Category Archives: Oak Creek

August 15, 2013 · 5:28 pm

South Shore Crime Update

Update: The South Milwaukee man accused of making the threats in Cudahy is identified in this story.

Rounding up some crime items from around the South Shore …

First, this item from NOW about a South Milwaukee man allegedly threatening Sikh shooting-type violence to police officers.

And NOW has published a new police blotter, including this …

About $500 worth of ice cream was stolen from a delivery truck while it was parked in the 3400 block of South Chicago Avenue between Aug. 7 and 1 p.m. Aug 9.

And this …

A 36-year-old South Milwaukee man was arrested for resisting an officer, possession of a controlled substance and possession with the intent to deliver in the 1200 block of Milwaukee Avenue about 6 p.m. Aug. 9. The man threw away two bottles of prescription pain pills, tried to run multiple times while police were taking him into custody, and was shocked with a stun gun during one escape attempt. In addition, he was arrested on a Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department warrant.

And this …

A row of bushes caught fire in front of Rawson School, 1410 Rawson Ave., about 10 a.m. Aug. 5. The fire caused a lot of smoke but was out before the South Milwaukee Fire Department arrived. The school was not damaged.

Also, County Supervisor Pat Jursik sent this to her constituents on Thursday …

I have two alerts I want to make you aware of: first, St. Francis Police Chief Brian Kaebisch has asked citizens to be aware of car break-ins along Lake Drive. The Police Department asks when you park along Lake Drive in St. Francis not to have any items left in your car that are visible such as a purse, cell phone, laptop, etc. I think it is a good rule for any car parked in public areas.

In addition, there is an alert from the Milwaukee Police Department regarding Bay View. Several women have been assaulted over the last several months in Bay View. The most recent assault happened last week. The Milwaukee Police Department is working to apprehend anyone who is responsible for the assaults.

And, in Oak Creek, there was this scary road rage incident and a couple car thefts.

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August 4, 2013 · 7:29 pm

Headlines: Oak Creek Sikh Temple Shooting, One Year Later

A sampling of stories on the first anniversary of the Sikh Temple shooting …

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July 28, 2013 · 10:06 pm

More Headlines

Check out these South Shore headlines …

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May 14, 2013 · 8:58 pm

More Details Emerge On Sikh Temple Shooter … And His South Milwaukee Connection

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the story, which quotes FBI documents as saying Wade Michael Page lived for a time in South Milwaukee. From it:

According to the FBI search warrant, Page was in a relationship with Misty Cook from April 2011 to June 2012. The document does not say how they met, but at first it was a long-distance relationship. Page, 40, and Cook, 32, traveled back and forth between Wisconsin and North Carolina from April to October 2011 to visit each other, it says.

During Cook’s trip to visit Page in May 2011, the couple visited a shooting range and Cook fired Page’s 9mm handgun, according to the warrant.

Cook cannot legally handle a firearm because of a previous conviction. After the Oak Creek shooting, police searched her South Milwaukee apartment and found a gun. No charges have been filed in state or federal court. State and federal prosecutors did not return calls for comment Monday on Cook.

Cook and Page were active participants in an online message forum for a white supremacist group and joined in dozens of the same conversations – including some well before the time that Page is thought to have moved to this area, according to research by the Anti-Defamation League and the Journal Sentinel.

The Journal Sentinel reviewed posts under the names “End Apathy” and “Luluroman” on a message board for a white supremacy group known as the “Hammerskins.” According to the league, Page frequently posted under the name End Apathy – the name of his skinhead band – and Cook used the Luluroman handle.

In October 2011, Page used the forum to promote his band. That same month, Page moved from North Carolina to live with Cook in South Milwaukee. Page was an alcoholic skinhead, Cook later told the FBI.

In January 2012, Page encouraged Cook to join “Crew 38,” a Chicago-based white power group. Toward the end of their relationship, Page became increasingly interested in conspiracy theories and videos online, according to the newly unsealed documents. The warrant does not detail what Page was looking at on the web, but it said Cook was disturbed by it.

The warrant also says Page was active on social media, having at least two Facebook pages, under the names “Wade Hammer” and “Jackboot.” …

Page and Cook split in June 2012, and he moved into an apartment in Cudahy.

