Category Archives: South Milwaukee

by | April 3, 2014 · 10:09 pm

Hunting For Eggs On Saturday

The Easter Bunny returns to South Milwaukee on Saturday, as the Lions Club and Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse host the second-annual Breakfast with the Easter Bunny & Easter Egg Hunt.

The event, held at the Grobschmidt Senior Center, includes a pancake breakfast from 8:30 to 11 a.m., with the egg hunt starting at 10:30 a.m. Breakfast is $6 for everyone 12 and older. Children 6-11 are $5, and those five and under are $4. Bring your own cameras for photos with the Easter Bunny.

A raffle is also planned.

See you there!

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by | April 2, 2014 · 7:27 pm

South Milwaukee Alumni Update: More Success For Kleppin, Gilane

From the South Milwaukee athletic department …

Lauren Kleppin (class of 2007)

Former standout SM Rocket CC and Track runner, WIAA State Cross Country Champion and multiple-time NCAA Division II All-American Track runner and 2-time NCAA Division II Cross Country 3rd place-finisher for Western State University in Colorado just keeps on running…fast!

Lauren ran in the World Half-Marathon Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark last Saturday and came away with yet another great performance in a recent string of distance races taking 14th overall with a time of 1:10:15. She was only 6 seconds off of the pace of the top American finisher Annie Bersagel and only 2 minutes and 47 seconds behind the champion. This set her new personal record time by 1 minute and 57 seconds!

Great job Lauren!!!

HERE IS A LINK TO THE FINAL RESULTS FROM SATURDAY’S RACE

http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaafal-bank-world-half-marathon-championships-4955/results/women/half-marathon/final/result

HERE IS A USATF ARTICLE AFTER THE RACE

http://www.usatf.org/News/0-(37).aspx

HERE ARE 2 ARTICLES RELEASED RIGHT BEFORE THE RACE

http://running.competitor.com/2014/03/news/kleppin-pennel-take-different-paths-to-half-marathon-worlds_97854 

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/josphat-boit-lauren-kleppin-lead-us-half-marathon-team

Deanna Gilane (class of 2010)

Former standout Rocket softball player Deanna Gilane has started out her junior season at UW-Eau Claire with a bang having been named as of one of the athletes of the week at UWEC. Great job Deanna!!! 

 Here is the link to the posting.

http://www.blugolds.com/sports/general/2013-14/releases/20140331aotw

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by | April 2, 2014 · 12:10 am

Humbled By A Mayoral Victory

Election results are in, and I’m proud to say I won the South Milwaukee mayoral race with more than 60% of the vote.

You can check out the full results here. Among them …

  • Turnout in South Milwaukee was 28%.
  • The final tally in the mayoral race: I had 2,021 votes, or 60.4%, to incumbent Tom Zepecki’s 1,248, or 37.3%. I’ll serve a three-year team.
  • In the only other contested race on the ballot, Laura Gramling Perez beat Cedric Cornwall in the race for Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge Branch 32, 53.9% to 28.7%.
  • In South Milwaukee, the Milwaukee County Board pay reduction referendum passed, 66.5% to 20.5%.
  • Also winning re-election in uncontested races were City Clerk James Shelenske, Treasurer Karen Skowronski, and Attorney Joseph Murphy. They will serve three-year terms.
  • South Milwaukee School Board members John Haslam, Carol Dufek and Patricia Bordak also won re-election in uncontested races. They will serve three-year terms.

Congratulations to all the winners.

Also, thanks to all of the workers from the clerk’s office, led by Jim Shelenske, and those at the polls for their efforts with this and all elections. It’s thankless work, but critical. And it’s always run professionally.

And one final word on Mayor Zepecki. I want to thank him for his decades of dedicated service to South Milwaukee. He is a good man who leaves a strong legacy of leadership that I hope to build on in coming years. I can only hope to have the long-term impact he has had on this great city.

I promise to responsibly build on the foundation he has helped establish.

