Filed under Headlines, South Milwaukee
Very cool! Especially for us weather nerds. From the press release …
South Milwaukee, WI – As a part of the Wisconsin Environmental Mesonet (Wisconet) Program, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the City of South Milwaukee are partnering to install a new research grade weather station at the South Milwaukee Wastewater Treatment Facility. It will be the first Wisconet weather station located in Milwaukee County.
The station will constantly collect data on weather parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, rainfall, soil moisture, leaf wetness, solar radiation, and dew point. This will enhance weather monitoring in Milwaukee County and will help influence better decisions for outdoor activities. Weather data will be publicly available to all residents in real-time through the Wisconet website, helping them stay aware of weather changes.
Filed under South Milwaukee
After-game socials at Pat’s Oak Manor are planned for August 30, September 5 and 27, and October 11. And mark your calendars for the Homcoming Parade and Bonfire on Thursday, September 26.
Go Rockets!
Filed under South Milwaukee
We have 18 stops planned for 2024! Learn more on the city website and on the Facebook event … and look for additional details on the locations in the days ahead. Invite your family and friends, and we will see you on Saturday, September 7, for this terrific (and free) event.
Filed under South Milwaukee
South Milwaukee Alderman Tim Backes has graciously volunteered to write regular updates for the blog.
You can see his latest installment here.
In this writing, Tim shares some summer highlights, thoughts on the city’s new mascot, information on major new developments, and more.
Thanks, Tim, for bringing this idea to the blog! I am always looking for content to further our mission of keeping South Milwaukeeans informed on key issues, while also providing important context and depth where possible. It is why I started this blog as an alderman in 2009, and why I continue it today.
See all of Alderman Tim’s updates here.
Filed under Alderman Tim, South Milwaukee
Terrific turnout, a resounding yes for the incumbent Milwaukee County treasurer, and a resounding no on the two consitutional amendment referendum questions …
Here are your 2024 partisan primary election results in South Milwaukee.
Thank you to the South Milwaukee City Clerk’s Office for another well-run election, and thank you to all the pollworkers who made it possible. Next up: November 5!
Filed under South Milwaukee
It’s Election Day for the August 2024 partisan primary, and there are just two contested races on the ballot — the Democratic primary for Milwaukee County treasurer and Republican primary for United States Senator.
There are also two referendum questions related to the power of the Wisconsin legislature. I will be voting “no” on both of these questions, which represent the latest partisan power grab from a Republican-controlled legislature that, soon enough due to new maps, won’t be nearly as red.
And look for local election results on the blog!
Sponsored
Filed under South Milwaukee
You may have noticed something new on South Milwaukee Blog: Advertising.
Thank you to Milwaukee County Treasurer candidate Ted Chisholm for sponsoring this website the first couple weeks of August. For his investment, he received:
So, who’s next? Businesses, nonprofits, event organizers, governments, campaigns, anyone who wants to amplify their message and promote their product, business, service, organization or event with local residents … let’s talk about how you can be a part of a website that, since 2009, has delivered more than 1.7 million page views by nearly 600,000 visitors
We will be accepting just one sponsor per month, for $500. I can also customize opportunities.
Interested in sponsoring South Milwaukee Blog? Email me at erikbrooks32@gmail.com. Learn more here.
Sponsored
Filed under South Milwaukee
From the blog’s Events page … and please email me if I missed something!
Sponsored
Filed under South Milwaukee
There is still time to book your summer concert!
We’ve made a couple changes to the South Milwaukee Music Parents Association auction to get the bidding going. Opening bid is now $250 for each of three concerts — Apollo Jazz, Jazz Combo and a performance from music teacher Aimee Swanson.
Auction link: https://www.32auctions.com/SMNashvilleTrip
Bid early and bid often. Buy it now for $1,000. All proceeds will help get South Milwaukee students to Nashville! The auction closes on Monday, August 12.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on the auction …
While money has already been raised for the trip, the group is looking to raise more funds to ensure more students who might not be able to afford the trip have an opportunity to go. “We don’t want any student to feel like ‘well I can’t go because I can’t afford it.’ So we’re a doing a lot of different fundraising things, both music parents and the kids doing their own fundraising,” Sarah Brooks said.
Swanson said at a South Milwaukee Music Parents Association meeting earlier this year that a colleague at her former school district, Lake Geneva, also played in the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra. She said her colleague asked her if she could donate voice lessons or playing the piano. She had played private concerts in the past, such as during cocktail hour at a wedding and a Christmas concert at someone’s home, that people bid on as part of silent auctions.
When asked by Erik Brooks, former South Milwaukee mayor and Sarah Brooks’ husband, if she’d be willing to play a private concert, Swanson said she would. Then the idea came up of having the Apollo Jazz or the South Milwaukee High School Jazz Combo perform outdoor concerts on porch steps, which came from a discussion about porch concerts happening during the pandemic. Swanson credited Erik Brooks for taking the ideas and bringing them together.
