Mark Belling

Hovde Tells Talk Radio Host He Lost

But Republican Senate candidate won't concede race. Bipartisan group criticizes him.

Eric Hovde Admits He Lost: “It’s The Most Painful Loss I’ve Ever Experienced”

What You Need to Know About Carpetbagging California Multimillionaire Eric Hovde

Climate Has Changed for Sewerage District

Once trashed by local media and some officials, MMSD now enjoys wide support.

Sheriff’s Deputy Is Again Sending Controversial Emails To Politicians

The deputy was suspended in 2021 for sending emails to politicians that identified him as Milwaukee deputy.

17 Election Winners and Losers

Beyond the election results, who were the other people, groups and trends that won or lost?

How Talk Radio Took Over Wisconsin

Most news and talk stations in state are dominated by right-wing voices.

Is Hales Corners Ice Rink Project Dead?

The leader of private/public project says so, now that county demands its $75,000 back.

New State GOP Chair Involved with Fake Electors

Brian Schimming went on talk radio to defend ‘peaceful protests’ at January 6 Capitol riot.

A Right-Wing War In High Court Race

It's getting nasty: Mark Belling blasts candidate Kelly and Justice Bradley attacks candidate Dorow and Belling.

Why Nicholson Quit The Governor’s Race

Did Uihlein pull his funding? And which candidate for governor will benefit?

Did Democrats Devise Great Replacement Theory?

So say conservatives like the policy director for 'free market' Badger Institute.

The Rise of Timothy Ramthun

One-time nobody now a candidate for governor and top demagogue in state Republican Party.

Can Nicholson Beat Kleefisch?

Democrats are thrilled about what could be a bruising Republican primary for governor.

Liberal Talk Coming to Waukesha

Mike Crute’s new talk radio station, WAUK 540 AM, will compete with local right-wing talkers.

AG Kaul Joins Fight Against Texas Abortion Law

Kaul filed an amicus brief supporting a challenge of the new abortion ban.

Belling Doing His ‘Final’ Cruise

Conservative radio talker, 64, had stroke in 2019, but says he has no plans to retire.

Let Us Now Praise Rush Limbaugh

What was his impact on Wisconsin? Praise and condemnation and silliness offered.

Sykes Is No Longer a Republican

National Public Radio stands corrected. He is not -- roll the drums -- a Republican any more.

Poor Dan O’Donnell Feels Persecuted

Right-wing radio host claims his free speech being abridged. Really?

Wisconsin Political Leaders React to Capitol Storming

Though many supported Trump for years, all now condemn Capitol chaos he helped cause.

The Hating of Justice Hagedorn

As promised, he’s upholding the law as written. So why are right wingers so angry?

Mensah Settlement Leaves Lawyers, Officials Squabbling

Attorneys arguing with city; police chief at odds with Common Council.

Republicans Cry Foul About Election

Ron Johnson, Robin Vos and Mark Belling get aboard the Trump crazy train.

Activists Criticize Tosa PD’s Protest Tactics

Protesters detail the use of spike strips, $1,300 tickets and racial profiling.

Did Kenosha Cops Push Protesters Toward Militia?

So says militia member after two people killed by armed civilian. Pattern seen in other cities.

Tosa Police Issue Gets More Heated

Other suburb’s police massing against protesters. Sensenbrenner, police chief, talk radio condemn protests.

Portrait of a Spitting Shorewood Attorney

Stephanie Rapkin can handle all kinds of trusts, and claims an affiliation with UWM and Marquette.

County Executive College Dropouts

For 20 years voters have elected college dropouts to run Milwaukee County. What gives?

Is A Couture Deal Finally Coming?

City officials say it is, while Ald. Bauman pushes city to separate streetcar from project.

Is MPS Truly Willing to Stand Against Hate?

Teacher Travis Sarandos must be held accountable for his despicable public remarks

Shame on Judge Milton Childs Crime Cannot Be Deterred Without Consequences

Statement from Alderman Bob Donovan January 9, 2020

See The Canstruction of Local Landmarks

Plus: Associated gives Milwaukee Center new name & upgrades, mass timber building tops off.

Still No Deal For The Couture. Yet

Sorry, Mark Belling, deal still isn't quite done, says developer.

NBA Player Plans Downtown Apartments

Big week in real estate with Couture taxes, Strauss, Marchese, Airbnb, Scott Lurie and more making headlines.

Why Republicans Hate the Gas Tax

Once they promoted this user fee, now they’d rather roads fall apart. Why?

State High Court Evades Open Records

Are Roggensack and justices claiming they're exempt from state open records law?

Will Roy Moore Embarrass Kevin Nicholson?

The Republican Senate candidate depends on Moore contributor Richard Uihlein.

