South Milwaukee Blog

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From the Muni Band …

The South Milwaukee Municipal Band is seeking new members.  Do you play a brass, woodwind, or percussion instrument?  Join the Municipal Band!  Organized in 1935, South Milwaukee’s Municipal Band is a group of volunteer musicians who just enjoy making music together.   All adults and high school students are invited – from professional musicians to those who haven’t played in years but would welcome an opportunity to rebuild their musical skills.   Have fun playing marches, showtunes, concert arrangements, pop medleys, and more.   The band performs several times throughout the year at community events, retirement facilities, and other venues.  Rehearsals are held in the South  Milwaukee Middle School band room on Tuesday evenings (7:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.)  For more information, visit smmunicipalband.org or call Jody Daharsh (414) 764-6279. 

Check out these South Shore headlines …

• With Temps Approaching Record Highs, 3 Milwaukee Area Golf Courses Are Set to Open on Friday (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Valentine’s Day at White Castle? Why Not? (WISN)
  • Parkway Floral mention
• Environmental Problems Plague the Barrel Reconditioning Business (Journal Sentinel)
• Stunning Color Photos of the Old Lake Front Chicago & North Western Depot (OnMilwaukee.com)
  • Mention of South Milwaukee station
• Fatal Heroin Overdose Leads to Man Charged Under State “Len Bias” Law (Patch)
• Waukesha, Oak Creek to Extend Water Deal Deadline (BizTimes)
• Former Oak Creek Mayor Dick Bolender Memorialized at Drexel Town Square (NOW)
• Oak Creek T Rexes Home from Hollywood (NOW)

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.

Updated to reflect the correct location: 3800 block of Harmony.

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

On 02/15/17 at about 7:05a.m. SMPD Officers responded to the 3800blk of Harmony Lane for a reported intruder inside a residence, who subsequently fled.  Officers responded and were unable to locate the suspect.  The suspect is described as a white male, in his 40’s, 6′, 190#, with a goatee or beard, wearing a brown sweatshirt with black stripes, and a red winter hat with a puff ball on it.  No one was hurt and nothing was taken during the incident. 

A person was stopped in the area and identified, but determined to not be the suspect. 

This case is still under investigation and information about the suspect is being sought.  If you see someone who matches the description or if you have information, please call the SMPD at 414-768-8060. 

You can receive email alerts this in your email inbox. Email Officer Mike Hill to get on the crime alert email list.

From the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center …

The South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center (SMPAC) announces its 10^th annual fundraiser, Soirée: A Party for a Purpose, on Saturday, March 18.  The South Milwaukee Performing Arts Council is hosting the event, which is sponsored by Classic Cargo International. “The word Soirée literally means a party for a purpose,” says Cyndi Kieck, president of the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Council.  “Our purpose is to bring people together in celebration of the arts and raise the funds necessary to provide programming that makes a positive impact in education, recreation and the vibrancy of our community.”

The Soirée will feature live musical entertainment from Prof. Pinkerton and the Magnificents, live and silent auctions featuring Wisconsin trip packages, Milwaukee-area arts and entertainment destinations, artwork, a wine pull, hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. This year’s venue is the Polish Center of Wisconsin located at 6941 S. 68th Street in Franklin. Festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $49.00 and may be purchased at http://www.southmilwaukeepac.org. Reservations are recommended. All proceeds support South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center’s mission of providing affordable creative, innovative and diverse performing arts and lifelong learning opportunities to people of all ages.

Check out the press release here, and make your plans to attend!

Last week, the South Milwaukee City Council voted to appoint our currently elected City Clerk Jim Shelenske and Treasurer Karen Skowronski to those same roles.

It was an easy choice, as their terms expire in April and the jobs move from elected to appointed, per changes we made several years ago.

These are two strong professionals excelling in their jobs, and I’m excited to see what they accomplish in the years ahead.

Good luck, Jim and Karen. You earned this.

