Category Archives: Community

by | February 4, 2014 · 4:08 pm

Seeing Red At Friday’s South Milwaukee Basketball Games

Just got this from Darla Wack … good times for a good cause.

The South Milwaukee and Whitnall School Districts proudly announce RED OUT on Friday, February 7th. RED OUT is an annual local and national fundraising event sponsored by the American Heart Association and American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 

 Join us at SMHS Jerry Sullivan Gymnasium this Friday, February 7th at the Girls or at Whitnall for Boys Varsity Basketball Games at 7:30 p.m.  There will be cool t-shirt sales, an opportunity to win Free Milwaukee Buck’s Tickets, an autographed Caron Butler basketball give-a-way and many other fantastic events.  Please help support Heart Awareness locally.  Questions feel free to contact Team Leader/Physical Education Teacher, Darla Wack, 414-766-5241 or dwack@sdsm.k12.wi.us

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by | February 3, 2014 · 3:17 pm

Sen. Larson Hosting Town Hall Wednesday In South Milwaukee

State Sen. Chris Larson is hosting a town hall event on Wednesday at the South Milwaukee Public Library, 1907 10th Ave. Hours are 5 to 7 p.m.

From Larson’s office …

I will be hosting a number of town halls during February 2014. Attending these listening sessions is a great opportunity to talk to me about issues facing our community and state, or to listen to the concerns and thoughts of our neighbors.

The information for these events is listed below. I also advertise these by posting on my Web site, Facebook, Twitter, via neighborhood groups, with media alerts, and through direct emails.

Please do not hesitate to contact my office for additional information.

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by | January 25, 2014 · 10:32 pm

Giving Blood With The Lions

The South Milwaukee Lions do so much good for our community, and I’m proud to be a member.

One of their initiatives: blood drives. Mark your calendars three upcoming drives. Dates are …

  • February 19
  • April 30
  • October 15

The February 19 drive will be held from 2 to 6p.m. at Knights of Columbus, 732 Badger Ave. More details, including how to schedule an appointment, can be found on the South Milwaukee Lions page. Walk-ins are welcome.

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by | January 22, 2014 · 10:51 pm

Peanut Butter For A Cause

Update: All donations are due March 4, and you can drop them off at City Hall, the Health Department or Fire Department.

From the South Milwaukee Fire Department …

Once again, all Milwaukee County fire departments have partnered with the Hunger Task Force to collect jars of peanut butter for the less fortunate.  We are collecting it at the South Milwaukee fire station and all donations received here will be taken to Human Concerns for local distribution.  Walgreens has officially joined the effort this year, as well, so you will probably see SMFD firefighters collecting donations at their store like we did last year. If you know someone in local industry or at the schools that would like to start a collection, please feel free to contact them or give us a call and we will !!!

Stop by the station to drop off your donation or, if a department wants to stockpile their own donations, give us a call and we can have someone stop over and pick them up.  Thanks, in advance, for your efforts !!!

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by | January 21, 2014 · 10:34 am

South Milwaukee Tradition: Trinity Lutheran Church’s Annual Meatball Supper Set for Friday

Here is the press release I worked up for my church … hope to see you there, and spread the word!

Nothing warms you up better than Scandinavian meatballs and lefse.

That’s why we’re happy to announce the Trinity Lutheran Church Meatball Supper returns this Friday, January 24, with some great homemade food and fellowship.

The event runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at Trinity, 2507 5th Ave. in South Milwaukee.

On the menu are those terrific meatballs and gravy, parsley-buttered potatoes, corn, coleslaw, lefse and rolls, and the best homemade desserts around.

Cost is $10 for those age 11 and up. It’s $6 for those 6 to 10, and those 5 and under are free. All take-out orders cost $9.

Learn more about the event, and Trinity Lutheran Church, at its website: www.tlcsm.org. And we’ll see you for this unique celebration of food and friends. And meatballs.

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by | January 20, 2014 · 11:02 pm

Papa Luigi’s II: 4-6 More Weeks

So says the restaurant’s Facebook page …

Be sure to visit Sal’s Cudahy location, and let’s support him when he reopens following the water damage sustained earlier this month.

