To many passers by, the Milwaukee Rescue Mission at the southeast corner of Wells at 19th streets carries little significance. But closer examination of the Mission’s history reveals a significant relationship to Milwaukee’s homeless.

The idea for the Mission originated in May 1893 during the passionate speeches of B. Faye Mills at the Grand Avenue United Methodist Church. Mills challenged local Christian businessmen to begin a Mission for the less fortunate, said Pat Vanderburgh, executive director of the Mission.

Mills started a collection amounting to $5,000 to rent rooms for the homeless on Wells Street, between Second and Third streets. In 1910, a building was erected at Fifth and State streets to serve as the Mission’s first shelter. This building lasted roughly 76 years until the Bradley Center, home of the Marquette Golden Eagles, was built.

Part of the structure on Wells, where the Mission currently stands, was originally built to be used as a teachers’ college in 1885. In the 1880s, the state authorized an initiative to build many teacher colleges in the area, Vanderburgh said.

The teacher’s college was incorporated into University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee several years later and moved to its downtown campus. The Mission’s building was slightly expanded, and Girl’s Tech, a vocational high school for women, moved in.

Today, carvings and statues on the building can be seen from the parking lot on Kilbourne Avenue. They were added when the girl’s school opened.

This institution did not last very long either, and in the 1970s, Wells Junior High School opened in its place. Like the institutions before it, it soon closed, and the Rescue Mission was able to finally acquire its current home.

For about six years, the Rescue Mission ran youth programs in the Wells Street structure until it finally moved in 1986, Vanderbaugh said. It has survived and thrived there ever since, finding a home on the edge of Marquette’s campus.

The portion housing Safe Harbor, a men’s shelter, is the oldest part of the building, and the rest easily fits into the block that the Mission owns, creating a safe refuge for men, women and children.

The sizeable four building structure for which the Rescue Mission is known and recognized today allows its staff to serve the Milwaukee community and reach out to those in need.

The Rescue Mission found a permanent home in the Wells St. building, as the needy are able to find a home within it. The building finally has a permanent purpose, and the Mission finally has a permanent place.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Having to walk up to Wells Street and over the bridge to get to Straz Tower or taking the Tory Hill route has become part of normal life on campus ever since the Wisconsin Avenue bridge was knocked down in March 2006. Still, the question on everyone’s mind is, “When is it going to be finished?” Well, the end is in sight. Dr. Toby Peters, associate president for the administration, has said, “The city has told us that the deadline they hope to meet will be Dec. 1.” Peters added that the Marquette Interchange project as a whole is ahead of schedule and that hopefully the project will be completed in spring 2008.

Peters attributes the speediness of the project to the communication between Marquette University and the city planners in finding a work schedule that satisfies both parties’ needs. “We were able to work with the city in planning construction at certain hours so that it would minimize the disruption to the students on campus,” said Peters. “We were able to get most of the noisy construction out of the way during the summer.”

A common problem with construction is noise pollution. John Stepp, a freshman resident of Straz, said, “If you had the window closed you really couldn’t notice it. But if you opened the window up there was no chance of you being able to study.”

Even some Cobeen residents were angered at the amount of noise from the bridge project. Freshman Linette Rizos said, “When we first got here, the pile drivers were quite annoying and at night the lights from the construction site would make it hard to fall asleep.” Rizos also commented that lately the construction has been relatively quiet.

In terms of any disruption of walking routes near or underneath the interchange near the Tory Hill area, Peters said that the city has tried its best to keep that route open to students as a way to get to and from Straz. When asked about the future of the Marquette Interchange Project and its effects on campus, Peters commented, “After the bridge project is completed, most of the work affecting the campus will be ending within a year.” Peters also thanked the students for their putting up with, and working around the construction that has so far occurred on campus.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Over 100 restaurant owners and patrons of local restaurants and bars gathered at Miss Katie’s Diner (1900 W. Clybourn Street) Saturday to rally in opposition of a proposed Milwaukee workplace smoking ban.
The Milwaukee County Hospitality Association, Tavern League of Wisconsin (TLW) and Wisconsin Restaurant Association (WRA) hosted the rally. Supporters of the rally included Miller Brewing Co. & Miller Brands, Anheuser Busch and Beechwood Distributing.
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Popularity: 8% [?]

The President spoke about his new Advanced Energy Initiative to a crowd of approximately 350 Johnson Controls International employees and local politicians at the company’s Milwaukee branch last Monday.

The plan is poised to solidify American security and increase economic growth, he told the packed auditorium.

With an economy that added 4.7 million new jobs last year and the average American’s salary rising at over eight percent, Bush pointed out, “[o]ur economy is strong. It’s gaining steam, too,” he said.

Bush sought to answer one main question in his speech: How does the United States keep the economy going strong for its posterity? To answer this, he laid out a threefold strategy comprised of keeping taxes low, spending federal dollars wisely and allowing technology to take a role in America’s future.

He also made the case for energy independence by noting over 60 percent of United States oil comes from nations overseas, many of which are considered to be “unstable.”

“I know it came as a shock to some to hear a Texan stand up there in front of the country and say, ‘we’ve got a real problem: America is addicted to oil,’” Bush said.

He outlined the following plan that would lead to energy independence: decrease emissions, help the average-American escape the “Hidden tax” of high-energy prices and double the research and development funding for the effort.

He said the research and development tax credit must be made permanent. Currently it expires every year and must be renewed.

“I don’t know how in the heck Congress thinks that people can plan properly if they’re uncertain as to whether or not the tax credit is going to exist,” Bush said.

The President promised $150 million in federal funding for ethanol and homegrown fuel research, $1.2 billion in hydrogen fuel research over five years, a $1.1 billion to encourage new nuclear plants and $150 million for solar power research.

Bush’s final topic identified a need for new and safe nuclear power plants, pointing out that none have been built in the United States since the 1970s, but 58 plants have been built in France.

He proposed a new nuclear energy partnership program aimed at the proliferation of nuclear weapons which would also allow poor nations access to clean and efficient nuclear power.

Gwen Moore, Marquette alumna and fourth district Democratic congresswoman, had a mostly positive reaction to Bush’s speech, but said “the devil is in the details” of his nuclear energy exchange with foreign nations.”

“Comprehensive proposals made by President Bush ran the whole gamut of alternative fuel options and would move America closer to an energy breakthrough,” she said.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Newspaper consolidation is in the works again. Journal Communications, the parent company of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, announced in mid-January that Community Newspaper Incorporated (CNI) in New Berlin will be realigned under Journal Communications.
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Popularity: 15% [?]

In about four months, Marquette’s campus will be included in a demonstration area receiving access to wireless network service as a result of the agreement between the City of Milwaukee and Midwest Fiber Networks to build a $20 million city-wide wireless network.
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Popularity: 8% [?]

On January 12, the Milwaukee Common Council Public Safety Committee sent out notices about hearings to be held later this spring regarding a bill that would pass a sweeping ban on smoking in public workplaces, including restaurants and bars, if adopted.
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Popularity: 5% [?]

Sara Taylor, Political Director for the Bush Administration, urged Americans to recognize the President’s achievements and support his current efforts as she spoke to approximately 60 Wisconsin Republicans at the University Club in Milwaukee, October 25.

Taylor, 30, is the youngest political director to serve in political history. A native of Iowa, she gained notoriety as a pollster before entering the White House.
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Popularity: 10% [?]