Find some more orange in the closet, as Moran’s Pub will once again transform into Knoxville North on Monday, with its College World Series Viewing Party II.
Saturday’s event was a lot of orange-filled fun, as 100+ people packed the pub to see South Milwaukee’s Nate Snead and Tennessee open the College World Series against Texas A&M.
Let’s do it again Monday for a decisive Game 3, as Nate (Rockets Class of 2022) and the Volunteers play for the championship! Nate (10-2 on the season) recorded the save in Game 2 and should be ready for the finals. Come cheer Nate and the Vols on at the pub. First pitch is 6 p.m.
Wear your orange and watch South Milwaukee High School graduate Nate Snead (Class of 2022) and the Tennessee Volunteers take on Texas A&M in Game One of the College World Series Finals on Saturday. First pitch is 6:30 p.m. Nate, a UT sophomore, is a key part of the Tennessee pitching staff (10-2 on the season) and has finished each of the team’s first three CWS wins behind 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Join other Rocket (and Nate) fans for some fun surprises as we sing “Rocky Top” and cheer Tennessee on to victory in game one of the three-game series. Go Volunteers! Go Nate!
I love this initiative from the city, as a worthy investment of Bucyrus Foundation funds. Small businesses are the backbone of our city, and the city understands that.
At last night’s Common Council meeting, the 2024 Bucyrus Business Awards and Bucyrus Business Retention Grants were presented. Congratulations to Better Together Cafe for winning Bucyrus Business of the Year and Bakehouse 23 mke for being recognized as the Bucyrus New Business of the Year!
Awards were presented based on a public nomination and voting process that took place earlier this year. Over 1,100 ballots were cast to determine the winners.
Bucyrus Business Retention Grants were also awarded to the Golden Lion, Sorce Martial Arts, and Gray’s, Inc. These grants were distributed via random drawing from our 2024 business anniversaries list.
Our thanks to the Bucyrus Foundation for fully funding the awards and the grants distributed to our businesses. Economic Development Month and last night’s presentation are part of the S.M.ALL Business Program. The program’s goal is to recognize our businesses and encourage them to stay and grow in South Milwaukee.
Tennessee is two wins away from a College World Series title.
The Volunteers advanced to the best-of-three finals with a 7-2 victory over Florida State on Wednesday. South Milwaukee’s Nate Snead through a scoreless ninth inning and has now not allowed a run in three CWS games and 5 1/3 innings.
Tennessee will play either Florida or Texas A&M in the final series, which begins Saturday in Omaha, Neb. Game two is on Sunday and game three, if needed, is on Monday.
Let’s go, Nate! More on Nate in this story. From it …
“It’s honestly my dream. Dream come true, honestly,” Snead said. “It’s a lot of fun going out there and doing what I do.“
“This was absolutely the plan. This is why I came here,” said Snead on pitching in the CWS for Tennessee. “This is what I wanted to do when I was here. Getting to do it now is pretty exciting.”
There is so much going on in South Milwaukee this summer! This weekend alone there is the monthly Community Meal, Market Music, the Garden Tour, a Bonsai Society exhibit, and a cool South Milwaukee PAC show.
Here is an updated events list … with my Events page getting regular updates as they come in.
Did I miss something? (I’m sure I did.) Want to add an event? Email me at erikbrooks32@gmail.com. Otherwise, enjoy a special South Milwaukee summer!
JUNE
Thursday, June 20: Monthly Community Dinner, 5-6:30 p.m., First Congregational Church Hall. Free and open to the public! Details
Thursday, June 20: Downtown Market Music, Sonic Boomers (classic rock). Details
Friday, June 21: Ferch’s Beachside Summer Music-Jake Warne Duo, 5:30-8 p.m., Grant Park Beach. Details
Saturday, June 22: South Milwaukee Garden Tour & Art Fair, presented by the South Milwaukee Garden Club, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Details
Saturday, June 22: Milwaukee Bonsai Society exhibit, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Grant Park Brown Pavilion.
