by | November 10, 2014 · 9:47 pm

Recognizing Our Veterans

Tuesday is Veterans’ Day, and I wish all veterans — those serving now or those who have served — a blessed day.

I thank you for your service — especially my late grandfather, a World War II Navy veteran, and my stepfather, a Vietnam War Marine veteran — and ask others to do the same by taking part in the Veterans’ Day ceremony on Tuesday morning, Nov. 11.

Local veterans will be meeting at the American Legion Post #27 at 10:30 a.m., and at 10:45 they we will do a “light march” from the Post to the South Milwaukee War Memorial.

The 30-minute ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the memorial, located just north of Tony G’s Grant Park Garage.

A light lunch will be served at the post following the ceremony.

(In the case of inclement weather ensues, the ceremony will be held at the Post.)

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by | November 8, 2014 · 10:47 pm

Shoreline Park Meeting Set For Tuesday

The public is welcome to attend a second public information meeting around a potential Lake Michigan shoreline park planned for 18 acres south of the Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The meeting, in an open house format, begins with a presentation at 5:30 p.m., followed by time for questions and answers with the consultant hired to prepare options for the site and city personnel.

From the letter sent to area residents …

The first public information meeting, held in May, included two development concepts. A revised concept has been developed which includes the following elements:

  • Primary entry from Bay Heights Road with approximately 10 parking spaces and access path.
  • Secondary site access from Marina Road with approximately 8 parking spaces created where Marina Road turns south with a pedestrian access path.
  • Improved primary pedestrian path to the beachfront designed to meet ADA requirements with accessible beach extension.
  • Secondary paths with stair structures, overlooks.
  • Extension of the storm sewer system on the north side of the parcel to reduce bluff erosion, and reduce velocities to protect coastal wetland.
  • Stormwater bioretention by using rain gardens as a natural area to control and treat stormwater run-off.
  • Stabilized bluff plantings.
  • Areas of mowed open space.

Learn more about the earlier plans here.

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by | November 8, 2014 · 10:28 pm

Rocket Sports Update: Cross-Country Runners Shine At State And More

From the South Milwaukee School District …

ROCKET CROSS COUNTRY

Congratulations to the Rocket Boys’ Cross Country team and in particular Josh Janusiak. The Rockets took 15th in the WIAA State Cross Country Championships last Saturday and Josh took 9th place as an individual overall! Jordan Janusiak took 54th place overall and had the 2nd best time out of all of the freshmen in the race!

http://www.wiaawi.org/Portals/0/PDF/Results/Cross_Country/2014/d1bteamresults.pdf

Congratulations to Maddie Wood (10) for taking 40th place in the WIAA State Girls’ Cross Country Championship! Out of all freshmen and sophomores Maddie had the 14th best time in the race!

Here are the results for each SM runner with 1 Mile Split & Place, 2 Mile Split & Place & Finish Time

Boys’ Results

  • 9th – Joshua Janusiak (12) 15th 4:58 11th 5:20 10:17 5:53 16:08.06
  • 54th – Jordan Janusiak (9) 101st 5:19 72nd 5:33 10:52 6:05 16:54.10
  • 114th – Chris Sobczak (10) 156th 5:28 137th 5:45 11:12 6:18 17:28.34
  • 125th – Justin Weber (11) 107th 5:20 117th 5:47 11:07 6:29 17:33.82
  • 184th – Sage Leahy (9) 179th 5:35 179th 6:04 11:39 6:54 18:30.40
  • 185th – Wyatt Schlager (9) 187th 5:38 185th 6:10 11:47 6:49 18:34.53
  • 186th – Damon Dettman (12) 180th 5:35 186th 6:14 11:49 6:53 18:39.52

Girls’ Results

  • 40th – Maddie Wood (10) 15th 5:51 25th 6:25 12:16 7:21 19:34.76
  • 152nd – Rebecca Heller (11) 143rd 6:24 152nd 6:56 13:19 7:43 20:59.80

Great job Rockets!!

ROCKET GIRLS’ SWIM & DIVE

Another meet…another couple of school records broken! Congratulations to Allison Osell and Alexis Holliday on breaking their own school records again!

The Girls Swim & Dive team competed in the Woodland Conference Meet last weekend.  The team took 6th out of 12 teams.

