Just a reminder that it’s spring primary election day. Do your duty and vote!
Learn more in my previous post.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. See you there.
And check South Milwaukee Blog later tonight for local results.
Good Hearts: South Milwaukee Students, Others Raise $5,000+ For American Heart Association
Here is a heartwarming story — and yet another example of South Milwaukeeans stepping up to support a good cause.
Filed under Schools
Oak Creek Mayor’s Profiled And Other South Shore Headlines
Check out these South Shore headlines …
- Oak Creek’s Steve Scaffidi Filling Big Shoes For Small-City Mayor (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- New Road Will Reshape Drive To Lakefront (Oak Creek Patch)
- Arrest Made In Oak Creek Shooting (Oak Creek Patch)
- Italian Restaurant To Open In Former La Terraza Building (Oak Creek Patch)
- South Shore Frolics Organizers Organizers Urgently Seeking Donations For Parade (Bay View Compass)
- Millions For Hoan Bridge Repair In Gov. Walker’s Budget (Bay View Compass)
Also, State Sen. Chris Larson has published a new Larson Report. The headline: Prioritizing Middle Class Values.
Filed under Headlines
South Milwaukee Election Preview: Spring Primary Edition
Tuesday is election day, and I ask you to do your democratic duty and vote.
Races for State Supreme Court and Milwaukee County Circuit Court will be on spring primary ballot in South Milwaukee.
Patch has good previews on both races. Click on the links above to learn more.
And here are some other election resources …
See you at the polls!
Filed under 2013 Elections
Caterpillar Names New Mining Chief
It didn’t take Caterpillar long to find a new head for its mining business.
Dow Jones is reporting that Tom Bluth will succeed Luis de Leon as vice presidents of mining products — a role especially significant to South Milwaukee given the work performed at the large local plant and office building.
You will recall De Leon resigned in January after reports of “accounting misconduct” in China — conduct, sources told Dow Jones, that de Leon wasn’t involved in. De Leon is a former Bucyrus International executive.
Filed under Caterpillar
Would You Recommend South Milwaukee To A Friend?
It’s the type of question that often shows up on quality surveys — including at my full-time employer — and it does so because it gets to the heart of a matter.
Do you think highly enough of the city you live in to tell the world about it?
I’ve posed the question in a new poll. Please answer it … and comment, too. Would you recommend our city to a friend? Why? If not, why not?
By the way: I answered an emphatic “yes.”
South Milwaukee Sports Update: Rocket Wrestlers Advance To Team Sectional For First Time, Basketball Senior Nights
Just got the following update from the South Milwaukee School District …
WIAA REGIONAL WRESTLING
The Rockets won Regionals last Saturday and qualified for WIAA Team Sectionals for the first time (Team Sectionals began in 1992). Rockets who won Regional Championships included McCoy Swanson (126), Ben Zbikowski (160), Tom Mitchell (182), Brian Chapman (195) & Tom Wawzyniak (285). At Team Sectionals, the Rockets took on a deep and tough Burlington squad and gave them a scare, but lost 34-21 in a good match.
BOYS BASKETBALL TONIGHT
Boys Basketball vs. Brown Deer (4:15pm Freshman, 5:45pm JV & 7:30pm Varsity)
Senior Night & Be Like Mike Night – The Rockets will honor their senior class of Nick Lehrer, Brandon Kocherer, Seth Robinson, Kojo Kazmende, Evan Marlowe, Jordan Pekar, Josh Nelson & Richard Day. Fans are asked to wear orange or purchase a Be Like Mike t-shirt to show support for 8th grader Michael Christensen, the younger brother of junior varsity basketball player Richard Christensen and his battle with Leukemia.
Last Game – The Rockets beat St. Francis 63-40 behind 24 pts by Jr. Tanner Zaeske and 17 pts. by Sr. Brandon Kocherer
GIRLS BASKETBALL FRIDAY
Girls Basketball v. St. Francis (4:15pm Freshman, 5:45pm JV & 7:30pm Varsity)
Senior Night – The Rockets will honor their senior class of Lisa Thush, Brittany Bruck, Sam Page, Ellie Pusheck, Riley Budde, Emily Pusheck & Katie Bartlett as they look to move one step closer to winning the Woodland East title!
Last Game – The Rockets beat Brown Deer 48-37 behind 12 pts and 12 rebounds from Emily Pusheck and 16 pts from Ellie Pusheck.
BOYS BASKETBALL – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19
The #7 seeded Rockets will host #10 seeded Indian Trail in the WIAA Regional opener. All tickets are $4 (no passes accepted). Come on out and support the Rockets as March Madness begins early!!! Game time is 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16
The Rocket Cheerleaders compete on Saturday, February 16th at the WACPC Regional competition at Wilmot High School, hoping to qualify for State in Madison the following weekend. Competition starts at 9:00am. Rocket cheerleaders perform around 11:30 against six other teams in their division.
Rocket Wrestling – A number of Rocket wrestlers qualified for Sectionals, including McCoy Swanson (126), Mitchell Dess (132), Gage Keene (138), Tanner Dorangrichia (145),Stuart Swanson (152), Ben Zbikowski (160), Josh Wilkowski (170), Tom Mitchell (182), Brian Chapman (195), Kenny Senner (220), and Tom Wawrzyniak (285).