Saturday, June 22: College World Series Volunteers Viewing Party, 6:30 p.m., Moran’s Pub. Details
Sunday, June 23: Late Night Catechism, 3 p.m. South Milwaukee PAC. Details
Wednesday, June 26: Milwaukee County Traveling Beer Garden opener, 5 p.m., Grant Park Area 5 (Brown Pavilion). Beer garden runs through July 7 and is open daily. Details
Thursday, June 27: Super Heroes Night at the South Milwaukee Downtown Market and Market Music-Radiation. Details
Friday, June 28: Ferch’s Beachside Summer Music-Do Wa-Wa, 5:30-8 p.m., Grant Park Beach. Details
Sunday, June 30: Suburban Soles — “Walk Through Wil-o-Way,” 10 a.m., Wil-o-Way Grant. Details
JULY
Thursday, July 4: South Milwaukee Independence Day Celebration, starting at 10 a.m., ending with evening fireworks. Grant Park Areas 5-6. Details
Friday, July 5: Ferch’s Beachside Summer Music-Blaine & Jake, 5:30-8 p.m., Grant Park Beach. Details
Sunday, July 7: Final Milwaukee County Traveling Beer Garden, Grant Park.
Thursday, July 11: Downtown Market Music, Ivy Ford (soul) and South Milwaukee Youth Theatre performance. Details
Saturday, July 13: “Willy Wonka Kids,” presented by South Milwaukee Youth Theatre, shows at 1 and 3:30 p.m., South Milwaukee PAC. Details
Saturday, July 13: Shakespeare in the Cityk, five different shows, 12:30-7 p.m. Details
Sunday, July 14: Suburban Soles — “Watersheds and Water Quality,” 10 a.m., Grant Park Area 7 playground. Details
Thursday, July 18: Downtown Market Music, Larry Lynn & the Decade Band and South Milwaukee Youth Theatre performance. Details
Friday, July 19: Ferch’s Beachside Summer Music-Zakk Daniel, 5:30-8 p.m., Grant Park Beach. Details
Sunday, July 21: Friends of Grant Park Art Fair, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Grant Park Picnic Area 5 (Brown Pavilion). Details
Monday, July 22: South Milwaukee Police Department DARE Golf Outing, Grant Park. Details
Tuesday, July 23: South Milwaukee Municipal Band Concert, 7 p.m., Bucyrus Commons. Details
Wednesday, July 24: South Milwaukee Fire Department Brat & Tot Fry, 4-7 p.m., South Milwaukee Fire Department. Details
Thursday, July 25: Two downtown events … Moran’s Pub Block Party, 4-10 p.m., 900 block of Milwaukee Avenue (details) AND South Milwaukee Downtown Market Evening at the Commons and Market Music-Dog House Charlie (’70s and ’80s). Details
Friday, July 26-Sunday July 28: Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast Jr.,” presented by South Milwaukee Youth Theatre. Three shows, South Milwaukee PAC. Details
Friday, July 26-Sunday, July 28: South Milwaukee Lionsfest. Details
Orange is the new Rocket red this week, as South Milwaukee’s Nate Snead and the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers play for a College World Series title in Omaha, Neb.
And they’re off to a heck of a start!
Nate threw two and a third scoreless innings and picked up the win in Tennessee’s thrilling, 12-11 comeback win over Florida State on Friday night. With the win, the hard-throwing 2022 South Milwaukee graduate moved to 10-2 on the season.
Next up for Tennessee: fourth-seeded North Carolina on Sunday. Go Nate! Go Vols!
More on Nate’s road to Omaha here. Not referenced: Nate leading the South Milwaukee Little League Durham Bulls (including my son, Christian) to a Schattschneider championship in 2014. 🙂
A couple updates on two critical South Milwaukee redevelopment opportunities from two different Plan Commissions — the official one and another involving an innovative partnership between the city and Lakeview Elementary.
First, news from the South Milwaukee Plan Commission … there is progress on redevelpoment of the remaining portion of the former Bucyrus campus. The latest proposal is for $51.6 million and calls for 177 apartments, among other uses. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story …
Following previous proposals which have fallen through, Milwaukee-based Scott Crawford, Inc. is teaming with The Littlestone Company to present yet another modified concept for a mixed-use development on the former Bucyrus campus in South Milwaukee.
Preliminary plans show 177 apartments, 300 parking spaces and over 17,000 square feet of commercial space, according to the latest proposal for 1100 Milwaukee Ave.
