Corrinne Hess

Corrinne Hess



October 7, 2014Magazine Point of View

Q&A: Sid McCain

Sid McCain is a former bigwig in the music industry and the daughter of a world-famous politician. What’s she doing in Milwaukee? You worked as a VP at major record labels like EMI, promoting and signing bands. Now you’re the promotions director of WMSE-FM radio. It has been a big change. I’m learning a whole new skill set. I love it. Station manager Tom Crawford is an amazing man. His knowledge of music surpasses anything I have ever been around. My previous job was almost like selling widgets. Music wasn’t creative; it wasn’t fun. It was about how many records…

August 26, 2014Magazine Point of View

Q&A: Mary Isbister

Mary Isbister and husband Eric run GenMet Corp., a mequon fabricating firm. But just who wears the pants? A female president of a manufacturing company is uncommon. Do you think the glass ceiling has been broken, or at least cracked? Personally, I have never had that problem. What surprises me is when I hand someone a business card – we don’t have titles on our business cards – they look at it and say, “What is your role in the business? Are you in HR or do you help out in the office?” In the Midwest, there is still a…

August 26, 2014Feature Story

Mary Isbister

Photo by Adam Ryan Morris. A female president of a manufacturing company is uncommon. Do you think the glass ceiling has been broken, or at least cracked? Personally, I have never had that problem. What surprises me is when I hand someone a business card – we don’t have titles on our business cards – they look at it and say, “What is your role in the business? Are you in HR or do you help out in the office?” In the Midwest, there is still a little bit of a provincial mindset about women’s roles. Do I think it…

June 2, 2014Insider

Bumper Crop

Illustration by Rob Donnelly When South Milwaukee decided to resurrect its farmers market in 2009, organizers struggled to find a suitable day to hold the market. They knew they couldn’t compete with nearby Bay View’s booming South Shore Farmers Market on Saturday, so organizers took a chance on Thursday night.  Five years ago, a Thursday farmers market was rare, but the gamble paid off. The South Milwaukee Downtown Market has flourished, and its founder Mayor Erik Brooks credits that to its 3-7 p.m. Thursday time slot. “Thankfully, we got in at the start of this proliferation of farmers markets,” Brooks…

January 22, 2013Feature Story

Dry Spell

Photo by Sara Stathas Wisely, Bob Barthel’s farm is irrigated. But this summer, as Wisconsin’s southern half baked in a drought that drew references to the 1936 Dust Bowl, here is what irrigation involved. Moving lines several times daily to keep thirsty crows from stealing water by pecking holes in the tubes. Feeding gallon after gallon of diesel fuel (700 by summer’s end) into the irrigation pump. Reducing a pond on the Mequon-area farm – home to apples, strawberries and pumpkins – to an oversized puddle. “I basically ran out of water,” Barthel says. “We use a surface pond that’s…

December 14, 2012Insider

Sole Survivor

Photo by Lucas Foglia Jeanna Giese’s long hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her navy blue sweatshirt hangs loosely over blue jeans and a plaid button-down shirt. Sitting at a Starbucks in Fond du Lac, she looks like a typical 23-year-old, except for what’s hanging from her neck. “Yeah, I’m wearing a bat necklace,” she says, fingering a winged figurine she bought while volunteering for the Organization for Bat Conservation last year. She wears it so often that she’s already had to replace the chain that holds the tiny replica. “It creates a lot of confusion, but I…

October 21, 2012Insider

Faces of Death

The photos may be graphic, but Brian Peterson thinks the ends justify the means. Photo by Sara Stathas  Lowanda Smith spent three years wondering what had become of her brother. He was last seen driving his girlfriend’s car Feb. 8, 2008. He’d just been accused of molesting her daughter, according to police reports. He’d told family members he wouldn’t go back to prison, and they thought he might flee the state. They couldn’t know, with his history of drug use, what he’d do, but suicide was a possibility. Smith got her answer earlier this year when she visited a new…