• Chirp Chat: a bird's-eye view on Bank Swallows
    Jul 9 2026

    Beyond Our Senses is a new nature documentary that gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world of Bank Swallows. The 30-minute film follows thousands of Bank Swallows as they migrate to Lake Michigan’s bluffs in the spring. It explores how the small birds navigate the breeding season with their unique vision and flight abilities.

    David Busse is the director behind the film and a Milwaukee native. He joins Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez for June's Chirp Chat to talk about Bank Swallows and the making of the film.

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    17 mins
  • Fake pitches, real problems: AI journalist impersonators
    Jul 7 2026

    Nicholas Hune-Brown is an editor at a nonprofit online magazine called The Local. It covers health and social issues in Toronto, Canada. Nick has shared how, as an editor, he loves to give new writers a platform. But everything changed when he received a suspicious pitch from a writer named Victoria Goldiee.

    As Nick took a closer look, it turns out the writer wasn’t who she seemed. Nick joins Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez to share his investigation into an AI freelancer — and what it reveals about the future of journalism.

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    18 mins
  • From zero tolerance to new tools: How AI is changing Milwaukee education
    Jul 2 2026

    From our 'AI in the workplace' episode on Tuesday: we look at how artificial intelligence is impacting education. WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokal takes us on a trip to Ronald Reagan High School on the city’s far south side.

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    11 mins
  • Giannis will always be Milwaukee: a tribute to our superstar
    Jun 30 2026

    For the past 13 years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been synonymous with the Bucks and the city of Milwaukee. Sadly, last week, he was traded. But even though the Giannis era has come to an end, his impact on the city won’t be forgotten.

    WUWM’s Jimmy Gutierrez shares this essay about the global superstar who put Milwaukee back on the map.

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    8 mins
  • The Milwaukee Socialists, part 4: Frank Zeidler
    Jun 25 2026

    We look at the tenure of Milwaukee’s last Socialist mayor, Frank Zeidler, and his aggressive campaign to expand the size of the city. We also explore what socialism looks like in Milwaukee today.

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    18 mins
  • The Milwaukee Socialists, part 3: Daniel Hoan
    Jun 24 2026

    Milwaukee Mayor Daniel Hoan became the longest-serving socialist mayor in U.S. history, and redefined life in the city by creating parks, publicly-funded housing and the first modern sewage treatment facility. But it was a tumultuous time for the socialists, who faced local and global pressure over their ideology.

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    16 mins
  • The Milwaukee Socialists, part 2: Emil Seidel
    Jun 23 2026

    Milwaukee is known for its deep ties to Socialism. It was the first city to elect a Socialist mayor and was the first place to elect a Socialist to Congress. But their rise to power was rocky and their status as a third party often made progress an uphill battle.

    We’re exploring the accomplishments of the Milwaukee's three Socialist mayors, where we see their legacy today, and how the party has evolved.

    In this episode, we look into what happened after the monumental election of 1910, which propelled the city’s first Socialist mayor into office — Emil Seidel.

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    13 mins
  • The Milwaukee Socialists, part 1: Igniting a movement
    Jun 22 2026

    The legacy of the Milwaukee Socialists looms large in the city. But the rise of the Social Democratic Party was anything but inevitable. It was a struggle against monied interests, powerful political parties, and a fight for the rights of those whose labor had made others rich.

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    13 mins