfmade man. He held a few public service nonprofit jobs building community and then was elected twice to the state assembly. In 2020 during the pandemic, Crowley was elected Milwaukee County Executive. He is married with three daughters. Being a self-made person who overcame obstacles that would have crushed many people, David Crowley learned what’s important and that is to give his fellow Wisconsinites a chance to accomplish their dreams if they work hard and have an honest and fair state government that helps its average citizens. That means having affordable housing, groceries, childcare, healthcare, energy costs and educational opportunities to name some of the basics, while at the same time fighting to get the most value out of every tax dollar spent. Crowley has had impressive results leading Milwaukee County and repairing the damage his predecessor Chris Abele created.
There is a decent chance that the Democrats can win the majority in the State Assembly and State Senate and after 16 years of former Governor Scott Walker’s laws that gave tax breaks for the wealthy and eliminated fair policies that helped the middleclass, we will have a chance to change that. Congressman Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee, has voted consistently with everyone of Donald Trump’s proposals including giving enthusiastic support for Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill which cut taxes for the millionaires and billionaires and added an estimated $3.4 trillion to our national debt. Trump’s bill also made the largest ever federal cuts to health care, educational programs, food assistance programs and many other programs that give average Americans a chance to improve their lives. The vote to pass that Big Beautiful Bill was extremely close and Tiffany and two others could have prevented its passage. Also, one of Tiffany’s first acts as a Congressman was to undermine the framework of our Constitution by voting to reject the electoral college vote when Trump lost in 2020. Please Support David Crowley for Governor.
OCTOBER 2026 | 7
NEWS ENDORSEMENTS
The Shepherd Express Strongly Endorses Josh Kaul for Attorney General
The Shepherd Express Endorses Yee Leng Xiong for State Treasurer
The Shepherd Express Endorses JoCasta Zamarripa for Secretary of State
Photo courtesy of Kaul for Attorney General.
Photo courtesy of Yee for Wisconsin Campaign.
Photo courtesy of JoCasta for Wisconsin.
Josh Kaul has been viewed as one of the most capable state attorney generals in the country. As a former federal prosecutor and as Wisconsin’s attorney general, he has personally led the prosecution of a variety of cases including sexual assaults, homicides, internet crimes against children, drug trafficking and robberies. Kaul has a balanced approach with a strong emphasis on law enforcement but also an emphasis on fairness, social justice and public safety. Attorney General Kaul is not afraid to stand up to Donald Trump when the president tries to undermine our democracy by trying to take away certain rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gave to the states.
Yee Leng Xiong story is about a child born in Wausau of Hmong refugees who left Laos and communist persecution to American freedom. His oldest brother who was born in Laos died during the family’s escape to freedom. Like many refugee families, Yee was raised with a sense of responsibility to serve the country that saved his family. As an adult he served his community starting as the first Hmong American to be elected to the school board in Wausau, eventually becoming the vice president of the school board and currently its treasurer.
JoCasta Zamarripa is experienced in getting results for her constituents. She has served five terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly and two terms on the Milwaukee Common Council. In those positions she fought for the issues that would help regular Wisconsin working families. Most of the issues revolve around affordability including affordable housing, affordable childcare, and good public education. The Secretary of State’s responsibilities have been gutted by the Republican legislature over the past 15 years and JoCasta fully understands that, but she also knows that in the Secretary of State position she will have a platform to fight for the average working Wisconsinites.
His opponent is a rightwing extremist whose claim to fame is that now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, he will not hesitate to prosecute any doctor accused of breaking the 1849 anti-abortion law. Please Vote to Re-elect Josh Kaul for Wisconsin Attorney General
As school board treasurer he learned about public school funding challenges and as State Treasurer he will have responsibility for managing the $1.3 billion dollar Wisconsin Common School Fund. He understands public finance issues. He also was elected to the Marathon County Board of Supervisors. Again, as with the school board, he gravitated toward the finance issues serving on the county Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee. He understands how to get the most impact out of every tax dollar and if elected, he will start the job with very strong public financial experience. Please Vote for Yee Leng Xiong for Wisconsin State Treasurer
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Please Vote for JoCasta Zamarripa for Wisconsin Secretary of State
Ballot Measures There are Three Ballot Measures on the ballot on November 3rd. They are all basically measures that have been championed by the rightwing Republicans. The Shepherd encourages you to Please Vote No on each of the proposed changes.
Congressional
Races
The Shepherd Express Enthusiastically Endorses Mitchell Berman for the 1st Congressional District
Mitchell opponent Bryan Steil is the classic “not the brightest son of a rich and well-connected father” who was a very close legal advisor to Governor Tommy Thompson. As two of his Republican friends told the Shepherd, Steil would never have become a Congressman without his daddy’s help and connections. Steil was an enthusiastic supporter of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill that cut dozens of programs that gave working people opportunities to improve their lives and used that money to give massive tax breaks to the billionaire class who support his campaigns. As a result, we now have a national debt of over $40 trillion dollars. We need a person who cares about Wisconsin’s 90% not the richest 10%. Please Vote for Mitchell Berman for Congress The Shepherd Express Very Strongly Endorses Democrat Rebecca Cooke for the 3rd Congressional District
Photo courtesy of Mitchell Berman for Congress.
Mitchell was born and raised in rural Wisconsin and has the best of Wisconsin values like looking out for and taking care of his fellow citizens. He has spent 23 years as a Veteran’s Administration Nurse. He understands the health care system and how important it is for all of us and how very expensive and often very difficult to access it has become. He is first generation in his family to attend college and often worked three jobs to put himself through college. As a Congressman his focus will be lowering costs for working families in all areas from housing costs, health care costs, childcare costs, education costs, gas prices to the costs of putting food on the dinner table. How to pay for some of this? Mitchell feels strongly that we have to stop giving various tax breaks to the corporations and the billionaires and use that money to provide opportunities for regular citizens.
Western Wisconsin voters can make a real difference if they defeat perhaps the worst congressperson, Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin has had in recent history. Democrat Rebecca Cooke almost ousted him in 2024 but unfortunately was heavily outspent by rightwing out-of-state money and as we know, dark money buys negative advertising. The national Democrats ignored this race and we lost and now the national Democrats seem to have learned a lesson and are currently helping her raise money. The Third District residents are suffering under poor representation by Van Orden who is a cheerleader for President Trump and his damaging policies. Gas and grocery costs are rising, health care is being cut, and billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted on Middle East wars. Van Orden repeatedly voted to cut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act which is seriously hurting his constituents while cutting taxes for the rich, especially the super-rich. He supports the war with Iran and did nothing to prevent the resulting rising gas prices, while district dairy families go out of business and local hospitals face bankruptcy. If elected to replace Van Orden, Rebecca Cooke will fight to reverse his health cuts and restore medical coverage, work to reduce gas prices, and stop wasting tax dollars and human lives in Middle East conflicts. She will help return control of the House of Representatives to the working people and away from the special interests. Polling shows Cooke in a very close lead. Republicans recently flew President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy into the District in a desperate try to save Van Orden.
Photo by Knorth Studios.
The 3rd Congressional District which runs along the Mississippi River from the Illinois border to a little north of Eau Claire is currently a Republican held congressional seat where Democrats can have an impact on the national scene. The Democrats need to flip a net three seats to gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Please vote for Rebecca Cooke if you live on the west side of Wisconsin. If you don’t live in the district and want to help, contact her campaign and do some door-to-door canvassing in western Wisconsin. It’s lovely in the Fall when the leaves are changing colors.
OCTOBER 2026 | 9
NEWS ENDORSEMENTS
The Shepherd Strongly Supports the Re-Election of Gwen Moore to the 4th Congressional District
State Senate
Races
The Shepherd Express Enthusiastically Endorses State Representative Robyn Vining for State Senate
Despite being in the minority, Robyn has worked hard to actually get substantial legislation passed. That requires a lot of work, and she has a deserved reputation for being one of the hardest working legislators in Madison. Her legislative achievements were varied, but a number of them focused on families and health care. She was instrumental in passing the Gail’s Law for breast cancer screenings, expanding Medicaid’s postpartum care, strengthening reproductive freedoms, fighting for quality affordable childcare, and a number of environmental protections that made our families healthier to name just a few. Wisconsin needs Representative Vining promoted to the State Senate. Please Vote for Robyn Vining for State Senate.
Photo courtesy of Gwen Moore for Congress.
The Shepherd strongly endorses Congresswoman Gwen Moore for re-election to Congress. She has served Milwaukee in the U.S. Congress since 2005, and she gets re-elected for two reasons: First, Moore is in tune with her constituents and invariably supports and votes the positions of the majority of the people in her district. Second, she and her staff are very responsive to the needs of her constituents and the problems and challenges many of them face. Please Support Representative Gwen Moore for Re-election to Congress.
The Shepherd Express strongly supports and endorses Trevor Jung for the 21st State Senate District
Photo by Brandon Brown.
The Shepherd Express endorsed Robyn Vining in her first race for the State Assembly in 2018 and her work as a state legislator exceeded all the expectations we had for someone in the Assembly. The Shepherd is apparently not alone in our respect for Robyn. She was selected as one of the top 10 Most Effective Democratic Legislators 4 years in a row by the Center for Effective Lawmaking. It’s time to promote Vining to the State Senate. In the legislature, if you are in the minority— and the Democrats have been in the minority since 2016 when former Governor Scott Walker created the most extreme gerrymander for any state legislature in the nation-- it is very difficult to get anything done. Apparently Robyn didn’t get that message, because she got a lot done despite being in the minority. The Democrats are hoping to change that and become the majority with your help on November 3rd.
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Trevor Jung serves as director of RYDE Racine, the city's public transit system. There, he manages a $10+ million annual budget. Under his leadership transit services have become connected to hospitals, social services, and jobs, helping seniors access the medical care they need and working families get to work efficiently. Trevor was elected Racine's youngest Alderperson since 1862 .
Trevor Young is running for the state Senate to continue serving the community that shaped him. At age two he was adopted from an orphanage by a Racine family. Raised by his dad, Young became a proud graduate of Racine Unified Schools and earned a degree in urban studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Shepherd Express knows that the Wisconsin State Senate will benefit enormously from Trevor's energy and experience.
He obviously does well in his jobs since he continues to get re-elected. We believe he would be a very good addition to the Milwaukee County delegation in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Please Vote for Dan Bukiewicz for State Representative in the 21st Assembly District on November 3rd.
61st Assembly District: Ben Brist
Please vote for Trevor Jung for State Senate.
Assembly
Endorsements 21st Assembly District: Dan Bukiewicz
Photo courtesy of Ben Brist for State Assembly.
Photo courtesy of the City of Oak Creek.
The Shepherd strongly endorses Dan Bukiewicz for State Representative in the 21st Assembly District. For the past 12 years, he has been the President of the Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council representing over 15,000 union tradeswomen and tradesmen. He is also in his third term as mayor of Oak Creek after serving five terms as an alderperson.
The Shepherd enthusiastically endorses Ben Brist for State Assembly in the 61st Assembly District. He was raised in a family that believed in public service. Brist graduated from West Point and Army Ranger School and then served as an Army paratrooper and infantry officer. After the service, he received a graduate degree from Harvard and then returned to his home state of Wisconsin and found the community where he and his wife plan to build a family. He is running for State Assembly to continue his desire to serve the public. Right now, Brist sees the most important issue being Affordability. A large percentage of our population who have full-time jobs are having trouble just making ends meet. In the richest country in the world, if you work hard at a full-time job, Brist strongly believes that one should be able to live at least a modest middle-class life. Please vote for Ben Brist for State Representative in the 61st Assembly District on November 3rd. OCTOBER 2026 | 11
NEWS
Does Wisconsin Need Tax Credits In-State Film Production? BY JOSH HADLEY
W
hile Wisconsin had its share of movies shot in and around the area going all the way back to the silent era it was erratic and unpredictable. We never had a real centralized “film industry” in the proper sense. We did have one attempt in the late 1980s with Windsor Lake Studios, based in Eagle River.
