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Milwaukee Film Festival 2025 runs from April 24 until May 8. This year’s Festival will feature about 200 short and feature-length documentary and fiction films.

Quad/Graphics Inc., which still relies heavily on revenue from commercial printing, anticipates a fourth consecutive year of sales declines in 2025 as sales and profits face headwinds including a postal rate increase and possible tariffs on paper from Canada.

The Sussex-based printing and marketing firm (NYSE: QUAD) continues diversifying its business from shrinking commercial printing segments, such as magazines and newspaper inserts, to higher-margin targeted print products and Quad’s marketing and advertising businesses.

Quad executives told analysts and investors in late 2024 the company would see continued sales declines until 2027 or 2028, when revenue is expected to increase and cash flow to improve.

For the near term, the company last week increased its quarterly dividend by 50% to 7.5 cents per share per quarter, or 30 cents per share annually.

Chairman and CEO Joel Quadracci told analysts Thursday that Quad expects U.S. postal rate increases to continue outpacing the overall inflation rate. That adds to customer costs and causes some customers to reduce the volume of printed products they’re planning to mail, he said.

Quadracci said he expects another postal rate increase of up to 13% in July. The latest rate hikes were planned under outgoing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, but Quadracci said he expects the U.S. Postal Service to implement the rate hike regardless of the organization’s leadership.

The parent company of PyraMax Bank is voluntarily delisting from the Nasdaq and transitioning to trade over the counter in an effort to reduce expenses.

1895 Bancorp of Wisconsin Inc. (Nasdaq: BCOW) said it would be withdrawing the registration of its common stock with the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a press release.

The bank has been public for about three and a half years, with its listing on the Nasdaq starting in July 2021, the culmination of a conversion project the former mutual savings bank began early that year.

Mutual savings banks are owned by their depositors, not outside shareholders, as the bank was once it transitioned.

BCOW's stock started out trading with a share price over $15 but within days settled down to trading between $10 and $11, a level it stayed at until March 2023.

The stock was generally selling for less than $10 a share until October 2024, when it returned to that level, where it has stayed. On Wednesday, it closed at $9.98.

The decision to delist and deregister was made to reduce expenses and allow management more time to focus on its core mission, PyraMax Bank CEO David Ball said.

The Mama Tried Motorcycle Show should be great. I'm going to Flat-out Friday tomorrow.

From the Article:

Customers of We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service will pay more for electricity in 2025 and 2026, after the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin on Thursday approved rate increases for both utilities.

The utilities, both owned by WEC Energy Group, applied for the rate hikes in April, citing a need to ramp up forestry efforts to ensure reliability and costs from construction of renewable energy and natural gas facilities.

We Energies’ request sparked backlash that led to customers protesting the proposed rate hike in downtown Milwaukee last month. The utility had already hiked rates in 2023 and 2024.

At Thursday’s meeting, commission chair Summer Strand said the commission sought to balance the need for safe, reliable and environmentally responsible utility service with affordability.

“My approach to these rate cases is measured and seeks to maintain stability and balance through a fair, gradualist approach,” she said. “Rate shock and major changes in any direction do have significant impacts on all parties.”

Strand also said she was “disappointed” that WEC Energy Group partially attributed the need for a rate increase to “disadvantaged communities struggling to pay their bills” and the company’s partnership with labor unions.

From the Article:

On Monday, Riverwest coffee shop The Daily Bird, 818 E. Center St., announced it was closing its doors. “We have made the difficult decision to close our doors starting tomorrow, 11/04/2024,” read a social media post. “While we hope to reopen as soon [as] possible, we’re unsure of when that will be.”

Well, “when that will be” turns out to be two days. On Wednesday, The Daily Bird announced it will reopen on Thursday.

“WE’RE BACK WE’RE BACK WE’RE BACK,” reads a new social media post. “Tomorrow, 11/07/2024, we’re reopening! We can’t wait to welcome you back! Thank you for your patience and support while we took a little break. Stoked to see y’alls face again!”

The post goes on to explain that “100% of bumper sticker sales will be going to recoup lost wages.” Also, likely in response to various comment sections: “The cafe is still yellow, we’re still not Fuel, and we’re still going to be closing at 2 p.m.”

From the Article:

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Thursday to approve a budget amendment that provides key funding for a plan to save, renovate and expand the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory Domes.

The amendment codifies a financial commitment of $30 million to be paid over six years with a future start date to be determined. The funding is not included in the 2025 county budget.

You can read about the details of the Domes Reimagined plan – a partnership between the Friends of the Domes, Milwaukee County Parks and Madison-based real estate developer The Alexander Company – in this article.

The $134 million plan – which would restore the threatened Domes, build an addition and add amenities like a children’s garden, cafe, expanded gift shop and nature learning center – was presented to the board in September and th board’s Finance Committee unanimously approved the budget amendment at its October meeting, sending the matter to the full Board of Supervisors.

“The Domes have been facing an existential crisis for years,” said Christa Beall Diefenbach, executive director of Friends of the Domes. “Today’s vote changes that. We now have a path forward that ensures The Domes remain a horticultural oasis for generations to come.