Mark your calendars for April 17!
Category Archives: South Milwaukee
South Milwaukee Leos Offer Free Community Movie Night: “Hop”
Mark your calendars for April 17!
Filed under Community, South Milwaukee
Shooting Ruled A Homicide
Update: There is coverage from WISN, Fox 6 and TMJ4.
South Milwaukee Police have ruled last Thursday’s shooting a homicide, the city’s first in five years.
From the department …
On March 26, 2015, at approximately 6:31am the South Milwaukee Police Department received a 911 call from 2504 Lake Shore Blvd regarding an accidental shooting which had just taken place. Officers responded to the residence and located a victim who had been shot inside the residence. Life saving measures were attempted, but were unsuccessful. Subsequent investigation revealed that a deceased female was the victim of a homicide. The victim has been identified as 68yr old South Milwaukee resident Scheherazade Mae Chadwick. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone having information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the South Milwaukee Police Department.
Reiterating, if you can help with this case, please contact the SMPD at 414-768-8060.
Filed under Crime, South Milwaukee
Celebrate Earth Day 2015
A quick peek at what’s coming up on Saturday, April 25 … mark your calendars as we look to make this event bigger and better than ever!
Volunteers needed, of course. So start organizing your groups now. There’s plenty to do.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Introducing … The South Milwaukee Food Truck Festival!
Another cool new event for our city … and it’s coming up quickly.
The area’s top food trucks are planning a stop in downtown South Milwaukee.
I’m excited to announce the first-ever South Milwaukee Food Truck Festival, presented by the Milwaukee Food Truck Alliance. The event — planned for noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 3, on 11th and Milwaukee Avenues, site of the farmers’ market — will feature a number of the area’s top trucks and live music throughout the afternoon.
Already committed to attend: Streetza Pizza, Gouda Girls, Eats & Treats, Meat on the Street, Simmer, and Hattie’s, with more to come.
The event will go before the city council for formal approval this Tuesday.
Mark your calendars, save your appetite, and help me spread the word.
This will be a huge hit. Besides great food, these trucks have huge followings and fans from across the area that have yet to discover our fair city. We’re expecting there will good spillover business to our existing downtown stores.
And this is just the start to our downtown summer. From this to the farmers’ market to the return to the outdoor movies to Evening on the Avenue to the Heritage Days Parade — and more — downtown South Milwaukee will be hopping in 2015.
Look for a full list of downtown events coming soon.
One more note: To get a sense of how big these food trucks are and the reach they have, consider the award-winning Streetza Pizza. Owned by South Milwaukee resident Scott Baitinger, it has 12,500 Twitter followers. And that’s just one truck.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Update: South Milwaukee Shooting Investigation
The South Milwaukee Police Department has issued an updated press release on this morning’s shooting, including the name of the victim and the address of the incident.
At approximately 6:31 am the South Milwaukee Police Department Communications Center received a 911 call reporting an accidental shooting at 2504 Lake Shore Blvd, South Milwaukee. Officers responded to the residence and located a victim who had been shot inside the residence. Life saving measures were attempted but were unsuccessful.
Victim: Scheherazade Mae Chadwick, 68 years of age
South Milwaukee Police Department is currently conducting a death investigation. The Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory is assisting in the investigation.
There are no further details at this time.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Death Investigation Underway Following Report Of Accidental Shooting
From the South Milwaukee Police Department …
At approximately 6:31 am the South Milwaukee Police Department Communications Center received a 911 call reporting an accidental shooting at a residence located in the 2500 block of Lake Shore Boulevard. Officers responded to the residence and located a victim who had been shot inside the residence. Life saving measures were attempted but were unsuccessful.
The South Milwaukee Police Department is currently conducting a death investigation.
There are no further details at this time.
Filed under Police, South Milwaukee
Town Hall With Senator Larson Set For Monday At South Milwaukee Library
I’ll be joining State Sen. Chris Larson for a town hall meeting this Monday, March 30, to discuss the state budget and its impact on state programs, as well as its impacts on the City of South Milwaukee.
We’ll be meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the South Milwaukee Library.
Sen. Larson will devote the first 30-45 minutes to highlight what is in the budget and then will open the meeting to a Q&A session. While the focus will be on the budget, feel free to ask questions about other topics.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Honoring A South Milwaukee Hero
“I’m just a caretaker, a soldier doing his job.”
Those are the humble words of a real hero, South Milwaukee resident Gary Wetzel. Gary, a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in the Vietnam War, was named Milwaukee County Veteran of the Year today and had a street sign and monument dedicated in his honor. I was honored to be a small part of the ceremony — and am incredibly thankful for his sacrifice and the sacrifice of all our veterans. We should all be thankful for their service, not just today but every day.
Thanks for calling South Milwaukee home, Gary
Filed under Community, Milwaukee County, South Milwaukee
Headlines!
More news and notes from around the South Shore …
- Street Sign Honoring Medal Of Honor Recipient To Be Unveiled (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Chick-fill-A Receives Unanimous Approval From Oak Creek Common Council (Business Journal)
- MCTS Offers New Service To Brown Deer And Oak Creek (WTMJ radio)
- Oak Creek’s Drexel Town Square Lands $1 Million State Grant (Journal Sentinel)
- St. Francis Considers Plan To Reduce Tax District Debt (Journal Sentinel)
Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Saturday’s SMPAC Performance Cancelled
More information from the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center … might I suggest using the tickets for the Kitzke performance or the gala event? Both very good options.
The Sunday, March 29 performance of In Thinking of America: Songs of the Civil War has been CANCELLED due to medical reasons.
South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center recently learned about a medical condition that prevents the artist, Robert Trentham, from travelling or performing at this time. We send Mr. Trentham our best wishes for a complete and quick recovery.
