South Milwaukee Blog

South Milwaukee has lost a dedicated community servant, public official, and educator  – one who has touched countless lives.

Richard Grobschmidt passed away on Saturday at the age 68.

Rick, son of longtime South Milwaukee Mayor Chester Grobschmidt, graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 1966. He returned to teach political science at the school before serving five terms in the state Assembly and parts of three terms in the state Senate, chairing both the Assembly and Senate education committees.

Rick left the Senate in 2003 after he was appointed assistant state superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction. He retired from the DPI in 2010.

“I find it is now time for me to say good-bye to my DPI family and spend more time with my South Milwaukee family,” he said at the time.

Rick’s South Milwaukee family will miss him. We lost a great man.

Services are planned for Friday at Divine Mercy Parish.

Did you know Rick? Please post your memories below.

From the market’s Facebook page …

TODAY’s SOUTH MILWAUKEE MARKET IS CANCELLED (July 21, 2016) DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT FORECAST. We regret any inconvenience this may cause, but our vendor and public safety is paramount. Please Share this on your Facebook page to help us get the word out.

Vendors, if you have any questions or concerns, please call our market manager.

NEXT WEEK – July 28th EVENING ON THE AVENUE STREET FESTIVAL – we’ll be moving the market to Milwaukee Avenue for our City’s Largest Street Festival. Make plans to check it out.

The South Milwaukee Police Department is releasing a composite sketch of a person of interest in last week’s attempted sexual assault case in Grant Park.

From the police …

This person would have been seen in the Grant Park main beach and clubhouse area in the evening hours of Tuesday July 12^th, 2016 between approximately 8pm-10pm. If you feel you recognize the person or may have seen the subject in Grant Park on that date/time please contact the SMPD at 414-768-8060. Please do not attempt to make contact with the person if you believe you see him or know him. If associated with a vehicle, please be sure to copy down the license plate and provide it to the police. 

And here is the initial information …

On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at about 9:22pm, the South Milwaukee Police Department took a report of an attempted sexual assault that occurred in Grant Park, South Milwaukee. The female victim reported she was walking on the sidewalk and noticed a subject following her. The subject waited until she was in a dimly lit area and then hit the victim from behind. During the attempted assault the victim was able to flee from the subject.

Subject described: Hispanic male, 6′ 2″ – 6′ 4″, heavy build (around 350 pounds), red basketball shorts, dark t-shirt, no facial hair, no glasses, no tattoos, scabs on both shins. The victim described the subject’s hairstyle as a “Johnny Bravo” style (short on the sides and longer/curly in the front). If any person knows the subject associated with this crime they are encourage to contact the SMPD at (414) 768-8060. 

With extreme temperatures expected the next few days, we have this from the South Milwaukee Health Department …

Here are some options for cooling sites …

Library is open:

• Thursday 9 am to 8 pm
• Friday 9 am to 5 pm
• Saturday 9 am to 4 pm

Senior Center:

• Thursday and Friday 9 am to 4 pm

 Grobschmidt Pool:

• Thursday: Lap swim only 7 am to 10 am. Open swim 12:30-4:30 pm and 5:30-7:30 pm  
• Friday: Lap swim only 7 am to 10 am. Open swim 12:30 to 4:30 pm

The Health Department will have bottled water available in case someone should come in to City Hall requesting it.  Here is a list of medications that residents should be aware of that can increase the risk of heat illness.

The South Milwaukee Little League Intermediate All-Stars took home a state title last week, and are headed to regional play in Kalamazoo, Mich., later this week.

The team beat West Bend Thursday and Friday, 13-1 and 15-3, in the state finals, advancing to the 10-team double elimination regional tournament, comprised of Midwest state champions. The regional winner will move on to the Little League Intermediate World Series in Livermore, Calif.

The team is looking for donations to help fund their trip to Michigan. From Manager Tony Goodenough:

Our boys are a determined group of individuals who hold themselves to the highest standards. They are not only outstanding baseball players, but contribute to many local community organizations. This team exemplifies the South Milwaukee Way, putting sportsmanship above all else. They are great ambassadors of our city, and promote all the values that South Milwaukee stands for. …

Any monetary donation would be greatly appreciated and is tax deductible. Checks can be mailed and payable to: South Milwaukee Little League PO Box 11 South Milwaukee, WI 53172.

They also have a GoFundMe page.

Go South Milwaukee!

40 years ago, this happened …

At tonight’s city council meeting, we’re proud to honor members of the state champion 1975-76 South Milwaukee boys’ basketball team.

The Rockets finished the season 25-0 – at the time, one of only 17 teams to go undefeated to win a state boys title, scoring 74.6 points per game while holding opponents to an average of 52.5 points.

They defeated Milwaukee Washington in the state quarterfinals, Madison West in the semifinals and Eau Claire Memorial and coach Dick Bennett in the finals, with Kurt Nimphius hitting a short jumper with 46 seconds left en route to a thrilling 45-43 victory in the championship.

It was the end of a historic season for Nimphuis, who would go on to play collegiately at Arizona State and play in the NBA for eight seasons. He scored 30 points in the final and 97 points in the three games in Madison, which still stands as the second-highest total in the tournament. He had 40 rebounds in the three games.

The team was coached by Jerry Sullivan, who went 223-98 at South Milwaukee, was named state Coach of the Year in 1976, was inducted in to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1983 and had the new high school gymnasium named in his honor in 2006.

The state championship team began their careers together in the South Milwaukee Recreation Department in fifth grade, beginning a strong bond that would continue through high school, never putting themselves before the team, working together year-round to practice their craft of basketball to become better parts for the whole.