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April 18, 2013 · 11:16 am

Flood Warning For Oak Creek In South Milwaukee

Update: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has more information on wastewater diversions and local road closures.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Oak Creek in South Milwaukee.

Here is the bulletin. From it:

AT  8:10 AM THURSDAY THE STAGE WAS 8.0 FEET.

* FLOOD STAGE IS 8.0 FEET.

* FORECASTS ARE NOT ISSUED FOR THIS LOCATION. THIS WARNING WILL  REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL THE RIVER FALLS BELOW FLOOD STAGE.

* IMPACT…AT 8.0 FEET…THE MAIN EFFECTS OF FLOODING AT THIS LEVEL  ARE TO LOWLAND AND WOODED LAND.

What are you seeing? Post your comments below!

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March 26, 2013 · 9:19 pm

“Severe Infestation”? Sobering News On Emerald Ash Borer’s Presence In South Milwaukee

Is emerald ash borer in South Milwaukee?

This email from Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik — sent in response to a constituent concern about trees being cut down near Oak Creek Parkway recently — essentially confirms it is.

Here is the email …

I communicated with the Milwaukee County Parks Department about the tree removal north of South Milwaukee High School.  This removal is indeed related to Emerald Ash Borer as your constituent surmised.

The forestry manager explained that the removal of the ash trees along 15th Avenue just south of Oak Creek Parkway is in response to a  severe infestation by Emerald Ash Borer near 15th Avenue, city sidewalks and park paths. The same week, Milwaukee County Parks forestry removed several mature ash trees just west of Grobschmidt pool because they were also infested and could pose a threat to the pool, and walkway.

The forestry manager believes that we will see a rapid increase in the infestation, removal and requests for removal of Ash trees in South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Franklin, and Cudahy.  Forestry staff has confirmed infestations at several County Parks locations including Oak Creek Parkway, Grobschmidt Pool, Pulaski (Cudahy), Oakwood, the Sports complex and Southwood Glen.

Jursik also reported that South Milwaukee officials, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Milwaukee County Parks administration “have been proactively working together to identify and address infested ash trees.”

So that’s the problem on county land, and what the county is doing in response. What is the city doing?

As you may recall, the South Milwaukee City Council recently voted to match grant funding from the state to perform a GPS study of trees on city property and in the right of way, as well as develop options for fighting EAB.

It’s a start. At least we’ll get a better handle on the problem — and have the information we need as a council to make a decision on an EAB action plan. From the looks of things, we can’t start soon enough.

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March 15, 2013 · 5:02 pm

What’s Up With The Van Beck’s Parcel, Anyway?

As an alderman for the district across the street from the large, vacant plot of land on the southwest corner of Nicholson and College Avenues in Oak Creek, I’ve been wondering what’s up there … especially after plans for a new postal facility were put on hold a couple of years ago.

This WISN piece gets to the bottom of it. Sort of.

It calls the postal project “a dead end” and includes comments from Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi calling for answers.

Scaffidi said the city lost out on the promised jobs and on tax revenue because the Postal Service pays no property taxes.

He wants the post office to either build on the land, which is unlikely, or sell it.

“We’re going to aggressively go after that. We will push the post office to make a decision,” Scaffidi said. “I will say that we will develop that site. Now, what that is? Developers are working on that.”

I’ll keep you posted.

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February 1, 2013 · 4:36 pm

Supervisor Jursik Update: Seven Bridges, Oak Creek Watercourse And More

Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik has published her monthly newsletter, and it includes updates on the Seven Bridges project and the Oak Creek watercourse.

Check it out here. Here is the item on the Seven Bridges …

The Parks Department is working to have the contractor rectify ravine damage during lakeside bridge reconstruction at Seven Bridges trail in Grant Park. Of course, the good news is that Seven Bridges will finally be restored come Spring of 2013.

Along with the Parks Department and engineering staff, I met with the Friends of Grant Park in January. The Friends are alarmed at the ravine damage and want to ensure the area is properly restored with native vegetation and clean soils. They have offered to assist with volunteer hours. I am in awe of wonderful groups like the Friends of Grant Park and thank them for their passion and work.

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January 16, 2013 · 11:04 am

Details Emerge In Plans For Former Delphi Site In Oak Creek … And They Include A Big Box

That is according to stories in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Oak Creek Patch.

