Today’s TMJ4 was in South Milwaukee recently for its Speedbusters segment, monitoring traffic near 15th and Marquette Avenues.
Check out the report, including video, here.
And check out these other headlines of note:
Filed under Headlines
The South Milwaukee George Webb restaurant is reportedly one of six that will be renamed Griddlers Cafe after the restaurants defected from the franchise organization.
The change takes place Thursday.
Check out the blog posting from Doris Hajewski here. And here is the Business Journal story. From the latter:
Don and Robb Hensiak are changing their five George Webb restaurants in southern Milwaukee County to Griddlers Cafes starting Thursday, the release said. Another former Webb franchisee, Diane Neavins, is changing her Menomonee Falls restaurant to a Griddlers Cafe under a licensing agreement with the Hensiaks.
Griddlers will serve breakfast, burgers, deli-style and grilled sandwiches and homemade soups and chili 24 hours a day, the release said.
The change will give the owners more freedom to be creative, said Don Hensiak. For example, a new menu item is the “jalapeno hangover burger,” a bacon double cheeseburger with jalapenos and an egg. The owners have increased the size of the hamburger patties and switched to a different bun.
“Everything that we look at on the menu, we’re trying to make a little tweak or a little better or at least match the quality of Webb’s,” he said.
The South Milwaukee George Webb is located at 211 Chicago Ave.
Filed under Local Business
Being Nau is unfortunately no longer, um, being. At least in South Milwaukee.
Brian Nau and his family are headed to Park City, Utah, for a great opportunity working with renowned photographer Michael Fatali. That means his art gallery, opened just a few months ago on Milwaukee Avenue, is closing.
I wish Brian the best, and we’ll miss him and his energy and passion for downtown revitalization. As fellow local blogger Jerrianne Hayslett noted this week …
We are sorry to lose these energetic, enterprising and talented South Milwaukee neighbors and the promise their gallery bringing art, music and poetry held for our city. But we are happy and excited about the opportunity and adventure they are about to embark on.
However, as Brian leaves downtown, another new business appears close to joining us: Schroeter’s Bakeshop, a gluten-free bakery that will occupy the former Chevy’s space at 1309 Milwaukee Ave. With Wild Flour ceasing its local retail operations earlier this summer, there is absolutely a niche to fill there, and I look forward to giving Schroeter’s a try.
Also, Frank’s Snack Shack opened recently next to Being Nau. And across the street are two businesses new to downtown in the past year or so: Beyond the Tutu and the Animal Hospital of South Milwaukee (subject of this great bit of feedback from one customer recently).
So, lots of turnover. While that’s not always great news — I’d love to have more stability in our city center — it is nice to know that downtown South Milwaukee is appealing to small business owners. I hope that continues.
There are still far too many vacant storefronts downtown.
Filed under Local Business
Update: And here is the police report from South Milwaukee NOW.
Oak Creek Patch has a story about how Oak Creek police eventually caught two men suspected in a robbery over the weekend in South Milwaukee’s 4th District.
Check it out here.
Also, I got this email from the South Milwaukee Police Department over the weekend, in case you were wondering why Flight for Life was in South Milwaukee on Saturday …
On August 27th 20011 at 659 pm South Milwaukee Police Officers were dispatched to [Manitoba Avenue] in response to a report of a male subject who had shot himself in the head. Officers arrived and did locate a [redacted] male subject with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. This person was transported to Froedert Hospital by Flight For Life at 803 pm.
I took out the complete address and a few other details to protect the man’s privacy.
Filed under Crime
State Sen. Chris Larson, who represents South Milwaukee, has introduced a bill that would restore $26 million to the state budget to fund local recycling programs.
Click here to learn more about the Recycling Funding Restoration Act.
As I’ve written about, the 2012 state budget does South Milwaukee and numerous other communities no favors when it comes to recycling, as it cuts funding for these programs while at the same time keeping the state recycling requirements in place.
In other words, it’s yet another unfunded (or not adequately funded) mandate from the state that we have to deal with on the local level — at a time when we’re already seeing shared revenue and other funding cuts.