Mark Belling says Leah Vukmir is a real conservative who pushes the envelope

Belling made a few comments about the U.S. Senate race in Wisconsin.

Matt Flynn’s East Side Eschweiler

Gubernatorial candidate has lovely home, lovely location, but won't let assessor in.

Leah Vukmir Welcomes Your Hate

Or how to run for U.S. Senate in the land of scorched-earth politics.

Richard Uihlein, GOP Kingmaker

Should one billionaire dictate the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate?

WTMJ Move Threatens Liberal Talk Station

“They’ve picked a fight with the wrong guy,” WRRD owner warns.

Sykes Unloads Right Wisconsin

Wigderson is new owner/editor. But don’t worry, Sykes is a still a “conservative.”

We Like Suburban Segregation

Governments have long enabled metro area's biases.

The Incompetence of Brad Schimel

AG's handling of a voter fraud claim is an epic case of ineptitude.

Is this a Senate race or a yacht sale?

Even conservative radio personality, Mark Belling, is unimpressed with the current slate of candidates.

The Many Faces of Charlie Sykes

He’s spent his whole career changing his views. So which should we believe?

Can Liberal Talk Radio Succeed?

A new Milwaukee radio station with a unique approach is about to find out.

The Return Of Michelle Ackerman Havas

Walker appointee to judge rejected by voters now running for a different branch.

The Rise of Scott Walker

Journal Sentinel’s lo-o-ng series struggles to explain it -- but omits the newspaper's role.

The Legend of Leah Vukmir

Once considered a horrible legislator, she’s now one of the Capitol’s “heaviest hitters.”

The New Charlie Sykes

He's confessing his errors and getting lots of publicity. Could there be a connection?

Trump Vs. The Wisconsin Establishment

Journal Sentinel joins talk radio and GOP party in battling The Donald.

Liberal Group Seeks Talk Radio Voice

Claims AM conservative talk radio is "racist" and "hateful." Is liberal talk radio possible?

How Liberals Imitate Right Wing

Their stance on Abele and charter schools is just as close-minded as right wingers.

How Talk Radio Hurt The Journal Sentinel

Sykes’ continual bashing -- allowed by corporate bosses -- badly wounded their own newspaper.

How The Sewerage District Came of Age

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District has been a national leader since its formation. Part 1 of a three-part series.

The Meaning of Judge Bradley’s Victory

She carried more assembly districts than Obama or Mary Burke. Are there lessons for Democrats and the GOP in her victory?

Can Daley Beat Bradley for Supreme Court?

Challenger could get lots of right-wing money, but that may not be enough in this case.

Victor’s Is a Hit on New Year’s Eve

The celebration lasts 34 hours here, and attracts a 1,000-plus customers. Will Mark Belling be there?

The Bizarre Politics of Ald. Tony Zielinski

Once a hard core conservative, he’s now a Bay View liberal. Except when opposing things like the streetcar.

Potawatomi Plays Hardball

Gov. Walker delayed decision on Kenosha casino, so tribe is delaying $25 million payment owed to state.

Clarke Blasts Abele, Bloomberg

His rock was talk radio, he writes in Washington Times.

The Remarkable Clout of Sheriff Clarke

A stunning election increases his power. What does it mean for Milwaukee?

Handicapping the Democratic Race for Attorney General

Jon Richards is the favorite. But is he the best choice?

An Open Letter to Milwaukee Talk Radio

Dear Talk Radio Hosts Mark Belling, Jay Weber, Charlie Sykes and Jeff Wagner.

Is David Clarke “Sheriff Spends a Lot”?

Attack ads blast Clarke. Another targets “dysfunctional” Marina Dimitrijevic. Who’s buying all these nasty ads?

How Republicans Cause Voter Fraud

False claims of rampant voter fraud by GOP and talk radio prompt their followers to vote illegally.

Walker, Sykes and Belling

The New Republic feature story on Scott Walker and talk radio is juicy stuff. But is it true?

The Remarkable Impact of the Deep Tunnel

Once widely maligned, the project was the key to transforming the Milwaukee River.

Lessons from the Public Market

Could its success provide a model for the Grand Avenue Mall?

The House of Hank the Dog

The Brewer's canine mascot has a nine-room Whitefish Bay home and 10,000 square foot lot to roam in, all worth $570,000.

The Troubled Legacy of Tom Ament

Former county exec’s lucrative pension plan caused scandal, transformed Milwaukee politics, and led way for Scott Walker.

Crazy Casino Politics

Both Gov. Walker and Mary Burke have mishandled the Kenosha Casino issue.

Don’t Mess with the Press

The state budget bill has huge consequences, but the media is most concerned about its impact on... the media.

Mark Belling’s Very Urban Condo

He lives in one of the most walkable neighborhoods but seems to take his car everywhere.

Milwaukee Has Fewer Bedbugs!

