Summer tends to be perceived as a time for social adventure, filled with the excitement of meeting new people and the potential for romance around every corner. Stories of fun summer flings fill our cultural storybooks. Think Roman Holiday, Grease (“Summer Nights,” anyone?), Dirty Dancing or Say Anything. 

As adults, we often look back at childhood things with a bit of nostalgia. However, how many of us use those memories of books, toys, or television shows in our very grown-up professions?

What was the Eagles Ballroom before it became The Rave? That’s a question we’ve heard a lot at Bubbler Talk and it turns out there are a lot of answers.

The Eagles Club on Wisconsin Avenue was first completed in 1926. It was the headquarters for the Milwaukee Aerie of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles – a national social organization with a rather illustrious history.

The unrest in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood happened nearly two years ago, but a new court case has renewed public interest in the events of that time. Earlier this month, community activist Vaun Mayes was charged with planning to firebomb the District 7 Police Station, around the time of the unrest. 

It’s hard to imagine the world without hybrid cars.

More than 20 years ago in Japan, the Toyota Prius was the first of these cars produced for the mass market. Two years later, the Honda Insight was available in both the United States and Japan. Today, not only are there more hybrid options available, they also have a significant place in the automotive market.

The International Joint Commission - or IJC - was created by the Boundary Waters Treaty signed by the United States and Canada in 1909. The commission is tasked with preventing conflicts between the two countries' shared waters, including the Great Lakes.

Last week the IJC released a paper that lays out five action steps designed to assist the two countries as they coordinate efforts to keep Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and other toxic flame retardants out of the Lakes.

A new poll reveals that Wisconsin voters are still undecided before the Aug. 14 partisan primaries. Thirty percent of Republican primary voters and 38 percent of Democratic primary voters are still unsure who to vote for, according to the new Marquette Law School Poll.

This evening the EPA is holding a meeting in Milwaukee.  It's one in a series around the Great Lakes designed to help the agency design Action Plan III of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, or GLRI.

The funding program came to life in 2009 during the Obama Administration. With the advent of the Trump Administration there were rumblings that GLRI would end. But the fund continues, having distributed nearly $3 billion.

The full heat of summer is upon us. Most of us reach for a cold beer or cider if we want something alcoholic to help cool down.

But Lake Effect’s regular wine contributor Ray Fister says don’t ignore the fruits of the grape, and don't be afraid to try something new: 

Ray Fister is the co-creator and voice of the wine blog and podcast Life Between the Vines and the owner and engineer of 5th Floor Recording Company.