Abby Callard

Maureen the Zipcar at her new home Meet Maureen: “It’s all in the name: pack it up for a weekend getaway or use it to cart your loot from the hardware store. Escape by any means necessary with this set of wheels.” No, it’s not a bizarre entry on an online dating portal, it’s the “about me” section for one of Milwaukee’s newest Zipcars. Maureen is a Ford Escape and her home is in a parking lot at Buffalo and Jefferson in the Historic Third Ward. She’s part of a massive influx of cars coming Wednesday – the Milwaukee fleet…

A new website released today from the Natural Resources Defense Council , an environmental advocacy non-profit, outlines the crop damage caused by the 2012 drought. Wisconsin ranked 7th and was joined in the top 10 by Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Texas.    Photo of Bob Barthel by Sara Stathas According to the “Your Soil Matters” feature on the site, the Federal Crop Insurance Program paid Milwaukee County farmers $18,652 for crop loss claims in 2012. Wisconsin received $394,041,992 for crop losses last year. Nationwide, the program paid out $17.3 billion. “Unless farmers become more resilient…

We have a healthy dose of news, gossip and, of course, silly pop culture. This is the Morning Links for Monday, August 26. The U.S. now has “very little doubt” Syrian military carried out a chemical attack last week, and officials say a response is not far away. A couple in Kenosha got a little more than they bargained for when they found out they were the proud parents-to-be of quadruplets – all without the assistance of fertility drugs. The Harley-Davidson 110th anniversary bash starts later this week, but videos are already appearing online, reports 620 WTMJ. WMSE decided to…

Photo by Adam Ryan Morris “The Lookout,” which ABC markets as a “survival guide to the modern consumer jungle,” stopped by the Wisconsin State Fair earlier this month to both find and document the fair’s notorious deep-fried food on a stick. The segment aired last night and featured some of the worst caloric offenders: cream puffs (500 calories); steak and eggs on-a-stick (650 calories); beer battered bacon cheddar hot dog (800 calories); cheeseburger on a donut (714 calories); and the “Fat Elvis” on-a-stick, a deep fried peanut butter cup in banana batter with bacon, and chocolate sauce (1,200 calories). The…

Harley-Davidson ranked fourth in a study of brand respect, falling behind Coca Cola, PespsiCo and Hershey’s. Much to CoreBrand’s surprise, Harley is one of the few non-consumer staple brands in the top 10. However, the reports notes, “the company excels with a strong vision, impeccable consistency, and smart brand extensions.” The report makes an exception for the brand’s cake-decorating kits. (Not sure what that is? Check this out.) Harley’s favorability score has decreased a bit over the years from just under 80 in 2007 to just above 70 in 2012. But CoreBrand feels that’s more of a commentary on the…

How does Wisconsin’s interstate length, traffic and roughness fare against the other states (and the District of Columbia)? Not too shabby. Wisconsin – and most of its interstates – fall solidly in the lower middle of states. Wisconsin ranked 31 in annual vehicle miles traveled in urban areas and 36 in mean annual average daily traffic in urban areas. Wisconsinites traveled a total of 10,408,000,000 miles in 2011 over 742 miles of interstate – putting the state at 29th. The highest maximum daily traffic was on 94 in urban areas with 158,030 vehicles. That same section of interstate averaged 82,068…

Can’t get enough of Milwaukee Magazine? We’re giving you one more opportunity to interact with us – and this time there’s no revisions. We’ll join the Film Festival, Art City and others in WMSE’s noon slot. Tune in tomorrow for our inaugural show. Here’s the press release from WMSE: Tuesday: Noon – 12:30pm – No Revisions Hosts: Milwaukee Magazine staff, featuring Editor Kurt Chandler and Senior Editor Howie Magner What happens when you over caffeinate a few city magazine editors and replace their delete keys with microphones? The voices of Milwaukee Magazine come off the pages and onto the airwaves,…

Start your week right with our impressive collection of news, intel and gossip. We’re just kidding about that last part. Violence in Egypt continued over the weekend, and the country is bracing for more in the coming week, reports USA Today. The death toll now sits at 900. The Journal Sentinel reports Harley is releasing eight new models – the largest launch in the company’s history. In July, we took a look at the company leading up to its 110th anniversary later this summer. Amtrak is considering expanding its Hiawatha route, which saw record ridership in July. The plan would increase…

In another nod to Milwaukee’ racial segregation, take the image from demographic researcher Dustin Cable’s “Racial Dot Map.” Taken as a whole, the dots blend together to form shades and color variations. But when you zoom in, you can see the segregation at a home-by-home basis. (Each dot represents one person.) Whole swathes of Milwaukee look uni-colored on the map: the Northwest Side, Shorewood and Walker’s Point. Yet other areas are a multi-colored mixture.  (h/t The Atlantic Cities)

Wahl, a manufacturer of facial hair trimmers, is setting up shop at the Wisconsin State Fair Aug. 9-11. Master barbers will hold court in a 30-foot mobile barbershop to give out free trims and shaves as well as find the Wahl Man of Milwaukee: a man whose facial hair knows no equal. After he’s crowned, the Man of Milwaukee will receive $500 cash and a Lithium Ion + Stainless Steel Trimmer, which retails for $69.99 (or less). Check out a demonstration of the fancy trimmer here. The Man of Milwaukee will then go up against 14 other facial hair delegates…