  • Allison Osell (10) took 4th Place in diving with a score of 362.70 (breaking her previous school record)
  • Alexis Holliday (10) took 4th in the 200yd Freestyle with a time of 2:01.26 also took 4th in the 500yd Freestyle with a time of 5:23.87 (breaking her previous school record by 4 seconds).
  • Zoe Bellis (10) took 8th in the 50yd Freestyle with a time of 27.07, also took 7th in the 100yd Breaststroke with a time of 1:18.75
  • Eryka Uehling (10)  took 8th in the 100yd Fly with a time of 1:11.57
  • 200yd Freestyle Relay team of Uehling, Taylor Halama (12), Holliday, Bellis took 6th with a time of 1:50.99
  • Haille Bocek (11) took 11th in the 100yd Backstroke with a time of 1:10.69

Good luck to Allison tonight at the WIAA Sectional Diving Competition and to all of the Varsity Swimmers at the WIAA Sectional Swim Meet on Saturday.

ROCKET FOOTBALL

Mitchell Dess Al Toon Award Finalist!

The Al Toon Award is given annually to the state’s top senior wide receiver or tight end as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former University of Wisconsin athlete Al Toon, who went on to play in the NFL for several very successful seasons before multiple concussions ended his career early. Toon is an active member of the community in the Madison area both in the business world and in various charitable endeavors.
 
The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 15 semi-finalists, and five finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners are announced the week of the state finals.
 
Al Toon Award Finalists:

Mitchell Dess, South Milwaukee – Dess was a contributor for the Rockets last season but really came into his own as a senior. The 5-11, 170-pound wideout hauled in 65 passes for 1092 yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 games for head coach Derek Hoff. “He gets the little technique things that most kind can’t even comprehend,” said Hoff. “Stemming and alignment on his routes, setting up defenders after the catch, catching the ball at its peak and not bringing it to your body right away, rather turning away before you do so.” Dess has the most productive yardage day in the state this year, hauling in 10 catches for 317 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 56-41 win over Pewaukee in Week 8.

Mitchell is one of only 5 Finalists STATE-WIDE!

http://www.wissports.net/news_article/show/441722?referrer_id=

ROCKET ALUMNI

Boo Gottwald (Class of 2010)

Gottwald Named Academic All-District by CoSIDA

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater senior John Gottwald has been selected to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-District 6 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer first team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Thursday, Oct. 30.

http://uww.meritpages.com/achievements/Gottwald-Named-Academic-All-District-by-CoSIDA/31947 

Defrim Ramushevski (Class of 2011)

Dewey is finishing up his senior season on the UWGB Men’s Soccer team. I have attached the senior photo for you to see Dewey now!

Dani Schwanke (Class of 2014), Katie Bartlett (Class of 2013) & Alicia Kontowski (Class of 2008)

Dani & Katie are both on this year’s Alverno women’s basketball team! Alicia is a Graduate Assistant Coach on both the Women’s Basketball Team and the Women’s Golf Team at Alverno College. Check out the link below for the team photo and roster.

http://athletics.alverno.edu/sports/wbkb/2014-15/roster

Zach Simuncak (Class of 2014) 

See the link below for Zach’s info as a member of the North Central football team!

http://northcentralcardinals.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6920

Lauren Kleppin (Class of 2007)

Lauren just competed in the frigid NYC Marathon last Sunday and had the 5th fastest time for any American woman and took 15th overall in the Elite running field. Great job Lauren!!

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by | November 7, 2014 · 3:15 pm

Wild Flour Bakery To Reopen This Month

The downtown momentum continues, with some more great news for South Milwaukee’s central business district.

Wild Flour Bakery is set to reopen its storefront retail space by Thanksgiving, according to Jaime Salazar, who will run the store at 1205 Milwaukee Ave.

Hours will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9-4.

Jaime tells me the store will offer baked goods like pastries, breads, cookies and muffins, with the potential of offering hot and cold lunches and other prepared foods in 2015, depending on customer feedback. Customers will also be able to order Thanksgiving pies at the store in coming weeks. And they will offer catering.

The interior (which features a kitchen in the back, where Wild Flour has continued to use even with the storefront closed) will also get a facelift with new paint and decor.