Check out these headlines from around the South Shore …

• Board Game Barrister Adds Location at Mayfair Mall (Business Journal)
• Drexel Town Square to Add 242 More Apartments as Oak Creek Approves Financing Package (Business Journal)
• Dretzka’s Department Store Depresses, Delights (OnMilwaukee.com)
• Woman, Pet Killed in Oak Creek Mobile Home Fire (WISN)
• Thieves Target Vehicles Left Running in Oak Creek (Fox 6)
• Zund America Plans Move From Franklin to Oak Creek (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Fast Path to Ikea: Oak Creek Store Plans are Rapidly Taking Shape (NOW)
• Proposed FedEx Terminal in Oak Creek Gets Permit to Move Forward (NOW)

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.

In-person absentee voting is now open, and runs through Friday, Feb. 17.

Anyone planning on being out of town or unable to make it to the polling place on election day — or for any reason, really — can cast an absentee ballot at the clerk’s office at City Hall, 2424 15th Ave.

For hours and availability, click here. Remember to bring your photo ID.

Here is a sample ballot for the spring primary. Of course, I am running for re-election this spring, and I humbly ask for your support. You can learn more about my campaign here.

Requests for absentee ballots should be mailed to:

City of South Milwaukee – City Clerk
2424 15th Avenue
South Milwaukee, WI, 53172

The request must list the voter’s resident address, where the ballot should be mailed (if different), the election for which they are requesting the ballot, and must be signed by the voter. The last day to mail out absentee ballots by mail is Friday, Feb. 17.

Also, voters can register at the clerk’s office prior to the election date or at the polling place on Election Day. Voters should bring their Wisconsin driver’s license or state ID card when registering. If the information on your license does not list your current address, additional documentation with the current address will be needed to establish residency. A voter must have lived at their residence for at least 10 consecutive days prior to registering.

Remember, you must change your voter registration if you are new to the city, have changed residences within the city or if you had a legal name change.

More details on voting here.

The South Milwaukee Heritage Days Parade Committee is so passionate about what they do — ensuring that our city’s annual parade gets bigger and better every year.

It’s a year-round effort.

Help them accomplish their mission at their next fundraiser. Details below. I am told there is still room for a few more teams (as of Feb. 3).

Thursday, I had the honor of welcoming the Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association to South Milwaukee, as more than 100 wastewater professionals gathered at the Knights of Columbus for their meeting.

My topic: All the investments we’re making in fresh water in South Milwaukee.

As I said, “Water is our heritage. It’s in our DNA as a city, and we have a responsibility to make sure we’re protecting that resource for our residents today, and preserving it for the future. This is our legacy we’re talking about, and we’ll be judged based on how we care for this most important of resources. … As mayor of this city, I need to make sure we’re investing in fresh water for the long term, investing in sustainable solutions that will leave future generations proud of what we have done.”

And we are, led by the work of our wastewater and water utility workers. In the image with this post, I’m standing next to Andy Bakalarski and Ben Huffman from our Wastewater Treatment Facility, and Doug Fischer, from our South Milwaukee Water Utility. We couldn’t deliver the level of service we do without the work of their teams.

Here are my full remarks.

Congratulations to all of the South Milwaukee athletes who will continue to compete in college.

On Wednesday, three South Milwaukee football players announced intentions their as part of national signing day.

• Nick Honerlaw: North Dakota
• Jake Simuncak: Wisconsin-La Crosse
• Ethan Ortiz: Wisconsin Lutheran

Also, Maddie Wood has signed a letter of intent to run cross-country at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Maddie Veres will play softball at Loyola University in Chicago.

More exciting news for Grant Park: The Milwaukee County Traveling Beer Garden is returning to South Milwaukee and the Brown Pavilion from June 14 to July 9.

The county made the announcement today. See the full schedule here.

The Beer Garden 5K Series is also returning for 2017, with an event set for July 6 at Grant Park.

Thanks to the Milwaukee County Parks, County Executive Chris Abele and Supervisor David Sartori for keeping this tradition alive — and, judging from the attendance at Grant Park the past few years, I’m not the only fan of the beer gardens.

More details on all the parks beer gardens here … http://county.milwaukee.gov/Parks/BeerGardens

Caterpillar announced its fourth-quarter and year-end earnings on Monday.

Here is a Reuters story. From it …

“While we see signs of positive activity in some of our key end markets, the overall economic environment remains challenging,” Chief Executive Jim Umpleby said in a statement on Thursday.