Erik Brooks said the idea is a continuation of momentum gained after a successful gala event called “Jazz and More” that was held in April at the Bucyrus Club in South Milwaukee that he said raised over $7,000. “For that donation, you’ll get a really special evening in your backyard or on your front porch or probably in your family room if you really wanted to. It’s an opportunity for the kids to show off what they can do and raise money for their trip to Nashville,” Erik Brooks said.
The trip to Nashville will include stops at the National Museum of African American Music, where choir students will possibly perform; the Grand Ole Opry, where the group will do an outdoor performance, take a backstage tour and watch a show; Fisk University, for a tour and choir clinic; Vanderbilt University, for a band and orchestra clinic; and Centennial Park. Fisk University is home of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which performs spirituals “originally sung by slaves prior to the Civil War,” according to the singing group’s website. The group will also get to see the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and possibly tour RCA Studio B there, tour the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, go on a walking ghost tour of Nashville, take line dancing lessons and possibly tour Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, the home of the seventh U.S. president.
Filed under South Milwaukee
The following is sponsored content, as Ted Chisholm vies to become the next Milwaukee County Treasurer. The partisan primary is August 13, and Ted is running as a Democrat in a field without a Republican candidate on the ballot. In-person absentee voting is open now. Details here.
Interested in sponsoring the blog? Learn more here.
What does the Milwaukee County Treasurer do?
The Milwaukee County Treasurer is an elected constitutional officer responsible for several core functions: managing Milwaukee County’s banking, cash flow, check issuance, and accounts receivable functions; investing Milwaukee County’s surplus funds; and collecting delinquent property taxes in 18 of Milwaukee County’s 19 municipalities, including the City of South Milwaukee. The County Treasurer leads a ten-person staff responsible for these functions.
How does the Milwaukee County Treasurer impact the City of South Milwaukee?
The County Treasurer collects late property taxes owed by City of South Milwaukee property owners who have not made their tax payments (due on January 31) by July 31. After this date, Milwaukee County makes the City whole for the outstanding tax balance. From this point forward, the outstanding balance is owed by the property owner to Milwaukee County, not to the City of South Milwaukee. This means that on one hand, the County Treasurer is in a position to help homeowners who have fallen behind on property taxes due to financial emergencies. The County Treasurer can offer assistance by offering manageable payment plans. On the other hand, the County Treasurer has the power, working with Milwaukee County’s lawyers, to take action against vacant and abandoned properties that are in tax delinquency for years, foreclosing on these properties and making them available for reuse or redevelopment.
What qualifies you to serve as County Treasurer?
I have the hands-on financial management experience to serve as an effective, engaged, and highly informed County Treasurer. I am the former Senior Administrator for Management, Finance, and Strategy in the Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court’s Office, where I managed a $42 million budget and oversaw accounting, purchasing, and contract services for a 300-employee county department. I increased annual return rates on court-invested funds and was actively involved in managing Milwaukee County’s contract for court-ordered collections, and am prepared to oversee investment and collection services in the Treasurer’s Office, as well. I was previously the chief of staff to former Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, helping lead a 700-employee law enforcement and corrections agency, and oversaw a $49 million budget process in this role.
What is your vision for the County Treasurer’s Office?
I am committed to transforming the County Treasurer’s Office into a more dependable partner for our municipalities, including the City of South Milwaukee. If elected, I will work with our municipal partners – mayors, village presidents, city council members, building inspectors, and economic development personnel – to take more decisive action on vacant and abandoned properties in tax delinquency. Rather than allow these properties (like the one at 1208/1210 Milwaukee Ave in South Milwaukee) to sit delinquent for years, I will work with local partners to create real plans for reuse and redevelopment, then take appropriate foreclosure action to restore these properties to the tax base. Conversely, I will do everything in my power to intervene early when residential homeowners and small business owners fall behind on property taxes, offering manageable payment plans that prevent the risk of sustained delinquency and foreclosure. I also plan to modernize the office, improve its customer service, and establish a regional service model that assigns dedicated support staff in the office to meet the needs of taxpayers and municipal partners in each geographic region served by the Treasurer’s Office.
When is the election for County Treasurer?
This year, only two candidates are on the ballot for Milwaukee County Treasurer and we are both running in the August 13 Democratic primary. This election will decide which candidate will advance to the November general election. I hope to earn yours and your readers’ vote on or before August 13th.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Details on the South Milwaukee Police Department Facebook page.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Early voting is now open for the August 13 partisan primary election, and there are just two contested races on the ballot — the Democratic primary for Milwaukee County treasurer and Republican primary for United States Senator.
There are also two referendum questions related to the power of the Wisconsin legislature. I will be voting “no” on both of these questions, which represent the latest partisan power grab from a Republican-controlled legislature that, soon enough due to new maps, won’t be nearly as red.
Check out the following from the city’s website …
Filed under South Milwaukee
South Milwaukee Blog 