by | December 9, 2012 · 5:40 pm

South Milwaukeeans Accused Of Break-In, Theft And Other Local Headlines

Check out these South Shore headlines …

Also, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is holding a public information meeting on Tuesday to discuss adding a second westbound lane on 794 through the Marquette Interchange. It’s from 4 to 7 p.m. at the DOT’s Southeast Region office, 1001 W. St. Paul Ave. downtown. Here is the story.

Leave a comment

Filed under Headlines

by | December 8, 2012 · 11:03 pm

Parenting Focus Group Set For Monday

The South Milwaukee Health Department is holding a parenting focus group, as they seek “ways we can support the parents and future parents in our South Milwaukee community.”

Anyone who lives or works in South Milwaukee is invited to the event, which starts at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Learn more here.

Leave a comment

Filed under City Services, Community, Health

Tagged as

by | December 7, 2012 · 10:10 pm

Reminder: Christmas Market Is Saturday!

More than 70 vendors selling arts, crafts, organics, baked goods and much, much more. Live, local entertainment, including two hours of performances by student musicians. And Gypsy Geoff.

That’s just some of what you can find at Saturday’s South Milwaukee Christmas Market at South Milwaukee High School. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Enter off Oak Creek Parkway, door nine.

Learn more here, and see you there!

Leave a comment

Filed under Community, Schools, South Milwaukee PAC

Tagged as ,

by | December 6, 2012 · 9:40 pm

Look Closely: South Milwaukee Is All Over The New Aaron Rodgers-Ford Commercials

This is really, really cool …

So, there are three new Aaron Rodgers-Ford television spots being released, and they have a distinctly local feel — as in, large parts of them were shot in South Milwaukee.

See the story and ads here.

And I’ll let Ante Udovicic, athletics and activities director for the South Milwaukee School District, take it from there …

“If you watch the commercial shown at the top and 2 others down below on the website page, you will see commercials featuring  Aaron Rodgers. What is most interesting about these commercials is the location for parts of this shoot that was shot on a Sunday in July. If you look closely, you will see the following areas from the South Milwaukee 6-12 campus:

COMMERCIAL #1

  • Rawson Woods – Opening scene shows Rodgers running through Rawson Woods…really, that’s Rawson Woods!
  • Middle School Weight Room – Rodgers is lifting weights & then using our boys track team’s heavy ropes
  • Practice Field east of Spaltholz Field – Rodgers is pulling a tire on our east practice field
  • Spaltholz Field – Rodgers is running tires on our football field (you can see the visiting team benches in the background and then you can catch a glimpse of the SM water tower too)

COMMERCIAL #2 (labeled http://www.cutters.com/q?id=3940)

  • Football/Wrestling Locker Room – As Rodgers puts his jersey on, you can catch a glimpse of the lockers and the small square tile floor in the locker room that our FB & Wrestling teams use in the middle school)
  • Hallway by Door #40 – Rodgers runs through the hallway nearest the middle school weight room leading to the area between the HS & MS that leads to the Door #34 entrance.

COMMERCIAL #3 (labeled http://www.cutters.com/q?id=3944)

  • You will see 3 passes thrown to actors. Those passes were not actually thrown by Rodgers, they were thrown by 2012 SM grad, former SM QB, and current football player at Concordia University, Pat Berg!

COMMERCIAL #4 (labeled http://www.cutters.com/q?id=3952)

  • This is more of a “making of” clip and not a commerciall actually. And it is true, it only took Rodgers 2 takes to make the throw. This was shot at a farm in Muskego and is a pretty cool clip to see.

While it is not immediately obvious that these scenes from the 3 Ford commercials were shot on the SM 6-12 campus, this explanation hopefully will help you notice it next time you see one of these commercials on TV.”

I told you this was cool 🙂 Ante, thanks for sharing.

3 Comments

Filed under Community, Schools, Sports

Tagged as , , ,

by | December 6, 2012 · 5:49 pm

Another Step Taken In Extending 794

The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission added the extension of the Lake Parkway to the Year 2035 Regional Transportation Plan, unanimously approving the six-mile project at its meeting Wednesday.