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by | January 16, 2014 · 9:58 pm

Little League Registration Opens Soon

The South Milwaukee Little League is one of the things that makes this community special. As the proud parents of a soon-to-be AAA player next year — AA All-Star in 2013! — my wife and I continue to be impressed with the organization and what they do.

And our son, Christian, loves it.

Well, registration for 2014 is coming up soon. Here are details from Little League …

We are having On-Site Registration on January 30th, 2014 at South Milwaukee Little League Park from 6:00 – 8:30. January 30th, 2014 is the last day for the Early registration.

  • Pay by credit card $75.00 (Rookie $50)
  • Pay by Check/Cash $100.00 (Rookie $50)
  • After January 30th the Registration Fee is $110 (Rookie $50)

In an effort to accommodate for Little Leaguers to play with their classmates, and ease the burden on parents and guardians, Little League has amended its residency requirements to allow children to play in the local league whose boundaries where they attend school is located.

And here are the tryout dates …

February 1st, 2014 and February 22nd, 2014

Softball

  • 12:00pm – 12:30pm Jr./Sr. Softball (13-16 Year Olds)
  • 12:30pm – 1:15pm Major Softball (10-12 Year Olds)
  • 1:15pm – 2:00pm Minor Softball (7-10 Year Olds)

Baseball

  • 2:00pm – 3:30pm AA Baseball (6-8 Year Olds)
  • 3:30pm – 5:00pm AAA Baseball (9-10 Year Olds)
  • 5:00pm – 6:00pm Intermediate Baseball (11-13 Year Olds)

Rookie League Players (5-6 Year olds) do not need to tryout. All other level players need to show up for tryouts. Returning players from Major Softball and Intermediate Baseball DON’T need to show up for tryouts.

You only need to show up at one of the days for tryouts.

Learn more at the SMLL website.

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by | January 15, 2014 · 8:48 am

Information Meeting Set On South Milwaukee Lakeshore Park Plan

Update: Here are the concepts that will be shown.

One of the public works projects I’m most excited about in South Milwaukee is development of the 18 acres of lakefront land along 5th Avenue near Marina Road.

It’s truly a blank canvas — property easily accessible to the lake in a community that rarely has tracts of land this size come open.

So, what to do with this land? That’s the subject of a public information meeting scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 28, at South Milwaukee City Hall.

At the meeting, you can get a peek at some early concepts for the site and be able to ask questions of the city engineer and others.

The meeting — presented more as an open house — is part of the consultant study of this property, funded by a matching grant we received in 2013. My previous post has more information, and here is the notice sent to area residents.

I hope to see you there. Join the discussion about this potential community asset.

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by | January 5, 2014 · 1:01 pm

UW Badger Band Coming To South Milwaukee PAC On Feb. 15

Here are the details … on Wisconsin!

Tickets Now on Sale for UW Band Concert February 15

Come see the UW Band perform half-time shows from Camp Randall  as well as their legendary 5th quarter.  The show is February 15 at 2:00 p.m. at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, 901 15th Avenue. 

Proceeds from this event with help support the South Milwaukee Marching Band and Color Guard Boosters.

An additional 50/50 raffle will be held to support the Sharon Awe Scholarship fund at the event.

Tickets are: $15 General Public / $12 Seniors (60 & over) / $10 Students.  Handicapped seating available, notify ticket agent of special requests.   All seats are sold as reserved tickets.

Tickets can be purchased over the phone by calling 414-766-5049 or in person at SMPAC box office (high school door #7).  The SMPAC accepts cash, check, MasterCard, and VISA.  Additional fees added only when purchased online.  The SMPAC Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 – 4:00 p.m.

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by | January 2, 2014 · 10:00 pm

Cullen Fundraiser Set For Saturday

It’s been a few months since South Milwaukee lost Jim Cullen, a former Milwaukee newsman who touched countless lives.

His memory will be celebrated on Saturday, January 4, with an event at Pat’s Oak Manor, 1804 15th Ave., starting at 3 p.m. Food and drink will be served, and a silent auction is planned. Cover is $5.