Christopher Webster (producer of the first two Hellraiser films) wanted to establish a Wisconsin based film studio and succeeded… for a while. Starting out with low budget direct-to-video horror films like Trapped Alive, The Chill Factor and The Inheritor, he eventually inked a deal with horror magazine Fangoria (who had just branched out into production of films) to produce Mindwarp, Children of the Night and Severed Ties. These were not throwaway movies. Bruce Campbell, Peter DeLuise, Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Garret Morris, Elke Sommer and others came to the state to make these films. After a few more movies such as Ed Begley Jr., Stockard Channing and Dabney Coleman’s Meet the Applegate’s, Windsor Lake folded and Wisconsin returned to its here-andthere method of film production. That was until, in the mid-2000s a tax credit incentive program was instituted, and at that point the floodgates were meant to open wide up for Wisconsin to become a filmmaking hub. 12 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
STATE OF FLUX Some history to put things in perspective first. The film industry was in a state of flux in the early to mid-2000s. Film, as a medium, was changing. Movies were now shot digitally, cameras were cheaper, VHS was on the way out as the dominant home media format and DVDs, along with directed-to-DVD sales, were the future. Movies were easier and cheaper to make. This all led to Wisconsin seeing a future that other states had already dabbled in and that was film credit tax incentives. There are myriad small details and individuals responsible for the creation of the Wisconsin Film Tax Credit, but it was created by then-Governor Jim Doyle in 2006 and was overseen by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. Doyle was a Democrat—this is important. The general idea was to offer tax breaks for film productions to come to Wisconsin, generate local jobs and establish a local film industry. Other states had implemented similar programs, leading to a surge in filmmaking and a significant influx of capital, which boosted their economies. Doyle saw this as a win/win, filmmakers would get help in financing their film and Wisconsin would get jobs and credibility. Sadly, this is not how it worked out.
In theory, it was perfect. In practice, it was a disaster. While created in 2006, the new incentive program was not instituted until 2008. The theory was that Wisconsin had many talented filmmakers, crew members and actors that just needed some large productions to provide opportunities for local professionals to demonstrate their skills. UW-Milwaukee has a film program and yet no film industry for those graduates to move into.
HELP FROM HOLLYWOOD? The promise was that Hollywood productions would come to the state to film, and this would create something of an industry that could sustain itself and that local crews would be hired, creating local jobs. This was not the case. Most of the Hollywood productions that took advantage of the tax credit brought their own crews from California, only employed local talent minimally, and took advantage of the tax credit to exploit the state rather than invigorate it. This happened again and again. An example of this is the 2009 film Public Enemies by Michael Mann, starring Johnny Depp. The film was given $5 million in tax credits, and while the production spent $18 million in the state, only a limited number of Wisconsin talents were hired to work on the film. The bulk of the crew was from out of state, and no lasting employment was created. Header photo by GettyImages/Pla2na.
OCTOBER 2026 | 13
NEWS This is one example. Transformers: Dark of the Moon did similarly, where it took as much of the tax credit as it could and then used mostly Hollywood crews for filming and only hiring the bare minimum of locals. This misuse of the tax incentive’s intent angered many in the state until, finally in 2011, Republican Gov. Scott Walker dissolved the tax credit program, citing the lack of jobs created and the return on investment being nonexistent. There was also a partisan conflict between Democrats and Republicans at this time that plays into things.
ELIMINATING PROGRAMS When Walker came into office, he sought to eliminate as many Democrat-created programs in the state as possible, and as he was opposed to the film credit in the first place he moved quickly in removing it as soon as he could. His official argument was that filmmaking is temporary, and that the money should be spent on manufacturing or agriculture instead. Once the tax credit was gone, major film production ground to almost a complete halt in the state.
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Productions that were scheduled to shoot here pulled out overnight and work for local filmmakers evaporated. During the tax credit era, industry professionals secured jobs and signed contracts for films scheduled to be shot in and around the Milwaukee and Green Bay areas. However, these productions were canceled once the tax credit was eliminated. Many of these films never got made at all, while a few moved to other states such as Illinois and Georgia that did have tax credit programs. But there is perhaps a light at the end of the tunnel as a new film tax credit has started this year. It is different and so much of the same as before. Without going into details there are so many hoops that need to be jumped through and so many roadblocks in place that the new tax credit is drowning in paperwork and red tape.
This is rife for abuse and an independent filmmaker will likely not have the funds to keep submitting and resubmitting until they get somewhere. Filmmaker Brandon Johnson says, “You had to pay the state $500 just to see if they’d recognize your project as worthy.” So, while this is a step in the right direction it is a situation to watch for a while to see how this plays out.
Having written for magazines ranging from Fangoria and Horrorhound all the way to Hustler Josh Hadley knows cinema backwards and forwards, acting as a living encyclopedia of pop culture. You will learn something from him.
This is an impediment to low budget and independent filmmakers. You have to submit your film to the tax office, with a non-refundable fee and if they decide your film does not qualify for the tax credit… well, you are out your fee.
Photo of film reels by GettyImages/AlinaMD. Illustration of film camera by GettyImages/paseven.
OCTOBER 2026 | 15
NEWS ISSUE OF THE MONTH
How Immigration Benef its
Wi sconsin’s Wiscon sin’s Econom Econ omy y BY WILLIAM HOLAHAN
T
he debate over immigration often begins with a familiar refrain: they “take jobs” from hard working Americans. It's an argument with strong emotional force but it is also false and misleading. It rests on the “Lump of Labor Fallacy” claiming that the number of jobs in any economy is fixed and that any job filled by an immigrant is one less available to a native-born U.S. citizen. On the contrary, the economy is dynamic, not static; as immigrants—work-authorized or unauthorized— participate in the economy both as workers and consumers, they tend to increase demand for labor, raise productivity, and expand the overall size of the American economy. Current U.S. deportation policy throws all these benefits into reverse. Economics—both in principle and in empirical research—shows that removing hard working immigrants damages businesses, communities and the broader population. The current deportation program is costing billions in federal deficit spending. In other words, the country is borrowing billions to impose harm on itself. Moreover, instead of the promised targeting of “the worst” dangerous offenders, enforcement has devolved into a mad rush to fill a quota of 3,000 deportations per day, a project conducted by poorly selected and poorly trained officers with indiscriminate raids in major cities, frightening ordinary residents. Rather than prioritize genuine threats, law enforcement is sweeping up parents, long-time residence and even relatives of active-duty service members.
POSITIVE EFFECTS Using data that spans recessions, recoveries, and the pandemic, research from the National Bureau of Economic Research has shown that immigration has no negative effect on native employment and, in many cases, positive effects on wages. 16 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
The wages of immigrants become spending that generates increased demand for goods and services that in turn increases employment. The state and national economy grow when people work, spend, innovate and build. Immigrants do all of those things. They start businesses at higher rates than native born citizens. They contribute disproportionately to STEM fields. They fill labor shortages in agriculture, health care, and the skilled trades. They also pay taxes—local, state, federal—often without being entitled to receive the full benefits those taxes fund. Moreover, because they are on average younger, immigrants help stabilize social insurance programs including Social Security and Medicare.
CAPITAL AND LABOR ARE COMPLEMENTS Immigrant labor is a complement to citizen labor, and both are complements to “capital.” The broad category of “capital” includes productive resources that enhance productivity and includes the familiar “physical capital”— e.g., machinery, vehicles, computers, communications equipment—plus the public infrastructure—streets, roads, airports, harbors. It also includes the human skills and talent developed through investment of time, education, training and experience.
IMMIGRANT LABOR IN WISCONSIN'S ECONOMY When firms can hire the workers they need, they use their various forms of capital more intensively, productivity rises and unit costs fall. That process increases competitiveness. In Wisconsin this complementarity enables firms to add shifts, reduce bottlenecks and hold down production costs in key industries including dairy, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, childcare and elder care. The dairy industry contributes $45.6 billion annually to the Wisconsin economy, producing 14% of all U.S. milk, second only to California. According to a 2024 UW–Madison Dairy Science Survey, 50% of Wisconsin dairy labor is immigrant labor. Header photo by GettyImages/garrykosoff. Photo of coins by GettyImages/Liudmila Chernetska.
In Wisconsin agriculture, immigrants make up over 20% of field crop and livestock labor. Hospitality and Leisure contribute $23.7 billion annually to the Wisconsin economy, employing over 300,000 workers, an estimated 30,000 of whom are immigrants. Manufacturing is 16% of Wisconsin’s GDP, with immigrants making up 11% of the manufacturing workforce.
LEARNING FROM PREVIOUS IMMIGRATION REFORMS The Trump immigration policy restricts labor supply while simultaneously raising input costs, resulting in higher prices, slower productivity growth, and shrinking competitiveness. The United States would benefit from a more orderly, more predictable and more humane immigration system—one that uses proven economics. President Reagan set up a natural experiment of such a reform in 1986 by enacting the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). This act allowed millions of immigrants to remain under a work visa system with a path to citizenship. Brookings research on the impacts of that act shows that legalization increased wages for native citizens and immigrants alike, improved job mobility, and boosted tax contributions. They found similar patterns in the case of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients; legal security encourages education, entrepreneurship, military service and upward career mobility. Those allowed to participate openly in the market economy do so vigorously, resulting in a net benefit to local economies and the economy at large.
William Holahan is emeritus professor and former chairman of the Department of Economics at UW-Milwaukee.
OCTOBER 2026 | 17
NEWS HERO OF THE MONTH
FROM CRISIS INTERVENTION TO DISASTER RESPONSE,
Montréal Cain Cain is Building Building a Better, Safer Milwaukee BY BEN SLOWEY
M
ontréal Cain lives by the proverb “If you want to travel fast, travel alone, but if you want to travel far, travel together.” As a mental health advocate and mentor, community leader and crisis responder, Cain has seen first-hand how building collective power and understanding social determinants of health allow us to develop a better, safer and healthier community. “We can really change the narrative and make Milwaukee one of the best places to raise a family,” he affirms. “I’m glad to be a part of that ecosystem, and I’m hopeful that things are getting better, not worse.”
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Cain holds a master’s degree in counseling. An accomplished singer and musician, he competed on American Idol Season 12 for six rounds in Hollywood. He is the founder of the MERA Response Team, a crisis intervention organization that delivers critical preventative care to vulnerable communities by way of unarmed deescalation and real-time monitoring. He embraces music and mindfulness as his two most important therapy tools, having once calmed down a loved one in crisis by simply playing them a song on his phone. 18 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
“In the process of them calming down, I thought that I had to do something. I had to find a way to advocate for my loved ones.” In 2018, Cain’s family faced repeated mentalhealth crises, but Milwaukee's crisis mobile response was inconsistent, understaffed, not culturally relevant and not available 24 hours, leaving families like his with no option at 3 a.m. but to call 911. “Most people didn't even know the service existed, and 988 wasn't yet a national lifeline,” he explains. “At that time, people in crisis were statistically 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter. While the system has grown into a more reliable, culturally grounded, round-the-clock resource in 2026, my lived experience comes from a moment when those supports simply weren't there.”
COMMUNITY-BASED RESPONSE Combining his experience as a high school broadcast teacher with his technological expertise as an accessibility champion for Apple, Cain launched MERA (Monitor, Engage, Recommend, Advocate) in 2021, building out an ecosystem of community-based crisis response teams, creating an alternative to relying on police. Photo by Ben Slowey.
OCTOBER 2026 | 19
NEWS HERO OF THE MONTH “I asked my son what he wanted to do since it was his birthday,” Cain remembers. “He said that we’ve got to help the city.”
AFTER THE FLOOD Grabbing supplies, Cain went into the streets and live streamed himself clearing drains of mud and trash so folks around Milwaukee would know what to do. He received a call from Sen. Dora Drake acknowledging his Facebook post from the previous night encouraging residents to “use what they have” to protect their home from flood waters. Drake asked Cain what areas were most impacted in Milwaukee. Later that day he was summoned to a press conference where Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley shook Cain’s hand and commended him for his great work. “How did he know? It still didn’t click for me.” Cain had been so busy that he did not know his video had received more than two million views on social media. In addition to the street drains, Cain and a grassroots group of community members gathered sump pumps to drain flooded houses. “It was a weirdly loving environment that you would never expect from people in crisis,” he observed. “People were outside and kids were playing in the water, and mosquitoes were everywhere biting us left and right.” Because they were dealing with sewage, Cain gathered sanitation supplies for neighbors. “Somebody showed up with pizzas. Somebody showed up with water. The sump pumps were draining four houses at the same time.” To date, MERA has been able to intervene in about six dozen suicide attempts as well as domestic disputes, substance abuse and behavioral health situations. “It felt like an anointing and a calling to bridge that gap,” he recalls. In addition to crisis intervention, MERA collaborates with community partners on programming designed to address the needs of different populations. MERA Moms empowers single mothers. MERA Men encourages men to be positive role models in their communities through volunteer work. MERA AI (Alternatives to Incarceration) mentors at-risk youth with multimedia skills and community service opportunities while working to get records expunged. MERA EDU identifies the intersection of trauma-informed care in schools and in the workplace. “To be a thought leader in the behavioral health space is a privilege and honor, and it’s a burden,” Cain contends. “People are looking at us to be innovative and learn all the systems and what comes to play.” MERA can be supported by way of volunteering, donating or signing up for its newsletter on the website. During last year’s “thousand-year flood” in August, Cain became the subject of media attention when he helped unclog the drains of flooded streets across Milwaukee. Cain had learned just what to do when it rains years back from watching a city worker drag a stick along the sides of the street. The floods happened the same weekend he was supposed to take his son to Wisconsin Dells. 20 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
From there, Cain and activists Aziz Abdullah, JaQai Ali and Vaun Mayes launched the disaster rapid-response team Flood Hope 500 to assist Milwaukeeans impacted by the floods. “We were able to find direction, to find alignment and purpose while grieving, using, helping and serving other people as a better way to cope.” Cain gives a shout out to Andron Lane, Kelly Felder, David Carlson, Rashad Washington, Bridget Whitaker, Safe & Sound Inc, Taylor Hart, Bria Grant, Walter Lanier, Shauntay Nelson, Derrick Rogers, Amir Zakkar and Tevin Humphrey. “If I forgot anyone, charge it to my head and heart. People saw me, but it was really us.” For his efforts, Cain was recognized with Mentor of the Game 2025, the Milwaukee Turners Liberty Against All Oppression Award, the Do Good Wisconsin Unsung Hero Award, the Opulence Award, the Red Cross Brave Heart Award, and the Unity Black Excellence Award. On October 5, Cain will be premiering a three-part docuseries Stepping Beyond the Scars about healing from infant mortality, dedicated to his daughter Melody, who passed away during birth. That day, which is National Infant Mortality Awareness Day, would have been her birthday. “A lot of days I’ve been sad. I’d show up and say thank you, but I just wished I had my baby,” Cain shares. “I’m grateful that God was able to use me. It doesn’t make it easier, but it does make it hurt a little less, and I’m grateful for the acknowledgement and support.” Ben Slowey is a Staff Writer for the Shepherd Express.
