Tell us what you think about Milwaukee dropping fourth fireworks for drone show
Milwaukeeans will find out next month as the county announced it is bringing back its Independence Day event on July 3 at McKinley Beach as a drone show complete with a synchronized soundtrack. The annual fireworks show was cancelled last year due to the lack of sponsor funding to cover the costs.
'Milwaukee County is at its best when we come together to create memorable, inclusive experiences for everyone," Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a news release. "We're proud to bring the community together for this first-of-its-kind drone show, highlighting not just our beautiful lakefront but the creativity and collaboration that make Milwaukee County so special."
Milwaukee joins other communities (including Wauwatosa) in switching to a high-tech spectacle without the noise, debris and risk that can come with conventional fireworks. What do you think of that decision? We want to hear from you:
Jim Fitzhenry is the Ideas Lab Editor/Director of Community Engagement for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Reach him at jfitzhen@gannett.com or 920-993-7154.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee fireworks replaced with drone show. Is this good? | Opinion
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: Chicago should rethink NASCAR possibilities
There is something that is not quite right about doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. This brings to mind the NASCAR race on Chicago's lakefront streets for the past three years. Since the city of Chicago and NASCAR agree there will be no race in 2026, that gives everyone a chance to take a deep breath and start thinking outside the box or, in this case, outside the makeshift road course that doesn't seem to make anybody happy. How about a NASCAR Festival at Navy Pier or even at McCormick Place? Think Chicago Auto Show but for NASCAR devotees and all kinds of car geeks. Giant screens showing historic NASCAR races and highlights. Cars, drivers, pit crews, vendors, entertainers and even sponsors could be showcased over a couple of days along our magnificent lakefront. Navy Pier has tons of space outdoors and inside. McCormick Place already has a blueprint for showcasing cars and trucks, plus all the neat car stuff you can imagine. If the whole purpose of what transpired in Chicago over the past three years was to build the NASCAR brand and get Chicagoans to fall in love with everything NASCAR, while bringing revenue to the city, then think what a festival could do. More people could possibly attend. Chicago's weather would be much less of a factor. There could be ample opportunities to let folks actually touch the cars and listen to, or talk to, those who are devoted to everything NASCAR. The people on both sides who are responsible for what will happen here in 2027 have ample time to figure out the actual opportunities and costs without shutting down a single learning that NASCAR decided not to return to Chicago in 2026, my first reaction was: 'Yeah!' My second reaction was: Thanks for returning Grant Park back to Chicago. My third reaction was: Now let's return the Taste of Chicago to Grant Park in July, when it is supposed to be, and let's return it to at least a full-week schedule and with more activities, like it used to be, and not the measly, reduced-size, three-day weekend as is scheduled this year. And also, let's return the Fourth of July fireworks to the Grant Park lakefront instead of the out-of-the-way, hard-to-get-to, overcrowded Navy their July 23 op-ed ('How do we help America's national parks? Make global visitors pay more'), Tate Watkins and Sharon Suiwen Zou advocate making international visitors to our national parks pay higher admission fees. They embrace the administration's 'America First' policy under the pretense of generating more revenue to 'sustain our most treasured public lands for visitors of all types' — you know, those foreign types! This is the same administration cutting national parks staff, looking to open up parks for private development and starting global tariff wars (with many countries that have been America's biggest source of tourism). How do you think that's going to play out? Want to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Vatican or Tower of London? Oh, you're an American? You have to pay more. America's 85 million acres of national parks are places where everyone is welcome to experience the natural beauty of the United States. Raising fees for global visitors would drive more tourism away than add any meaningful funding for the park system. Throughout our history, presidents, Congress and leaders of industry have protected and invested with pride in keeping national parks pristine and accessible. They didn't scheme to make a land grab for mining minerals, drilling for oil or building condos. This isn't about budgetary constraints or political correctness. It's a foreign policy message. Let's not hide behind 'America First' and wind up 'America Last.'Thank you for the article regarding Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church ('Will Pope Leo XIV forge greater LGBTQ+ inclusion?' July 20). Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been a keystone of LGBTQ+ inclusivity for decades. I remember 40 years ago turning to the church after an egregious life event and was welcomed by one of the deacons there, who not only was empathetic but also invited me and my partner to the rectory and his own home. I will never forget this kindness and the empathy extended to us! Thank you so much for highlighting this wonderful community you for the 'Sundae school' article in the Wednesday Food & Health section. My wife and I went that day to the Karak Cafe on Ogden Avenue in Lisle to congratulate them on their being highlighted in the article and try the Dubai chocolate sundae that was featured. The very friendly and gracious family there was unaware of your front-page section article but was pleased that we let them know about it. Also, the Dubai chocolate sundae is not on the cafe's posted menu, but fortunately, it is available upon did I sit on a bus bench recently for over an hour, contemplating the dire future of our planet that is heating up at an alarming rate? I'll tell you why: because no bus came, neither a city bus nor a free bus, while a thousand cars and trucks trundled by or stopped to idle noisily at a red light before continuing on. Four other people joined my vigil, each staring at their phone, naturally. Every person I asked about a possible arrival time for the bus had a different version: five minutes, 12 minutes, 14 minutes, etc. Finally, a fifth soul came along whose phone told her that the bus was 'canceled.' I don't mind that I simply walked back home without completing my little shopping trip. I do mind that we should be cutting down on traffic, thereby helping prevent dangerous air pollution. We encourage people to take public transportation to help save our planet. But who wants to take buses and trains that can't be relied upon? And can we blame people for taking their cars knowing they can make three or four stops in an hour and still be home by lunchtime? Future public transportation is going to have to be some kind of wonderful if we have any hopes of reducing the number of cars and trucks on the streets of our cities.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Hulk Hogan, a polarizing wrestling star, always belonged to Tampa Bay
Like Bigfoot in a bandana, Hulk Hogan was the stuff of Tampa Bay legend. Locals traded stories of seeing the WWE hall of famer around town, locking eyes with him over the eggs at Nature's Food Patch in Clearwater or spotting his glistening blonde mustache as he zipped across a causeway in a convertible. Fans — of both wrestling and celebrity gossip — rushed to ogle Hogan slinging cans of his Real American Beer at Doc Ford's in St. Petersburg in 2024. When a teenager flipped her car on the Veteran's Expressway later in the year, two men pulled over, stabbed her airbags with a ballpoint pen and dragged her from the wreckage. One of them was Hogan. Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, died Thursday morning in Clearwater, according to city officials. He was 71. To some, Hogan was a campy cartoon superhero come to life. He sprung off television screens to T-shirts and action figures and lunch boxes, so popular in the 1980s and '90s that Make-A-Wish sent him to visit 20 sick kids per week. To others, he was a polarizing figure known for his vaccine denialism and his racial slurs caught on tape. He dabbled in politics, hopping onstage at Madison Square Garden in October in a feather boa to cheer for Donald Trump with a throaty 'Let's win this, brother!' Through it all, Hogan always belonged to Tampa Bay. 'He made his home here for so many years. He was a local celebrity for so many years,' said Barry Rose, who archives professional wrestling history in Florida. 'He was always portrayed as a kind of Florida guy.' A very Tampa childhood Like many Floridians, Hogan was born somewhere else. He entered the world at a Georgia hospital in August 1953, weighing 10 pounds and 7 ounces. He moved to Tampa as a child, where he became a junior bowling champion and imposing Little League pitcher. According to a story from Knight-Ridder Newspapers in 1987, Hogan weighed 190 pounds by the time he was 12. Hogan told the Tampa Bay Times in 2014 that he grew up 'south of Gandy by like two blocks, right behind the ABC Liquors.' On many a Fourth of July, he lit sparklers and watched fireworks through the palm trees at Ballast Point Pier. When an elbow injury ended his sports career at age 14, Hogan swapped his bat for a guitar. 'He rocked, playing bass guitar in bands called Koco, Ruckus and Infinity's End,' the Knight-Ridder story said. 'One memorable evening his junior year, he streaked stark naked across the dimly lit football field where Robinson High seniors were receiving their diplomas.' After graduating from Robinson High School, Hogan studied music and business at the University of South Florida. It was his bass guitar that brought him back to sports. Wrestling brothers Jerry and Jack Brisco saw Hogan slapping the bass at a Tampa bar. They recognized the bronzed behemoth, who was a regular in the audience at local wrestling matches. 'It looked really strange,' Jerry Brisco told Knight-Ridder Newspapers. 'Here was this huge guy, 6 foot 8, with what looked like a toothpick in his hands, playing bass guitar. He had blond hair, plenty of it and a headband.' Hogan started working out at the Tampa Sportatorium, a wrestling training facility. 'They exercised me till I was ready to faint,' Hogan told the Times in 2021. 'And then they got me in the ring, and Hiro Matsuda sat between my legs. He put his elbow in the middle of my shin, and he grabbed my toe, and he broke my leg. He just snapped my leg in half. So that was my introduction to wrestling.' By the mid-1980s, Vince McMahon brought wrestling, once a regional phenomenon, to the national level. Hogan was the perfect star to unite the country, with his matches airing on MTV and soundtracked by Cyndi Lauper. 'The other aspect was the merchandise,' Rose said. 'So you're bringing a lot of kids to professional wrestling. They've got a Hulk Hogan T-shirt, they've got the giant foam fingers, they're eating ice cream bars.' He was able to create a persona that people bought in right away, Rose said. 'I think if he had lived another 20 years or so, he would have still been 'Hulk Hogan.'' When he was wrestling, Hogan easily charmed crowds as the 'babyface,' or the good guy. He also could just as well play the 'heel,' wrestling's bad guy. The same could be said for his life outside the ring. A muddled legacy If Orlando has Mickey Mouse, Clearwater had the Hulkster. That's the thinking behind the wrestler's decision to open up Hogan's Beach, a restaurant on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. After the VH1 reality show 'Hogan Knows Best' showcased Hogan's life in 2005, swarms of fans started showing up to get a peek at his Clearwater house. 