By Attorney Carlos Gamino

Up for an adventure? There are plenty of things to see right here in Milwaukee, including the Bronze Fonz, St. Joan of Arc Chapel and the North Point Water Tower – but if you venture outside the city, that’s where the real adventures begin.

3 Amazing, People-Free Places to Go This Spring Near Milwaukee

Check out these great adventures within a short drive from Milwaukee – they’re all places you can go to escape from the city:

1. Nasbro Ghost Town
2. Fast Fiberglass Mold Graveyard
3. Holy Hill

Here’s a closer look at each.

#1. Nasbro Ghost Town

You won’t encounter a soul on a visit to Nasbro (see what we did there?). This ghost town was a milling hub from the 1920s to the 1970s, and while there are only a few traces of the dozen homes that once stood on the land, you’ll see five stone lime kilns. The ghost town is located 3 miles west of Lomira on the west side of County Road Y (north of Knowles). It’s definitely worth exploring – and you might find some artifacts along the old train tracks. Check it out here.

#2. Fast Fiberglass Mold Graveyard

Perhaps stranger than a ghost town, this eerie graveyard isn’t home to any people – it’s home to dozens of fiberglass molds designed to make larger-than-life animals, shapes and more. You’ll find massive dogs, oversized Santas and mice bigger than both. The owners let people stroll through the collection, which is located at 14177 County Highway Q in Sparta. Check it out here.

#3. Holy Hill

Whether or not you’re in need of redemption, Holy Hill is an amazing place to visit. Just 30 miles outside of Milwaukee, the hill was deemed a place of miracles after a partially paralyzed hermit named Francois Soubio spent the night there and woke up completely cured from his ailments. The site was home to a cross and altar set up in 1676 by a Canadian pioneer, and then the property sold for $50 in 1855. After changing hands a few more times, you can now find a side chapel and church house with crutches and canes left by those who claim to have been miraculously cured by the hill. And even if you’re not into the religious aspect of Holy Hill, you’ll love the spectacular views from the top – you can see the Milwaukee skyline and acres upon acres of forest. It’s located at 1525 Carmel Road in Hubertus. Check it out here.

What Do You Think?

I’d love to hear your favorite adventures in and around Milwaukee, so please feel free to share them on my Facebook page or on my Twitter feed.

Carlos Gamino

By Carlos Gamino

Millions of small businesses are at risk of closing down permanently due to the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic – and millions more will shutter their doors forever if the second wave is as bad as Dr. Anthony Fauci predicts.

So which businesses have closed their doors or filed for bankruptcy due to the virus? Here’s the most recent list:

1. JC Penney, which is the largest victim of the shutdown to date. The company filed for bankruptcy in mid-May.
2. Crew filed bankruptcy in early May.
3. Neiman Marcus was the first department store chain to declare bankruptcy in early May.

Forbes is maintaining a “Bankruptcy Watch List,” and as of today, that list includes:

• Capri Holdings (Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo)
• Dillard’s
• Kohl’s
• Levi Strauss
• Macy’s
• Nordstrom
• Signet (Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared and Piercing Pagoda)
• Tapestry (Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzmann)
• The Gap
• L Brands (Victoria’s Secret)
• GNC
• Olympia Sports
• Walgreens

The bottom line is that department stores aren’t cut out for long-term closures.

“Retail companies are not built to have their stores closed for extended periods of time, and unfortunately we need to really plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Manny Chirico, the CEO of PVH Corp., the owner of brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, told CNBC this week.

Chirico expects to see 20 to 25 percent of all U.S. stores to close within the next few years. And he may be right – department stores never quite bounced back from the 2008 recession, and shoppers’ habits have changed significantly since then. The pandemic has made online shopping even more popular, which could be the kiss of death… and we may be in for another retail apocalypse.

What Do You Think?

Do you think these companies should be bailed out, or that they should file for bankruptcy protection in order to stay open? I’d love to hear how you feel about these major retailers closing down, so please feel free to share them on my Facebook page or on my Twitter feed.

Attorney Carlos Gamino

By Carlos Gamino

An iceberg the size of Atlanta broke off a glacier in Antarctica in February, marking the middle of a month of soaring temperatures where the mercury hit 69 degrees for the first time in recorded history. The World Meteorological Association is running double-checks to verify it as a new record, and experts say things are going to become even warmer on the world’s chilliest continent.

The Pine Island Glacier breakage is the latest in a series of calving events, which are incidents in which large chunks of ice snap off a glacier and float into the ocean as icebergs. Since 2012, Pine Island Glacier has lost about 58 billion tons of ice per year. Warming temperatures are redefining all of Antarctica – including the way it’s shaped.

The temperatures are also threatening local animal life, including penguins. Penguin thrive on krill; it’s their primary food source. But krill depends on ice, so if things heat up too much, those penguins will starve and impact the rest of the Antarctic ecosystem, as well.

Just for reference, the mean annual temperature of the interior of the continent is –70.6 degrees F. Its coast is warmer – usually around 14 degrees F in the warmest parts – but a 55-degree difference is a really big deal, particularly in February.

As pieces continue to break away from the Pine Island Glacier and its cousin, the Thwaites Glacier, billions of tons of ice are at risk of falling into the ocean. NASA says that these two glaciers contain enough vulnerable ice between them to raise sea levels by 4 feet (sorry, Florida). Each year since 2016, Antarctica has gotten progressively warmer – as has the rest of the world – which means more ice is melting and breaking off massive glaciers. Methane trapped inside the ice then escapes, which can cause more harm and make the earth even warmer, scientists warn, so even despite our best efforts, it might be too late to turn things around.

What Do You Think?

I’d love to hear what you think about the temperatures in Antarctica and how massive icebergs are breaking off our fast-dwindling glaciers, so please feel free to share your own opinion on my Facebook page or on Twitter.

Carlos Gamino