This isn’t the first proposal from Scott Crawford, which partnered with J. Jeffers Co. for its last proposal in late 2022 which included 92 mixed-income apartments and loft units plus commercial space. In August 2021, the firm presented a $35.7 million “Bucyrus Community” project plan with 160 apartments and a restaurant, but that fell through. Those plans were modifications from an earlier proposal to renovate the existing Technical, Corporate and Heritage buildings and construct a new building for $46 million.
In the latest, and most expensive, $51.6 million proposal, Scott Crawford and The Littlestone Company are proposing a project which developer documents indicate is “part of a larger Transit Oriented Development that will connect South Milwaukee to the Northside of Milwaukee.”
The South Milwaukee Plan Commission held a meeting June 10 allowing the developer to introduce the proposal and gauge interest. While no action was taken on the plans, the commission voted 4-2 to approve preliminary considerations and the approval schedule outlining each step of approval needed and the expected dates.
Much more to come on this … and hopefully the Everbrite property too.
In May, we told you the story of a local elementary school using an empty property to dream up a big future. The vacant lot that was formerly known as the Everbrite site sits across the way from Lakeview Elementary School in South Milwaukee. Rather than simply ignore it, teachers and students like Kristen Mortier and Besim Fejzoski decided to bring it directly into the classroom. “It has allowed students to envision possibilities for their future that they may never have ever considered before,” said Mortier.
Rather than simply ignore it, teachers and students like Kristen Mortier and Besim Fejzoski decided to bring it directly into the classroom. “It has allowed students to envision possibilities for their future that they may never have ever considered before,” said Mortier.
Those dreams can be seen in every corner of Lakeview’s library as the students gather to showcase their ideas to their fellow classmates and families. From large-scale models of a homeless shelter that could sit on the grounds to interactive presentations that explain a long-term plan for the community, Mortier says she is already seeing the benefits go beyond the grade.
South Milwaukee lost well-known local businessman Ed Abrams last week.
You can read the obituary for the owner of Spirits Bar & Grill here. From it …
Edward attended Wauwatosa West High School before embarking on a diverse career. He worked on Merchant Marine ships and also found joy in owning Tavern Middle Earth and Spirits Bar & Grill. His dedication to his work was evident in all his endeavors. Beyond his professional life, Edward enjoyed a variety of hobbies, including fishing, playing pool, and visiting Disney World. He cherished spending time with his beloved dogs, Ellie and Bella, and was a familiar face at his establishments. Described as a caring and giving man with a sharp wit, Edward was known for his kindness and willingness to help others, even if it meant forgetting about financial assistance he provided. His humor and candid nature left a lasting impact on those around him.
Rest in peace, Ed. Services are Saturday, June 15.
Longtime South Milwaukeee Mayor Chet Grobschmidt turns 104 years old today. Please join me in celebrating this local icon. Happy birthday, Chet!
Check out the TMJ4 story here. And here is the proclamation we gave him in 2020, as he turned 100.
WHEREAS, Chester W. Grobschmidt was born June 8, 1920, one of five children of John and Ann Grobschmidt. The family moved to South Milwaukee in 1926. Chet attended St. Mary’s Grade School and graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 1938; and
WHEREAS, in 1938 Chet got his first job pedaling the Shopping News. Four years later, Chet began his 40-year career at Bucyrus Erie, retiring in 1983. Chet served in the Navy during World War II from 1942-46 in New Guinea (Admiralty Islands), and was discharged with the rank of Second Class Metalsmith. Chet was celebrated for his service by participating in an Honor Flight to Washington D.C.; and
WHEREAS, in January, 1948, during the Blizzard of ‘48, Chet married Leone Repech and they had two children, Richard and Karen. Leone passed away in 1982 after 34 years of marriage. In 1992, Chet married Lorraine Schweitzer and expanded his family with four stepchildren: Sharon, Patsy, Jim and Jon. Chet and Lorraine were married for 24 years until her death in 2016; and
WHEREAS, Chet has a long legacy of service to his community. He served as Alderperson for the Fourth District for nine years. In 1966, Chet was elected Mayor of the City of South Milwaukee and served the city in that capacity for 28 years, retiring in 1994. During his time as Mayor, Chet provided strong leadership for the city during a time of significant change. This list of course is long, a few highlights are in 1982, City Hall moved to its current location at the former Parkway Elementary School on 15th Avenue, and the mayor led efforts to fund and open the South Milwaukee Senior Center, which was renamed the Chester W. Grobschmidt Senior Center in 1996. The new fire station was dedicated in 1981, and Chet was instrumental in the bringing the Med-10 Unit to the city which began service in 1988. He also began the recycling program and led efforts to keep local control over the South Milwaukee Sewage Treatment Plant; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Chet’s dedication to the city and it didn’t end when he left office. Chet was a strong advocate for the beautification of the downtown area. An avid gardener, he prized his dahlias and would bring some to City Hall every year for the employees to enjoy. He was a member of multiple veterans organizations, involved with the War Memorial and served as president of the Historical Society; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Mayor Erik Brooks and the Common Council of the City of South Milwaukee do hereby declare June 8, 2020, as “Mayor Chet Day” in the City of South Milwaukee in celebration of his 100th birthday, wish Chet well as we recognize this milestone, and thank him for his lifetime of dedicated service to the city.
