Weekend Roundup: Milwaukee Bucks Deer District Could Spur More Development

When the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974, about 25,000 fans were in the Deer District to watch the game.

Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry told the Milwaukee Business Journal that the team’s success and the enthusiasm from fans across the state will likely lead to increased interest from developers to build near the Fiserv Forum.

The arena’s plaza already includes restaurants and bars and construction on a nine-story, 205-room hotel is to begin this fall.

Talks of building a 250,000-square-foot, 10-story commercial building are also underway, according to Lasry.

“It confirms and legitimatizes the concept we have been talking about,” Lasry said. “People are now seeing what is going on there and realizing what a home run it is. We have revitalized the whole area (of downtown) and people are going to want to be part of that energy and success.”

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Wisconsin DHS: COVID-19 Weekly Recap

From July 5-July 8, there were 503 new cases of COVID-19 reported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, bringing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 613,599. Wisconsin has lost 7,356 total lives to the disease.

Forty-eight percent of Wisconsinites are fully vaccinated — 82 percent of people age 65 and older and 24 percent of children age 12-15.

World’s Tallest Horse Dies In Wisconsin

The world’s tallest horse has died in Wisconsin. WMTV reports that the 20-year-old Belgian named “Big Jake” died several weeks ago.

The horse was 6-foot-10-inch tall and weighed 2,500 pounds. The Guinness Book of World Records certified him as the world’s tallest living horse in 2020.

He lived on Smokey Hollow Farm in Poynette.

The farm’s owner, Jerry Gilbert, says Big Jake was a “superstar” and a “truly magnificent animal.” He plans to memorialize Big Jake by keeping his stall empty and inserting a brick on the outside of his stall with his picture and name.

Madison Parks Foundation Grant Will Make Area Parks More Accessible

The Madison Parks Foundation has received an $100,000 donation to make the city’s parks more accessible.

With a goal of $10 million, the $100,000 endowment from the Pleasant Rowland Foundation is just a start, but Executive Director Stephanie Franklin told Channel 3000 the grant would go a long way.

“It is a priority for the Madison Parks Foundation to support inclusion and accessibility to our parks. This is why this endowment was created and thanks to the Pleasant Rowland Foundation, we have a great start towards our $10,000,000 goal,” she said.

The group is currently fundraising to add five fully accessible playgrounds throughout Madison.

New Website Tracks Wave Conditions Of Lake Superior

Lake-goers can now check a website that provides real-time wave conditions for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Lake Superior. WISC-Watch stands for Water Information for a Safe Coast Watch; the site provides information for seven of the lake’s buoys, monitoring wave height, water temperature and wind information, reports Lake Superior News.

Wauwatosa Police Kept ‘Protesters Involved’ List

Wauwatosa police collected a list of almost 200 names of people who participated in protests in 2020, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel open records request. The list includes prominent local activists, elected officials, attorneys and media members.

Abby Pavlik, the public information officer for the Wauwatosa Police Department, said the document was a project of the department’s Investigative Division.

“It was used as a tool for identifying potential witnesses, victims and suspects who were involved or associated with protesting during 2020,” Pavlik told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “By utilizing this list, it allowed investigators to follow up with those persons identified after the fact, if needed.”

But the list is unsettling for many, such as Tomás Clasen, who’s the advocacy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin.

“When the government gathers information about people engaged in constitutionally protected activities such as demonstrating and newsgathering, it is very concerning,” he said in a statement.

Madison Group Shares Recommendations To Yield Mystery Bird Illness

Birds across North America are dying of an unknown illness that causes crusty, swollen eyes and neurological issues. There’s yet to be a diagnosis.

In the meantime, Madison Audubon has shared a list of recommendations from the National Wildlife Health Center:

• Take down bird feeders until this wildlife disease subsides. This includes all feeder types, including hummingbird, suet and others.
• Clean feeders and bird baths with a 10 percent bleach solution (one part bleach mixed with nine parts water), rinse with water, and allow to air dry.
• Use your best discretion on whether to provide a bird bath. It is currently very hot and birds need water, but baths are also a gathering location. If you keep your bird bath out, clean it daily with a 10 percent bleach solution.
• If you find a sick or dead bird that has the mystery illness symptoms, contact the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
• Avoid handling sick birds unless necessary. If you must handle a sick bird, wear disposable gloves. If picking up a dead bird, place an inverted plastic bag over your hand to avoid direct contact with the bird.
• Keep pets and people away from sick or dead wild birds as a standard precaution.

Lake Michigan Coast Named A ‘National Marine Sanctuary’

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the Lake Michigan coast of Wisconsin the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The area is home to a shipwreck graveyard with 36 known vessels, with dozens still undiscovered, according to the Washington Post.

Eviction Prevention Programs Race Against A Moratorium Clock

The federal eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of July, leaving an estimated 7 million tenants behind on rent in a tough spot.

According to a report from NPR, efforts across the country are underway to distribute roughly $46 billion in emergency rental assistance, and stop evictions before they end up in court.

As of the end of May, only $1.5 billion of an initial $25 billion in emergency aid had been spent, the U.S. Department of Treasury reported last week. And while more money has been doled out since, state and local governments have taken months to get eviction prevention programs up and running.

Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.