Check out the press release from Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik, a champion of this project, and coverage from Oak Creek Patch.

Jursik’s statement:

An extended Lake Parkway will provide the necessary transportation infrastructure to promote economic development in Milwaukee County’s South Shore and around the Port of Milwaukee and General Mitchell International Airport.  We are part of the increasingly powerful lake corridor mega-region that stretches from Gary, Indiana through Chicago, Illinois to Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.  I call upon State elected officials to fund this important corridor project.

Indeed, that is the hardest part about this important initiative. I’ll keep you posted.

3 Comments

Filed under Construction, Milwaukee County, Transportation

Tagged as , ,

by | December 6, 2012 · 5:47 pm

Jursik Criticizes Ryan Rally, Sullivan Accused Of Conflict Of Interest And Other Headlines

Check out these headlines from around the South Shore …

Leave a comment

Filed under Headlines

by | December 5, 2012 · 10:02 pm

Dredging Up Positive Memories: Debating The Future Of The South Milwaukee Mill Pond

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a story on the effort of former Alderwoman Mary Nelson — and many others — to “Restore the Magic” of South Milwaukee’s Oak Creek Mill Pond.

Check it out here. Among the new information in the article …

Cost of dredging the pond and disposing of the sediment starts at $830,400 and climbs as high as $1.5 million, according to preliminary estimates from the county’s Department of Administrative Services and released by Jursik. She represents the 8th supervisory district, encompassing St. Francis, South Milwaukee, Cudahy and a portion of Oak Creek.

State and federal grants could help pay part of the dredging costs, she said. …

The state Department of Natural Resources last week ordered Milwaukee County to complete some long-neglected dam maintenance and hire an engineer to evaluate the structure by June 2014.

The dam is made of dolomite stone blocks and it stands 18 feet tall in a ravine at Mill Road, according to DNR water management engineer Tanya Lourigan in Milwaukee. Water from the shallow pond spills over the top of the 35-foot-wide stone wall.

On Oct. 26 and Nov. 19, Lourigan inspected the dam and earthen embankments on each end.

An engineering analysis of the wall is needed since stones are missing on each end of the dam where it meets the embankment, Lourigan said in a Nov. 27 report to the county Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture.

Among the maintenance to be completed by June 2014: remove all trees and brush, including stumps, from the embankments and fill in holes; and repair an inoperable sluice gate needed to raise or lower water levels on the pond. A valve controlling the gate must be tested annually in the future to ensure it will work in an emergency, such as creek flooding, or for dam repairs, Lourigan says in the report.

She rated the condition of the dam as “conditionally fair” because of the extensive tree growth on the embankments, deterioration of the masonry wall and inoperable valve.

Where do I stand on this? My previous post on the petition effort sums up my position.

I feel strongly about this issue. I hate to see the Mill Pond and its surroundings in the state they are in. They could be so much more, and they have been so much more in the past.

We need a path to making the Mill Pond a recreational treasure for South Milwaukee once again, a community gathering place. That’s why I am 100% behind all of the work being done by Pat Jursik, Mary Nelson and others to find a solution here — one that involves the city, county, Friends groups and other parties. It’s complicated, and likely costly, but I think an investment in the Mill Pond is a good one — and one that is long overdue.

What do you think? Post your comments below!

2 Comments

Filed under Community, Milwaukee County, Parks

Tagged as , ,

by | December 5, 2012 · 4:53 pm

12 Days Of South Milwaukee Christmas: Donn Powers Jeweler

In the market for jewelry this Christmas? You have lots of choices.

I encourage you to choose local.

From diamonds to colored stones, watches to chains, charm bracelets to decorative handbags, Donn Powers Jeweler is a full-service jeweler, and more. He’s also a master watchmaker, and he does repairs on-premise.