Restoring this funding, such as recycling itself, is the right thing to do, and we must find a way to fund these programs. I hope the state steps up and does its part.
Filed under State Budget
One thing I love about South Milwaukee is its varied and distinctive, yet affordable, housing stock.
There really is something for everyone out there — and that’s a huge positive for our city, one I think we should embrace and promote to potential new residents and businesses. With that in mind, I thought I’d unveil a new South Milwaukee Blog feature: “What’s For Sale?”
It’s simply this … sharing on occasion links to some South Milwaukee homes on the market found on local real estate websites. The goal? Shine the light on our available housing stock and inform existing homeowners about “what’s out there.”
Plus, I just think this is interesting information. I hope you agree.
I’ll start this week with these five homes listed by Nicholson Realty:
Filed under What's For Sale
Check out these headlines from around the South Shore:
In sports news, the South Milwaukee football team moved to 2-0 with a 57-19 win over St. Francis. Mat Tyge had 255 yards rushing and four touchdowns, according to this report from the Journal Sentinel. Next up is New Berlin West on Friday in South Milwaukee.
Also, State Sen. Chris Larson has published a new Larson Report, with a focus on job growth (or the lack thereof) under Gov. Scott Walker. Check it out here.
Filed under Headlines
Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik is teaming with South Shore officials to host an economic development forum on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Cudahy Family Library.
Hours are 6 to 8 p.m.
The event is being called “a unique, one-stop forum for constituents and the development community to hear from economic development staff and the Community Development Authorities of each city regarding the economic development plans taking place throughout the South Shore.”
According to the press release:
Jursik will provide updates on the Hoan Bridge, 794 Lake Parkway extension planning, lakefront development and College Avenue repair. The Aerotropolis concept will also be explained. Additionally, each city will staff booths displaying aerial maps, mock-ups, elevations and planning materials of current or planned projects for public viewing and inquiries in an open-house setting.
I hope to see you there!
Filed under Local Business, Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik has an update on the repair of Grant Park’s Seven Bridges in her most recent eNews newsletter …
Restoring Grant Park’s Seven Bridges Bridge repair funding was secured in May with a capital fund transfer (providing the matching funds to satisfy the FEMA funding requirements).
The Parks Department hopes to complete repair of the small bridge in August. The larger bridge may undergo a formal bidding process with construction anticipated in September.
Check out Pat’s complete August newsletter here.
Filed under Milwaukee County
Oak Creek Patch has an interesting story about what the propsed extension of the U.S. Postal Service’s memorandum of understanding with Oak Creek could mean for the proposed mail sorting facility at Pennsylvania and College Avenues.
Check it out here. From it:
An extension for the United States Postal Service to construct a mail-processing center at College and Pennsylvania would not be the only thing that a proposed memorandum of understanding would accomplish.
It would also open up the possibility of a different development altogether on those empty 64 acres, City Attorney Larry Haskin said.
Oak Creek officials like that aspect of the proposed agreement because, unlike the 800,000-square-foot mail processing facility, a private development would generate property tax revenue.
However, it would only happen should the USPS decide not to move forward with its plan to build an 800,000-square-foot mail-processing center, Haskin said.
I’ll keep you posted on what the Oak Creek Council does here — and I’ll do my best to make sure the voice of the 4th District is heard in the debate. I’ll also let you know of any upcoming public hearings on this.
I’d also like to hear your comments on this. Post them below!
Filed under Construction
Update: Here is the Journal Sentinel story on the event.
I stopped by the first of two listening sessions Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is holding about the proposed county budget Wednesday night, and I’m glad I did.
It was a great reminder for me — and for Abele, I hope — that cuts in services, such as those being proposed at the county level, have real impacts on real people. Literally dozens of those stories surfaced in the meeting at the Kelly Senior Center in Cudahy.
Elderly concerned about cuts to senior centers. Mentally ill worried about cuts to county-funded mental health care. Disabled worried about cuts to paratransit. Commuters worried about cuts to Milwaukee County Transit Service bus service (as I wrote about the other day).