In this writing, Tim weighs in on the future of the Grobschmidt Senior Center and South Milwaukeee Public Library, Lakeview Elementary’s innovative student Plan Commission project, 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.
Perhaps the largest crowd at a South Milwaukee City Council meeting in the last 15 years gathered to speak out on the future of the Grobschmidt Senior Center and library.
The Grobschmidt Senior Center will close at the end of 2024, and the city will partner with the Wisconsin Policy Forum to study the future of the South Milwaukee Public Library following two South Milwaukee Common Council votes — and more than 90 minutes of comments from the public — on Tuesday.
The council voted 8-0 to close the senior center. The vote was 7-1 on the library study.
The votes came after more than 30 people offered public comments on the topics, with many making personal and passionate pleas to the city to continue to fund those services.
TMJ4 captured some of the emotion in the room in this story. A few of my takeaways …
As to the library, I am hopeful the study contemplates more than just the options presented in the proposal, and I’m confident that will be the case. At the meeting, I suggested closure be removed as an option, as there could be a significant cost to do so — financial to the city and its taxpayers and personal to the thousands of users of the facility. And while that option remains, I am hopeful this study gives the council the information it needs to not only maintain the investment in our library, but enhance it. Will that be in the exact facility you see today? Unsure. But maybe now is the time to reimagine how we deliver this core service — and reinvent it for a new generation. Let’s begin that conversation now, grounded with the perspective the Policy Forum will provide.
As to the senior center, it is clear from the people who spoke Tuesday just how personal this decision is. Closing it will have a real imapct. I do not doubt the senior center is incredibly valuable to its users, but there are simply not enough of them (225, a declining figure, with more half coming from outside city). I very much wish it was different and that the center could remain open. But the budget realities are what they are. And there are other good options operated by Milwaukee County in Cudahy and on the South Side of Milwauke and, as of this January, the Salvation Army in Oak Creek. I’d also link Tuesday’s two debates in this way: The South Milwaukee Library already offers a number of services and programming to adults of all ages. Maybe enhancing those for seniors at the next generation library can be explored as part of the study.
The council’s rationale for these decisions is sound. Most aldermen pointed directly at state government for putting us in this position, and they are right. Decades of disinvestment in shared revenue and the reduction of options for local governments to raise revenue have come to roost. Act 12 helped, but not nearly enough. And until state lawmakers and Gov. Evers decide to make this a priority, it will not get noticeably better. “Nice to have” services will continue to be cut. My hope is the newly redrawn legislative maps and a more balanced legislature will make this issue a priority.
And this: I give a lot of credit to City Administrator Patrick Brever, City Clerk Sandi Wesolowski, staff, and the council for hearing the people on these important issues. It’s really hard for elected officials to just shut up and listen sometimes. That included me. But it’s the right thing to do, and I thank the city for giving everyone in attendance the opportunity to speak on Tuesday.
So, what’s next? Keep speaking up! There is a still a lot to be decided, especially around the future of the library. This is just the beginning of that debate. Share your stories and your points of view.
While it may not always deliver the outcome you want, your voice makes a difference.