Well, at least it has less than 18 other cities, according to a new ranking. Is that something to brag about?

Republican Road Rage

Romney was the choice of exurban road warriors while slower-moving urbanites picked Obama. How we move through the world is a key difference between the parties.

Biggest Taxer in Town

Over the last five years property taxes have been driven by just one of the five local taxing units: Milwaukee Public Schools.

Should Chief Flynn Resign?

The city is divided over the chief. But is it all his fault?

Why Walker Won’t Compromise

He now says he will bring us together. But don’t bet on it.

Outing a Bully

It’s a truth many of us learned on the playgrounds of our youth: nobody reacts to criticism worse than a bully. So it’s no surprise that conservative talk show host Charlie Sykes responded to a negative article in the December issue of Milwaukee Magazine with a longwinded, sniveling diatribe that leaves the reader wondering why a guy who makes a living attacking people is so damn thin-skinned. To anyone who listens to the Sykes show on WTMJ-AM, or any of the formulaic right wing radio talk shows, much of the criticism outlined by the station’s former news director seems fairly obvious. Sykes, Mark Belling on WISN-AM and their ilk carefully select topics designed to stir up anger in their predominantly conservative audiences. They seek stories that confirm their world views and look for people to vilify. These could be public officials, bureaucrats, parents, school administrators and run-of-the-mill average citizens. Anyone, really, who provides them with the opportunity to demonize government and show how our hard-earned tax dollars are wasted. And, as Dan Shelley says in the article, Sykes is obviously very bright and very good at what he does. Sometimes Sykes can be very entertaining. He engages in a kind of verbal ju-jitsu that takes the inert energy from the many absurd stories generated by newspapers and elsewhere and builds it into an inflammatory narrative designed to entertain and anger his listeners. I get it and I can actually enjoy listening to it, in small doses, as I do Lewis Black and Dave Chappelle. But what bothers me is how manipulative he can be when dealing with listeners who call in. Those who agree with him are treated with kid gloves; they are thoughtful, insightful, clever. Callers who disagree with him are broken down in two categories. The inarticulate or weak ones are dangled as useful foils who give him the opportunity to throw the sarcastic jabs and belittling blows to diminish the caller. The brighter, more effective and persuasive callers with contrary opinions are quickly dispatched with a “thank you for your call.” It’s a cowardly tactic quite typical of the playground bully. Belling engages in a different tactic that accomplishes the same result; he raises his voice at callers and belittles them to the point you wonder why anyone would ever listen to this jerk. In fairness, it must be pointed out that Belling seems to yell at everyone but in the world of talk radio there are significant gradations to screaming. It’s also revealing (and disturbing) that Sykes is given his platform by Journal Communications Inc., which owns the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WTMJ-TV and WTMJ-AM. Sykes regularly attacks the newspaper as a part of the liberal media though the same company pays his salary and profits from his success. Sykes is also given a platform on television every Sunday morning through a show that purports to be public affairs programming. He surrounds himself with mostly like-minded fellow travelers from conservative media as well as a token, usually […]

In-House Election Commission Good Idea?

It is more of an internal workgroup,” Pat Curley said.

Belling’s Blunders

Belling finally issued a non-snide apology for his comments.

How Did Peggy Know?

Over Cocktails in 2001, then-A.G. Candidate Peg Lautenschlager Said Rival would be Indicted

Why Jim Ryan Could Be In Trouble

Speaking as someone who predicted the one-two finish of Scott Walker and Jim Ryan, the big surprise of the county executive race was Tyrone Dumas' strong fourth place finish, just behind Tom Nardelli.

Is Nardelli Qualified To Be County Executive?

Nothing should surprise us about county government at this point, but it does seem odd that the two favorites in the race for county executive are Scott Walker and Tom Nardelli, neither of whom has a college degree.

Is Scott Walker Qualified To Be County Exec?

Rep. Scott K. Walker (R-Wauwatosa) was the first candidate to announce for county executive, and is widely considered one of the front-runners for the position.

Could Bob Ott Be Investigated For Ethical Conflicts?

Milwaukee County is beginning to resemble the plot of And Then There Were None. One by one, top officials are disappearing from the courthouse.

Where Have You Gone, Ken Lamke?

Ken Lamke still has vivid memories of the atmosphere in the old Milwaukee Sentinel newsroom.

Why The Mayor is Not Dead

Back in the early 1980s, Milwaukee Magazine ran a scathing caricature of Mayor Henry Maier with the title "What Does This Man Do All Day?"

Why Can’t MATC Get A Good President?

Is it possible that no one wants to be president of Milwaukee Area Technical College?

Milwaukee Goes Crazy for Research Parks

Wisconsin is supposed to be suffering from a brain drain, and southeast Wisconsin is said to lack the kind of high technology industries you find in a research park.