It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.

1. Registration opens for MPS Drive: Tuesday, Dec. 6

Young people wanting to learn how to drive can register for MPS Drive, an affordable driver’s education option that costs $35. Students living in the City of Milwaukee (both MPS and non-MPS students) are eligible to register for winter/spring classes beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Youths need to be 15 years old or older by the first day of class and 17.5 years old or younger by the last day of class to be eligible.

2. Personal stories on the theme “language”: Tuesday, Dec. 6

Ex Fabula, a storytelling nonprofit that organizes “StorySlams” as a way of sharing true personal stories on a theme in order to build community, is holding a StorySlam on the theme “language.” These can be stories about slang, colloquialisms, code-switching, learning and forgetting languages and more. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and stories begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at Garfield’s 502, located at 502 W. Garfield Ave. Tickets are $10 in advance; $12 at the door.

3. Vision board party to accomplish 2023 goals: Wednesday, Dec. 7

Do you have goals for 2023? At this vision board party hosted by C&B Creative, you’ll be encouraged to map out those goals and what it will take to accomplish them and network with others who may be able to help you on your journey. The entire event, including vision board session and social mixer, takes place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at The BRIC, located at 2741 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Tickets to the vision board session are $10; tickets to the vision board session and social mixer are $25.

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4. The future of affordable transportation to work in the suburbs: Wednesday, Dec. 7

FlexRide Milwaukee is a service that provides affordable transportation for city residents to work in the suburbs. It is expanding in 2023, and MobiliSE and Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission want to know how it can best serve Milwaukee residents as it expands. This free conversation runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Café el Sol, located inside Latino Arts Inc. at 1028 S. 9th St.  In case you missed it: FlexRide Milwaukee working to address transportation barriers

5. Free headshots from a professional photographer: Thursday, Dec. 8

Get an updated professional headshot going into 2023 from photographer Brianna Griepentrog from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8 at Sherman Phoenix, located at 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave.

BONUS: Chat with Bader: Tuesday, Dec. 6

Bader Philanthropies provides grants to local organizations working in the sectors of employment, social equality, the arts and more. You can attend breakfast and talk with representatives about their funding priorities and share information about work you think deserves to be funded from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 3300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

BONUS 2: Support our annual fund-raising campaign: through Dec. 31

For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion. 

As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.

While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.