by | November 22, 2013 · 10:42 pm

More Headlines!

Check out these South Shore headlines …

And NOW has published a new police blotter, including these three concerning acts of vandalism …

  • A BB gun was fired into a window at an apartment in the 500 block of Southtowne Drive about 11 p.m. Nov. 1. Damage is estimated at $50.
  • A pellet was fired through a patio window in the 2500 block of Lakeshore Boulevard at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 13.
  • A car’s windows were shot out in the 200 block of Marshall Avenue the afternoon of Nov. 13.

Leave a comment

Filed under Headlines

by | November 22, 2013 · 6:14 pm

South Milwaukee Alumni Update: Hollywood Edition

More updates, this time from the arts …

Michael Cotey (Class of 2004) 

Those of you in the High School and Middle School already got this from Mr. Cleveland but I am sending it again so that all those outside of SDSM that get these emails can see the great work being done by one of our grads. I have include a link to his bio (which was imbedded in the story on JSOnline) and a couple of nice quotes about his directing abilities. Way to go Michael!

http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/arts/directors-must-learn-the-ropes-too-b99140607z1-232090111.html?ipad=y

http://www.michaelcotey.com/bio.html

Jenny Hoffman (Class of 2011)

Jenny is out in Los Angeles studying and working as an actress and a recent project she worked on (Rocky Horror Picture Show) is up for a Broadway World Award. See details below for a way to vote for it to win the award and good luck Jenny!

The Rocky Horror show from October has been nominated for a Broadway World Award!

http://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/liveupdate2013region.cfm?btype=1138&region=Los%20Angeles

Go to the link and click where it says “Click Here To Vote.” Make sure you enter your email address at the top of the page. Rocky Horror is the last category. It’s called “Best Special Theatre Event.” It will make you go through every category, but you don’t have to place a vote for anything else. Please Vote!

Leah Costello (Class of 2007)

This Thursday, Leah will be on an episode of the Young and the Restless, one of the longest running daytime soap operas. The show airs in the Milwaukee area on CBS58 at 11:00am. Congratulations Leah (daughter of our very own Guy Costello)!

Kyle Olson (Class of 2006)

Kyle and a project of his are profiled in a recent Milwaukee Magazine article. You can check out the link below. Kyle is currently hard at work behind the scenes of a number of television productions such as Dancing With the Stars. Kyle continues to amaze!

http://www.milwaukeemag.com/article/1172013-ACalltoActionLetterstoAshleigh

Leave a comment

Filed under Schools, South Milwaukee

by | November 22, 2013 · 9:08 am

South Milwaukee Alumni Update: New Team For McKinney Jones, Belmont’s Local Star And More

Update: Check out this story on Trey from the Fort Wayne newspaper.

Thanks to Ante Udovicic for the continued updates …

Trey McKinney Jones (Class of 2008)

A few weeks ago, Trey officially signed with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the NBA D League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks. He has put in a lot of work over the years, but especially this summer and fall to get ready and it showed on Saturday. On Saturday the Mad Ants had their pre-season game against the Canton Charge and Trey had a very nice game. Fort Wayne won 87-84 and Trey had a game high 17 pts on 8 of 14 shooting and the following stat line:

17 pts   7 reb   1 ast   2 steals   1-1 from 3 pt range

Go to this link for his initial player profile:

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/trey_mckinney_jones/index.html

Drew Windler (Class of 2009)

Drew is a senior starter on the perennial NCAA Tournament team Belmont and they had a great early season resume builder on Sunday, getting a huge road win at #12 ranked North Carolina to move to 3-1 on the season. Drew had 16 points and 3 steals in the game and also rebounded the miss of UNC’s last shot (by former Menomonee Falls standout JP Tokoto) and made the long pass ahead to a teammate for an assist on the game-winning layup. Drew is averaging 16 pts and 5 reb per game thus far through 4 games. Good luck tonight against Lipscomb and this season Drew!

http://www.belmontbruins.com/sports/m-baskbl/2013-14/bios/windler_drew_s0lw

Taylor Zaeske (Class of 2013)