And by “he,” I do mean “he.” One thing I love about Donn Powers — unlike the mall big guys and others — is that there’s a good chance you’ll find Donn at the store greeting customers or working behind the scenes, if he’s not in Belgium picking out diamonds, that is.

This downtown anchor business says it best on their website …

This is where dreams become reality.  Here at Donn Powers Jeweler, we have been making dreams come true for over 30 years and we pride ourselves on knowledge and customer service. 

If you are in need of a repair, or would like something custom designed, you have come to the right place. We work with you to make sure you receive exactly what you want. You are the architect, we are the contractor.

Trust this contractor to deliver a great experience.

Donn Powers Jeweler

  • Location: 2110 10th Ave.
  • Phone: 762-2106
  • On the web: http://www.donnpowersjeweler.com/

2 Comments

Filed under 12 Days of South Milwaukee Christmas, Local Business

Tagged as , ,

by | December 4, 2012 · 10:18 pm

South Milwaukee Council Weighs In On Two Multi-Family Housing Developments

The future of two multi-family housing developments got a bit clearer Tuesday night, as the South Milwaukee City Council weighed in on a 36-unit building proposed for 10th and Madison Avenues and a 24-unit townhouse development proposed for 9th and Menomonee.

Here is where we netted out on the two developments, both of which were planned for city-owned land in our tax incremental financing districts.

  • 10th and Madison. The City Council voted 8-0 to reject the project. It was a tough choice, but I voted no for several reasons. Most significantly, I was uncomfortable with the prospect of providing up to $635,000 in city financing — in the form of a $380,000 interest-free loan and $235,000 in additional tax incremental financing assistance — to Horizon Development, which had called for 83% of the 36 units to be affordable, available to working people at certain income levels or the disabled. The others would be rented at market rates. I was also hesitant to not take the recommendation of our Plan Commission, which weighed in strongly against the development at its meeting last week over a variety of issues, from density to parking to lack of green space.
  • 9th and Menomonee. The City Council voted 8-0 to refer this project, called The Mosaic, to the Plan Commission. This is a $5 million project proposed by the Vanguard Group and planned for the former home of the Lawson Airplane Company and the Continental Faience and Tile Company, just north of the Heritage Reserve condominiums. Half of town homes would be deemed affordable, while the other units would be at market rates. Vanguard is seeing $1 million in city TIF assistance — after removing the estimated $400,000 purchase price they would pay the city.

I’ll keep you posted on The Mosaic, which, like the Madison development, is also seeking funding from Milwaukee County and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.

1 Comment

Filed under Development

by | December 4, 2012 · 9:39 pm

Honadel Again Named Committee Chairman And Other South Shore Headlines

Rep. Mark Honadel has been named chairman of the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities for the second straight session.

See the press release and Oak Creek Patch coverage.

And check out these South Shore headlines …

And Oak Creek Patch has an item on Saturday’s Holiday Stroll at Oak Creek’s Market Place Village. Stop there after you go to the South Milwaukee Christmas Market.

Leave a comment

Filed under Headlines

Tagged as

by | December 4, 2012 · 5:07 pm

County Board Chairwoman Dimitrijevic To Hold South Milwaukee Listening Session

Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic is getting closer to her goal of holding a listening session in every county municipality … and her South Milwaukee stop is coming up soon.

Dimitrijevic will stop at the Grobschmidt Senior Center from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 11.

Learn more here … and welcome to South Milwaukee, Supervisor Dimitrijevic!

2 Comments

Filed under Milwaukee County

Tagged as

by | December 3, 2012 · 9:15 pm

Good In-Depth Piece On Larson’s Ascendence And Other Headlines

Update: More details on South Milwaukee’s supporting role in fighting last week’s West Allis funeral home fire, from Acting Chief Joe Knitter: “As part of their MABAS Box Alarm response, we sent a fire engine to stand by at their station on 71st and National Avenue but never made it to the scene.  Our crew remained available for other responses, of which there were none, and were released within an hour.”

Check out these South Shore headlines …

Also, the South Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the West Allis funeral home fire last week.

