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Have ‘Independent News Service’ Groups Crossed the Line?
The self-proclaimed nonpartisan news services present what could be described as, at best, very slanted stories aimed at supporting Gov. Scott Walker and his policies, or alternatively, trying to discredit those that might make him look bad, like the unions and Democrats, both as groups and as individual members.

Question of the Week for Democratic Hopefuls
“The naked Republican power grab on redistricting was outrageous and abusive. These types of bare-knuckle tactics are exactly why two years ago I called for redistricting reform that would take the process away from self-interested politicians and put it in the hands of a fair, nonpartisan commission.

Republicans for Choice
After all, it’s been quite a run for white, male, anti-women Republicans. You had Gov. Scott Walker merrily signing laws repealing the right of Wisconsin women to sue for pay discrimination in state courts, ending funding of Planned Parenthood breast...

Issue of the Week
The wage gap exists across occupations, too. Wisconsin women in management, business and financial occupations were only paid 71 cents to their male peers’ dollar. Women in sales and related occupations were paid only 65 cents to their male peers’ dollar.

Heroes of the Week
Milwaukee Riverkeeper is an award-winning environmental group dedicated to protecting water quality and wildlife habitats in the river corridors and advocating for sound land use in the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic river watersheds. Their core programming involves patrolling, monitoring and advocating on behalf of local waterways.

BORIS&DORIS
Perhaps it can easily be resolved at Hamburger Mary’s monthly Shrink-N-Drink. Clinical psychologist Julie Helmrich, Ph.D.,.

The Second Annual Best of Milwaukee Web Awards Winners
This year we again called on our expressmilwaukee.com readers to vote for their favorite online presences, and once again they did not disappoint.

España Tapas House’s True Spanish Food
España Tapas House’s menu is extensive, with tapas divided into two categories: those served warm and those served at room temperature or a bit chilled. In addition, you will find pinchos that are even tinier—true finger food. Paellas and entrees that are more substantial round out the menu.

Short Orders
Devon Seafood + Steak (5715 N. Bayshore Drive, Glendale) was among the first restaurants to open in the revamped Bayshore Town Center. Devon is part of a chain, but its luxuriant seating and tranquil setting will make you feel otherwise. Of special note are jumbo crab cakes that are all about the meat.

SloPig: An Evening of Pork, Punch and Competition
Heritage pigs have a lot going for them over factory-farm pigs. Raised on small farms, they’re fed a healthier diet and given plenty of room to roam, so they’re more flavorful than factory-farm pigs, and their meat is moister and better marbled.

THIS WEEK IN MILWAUKEE
In 2003, Miranda Lambert auditioned for the first season of the country-centric “American Idol” knockoff “Nashville Star.” The singer only placed third on the show, but she went on to become its first and only true star—her steely bad-girl persona made her an easy sell on the country charts.

GATHERING BY THE WATERS
“Well, they’re all ancient cultures with rich traditions of stories and art,” says Llysa Spencer, a cultural anthropologist for Urban Anthropology Inc. (UrbAn). “Their ancestors have been kicked around, and still are today, to varying extents. They’re all humble, faithful, faithfilled peoples.

A ‘Footnote’ In His Own Family
As the camera pulls closer to Eliezer, Uriel takes the rostrum to accept an award and commend his father for being the shoulders he stood on while reaching for greatness. Eliezer’s face only tightens.

Film Clips
The United States was the victim of a terrorist conspiracy on 9/11, but the U.S. government has often worked with terrorists to achieve its foreign policy goals. Probably the best-known examples are the CIA’s many failed attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro and sabotage the Cuban economy.

‘Lend Me a Tenor’ Rises at Sunset
Part of the show’s appeal comes from watching backstage comedy before a show play out on the stage during a show. It’s the type of play that stems from theater’s love of itself—and people’s love of theater that loves itself.

THEATRE HAPPENINGS
Next week, Marquette University Theatre.

Milwaukee Chamber’s ‘Bus Stop’ Keeps It Moving
Set in the 1950s, the play features a colorful group of people stranded in a Midwest diner during a snowstorm. The collaboration between Milwaukee Chamber and UW-Parkside has allowed for an interesting balance in the cast, with students playing the younger roles and more seasoned actors portraying authority figures.

Take a Trip Inside First Stage’s ‘Diary’
The three very different characters, played by child actors, learn the importance of diversity and self-discovery in a brisk, bright musical package. The story subtly weaves this central theme into a fairly straightforward plot about kids going through a school year.

Kohler Arts Center’s Magnified Memories
Walking through this gallery with magnifying glass in hand (magnifier provided) makes for a unique and meticulous viewing experience. Each piece, while easily mistaken for simple postage stamp imagery from across the room, is actually a work of tremendous detail and thematic subtlety.