OCTOBER 2026 | 21
NEWS MKE SPEAKS: CONVERSATIONS WITH MILWAUKEEANS
Nicole Goins
SPEAKS ON HELPING DISADVANTAGED BLACK GIRLS ACHIEVE SELF-CONFIDENCE AND SUCCESS BY TOM JENZ
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ne year ago, 17-year-old Lauren Shoy stood before Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Lena Taylor, expecting to hear a jail sentence for several minor offenses. Instead, the judge made an unusual decision. She phoned Nicole Goins, founder and executive director of Pretty Girls Are Educated (PGAE), a Milwaukee mentoring organization for girls ages 6 to 18. “Judge Taylor told me Lauren would join Pretty Girls Are Educated and complete community service through our programming, and asked me to mentor her,” Goins said. “Lena Taylor and I started Girls Day at the State Capitol in 2022, and I have so much respect for her. Lauren Shoy spent a year with us instead of facing harsh consequences. Today she's serving in the military. She went from standing as a defendant in a courtroom to proudly wearing our country's uniform.” That transformation symbolizes why Goins founded Pretty Girls Are Educated in 2017. Her nonprofit helps girls build confidence and leadership skills through a belief that higher education and a meaningful future is within their reach. 22 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
The experience creates a sisterhood that challenges the painful assumption that girls growing up in broken homes or poor neighborhoods are somehow destined to fall behind. “I continue to show up for the girls because I know what it's like when someone doesn't show up for you,” Goins said. “I want to spread love and positive energy and give them things they can carry for a lifetime.” Goins has expanded her local mission into a global initiative, extending her outreach to girls in Jamaica and Nigeria. Along the way, she has been recognized with TMJ4's Unsung Hero and Most Inspirational awards and recently served as co-chair of Milwaukee's Juneteenth Jubilee Parade.
I’d like to hear about your background, your parents, schools, neighborhoods, your life growing up. I was raised in the 53206 zip code of the inner city of Milwaukee. My grandparents moved here from Mississippi. As a single mother, my mom moved around to different neighborhoods in the inner city.
I had to learn to adapt and accept changes early. But my schooling was stable. I was part of the Chapter 220 program, which helped reduce racial isolation. Starting in third grade, I was bused to the Menomonee Falls school district. I graduated from Menomonee Falls High School.
Was that difficult for you, having to mix with middle-class white kids? We did deal with some racism, but we had strong support from educators. My principal, Mr. Woosencraft, stood his ground on this. And I made some amazing friends.
Did you develop any kind of career interest? After high school, I pursued dental assisting, planning to become a dental hygienist, but that didn’t work out. I didn't have a passion for it. I had the opportunity to move to Jamaica with my then husband and our little daughter, where I started my first international business.
What was that like for you in Jamaica?
Photo: Nicole Goins Exec Director PGaE by Tom Jenz. Patterned background by GettyImages/OksanaTkachova.
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NEWS MKE SPEAKS: CONVERSATIONS WITH MILWAUKEEANS
It was good, but I found Jamaica to be slow paced. For instance, everything shut down on Sundays, but now Jamaica is Americanized. I still make frequent trips there because I have a partnership with an allgirls orphanage. After returning to Milwaukee, I worked as a universal banker at U.S. Bank and then became a mortgage specialist for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.
When did you get interested in community work, especially for young Black girls? I was always a nurturer, even as a little girl. Black and brown girls were typecast as undereducated, loud, obnoxious, with bad attitudes. But I mentored at a lot of schools and found that too many of these girls had no role models or real support systems. In 2017, I started PGAE, Pretty Girls are Educated. We mentor girls six to 18 years old.
Through the years, I’ve noticed that many inner-city Black families, 70% headed by mothers, have little or no future plans. They live a kind of day-to-day existence. 24 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
That is a very good point, and this aligns with my mission. At Pretty Girls are Educated, we are teaching these young girls a blueprint on how to live a quality life with a plan for the future. Sustainability, life skills, financial literacy.
How are girls referred to you? Word of mouth, social media, parents, Milwaukee Public Schools and girls that are going through the justice system like at Vel Phillips School. Some of these girls are not relatable because of dysfunctional home lives, maybe living in a single parent household, hand washing clothes, moving around a lot. Some girls come from different walks of life, underserved communities, dysfunctional home lives and simply just need mentors who are relatable and understand what that looks like. They might lack being loved at home or are bullied at school.
So how does the PGAE mentoring process work? For the last five years, I’ve been meeting with the girls every Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. We also have educational field trips and community engagement.
Our process includes journaling, drawing or discussions on what healthy relationships mean. They might write about their feelings, personal and educational goals. They might share journaling with the group. We create a safe space. Whatever is talked about in the group stays there. If someone shares their feelings, another girl might feel the same, which opens up discussions. Generally, we have about 15 to 20 girls at our meetings.
Let’s suppose I am a young girl looking for help through your program. Are you advising me what to do? No, we start with greeting you with our anthem, “Hey, girl, hey!” Then, we ask you to tell us about yourself, age, neighborhood, the school you attend, and your favorite thing to do. We are encouraging communication building, even public speech. We tell the girls to write whatever they want in their journals. We don’t give assignments. We might suggest they write about their role model.
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NEWS MKE SPEAKS: CONVERSATIONS WITH MILWAUKEEANS
We have a “sister circle” that includes everyone. Some talk about their feelings, their goals, or what they wrote in their journals. What really can get to me is that some girls cannot write or cannot spell even at the age of 11 or 12. I think too many educators in our schools give up on these kids, and too many teachers, educators and staff members try to speak in Ebonics to match the tone and personalities of the kids. I've been told that I use words that students don't know or understand during my in-school mentoring sessions. It’s my belief that if you don’t speak proper English, the kids will never learn how to speak properly or expand their vocabulary.
You later expanded your Pretty Girls program to Old Harbour, Jamaica and Abuja, Nigeria. A few years ago, Milwaukee became a sister city to Abuja, Nigeria. My program with Abuja is virtual on Zoom. Through partnering with the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry Chicago, I am able to provide virtual robotics, coding and programming to youth in Milwaukee, Nigeria, and Jamaica. During my annual trips to Jamaica, I am able to mentor in person and spend much needed bonding time with the girls. It feels so good to teach these kids technology.
Your organization is funded by grants from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Target and Bader Philanthropies? That’s true. Pretty Girls are Educated is a preferred partner of Target stores in Wisconsin. And for two straight years we are a grant recipient of the Reasons for Hope MKE Fund by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. For about four years, Bader Philanthropies has been a great support of our mission. Neighborhood engagement director Tamara Hogans and vice president Frank Cumberbatch of Bader Philanthropies helped me with the growth and development of Pretty Girls are Educated. In other words, it was more than just funding. I learned a lot about the how and also the what I need in order to elevate our mission. I am so grateful to them for their mentoring me, and also their interest in the growth and development of not just Pretty Girls are Educated but our youth and families.
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I read this about you: “Love is at the root of everything Nicole Goins does.” Tell me more about that concept. If what I am doing is not from the heart, not from love, it makes no sense. As part of the guest audience, I learned from the TV host Steve Harvey that you should spend your life doing what you love. If you spend money on a designer handbag, no one may remember that handbag when God calls you home, but the world will know of your legacy.
I understand you personally struggled in 2024. What was happening to you back then? My struggle was that I felt that my organization did not belong because I wasn’t supported by the older entrenched organizations. I was giving out huge support and I felt the support wasn’t reciprocated by a lot of my peers. At times, I felt like I was still the insecure little girl who lived in the inner city and who wanted a chance. This drove me into a hard depression where I needed therapy.
Did that work out for you? The depression lasted about a year. I found out that I was not motivating myself, and self-motivation is definitely a priority for survival. Prior to that depression, I was getting support from strangers who became like family. I was looked on as the strongest person even if I had my personal doubts. Through prayer and positive affirmations, I nursed myself out of the depression. Ironically, I found the girls I was helping to be relatable. I was going through what those girls were going through.
Can you give me a story or two about some girls you have helped through the program? Daniyah Coleman joined PGAE in the 6th grade and has grown into a remarkable young woman and leader. She had gotten into a tragic accident with a group of teens when she was in high school, but she recovered. Daniyah recently graduated and earned her certification as a medical assistant and is continuing her education as she prepares for nursing school. Then there are the twins, Summer and Autumn Miller, who just graduated from Golda Maier High School and are headed to college.
I have so many girls I am proud of, who graduated high school and continued their educational careers into college.
I read about a high school freshman, Miracle Lee Hannibal, who had been in the juvenile detention system and was even a ward of the state, but then went through your program for several years. In 2023, she went missing but was fortunately found. She is now 17 and currently works as a graphic design intern at ArtWorks for Milwaukee. Miracle is still trying to make her way. I believe in her and pray that someday she will find her calling.
Here is a quote from you, “There is no one person who can create change that’s desperately needed for our youth and our community.” Why is change desperately needed? We just celebrated 56 years of Juneteenth. It was a good success. In the Black community, we are pretty good at celebrations and planning. Our theme was “Honoring the Past and Empowering the Future.” But we need to make real change through a sense of urgency, and we have a long way to go. We need accountability. Not to place blame. Just to do the things that are needed as an entire community, as people. If we don’t make changes, we will stay segregated instead of unified and integrated.
You once said, “I’ve never walked into a room without the intention of building a meaningful relationship.” I’ve always had that philosophy as a mentor and a leader of youth. When I stand up front, I don't pretend to know everything. I try to focus on what I can learn from others and through collaborations. I also often think of what the kids can teach me. With any journey in life, we cannot walk it alone. We can always learn something new.
Tom Jenz is a Milwaukee writer and photographer and author of the Central City Stories column for shepherdexpress.com.
OCTOBER 2026 | 27
FOOD & DRINK
Mediterranean Cruise in Milwaukee’s Downtown BY DAVE LUHRSSEN
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he owner of Madison’s popular Near Eastern restaurant, Mediterranean Joint, chose a descriptive name when he opened a restaurant in Downtown Milwaukee, calling it Mediterranean Cuisine. Like the Madison Joint, the Milwaukee menu circles around the eastern Mediterranean seaboard, landing on Turkey, Greece and the Levant—a culinary zone interconnected by trade and culture for many centuries. The restaurant’s entrees are served on decorative metal platters and encompass chicken, beef and lamb, with vegetarian side dishes and a Vegan Kofte Plate ($17.99) with grilled vegetable kofte, pita bread, rice and salad. The attractively served Chicken Shawarma Plate ($17.99) features lightly seasoned, fall-apart-tender shredded chicken resting on a bed of rice and chickpeas, accompanied by pita, an ample chopped lettuce salad with tomatoes and onions, a small bowl of palate cooling tzatziki and a single rice-stuffed grape leaf. The costliest menu item is the entrée sampler, the Combo Plate ($27.99). Mediterranean Cuisine also offers wraps, including a Gyro Wrap ($11.99) with thin-pressed lavash instead of the usual pita. You could go light with the Turkish Tabbouleh Plate ($7.99), a serving of the traditional Near Eastern salad made from bulgar wheat, parsley, mint, cucumber and tomato tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. Other lighter options include the Hummus and Baba Ghanoush plates ($6.99 each) served with pita. The extensive, reasonably priced sides and appetizer menus include Greek fries ($5.99) sprinkled with feta, oregano and parsley. You can make a mezze platter by choosing from three of the appetizer selections. Also typical for the region, a bowl of yellow lentil soup ($5.99). 28 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
How’s this for a Near East-Wisconsin fusion? Mediterranean Cheese Curds ($11.99) accompanied by tzatziki and “Turkish marinara sauce.” But that’s the only Packerland touch. Mediterranean Cuisine serves some of the best baklava in town with honey-sweetened pistachio or walnut varieties ($4.99-$5.99). The dessert goes well with a steaming demitasse of caffeine in the form of Turkish coffee. Orders are taken at the counter and delivered to your table. The food arrives quickly, but the atmosphere encourages lingering. The walls are covered with the panorama of a Greek seaside village, the tall windows admit sunlight and an expansive view of busy Water Street, and the Arabesque music, with its gentle ouds and woodwinds, is conversation level. Make a night of it? Mediterranean Cuisine serves beer, including the Turkish brand Efes ($6.99), and wine by the glass or bottle ($6.99/$26.99). It’s open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Mediterranean Cuisine • 753 N. Water Street • (920) 306-3799 • mediterraneancuisinemke.com
David Luhrssen is Managing Editor of the Shepherd Express.