It’s exciting to honor that team tonight … and to see them in the upcoming Heritage Days Parade, as they gather for a reunion. More come on that.

Go Rockets!

From the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center …

The Donny McCaslin Group, musicians featured on rock icon David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, will perform their first and only scheduled Milwaukee appearance at South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center (SMPAC) on Thursday, October 13, at 7:30 p.m. Donny McCaslin has been hailed as a “game‐changing jazz saxophonist,” who along with the other members of his band, were sought out to perform on Bowie’s last album.

“Presenting the Donny McCaslin Group is part of our mission of bringing creative, innovative and diverse artists to Milwaukee. We believe that a high-profile artist like Donny McCaslin can enrich the appetite for modern jazz music in Milwaukee and put a spotlight on Milwaukee’s own rich jazz scene,” says Rachel Sorce, SMPAC Executive Director. In the past, SMPAC has presented contemporary jazz musicians and composers such as Robert Glasper and Jason Moran.

More details here. And here is a bigger list of upcoming events.

From the day Masjid Al-Huda announced it was purchasing the former St. Adalbert’s parish buildings, I’ve said it’s important that we, as South Milwaukee residents, do what we can to learn more about who our new neighbors are — and, just as importantly, who they aren’t. This will be one opportunity to do just that.

Thanks to the mosque for holding this event, and for showing its commitment to becoming part of this community.

Details in the flyer image.

I was honored to be asked to speak Wednesday at the South Shore Chamber of Commerce meeting at Papa Luigi’s in Cudahy.

Here is the speech I gave. And I mean every word of it.

My message, for South Milwaukee and the South Shore …

We are just getting started. Our future is bright, and our best days are yet to come. Our potential as a region is still unmet, and that’s why it’s so exciting to be the mayor at this time and place. 

All of the South Shore communities have great stories to share … and are in the process of writing new chapters as I speak.

My ask: Get behind what’s going on here. Get involved. And tell your friends, family, colleagues and business associates just what is happening here. Help write that story.

Let’s go!

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at about 9:22pm, the South Milwaukee Police Department took a report of an attempted sexual assault that occurred in Grant Park, South Milwaukee.  The female victim reported she was walking on the sidewalk and noticed a subject following her.  The subject waited until she was in a dimly lit area and then hit the victim from behind. During the attempted assault the victim was able to flee from the subject.

Subject described: Hispanic male, 6-2 to 6-4, heavy build (around 350 pounds), red basketball shorts, dark t-shirt, no facial hair, no glasses, no tattoos, scabs on both shins.  The victim described the subject’s hairstyle as a “Johnny Bravo” style (short on the sides and longer/curly in the front).

If any person knows the subject associated with this crime they are encourage to contact the SMPD at 414-768-8060.

Join me at the 15th-annual South Milwaukee Police Department DARE Golf Outing!

The event is set for Monday, July 25, at Oakwood Golf Course in Franklin. The shotgun start is at 8 a.m.

Cost is $80 per golfer. For that, you get 18 holes of golf, a cart, lunch, all the beer you can drink, a chance at $10,000 hole in one, and many chances to win great raffle prizes.

This golf outing raises money to fund the DARE Program at SMPD. I’m a big fan.

There is plenty to do downtown this week. A glimpse …

• Wednesday, July 13: Guardian Credit Union Movie in the Grass, “Jurassic World.” Show starts at dusk. Learn more here.
• Thursday, July 14: Tweed Funk, a Memphis blues revue, plays at the South Milwaukee Downtown Market, as part of the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center’s Music at the Market series, presented by Classic Cargo International. The show starts at 5. The market runs from 3 to 7, with free face painting presented by Trinity Lutheran Church at the Country Meadows booth.
• Saturday, July 16: History Walking Tour. Join my dad, Pharis Brooks, as he shares the “proud past” of key downtown landmarks, including the railroad depot and post office. And grab a free cup of coffee MKE City Sippers. The tour, the second of three this summer, starts at 9 a.m. at the South Milwaukee Library.
• Bonus: My dad is also leading a free, one-hour lecture on July 23 at the South Milwaukee Historical Society, 717 Milwaukee Ave., about the 1929 fiery end of South Milwaukee High School, and the role of  1935 student Adelaide Cyris, and others. The talk starts at 10 a.m., and bring a lawn chair.

So, lots to do in our city center. And it’s not even Heritage Days yet!

I shared this email with our police department just now.

To the Department –

Thank you. You probably don’t hear it enough, but thank you.

Thank you for your service, for choosing the too often thankless profession you did.  

Thank you for putting yourself in harm’s way to keep us safe every day.

Thank you for running in to the chaos when everyone else is running out.

Thank you for all you do for our community. From Shop with a Cop to Community Night Out to Neighborhood Watch, you work hard to foster positive relationships with residents.

Thank you for your work in our local schools. From DARE to the officer liaison program at the middle and high schools, you have touched thousands of young lives.

Thank you for living up to the high standards of conduct demanded by your department and your profession, despite sometimes terribly challenging situations.

Thank you for your commitment to get better every day, through honing your skills or building new ones through training and education.

Thank you for your courage to press on despite tragedies like we saw last night in Dallas.

Thank you for living up to your mission: “We, the members of the South Milwaukee Police Department, are dedicated to providing a proactive, full service department that enhances the quality of life in our community by reducing crime through the protection of life and property.”

Thank you for showing every day that all … lives … matter.

I stand with you.