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by | March 25, 2014 · 11:14 pm

No One Hurt In House Fire

Here is the update from South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter on the fire Tuesday morning on Elm Avenue …

At 10:28 this morning, SMFD Dispatch rec’d a 9-1-1 call of a smell of smoke in the house and smoke coming from the attic at 717 Elm Avenue.  SMFD responded and upon arrival discovered moderate smoke coming from the roof and attic vents.  SMFD Command upgraded the level of response to a Working Still which includes our mutual aid partners.  All of the occupants were out of the home upon arrival of SMFD. Attack lines were stretched to the interior of the house to find fire involving the area above the cabinet soffit in the kitchen up into the attic and exiting through the roof vent.  The fire was extinguished using minimal water.  Because the fire was primarily located in the soffit and attic area, damage from direct flame contact and heat/smoke was more severe in the attic. The first floor suffered minor water and smoke damage.  The occupants contacted their insurance company who was making arrangements for temporary housing. No injuries were reported.  Investigators identified the area of origin in the cabinet soffit in the area above the kitchen sink.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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by | March 21, 2014 · 7:16 pm

Do Your Part: Fundraisers Set For Senior Center, Track Team

Take advantage of a couple of opportunities to help two local institutions …

  • First, eat at Culver’s in Oak Creek anytime on Saturday, March 22, and present the voucher found here to ensure 10% of your purchase goes toward the Chester Grobschmidt Senior Center in South Milwaukee. Culver’s is located at 7841 S. Howell Ave.
  • Also, the South Milwaukee High School track team is hosting a Casino Night starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, at the Knights of Columbus in South Milwaukee, 732 Badger Ave. Play blackjack, craps, roulette, poker and more — and raise some money for a good cause.

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by | March 18, 2014 · 8:30 am

In-Person Absentee Voting Now Open

You can now cast a vote in the April 1 election.

In-person absentee voting is open, meaning you can vote at South Milwaukee City Hall during regular business hours through 5 p.m. on Friday, March 28.

You don’t need a reason to vote this way — you can simply show up and request a ballot and cast it right there. But I’d especially ask you to consider voting early if you think you might not be able to make it to the polls on April 1.

Learn more on the city’s elections web page.

Of course, I humbly ask for your vote in the race for mayor.

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by | March 17, 2014 · 11:31 am

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

20140315_194508_resizedHere is  a shot from Saturday’s Pullin’ o’ the Green event at the Grant Park clubhouse. Lots of fun, and some great Irish food and music.

Thanks to the Friends of Grant Park and all the important work they do in enhancing the experience at the county’s second-largest park. They are all volunteers, and we should thank them for their efforts.

Learn more about how to get involved at their website.

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by | March 17, 2014 · 10:42 am

More Headlines

Check out these South Shore headlines …

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by | March 14, 2014 · 9:52 pm

A Beautiful “Beauty And The Beast” At South Milwaukee High School

IMG_9847 IMG_9611 IMG_9953 smallCongratulations to the cast and crew of the South Milwaukee High School Theatre Company’s “Beauty and the Beast”!

Thanks to Leslie Henry for providing the following …

The South Milwaukee High School Theatre Company produced the show Beauty and the Beast last weekend and it was a tremendous success.  According to production director, Julie Pikulik,” the company was proud to present a show that the entire family could attend.”  About 70 students participated in the cast, stage crew, orchestra and direction of the show.  These youth masterfully learned their lines and the difficult music and performed with ease and grace.  They also designed and constructed imaginative costumes and intricate sets and where some show patrons remarked the show came out of a “Disney Vault.”   It was so realistic that a young member of the audience yelled out to warn the Beast when Gaston the show’s villain was going to get him. 

The SMHS Theatre Company’s mission is to create a safe, respectful and collaborative environment for students to learn the values and life skills of teamwork, confidence, honesty, kindness, perseverance and responsibility through the production of high-quality performances. 

This highly successful endeavor that drew an audience of over 400 each of the days in the three show run and brought many communities within South Milwaukee together. It was evident by seeing the variety of people including the ages and interests that this show was a true community triumph.  