Photo by Timothy Czerniakowski.
OCTOBER 2026 | 29
FOOD & DRINK BEVERAGES
Guy Rehorst, GREAT LAKES DISTILLERY AND THE NEW ERA OF WISCONSIN CRAFT SPIRITS BY GAETANO MARANGELLI
Y
ou may have difficulty recalling an era in the history of the city of Milwaukee and state of Wisconsin when craft spirits weren’t locally made. But at the turn of the century, Milwaukee and Wisconsin hadn’t had a craft distillery since the end of the era of prohibition in 1933. Guy Rehorst and Great Lakes Distillery changed all of that.
There was no law preventing someone from getting a license, but since very few craft distillers existed at that point, there wasn't much information available on the industry level. I figured we were doing something pretty unique and that I could find an audience for well-made spirits.”
But just because you can make “When I started, there were local local craft spirits—or any local craft breweries and some wineries. All the fermented beverage—doesn’t spell spirits on the shelf at bars and retailers success for your project. Business were either from Kentucky or Northern and banks, as well as friends and Europe. I wondered why there were no family wondered about the gustatory Wisconsin spirits,” begins Rehorst. “I quality of Rehorst’s beverages and the had been experimenting with making commercial viability of his enterprise. spirits for my own use for a while and decided to look into starting a distillery. “Oh, sure, many questioned it,” he says. I did the research on the federal and state licensing procedures. 30 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
Photos courtesy of Great Lakes Distillery.
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FOOD & DRINK BEVERAGES WILD SUCCESS By any measure, Rehorst and Great Lakes Distillery has been wildly successful. By 2013, just nine years after the company’s founding, Great Lakes Distillery spirits were distributed to 26 states. But since then, Rehorst and his distillery have changed course.
“I think the people who questioned it most were the bar owners and managers I was calling on. I heard a lot of, ‘Distillery? This is a beer town.’ “Vodka was huge at the time, and many bars stocked at least 20 different brands. I'd walk in with my bottle of vodka, asking the buyer to try it. I was often greeted with an eye roll. Then they'd try it while I was giving them my pitch, and when they realized it was really good and made locally, we had them.”
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“Marketing to all those states was nearly impossible for a small business like us,” he says. “We pulled back all sales to Wisconsin several years ago. That being said, we've begun distribution back into Illinois. We’ve also recently filled our first export order to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.” From its inception, Rehorst and Great Lakes Distillery have made a priority of using honest, local ingredients— ingredients which make Great Lakes Distillery spirits superior, and which make the distillery the best of neighbors. “Because of its quality,
grain from Wisconsin is frequently used by some of the largest distilleries in the United States,” says Rehorst. “Among other ingredients, we use Wisconsin ginseng, which is highly regarded worldwide. We also use Wisconsin cranberries, Wisconsin honey and Wisconsin apples. And we source many of those ingredients directly from local farms.” What Rehorst began with Great Lakes Distillery has exploded into a new era of Wisconsin craft distilleries and spirits. Which makes it difficult for us to remember an era when Wisconsin craft spirits weren’t thriving.
Gaetano Marangelli is a sommelier and playwright. He was the managing director of a wine import and distribution company in New York and beverage director for restaurants and retailers in New York and Chicago before moving to Wauwatosa.
Photos courtesy of Great Lakes Distillery.
OCTOBER 2026 | 33
SPECIAL HOME & GARDEN
Preserving Milwaukee's Architecture with
Steeple City Restoration BY BEN SLOWEY
M
ilwaukee is known as the “City of Steeples” for its many towering 19th century churches built by German, Polish, Irish and Italian immigrants. The city’s renowned historic architecture, from regular homes to major institutions, requires and deserves careful preservation as part of its historic legacy. Through their business Steeple City Restoration, Aurelia Ceja and Helena Rose work to restore and repair Milwaukee’s architecture, with their website stating, “We take on any problem you may be having and tackle it head on with attention to detail, appreciation for history, and a mix of historic and modern repair techniques.” “Newer is not always better, and we want people to know that,” Ceja says. Steeple City Restoration specializes in doors and windows while also offering interior or exterior woodworking restoration. Ceja continues, “Your front door is the very first thing you see in your house, and it should be welcoming and inviting and beautiful. Everyone should be able to walk into a space they’re excited to walk into.” Door restorations typically take one to two weeks while windows take at least two. Steeple City Restoration’s goal is to both make something more aesthetically pleasing and functionally better. First, all of the paint, varnish or glaze on a door or window must come off. Once the door or window is stripped down to its most basic parts, the duo makes necessary repairs, then sand and reapply finish before reinstalling. 34 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
Rose explains, “We do a lot of troubleshooting, whether we’re working with door hardware or adding weather stripping or addressing the counterbalance system of the window weights and lubricating hardware or reattaching ropes to have everything functioning in place.” Rose finds working on doors and windows fun as a process of problem solving. “We’ve talked to homeowners who didn’t even know you could fix a window; you don’t need to buy a vinyl window that’ll only last for 15 years.” Ceja points out that many restoration projects the two work on, most 75 to 150 years old, are made from old growth trees. “You cannot get those materials anymore. If you find a window that has survived the past 110 years and it just needs to be glazed and fixed up a bit, it can survive for another 110. With modern culture and turnaround time and planned obsolescence of things being so fast, people have lost the idea that that’s even a possibility.”
DIY REPAIRS Steeple City Restoration has also led homeowner-specific classes centered on DIY repairs. “A lot of this knowledge we’ve had to find and figure out ourselves, and luckily, there’s a resurgence in some of these older, more traditional trades,” Rose affirms. “It’s antique knowledge, and we want as many people to know how to do it as possible.” Ceja and Rose first met and quickly bonded at a previous construction job, eventually leaving the workplace in favor of their own pursuit together. Header photo: Aurelia Ceja (left) and Helena Rose (right) courtesy of Steeple City Restoration. Patterned background by GettyImages/Ninoon.
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SPECIAL HOME & GARDEN Ceja brings a wealth of creative experience to the fold having studied various artistic mediums in school. “The one thing that has really carried over is understanding color theory and color matching and stain matching and finishes, and how to layer and blend all of those things. That translated to stains really easily when it came to working on peoples’ doors and windows.” Rose worked with Habitat for Humanity as part of Americorps where she learned how to build houses and found a love for carpentry and woodworking. “It’s scary to start a business, and it’s also scary to be a young woman in construction starting a business. I definitely felt I couldn’t have done it without Aurelia.” The duo recently moved into a larger shop space in Bay View, which enables them to take on a greater volume of projects. One may contract Steeple City Restoration for a project by filling out the inquiry form on its website. “There’s no shortage of projects in Milwaukee,” Ceja notes. “There’s so many people who need work done on their houses, but there is a shortage of knowledgeable labor on the subject. We would really love to help expand that, whether it’s with homeowners or others who would like to do this professionally.”
Ben Slowey is a Staff Writer for the Shepherd Express.
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Photo of restored door courtesy of Steeple City Restoration. Photo of tools by GettyImages/Whitestorm.
OCTOBER 2026 | 37
SPECIAL HOME & GARDEN
Montana Morris Teaches Food Sovereignty with Garden Dreams BY BEN SLOWEY
T
he old saying “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” perfectly encapsulates the significance of teaching someone how to grow their own food. With her business Garden Dreams, Montana Morris offers garden installation as well as education around ecology and sustainability so folks may have as robust a garden as possible. “People should be able to take some things into their own hands when it comes to their health and survival, physically and mentally,” Morris affirms.
For a sliding scale, Morris works with clients in their gardens on caring for and maintaining their land while focusing on edible, medicinal, native and ornamental plants. She notes, “I’m not just the gardener who comes and takes care of everything; I’m trying to share knowledge because it is a dying skillset. I think growing food should be taught in school; it’s one of the most important things we should know how to do.” Her hope is that clients foster deeper relationships with the plants, flowers and produce they grow, whether by using vegetables in a new recipe, making a tincture out of an herb or planting native pollinators to attract bees and insects in one’s yard. “I focus on bringing all those pieces together and curtail it to each individual’s interests and needs.” Morris also grows, trades and donates seedlings to neighbors or local organizations like Sauce Milwaukee. She recently invested in a truck, which will enable her to expand Garden Dreams.
“I’ve worked for a number of nonprofits, which I still work with tangentially, but I wanted a little more freedom to do my own thing,” she explains. Morris previously worked as a manager at Victory Garden Initiative (249 E. Concordia Ave.) in Harambee, where she stewarded the organization’s 1.5-acre food forest, which remains free to the public across the street. She sees the food forest as a perfect example of how urban agriculture run by the community for the community can feed a village. “Harambee is a pretty large neighborhood but doesn’t have any grocery stores in it. Here at the food forest, neighbors can come and pick their food for dinner, or maybe they got some food from the gas station but would really like a tomato with their sandwich.” Projects like food forests and community gardens help decentralize food systems from being entirely reliant on the grocery stores, which is exactly what Morris aspires to do with Garden Dreams. She reckons, “We can’t be fully sovereign from the grocery stores, but with the price of food and the transportation issues of getting to the food, any little bit can really help to provide a little bit of sovereignty for people.” To get in touch, contact Garden Dreams on Instagram @gardendreamsmke.
Ben Slowey is a Staff Writer for the Shepherd Express.
URBAN AGRICULTURE Having studied agroecology with an emphasis on urban agriculture in college, Morris started Garden Dreams in 2024 out of a desire to work for herself. 38 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
Header photo: Montana Morris tending the Victory Garden Initative food forest by Ben Slowey. Vine illustration by GettyImages/Mykola Syvak.
OCTOBER 2026 | 39
SPECIAL PERSONAL FINANCE
Mastering Financial Speak: YOU REALLY HAVE TO TALK THE TALK BY MIKE MUCKIAN
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herever you go and whatever you do, you will find that each “community”—and broaden that definition to include families, neighborhoods, industries, social clubs and professional disciplines—has its own jargon. How well you function in these communities will depend in large part on how well you understand the language and the vocabulary on which it is built.
Understanding the following words and phrases will give you some critical building blocks for personal success:
Finance is no different. In fact, the language of finance—including the personal financial world in which you likely operate—has a vocabulary the understanding of which will be critical to success. Most of us are not accountants or financial counselors, but in terms of our own personal finance, we are the first and often the last resources for making the right financial decisions for our own lives.
Principal sits at the heart of it all and refers to the inaugural amount of money that comes into play whether you are borrowing, investing or conducting some other transaction.
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Net Worth is your actual financial value in the world based on the total amount of your assets minus any money you owe. That sounds simple and, conceptually, it is. But it takes some work and understanding to arrive at your true bottom line.
Fees, interest rates, and other sources of funds run as adjacent expenses and are rarely part of the principal.
Interest is the money paid on the principal that you have borrowed from a lender. But there are two types of Interest: Simple Interest is the agreed-upon monthly amount you pay for borrowing the principal amount. Compound Interest is the amount paid both on the principal and any unpaid Simple Interest accrued from the previous periods. If you are not careful that can add up quickly. Annual Percentage Rate, or APR, refers to the true cost of a loan and includes the initial amount, fees, and interest for the life of the loan. APR is also a handy way to compare the true cost of a loan among lenders before getting involved with the transaction.
Illustration of people talking about finance by GettyImages/Nauval Wildani. Illustration of graduation cap by GettyImages/Yevgeniya Kolnobritskaya.