One by one, residents from around the area showed Abele, showed everyone there really, how government budgets are more than abstractions, more than numbers on a spreadsheet, more than line items, more than dollars and cents.
They fund vital services that, when threatened, force people to take notice.
It was a good lesson for me as we head into what is sure to be a tough 2012 budget process for the city. And I’m sure it was a good lesson for Abele, who is faced with having to make some painful cuts that will surely be felt across the county.
I hope he and the County Board choose wisely … and spare South Milwaukee and South Milwaukeeans some of the greatest pain. It won’t be easy.
I promise to help your voices be heard during the debate — starting with this blog. I urge you to speak out as well.
Elected officials need to hear your stories. Like those told Wednesday.
Filed under Milwaukee County
Former Democratic South Milwaukee State Sen. Jeff Plale has been named the state’s railroad commissioner — his second job under Gov. Scott Walker since being defeated in his re-election bid last fall.
Here is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story. From it:
Plale as a senator from South Milwaukee took positions with Republicans on issues last year such as rejecting union labor contracts and opposing failed legislation to fight climate change. He will make $90,000 a year in the railroad commissioner job.
“As commissioner of railroads, I will improve rail infrastructure and safety,” Plale said in a statement. “I understand the importance of a comprehensive transportation infrastructure and the profound impact that rail has on commerce and job creation.”
Plale has been serving as facilities administrator in the Walker administration — a role he had come under some scrutiny for due to the timing of the appointment, which came shortly after he broke with party ranks to vote against the legislation mentioned above.
I had raised similar questions.
I wish him well in his new position, and I think Jeff’s qualified for it given his experience in dealing with transportation issues while in Madison. I also like Jeff and think he was a good legislator and strong voice for South Milwaukee — and we agreed on many issues (even on his vote against the state union contracts).
Anyway, here is the press release. And check out these other headlines of interest from around South Milwaukee and the South Shore:
Filed under Headlines
So, the South Milwaukee Walmart isn’t dead yet.
The Plan Commission will hear an update on the proposed development at its meeting tonight, and the Journal Sentinel is reporting that talks to acquire part of the property necessary for the project are back on.
Check out the Journal Sentinel story here. Here is the meeting agenda, which also includes an item on dividing the Divine Mercy property on College Avenue into two lots.
I’m wondering — do you support the Walmart project on North Chicago Avenue? Vote in the poll on the right-hand side of this page.
I’ve asked this question before, but I think it’s time for another temperature check.
Filed under Local Business
Significant reductions in Route 15 and the end of the South Shore Flyer are just two of the changes contained in the proposed 2012 Milwaukee County Transit System budget – a document that includes what some are calling the biggest single-year cut in transit service in the 150-year history of the system.
Looking at the proposed changes, I can’t disagree.
Here is what’s being proposed …
For starters, the proposed budget calls for the elimination of all Freeway Flyer routes, including the No. 48 South Shore Flyer, which passes through South Milwaukee and Cudahy.
Additionally, South Milwaukee would no longer be served by Route 15 as part of a significant, and complicated, “restructuring.” Among the details:
Find out more details about the proposed Route 15/51 changes here. And learn more about all of the proposed cuts from this press release from Transit Now, which also includes links to an informative one-pager on the proposed cuts.
A detailed summary of the proposed MCTS budget can be found on its website.
Also, you can learn about the proposed cuts (and other budget issues) at two Milwaukee County budget listening sessions coming up this week. Both are from 5 to 7 p.m.
I hope you can attend and share a strong voice in favor of saving our city’s bus service.
Our transit system, once recognized as the best in the country, is now careening toward irrelevance. And we’re watching it happen, as the death spiral of increased fares and service cuts continues.
Of course, it’s more personal this time. These changes threaten to completely cut off residents of large parts of our city from jobs, retail centers, schools and other destinations. And it threatens local employers who rely on their workers having adequate bus service to get to their jobs. In that way, this is an economic development issue.
I firmly believe that this proposed level of transit service would instantly make South Milwaukee less competitive. That’s something we should all be concerned about — whether you ride the bus or not.
Filed under Transportation
Check out these headlines from around the South Shore:
Filed under Headlines
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