Taylor not only earned CACC Rookie of the Week honors 3 times this season, she is the only freshman to earn 1st team all-conference in Women’s volleyball. Great season so far Taylor!! The link to the article is below this paragraph just in case you can’t see the photos from the article pasted below the link.

http://www.caldwellathletics.com/news/2013/11/12/WVB_1112134456.aspx?path=wvball

Katie Bartlett (Class of 2013)

A former Rocket basketball player, Katie makes her home debut this Thursday night at Alverno College at 7:00pm as the inferno takes on Edgewood. Here is Katie’s early season bio. Good luck Thursday and this season Katie!

http://athletics.alverno.edu/sports/wbkb/2013-14/bios/bartlett_katie_limj

Natalie Marlowe (Class of 2008)

In her second year at Hendirx College as an assistant womens’ basketball coach (and assistant womens’ golf coach too!) Natalie’s team is 1-1 so far his year. Last year they struggled losing their first 17 games only to finish 4-5 in their final 9 games and start to build something. So far so good this year…best of luck to Natalie and the Warriors!

http://www.hendrixwarriors.com/coaches.aspx?rc=99&path=wbball

Brett Hochstaetter (Class of 2011)

Former Rocket standout wrestler is a redshirt sophomore walk-on getting some varsity wrestling matches at 174 lbs for the Badgers. Way to go Brett and good luck! The Badgers’ dual meet at Michigan State Dec. 8 will be aired live on the Big Ten Network. Brett’s bio is linked below.

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/brett_hochstaetter_779680.html

Sterling Smith (Class of 2012)

Sterling is a redshirt freshman Defensive Lineman on the Division II playoff bound 10-1 St. Cloud State Huskies. They travel to Arkansas on Saturday to play at Henderson State in the opening round of the D II playoffs. Good luck Sterling! (their website is a little off on his bio as they have Sterling graduating from South HS – oh well).

http://www.scsuhuskies.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=840&path=football

Pat Berg (Class of 2012)

Pat is a backup QB on Concordia University’s football team and they play at noon this Saturday at UW Platteville in the opening round of the NCAA Division III football playoffs. Good luck Pat!! Here is his bio (although I think his height of 5’9″ is off a little bit…he has got to be 6’1″).

http://cuwfalcons.com/sports/fball/2013-14/bios/berg_patrick_d8oa

Leave a comment

Filed under Schools, South Milwaukee, Sports

Tagged as ,

by | November 20, 2013 · 9:22 pm

Leaves Leaving Soon

Wondering if and when those piles of leaves will be removed?  I asked our assistant street superintendent, Dan Ratajski, and he said crews are working hard to get them off the streets. 

From his response …

The last day to rake leaves into the gutter was November 15th.  After that date, we will make one final pass throughout the entire city, so, whatever streets we were on yesterday was our last run down those streets, whatever we do today is final also and so on.

After final pass of streets they will have to bag any remaining leaves and take to the Self Deposit Station.

In the past we have gone back after final run and picked some stray piles here and there but that all depends on the weather. Once we get snow, the leaf brooms come off the trucks and the plows go on.

The department strives to have three crews out daily doing leaf removal, in addition the normal workload of garbage pickup and other services. Learn more here.

Leave a comment

Filed under City Services, South Milwaukee

Tagged as

by | November 19, 2013 · 9:53 pm

21st Assembly District: Republican Rodriguez Rolls In Special Election

The 21st Assembly District has a new representative — Republican Jessie Rodriguez.

Rodriguez easily defeated Democrat Elizabeth Coppola in the special election held Tuesday, 56%-44%. She will replace Mark Honadel, who left the legislature this fall in the middle of his fifth term.

Check out updated results from the Fox 6 website.

Of note: It was almost a dead heat in South Milwaukee, where Rodriguez tallied 50.5% of the vote to Coppola’s 49.3%. See the tally sheet here.

It was a different story in Oak Creek, where Rodriguez easily beat Coppola. You can see Oak Creek’s results on its Facebook page and on the Facebook feed on the city website.

