Abby Callard

Last week, we looked at how commuters in Milwaukee stacked up based on income and age. What we found was not all that surprising: public transit commuters are the poorest and youngest of the bunch. But, when we expand the geography to include the five-county area, different patterns emerge. In less urban counties (Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha), public transit riders are actually older and sometimes make more money than their fellow commuters who drive alone or carpool.   

The U.S. Census Bureau released its 2010-2012 American Community Survey data yesterday. So, I decided to spend the next few weeks analyzing what they found out. The first graph looks at commutes in Milwaukee County as a function of median age and median income. You can see pretty clearly below, but the public transit riders are the youngest and poorest, followed by commuters who carpool. Commuters who drive alone make, on average, more than twice what the public transit riders make.

Last month, The Atlantic Cities asked its readers what they would ask mayors if they could ask them anything. Today, Cities debuted its new video series “Ask A Mayor” that answers those questions. The series will run for eight weeks and will feature mayors from around the country. And our very own Tom Barrett makes an appearance in the first two: “What’s the First Thing You Do When You Arrive at City Hall Each Day?” and “What’s the Weirdest Place You’ve Ever Been Confronted by a Constituent?” Barrett says there’s no typical day in the life of a mayor and…

Consider this your primer for today’s water cooler conversations. The strongest storm to ever make landfall hit the Philippines last Friday. The devastation is only now starting to become apparent. Act 10 will go in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the second time today. However, this ruling will be based on the merits of the law itself rather than whether it was passed properly. (It was.) New details about the Renisha McBride case, the 19-year-old who was shot to death by a homeowner in a Detroit suburb, continues to come out.  The homeowner’s lawyer now says evidence will…

Photo by Thomas Nardini Suzy Hotrod. Bonnie Thunders. Jackie Daniels. Juke Boxx. The best of the best are in Milwaukee this weekend. The best of what? The best of women’s roller derby. The top 12 teams in the country will converge on the U.S. Cellular Arena to battle for the hydra, the championship trophy in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association’s championship. From our May 2013 feature on the Brewcity Bruisers: The WFTDA oversees 176 member leagues and 103 apprentice leagues (leagues-in-training). Its top 40 teams (the Bruisers are ranked 32nd) compete in divisional playoffs, and the top 12 will…

Late last week, the Public Policy forum released its “Public Schooling in Southeast Wisconsin” report, which looks at statistical trends in public school districts through Southeast Wisconsin.  We took just one of those charts and mapped it out. While there are plenty of schools districts with large graduation rate gaps between white and African-American students, four districts (Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Mequon-Thiensville and Mukwonago) have higher graduation rates among African-American students than white students. 

Good morning! Link away! Sometimes scientists develop thing you didn’t even know you needed. Take the development of a new wrench at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. The new wrench aims to reduce injuries to gas  meter workers. The Journal Sentinel is reporting that the League of United Latin American Citizens national women’s convention will be held in Milwaukee in March 2014. CBS News has an explanation of how the LAX shooter hid his weapon from TSA agents by hiding it in a rolling suitcase. Twitter hasn’t even issued its IPO yet, but it’s already upped its stock price…

It’s a mixed bag of links today – just like that Halloween candy you’re going to get tomorrow. The Team U.S.A. uniforms are out. And this time they’re made in the U.S. of A. Ralph Lauren got quite the backlash after the Olympic uniforms for the 2012 games were manufactured overseas. Not this time. Pools are a quality of life issue – in Milwaukee County anyway. The County Board acted to keep open two indoor pools that were to be shuttered under County Executive Chris Abele’s 2014 budget. Swim on! Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius officially apologized for healthcare.gov…

The Web has been buzzing with TIME’s mood map quiz. Answer a few questions, and it will tell you where you should live. But some interesting trends emerge when looking at Wisconsin’s score as a whole. Score (Average is 50) Rank Openness 35.7 46 Conscientiousness 47.6 29 Extroversion 69.8 1 Agreeableness 57.8 11 Neuroticism 48.6 27 Residents of Wisconsin are less open, more conscientiousness, more extroverted, more agreeable and less neurotic than our Illinois neighbors to the South. Wisconsinites are less open, less conscientious, more extroverted, less agreeable and more neurotic than our Minnesotan friends to the West. Residents of…