Government, and governing, is about choices. I wish it wasn’t — I always prefer “both-and” vs. “either-or” debates, and those are still sometimes possible — but choices have to be made when it comes to where taxpayer dollars should be invested. In an era of increasingly constrained budgets, these decisions are increasingly difficult. Cuts more often have real impact. As dollars are saved, services are impacted. The fat in most muncipal budgets, especially South Milwaukee, is long gone.
Which brings me to what’s happening with two South Milwaukee institutions: the South Milwaukee Public Library and Grobschmidt Senior Center.
The city allocates nearly $150,000 to the Senior Center each year, which is hard to justify given its declining membership (it serves just 225 people) and the fact that the majority of those members reside outside the city. Consider: The center costs the city $1,419.54 per South Milwaukee member, acording to the city. It costs $7.34 per South Milwaukee resident.
Also working against the center: Milwaukee County operates its Kelly Senior Center less than three miles away — offering similar services — and longtime South Milwaukee Senior Center Director Sandy Quinlan is retiriing at the end of the year. Now is the time to do it.
Here is the council and Mayor Jim Shelenske’s letter to the community on the issue …
Reallocating more than $560,000 to dispatch costs is a big investment, but a worthy one I fought hard for as mayor. We need to make it, and that money has to come from somewhere.
And while I wish the city wouldn’t directly link the senior center closure to dispatch costs — budgeting is more complicated than a binary choice across two very different city government functions — the need to find extra funding is real. It’s the right choice.
South Milwaukee Library
The future of the library is more nuanced, complex and critical to the larger community.
The South Milwaukee City Council on Tuesday, June 4 — meeting time is 7 p.m. at City Hall — will be considering a “motion to approve a scope of services outline from the Wisconsin Policy Forum in an amount not to exceed $14,500 to explore options for library services in the City of South Milwaukee.” Specifically, the Forum would look at:
Covering needed capital improvements with grant funding and attempting to function with the operating budget allocated by the city
Renting part of the library building out but continuing to operate there
Holding an operational referendum that asks citizens to allow the city to exceed state-imposed property tax levy limits to appropriately fund SMPL
Closing the SMPL and pursuing a consolidated library with one or more other south shore communities
Closing the SMPL entirely and paying an annual fee to MCFLS to ensure access to other municipal libraries in Milwaukee County for South Milwaukee citizens.
Here is the information the city shared on its website last week …
I support the study. After years of increasingly tight budgets, belt tightening and service reductions, it is time to explore options — and, more importantly, best practices and how we might employ them in South Milwaukee — for our library. And the Policy Forum is the right organization to do it. It is a trusted, local, and independent source that will provide what we need for a way forward.
I hope the Policy Forum asks me what I think. Here is what I would tell them.
Libraries define communities. Think of what nearly every city, village or town, from the smallest to the largest, has: A library. Why? They are public places in an inceasingly connected yet disconnected world, providing essential services that have the ability to touch residents of every age.
It was that way in 1917, when the South Milwaukee Library was founded. It’s even more so today.
I really liked this description from the National Endowment for the Humanities …
There aren’t many truly public places left in America. Most of our shared spaces require money or a certain social status to access. Malls exist to sell people things. Museums discourage loiterers. Coffee shops expect patrons to purchase a drink or snack if they want to enjoy the premises.One place, though, remains open to everybody. The public library requires nothing of its visitors: no purchases, no membership fees, no dress code. You can stay all day, and you don’t have to buy anything. … In a country riven by racial, ethnic, political, and socioeconomic divides, libraries still welcome everyone.
Put another way, from the article, libraries are “social infrastructure … the physical spaces and organizations that shape the way people interact.”
They are also increasingly everything to everyone, and it’s about way more than checking out physical books. They are job centers, copy centers, meeting venues, Blockbuster Video stores (apologies to anyone under the age of 40 reading this; learn more here), Netflix, and WiFi hot spots.
They are also Google, but smarter and more personal. Researching your genealogy? Have questions about consumer issues, technology or your health? That and plenty more is available through free library databases.
Then there is the programming calendar, hundreds of offerings throughout the year for kids to seniors. Get your blood pressure screened, take a Barre fitness class, have a teen Nerf war, and join the weekly “Music and Movement” storytime. Meet with Lego Club and STEAM Club, and there is teen anime and a magician. Try fiber art and learn about the history of Continental Tile in South Milwaukee.