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SPECIAL PERSONAL FINANCE In financial terms, Liability lacks the overall negative overtones of its use elsewhere in your life. But it does refer to the money you may owe on a loan or some other agreement and operates as a burden to your overall net worth. Amortization is the rate at which you will pay back the total sum borrowed in smaller, agreed-upon amounts. In addition to paying back the original amount, it also involves various fees and both simple- and compoundinterest. (In finance, nothing is as simple as it seems.) Delinquency is what happens when you fall behind in your payments and/ or fail to pay them according to your amortization schedule. Often it is a temporary situation for the borrower due to oversight or personal hardship. But all financial agreements are based on contracted terms, and it will still cost you more.
They will come regularly, most often quarterly, and can be counted among your assets. Financial speak, when combined with all the numerical configurations it represents, can be complicated and sometimes intimidating. Understanding the basics listed above and how they apply to your life is one of the best ways to learn how to talk the talk so you can more effectively walk the walk.
Michael Muckian was the banking and finance writer for the Milwaukee Business Journal and is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Financing and Accounting and The One-Day MBA in Finance and Accounting.
Dividends are what you receive in payment on your own shares in a company or enterprise as determined by the company’s board of directors.
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Illustration of gold coins by GettyImages/Hanna Plonsak. Illustration of financial experts by GettyImages/Oksana Latysheva.
OCTOBER 2026 | 43
SPECIAL SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
Milwaukee
Bucks : Preview NEW SEASON BRINGS NEW
DIRECTION BY GREGORY HARUTUNIAN
A
fter 13 seasons of basketball with a decidedly hometown taste, the chapter in the Milwaukee Bucks history book, defined by Giannis Antetokounmpo, is closed. It was exciting—a roller coaster ride at times that included a 2021 NBA Championship, first place finishes and was helmed by a beloved icon.
The 32-50 record last season, with dissension between players and coaches coming to a head, along with poor guidance by ownership simply screamed for change. Three head coaches in the last four seasons said plenty. Last month, former Bucks head coach Doc Rivers was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The anecdote during his induction speech bears repeating. “When I was playing for the New York Knicks, Coach (Pat) Riley and I had the biggest argument in my entire playing career,” Rivers said. 44 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
“And finally, during the shouting match, Coach looked at me and said, ‘One day, when you’re a head coach, you, and you will be one,’ he was screaming at me.” “He says, ‘You’re going to understand exactly where I’m coming from,’ and I literally yelled, ‘Are you crazy, I’m never going to coach… every coach I know is nuts,” Rivers continued. “Well, Coach Riley, thank you for being right on all counts... and one of the lessons, never coach a person for who they are today but to push them to whom they should be someday.
MIX OF OLD AND NEW Important words, especially for new Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins seeking to put a squad on the hardwood with a mix of new players and holdover veterans. Along with Antetokounmpo, gone is Bobby Portis Jr., another fan favorite. The trade brought considerations as well as something sorely needed: youth.
The two Bucks veterans were traded to the Miami Heat in return for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, Jaime Jacquez Jr., and all are between 20-26 years old. Draft picks brought in Brayden and Nate Ament, while the acquisition of John Butler Jr., coming from the NBA “G” League, was also announced this week. Returning to the fold are Ryan Rollins, Myles Turner, Kevin Porter Jr. and AJ Green. Portis was a definitive threepoint scoring threat when let loose. Last April 10, Green sunk 11 of 16 three-point attempts, a record, as teammates kept feeding him with the Brooklyn Nets unable to catch them. How the chemistry will play out makes for some interesting concoctions. The new core of players also features the return of Gary Trent Jr., with more swap-outs before the opener. Age, injuries and poor defense all conspired into a collapse since 2021.
Illustration of Ryan Rollins by Timothy Czerniakowski. Basketball stadium render by GettyImages/Anton Vierietin.
Green smoke render by GettyImages/Ilustrador o artista vectorial Dibujos animados Arte gráfico Abstracto Fondos Diseño Vacaciones.
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SPECIAL SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
Poor communications and no steady game plan led to no solid execution and players shooting wildly, by season’s end. Head coach Jenkins was an assistant in Milwaukee, from 2018-2019, before moving on to the Memphis Grizzlies. He was sought after by Bucks ownership and was officially under contract last April 30. Jenkins has assembled a coaching staff of people familiar with him (and Milwaukee, in some cases), with only Isaiah Wilkins being new to the NBA. Darvin Ham and Jack Herum were retained from last season’s staff, rounded out by Brad Jones, Pat St. Andrews, Schulyer Rimmer, Vince Legarza, T.J. Ford and Johnny Carpenter.
Bogoljub Markovic, Pete Nance, Cormac Ryan (a two-way player) and Jericho Sims. Although expectations are not high for the Milwaukee team being anything spectacular, the mix of young and old can gel for some fun competition. This is obviously a rebuild year, and not a championship-caliber team. Although after the disaster last season, it can only get better. The Bucks open their season opens at home, October 5 against Minnesota Timberwolves.
Gregory Harutunian writes the weekly Milwaukee Bucks column for shepherdexpress.com.
For now, the roster also includes Kyle Kuzma, Ousmane Dieng, Kam Jones (a two-way player), Caris LeVert,
Illustration of basketball by GettyImages/badidok.
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Basketball stadium render by GettyImages/Anton Vierietin.
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CULTURE
Bob Reitman’s Musical Poetry BY DAVE LUHRSSEN
I
probably had several life-changing experiences from Bob Reitman’s prime-time years at WQFM. One occurred in 1975 when I was 14 and listening as Reitman played both sides of Patti Smith’s just-released debut LP, Horses. I sat spellbound, lights off and the radio on, never having heard anything like it. Reitman helped bring Smith to Milwaukee for her first big concert at the Oriental Theater and MC’d Bruce Springsteen’s legendary show at the Uptown Theater. And five nights a week, he exposed impressionable minds to Bob Dylan and the Velvet Underground. Perhaps modestly, Reitman never aired tracks from The Eleventh House, his 1972 spoken word LP. Fifty-four years later comes the sequel, 12th House, a poetry collection with musical accompaniment produced by veteran Milwaukee musician-sonic engineer Gary Tanin. 48 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
“Gary kept suggesting I do it,” Reitman says. “I kept all my poetry in a box and dust had settled on it. I had no intention of doing anything with the poems except reading them when I got older.” He stopped writing in the ‘80s but never forgot that poetry was where he began his ascent as one of our city’s most esteemed DJs. Running poetry readings at the Avant-Garde Coffeehouse on Prospect Avenue led to an unpaid gig at WUWM, a poetry show that evolved into a freewheeling forum for the era’s burgeoning rock scene. “Reading a poem on paper is one thing. Hearing it is something else,” Reitman says.
RADIO DAYS “I used to bring records to parties on the East Side—Velvet Underground, Jefferson Airplane, The Stones.
I liked playing music for people and I couldn’t have asked for a better deal. WUWM opened the door for me,” he continues. Before long, he was offered a paying job at WZMF. “They asked me, ‘How’d you like to play music every day and get paid for it?’ $150 a week,” Reitman recalls. Not bad cash circa 1970. Ousted by office politics, he left ZMF for a decade-long tenure at WQFM. By 1980, with FM radio tamed by corporate controllers, Reitman moved on. Many Milwaukeeans remember him as cohost of WKTI’s popular morning show. When he retired from KTI in 2016, WUWM snapped him up for a weekly music program. He finally surrendered the microphone in 2024. “How many times are you going to retire?” someone asked Reitman.
Photo by John Sahli.
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CULTURE The release of 12th House will be “WUWM gave me my first chance. It’s a celebrated with “12th House in Twilight,” way of thanking them,” Reitman says. an October 12 event at Pabst Theater. “I owe my career to public radio people A Native American elder will offer an who are different from commercial invocation in honor of Indigenous radio people. My time at WUWM was Peoples’ Day. An astrological chart just pure with really no limits. I couldn’t will be projected across the stage. As have had a better situation.” a clock hand moves from one zodiac house to the next, turns will be taken by live performers from poet Bryon Cherry, David Luhrssen has coauthored two Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate books on Milwaukee music and wrote Jodie Jasim, Interchange Theater, 40+ the liner notes for Reitman’s 12th Double Dutch Club, Trapper Schoepp House album. with Barry Ollman, video testimonials from the Violent Femmes’ Brian Ritchie and others and a live conversation with Reitman. Tickets for “12th House in Twilight” are on sale at the Pabst box office or pabsttheatergroup.com. Proceeds from album and ticket sales will go to WUWM to support the creation of Reitman Radio Camp, a week-long summer camp for Milwaukee-area high school students who will work with WUWM reporters and producers to learn about radio broadcasting and audio production. Illustration of microphone by GettyImages/Julia_me.
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Photo of radio equipment by GettyImages/avdyachenko. Photo of Bob Reitman courtesy of Gary Tanin.
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CULTURE
Zach Pietrini Can’t Go Back BY JOSHUA M. MILLER
Z
ach Pietrini has entered his ‘80s Bruce Springsteen era. While most fans are familiar with the Milwaukee singer-songwriter’s Americana and rock and-roll catalog, his latest batch of songs trades those rootsy textures for a cinematic wall of sound. It is a sonic shift heavily inspired by The Boss and modern indie luminaries like The War on Drugs. For Pietrini, the Springsteen influence goes far deeper than a massive audio production; it is about creative identity and world-building. “All of [Bruce’s] albums are very much him. They're his writing, they're his voice, they're just dressed up a bit differently,” Pietrini said. “As I was digging into that and then digging into people who emulate their own version of that '80s wall of sound kind of thing, I was getting more and more enamored with the soundscape. I was getting more into the energy, more into trying to make a huge record.”
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While the full album, tentatively entitled Can’t Go Back, won’t arrive until next spring, Pietrini has mapped out a steady rollout of tracks this fall to tide fans over. Following last month’s release of the driving single “Careless and Wild,” he is set to drop “Love in the Dark” later this month, with the cinematic title track scheduled to follow in November. The latter will be celebrated with a release show at Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. on November 21.
BUILDING A BASEMENT SOUNDSCAPE That pursuit of a huge record required abandoning the traditional format of his past catalog including his 2022 album Rock and Roll Is Dead. Where past projects relied on a standard five- or six-piece band tracking live with minimal overdubs, Pietrini set out to completely fill the sonic spectrum. He did this by transforming his own basement into a low-stakes sonic laboratory.
“I got to experiment a lot more because I'm not paying for studio time, which is a huge expense that forces you into a deadline,” Pietrini explains. “This allowed me time to mess around with sounds and find the ones I liked. To do things like, 'Hey, what if instead of just an acoustic and two electrics, it was five acoustics and 12 electrics?' There was way more freedom to explore.” To achieve this massive new scale and wrangle that creative chaos, Pietrini teamed up with producer and bassist Karl Roth to experiment with dense, intricate layering. Some tracks boast up to 50 layered guitars, anchored by a rhythmic cocktail of drum machines, live percussion and sampled beats. “We tried to key in on the sounds we remember hearing as ’80s and ’90s babies,” Pietrini says of their shared, nostalgic production. “While recording, we were surprised to find how much of those soundscapes just lived in our brains.
Photo of Zach Pietrini by Andrew Feller.
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CULTURE The album reminds me of film grain, soft neon, TGIF, tube TVs, tape everything, the smoking sections of dingy restaurants, and the glow of life before LED.” Having Roth as a second filter allowed Pietrini to ground the tracks, ensuring every single song on the track list captured that exact, unified energy. “We talked a lot about how if we're not excited about each one of these songs, we need to ask ourselves why and change it. It was a very dynamic, open process.”
LEAVING VS STAYING Conceptually, the album’s title track typifies what Pietrini calls the “heart of the album.” “Between moving on or leaving or growing, there's really no fitting back into the box once you're outside of it— but also choosing to stay or choosing to be in a place when maybe there is a chance of leaving,” Pietrini explains. “That ship, that exact experience or that exact moment is gone. So, hoping things come back around is another thing.”
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Much of that overarching lyrical theme is centered around the heavy personal transitions Pietrini faced over the last few years. During the height of the Covid pandemic, he endured profound loss, losing both of his parents and seven other family members. “The last couple of years personally have revolved around having to reevaluate my—for lack of a better term—personal contracts to pieces of my life,” Pietrini says. “I think that level of death forces some introspection and thinking about ‘How have I lived? What have I been a part of that I want to keep and what have I been a part of that I want to jettison?’ “There's been a lot in my own personal spirituality that I've had to come to terms with and walk away from. And there have been things in my life that I have held onto that I should have let go of and things I have let go of that I should have held onto.” Pietrini views the project as a growth album—a reflection on what is left behind and what is worth keeping.