I wish Jaime and the staff at Wild Flour the best of luck — and thank them for continuing to invest in downtown South Milwaukee. I’m excited to see new life for the store that closed more than three years ago, and look forward to even more good news for downtown in coming weeks and months.

From MKE City Sippers to Wild Flour Bakery to Board Game Barrister (opening soon), and more, we’re just getting started when it comes to downtown South Milwaukee!

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by | November 6, 2014 · 7:07 pm

Public Hearing On Proposed St. Adalbert’s Development Set For Dec. 9

The South Milwaukee City Council voted tonight to schedule a public hearing on the proposed Gorman & Co. development at the former St. Adalbert’s site.

The hearing was set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at City Hall.

This will be an official opportunity for the public to be heard — in front of the city council — on this issue. A vote up or down on the project will then be held at a future meeting. I’ll keep you posted.

You can find more information on the development on the city website.

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by | November 6, 2014 · 4:42 pm

Holiday Bazaar Set For Saturday

It’s time to start thinking Christmas (my favorite time of year to be a South Milwaukeean).

South Milwaukee’s holiday events kick off this Saturday, Nov. 8, with the Holiday Bazaar at the Grobschmidt Senior Center.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features homemade crafts, delicious baked goods, wonderful raffle items, and a white elephant/rummage sale. Lunch is also available.

Admission is free.

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by | November 6, 2014 · 4:41 pm

Arrest Made In Pick ‘n Save Bank Robbery

From South Milwaukee Police Chief Ann Wellens, in reference to this incident …

SMPD has been advised by the FBI that they have made an arrest of a subject responsible for several bank robberies in the Milwaukee area. Based on their investigation the FBI feels the subject they have arrested is responsible for the bank robbery at the Tri-City Bank inside Pick & Save on May 11, 2014. The FBI advised we could close our case.

The person is not being named, because charges havent’t been filed.

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by | November 6, 2014 · 8:44 am

More South Shore Headlines

Check out these headlines from around the South Shore …

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by | November 4, 2014 · 11:17 pm

South Milwaukee Election Results: 70% Turnout

South Milwaukeeans yet again turned out in big numbers for an election.

Tuesday’s turnout: 70.6% of registered voters, according to unofficial results from the city clerk’s office. There were more than 8,400 ballots cast on Tuesday.

Here are the results. Some local highlights:

  • Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch tallied 51.7% of the votes in South Milwaukee, to 45.9% for Mary Burke and John Lehman.
  • Brad Schimel topped Susan Happ in the attorney general’s race locally, 49.4% to 43.6%.
  • Dan Sebring beat U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, 49.8% to 42.3%, in South Milwaukee, even as Moore scored a big victory across the district.
  • State Sen. Chris Larson beat challenger Jason “Red” Arnold 48.2% to 45.9% in South Milwaukee.

Thanks to everyone who got out to the polls and made their voices heard. And thanks to City Clerk Jim Shelenske, his City Hall team and all of the pollworkers for their efforts. They do important work, and they do it well.

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by | November 4, 2014 · 6:43 am

It’s Election Day: Vote!

Today is Election Day. Please do your duty as a citizen and vote!

Here are some details …

  • Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Here is a sample ballot. Contested races include governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state treasurer, secretary of state, Wisconsin State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. There are also four county referendeum questions, and one state question.
  • First District voters vote at Divine Mercy School, 695 College Ave.
  • Second District voters vote at Lakeview School, 711 Marion Ave.
  • Third District voters vote at City Hall, 2424 15th Ave.
  • Fourth District voters vote at Rawson Elementary, 1410 Rawson Ave.
  • Not sure what district you live in? Here is a map.
  • Voter ID is not required in this election. But you will be asked to sign the poll book.

Check out more details on the city’s elections web page … and look for more information on local results from South Milwaukee Blog later tonight or Wednesday morning.

See you at the polls!

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by | November 3, 2014 · 10:28 pm

St. Adalbert’s Topic Of Thursday Council Meeting

The South Milwaukee City Council will consider the rezoning request for the proposed St. Adalbert’s apartment complex at a special meeting on Thursday evening.

The meeting is at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Here is the agenda.

As you’ll recall, the Plan Commission last week deadlocked 3-3 on a vote to deny recommending the rezoning to the council.