And that’s just in June.
Libraries can also be the keeper of a community’s history and help tell that history story. Ours does it better than most. Have you clicked on the Local History link on the South Milwaukee Library website recently, to see their work as South Milwaukee archivist? Do it now. I’ll wait …
[Waiting as you check out the digital collection of yearbooks, newspapers, government documents, historical photos, telephone directories, written histories, Spectacle of Music programs and more]
And it’s all free. That’s what makes libraries so critical, especially now, especially here.
South Milwaukee families are struggling. More than 13% of residents are in poverty in our city, according to the U.S. Census. And well over half of all South Milwaukee School District students qualify for free or reduced lunch, signifiying some sort of economic challenge.
They are welcome at the library. All are welcome at the library. Even those from the nearly 700 South Milwaukee households in our city without a computer, and from the nearly 900 households without broadband. The 2,000+ people with a disability in South Milwaukee? The 1,500+ residents without a high school degree? The 2,300+ who speak a language other than English at home? Come on in! There is something for you here.
The library offers plenty of data points in annual report (see below). A sampling from 2023:
53,369 patron visits
37,599 website visits
21,33 electronic items checked out
7,305 participants in 229 programs
7,283 reference transactions
6,231 patron uses of 15 public computers
3,277 WiFi connections
And maybe most importantly: 4,817 residents with library cards, almost 24% of our population.
But this is about more than numbers. It’s about serving the community, the entire community — and what it would mean if that service was no longer there, or diminished in a major way.
Here is a message the South Milwaukee Library shared last week …
There has been a lot of misinformation shared about our library on social media lately. As information professionals, we want to share some facts. This is our 2023 Annual Report which shows our library’s usage for the past year.The City of South Milwaukee is facing significant budget constraints and these affect the library. This coming Tuesday, June 4th, the South Milwaukee Common Council will look at an agenda item to consider a third party study that will evaluate library services in South Milwaukee and present suggestions for library services moving forward.
If the library were to close, and the city still wanted to offer library services to its citizens through allowing them to utilize neighboring libraries, based on current library usage and the population size of South Milwaukee, it would cost the city $1.2 million annually. The library’s budget for 2024 is approximately $690,000. We are confident that no one WANTS to close the library; however, we might need to relocate in order to save funds. Other solutions could be identified from the study.
If you want to support the library, the most important thing you can do is get a library card and use your library! It’s also important to come into the library, look around, check out materials, or attend a program. All of these things are free and are important data points for the library to show its value.
If you want to do more, you can join the Friends of the South Milwaukee Public Library. Membership costs $5 for a single membership or $10 for a family membership. If you want to do even more, you can donate to the library here: https://countycat.mcfls.org/screens/donate.html
We are committed to serving the community of South Milwaukee, and thank you for your support.
You’re welcome.
I am sure the city council and mayor will hear quite a bit from residents on Tuesday about the importance of the library, and what would happen if it closed or if something resembling closure came of this effort. Good. They should be reminded of that.
Indeed, if there is anything good coming from this sobering fiscal reality and resulting study, it’s that community conversation. Let’s get the data and other information we need to have that dialogue. And then let’s have it — never forgetting just what libraries mean to communities like ours.
We want to hear from residents, businesses, and stakeholders about what you envision for the future and growth of South Milwaukee. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SMKESurvey
At Tuesday’s (May 21) Common Council meeting, Police Chief Jessup had the opportunity to recognize the recipients of the South Milwaukee Police Department annual merit awards. These awards recognize the outstanding dedication, bravery, and service of our officers who go above and beyond to keep our community safe. Congratulations to all the recipients!
This was my favorite council meeting of the year when I was mayor, hearing the stories of the officers, staff and everyday citizens making a real difference.