Visualart Happenings
Bay View’s Sky High Gallery offers its first exhibition of 2012, featuring Milwaukee painter Tom Stack and ceramic artist Beth Eaton. An opening reception takes place 6-10 p.m. Friday, April 20..

Gallery Night & Day Springs Into Action
UW-Milwaukee holds many events this weekend. The Inova/Kenilworth Gallery presents a 5-8 p.m. reception for “Miller and Shellabarger: Hiding in the Light.” The two Chicago artists appear in a live performance at Kenilworth Open Studios 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.

Thomas Hart Benton: A Life
Thomas Hart Benton embodied the New Deal aesthetic as solidly as any painter. A public-minded artist who found high ideals in the everyday life of America, his most characteristic works were the murals he painted in public libraries and statehouses to inspire wide audiences rather than the elites he always fulminated against.

Humane Society’s Pacelle Shares ‘The Bond’
With more than 11 million supporters in the United States, the Humane Society is doing its part to ensure a hopeful future for animals by helping to connect them with loving people.

‘The Hunger Angel’ Lifts the Silence
a past writing project I interviewed about twodozen ex-POWs concerning their experiences in a Chinese-run POW camp in North Korea. When asked what topic or issue most occupied their thoughts and conversation, almost to a man they said it was not sex, not home, not politics—but food.

Present Music’s Insightful ‘Buffalo Nation’
Baritone Kurt Ollmann brought sensitive authority to his songs, even when the words were not set in the most graceful manner. The four actors (Alison Mary Forbes, Lisa Golda, Joel Kopischke, Norman Moses) had much to do in this wordy libretto, and all made the most of the material given to them, adding lively touches to the performance.

CLASSICAL MUSIC HAPPENINGS
Milwaukee’s celebrated Early Music Now closes its 25th season April 21 by teaming the award-winning voices of the Calmus Ensemble Leipzig with the recorder ensemble QNG: Quartet New Generation. A 4 p.m. lecture (and preview of next season) precedes the concert at 5 p.

PROMETHEUS TRIO PRESENTS MOZART, BABAJANIAN & SCHUMANN
Babajanian’s Trio is passionate and aggressive, giving rise to moments of lush Romanticism as well as driving rhythms inspired by Armenian folk song (a trait shared by fellow Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian, an early champion of Babajanian’s music).

Sammy Goes Solo
“I grew up in a small house with a lot of people, and at night when everyone was sleeping was the only time I had the place to myself,” says Llanas, 50, a Waukesha native. “Night also is a time of just you and your thoughts, and you can’t escape from that.

Concert Review
If Gibbard was worried about appeasing fans with this “difficult” record, then his giddy, playful stage presence helped to mask that doubt. Gibbard remained chatty through a great deal of the night, mostly with self-aware pandering about hometown sports after coincidentally name-dropping Rollie Fingers’ mustache.

The Extra Crispy Brass Band’s Hot Jazz
“In New Orleans you can see a brass band play every night of the week, and I really missed that vibe,” Cramer says. He was drawn in particular to a New Orleans music club, the Maple Leaf Bar, where a band named Rebirth Brass Band holds a residency on Tuesday nights.

CD Reviews
Not that Rev’s own songwriting hasn’t been shaped by his journey down the byways of the American experience. The slightly elegiac “When the Railroad Met Main Street” was inspired by meeting a retired trainman at one of his many nursing home performances.

ROBERT RICIGLIANO, MILWAUKEE PEACEMAKER
The problem is we’re preoccupied with fixing pieces—individual symptoms. If you’re an expert in economic development, you’d say the economy of Afghanistan is broke and needs capital to encourage entrepreneurship. Others will focus instead on relations between ethnic groups or some other problem.

CAN FOOTBALL KEEP TAKING THESE HITS?
A torrent of evidence shows that repeated full-speed collisions cause terrible long-term damage to many players’ brains, to say nothing of their bones.

Freewill Astrology
Does that seem fair? Hell, no. That’s the bad news. The good news is that this test was merely a rehearsal for a more important and inclusive exam, which is still some weeks in the future. Here’s even better news: The teachings that you will need to master before then are flowing your way, and will continue to do so in abundance.

News of the Weird
n Maureen Reed, 41, was charged with DWI in March in Lockport, N.Y., after arriving at a police station inebriated. She had gotten into an altercation with two people at the Niagara Hotel and decided to go to the police to press charges. The police station is about 200 feet from the hotel, but, instead of walking, Reed decided to drive her car there.

Sexpress
I don’t know if I’m an exception, but I have found that E.D. [erectile dysfunction] is actually a turn-on for women. As I have gotten older, E.D. has become an issue. Most of the time medication such as Viagra or Cialis has worked. But it hasn’t always..