He notes that the world itself being in a "heavy state of transition" made it feel like the right moment to release this kind of raw, reflective body of work. “There is just massive upheaval everywhere,” he said. “When there's that level of turmoil, one can't help but ask the question: What am I doing here? What is the point of all of this? What needs to change? What can I change? What needs to be maintained? What do I need to defend?” Ultimately, that philosophical wrestling match seeped directly into the album's sonics. Pietrini notes that his choice to embrace a bigger sound with “more pop sensibility was a decision to leave” where he has traditionally been comfortable as an artist, pushing himself to “discover new territory” and see what he’s about, what's changed, and what's stayed the same.
Joshua M. Miller is a Wisconsin writer who has contributed to Rolling Stone, Spin, Guitar World and MTV News.
Photo by GettyImages/Koonsiri Boonnak .
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CULTURE
This Month in Milwaukee 20 THINGS TO DO IN OCTOBER BY BEN SLOWEY
ABANDONED HAUNTED HOUSE COMPLEX
BASSE’S FARMS
THE HOLLOWS AT PHANTOM LAKE
(2825 SE Frontage Rd., Mt. Pleasant) Situated just off I-94, the Midwest’s “Fear Capital” features three full-length haunted houses in addition to axe throwing and its brand-new interactive horror experience Inner Fear. Open Friday and Saturday through Halloween, Blackout Night on Nov 7.
(3190 County Rd. Q, Colgate) Featuring dozens of attractions between their strawberry, apple, sunflower and pumpkin seasons, Basse’s has everything in store this fall from pig races to lumberjack shows to pumpkin patches to pony rides. Open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday and Thursday from noon to 6 p.m.
(S110W30240 YMCA Camp Rd., Mukwonago) This annual themed attraction takes you on a fantastical journey around Phantom Lake, going past fairies, gnomes, witches and thousands of jack o’ lanterns. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. through Oct 25.)
APPLE HOLLER
BUFFALO BILL’S PUMPKIN FARM
(5006 S. Sylvania Ave., Sturtevant) Also situated off I-94, this 78-acre farm is open year-round and features a pickyour-own orchard, corn maze, family fun park, country store and bakery, restaurant and beer garden. Store and restaurant open daily 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., farm park and orchard opens at 10 a.m.
(9612 W. Oakwood Rd., Franklin) This 60-acre farm and pumpkin patch includes a corn maze, jump pad, wagon ride, rentable bonfire pits, a haunted trail and Christmas tree farm. Open Friday through Sunday 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., haunted trail open Friday and Saturday through Halloween.
(N5648 S. Farmington Rd., Helenville) This rural Jefferson County fruit paradise offers apple picking and a pumpkin patch during fall, plus its greenhouse brims with a robust selection of flowers, herbs and vegetables year-round. Open weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
APPLELAND
THE DARK SIDE HAUNTED ADVENTURE
(4177 Highway 57, Fredonia) Opened in 2009 and identifiable by its iconic silo apple logo, this countryside orchard grows more than 15 varieties of apples (while maintaining a wholesale business) as well as pumpkins, squash, strawberries, pears and more. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. BARTHEL FRUIT FARM (12246 N. Farmdale Rd., Mequon) With roots tracing back to the 19th century, this storied farmstead cultivates a myriad of apples, peaches, gourds, pumpkins, popcorn, annuals, perennials and vegetables by way of its orchard and greenhouse. Also features a corn maze and beer garden. Open daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or find them at the Richfield Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
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(N1255 Hoard Rd., Ixonia) There are eight attractions total within this scarefest including paintball, a corn maze, hayrides and escape rooms. Open Friday and Saturday through Halloween. GREEN MEADOWS PETTING FARM
JELLI’S MARKET
JERRY SMITH PUMPKIN FARM (7150 18th St., Kenosha) In addition to cultivating over 40 pumpkin varieties, this destination features a petting zoo, corn maze, hayrides and a country store. Visit the haunted house and paintball gallery for an extra charge. Open Monday through Thursday 4 to 8 p.m., Friday 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
(33603 High Dr., East Troy) If you are looking for an animal-heavy fall experience, look no further. In addition to close encounters with a big cast of friendly farm animals, Green Meadows features a large playground, corn maze, pumpkin patch and hayrides. They have adoptable kittens as well. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
LANNON SUNFLOWER FARM
THE HILL HAS EYES
LINDNER’S PUMPKIN FARM
(7005 S. Ballpark Dr., Franklin) Located adjacent to Crystal Ridge, this hour-long terror experience takes folks through four haunted attractions across 45 acres. Open Friday through Sunday 5:30 to 11 p.m. through Halloween.
(19075 W. Cleveland Ave., New Berlin) This fun-filled farm offers lots of pumpkins and gourds while featuring a petting zoo, corn maze, pumpkin bowling, historic log cabin tours and more. Browse homemade jams, honeys and fall decorations from the gift shop. Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(W204 Lannon Rd., Menomonee Falls) There is no better place to get lost in a massive maze of sunflowers than Lannon. Folks may also explore a pumpkin patch and wildflower gardens or enjoy raspberry picking. Open Friday through Sunday 2 to 5 p.m.
Header photo - GettyImages/gorodenkoff.
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CULTURE
PATTERSON ORCHARDS
TERROR ON RURAL STREET
(4607 S. 124th St., New Berlin) This fruit farm has one of the largest selections in southeastern Wisconsin, offering 33 varieties of apples plus pears, plums, grapes and more. Not a pick-yourown orchard, though they do sell caramel apples, pumpkins, donuts and handmade gift baskets. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(147 N. Rural St., Hartford) Since 1998, the Hartford Community Service has raised money for the town by, as their website states, “scaring the sh*t out of people.” Housed in an old canning factory, the haunted attraction features 17 rooms where strange spirits are known to lurk around corners. Open Friday and Saturday through Halloween.
PEARCE’S FARM STAND (W5740 N. Walworth Rd., Walworth) Fresh, hand-picked fruits, vegetables and pumpkins straight from the backyard is the name of the game at Pearce’s. Not far from Geneva Lake, the farm features an elaborate corn maze plus a bakery and weekend concession stand. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PECK & BUSHEL (5454 County Rd. Q, Colgate) This certified organic orchard grows and sells 35 apple varieties from more than 50,000 trees on a trellis system, offering fresh-pressed cider and baked goods inside. Open Friday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - pick-your-own on Saturday and Sunday only.
Photo of pumpkins by GettyImages/vvmich.
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TERROR SHED HAUNTED HOUSE (5143 WI-28, Kewaskum) This attraction was started by two high schoolers, Hunter Sabish and Kaleb Eggers, passionate about Halloween and the creativity it brings. Since its debut in 2021, Terror Shed has grown each year with more chills and thrills while raising money for local charities. Open Friday and Saturday through Halloween, Blackout Weekend Nov 6 and 7. THOMPSON FARM (7825 144th Ave., Bristol) Pick your own pumpkins or raspberries at this scenic rural farm. Thompson’s fall festival includes a large children’s play area, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, live music, beer garden and many other comforts. Fall festival on weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., pumpkin fields open Wednesday through Sunday 3 to 5 p.m.
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LIFESTYLE ASK ALLY
Dear Ally,
I’m the oldest brother in a family of six. Because of my birth order, I always felt responsible for my younger siblings. I still do. That’s my problem. Especially with my youngest brother, the baby of the family. I have helped him his whole life. He has always struggled with failed businesses, divorce, bankruptcy and addiction. But now, my support has reached a point where I realize he’s become too reliant on me. He’s 40 now.
I shouldn’t have allowed it to go this far. It was a lot easier to give him the money and keep him out of trouble, rather than convince him to do the right thing. I also felt sorry for him. Bad luck seemed to follow him whatever project he worked on. With the help of my wife and a therapist, I finally understood that my bailing him out was only enabling his further dependence on me. When I finally cut him off, he became very angry. Initially, he sent me enraged texts. I did not respond. Over time, his messages became more toxic, using language that was very hurtful to me. Still, I didn’t react.
Dear Sad Sack Older Brother, It must be so hard to lose contact with your baby brother. You can still love him and wish him the best. For right now, it must be from a distance.
From my own experience with codependence, when your family member needs you the most, our first impulse is to help them.
Your spouse and therapist were right about your co-dependent relationship. It was not healthy for either of you. You are brave to enter on this path and admit to yourself that you were not helping your brother.
Although your intentions were good, it sounds like you rescued your brother to save him from making mistakes. By “saving” him, you were also able to control your brother’s actions. This is an unhealthy dynamic and can only lead to dysfunction.
Hazeldon Betty Ford Foundation provides addiction treatment and mental health care. They have a pamphlet that says it best: “Letting go may seem irresponsible to us. We may believe others can’t get along without our help. We may feel certain the world will come tumbling down on them if we let go. Maybe we can make better decisions than someone else, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not our responsibility to get involved in other people’s decisions or problems. Though they may make mistakes, we must not make their choices for them.” To detach from your brother when you’ve practically raised him and knew him as a helpless child, must have been very difficult.
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The existing relationship with your brother, that you described, did not allow him to grow or figure out how to solve his problems. He was not able to feel the consequences of his own behaviors. If he had, that opportunity would have offered him invaluable teaching to build his independence. This growth experience could have helped him to establish his own life. Karen Casey, author of Let Go Now, Embracing Detachment says, “We can’t know what’s right for someone else. And letting them find their own way, without our input, is not being disloyal; on the contrary, it’s being respectful.”
He stopped communicating with me. I don’t hear anything from him anymore. The worst part now is the silence. I didn’t realize it would be so difficult. I miss him. I wake up in the middle of the night, hoping he’s okay and afraid that he’s not. But if I contact him, I’m fearful that we’ll fall into the same pattern. I’m stuck. Can you help?
Sad Sack Older Brother You did the right thing. The unhealthy pattern had to end. Yes, it’s a difficult adjustment, but always know, deep in your heart that both of you will have your own lives back to make mistakes and to move forward. When enough time has passed, there’s a strong chance, both of you can figure out a way how to navigate a new way of relating to one another with complete honesty. It’s crucial that both of you acknowledge that your past relationship needs to transform to one of trust and independence. Who knows? Maybe there’s a chance both of you will be able to be close again and work toward an equal, sustainable relationship. In this way, you both can support each other’s individual growth and independence. Please let me know how it goes. Here for you,
Ally
Send your questions to AskAlly@shepex.com.
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LIFESTYLE OUT OF MY MIND
We’re Being Poisoned BY PHILIP CHARD
T
here is a stark reality we are collectively facing. All of us are being poisoned. All of us. There’s not a human on the planet devoid of microplastics and, in many instances, forever chemicals, among many other toxins. Not a one. In addition to the physical impacts, there is growing evidence these poisons cause mental health conditions as well. Found in our brains and cerebrospinal fluid, they trigger neuroinflammation and endocrine disruption linked to anxiety, depression, ADHD and other mental maladies. And how did we get here? In a word, greed. Putting profits ahead of people has become a guiding principle in American capitalism. Are there exceptions? Sure, particularly among small businesses and a few larger ones that haven’t forfeited their humanity.
MERCHANTS OF DEATH We’ve seen this movie before. As early as the 1950s, the tobacco industry knew its addictive products were killing people in mass but did nothing. Instead, they covered it up, knowing full well they were merchants of death. One of their primary targets, even today? Young people In the 20th century alone, over 100 million humans died prematurely due to tobacco use. Currently, the WHO reports approximately 8 million die annually from these addictive “products.”
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Then there are pesticides and herbicides, widely advertised as safe. Not. The UN estimates around 200,000 directcause deaths annually. However, that’s not the full picture. These substances, which infect our food, water, air, lawns and us, cause many serious ailments, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Parkinsons, leukemia, cancers of the liver and breast, to name a few.
LEGAL AND TOXIC Then there’s booze, a toxic drug both legal and widely advertised as cool, elegant, macho, etc. The death toll here is 2.6 million annually, disproportionately younger people. Recently, alcohol consumption was definitively linked to several deadly cancers. But our “drinking culture” is big money. Which brings us to the newest scourge on public health; plastics and PFAS (forever chemicals). Americans get special treatment with PFAS because many of these toxins are banned in other countries, but not here. Apparently, as long as profits are involved, we are expendable. So, these ruinous substances invade our bodies through food, water, clothing, furniture, utensils, etc. As for microplastics, that infamous spoonful infecting the average human brain is only part of the story. Now, they are found in blood, sputum, semen—pretty much everywhere. What’s more, there is no proven way to cleanse them from our bodies. How long they persist and what havoc they wreak remain open questions. We’re the lab rats. Photo of bottles by GettyImages/Betka82.
