Here we are, trip around the sun and back to celebrate Dad. He’s taught you how to ride a bike, cast a fishing pole, do long division, and appreciate Motown. He encouraged your dreams, told you when you were out of line and showed you how to apologize with integrity. He tells corny jokes, brags about your accomplishments and advises you on this adulating thing. He’s your Dad.

It's Father's Day weekend, and if you're fortunate to still have a dad in your life, hopefully you'll have the chance to spend some time with him, or call, or give a gift. But Lake Effect essayist Linda Flashinski is think about a gift she recieved from her father:

Drew Stevens is the Distinguished Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Chazen Museum in Madison. While curating has been his thing for 30 years, Stevens says the distinguished bit came after his hair changed color.

In less than a week, cyclists from all over the world will converge upon Wisconsin. The Tour of America's Dairyland (ToAD) begins its 10th annual criterium cycling race on Thursday, June 21st in Kenosha and continues until July 1st, racing through Southeast Wisconsin. Last year, ToAD drew racers from 42 states and 15 countries according to executive director Bill Koch.

The annual campaign for the United Performing Arts Fund, or UPAF, wrapped up this week. It successfully raised more than $12 million for local performing arts groups. In addition to the financial support it provides, the UPAF campaign connects people who have performed in Milwaukee over the years.

This year, acting couple Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry were UPAF’s special closing week guests. People of a certain age will probably remember the husband and wife team from the iconic 1980s TV series, “LA Law."

If you’re a parent, you’ll probably never forget how you felt the first time you found out you were expecting. Becoming a parent changes everything, and fear and love can be constant companions. As Father’s Day approaches, we look at one man who processed his feelings about fatherhood in his own unique way.

The birds aren’t the only thing you’ll hear these days at the local organization We Got This' community garden.

There’s the sound of the jackhammer from construction across the street, as the group builds an expanded gathering center and fruit orchard.

One motto of We Got This is “Putting the Neighbor Back in the Hood.”

It's a non-profit focusing on community building in a predominantly African-American neighborhood. One of its initiatives invites youth to work on its community garden on 9th and Ring.

On Tuesday, Lake Effect talked to Guy Smith, the man tapped to be the new director of the Milwaukee County Parks Department. Smith talked about his vision for what is often referred to as the region’s “emerald necklace," the green space that benefits the quality of life here. But Smith and his department face challenges linked to the tight budget environment here. 

As Foxconn’s official groundbreaking date draws near, the region is still waiting to learn just how valuable Foxconn might be for workers and the economy. The Taiwanese electronics giant is building a huge LCD screen manufacturing plant in Mount Pleasant, which could create up to 13,000 jobs.