And NOW has published a new police blotter, including this item from South Milwaukee …

A resident of the 1300 block of James Circle reported seeing a man in a camouflage jacket pointing what appeared to be a handgun at houses about 2:20 p.m. Nov. 28. Officers found a man in the area wearing such a jacket; he had a hawk on his arm. He had a device with a pistol-style grip that is a telemetry unit to track his hawk, which has sensor devices on it. The man had his hawk out hunting and was just trying to get it back when the resident saw him. He was advised to find a more rural area for this activity.

And this disturbing item from Cudahy …

A 47-year-old Shawano woman and a 52-year-old Cudahy woman were arrested for child neglect Nov. 23. The Shawano woman was responsible for caring for her 3-year-old granddaughter while her daughter was in the hospital. Just before 1 p.m., the 3-year-old rang a doorbell in the 5600 block of South Swift Avenue, and asked the residents if they could take her home. The residents saw she was accompanied by the Cudahy woman, who they said appeared to be drunk and at one point fell onto the child. They called police and the woman took the child and left. Officers found the child in a car with two strangers, pulled over on the side of the road. The motorists said the little girl flagged them down and was cold and inappropriately dressed for the weather, as well as scared and wanting to go home. The grandmother told officers she had fallen asleep on the couch with the girl on her lap the night before, and that when she woke up at 7 a.m. the child was gone. When officers went to the home the grandmother was staying, they found her 52-year-old Shawano boyfriend in another room with marijuana. He was arrested for drug possession.

Leave a comment

Filed under Headlines

by | December 2, 2012 · 10:45 pm

12 Days Of South Milwaukee Christmas: Local Chains (Especially Ace Hardware)

Shopping local is about more than shopping at independent retailers. Chains can be part of your holiday plans, too.

In South Milwaukee, my favorite is Ace Hardware. “The helpful place” is always just that — helpful, and I find their prices reasonable.

Could I save a few bucks by going to one of the big guys on 27th Street? Occasionally. Can I get a better selection? Perhaps on some items. But when you factor in convenience and the friendliness and expertise of the people working the floor — someone is always there to help you through a project, often an owner — Ace is more often than not a huge bargain.

The Brooks family also shops from time to time at Pick ‘n Save, Aldi, Walgreens, Dollar General and others, not to mention any number of chains in Oak Creek, and they are all fine stores. But Ace is my favorite.

Ace Hardware

  • Location: 1009 Marquette Ave.
  • Phone: 762-8250
  • On the web: click here.

3 Comments

Filed under 12 Days of South Milwaukee Christmas, Local Business

Tagged as , , , ,

by | December 2, 2012 · 5:03 pm

Calling Out An Innovative Education Solution

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a great story on the Connects Learning Center, an innovative partnership between the South Milwaukee, Cudahy and Oak Creek-Franklin school districts aimed at helping struggling students.

Learn more about the charter school here. From the article:

Connects is a charter school run by multiple districts that work together to provide a cost-efficient alternative path for students.

Last year, Kazmierski and a few other students commuted to Connects from Franklin High School; others came from Cudahy, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek-Franklin school districts.

Three of those districts – Cudahy, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek-Franklin – share responsibility for running Connects and a fourth – Franklin – pays for student seats.

The districts say it’s a successful example of offering services better by acting together than by going it alone.

Students say Connects helps them accelerate their path to graduation and improve their chances of success.

“You work at your own pace,” Kazmierski explained. “You don’t have to move with 30 other kids, and if you don’t understand something you can still stay on that same topic and work with the teachers here.”

And check out my previous post on Connects here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Cudahy, Oak Creek, Schools

Tagged as ,

by | December 2, 2012 · 5:03 pm

Winter Hours For Self Deposit Station

From the city website …

December 1 through March 31, the Self Deposit station at 1108 Blake Avenue will be open winter hours.  The hours are Tuesday AND Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and  Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Closed Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Learn more about station dos and dont’s here.

Leave a comment

Filed under City Services