Steve Jagler, for BizTimes Media

In Frank Capra's, "It's a Wonderful Life," the main character of the movie is named George Bailey, and the setting is a Christmas snowstorm in the fictional town of Bedford Falls.

Bill Cannon, the attorney representing the mother of the 15-year-old boy who was killed by a crumbling slab of concrete at O'Donnell Park on June 24, probably does not need much additional assistance to make his case about Milwaukee County's liability for the tragedy.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has released its first round of funding to develop high-speed rail in the United States, including funds to jumpstart the line between Milwaukee and Madison.

After meeting with executives from several Wisconsin companies in recent weeks, U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold is proposing an extension and an expansion of the HIRE Act, a jobs bill that was approved by Congress in March.

The drumbeat of negative news headlines and frightening economic data stemming from the Great Recession no doubt has taken a toll on our collective psyche over the past couple of years.

Over the past five years, the keynote speakers at the CEO Strategies Breakfast to kick off the BizTech Conference & Expo have been stellar. They've ranged from Renee Mauborgne, author of "Blue Ocean Strategies," to Joe Pine, author of "Authenticity" and Marilyn Carlson Nelson, author of "How We Lead Matters."

BizTimes Milwaukee announces the winners of the 2010 IQ (Innovation Quotient) Awards.

BizTimes Milwaukee announces the winners of the 2010 Bravo! Entrepreneur Awards.

Even if Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen gains authorization to join 13 other states in filing a lawsuit against the federal health care reform plan, the suit stands little chance of holding up in court, according to a top constitutional law scholar at Marquette University.

Stephen Marcus, chairman of The Marcus Corp., will be the recipient of the 2010 BizTimes Bravo! Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award.

Wisconsin contributors doled out a record $1.53 million in 2009 to political special interest groups that create negative advertising, mailings and other outside electioneering activities, according to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

BizTimes Media LLC and WisPolitics.com have launched MKEpolitics, a new weekly e-newsletter devoted to providing news and insights about the Milwaukee political scene.