Be MKE: Primary election results, staffing shortages and the Bucks preseason schedule

Who we are. Where we go. What we need to know.

It was a major week for Wisconsin politics, so let's get ya caught up.

On Tuesday, Wisconsinites selected their parties' contenders for the general election for Congress, governor and more.

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes officially won the Wisconsin Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Barnes — the first African-American to serve as Wisconsin's lieutenant governor — had been the frontrunner since entering the race. His main rivals withdrew days before the first ballots were even counted.

In the Nov. 8 general election, Barnes will face Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, who is running for a third term.

Tim Michels emerged from a four-way primary with the Republican nomination for governor, prevailing against former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

Michels is the co-owner of the state's largest construction company, Michels Corp.

Michels, backed by former President Donald Trump, will face Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers in November.

Evers is officially launching his campaign Wednesday in Madison.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos — the longest-serving Assembly leader in state history — narrowly defeated Republican challenger Adam Steen, who was backed by Trump.

Vos' victory all but ensures he will win re-election in the Republican-leaning district in southeastern Wisconsin.

Here's the full breakdown of Wisconsin's state and local election results.

Also! On Friday, there was HUGE RNC news. More on that later.

Let’s talk business

It seems like there are staffing shortages just about everywhere. And the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office and courthouse are no exception.

The sheriff's office is facing an unprecedented shortage of correctional officers and deputies, as a pandemic-fueled court backlog and spike in violent crime push the jail to its court-ordered capacity of 960 people. “The morale is so low — not just in the jail, but also on the sworn side,” said Sgt. Fredrick Gladney, president of the Milwaukee Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. “We’re just considering this agency like the Titanic. It is a sinking ship and people are trying to figure out ways to jump ship."

Milwaukee County is about 20 court reporters short of what is needed for the 47 judicial branches, according to a directive issued by Chief Judge Mary Triggiano. Court reporters are required by law to capture what happens in courtrooms when people are on the record. "We are an ecosystem," Triggiano said. "If one part of the criminal justice system is struggling, we all feel the impact in a variety of ways."

After winning city approval back in 2019, a six-story, 76-unit high-end apartment development is proceeding on the east side. Elevation 1659 will be built where North Jackson Street meets North Water and East Brady streets. It will include one level of underground parking; another level with parking, some units and the building's lobby; and four additional floors of apartments. The development will be located in an Opportunity Zone: A federal program that gives generous tax breaks for investments in neighborhoods with higher unemployment and lower incomes. The apartments will take around 16 to 17 months to build.

Out and about

Bronzeville Week — the Milwaukee neighborhood's annual celebration of African American culture, commerce, art, history, entertainment and more — runs through Saturday. From a Sleepover for Education to a Bronzeville ArtWalk and Afro Caribbean Cultural Celebration, here's what to know.

Fellow Bucks fans, we are only about 52 days out from preseason. The team released their five-game exhibition schedule this week, with the first game kicking off Oct. 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies at Fiserv Forum. Tickets for the Bucks' two preseason home games — there's another on Oct. 12 against the Brooklyn Nets — will go on sale Sept. 1. The full regular-season schedule is typically released in mid-August.

Speaking of Fiserv Forum, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League will be playing a preseason game there on Oct. 2. It'll mark the first NHL game hosted by Milwaukee since 1993. Puck drop for the contest will be at 6:30 p.m. Tickets went on sale Friday.

The Wisconsin State Fair is still going on (see last week's newsletter for a quick guide). Here's how opening day went on Thursday. And, some quirky things you'll find there this year, from nap booths to pickle cotton candy. The fair runs through Sunday.

Don’t go hangry

More than 25 Milwaukee restaurants will be participating in the 17th annual Downtown Dining Week, which is set to return Sept. 8 to 15. Here's what to know, from how the event works to which eateries are participating.

You've probably heard of famous Milwaukee chef Adam Pawlak. He owns Egg & Flour's two locations, as well as E & F Pizzeria, and was a contestant on "Hell’s Kitchen" Season 19. He'll be leading another series of cooking classes at the Milwaukee Public Market, starting in September and continuing into December. Classes have already begun selling out. To sign up for a class, which costs $50 each and includes parking in the market's lot, visit milwaukeepublicmarket.org.

A Milwaukee plant-based pop-up bakery is at the forefront of what "Bon Appetit" has called a "burgeoning cultural movement." At Moon Cherry Sweets, which pops up at Cactus Club on Sundays, transgender people of color always eat free. "Growing up in the trans community, there's just not a lot of access to resources and things like that, and not a lot of access to good food," said Jack Roldan, who owns Moon Cherry with partner Chase Roldan. "We ourselves had struggled. We wanted to create good food for everyone regardless of ability to pay for it." Moon Cherry's policy was inspired by Oakland's Gay4You, whose chef-owner Cellphone is leading the "Trans People of Color Eat Free" initiative, according to a June "Bon Appetit" report.

Here are the talkers

ICYMI: On Friday, the Republican National Committee officially selected Milwaukee to host the party's presidential nominating convention in the summer of 2024. "I looked at what type of experience this would be for our delegates and our nominee and Milwaukee just hit it on every single level," Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told the Journal Sentinel in an interview. Here's a look at how Milwaukee landed the event. 

No Studios founder John Ridley, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "12 Years a Slave" and a Mequon native, is an executive producer of the new "Five Days at Memorial" limited series. The series, which begins streaming Aug. 12 on Apple TV+, explores what happened at a New Orleans hospital where, after Hurricane Katrina, 45 bodies of patients were found — patients who allegedly were euthanized before the hospital was evacuated. Ridley was approached to do the show by its other executive producer Carlton Cuse, who had secured the rights to "Five Days at Memorial." Cuse is best known as the producer of the hit series "Lost." Ridley wrote the first five episodes of "Five Days at Memorial" and also directed three of them. Here's what Ridley had to say about the new program and its message.

If there's an opportunity to talk Marquette, I'm gonna take it. Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener and Tom Crean recently got back together to reminisce about the Golden Eagles' run to the Final Four in the 2003 NCAA Tournament. "We all have went on in these 20 years and become husbands and fathers and businessmen and owners. Whatever it is, right?" Wade said. "But ultimately, we all knew each other when it was just pure. It was purity of life, of teenage years and all of that. So when we get around each other, we’re all just like in the locker room. We rag on each other. We tell stories about each other. And it’s good for us. I went to sleep last night and my soul felt happy."

Be MKE,

Hannah

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To see what I'm up to around the city, follow me on Instagram @hannahhopekirby. Always keeping it pretty profesh over on Twitter @hannahhopekirby. Be MKE love or comments can be sent to hannah.kirby@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Be MKE: Primary results, staffing shortages, Bucks preseason schedule