FOSSIL FUELS Finally, there’s the fossil fuel industry. They knew about global warming in the 1950s but decided padding their bottom line was more important than protecting lifeboat Earth, and us. A landmark Harvard study showed particulate matter pollution from burning fossil fuels kills 8.7 million annually via heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and COPD. Hey, but drill baby drill. What’s behind the mass poisoning of the human race? Profits. Our government, if one can call it that, and the business interests peddling these toxins, don’t give a rat’s ass about you or your family. And when an incriminating finger is pointed at them in the media or courts, they lie, obfuscate and distort. Displaying moral cowardice on steroids, they plead innocence. But we are the innocent ones. We are suffering for their greed, willful blindness and callous indifference. They simply don’t care. Whatever your party affiliation, the next time you’re asked to vote for some paid-for politician in the pocket of these purveyors of death and suffering, remember this. They don’t care either. Philip Chard is a psychotherapist and author with a focus on lasting behavior change, emotional healing and adaptation to health challenges. For more, visit philipchard.com. OCTOBER 2026 | 63
LIFESTYLE TRUE HEALTH
What Happens
In Vagus? BY KATHERINE BAYLISS, MD
N
ot as in Sin City as the saying goes, but in as in your vagus nerve. Still, it is a good bet to be paying attention! Vagus nerve function has an impressive widespread impact on health and wellbeing and sadly for many of us, it’s not working so well.
The vagus nerve is a prominent component of the calming parasympathetic side of the autonomic nervous system (think “rest and digest”). It is the longest cranial nerve emanating from the brain stem providing innervation to the heart, lungs. digestive tract and parts of the endocrine system. It is a critical bridge between the brain and immune system, playing a key role in modulating chronic inflammation. It has a lot of responsibility! These days, it hard for most of us to avoid excessive stress chemistry (constant slow cortisol and adrenalin drip) and sympathetic nervous system overdrive (fight, flight, freeze states).
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These imbalances are a recipe for reducing vagal nerve tone. Because of its far-reaching regulatory effect, impaired vagus flow has been linked to a wide range of health conditions including gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic and mental health disorders. To complicate things further, vagus nerve communication is bidirectional. Chronic conditions such as gastrointestinal disorders can also weaken vagus function. Importantly, poor vagal tone often presents a major roadblock to healing. Vagal tone can’t be measured directly, but it can be estimated using heart rate variability (HRV). There is a plethora of “wearables” out there that offer HRV measures (Oura ring, Whoop, Garmin, Fitbit and more). If using one of these devices, it is important to note that HRV measures are individual and meaning comes from understanding your personal trends, not comparing to others.
Measurements from different devices may also not line up, so best to stick with one. So, what to do to improve vagal tone? Fortunately, there are a number of strategies. Breathing Techniques: • Slow and deep breathing: Exhalation longer than your inhalation. Aim for 5-6 breaths per minute • 4-7-8 count pattern: Inhale 4 counts, hold 7 counts, exhale 8 counts. • I like Andrew Huberman's sigh breathing technique—illustrated here Cold Exposure: • Cold water exposure: Splash cold water on your face for 30-60 seconds or end your shower with 30-60 seconds of cool water. (you can get used to it and its exhilarating!)
Header image by GettyImages/sankalpmaya. Textured background by GettyImages/Khomkrid Khamsankhod.
• Cold immersion: For more advanced practice, try cold plunging. Start gently and work up gradually. Maybe not a good choice if you have uncontrolled heart conditions. Humming, Singing, and Gargling: These activities stimulate the muscles which are directly connected to the vagus nerve. • Humming a tune for a few minutes daily. • Gargling vigorously with water for 30-60 seconds. • Singing out loud (even in the car counts!). • Chanting or “om” sounds. Regular Aerobic Exercise: • Aim for 20-40 minutes of moderate aerobic activity most days. Consistency is key. Of course there are lots of other benefits.
Meditation, Yoga, and Mindfulness: • Even 10 minutes of mindful breathing or body awareness daily is beneficial. There are lots of meditation apps that can get you started! • Yoga (especially slower, somaticfocused styles) is particularly relevant. Wearable and Device Support: Several devices have been shown to support vagal tone: • Apollo Neuro: A wearable that uses gentle vibration to support nervous system regulation. It's particularly helpful for sensitive individuals. • Transcutaneous auricular VNS devices (ear-based): These devices are studied for anxiety, mood, and HRV improvement. Examples include VaguStim, GammaCore, and Truvaga. • HRV biofeedback devices: I personally like using HeartMath.
I frequently prescribe vagus nerve work to my patients as part of their healing journey. While the effect can take a while and isn’t a “cure all” on its own, many are surprised by the positive impact, especially when combined with limbic system retraining (more on that in a future column). Meanwhile, I suggest you trial 2-3 favorite strategies to consistently work into your daily routine. Most of these activities can be easily slipped in without big time commitments. And remember, you may be able to leave Vegas behind, but your vagus keeps the score.
Katherine Bayliss, MD, a Milwaukee native, practiced in conventional medicine as a pathologist for 25 years. She now lives her passion, helping others through the more holistic Functional Medicine model.
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HEAR ME OUT DEAR RUTHIE | SPONSORED BY UW CREDIT UNION
SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND(S)! The greatest of gay holidays is upon us. It’s Halloween! Whether you keep things quiet and cozy or you paint the town dressed to kill (see what I did there?), this month is sure to tickle your sweater-weather fancy. See my October Social Calendar for all the fall fun you can handle, but let’s read an email from a reader first.
DEAR RUTHIE, I’m gay and my friends keep trying to set me up with every gay man they know. I appreciate the effort, but it’s all getting a little exhausting.
HELP,
Exhausted from Intros DEAR EXHAUSTED, There are only so many times a person can hear, “You two would be perfect together” before contemplating the witness protection program. Let’s not treat sexual orientation as a personality compatibility test. Like everyone else in the world, those in the LGBTQ+ community can be wildly different from one another. Just because two people like brunch, showtunes and Heated Rivalry, doesn’t mean they’re destined to adopt a cat and grow old together. Tell your friends that while you appreciate their enthusiasm you would rather meet people your own way. I’m sure your buddies are trying to help, but you’re not a community matchmaking project.
XXOO
Ruthie
Have a question for Ruthie? Want to share an event with her? Contact Ruthie at dearruthie@shepex.com. Follow her on social media, too! Facebook: Dear Ruthie | Instagram: RuthieKeester | Twitter: @DearRuthie
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DEAR RUTHIE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Ruthie's Social Calendar OCTOBER 1 OPENING NIGHT “HOCUS POCUS: A VERY UNAUTHORIZED DRAG MUSICAL PARODY” AT LIVE AT LACAGE (801 S. 2ND ST.): The Sanderson sisters fly into Cream City with this all-new production brought to you by the folks behind the annual “Golden Girls Drag Parody.” See www.events. ticketleap.com for tickets before the witches move on October 4.
OCTOBER 9 PRIDE UNITED HOMECOMING AT MILWAUKEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (910 N. DOCTOR M.L.K. JR. DR.): If you missed your high school homecoming, check out this 21+ option for the LGBTQ+ community. Best of all, proceeds benefit United Way’s Safe & Stable Homes initiative. Learn more at www.unitedwaygmwc.org. After the 7-10 p.m. dance, hit up the afterparty at Pop (124 W. National Ave.).
OCTOBER 10 OCTOPURRFEST AT OPE BREWING CO. (6751 W. NATIONAL AVE.): Almost Home Cat Rescue celebrates five years of saving felines during this fundraiser. Don’t miss the live music, bingo, raffles and more when you swing by the 1-6 p.m. event. See www.almosthomemke.com for details.
OCTOBER 16 OPENING NIGHT THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES AT INSPIRATION STUDIOS (1500 S. 73RD ST.): Theatrical Tendencies produces this longtime favorite. See why the Eve Ensler script has captivated audiences for three decades when you reserve tickets at www.theatricaltendencies.com.
OCTOBER 17 BOSOM BUDDIES AT LACAGE NITECLUB (801 S. 2ND ST.): I’m a special guest in this salute to good ol’ fashioned campy fun. Join hosts Karen Valentine and Maple Veneer for the bash that reunites old friends while adding extra flair to the weekend. Doors open at 4 p.m.; showtime is 5 p.m.
OCTOBER 22 OPENING NIGHT JERSEY BOYS AT MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (929 N. WATER ST.): See why the story of four guys from New Jersey went on to win the Tony Award for best musical. This incredible journey includes all the hits you love from Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, in addition to jaw-dropping choreography and a memorable script. Nab seats at www. marcuscenter.org before the run closes October 25.
OCTOBER 26 SUPERNOVA PRESENTS ARTPOP AT POP (124 W. NATIONAL AVE.): It’s all Gaga all night at Pop! Milwaukee’s current “it girl,” hosts this 10 p.m. Lady Gaga tribute, featuring drag performances to some of Gaga’s favorite tracks.
OCTOBER 30 COURAGE+ ANNUAL GALA AT THE BAIRD CENTER (401 W. KILBOURN AVE.): The team at Courage+ takes Halloween to another level with this much-anticipated fundraiser! “Unmasked and Unbothered” is the theme, so come in your favorite disguise (or not!) and be ready to party. See www. courageplus.org for details, tickets and timelines.
OCTOBER 31 HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST AT FLUID (819 S. 2ND ST.): The popular cocktail lounge cranks up the horror during this annual night of fun. Enter the 11 p.m. costume contest and you might nab one of three awesome prizes. Guest performances, friendly bartenders and tasty drinks make this a muststop spot for Halloween. OCTOBER 2026 | 67
HEAR ME OUT | SPONSORED BY UW CREDIT UNION
Marking Milwaukee
LGBTQ History Month through Art BY PAUL MASTERSON
I
f any event provided a galvanizing moment in world LGBTQ+ history, it is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Locally, when the first AIDS case was diagnosed in Milwaukee in 1982, the community responded accordingly and in many ways. At first, despite the infection only affecting gay males, the communal engagement spanned the full demographic spectrum of LGBTQ+ people. In fact, that abbreviation itself was born of the common cause that united us. Among those earliest responders were the performing and visual artists and patrons of the arts. In Milwaukee, we had our fair share. The earliest HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns took the form of print media agitprop. Featuring the work of local artists Thoman Pawzun, Robert Uyvari and others, the gay press in collaboration with the nascent AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW, today Vivent Health) provided broad circulation for their images that encouraged testing and safe sex. Pawzun sold copies of his posters, donating 100% of sales income to the S.E. Wisconsin AIDS Project. Inspired by the “Names Project” quilts, a national movement that assembled thousands of quilts memorializing those who had passed due to HIV/AIDS, created one entitled “Our Common Quilt” that poignantly featured the images of local AID victims. Like dozens of others, I too became involved in that communal response. In 1996 I chaired the auction for ARCW’s Make-A-Promise fundraising gala.
68 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
A themed event at the time, my first Make-A-Promise was titled “Faces of AIDS.” It showcased portraits of HIV victims created by local artists. Later, as curator of the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center (MGAC), I would select Milwaukee related “Names Project” quilts for “Tapestries,” the gallery’s inaugural art exhibition in 2005. The next year, a group show entitled “The Saint Sebastian Project” had local artists interpret the theme of the patron saint of plague victims.
EGGS BENEDICT But it was the saga of Eggs Benedict that made Milwaukee world famous. Created by Milwaukee artist and MIAD instructor Niki Johnson, Eggs Benedict is, from a distance at least, a flattering, lifelike portrait of a smiling Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI in his full papal array of furs and brocade (a look some old school Catholic critics embraced as “medieval,” in a good way, of course). Using a colorful palette of 17,000 condoms as her medium, the artist knotted them onto a mesh frame, weaving a latex likeness of the then sitting pope. Her muse was the pontiff himself, or rather his morally blind 2009 statement on the subject of condoms as a viable means of HIV prevention in Africa. Suffice it to say, his remarks condemned their use and suggested they actually increase the spread of infection. Taking three years to complete the work, Johnson first displayed the condom pope at Milwaukee’s Portrait Society Gallery in 2013. Cue the ensuing controversy, indignation of some and the inspiration of others.
Paint smear by GettyImages/Marina Dekhnik.
OCTOBER 2026 | 69
HEAR ME OUT | SPONSORED BY UW CREDIT UNION a Marquette law professor, a MAM curator as well as art historian and founder of the Harvey Milk Institute (among many other queer art credentials), Prof. Jonathan Katz led a lively, if at times contentious conversation, on the role of art in the era of HIV/AIDS. Fortunate enough to attend the event myself, I was not surprised at the logic versus illogic of the proceedings. Those speaking for the church, aside from the arguments against condom use or any other seeming act of contraception, also offered downright mindboggling rationalizations like “people don’t want to use condoms” and, anyway, Africa lacks refrigeration so the effectiveness of condoms expires quickly. Those supporting the artist cited science and the negative impact of allowing religion to dictate behavior in the face of a deadly worldwide health crisis. While the work has since been relegated to a storage bin somewhere in MAM’s collection, that inadvertent international messaging accomplished exactly what Johnson, Pabst and MAM had hoped for, namely HIV/ AIDS awareness and the need for action to stem the pandemic’s progress.
