Abby Callard

Summerfest is over. Console yourself with these links. Adam Tanner at Forbes says to never give stores your ZIP code. He explains why. The Journal Sentinel has the story of Milwaukee’s “purple pipe dreams.” The proposed plan would used purple pipes to deliver semi-treated water safe for some purposes (drinking excluded) to a new water business district in Walker’s Point. At least 43 people are dead after the Egyptian army shot supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi during a vigil. Exactly what happened is still being pieced together. The Milwaukee County Courthouse and Public Safety Building will be closed today…

Crave Brothers Petit Frère photo by Adam Ryan Morris Wisconsin cheese producer Crave Brothers issued a voluntary recall of three cheeses that have been linked to a possible listeria outbreak. The recalled cheeses are Les Frères, Petit Frère and Petit Frère with Truffles. The outbreak might have killed one person and sickened four others, the FDA says. One of the cases involved a pregnant woman who suffered a miscarriage. Incidents occurred in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Listeria most often affects pregnant women, older adults, newborns and people with compromised immune systems. The U.S. Center for Disease Control reports 1,651…

Buy Jeppa Joes and keep it running in Milwaukee! — jeppa joes (@jeppajoes) June 27, 2013 Jeff Steckel of Jeppa Joe’s sent out a rather intriguing Tweet last week. That’s right. Steckel is moving to Madison, and selling the whole Jeppa Joe’s kit and caboodle. Or cart, truck and business anyway.  Steckel tells us he has a potential buyer but is keeping the name mum. We just hope he keeps the pork banh mi. Here at Milwaukee Magazine, we’ve made no secret of our love of Jeppa’s ‘wiches. We gave their sandwiches a nod in our 2012 Best Of issue.…

Welcome to July. May we offer you a collection of interesting and relevant links? The Journal Sentinel has the story of how one man escaped a life of drug addition with a hula hoop. Yes, a hula hoop. Nineteen firefighters died while fighting a powerful blaze 80 miles northwest of Phoenix. Before Sunday’s tragedy, just 21 firefighters had died battling wildfires in Arizona since 1955. An investigation is still underway, but Fire Chief Dan Fraijo of Prescott said, “something drastic happened.” The New York Times breaks down the cost of childbirth. And hold on to your britches because it’s a…

Ward Komorowski, the Johnson Controls director of facilities, walked toward the newly christened Johnson Controls World Sound Stage just after 7 a.m. this morning, mere hours before the Summerfest grounds open for 2013. A worker is installing a panel to the bottom of the recently installed kiosk, but Komorowski tells him to stop. There’s a little more work to be done on the electric wiring. When the worker tells him it’s finished, Komorowski checks his watch. “Four hours early,” he says. He wields an umbrella like a cane at some moments, and like a pointer at others – using the…

Start your engines. Get fueled up for a great Monday by reading these exciting links. In today’s economy, piecing together several “gigs” instead of a full-time, contract job is becoming the norm. See how one journalist is doing it on the Awl. Paula Deen is out at the Food Network, reports The Huffington Post. The popular cooking show host admitted last week to using racial stirs, prompting the network to cancel her show when her contract runs out at the end of this month. Not all agree that was a good idea. John McWhorter at TIME thinks she should get…

On Sunday, a mother (who identifies herself as Betsy Herman Feldman on a rather intense Facebook thread) was asked to stop breast-feeding her child at Maxfield’s Pancake House (333 E. Brown Deer Rd., Fox Point). On Father’s Day no less. “mother feeding baby soft focus” stock photo from Shutterstock That same night, owner Gus Zarmakoupis issued an apology on the restaurant’s Facebook page: Hello, my name is Gus and I am the owner of Maxfield’s. I would personally like to extend my sincerest heartfelt apologies to the mother who was asked to refrain from breastfeeding, and anyone else that was offended…

The Milwaukee Art Museum’s “30 Americans”opened with a bang this past weekend. The collection of art by 31 contemporary African American artists is stunning, but the compilation of colorful suits scattered throughout the space provide the most compelling and curious perspective. The suits are made by Nick Cave, a Chicago-based artist. The first Soundsuit was made in 1992 when Cave was teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was made of twigs. Now, the suits are made from anything from dyed human hair to plastic buttons. And they number in the hundreds. Cave was born in…

Drop that donut! Feast on these links for a healthy and nutritious start to your day. (OK, eat the donut, too.) The Journal Sentinel is reporting that charges are pending for the man who allegedly opened fire in Potawotami Casino yesterday. The woman was not seriously injured. The New York Times has the story of how Phoenix manages on just 8 inches of rain a year.  The Wisconsin National Guard is not immune to the sequester, report the JS. About 700 guards will be required to take 11 furlough days before the end of the financial year in September. The…