Following are the stories told last week. Thanks, Chief Jessup, for sharing …
Pizza Hut Homicide
On February 7, 2024, officers were dispatched to the Pizza Hut Restaurant at 112 N. Chicago Avenue for a report of a dead body in a garbage cart. This incident was determined to be a homicide and over the course of the next day, the victim was identified as 55-year-old employee of the restaurant. As with all homicide investigations, the first 48 hours is critical to solving the case and it requires many investigators, working as a team, to collect evidence and follow leads. Every officer with our department worked on this case and contributed to the end result but this group of officers stood out in terms of the hours they put in and the crucial evidence they found. The area was canvassed for video footage and officers quickly found evidence that showed the lone suspect coming to the scene, and then leaving on foot. While the video was grainy, it did give us some important information on the suspect’s description and direction of travel.
Over the next several days, this group spent many hours writing search warrant applications and poring through phone records, cell tower information, social media accounts and surveillance video to positively identify the suspect. Search warrants were executed in South Milwaukee and in the City of Milwaukee. This group of officers conducted surveillance and ultimately arrested the 31-year-old suspect within just a few days of the crime.
This is a very brief summary of the work done by these officers and it would take quite some time to detail all of the steps that were taken by this dedicated team. Suffice to say, this group of investigators went to great lengths and followed every lead to bring closure and justice for the family of the victim. Additionally, there is no doubt that the suspect posed a great threat to our community, and his quick apprehension prevented additional risk of violence in our city. The investigators and officers are to be commended for their commitment to the community and their perseverance during difficult circumstances. Lieutenants Jason Walker and David Hoeppner, Investigators Nathan Siefert and Matthew Kramer, and Officers Logan Staege, Craig Perkowski, and Steven Hesse are hereby presented with a Meritorious Service Award for their accomplishments during this very tragic case.
Saving a Life and Making an Arrest
On November 3, 2023, officers were dispatched to an address on Marion Avenue for a report of an overdose. When they arrived, they found a 16-year-old boy was unconscious and they revived him through the use of NARCAN. Shortly thereafter, the boy started to have a seizure and was transported to SLSS for additional treatment. These officers conducted a thorough investigation, gained the cooperation of the 16-year-old boy and were able to identify the drug dealer that was providing the boy with heroin. A search warrant was executed and additional drugs were recovered. The adult suspect was arrested and charged with PWITD. Further investigation by these officers revealed that the boy’s parents were aware of his drug use and even assisted him in obtaining drugs. Both parents were arrested and charged with multiple felonies. The 16-year-old boy and his younger brother were removed from the house and placed with a responsible caregiver. The younger brother was also found to have cocaine in his system.
If not for the diligence and persistence of Investigator Matthew Kramer and Officer Brandon Meyer, these children would have continued to be in a very dangerous environment. By holding three adults responsible for their criminal actions, the officers protected these children and made our city safer. Investigator Kramer and Officer Meyer are hereby presented with merit awards for their actions.
Helping a Fellow Officer
On February 4, 2024, Officer Draven Feustel was working the third shift and was assigned to convey a prisoner to the Milwaukee County Jail and after completing that assignment, he began driving back to the City of South Milwaukee. While driving southbound on I-43, he observed a sheriffs deputy on the side of the freeway. The deputy appeared to be struggling to make an arrest and the deputy was lying on his back with the man standing over him. Officer Feustel immediately jumped into action, exited his squad and rushed to the aid of the deputy, using his taser to disable the man and take him into custody. Luckily, the deputy only sustained minor injuries but this incident could have turned tragic, if not for the quick action of Draven. Officer Feustel is hereby presented with a merit award for his actions on that night.
Honoring Tony Girard
A Citizen Recognition Award is presented to Tony Girard, owner of Tony G’s Grant Park Garage. This award traditionally goes to a citizen or group that takes action that has a significant impact on crime prevention and community safety, and Tony definitely fills that role. In addition to being a great local business owner, Tony Girard has also been one of our most reliable supporters. Each year he donates to our Shop with a Cop program, Community Night Out and our DARE golf outing, allowing us to support the children in our community. Last year he also donated at least four times to our new K-9 program. Tony Girard has shown a strong commitment to the City of South Milwaukee and the South Milwaukee Police Department through his work and his generosity, and he sets an example for others to follow. I am pleased to present him with our Citizen Recognition Award, and want to thank him for his generous support.
It’s Da Crusher, of course! Shot the night of Crusherfest, as we unveiled this statue to the world. Do you have a photo you’d like to share on the blog? Send it along.
South Milwaukee Blog 