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by | January 1, 2014 · 5:04 pm

Dashing Into A Freezing Lake Michigan

The 2014 Polar Bear Dash is in the books, with more than 250 runners competing in a 5K run through Grant Park, followed by a plunge into a 36-degree Lake Michigan. About 50 actually took the plunge at the end — under the watchful eye of the South Milwaukee Fire Department, of course.

Here are more details on event. And thanks to South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter for the image.

Did you take part? How was it?
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by | December 31, 2013 · 10:28 pm

Looking Back At 2013: A Year In Blogging

Happy new year to all of my readers!

It’s an exciting time to be in South Milwaukee, and I’m hoping to drive even more positive change as mayor starting in April. Mark your calendars for April 1 (and February 18, if there is a primary).

Here’s a recap of the top local stories from 2013, ranked by number of page views …

  1. Trick Or Treating Set For Halloween Again — And Hopefully For Years Ahead
  2. South Milwaukee Walmart To Open April 10
  3. Wanted For Questioning
  4. Celebrate Our City: South Milwaukee Heritage Days Schedule
  5. Is Halloween Trick-Or-Treating A Trick Or Treat?
  6. Strike Looming At South Milwaukee Caterpillar Plant?
  7. Welcome To South Milwaukee, Max A. Sass & Sons
  8. Walmart Opens Wednesday
  9. Dollars And Sense: More Context On Tuesday’s Republican Primaries
  10. Farewell, Dunham’s

For the year, the blog attracted more than 115,000 views, as the blog continues to grow every year. Since I launched this in 2009, we’re at just shy of 280,000 views. Pretty amazing.

That said, I know I couldn’t do this without you. So thanks for reading … and please keep doing so in 2014.

Tell your family, friends and neighbors. And happy new year!

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by | December 31, 2013 · 2:47 pm

Slamka, Former South Milwaukee Police Chief, Passes Away At Age Of 70

Sad news. Erick Slamka, South Milwaukee police chief from 1988 to 1997, passed away on Saturday at the age of 70 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s.

Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, at Molthen-Bell & Son Funeral Home in South Milwaukee. Services follow at 1.

Here is the obituary. From it …

Erick was born July 16, 1943 and lived in South Milwaukee all his life. He graduated from South Milwaukee Senior High in 1961 and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice in 1975 from UW Milwaukee. He was hired as a Patrolman for the South Milwaukee Police Department in October of 1964. Erick served his country during the Vietnam War with the Army 630th Military Police Co. from 1965-1967. After serving in Vietnam, he returned to the police force where he rose through the ranks, as Sergeant, Lieutenant, Inspector and ultimately appointed as Chief of Police in January of 1988. Erick retired from the South Milwaukee Police Department in June of 1997 after 33 years of service. Following a brief retirement he became the First Executive Director of the Milwaukee High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, HIDTA, where he served for 10 years before finally retiring in 2008. Erick was involved in many Community and Law Enforcement organizations. He was an avid boater, golfer, loved cars, motorcycles, his dogs and the view of Lake Michigan from his home.

Please keep the Slamka family — and all who knew Erick — in your thoughts and prayers.

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by | December 24, 2013 · 11:08 pm

Merry Christmas, South Milwaukee

I hope the holiday finds you with family and friends … and with some of the same magic I see in the eyes of my son and daughter. This is a special time, and I vow to cherish every minute of it.

So I’ll be taking a few days off from blogging, barring a major breaking news event.

In the meantime, thanks for your continued support of this blog. And if you haven’t checked out my mayoral campaign site, or liked my mayoral Facebook page, please do. And tell your family, friends and neighbors.

Merry Christmas!

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by | December 22, 2013 · 2:33 pm

Thanks, Officer Olson

Good luck, Mick Olson.

The South Milwaukee police officer is retiring after 31 years on the force.

He was recognized at a surprise ceremony on Thursday — which included this video produced by his son. Check it out.

Please join me in wishing Officer Olson well in retirement, and thanking him for his service. He’s touched a lot of lives.

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