Wrestling Sectionals @ Racine Case HS
Doors open at 9:00am
Wrestling begins at 10:00am (finals should start between 2:30pm and 3:30pm per a guess from Case)
$7 – all day price, $5 – for session 2 & finals, $4 – finals
UW-OSHKOSH & KATIE KITZKE
For the second time this season, Katie was named Conference Player of the Week!
http://uwoshkoshtitans.com/sports/wbkb/2012-13/releases/201302124dxtid
MIAMI HURRICANES & TREY McKINNEY JONES
The 20-3 Hurricanes are ranked #3 in the country and have 2 national tv games coming up:
Sunday, February 17 on ESPNU at 5:00pm @ Clemson
Tuesday, February 19 on ESPNU at 8:00pm v. Virginia
DONATION DAYS
Also, We have 2 more Cousins Donation Days next week:
Mon. February 18 – Cousins Sub Donation Day to benefit the Rocket Basketball program (9:00am-10:00pm) at the Cousins in South Milwaukee.
Wed. February 20 – Cousins Sub Donation Day to benefit the Rocket Basketball program (9:00am-10:00pm) at the Cousins in South Milwaukee.
Filed under Uncategorized
Grant Park Plaza Update: South Milwaukee CDA Approves Sale Of Pick ‘N Save Parcel
Last fall, you may recall the decision by the South Milwaukee City Council to allow the owners of Grant Park Plaza to divide the property into two parcels – making it easier to sell those properties to potential buyers.
Well, the first of those parcels – the one containing the Pick ‘n Save store – is poised to be sold.
The Community Development Authority on Monday approved the owners’ sale of the grocery store lot to Cole Real Estate Investments “or an entity controlled, directly or indirectly by Cole REIT Advisors III LLC.”
Cole is a national name in real estate, as “Cole-related entities own and manage more than 2,050 properties in 47 states with a combined acquisition cost of more than $12.4 billion,” according to its website. That includes a number of commercial properties and properties like this — buildings housing retailers that still have years left on their long-term leases.
The South Milwaukee City Council will take up the issue at its meeting next week. I am inclined to support it because a sale should help relieve pressure on the owners’ finances and make it easier to upgrade the long-vacant center section (and, in turn, lift the entire center).
In fact, the shopping center owners report they are talking to national retailer interested in leasing more than half of the empty space in that center section. We’ll see where that ends up.
In the meantime, the amended development agreement will also allow the plaza owners to spend $200,000 — retained as a “lease-up” incentive from the previous development agreement — to remodel the center section to suit a prospective new tenant. And the CDA is recommending additional funds from the Pick ‘n Save parcel sale be escrowed for parking lot improvements and other tenant space improvements.
So there’s progress at Grant Park Plaza. That’s a good thing. Let’s hope it leads to leases and a more vibrant shopping center. Head a few miles north on Highway 32 to see the alternative.
Filed under Development, Local Business
The Madness Approaches: South Milwaukee Gets A State Tournament Home Game
I love March Madness (or February Madness, such as it is with our high schools) … and it’s almost here!
The WIAA released its boys’ basketball pairing this week, and South Milwaukee has a home game in round one. The seventh-seeded Rockets (8-9 after a win over St. Francis on Tuesday) host 10th-seeded Indian Trail High School of Kenosha next Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Waiting in the second round of the regionals is second-seeded Catholic Memorial.
Check out the full Division 2 bracket here.
I’ll keep you posted when girls’ tournament brackets are announced.
More Headlines And A New Police Blotter
Check out these headlines from around the South Shore …
- President Obama Mentions Oak Creek Officer In State Of The Union (WTMJ radio)
- Angst Over Meijer Persists (Oak Creek Patch)
- Drexel Town Square Plans Draw Oak Creek Crowd (Business Journal)
- Message Of Unity In State Of The County Address (Oak Creek Patch)
- New Liquor Store Will Replace Smiles (Oak Creek Patch)
Also, NOW has published a new police blotter, including information on an alleged burglary at Papa Luigi’s.
And here is a story from Oak Creek about scammers allegedly claiming an affiliation with police in that community, something that doesn’t sound too different from the “spoofing” scam in South Milwaukee recently.
Filed under Headlines
Spring Election: In-Person Absentee Voting Ends Friday
It’s a short ballot for the Feb. 19 primary election, but an important one – and you can vote now at City Hall.
In-person absentee voting remains open through 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15., for two judicial races: Wisconsin Supreme Court and Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Branch 45.
Check out a sample ballot here.
You can also register at City Hall through Friday as well, or at your polling place on election day. To register, you will need to provide a document showing proof of residence. Learn more here.
Filed under 2013 Elections
South Milwaukee: Winter Wonderland
A view of Oak Creek, looking north from Rawson Avenue … South Milwaukee’s Fourth District is a beautiful place!
South Milwaukeean Reportedly Accused In Robbery And Other Local Headlines
Check out these South Shore headlines …
- Man Accused Of Robbing Woman In Her Home (Oak Creek Patch)
- Developers Bullish On Drexel Town Square Plans (Oak Creek Patch)
- Wisconsin Attracting Illinois Businesses (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Supervisors Delay Abele Appointments To War Memorial Board (Journal Sentinel)
- Burglary Suspect Leads Police On High-Speed Chase (Oak Creek Patch)
And state Sen. Chris Larson has published a new Larson Report. The headline: Strengthening BadgerCare by Filling the Coverage Gaps.
Filed under Headlines
South Milwaukee Walmart To Open April 10
Probably the most-asked question I get these days is, “When is the South Milwaukee Walmart opening?” The answer: April 10.
Walmart has already begun hiring for the new store at 222 N. Chicago Ave., and they are looking for approximately 220 employees, at least half of them full-time. They’ve already hired 80.
A temporary Walmart office has opened near 10th and Milwaukee Avenues, although prospective employees should apply online at www.walmart.com/apply or at their Franklin (27th Street) or Greendale (76th Street) stores.
I’ll share more details as the opening date approaches.
Filed under South Milwaukee Walmart
My Poor Shovel
That’s how heavy the snow was in my driveway.
Pitchers and catchers report in five days!
