This Memorial Day weekend, Milwaukee’s full of events and "moose" as nearly 8,000 members of Moose International are headed to the area for their 125th annual International Convention, through May 29, at the Delta Center and Milwaukee Theatre.

Throughout the convention, the Moose organization will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Mooseheart – Illinois’ largest residential childcare community – as well as its commitment to serving children, seniors and communities throughout North America. It’s one of the largest conventions in Milwaukee this year, Moose International’s economic impact to the city is estimated at $11.3 million. Moose convention activities will take place at the Hilton and Hyatt, and attendees will surely enjoy restaurants, attractions and nightlife in Downtown Milwaukee.

Question, though, what are the Moose?

Moose International is a four-nation organization of approximately 1.1 million men and women, dedicated to caring for the young and old, bringing communities closer together and celebrating life. The Moose organization maintains approximately 1,700 Moose Centers across the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda, providing members with family-oriented social, dining and sports activities.

"If you haven’t heard of the Moose yet, you will soon! More than 8,000 of our members from across North America will join us in Milwaukee as we celebrate one hundred years of caring for children," said Scott Hart, Director General/CEO of Moose International. "We have a strong base in Wisconsin with roughly 21,000 members," he added.

The convention hopes to bring increased awareness of the Moose in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin and inform the public of the organization’s dedication to community service programs valued between $75 million and $100 million annually throughout North America.  While in Milwaukee, the group also will be gearing up to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Mooseheart, its children’s community and school, locat…

Everyone wants to be able to get around a city easily.  It’s simple in stuff.  Cities need bike lanes, roads, side walks, taxis, rail, trolleys, buses and other forms of transit to move people from here to there.  

I love my car.  I love driving. And, as you’ll note in my record, I like driving fast.  I blame my Dad for this. Regardless of my love for automobiles, I embrace and support increased mass transit opportunity for our state.

Simply put, once we park we need easier and more efficient ways to get around.  Especially in greater Downtown.  Debate on transportation shouldn’t be a cars vs. everything else battle.  

So, let’s consider this.  We want to spend $1.7 billion on a taxpayer funded rebuild and expansion of the Zoo Interchange.  $1.7 billion.  It’s crazy.  But, no one is batting an eye.

Yes, the Zoo Interchange needs work.  Trucks and cars have beat it down over the years.  

A recent ruling, though, by federal Judge Lynn Adelman finding that the state Department of Transportation’s Environmental Impact Statement supporting the Zoo Interchange is deficient and violates federal law may just send a strong message that highway building and road expansions in southeastern Wisconsin at the expense of public transit and other projects should at least be better analyzed.  $1.7 billion.  Wow. That could build a needed Downtown arena, fund several schools, pay for the Streetcar and repair roads.

Ald. Robert J. Bauman said yesterday that Judge Adelman’s decision "is a strong endorsement that southeastern Wisconsin’s transportation needs must be reflected in balanced investments in local roads, freeways and transit which serve the economic and social needs of all citizens and all areas of the region."

Bauman is recommending the DOT immediately consider a new alternative. That alternative would spend $370 million to reconstruct I-94 from 25^th St. to 70^th St. and allocate the savings between this option and the expansion option –…

Graduation is this weekend for many Milwaukee area schools.  Bill Cosby will be at my alma mater, Marquette University, for its ceremony on Sunday.

I’ve cited this before, but the Milwaukee region has one of the highest college students-per-capita ratios in the United States. Local colleges, universities and technical schools enroll more than 100,000 students in any given year, including 60,000 in undergraduate programs, 15,000 in graduate programs and 25,000 in associate degree and vocational diploma programs.  Milwaukee’s a college town.

And, college educated people in their 20s and 30s are moving to cities.  From 2006 to 2011, major metro areas grew their college populations 17 percent.  Milwaukee, according to this story, grew 45.3 percent.  This makes it a leader, behind only San Antonio.  Sure, you can argue we had further to grow.  But, growth is growth.

A new USA Today analysis details the metro areas that saw spikes in population of people ages 20 to 30 with a bachelor's degree.  All major metros are listed.  

Also important in the graduation game is getting our area’s current students to graduate.  Remember this study?  One percent means $1 billion.  

Keep it up and step it up, Milwaukee.  We can and must continue to do better.  

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Oddly, though, I rarely see people sitting in these chairs.  Maybe because they're simply not comfortable or maybe they are more lawn ornament than sitting device.

What's the deal with Adirondack chairs, anyway?   

A company in Lake Geneva makes a patented solar illuminating Adirondack chair, there's a coffee table book about these chairs and while they seem more Madison than Milwaukee they're popping up everywhere now that the weather is turning.  

Who knows?  Maybe I'm just not a buy patio furniture kind of guy but I really want to know what the appeal of these things are?