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by | November 3, 2014 · 5:12 pm

Reaching Out: Trinity Lutheran To Host South Milwaukee Coaches’ Forum, Blood Drive

A couple of events coming up at Trinity Lutheran Church in South Milwaukee (my church) …

The community is more than welcome at both — in fact, encouraged to attend.

First, we’re proud to announce our next Speaker Series event, which features two South Milwaukee coaching legends: John Galewski and Stan Druckrey.

The pair have combined to lead young student-athletes for more than 60 years — Galewski a state Hall of Fame baseball coach who also led the South Milwaukee football team until this year; Druckrey (a Trinity member) the high school’s longtime girls’ track and co-ed cross-country coach – touching hundreds of lives along the way.

Come hear from both on Sunday, November 23, as they share stories from their decades in coaching and life lessons for athletes and non-athletes alike. There will also be plenty of time for Q&A. The event starts at 4 p.m., after the Packers’ game, and all attendees are invited to a free simple supper afterwards. Tell your family and friends , and bring a guest or three for what should be a memorable night. Go Rockets!

Also, the Trinity Caring Ministry Team is hosting a blood drive on Saturday, Nov. 22. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and folks can sign up by visiting www.bcw.edu/trinitysouthmilwaukee. Here is an event flyer.

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by | November 2, 2014 · 5:05 pm

New Downtown Coffee House Opens Monday

Sippers 1Sipper 2Just a quick note that MKE City Sippers — the new coffee house at 911 Milwaukee Ave. — is opening Monday morning.

Please stop by and welcome Nicole to South Milwaukee … and support this terrific new downtown business. I stopped for their pre-opening Saturday, and it’s worth the trip.

Learn more on their Facebook page.

Hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Thanks to Nicole for believing in downtown South Milwaukee.

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by | November 1, 2014 · 10:36 pm

County Budget Update: Money For Grant Park Trails, Oak Creek And More

County Executive Chris Abele’s budget includes some strong support for the South Shore and South Milwaukee.

Now, there are still lots of moving parts with this process as the Milwaukee County Board weighs the document and makes its own changes, but things look promising for our fair city.

Check out details on the proposed budget here. And County Supervisor Patricia Jursik has her take on it in her newly published newsletter. From the newsletter …

New for District 8

  • $378,500.00 is provided for remediation of the Warnimont Park site that has once been used as a dump site. Our ancestors did not always consider the consequences of using a natural ravine as a place to dump garbage. Even today, illegal dumping takes place in our parks. Please report any sighting of trash/ rubbish dumping of any kind.
  • $324,000 continues to be the funding planned for the Oak Creek stream bed stabilization in 2016. This must first be done before looking at dredging of the pond. However, the Parks Department is spending $10,000 to test the silt to understand if it is contaminated which would impact the cost.

Bike Trail Replacement

District 8 will benefit from $500,000 for Sheridan/Warnimont trail replacement which is still pending from 2014 projects plus a new $830,000 for Grant Park. Both projects should be done at the same time. Our trails are among the oldest in the system.

Bus Route Extension

Route 80 on Howell Avenue will be extended to provide service to the future Drexel Town Square. The City of Oak Creek has been requesting an extension and my office was proud to move this request forward. Our Route 55 on Layton will intersect with Route 80 at Layton and Howell Avenues. Bus riders can now connect to Woodman’s, Target, and Kohls in Oak Creek. In addition, persons 65 and older or persons with disabilities, with a valid ID or Medicare card, are now eligible for free-fare rides.

There is a public hearing on the budget at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3, at the Milwaukee Art Museum. I will keep you posted.

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by | November 1, 2014 · 10:17 am

Police Nab Sex Offender Fugitive

Thanks again to the South Milwaukee Police Department for keeping us safe … more great work.

The press release …

On the evening of October 31st, 2014, SMPD received an anonymous call regarding the whereabouts of a felony sex offender fugitive that had been featured on Fox 6 that evening.  This person was being sought by the U.S. Marshals, along with the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Corrections.  After verifying the offender, Christopher Perkins, might be staying with a girlfriend in the 600 block of Mackinac Ave, officers conducted a knock and talk at the residence.  Christopher Perkins was found inside the residence and surrendered without incident.  The South Milwaukee Police Department would like to thank our community partners for assisting in the recovery of this fugitive.

Here is that Fox 6 story.

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