Bravo to the directors, students, volunteers, staff  and community for supporting the dramatic arts for youth of South Milwaukee.

Do you have news or information to share on the blog? Please send it along. I try my best in writing about all things South Milwaukee, but I don’t have much time to do original reporting outside of city issues. That means I’m reliant on others to provide content … so keep it coming!

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by | March 14, 2014 · 3:08 pm

The Scoop On South Milwaukee (Dog) Poop

With spring here (such as it is), the South Milwaukee Health Department is asking dog owners to pick up their pet’s fecal matter … and asking for patience to give them time to do it.

Check out the memo here from the city’s Facebook page. It states no complaints about dog waste removal will be taken until after April 30 … and lays out the penalties after that point.

Please clean up after your pets. On the campaign trail, I’ve too often seen (and stepped in) the results of not doing your doody.

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by | March 13, 2014 · 10:16 pm

Coming Soon To City Hall …

20140313_183426… Four terrific-looking rain barrels designed and painted by students at Rawson, Lakeview, E.W. Luther and Blakewood Elementary Schools.

The rain barrels were unveiled at Thursday night’s student art show at City Hall.

What a great event!

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by | March 13, 2014 · 9:58 pm

Footloose At St. Thomas More

FootlooseA quick shoutout to my alma mater, which is putting on “Footloose” this weekend.

The following cast members live in South Milwaukee …

  • Gabriella Hamilton: plays Wendy Jo
  • Francesca Hamilton: plays Urleen
  • Isabelle Branger: featured dancer
  • Hannah Cox: plays the flute

More details from the school …

Numerous other cast members are from Cudahy and Oak Creek and three of the above cast members are graduates of Divine Mercy School in South Milwaukee.

Since the day Matt Zembrowski stepped on the scene as Theater Director at St. Thomas More High School, it has been a family affair. It is Matt’s second year as Director and the program is growing by leaps and bounds since his arrival. Many improvements have been made to the Auditorium and the surrounding areas, including new seats, paint and sound upgrades. This year’s spring musical, “Footloose” has a cast of 34 on stage while last year’s musical had 19.  Zembrowski brings with him a whole cast of his own characters as well. His father Bill is in charge of scene design, while his mother Liz is House Manager. Matt’s brother Zach is in charge of lighting and his sister Rachel is Assistant Director. But the family connections don’t end there; Footloose boosts two sets of siblings on stage as main characters. Playing the lead role of Ariel is senior Kaitlyn Serketich, while her sister, freshman Carly Serketich, plays Vi, Ariel’s mother.  In the role of Wendy Jo is senior Garbriella Hamilton, and her sister Freshman Francesca Hamilton is her side-kick Urleen.

This musical featuring the chart-topping classics “Footloose”, “Let’s Hear It For the Boy” and “Holding Out For a Hero”, is sure to get you on your feet!  Footloose is being performed for the second weekend at St. Thomas More High School Auditorium, 2601 E. Morgan Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53207 – March 14 & 15 at 7:30 pm and March 16 at 2:00 pm.  Tickets are General Admission. They can be purchased at the door, $10 Adults and $5 Students/Seniors.  For more information visit our website at www.tmore.org.

 

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by | March 13, 2014 · 12:21 am

City Hall Art Show Set For Thursday

OK, so I’m bragging a bit because my kids’ artwork will be on display.

See you starting at 6 p.m.! Details here … including more on the city’s unveiling of four new rain barrels painted by local students. Refreshments will be provided.

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by | March 11, 2014 · 9:36 pm

Headlines!

Check out these South Shore headlines …

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by | March 9, 2014 · 5:58 pm

Big Finish: South Milwaukeean Kleppin Takes Third In L.A. Marathon

Update: More details here and here (and a great photo).

What an amazing result … Lauren Kleppin was the first American woman to finish Sunday’s Los Angeles Marathon in a time 13 minutes better than her previous best.

Check out the story here, and see my previous post for more on Lauren’s journey.

Congratulations, Lauren!

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