'My partner, Ben Mallah, has put his heart and soul into this place,' Hogan told the Times in 2014. 'He goes, 'You need a presence in Tampa. The tourists all come to Universal and Disney, and they're all looking for you.' And it's true.' Other local businesses followed. Hogan himself flexed his oily muscles at every 'brother!' that passed by. He posed for photographs and signed autographs (one viral photo, not necessarily taken in Clearwater, shows his signature in a copy of 'The Illead'). Hogan told the Times that he didn't want people to come all the way to his restaurant and not get a photo with him. 'This whole Hulkamania thing is international,' Hogan said in 2014. 'Sometimes that doesn't sink in with me. I think, 'American icon? Oh, okay.' To me, I'm still Terry from Tampa.' Then came the scandals. Among them: a leaked 2006 sex tape with the wife of Todd Clem, aka radio host Bubba the Love Sponge, that Gawker posted in 2012. Then another bombshell tape was posted in 2015. The second video, according to former Times columnist Daniel Ruth, showed Hogan 'engaging in a profanity F-bomb (laden) rant in which he repeatedly dropped more racist N-bombs than an Aryan Nation convention.' When online news outlets posted the clip, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. severed ties with Hogan. But the local sightings — and signings — continued. Hogan ventured to Sunset Music Festival (he liked to work out to dubstep music). He apologized profusely and publicly, with a special nod to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Tampa Bay, who he often worked with locally. Not everyone accepted his words, but within a few years, Hogan had patched up his public image enough to rejoin wrestling royalty. He once again became the face of WWE and Wrestlemania. 'This is special to me because I've lived here my whole life. I've traveled the whole world, lived in California, lived in Japan. This place, the quality of life, the people that live here, this is the greatest-kept secret,' Hogan told the Times in 2021, after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and before hosting WrestleMania 37 with Titus O'Neil. In fall 2023, Hogan wed yoga instructor Sky Daily at Indian Rocks Baptist Church. His engagement announcement at downtown St. Petersburg's Birchwood Inn two months prior had gone viral. 'The 70–year–old wore a black tuxedo with a black headband as he greeted his bride, 45, who was clad in a strapless lace gown," wrote the Times. 'My new life starts now,' Hogan posted on social media. In the hours following reports of Hogan's death, reporters, tourists and locals flooded Clearwater Beach. At Hogan's Beach Shop, supporters laid bouquets as tribute. Some passersby stopped to take pictures of the shop and its large Hogan mannequin inside. A woman held the hand of a young child, and stopped in front of the doors. 'Say goodbye?' the woman asked. The toddler looked up at the Hogan mannequin. 'Goodbye,' the toddler said. Times staff writers Lizzy Alspach, Alexa Coultoff and Christopher Spata contributed to this report. Information from the Tampa Bay Times archive was used. Solve the daily Crossword


USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
When does 'Happy Gilmore 2' release? Date, cast, how to watch
Everyone's favorite golfer is back after almost three decades, and he's ready to swing again. "Happy Gilmore isn't done with golf — not by a long shot," the film's synopsis says. "Adam Sandler's short-fused legend swings for a comeback to make his kid's dream come true." Netflix first announced in May 2024 that Sandler, 58, would reprise his role as Happy Gilmore, a hot-tempered hockey player-turned-golfer, in the sequel to the beloved 1996 golf comedy "Happy Gilmore." The film is a favorite among Sandler's fans and found a cult following in the golf community. In the sequel, co-written by Sandler, Happy has left golf behind after a tragic accident years ago. When he needs to raise $300,000 to send his daughter, Vienna (Sunny Sandler), to a prestigious ballet school in Paris, Happy hits the links again, where he runs into old pal Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald). Happy also has to save traditional golf when an energy drink mogul (Benny Safdie) tries to popularize a more extreme version of the sport. What was 'Happy Gilmore' about? In the original film, Sandler plays a professional hockey player named Happy Gilmore who develops a passion for golf. Happy decides to join a golf tournament and win enough money to buy his grandmother's (Frances Bay) home before she loses it. During the tournament, Happy faces off against arrogant golfer Shooter McGavin, who is threatened by him. "With his powerful driving skills and foulmouthed attitude, Happy becomes an unlikely golf hero -- much to the chagrin of the well-mannered golf professionals," the film's synopsis reads. Here's what to know about "Happy Gilmore 2," including the release date, cast and trailer. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox When does 'Happy Gilmore 2' come out? "Happy Gilmore 2" releases on Friday, July 25 at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT on Netflix. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. How to watch 'Happy Gilmore 2' "Happy Gilmore 2" will be available to stream on Netflix at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT on Friday, July 25. 'Happy Gilmore 2' cast Returning cast members for "Happy Gilmore 2," as per Netflix, include: New cast members include: 'Happy Gilmore 2' cameos Here's a list of all the celebrities spotted in the "Happy Gilmore 2" trailer: Watch the 'Happy Gilmore 2' trailer Netflix released the trailer for "Happy Gilmore 2" on May 31. Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.