Malfunctioning Brewers' escalator remains closed

I'm Hope Karnopp and this is the Daily Briefing newsletter by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sign up here to get it sent to your inbox each morning.

It's July, but is that a ... cold front? It'll be on the cooler side again today, with a high near 73 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms are likely to start late tonight and stretch into tomorrow, when the high will be near 80 degrees.

Malfunctioning Brewers' escalator remains closed

It was a terrifying moment at American Family Field Saturday night: a loud noise, an escalator that started accelerating, and people landing at the bottom in a pile and suffering injuries.

"I think everybody, whether you were injured or not injured, is thinking about this. It was a traumatic experience. Even if I wasn't injured, it would be something I'm thinking about," said a producer for a Chicago sports media outlet who hurt his knee in the incident.

The Brewers said Sunday that the malfunctioning escalator remains closed until a cause is identified, repairs are made and the city inspects it. Other escalators were inspected overnight and declared safe for use.

The stadium's 10 escalators, plus nine elevators and 10 wheelchair lifts, are set to get upgrades as part of long-term renovations. A report conducted in 2022 found the escalators should operate reliably for three to five more years.

There are things we still don't know, like what caused the escalator to malfunction. But here's a summary of what we do know so far.

Milwaukee airport prepares for RNC

We're now only two weeks away from Republican National Convention. And the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is preparing to make a good first impression for about 11,000 travelers a day.

Harold Mester, the airport's director of public affairs and marketing, said the RNC provided urgency for some improvements like new signage and carpeting, an upcoming Dunkin' Donuts in the D concourse and a recently opened retail shop. The airport plans to add patriotic decor.

Visit Milwaukee's Claire Koenig said that, with the recent convention center improvements and the RNC, Visit Milwaukee has already seen increases in interest for events. The airport plays a key role, she said.

"The more nonstops we have, the faster people can get there and it just makes us even more attractive," Koenig said. "What will get us to having more nonstop flights is more people flying in and out of Milwaukee and not going to Chicago."

Don't miss these

• Were you also curious why Major Goolsby's was singled out on the RNC perimeter map? Here's their security plans.
• While the lawsuit isn't over yet, an order requiring emailed absentee ballots for voters with disabilities was a win for a Shorewood advocate.
• Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave died suddenly last week. He was remembered as a leader who brought people together.
• MPS is moving to a single, districtwide calendar with a uniform start date. Here are the other start dates for suburban districts.
• Upcoming "Bachelorette" Jenn Tran attended UW-Madison and talks about her time at the Terrace and Eno Vino.
• Chelsey Lewis has an "ultimate guide" to visiting Milwaukee, including 249 parks, 14 favorite brunch spots, over 75 neighborhoods and more.

Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@gannett.com or on Twitter at @hopekarnopp.

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