POLITICALLY CHARGED
Among the others was AIDS activist, art patron and philanthropist Joseph R. Pabst who would subsequently buy the work at auction for a significant sum. His intention for the purchase was to keep Johnson’s work from disappearing into a private collection by donating it to the Milwaukee Art Museum. Pabst had already brought a display of “Names Project” quilts to the museum and, in 2012, donated Taryn Simon’s photograph, “Live HIV” to the museum years earlier in recognition of World AIDS Day. Dan Keegan, at the time MAM’s director, accepted Pabst’s latest gift in 2015, agreeing to put Eggs Benedict on display for four weeks later that year. While Catholics were incensed by what they deemed an insult to the church and the pope himself, the artist’s defenders focused on freedom of expression for the greater good in the fight against AIDS and misguided dogma.
To MAM’s credit, while certainly the most politically charged of any AIDS related artwork previously exhibited, it was just one of many pieces dedicated to the mission of messaging. Over the course of the AIDS crisis, MAM has exhibited related works including the Taryn Simon photograph, Live HIV, and installations by Felix GonzalezTorres, whose works were featured in the museum’s, “Currents” exhibition series and are now part of its permanent collection. Pabst continued his collaboration with MAM, in 2017 underwriting a bus tour for a contingent of docents to Chicago’s Alphawood Gallery to see “Art AIDS America,” a survey of AIDS related artwork from the 1980’s to the present co-curated by Jonathan Katz and Rock Hushka. With World AIDS Day in the offing, perhaps MAM might consider returning Eggs Benedict to view, however briefly. I understand the fragile condom medium has likely corrupted in Dorian Gray manner. That may be as impactful an image as the original, if not more so.
WORLDWIDE COVERAGE Meanwhile, Eggs Benedict did what art is supposed to do. Keegan’s decision gave impact to the purchase. Its subsequent donation to MAM and its brief four weeks on view resulted in an explosion of worldwide press coverage. It engaged, infuriated, and instigated dialogue. In August 2015 a panel discussion underwritten by Pabst entitled “Art, AIDS, Religion and Censorship” was held at MAM. Despite being boycotted by the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese, the panel of five—which included the artist, a Catholic theologian and columnist, 70 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
Paul Masterson is an LGBTQ activist and writer and has served on the boards of the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, Milwaukee Pride, GAMMA and other organizations.
Paint smear by GettyImages/Pattadis Walarput.
OCTOBER 2026 | 71
HEAR ME OUT CANNABIS
| SPONSORED BY KIEF CO. DISPENSARY
N
othing is constant but change, or so the old saying goes. “I am truly a down-the-middle guy and have tried to do a good job being neutral,” says Scott, a cannabis advocate/ As we head into autumn, change is still in the air when activist, registered lobbyist, and hemp farmer who tends it comes to Wisconsin’s cannabis and hemp industries. 290 acres in five different Wisconsin counties, as well as After some vigorous debate on several pending bills 400 more acres in Minnesota. An Army brat who was born regarding cannabis legality during its most recent session, in Alaska and eventually settled in Madison, Scott also is the 107th Wisconsin Legislature gaveled out this past spring president of both the Wisconsin Farmers and Manufacturers without taking action on any of them. Both parties hope for Association (WIFMA) and Wisconsin Cannabinoid Industry a majority of seats in both the Senate and Assembly when Council (WCIC). the 108th legislature convenes in January 2027 to gain the advantage in controlling the vote. How that battle shakes STAY OPEN TO OPTIONS out could have a significant impact. “Tom Tiffany and I have had several conversations about the hemp issues around the state, but I’m not sure whether he Democratic governor Tony Evers elected not to run again, wants to move forward with any type of legislation,” Scott opening the doors to a possible change in party dominance. says. “David Crowley wants full recreational marijuana Prior to the November election, the question comes down usage, but he must be willing to integrate the hemp industry to whether Milwaukee County Executive and Democrat and its growers and manufacturers into the discussion. We David Crowley would provide better support in advancing polled farmers, retailers, and consumers a year ago and Wisconsin’s cannabis industry than Trump-endorsed we know that 600,000 to 700,000 Wisconsin consumers Republican candidate Tom Tiffany, currently a member of partake in our product. The candidates recognize that they the U.S. House of Representatives. can’t ignore the impact of such a large voting bloc.” But whichever gubernatorial hopeful wins, the future of At the Federal level, Scott says the biggest issue for cannabis and hemp in Wisconsin truly faces an uncertain Wisconsin is whether or not cannabis will move from its horizon. Ongoing cannabis discussions often only confuse historic classification as a Schedule 1 drug—on par with the issue, sometimes isolating either or both proponents heroin, MDMA (“Ecstasy”), LSD and other natural and and detractors. The trick, says Phillip Scott, is to explore synthetic hallucinogens—to a Schedule 3 drug, a list that both sides of the argument and stay open to options from includes ketamine, Tylenol with codeine, testosterone and even the most unlikely sources. other pain killers. 72 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
Photo of Wisconsin Welcome Sign by GettyImages/csfotoimages. Upper cannabis leaves by GettyImages/MysteryShot, Lower cannabis leaves by GettyImages/BreakingTheWalls.
The dividing factor between the two categories is whether the drug has a legitimate medicinal application or not. The emerging use of cannabis in health care speaks loudly to its reclassification, Scott adds. Addressing the medicinal aspect first might be an option that would attract more interest in legalization from more groups, especially on the Republican side, Scott says. In 2022, Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Tomahawk, and Rep. Patrick Snyder, R-Schofield, resurrected a bill promoting medical marijuana use in Wisconsin based on Felzkowski’s own experiences with Stage 3 breast cancer. “The bill as it’s written will likely not be anything that we get passed, but at least it will start the conversation,” Felzkowski said at the time. That conversation continues. Wisconsin remains one of nine U.S. states where marijuana is illegal both for medicinal and recreational use, joining the likes of Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wyoming.
HOMEGROWN WISCONSIN OWNED In addition to making cannabis legal, Scott says the state needs to concentrate on the quality of its homegrown efforts and make sure they are Wisconsin products through every step of the way, from field to consumer. Otherwise, the lack of any kind of comprehensive laws would open the door to distributors from other states, possibly resulting in substandard merchandise and treating the state as a “dumping ground” for products of inferior quality.
Adjustments to the federal Farm Bill, which legalized hemp in the beginning and was subject to renewal and reevaluation this past year could help keep the industry alive. But a clause included by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R.-KY, designed to sunset hemp’s legality nationwide would effectively bring an end to that industry in the Badger State.
NOT A CHIP TO BARGAIN WITH An extension to the Farm Bill, which is currently in a renewal and adjustment period, has bumped the current legislation 30 additional days, ending on December 11. Despite the brief advantage the extension provides, the strategy does not sit well with Scott and others in Wisconsin’s hemp industry. “After that 30-day period we likely will receive another 6-month to 1-year federal extension,” Scott explains. “That puts us in a gray area and scares us because it still makes hemp a chip to bargain with.” When the 108th State Legislature reconvenes on January 4, 2027, Scott and other hemp supporters will have a lot of work ahead of them. “Then it will be up to the hemp industry to make this work,” Scott says.
Michael Muckian was the banking and finance writer for the Milwaukee Business Journal and is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Financing and Accounting and The One-Day MBA in Finance and Accounting.
Finally, it’s necessary not only for legislators, but also the general public to understand how much money is being lost in sales taxes paid by border-hoppers who source their cannabis from neighboring states where it’s legal, like Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. Recent data indicates that Illinois earned $36 million in tax revenue on cannabis from Wisconsin consumers in 2025, and Michigan earned $6 million in 2024. Plus, a homegrown industry has other financial advantages. “In a polling of all involved individuals who work in the hemp business here, the estimate was that this is a $7 billion to $8 billion industry that employs between 3,500 to 5,000 individuals,” Scott says. Illustration of Wisconsin by GettyImages/Luisrftc. Illustration of cannabis leaves by GettyImages/logistock.
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ART FOR ART'S SAKE
From The City That Always Sweeps BY ART KUMBALEK
I
’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? So listen, here we be now in Foctober country, humming a melancholy tune, as Ray (“Fahrenheit 451”—soon to be an average temperature near you, just so you’s know) Bradbury pegged as a “country where it is always turning late in the year… where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and midnights stay” Cripes, focking swell. October, the supposed tenth month of the year according to our ferkakta calendar of the so-called Julian and Gregorian calendars from some 1,000 years ago. However, Oct seems to be a root for the numerical “eight” around the world (“ocho” Spanish; “otto” Italian; “acht” du lieber, German; 八 (捌) bā Chinese; “oito” Portugese). So “eight” became “ten”? Cripes, mathematics seems to be the devil’s work when it comes to calendar months of the year, but somehow we managed to punt a couple, three spacesuit guys to the moon and back 57-focking years ago? What a universe, ain’a?
And talk about kids these days. Couple, three years ago, one feisty lad come by like “Rocky,” with the boxing gloves and satin shorts. Kid even had a colored black eye, at least I think it was colored. So I scoop a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his bag, and wouldn’t you know, short time later he’s back at the door. I said, “What the fock, weren’t you the same ‘Rocky' who was just here?” Kid says, “You bet, but now I'm ‘Rocky II’ plus I'll be back three more times tonight, and if you don’t pony up something better than goddamn mashed potatoes, I’m going to beat your ass around the block and back, mister.” Ba-ding! October. Autumn leaves tell me it’s time to go, ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so. Art Kumbalek: Forty Years of Lathering Blather at the Shepherd Express Question: Do you remember your first column? Who or what were you kvetching about in 1986?
October. Big day of the month is Halloween, festooned with the costume soirees, DWIs to be adjudicated in a court at a later date and trick-or treaters, so I hear.
Art: I do, indeed. It was May, Ronald (”Huh?) Reagan was “president” and the Shepherd was yet a monthly publication before its horizon expanded to become the southeastern Wisconsin media goliath that I’d like to think it is today.
Listen, how many times do I have to tell you’s that all you got to do for the trickor-treat is put out two bowls on your porch or what-not with a scary sign that says, “Please help yourselves to one helping.” One bowl’s got mashed potatoes and the other bowl’s got scrambled eggs. “Bon appétit!”
Given the tenor of the time, I concluded that first essay with a thought about total nuclear destruction expected just down the pike. “Total nuclear war means the end of life as we know it, but on the plus side”:
That way you don’t have to answer the door, plus they sure as hell won’t want to come back by you’s the next year. Common sense has been known to rule any given day, even a bullshit holiday like Halloween, I kid you not.. Or hey! Why not just put out a sign that says, “Hey, you kids! Get a job and buy your own focking candy.” 74 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
My list of positives included “No more Bob Hope Specials,” “No more getting up early,” “No more stuff that tastes just like chicken,” “No more creationists on community school boards.” Yeah yeah, 1986. Our Brewers knocked off a 77-84 season while the Green & Gold went 4-12-0. Tough year for cheesehead sports fans like me, you betcha.
Question: What do you like about Milwaukee? Has the old town changed much in 40 years? Art: I like the things that haven’t changed. Our great lake, which I am blessed to live near to in my dinky Downtown apartment. And yet an eclectic and thriving (I pray) live music scene, East Side, West Side, all around the town. And neighborhood taverns. Question: Where have you been hanging since the legendary National Liquor Bar closed? Art: Since that unfortunate day in the fall of 2005, I gravitated to the Uptowner tavern/charm school (not that I was a stranger), majestically crammed at the corner of wistfully Hysteric Humboldt Boulevard and the fabled Center Street, where today is always at least a day before tomorrow, and yesterday may gosh darn well be today. Blessings to Steve and Shawnette. Now, in my latter days, I’ve become a popular visitor of Ascension’s oncology center over there by North Lake Drive. What the fock. Question: What do you do in your spare time? Art: Read words. In the winter season, I enjoy cranking up the thermostat and mixing up another hot focking toddy. In the summertime, I grab my fly swatter and pray for fall to come early. One more thing I’d like to add. Thank you all sincerely, passed and present, for your kind and gracious attention to the words I’ve put down on a page over these last 40 years (if I were a better business guy, I should’ve ponied-up a contract to the Shepherd that would’ve paid me by the word; cripes, I’d be livin’ on Easy Street by now). But here, please, allow me to whittle and boil all those years of words into just one: FORWARD! Photo of person in devil costume by GettyImages/Amparo Garcia. Purple smoke background by GettyImages/Tatyana Larina.