Be MKE: Holiday gifting, the best concerts this winter and frozen empanadas

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

Milwaukee as the Midwest Manhattan?

I have never heard this before. But a friend asked this morning if it was a thing. She heard it on a podcast. If you have ever heard this sentiment, lemme know.

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Let's talk business

If you haven't started thinking about buying gifts for the holiday season, you should. I might be talking to myself here. The global supply chain isn't running like clockwork. Some local retailers said they have goods that are just lost at sea or stuck in port. Many have been stocking up for months to make sure there are enough presents on the shelves. Stores started ordering merchandise for the holiday season months earlier than usual. "I'm going to try to find the best toy for you, it just might not be the exact toy you're looking for," said Matthew Poulson, who own Ruckus & Glee in Wauwatosa. Hover Craft is this weekend with handmade goods that are all in stock.

One of downtown Milwaukee's largest office buildings recently sold for about as much as a mega-mansion in L.A. on "Selling Sunset." Chase Tower has been sold for $34.25 million to a New York-based real estate group. The 477,772-square-foot building has an 18.5% vacancy rate. This is the second downtown Milwaukee office building that the New York-based Group RMC has purchased this year. It also bought a 14-story building at 330 E. Kilbourn Ave.

Summerfest got a big grant that will help cover its losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Milwaukee World Festival, which organizes and runs Summerfest, is projecting a profit of $13.3 million before depreciation. Summerfest got a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant that helped cover 2020 losses of $8.1 million. The $10 million federal grant allowed the festival to manage through the pandemic. Summerfest is anticipating a "demand for live concerts and entertainment" while we "work toward the next new normal."

Milwaukee's employers are making progress in increasing representation of people who are African American and Hispanic in their workforces. A few years ago, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce set goals for increasing the overall employment of people who are African American and Hispanic by 15% over five years. MMAC just shared the first updated data on that progress. The number of African American and Hispanic workers has increased 6.2% since the initiative began. That puts the companies involved in the pledge on track to hit the goal of increasing the proportion of employees who are African American and Hispanic to 18.1%. Hitting the goal won't achieve parity. In the four-county metro Milwaukee area, 16.3% of people are Black, 11.6% are Hispanic and 7.6% identified as two or more races, according to the latest U.S. Census data.

What isn't canceled

Santa Rampage. The 10-mile bicycle ride through Milwaukee is Saturday starting at the Bike Fed office at 9:15 a.m. Wear a Santa costume if you want to fit in. This is why you will see Santas on Brady Street all day on Saturday. Registration is $25.

Christmas parties. The Third Ward and Bay View Christmas parties are both on Friday. The Third Ward will have a tree lighting in Catalano Square and live music. Christmas on KK will have family activities and a tree lighting in Zillman Park.

Cutting down your own tree. Here are 11 Christmas tree farms around Milwaukee.

Live music. Here are the top concerts in Milwaukee this winter as picked by our music critic. James Taylor, Tyler The Creator and Kane Brown are all performing this season. Be sure to check COVID-19 protocols for mask/vaccine/testing requirements.

Don’t go hangry

Frozen empanadas that you bake at home sound way better than frozen pizza. Triciclo Peru has been selling frozen empanadas since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the game for in-person dining at restaurants. So, Triciclo Peru is expanding to buy another building that it will renovate into a commercial kitchen so it can make even more to-go empanadas. The goal is to have the new space ready by fall 2022.

Pour some out for two closed Milwaukee restaurants. Mina at Crossroads Collective had its last day Nov. 30. Mina, the vendor with a European-influenced menu, will continue to sell heat-at-home meals. Betty's has closed on Brady Street.

And if you missed Giannis learning how good an Oreo dunked in milk is, click here.

Here are the talkers

You might have opinions on the controversial plan to expand I-94 on Milwaukee's west side. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is hosting open-house meetings Dec. 8 and 9 for the public to give input. The expansion would grow I-94 from six lanes to eight lanes between 16th and 70th streets. The project has a $1 billion price tag. Construction would start in 2025 and last four years.

The man who is charged in the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy was released on $1,000 bail five days before the attack. Six people have died. More than 60 were injured. Darrell Brooks was free on bail in a case in which he is charged with punching and running over a woman with an SUV. It's the same SUV he was driving on the parade route. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said the bail for that crime was "inappropriately low." My colleagues wondered if that bail amount really was an anomaly. They pulled records from roughly 800 cases. The median bail was $5,000 in 34 of the cases with the specific degree faced by Brooks — second-degree recklessly endangering safety. Of the cases that included charges related to domestic violence, Brooks has the lowest bail. Here's what else the Journal Sentinel analysis found.

And if you need a primer on how the bail system works in Wisconsin, click here.

Be MKE,

Sarah

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My purebred mutt Nala is living her best life on my Instagram @HauerSarah. Keep up with my gif game on Twitter @SarahHauer. Questions, comments and Be MKE love can be sent to shauer@journalsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Be MKE: Holiday gifting, the best concerts and frozen empanadas