Caterpillar cut 12,300 jobs in 2016, including 7,700 in the United States. It said it was considering closing two more major production facilities, including one in Aurora, Illinois.

The company said a glut of used construction equipment in North America would continue to hurt sales in 2017, while sales in Africa and the Middle East would remain soft due to the regions’ reliance on oil revenue. Low traffic volume in its rail business and a significant number of idle locomotives were weighing on its transportation business, while weakness in shipbuilding would hurt marine-related sales, the company said.

The company’s loss ballooned to $1.17 billion, or $2.00 per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, from $94 million, or 16 cents per share, a year earlier.

But the company posted an adjusted fourth-quarter profit of 83 cents per share, which excludes $1.019 billion in restructuring costs as well as other charges. That topped analysts’ average estimate of 66 cents.

Here is Chicago Tribune coverage.

On Tuesday, Cat also announced its plans to move its global headquarters from Peoria to the Chicago area. Here is a Chicago Tribune story. From it …

Since 2012, about two-thirds of Caterpillar’s sales have come from outside the United States.

“Locating our headquarters closer to a global transportation hub, such as Chicago, means we can meet with our global customers, dealers and employees more easily and frequently,” he said.

“A limited number” of senior executives will move into leased office space beginning this year, and, eventually, Caterpillar expects about 300 workers to be based in the Chicago area, including some positions moved from Peoria.

Caterpillar spokeswoman Rachel Potts said the company hasn’t yet decided whether the new headquarters will be in the city of Chicago or in the suburbs. She also said that Caterpillar hasn’t yet had any discussions with government leaders about incentives.

“We’ll see where the site selection takes us,” she said when asked about incentives.

Here is the Cat press release on the HQ move.

From the South Milwaukee Library …

February is Love your Library Month

Announcing a Fine Forgiveness Program

February 1 – February 28, 2017

 If you’ve been avoiding the Library because of fines and overdue items, now is the time to come back.  During February, visit the South Milwaukee Public Library and speak with a staff member. Fines and fees will be forgiven for anyone who returns an overdue book, DVD, or other item owned by the South Milwaukee Public Library.  All fees will be waived for each overdue South Milwaukee item returned.   If you have overdue items, but can no longer find them, the library will waive fees up to $50.00.  For those with larger fines and fees, Library management will be available to discuss other options.

Exclusions to this program:

• Items placed in the book drop are not eligible.
• Fees will not be waived via phone or email.  You must visit the library.
• Fines and fees previously paid are not refundable.
• Fine forgiveness does not apply to items owned by other libraries within the Milwaukee County Federated Library System.  Only materials owned by the South Milwaukee Public Library are eligible.
• Accounts which have been issued a municipal citation are not eligible.

For further information, contact the South Milwaukee Public Library, 414-768-8195. To participate, please visit the library, 1907 10^th Avenue, South Milwaukee.

There have been several burglaries to local businesses in the last couple of weeks.

From the South Milwaukee Police Department and Nextdoor …

In the past week South Milwaukee has had 2 burglaries to local businesses. The first occurred on 1/21/17 at 3:59am at the Citgo “You Pump” Gas station on 10th Ave & Manitoba Ave. The second occurred last night (1/25/17) at 2:39am at Marquette Liquor in the 1100blk of Marquette Ave. Both incidents were done by the same crew of 3 males. The males appear to be in their 20’s, unknown race at this time. Video shows this group makes entry through breaking windows on the businesses. Large quantities of cigarettes and liquor were taken during these two incidents. It is believed that this same group is responsible for a number of these burglaries in southeastern WI. These 3 males are organized and efficient, and most likely will keep doing these burglaries until they are caught.
The SMPD urges you to call if you see anything suspicious in you neighborhoods. You are our eyes and ears out there, and anything could break these cases wide open. The SMPD is actively following leads in both cases. I will update if and when arrests are made. … 

The Aurora Pharmacy, 2414 10th Ave, was burglarized on 1/29/17 sometime between 3:45am and 4:15am. The SMPD is currently investigating several leads in this case. That is all we can disclose at this time.

Want to stay on top of local crime? Sign up for the police crime alert email service (email Officer Michael Hill here), or join Nextdoor. The department has really stepped up its communications efforts, and these are two valuable tools available to residents.