by | July 23, 2012 · 9:58 pm

Honoring Buddy

Buddy is no longer with us, but the legacy of this lifesaving Labrador retriever lives on.

If you don’t remember his story, check it out here.

The Humane Society will honor Buddy at Wednesday’s Firehouse Spaghetti Dinner at the South Milwaukee Fire Department. The brief ceremony is expected to begin around 5 p.m.

From the media advisory …

The Humane Society of the United States will honor Buddy, the late Labrador retriever from South Milwaukee, Wis., as the first runner up for the organization’s fifth annual Dogs of Valor Awards. The HSUS will also recognize the South Milwaukee Fire Department and Police Department. The HSUS’ Dogs of Valor Awards celebrates the human-animal bond by honoring dogs who have exhibited extraordinary courage or resolve by heroically helping a person in need. Buddy will be honored with a crystal scroll plaque.

Buddy’s owner, and the man whose life he saved, South Milwaukee’s Ted Moss, will be in attendance. I hope to see you there!

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by | July 23, 2012 · 9:46 pm

New York Times Weighs In On Caterpillar Strike And Other Headlines

A “test case” pitting private labor unions against industrial giant Caterpillar is unfolding in Peoria, Ill. Could it happen here?

From Monday’s New York Times story:

Despite earning a record $4.9 billion profit last year and projecting even better results for 2012, the company is insisting on a six-year wage freeze and a pension freeze for most of the 780 production workers at its factory here. Caterpillar says it needs to keep its labor costs down to ensure its future competitiveness.

The company’s stance has angered the workers, who went on strike 12 weeks ago. “Considering the offer they gave us, it’s a strike we had to have,” said Albert Williams, a 19-year Caterpillar employee, as he picketed in 99-degree heat outside the plant, which makes hydraulic parts and systems essential for much of the company’s earth-moving machinery.

Check out the piece on the ongoing strike here.

And check out these other headlines:

Also, there was a small basement fire at 102 Lake Drive in South Milwaukee on Sunday night, causing smoke damage throughout that floor, according to the South Milwaukee Fire Department. No one was hurt.

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

A 76-year-old woman from the 800 block of Manitoba Avenue called police about 8:10 a.m. July 20 to report a skunk was in her front yard with a yogurt cup on its head.

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by | July 22, 2012 · 10:32 pm

Fox 6 Stops By The South Milwaukee Farmers’ Market

The story was a predictable one: The potential impact on food prices due to the ongoing drought.

See it, and video, here. From it:

Some farmers have yet to show up to the South Milwaukee Farmer’s Market so far this season. They say their crops aren’t ready. Others say the drought’s affect on their crops will affect the general public’s bottom line.

Farms like Geneva Lakes in Burlington have been hit hard by the drought.

“It’s been pretty difficult lately. We’ve been irrigating like 24/7, trying to keep everything as much as possible. I know a lot of stuff has been damaged. We don’t have any lettuce,” Rachelle Bergersen said.

Down the road at B.S.W. Farms, they say the drought’s affect on the corn crop has affected their chickens, which has affected the production of poultry and eggs for consumers.

“The price is going to go up. The older (chickens) aren’t laying, and they’re going to have to go,” Karen Stardy said.

The good thing about the South Milwaukee Downtown Market: We are much more than produce. So, drought or not, there are plenty of reasons — dozens of vendors selling produce, organics, arts, crafts, baked goods, prepared foods and more — to stop by.

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by | July 22, 2012 · 10:31 pm

Oak Creek Wins State Baseball Title And Other Headlines

Congratulations to the Oak Creek Knights, who took home the WIAA state baseball title last week.

Check out coverage in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Oak Creek Patch.

And check out these other local headlines …

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by | July 21, 2012 · 10:10 pm

South Milwaukee Connection To Tragic Colorado Movie Shootings

The aunt of one of the victims of the movie theater massacre in Colorado lives in South Milwaukee.

WISN has the story here. From it:

Jenny Zakovich said at first, the family of Micayla Medek knew only that she had been at the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” with friends, and that she was missing. But police confirmed late Friday afternoon that she was among the dead.

“The hardest part is she laid on that floor for 20 hours without my brother knowing where his baby was,” Zakovich said. “He’s going through so much torment right now. It’s terrible. You can’t explain what it’s like not knowing — and sitting and waiting”

Medek’s aunt and father grew up in South Milwaukee. Her father moved away years ago to take a job in Colorado, and that’s where Medek and her sister and brother grew up.

“She had a lot of friends,” Zakovich said. “She liked to have fun. All around, a great kid.”

Please keep the family and friends of Micayla Medek — and all the victims of this senseless tragedy — in your thoughts and prayers.

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by | July 20, 2012 · 9:23 pm

South Milwaukee Heritage Days Schedule

Heritage Days is maybe the best time of year to be a South Milwaukeean … and it’s next week.

Check out the full schedule of events on SouthMilwaukee.org. Here are some highlights …

  • Tuesday: St. Luke’s Ice Cream Social (4-7 p.m., with South Milwaukee Muni Band concert to follow)
  • Wednesday: Firehouse Spaghetti Dinner (4:30-8 p.m.)
  • Thursday: Evening on the Avenue (3:30-9 p.m.) and the South Milwaukee Downtown Market (3-7 p.m.)
  • Friday-Sunday: Lionsfest
  • Saturday: Heritage Days Parade (11 a.m.) and Mill Pond Great Duck Race (2 p.m. at 15th and Milwaukee)

What’s your favorite Heritage Days event? Post your comments below!

