Opinion: Milwaukee s ever-changing street names have long been a way to express civic pride John Gurda, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
If you haven’t been to downtown Milwaukee in a while, you might notice a few new signs on your next visit. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive now extends down the former Old World 3rd Street all the way to Wisconsin Avenue. The Fire Department headquarters on North 7th and West Wells streets has been named for Alonzo Robinson, the city’s first Black architect. And North 4th Street is now Vel Phillips Avenue, honoring the first African American (and first woman) to hold elective office on both the city and state levels.
John Gurda
If you haven’t been to downtown Milwaukee in a while, you might notice a few new signs on your next visit. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive now extends down the former Old World 3rd Street all the way to Wisconsin Avenue. The Fire Department headquarters on North 7th and West Wells streets has been named for Alonzo Robinson, the city’s first Black architect. And North 4th Street is now Vel Phillips Avenue, honoring the first African American (and first woman) to hold elective office on both the city and state levels.
It’s about time, many of us would say. In a city whose Black population is close to 40% of the total, there have been precious few public signs of the African American presence. Who could disagree that a major group should see itself reflected in the surrounding landscape?
Santa Land in Lubbock Will Be Different This Year
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The City of Lubbock is preparing for the 64th Annual Santa Land celebration, but as with many events this year, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted how Santa Land will operate in December.
Santa Land is a City of Lubbock tradition that normally attracts 50,000 people each year. This year, the city s Parks and Recreation Department announced that Santa Land will be a drive-thru event from December 10th - 23rd, 2020 from 6 to 10:00 p.m. each night.
Santa Land will still be free, but instead of people getting to walk around the holiday village and take pictures in front of the giant Christmas tree, they will have to stay in their vehicles. There still aren t too many details about what exactly this year s Santa Land will look like, but the City of Lubbock encouraged people to stay tuned to playlubbock.com for details and to follow on social media.