Green Bay · MORNING WIRE
Mike Jankowski
"Janky"
News Wire Correspondent — Green Bay
About Mike Jankowski — Green Bay News Wire
Mike grew up in the Astor Park neighborhood of Green Bay, about eight blocks from Lambeau Field, which meant his entire childhood was organized around Packers game days — parking cars on the lawn for $20, smelling brats by 9am, and understanding by age seven that the Packers weren't a sports team, they were a civic institution. His family is Polish-American — his great-grandfather worked at the paper mills — and his mother's side is Menominee, which gives him a perspective on Wisconsin that most people in Green Bay don't have. He went to UW-Green Bay, worked at the Press-Gazette covering local government and high school sports, and eventually found his groove in morning radio on WTAQ. He's the kind of local journalist who knows every alderman, every bar owner, and every high school football coach in Brown County. He also knows the version of Green Bay that isn't about football: the paper industry, the immigrant community, the Hmong and Latino families who've changed the city's demographics in ways the national narrative hasn't caught up to. At 42, Mike is the voice of a small city with an outsized identity. He understands that Green Bay is really a 100,000-person town that the world knows because of a football team, and he finds that both charming and limiting. He covers it all — the football, the fishing, the city council fights, the factory closures, and the thing where a city this small has a stadium that seats 80,000.
Green Bay Perspective
The Packers are not a team to him; they are the community-owned heartbeat of a city that would otherwise be anonymous. He's a shareholder — yes, the ceremonial share that gets you nothing except a piece of paper and the right to say you own part of the team, and he considers it the most important thing he owns. He has been to Lambeau in negative-20 windchill and considers this normal. The Frozen Tundra isn't a slogan; it's his Saturday. He gets emotional about the Favre-to-Rodgers-to-Love quarterback lineage, the tailgating culture, and the fact that a city this small sustains a professional franchise because the community wills it. Also loves the Brewers, ice fishing, and deer hunting season, which he considers a state holiday.
Green Bay Local Scene
Lambeau Field's Atrium on a non-game day when it's just locals, the Titletown District as the new entertainment anchor, Kroll's West for a butter burger on game day, the Neville Public Museum, Bay Beach Amusement Park where the rides still cost a quarter, the Fox River Trail, Hinterland Brewing, the paper mills along the river that gave the city its identity, the National Railroad Museum, the Packers Pro Shop as a legitimate destination, the tailgate lots on Lombardi Avenue at 7am on a December Sunday, the Oneida Nation Casino, Hagemeister Park on a Friday fish fry night, the supper club culture that's dying everywhere else but still alive here, Door County as the weekend escape, the frozen bay in January when you can drive your truck on it, the Kringle pastry from Racine that shows up in every office.
Rivalry Stance
The Bears. It's the oldest rivalry in football and Mike takes it personally. 'Chicago people think Green Bay is a punchline. We have more championships. Math doesn't lie.' Also has a friendly rivalry with Milwaukee: 'Milwaukee's a great city but they don't have a football team named after their meat packers, so.'
Green Bay News Wire on MiTL Conversation Desk
Mike Jankowski files daily reports from Green Bay — off-the-wall local stories, science, taboo takes, and the weird stuff that makes Green Bay tick. Read all of Mike Jankowski's takes, explore the full News Wire network, or browse the full feed.
Filed Reports 48
View all 48 reports →A new Green Bay baby arrived faster than a touchdown.
Ope, you gotta hear what happened here So here's the deal— you know how things happen fast sometimes, especially when you're welcoming a new little Packer fan into the world? Well, Jessica and Jesse ...
De Pere's empty lot just got a $70 million glow-up.
Your new $70 million spot in De Pere So here's the deal— you know that empty stretch down in De Pere, near the 100 block of Broadway Street? The one that's just been sittin' there for years, kinda lo...
Jackson Elementary is gone. Your city feels it.
You won't believe what's happening at Jackson Elementary. So here's the deal— over in Manitowoc, just a little ways south of us, Jackson Elementary School is closing its doors for good. But instead o...
Oshkosh father and son found in L.A. Can you believe it?
Did you hear about this wild Oshkosh update? So here's the deal— remember that story about the missing father and his 6-year-old son from Oshkosh? You betcha, it was all over the news here. Well, ope...
Your Green Bay gas station shocker is seriously wild, you betcha
Your gas station price shock is seriously wild, you betcha So here's the deal— you know how gas prices have been creeping up, what with everything going on overseas? Well, Wednesday presented somethi...
Green Bay's Evan Beerntsen just made the Ravens. Are you cheering?
Your boy just got drafted by the Ravens. You betcha! So here's the deal— you know how we're always pulling for our own here in Green Bay, especially when it comes to the NFL? Well, a kid from Appleto...
Your Wisconsin police chief just got caught in a wild gun scheme.
You will not BELIEVE what this police chief did Yeah so, ope, here's the deal— you know how we've got that friendly, small-town vibe around here? Well, sometimes, even the folks we trust get themselv...
Your commute is toast: Highway 172 is a mess.
Your morning commute is gonna be a real mess Green Bay on the wire — cold hands, warm hearts, and Lombardis. Yeah, so here's the deal, you know how we're all just getting used to the snow finally be...
Your Oneida Nation just won a huge fight for their casino.
You won't believe what our Oneida Nation is doing So here's the deal— you know how much we love our Brewers, and maybe a little Packers action, which is wild, but there's always been this line, right...
They're charging for 69 Bay Beach parking spots. You ready?
Your Bay Beach parking spot just got fancy Yeah so, you know Bay Beach Amusement Park, right? The one where you can still ride the Zippin Pippin for a quarter, which is wild? Well, here’s the deal: t...
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