From the Journal Sentinel story …

The 191,000-square-foot Meijer store would be on the eastern portion of the 85-acre site, which is west of S. Howell Ave. and south of W. Drexel Ave., said Jerry Franke, president of development firm Wispark LLC.

The Meijer store would occupy about one-third of the site, formerly occupied by Delphi Corp. That auto parts factory closed, and was later demolished.

The western portion of the site would have around 150,000 to 200,000 square feet of commercial space, mainly in the former of smaller stores, restaurants and other services, such as a fitness center and medical offices, Franke said Wednesday.

There also would be around 700 apartments, he said. The apartments and additional commercial space would be developed in stages over several years.

What do you think of the plan and its potential impacts on South Milwaukee? Post your comments below!

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January 7, 2013 · 5:27 pm

Armed Robbery Reported In South Milwaukee; Gun Found In Oak Creek Sikh Temple Parking Lot

Here are details from the South Milwaukee Police Department …

On the evening of January 5th, 2013, SMPD received a call of an armed robbery  in the 800 block of Lakeview Ave.  A suspect vehicle was later observed by SMPD officers, and the vehicle was stopped in the 7500 block of Howell Ave. in Oak Creek.  A foot chase with two subjects that fled the vehicle resulted in their apprehension.  A firearm believed to have been used in the robbery was later recovered in the parking lot of the Sikh Temple.  This case remains under investigation.  It is believed all suspects have been taken into custody.

Here is coverage from Oak Creek Patch. I’ll keep you posted.

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December 2, 2012 · 5:03 pm

Calling Out An Innovative Education Solution

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a great story on the Connects Learning Center, an innovative partnership between the South Milwaukee, Cudahy and Oak Creek-Franklin school districts aimed at helping struggling students.

Learn more about the charter school here. From the article:

Connects is a charter school run by multiple districts that work together to provide a cost-efficient alternative path for students.

Last year, Kazmierski and a few other students commuted to Connects from Franklin High School; others came from Cudahy, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek-Franklin school districts.

Three of those districts – Cudahy, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek-Franklin – share responsibility for running Connects and a fourth – Franklin – pays for student seats.

The districts say it’s a successful example of offering services better by acting together than by going it alone.

Students say Connects helps them accelerate their path to graduation and improve their chances of success.

“You work at your own pace,” Kazmierski explained. “You don’t have to move with 30 other kids, and if you don’t understand something you can still stay on that same topic and work with the teachers here.”

And check out my previous post on Connects here.

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November 27, 2012 · 7:29 pm

Cockroach In The Soup? Oak Creek’s Prime Table Restaurant Reportedly Closed

Ick.

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October 29, 2012 · 4:29 pm

South Milwaukee Fire Department Responds To Oak Creek Mobile Home Blaze

Here is the story from Oak Creek Patch.

The South Milwaukee Fire Department was one of a number of departments called to the fire, according to Chief Joe Knitter (who I think is the guy pictured in the red helmet).

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October 22, 2012 · 5:48 pm

Report: South Milwaukee Man Arrested In Oak Creek Bank Robbery

Oak Creek Patch has the story …

According to the Oak Creek Police Department logbook, a security guard at Caterpillar’s South Milwaukee facility reported seeing a man matching the description of the suspect talking with a Caterpillar employee.

The employee told police the suspect is his roommate. A detective then went to the suspect’s South Milwaukee apartment and arrested him.

Online court records show the man, who had not been charged as of noon Monday, has open cases in Milwaukee and Racine counties for misdemeanor retail theft. He remains in Milwaukee County Jail.

Nice job, Caterpillar security guard.

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October 4, 2012 · 9:59 pm

Summarizing Growth Plans: See What’s Happening In South Shore Economic Development

I was happy to attend Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik’s South Shore Option 2.0 Economic Development Forum last week.

It was informative and eye-opening — a great way to get up to speed on what other area South Shore communities are doing when it comes to growing their cities. And it’s a lot.

Jursik has posted all of the presentations here. Here is South Milwaukee’s.

I’d like to call particular attention to the presentation on the MKE Regional Business Park, the complex at the former 44oth Airlift Wing on East College Avenue that is just now coming on line. With its one-of-a-kind offering of vacant buildings and vacant land — as well as its prime location — it has strong potential to change the game when it comes to South Shore economic development.

See that presentation here.

And thanks to Pat for hosting this event. I am already looking forward to 2013.

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