Update: Here is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story.
Here is the warning from the National Weather Service.
The key detail: The creek is expected to rise above flood stage of eight feet by 4 p.m. today. It stood at 7.4 feet as of 2:15 today.
And more rain is on the way …
I’ll keep you posted. And, of course, I’d like to know what you’re seeing. Post your comments below.
Filed under Weather
Update: West Milwaukee’s new Walmart opens Wednesday, too.
Two and a half years after it was first proposed, the South Milwaukee Walmart opens Wednesday.
A few notes on the opening:
Now, I know some readers of this blog will never shop at the store, for reasons made abundantly clear in the last 24 months. You have that right, and I understand your concerns. Some will shop there (including me, on occasion). You also have the right.
No matter where you stand, I hope we can all take a step back and see what the real-world impact of this store will, or won’t, be. Only then can we determine if this was the right decision for South Milwaukee or not.
Filed under South Milwaukee Walmart
The Business Journal has the story. From it …
In the Milwaukee area, Walgreens runs seven Take Care Clinics. They are in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, South Milwaukee, Mequon, Brookfield and Waukesha.
The new services include assessment, treatment and management for chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and asthma, Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens said Thursday.
Walgreens said it is introducing the service to address the nation’s physician shortage, aging population, growing prevalence of chronic diseases and the estimated 30 million people who are expected to gain insurance coverage in 2014 through the Affordable Care Act.
The Chicago Tribune has more details.
The South Milwaukee Walgreens is at 2985 S. Chicago Ave.
Filed under Local Business
Caterpillar is not just laying off 460 people at its Decatur, Ill., plant — it’s cutting those jobs permanently.
That’s according to various media reports, including this one from the Business Journal of Milwaukee and this one from Reuters.
Of course, the Caterpillar plant in South Milwaukee is facing up to 300 layoffs of its own, but they’re being called temporary. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Filed under Caterpillar
An estimated 200 people attended Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik’s public information meeting on proposed Milwaukee County Board restructuring legislation — and I’m glad I was one of them.
I found the event informative, as it provided a deep dive on the Assembly and Senate bills calling for a referendum to reduce the role (and pay) of supervisors to part-time, reduce the board’s operating budget (i.e., staff) and transfer some powers to the county executive, among other changes.
The point-counterpoint debate between Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, the former supervisor and author of the Assembly bill, and Supervisor Theo Lipscomb Jr., who spoke out against most of the proposals in the legislation, was also lively and thought-provoking. And the question-and-answer/comment section added to the meeting as well.
I left the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center much more educated on this important issue — as did Pat, who pledged to take all that she heard into consideration in formulating her opinion on the issue of county board restructuring.
I credit Pat for once again showing her commitment to keeping constituents informed on key issues, and for taking a measured approach to her approach on this topic. I also thank the two panelists for the robust debate — and having the courage to sit in front of a room of 200 people and argue their case.
Both had reasonable and strong arguments for their positions, and I left feeling like the best solution — as it so often is — is somewhere in the middle … somewhere between the status quo and the sweeping changes proposed by Sanfelippo.
Of course, I’d like to know what you think. Here is the presentation from the meeting. Read it … and vote in my new poll!
Filed under Milwaukee County, State Budget, State Lawmakers
I’ll be spending most of my Saturday helping out at the South Milwaukee Spring Market, as more than 60 vendors gather at South Milwaukee High School for what promises to be a terrific event.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., so why not stop by, do some shopping, grab lunch from one of our prepared food vendors and listen to some live music in our new seating area?
Sounds like a good time to me …
Learn more from our press release, and please “like” us on our new Facebook page.
It looks like the “for sale” sign will stay in front of the former St. Adalbert’s for the time being.
New Day Church, which had approached the South Milwaukee Plan Commission with plans for the property, has backed out due to project funding issues, and a public hearing set for last week’s Plan Commission meeting was cancelled.
I’ll keep you posted when I hear more.
Meanwhile, a public hearing for a proposed Dunkin’ Donuts adjacent to Aldi on South Chicago Avenue has been rescheduled for the commission’s April meeting, at the request of the developer.
Filed under Development
Check out these South Shore headlines …
State Sen. Chris Larson has published a new Larson Report, and there is a new NOW police blotter, albeit minus South Milwaukee items.
Filed under Headlines
While it was a pretty quiet local election for South Milwaukee on Tuesday, it was anything but in Cudahy.
There, they have a new mayor, in a race decided by 38 votes, as well as two new aldermen (one in a race decided by 10 votes), and a new school board member. See the full results here.
And, in Oak Creek, one of the incumbent aldermen lost his seat too.
Filed under 2013 Elections
The Milwaukee Journal has a story on Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman’s remarks this week before an Illinois business group, where he called for relaxed immigration laws to make it easier to attract workers — this after Cat announced last week it was laying of up to 300 people at its South Milwaukee plant.
From the story:
Caterpillar has seen foreign workers it trained in the United States leave for overseas competitors because they couldn’t get visas to stay in this country, Oberhelman said. And companies worldwide are scrambling to find engineers and scientists.
“When we recruit engineers from the University of Illinois, Purdue, Texas A&M, Stanford or wherever, we want the brightest talent. I really don’t care if that person was born in Chicago or India or England. I want that talent working for Caterpillar, not one of those competitors around the world,” Oberhelman said, according to a transcript of the speech he delivered Monday.
Also, Fox 6 was in South Milwaukee this week taking a closer look at the potential impact of the looming layoffs, as contract talks begin. The verdict — much remains to be seen. I’ll keep you posted.
Filed under Caterpillar, Community, Local Business
It’s National Public Health Week, and let’s take some time to do something we should do more often: Celebrate our local Health Department.
From emergency management to well-baby follow-ups to immunizations to screenings to food inspection to communicable disease prevention, I’ve seen first-hand what these dedicated professionals do to keep our community safe and well. And it’s a lot.
They describe their impact in this press release. Check it out, and then take a few minutes to thank a community health professional this, and every, week. The services they provide are invaluable.
Filed under Health
South Milwaukee will have a new school board member.
Doug Perry, a longtime teacher in the Greenfield School District, picked up the most votes on Tuesday, tallying 1,481 (or 38.3%) to incumbent Terri Travia’s 1,296 (or 33.5%), according to unofficial returns from city clerk’s office. They will serve three-year terms. Perry replaces incumbent Joseph Weirich, who finished third with 1,072 votes, or 27.7%.
Other South Milwaukee election results …
Turnout was 22.3%.
See the complete local results here, and post your comments below!
Filed under 2013 Elections
Please do your democratic (small D) duty and vote today!
Of course, I ask for your vote in the Fourth District aldermanic race, and there are several contested races on the ballot as well …
And here are some details on the voting process …
Check back to South Milwaukee Blog for election results later tonight … and thanks for your continued support!
Filed under 2013 Elections
A security guard at the South Milwaukee Caterpillar plant is getting his due for helping solve an armed robbery in last fall — an honor from the Oak Creek Police Department.
Check out the Oak Creek Patch story here.
And congratulations to Josh Najda!
Filed under Caterpillar, Crime
Just a reminder …
A sure-to-be-interesting public information meeting on the restructuring of county government is set for Thursday at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. Led by Pat Jursik and featuring state Rep. Joe Sanfelippo and others, it runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Learn more here … and see you there!
