Author

Isiah Holmes is a journalist and videographer, and a lifelong resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Holmes' video work dates back to his high school days at Wauwatosa East High, when he made a documentary about the local police department. Since then, his writing has been featured in Urban Milwaukee, Isthmus, Milwaukee Stories, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Services, Pontiac Tribune, the Progressive Magazine, Al Jazeera, and other outlets. He was also featured in the 2018 documentary The Chase Key, and was the recipient of the Sierra Club Great Waters Group 2021 Environmental Hero of the Year award. The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council also awarded Holmes its 2021-2022 Media Openness Award for using the open records laws for investigative journalism. Holmes was also a finalist in the 2021 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards alongside the rest of the Wisconsin Examiner's staff. The Silver, or second place, award for Best Online Coverage of News was awarded to Holmes and his colleague Henry Redman for an investigative series into how police responded to the civil unrest and protests in Kenosha during 2020. Holmes was also awarded the Press Club's Silver (second-place) award for Public Service Journalism for articles focusing on police surveillance in Wisconsin.
Nitrate groundwater contamination widespread in De Pere
By: Isiah Holmes - October 28, 2022
Groundwater pollution in several parts of Assembly District 2 have reached unsafe levels, according to data collected in Brown and Mantiwoc counties. Wells around Greenlake, Cooperstown, Maribel, and north of Kellnersville and Francis Creek have all tested for high levels of nitrate. Nitrate is the state’s most common groundwater contaminant. Drinking water with high levels […]
Examining the power of Latino voters
By: Isiah Holmes - October 27, 2022
The power Latino voters could demonstrate in the Nov. 8 midterm elections was the topic of a panel discussion at a Milwaukee Press Club on Wednesday. But the subject is a complex. Increasing economic prosperity, immigration reform and access to education are issues that continue to motivate Latino communities in Milwaukee. Yet there’s also what […]
George Floyd mural in Milwaukee vandalized
By: Isiah Holmes - October 27, 2022
A mural of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked nationwide protests in 2020, was vandalized sometime before Tuesday in Milwaukee. The mural was created by a collective of artists during the summer of protest which followed Floyd’s death in late May 2020. The vandalism came after news broke regarding the […]
Taking the temperature of Milwaukee voters
By: Isiah Holmes - October 25, 2022
“I think what’s at the top of people’s minds are things like housing and good jobs,” Angela Lang, executive director of Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC) in Milwaukee told Wisconsin Examiner. BLOC operates largely on Milwaukee’s predominately African American North Side, where 65 volunteers have been knocking on doors five to six days a week. […]
Dead bird with images of Mandela Barnes left outside Kenosha NAACP president’s home
By: Isiah Holmes - October 25, 2022
For Anthony Davis, president of Kenosha’s chapter of the NAACP, the weekend brought more than just warm October weather. On Saturday morning as he ate breakfast, Davis heard a package arrive at the front door. He found a dead bird lying on top of campaign literature for Sen. Ron Johnson. One side showed Johnson and […]
Community groups denounce Michels Corp.
By: Isiah Holmes - October 21, 2022
Black and Latino community organizations joined labor allies in Milwaukee Thursday, denouncing what they say are discriminatory hiring practices by Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels. Protesters gathered in front of the R1VER Michels Suites building to make sure their point was made loud and clear. The rally was organized after the Madison Times reported […]
Michels proposes breaking up DNR, prioritizes businesses and hunters
By: Isiah Holmes - October 19, 2022
Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels set his sights on the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Tuesday, suggesting the agency should be broken up to better serve what he sees as the agency’s customers: businesses and hunters. “It’s not my opinion that the DNR is broken,” Michels said in a talk to members of the […]
Will November’s election show the hidden potential of young voters?
By: Isiah Holmes - October 13, 2022
With the November election just weeks away, communities are working to ensure that neighbors, friends, and loved ones are ready when the polls open. Milwaukee youth are not only working to prepare city residents to navigate the voting process, they also represent a powerful voting block all their own — something that members of Leaders […]
Elmbrook Schools to review policy on censored books
By: Isiah Holmes - October 12, 2022
On Wednesday, Oct. 12, an Elmbrook School Board committee is set to review a policy scrutinizing students’ access to certain books. The policy — Practice Statement 6163.1 regarding Instructional Resources for Students Libraries — is part of an effort that has spread to school districts across Wisconsin. That effort is guided by a list of […]
Wauwatosa protester list, open records Dropbox restricted by court order
By: Isiah Holmes - October 12, 2022
Wauwatosa police have been barred by a federal court order from sharing a list of protesters compiled during demonstrations in October 2020. Both the protester list, which the Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD) created to monitor Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020, and a Dropbox that the department used to release unredacted documents and videos to […]
PFAS and PFOS advisories issued for fish in Castle Rock Lake, Lake Mohawksin
By: Isiah Holmes - October 12, 2022
State environmental and health officials have announced a new consumption advisory for several fish species in Castle Rock Lake and Lake Mohawksin because of potential contamination from PFAS and related chemicals. Both lakes are segments of the Wisconsin River. Elevated levels of PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were detected in several […]
Republican candidates Michels and Toney join victims to campaign on parole issue
By: Isiah Holmes - October 10, 2022
“June 3, 1997 was probably the worst day of my life,” Karen Kannenberg said at a Friday press conference hosted by the Milwaukee Police Association. In a voice heavy with emotion, Kannenberg recalled the day she learned that her sister Johanna Balsewicz had been murdered by Balsewicz’s husband Douglas. “I was supposed to take her […]