12 Comments

Filed under 2013 Elections

by | November 19, 2013 · 9:01 pm

More On Sunday’s Sirens

Update from Chief Knitter: I am happy to report that WE Energies replaced one of the transformers feeding power to the siren and American Signal then reset an internal switch on the siren and it is now OPERATIONAL.  Electronic polling (sending a signal to it remotely) and actual “growl” testing (making it spin and sound momentarily) were both successful. Both agencies believe the transformer may have been hit by lightning that caused both the transformer and the internal switch on the siren to fail.

 Following up on Sunday’s storms, here is some more information on the tornado sirens in town …

South Milwaukee has two tornado siren locations: near the former middle school near Memorial Drive and at the South Milwaukee Fire Department. The siren at the fire department did not sound during Sunday’s storm.

Why? According to South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

The problem with the siren has been identified to be inadequate power coming from the WE Energies transformer that supplies the required voltage to the siren.  Apparently, the field technician identified an issue with one phase of the three-phase power that comes into the siren.  When I heard the description of the problem, I recalled that we had a similar issue earlier this year.  A search of the repair records by American Signal showed that we did have a similar issue back in May of this year and WE Energies had to come out to fix it.  WE Energies has been notified by Milw. County Emergency Management.

Previously, Chief Knitter had sent me this update.

Milwaukee County Emergency Management is responsible for the operation of the forty-eight outdoor warning sirens located throughout Milwaukee County. These sirens are electronically tested daily at approximately 2 AM to determine their serviceability. In addition, an audible test of the sirens is done on the second Wednesday of each month, weather permitting. The results of these tests are reviewed and forwarded on to the contracted servicing agency to affect any repairs that may be necessary. Records indicate that the involved siren had no issues during the testing cycles. …

We have a very proactive emergency management system in our community. The City identified a problem with one of the sirens very shortly after the warning was issued and made the requisite phone calls to Milwaukee County Emergency Management to attempt to troubleshoot the problem. Jackie Ove, our Public Health Administrator and Emergency Management Director and myself, as Deputy Director of Emergency management, were in contact from the onset of the storm until the warnings had expired and the system had moved on.

Chief Knitter also has some good suggestions on staying informed during severe storms.

The Outdoor Warning Siren System is designed to be heard OUTSIDE only.  It is not intended to be heard inside the confines of a building and should not be relied upon as the only alerting “system” for the public.

The absolute best weather alerting system available is a NOAA Weather Radio. These radios broadcast continuous weather information, including warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. In addition, radios are available that are powered by batteries, thus providing reliable advanced warning, even in the event of a power outage. The next best source of information is our 24/7/365 news media.  All of our local news and radio stations do an excellent job of informing the public, especially considering they are able to broadcast live radar and provide up-to-the minute updates.

1 Comment

Filed under Fire, South Milwaukee, Weather

Tagged as

by | November 19, 2013 · 10:49 am

It’s Election Day!

Today is special election day in the race for the 21st Assembly District seat vacated by Mark Honadel.

The candidates: Democrat Elizabeth Coppola and Republican Jessie Rodriguez.

Learn more about them by clicking on their websites linked above and in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article and this Wisconsin Public Radio story.

And here are some details on voting …

  • Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Check out a district and polling location map here. All Fourth District residents vote at Rawson Elementary, 1410 Rawson Ave.
  • See a sample ballot here.
  • Learn more on the city website elections page.

And visit South Milwaukee Blog later tonight for local election results.

Leave a comment

Filed under 2014 Elections, State Lawmakers

by | November 18, 2013 · 5:28 pm

Caterpillar Cuts Continue

This time, the mining giant is closing a plant in Virginia, this following the closure of a plant in Texas and another in Tasmania announced in recent weeks.

And all in, according to the Reuters report, more than 900 jobs have been cut in Cat’s Decatur, Ill., and South Milwaukee mining operations this year alone.

Let’s hope and pray the South Milwaukee plant is spared here.

From the article:

Caterpillar also makes construction equipment, railroad locomotives, and a variety of reciprocating and turbine engines. But mining equipment is its most profitable product category.

Those margins were one of the reasons it made mining equipment a focus of its merger and acquisition activity in recent years, buying Bucyrus, a U.S. maker of giant excavators and shovels, for $7.6 billion in 2010, and ERA Mining, a Chinese mining equipment company, for $654 million in 2012.