We are unable to reschedule the performance, so current ticket holders will be contacted by our box office to receive a refund or exchange their tickets for the April 10th performance by Jerome Kitzke, Music in Poetry, Poetry in Music, or the May 1st 2014‐15 Performing Arts Series finale, 10th Anniversary Gala featuring Tomas Kubinek.
Filed under Community, South Milwaukee, South Milwaukee PAC
Partnering To Combat The Heroin Epidemic
The South Milwaukee Police Department is committed to fighting the battle against heroin in our community. And I stand with them.
One key front in that fight: education.
The department sent home a note and a flyer with more information on heroin abuse to all school parents last week. Here is the note …
Across the nation there is a growing heroin epidemic. Recently the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published an article titled “Heroin deaths in Milwaukee County jump 72%.” The South Milwaukee Police Department working together with the South Milwaukee School District is committed to protecting our youth and educating our parents regarding this epidemic.
Through education, enforcement and working with the medical field we can fight this epidemic. It is a goal of the Police Department to partner with parents in an effort to stop this addiction.
On the South Milwaukee Police Department website (www.smpolice.com) is educational information addressing the heroin epidemic. Please visit the South Milwaukee Police Department this educational information. Additional information can be found at www.pact360.org.
Filed under Police, South Milwaukee
In-Person Absentee Voting Underway
Update: Here is a voter guide on the local candidates, including bio information and stances on issues.
You can now cast a vote in the April 7 election.
In-person absentee voting is open, meaning you can vote at South Milwaukee City Hall each business day between now and Thursday, April 2, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. City Hall will be closed on Good Friday, April 3. However, appointments can be made in advance with the city clerk to vote absentee on that day between 3 and 5 p.m. by calling 768-7499.
You don’t need a reason to vote this way — you can simply show up and request a ballot and cast it right there.
Learn more on the city’s elections web page, and you can also see sample ballots on the main page of the city website.
There are contested aldermanic races in the First and Second Districts and a contested school board race.
- In the First District, incumbents Craig Maass and Frank Van Dusen III face challenger Frank Disco Gratke.
- In the Second District, incumbents R. Patrick Stoner and Ramon Navarro face challengers Michael Johnson and Larry Pagelsdorf for two seats.
- For school board, incumbent David Maass faces challengers Jon Shelenske and Jeff Dess for two seats.
And keep in mind that an ID is not required to vote for this election.
Filed under 2015 Elections, Schools, South Milwaukee
Happy Easter: Pancake Breakfast, Egg Hunt Set For This Saturday, March 28
It’s becoming an Easter tradition in South Milwaukee: the annual Breakfast with the Easter Bunny & Egg Hunt, presented by the South Milwaukee Lions and Friends of the Mill Pond.
This year’s event is this Saturday, March 28, at the Grobschmidt Senior Center.
Breakfast runs from 8:30 to 11 a.m., with the egg hunt at 10:30.
The breakfast is $6 for adults, $4 for kids 5-11. Those under five are free. The egg hunt is free.
Here is the flyer.
See you there, and happy Easter!
Filed under South Milwaukee
Big Moves For Downtown’s Future (And Economic Development Overall)
It’s been a good couple of weeks for the outlook of downtown South Milwaukee — the entire city, for that matter.
A quick recap …
- The nine-member Downtown Advisory Committee has begun meeting. They are working on establishing a firm mission, vision and strategy for the committee — and beginning to work on tackling the key issues facing our city center. It’s a formalized voice we’ve lacked in this debate for a long time. Too long.
- We’re moving ahead on our comprehensive plan and downtown plan updates. At its meeting two weeks ago, the city council formally directed our city engineer to prepare and put out a request for proposals to planning firms. Proposals will be due by April 9, and we’re asking that the plans be substantially complete by the end of the year. What are we looking for? The Plan Commission and the downtown committee jointly met earlier this month to discuss the details of the RFP. It was a great discussion. One key part: We must value creativity in this process, look for firms that can bring us new ideas and fresh approaches to our city and downtown, concepts that we can put into practice for short-, medium and long-term success. I can’t wait to start.
- Also, we have hired a new economic development coordinator. Robin Grams starts Monday, March 23. He has a passion for economic development and the skills, training and personality to make a real difference. Robin has a master’s degree in public administration (emphasis on urban planning and management) from Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis, where he also worked as a planning intern for the City of Indianapolis. He also studied history and urban and regional studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and was a member of its NCAA Division I swim team. I’m confident he’ll do a great job in serving as our point person for business recruitment and retention across the city. He’ll also play a significant role in working with the downtown committee in developing the downtown plan, and he’ll work closely with our Community Development Authority in marketing our tax incremental financing district properties.
All of these efforts — the formation of the downtown committee, development of the plan, and hiring of dedicated economic development support — are key building blocks we need for South Milwaukee’s future.
I’m excited to see this foundational work come alive. It will make a real difference, for the long term, this as we continue to work hard to attract new businesses and other development to our city center every day.
Momentum continues to build. I hope you feel it.
Filed under Development, Downtown, Local Business, South Milwaukee
Reminder: Meet The Mayor Session Saturday At Ace Hardware!
The Meet the Mayor tour of local businesses continues this Saturday, with a stop at Ace Hardware in South Milwaukee.
I’ll be there from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., so stop by 1009 Marquette Ave. (Sunrise Plaza) during those hours to discuss local issues, raise a concern or just say hi.
Thanks to Dave for hosting me — and I look forward to seeing you there!
Also, mark your calendars for my April 18 Meet the Mayor event. It’s at I Can’t Resist Kids Resale, 915 Milwaukee Ave. Hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Filed under South Milwaukee
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