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by | July 19, 2012 · 9:47 pm

Headlines, Headlines

Check out these local headlines …

And be sure to check out New Kid’s Blog for more on the latest award for South Milwaukee children’s book author Janet Halfmann.

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by | July 18, 2012 · 10:22 pm

You Know You Are From South Milwaukee Because …

Longtime South Milwaukee residents will especially want to check out this new Facebook page derived from the popular Jeff Foxworthy “redneck” bit.

Funny stuff.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/323709687724127/

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by | July 17, 2012 · 10:42 pm

Council Approves Expanded Residency For Many City Workers

Dozens of city civil service workers will be allowed to live outside South Milwaukee following a series of votes at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

The key vote: A 4-3 decision in favor of amending the Civil Service Personnel Manual to mirror the residency requirement for most non-represented employees and members of the firefighter union.

In short, the council voted to allow non-represented and civil service employees — we currently have 86 such employees on our payroll, in addition to 10 vacancies — to live within these boundaries: Highway 20 from Racine west to Highway S; north on S to Highway K; west on K to Highway 164, north on 164 to the Waukesha-Racine County border, east to Highway V (Town Line Road) extended, north on Highway V extended to Silver Spring Road (Highway VV), and east on Silver Spring Road to Whitefish Bay.

I voted yes, and I explained my reasoning in a previous post.

Simply, I think this is the right thing to do. We owe it to city taxpayers to not let geography (within reason) limit our search for the highest quality candidates for jobs in our city.

In the end, I think most city employees will end up living here because they want to — not because they’re forced to. We see it already. Of those 86 non-represented and civil service employees impacted by this policy, 57 already call South Milwaukee home.

And of the 10 new people we’re hiring, I’m hoping all 10 choose to live here and invest in our community … emphasis on “choose.” There’s lot of wonderful reasons to live in South Milwaukee and love this city. I’m betting they’ll want to live here.

What do you think of the decision? Post your comments below, and vote in the poll!

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by | July 17, 2012 · 10:13 pm

The Effects Of Tuesday’s Strong Winds

If you were outside around 6 p.m. Tuesday, you know it got quite windy as a cold front blew through the area.

One effect: It sent a large portion of a tree into a power line and across 15th Avenue north of City Hall. See the picture below.

The winds also caused some pretty widespread power outages. Here is the We Energies outage map.

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by | July 17, 2012 · 9:48 pm

Welcome, Kleiner’s: New Bar Coming To Former Frozen Rope Location

The bar formerly known as The Frozen Rope — which closed in 2011 following two separate rounds of gunfire outside the bar — will reopen as Kleiner’s.

The City Council unanimously approved the liquor license for the tavern at its meeting Tuesday night, a little over a year after we voted to put a temporary moratorium on the opening of any bar at that location, 1815 10th Ave.

That moratorium expired at the end of June.

Learn more about the shootings — and the council’s decision to revoke the bar’s liquor license — in this blog post.

The Legislation & Permits Committee heard from Kevin Klein, the prospective owner of the new bar, at its meeting Monday. Mr. Klein is well aware of the recent history of that location and said he is committed to responsibly operating what he said he will be a sports bar.

He is no stranger to operating a bar, either. He currently runs The Store in Cudahy, a small tavern at 5274 S. Packard Ave., and his mother was a one-time operator of the bar now known as the 14th Precinct on 14th and Rawson Avenues in South Milwaukee.

I welcome Mr. Klein to South Milwaukee and wish him well.

It was only a matter of time before The Frozen Rope reopened as a bar, and part of the job of the council is to make sure the next owner/operator is the right one for that location. I think Kleiner’s is that bar, although only time will tell.

Of course, I’d like to know what you think of this. Post your comments below!

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by | July 17, 2012 · 9:30 pm

South Milwaukee Fire Department Helps Deal With 5-Alarm Blaze In Milwaukee

Give the South Milwaukee Fire Department an assist on the big Riverwest fire on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

Learn more about the fire in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story.

And here is the email from Acting South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

Milwaukee Fire Dept. requested a MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Level One Box Alarm which took our engine to a Milwaukee fire station on Holton and Keefe to handle calls in that response area.  While there, our engine responded to three EMS calls and a fire call. This is the third time in history that SMFD has responded to the City of Milwaukee as the result of a MABAS Alarm and, ironically, Capt. Czajkowski has been the Shift Officer on all three responses!!

 

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by | July 17, 2012 · 9:22 pm

Grant Park Beach Reopens

The weather has cooled a bit, but news that the Grant Park beach has reopened is still welcome.

You’ll recall that the beach was closed earlier this week due to high E.coli levels.

Check out the status of all Wisconsin beaches here.

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by | July 16, 2012 · 9:28 pm

Season Ends For South Milwaukee Baseball Team

The upset bid by the South Milwaukee baseball team is over.

West Allis Hale beat the Rockets 10-0 in a WIAA sectional semifinal game on Monday, with Oak Creek then beating Hale to advance to the state tournament.

Here is the bracket. Congratulations to South Milwaukee on its regional championship.

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by | July 16, 2012 · 9:21 pm

Little Free Libraries Pop Up In South Milwaukee And Other Headlines

Little Free Libraries have come to South Milwaukee.

The New Kid’s Blog has more information on this worldwide phenomenon — and where you can find them. Find more information on Little Libraries at their website.

And check out these other headlines of local interest …

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