But the ink was barely dry on those deals before Caterpillar’s global mining customers, facing investor backlash over unpopular takeovers, budget overruns and falling metal prices, slashed capital spending, slowed development on some projects and shelved others entirely, and postponed or canceled new equipment orders.

That pullback, which caught Caterpillar by surprise, has forced the company to cut its outlook three times so far this year.

Last month, as it released disappointing third-quarter earnings, Caterpillar warned its 2014 sales could be down as much as 5 percent from 2013.

Over the past year, the company has cut more than 13,000 jobs, about 10 percent of the global total, as the slowdown in its mining business forced it to repeatedly post lower-than-expected quarterly results and repeatedly slash its outlook.

2 Comments

Filed under Caterpillar, Local Business, South Milwaukee

Tagged as

by | November 17, 2013 · 10:04 pm

Storm Update: More From South Milwaukee

20131117_113431_resized

A few more news and notes from Sunday’s crazy November storm …

  • Mitchell International Airport reported 2.17 inches of rain fell on Sunday.
  • Fox 6 has a story about the storm’s impacts on South Milwaukee, including more on the street flooding and power outages. At one point, more than 3,500 We Energies were without power, but it was restored by 1 p.m.
  • WDJT also has a story about some local storm impacts — oddly enough, shot on my block with interviews with three of our neighbors. (That blue minivan in the background is ours.)
  • There were also reports on Facebook that tornado sirens did not go off in some places in South Milwaukee. I’m looking into this and will post more when I learn more. (I can’t verify this with my own ears because I was in my church basement during the storm.)

In the end, not too bad. With as many tornadoes that tore through Illinois, it could have been so much worse.

What did you experience? Post your comments below!

2 Comments

Filed under South Milwaukee, Weather

Tagged as

by | November 17, 2013 · 1:27 pm

My Storm Story

20131117_11401120131117_114128

The pictures are from an event this morning I’ll probably never forget. Here is my story …

At about 11:30 a.m., after we held our worship service in the Trinity Lutheran Church basement Sunday morning, I left for home to see if we had any water in our basement.

I turned north on to 5th Avenue and found the curve onto Milwaukee Avenue nearly impassable … but I got by on the side of the flooded road. A few blocks later, water blocked another intersection at Milwaukee, so I decided to cut through Oak Creek Parkway to get back home. All looked good — not much water on the road — until I started heading west on Oak Creek Parkway.

After passing the Mill Pond, I couldn’t believe what I saw — a large tree limb falling across the road and onto a minivan about 75 yards in front of me. It smashed the van’s windshield, severely dented the hood and dislodged the spare tire from underneath the van. I stopped to see if everything was OK and saw a man and a young child get out of the van, unharmed.

Thank God.

I called 911 and police arrived shortly afterwards, as I helped another bystander get the limb to the side of the road.

I made it home around 11:50 a.m. with no problems, only to find our power out (but still a dry basement). Power was restored about an hour later.

That’s my story from today’s crazy weather. What’s yours?

5 Comments

Filed under South Milwaukee, Weather

by | November 14, 2013 · 9:16 pm

Christmas In South Milwaukee: Mark Your Calendars

I love Christmas … and I love Christmas in South Milwaukee.

And that starts with all the special events happening around town. Here’s a roundup, and I apologize ahead of time for missing any …

  • Saturday, Nov. 23: South Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce Tree Lighting. Stop by from 3:30 to 5 p.m. for a visit with Santa, music, hot drinks and more at Heritage Park on 10th and Milwaukee Avenues. Learn more here.
  • Saturday, Nov. 30: South Milwaukee Christmas Market. The indoor version of the Downtown Market returns to South Milwaukee High School with more than 70 vendors selling arts, crafts, baked goods, prepared foods and more. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Live holiday music is also scheduled. Learn more here … and on the market’s Facebook page.
  • Sunday, Dec. 1: South Milwaukee Christmas Parade and Old Fashioned Christmas. The traditional South Milwaukee Christmas celebration begins with the Lions’ Christmas Parade starting at 12:30 p.m. at 12th and Milwaukee, continuing west on Milwaukee, then south on 15th Avenue to City Hall. Following the parade, enjoy all the festivities at City Hall, including pictures with Santa, arts and crafts, food and more. The city Christmas tree is lit at 5 p.m.
  • Sunday, Dec. 8: Pancake Breakfast with Santa. Stop by the American Legion Post 27 from 8:30 a.m. to noon for breakfast and pictures with Santa. Adults are $4, children 6-12 are $3 and those under 5 are free. The post is at 920 Monroe Ave. Also, the Milwaukee Circle Choir is playing at 3:30 p.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 1308 15th Ave. Admission is free. Learn more about the concert here.
  • Thursday, Dec. 12: Calmus Christmas A Cappella. The South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center continues to bring in terrific acts. This Christmas season, it’s Calmus, a German quintet that has drawn raves worldwide. The group will perform traditional and contemporary favorites. Learn more here.
  • Friday, Dec. 13: Cantare Chorale concert. The chorus brings its “Songs of the Season” performance to the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center for a show starting at 7:30 p.m. Learn more here.
  • Saturday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Dec. 15: Ye Old Christmas Feaste. This tradition of 35 years will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Dec. 15, at the high school. This three-hour event magically transports you to 15th century England for Christmas merriment with a seven-course meal, featuring a new menu this year. Pre-dinner music starts 4:30 p.m., and dinner is served at 5. Cost is $30 per person or $150 for a table of six. For more information, click here or call the high school at 766-5100. 

And merry Christmas!

1 Comment

Filed under Community, South Milwaukee

Tagged as

by | November 13, 2013 · 9:59 pm

South Milwaukee Pick ‘n Save Building Sold And Other Headlines

Check out these South Shore headlines …

And NOW has published a new police blotter.

Leave a comment

Filed under Headlines

by | November 13, 2013 · 4:33 pm

Reminder: In-Person Absentee Voting For Tuesday’s Assembly Election Ends Friday

Can’t make it to the polls on Tuesday? There is still time to vote in person at City Hall for the 21st Assembly District special election.

Be sure to do so by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15. After that point, you’ll only be able to vote at the polls on Tuesday.

Learn more on the city’s Facebook page — and if you haven’t liked that page yet, please do so!

And check out the city website’s elections page.

Leave a comment

Filed under 2013 Elections

Tagged as , ,

by | November 12, 2013 · 9:35 pm

Winter Parking Permits On Sale

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

Restrictions don’t go into place until December 1, but act now to get those permits.

Winter parking regulations will be in effect from December 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014.  Winter Parking Permits are available at the Police Department during regular business hours (Mon.– Fri. 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.) beginning November 1, 2013.  Please PLAN AHEAD prior to the beginning of winter parking.  No citation payments are accepted or parking permits sold on weekends or holidays (November 28 & 29, December 24, 25, & 31, and January 1, 2014).  Please purchase your parking permit prior to the last days of the month.  Permits are sold separately for each month of the winter parking season for $25.00, or all four months for $80.00.  Vehicles should be parked on the even number side of the street on those nights that the calendar date before midnight is even and on the odd number side of the street on odd calendar days.  Citations will be issued for parking a vehicle on the wrong side of the street or for not having a valid parking permit between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.  Instructions are available at the Police Department.  A Holiday On-Street Parking Permit (December 15- January 15) is available for $25.00.  This permit works well for college students home between semesters or family members visiting for more than a week.

**NOTE**  This year the Thanksgiving Holiday falls on November 28 & 29 which means residents will have to purchase the December permit prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday in order to have the permit in time for the beginning of winter parking regulations on December 1.  PLAN AHEAD– get your permit early.  Parking permission will not be given because a citizen did not have time to purchase a permit. 

Leave a comment

Filed under Police

Tagged as , ,

by | November 12, 2013 · 8:52 pm

Rawson, Luther Students Help Others Experience Nature

Consider it another example of local students stepping up to help others …

Fifth graders from Rawson and E.W. Luther Elementary Schools have pitched in on projects at the Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center for the disabled in the Wisconsin Dells.

The Rawson students built a stairway at the facility, while the Luther students built a stretch of wheelchair-accessible boardwalk.

Learn more in this press release. And thanks to Luther Principal Eric Wightman for sharing.

Leave a comment

Filed under Community, South Milwaukee