by | May 17, 2012 · 9:58 pm

South Milwaukee (And Oak Creek’s) Own: Christine Bolender Honored At 128th Dinner

One of the events I look forward to attending each year is the 128th Air Refueling Wing Civic Dinner Dance. It’s a well-done remembrance of our armed services that always draws a big crowd from around the region.

Thursday’s event had a strong South Milwaukee connection. Former South Milwaukee State Sen. Jeff Plale was the master of ceremonies, and Christine Bolender was the guest of honor.

Bolender — the wife of the late Dick Bolender, the Oak Creek mayor who passed away in December — was born and raised in South Milwaukee and graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 1963. After attending Dick and attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, she spent 30 years teaching at Lakeview and Blakewood Elementary before retiring in 2005.

Thursday, she gave a wonderful speech recalling her time as “Mrs. Mayor,” giving a tearful tribute to her late husband.

Congratulations to her, and thanks to all of our military members, past and present. I am grateful for your service.

(One additional note: Next year’s dinner will honor someone from South Milwaukee.)

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by | May 15, 2012 · 11:17 pm

Celebrating Our Police And Citizen Heroes

Thank a police officer today … and those among us who help them do their jobs and make South Milwaukee a safer place to live.

The South Milwaukee Police Department and the City Council did just that Tuesday night, honoring a number of officers and citizens for their work saving lives and solving crimes.

It’s all a part of National Police Officers Week this week.

See a list of honorees, and their stories, here … and let’s all celebrate these everyday heroes. One example:

Mr. Joseph DeLong      

Officer Mick Olson recommended Mr. DeLong for a Citizen Recognition Award for his action on February 17, 2012.

On February 17, 2012 Mr. DeLong was working as a United States Postal Carrier in the City of South Milwaukee.  While on his route Mr. DeLong observed three days of accumulated mail at a residence.  He felt this was unusual and notified his supervisor who then contacted SMPD.  Officers responded to the residence, forced entry into the residence under the community care taker role and located an elderly home owner on the floor of the residence.  The owner had fallen three days earlier and was unable to get up.  Because of Mr. DeLong’s actions this individual was able to get help when he needed it the most. 

Although the Police Department has been called to residences by mail carriers in the past, this was the first time a resident was found in duress.  Mr. DeLong’s actions saved the resident’s life.

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by | May 15, 2012 · 11:02 pm

Attention First District Residents: Starting July 1, You’ll Vote At Divine Mercy School

First District residents — essentially those in the northeast quadrant of the city — will soon vote at Divine Mercy School instead of the South Milwaukee Library.

The change, approved by the South Milwaukee City Council on Tuesday, takes effect July 1, so it will be in place for any August primaries and beyond.

First District residents will continue to vote at the library for the June 5 recall elections.

City Clerk Jim Shelenske suggested the move and the council agreed to it because the library is less than ideal. All voters must do so in the basement, making handicap accessibility an issue, and parking can be a problem.

Divine Mercy School, 695 College Ave., has ample accessible space and parking … making it a better option. Do you agree?

(Not sure what district you live in? See this map.)

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by | May 15, 2012 · 10:47 pm

Reports Of Walker Signs Being Burned In Oak Creek And Other Local Headlines

There are reports that yard signs supporting Gov. Scott Walker are being burned by vandals in Oak Creek.

Check out the WTMJ-TV story here. And here is the Fox 6 story.

And check out these headlines from around the South Shore:

And here is a local blog item about a group of singers with strong South Milwaukee ties holding a pair of concerts in June. (We’re also trying to get them to play at the Downtown Market, so stay tuned.)

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by | May 14, 2012 · 10:55 pm

Bursting At The Seams: Caterpillar Seeks More Parking From The City

It’s almost always a good thing when your largest local employer needs more parking. That’s certainly the case with Caterpillar.

The mining equipment maker — which continues to be in growth mode locally — has been in discussions with the city for some time about finding solutions to its parking crunch.

And here is where we’ve ended up: Potentially leasing a small piece of city-owned land at 1701 10th Ave. to Caterpillar, which would pave it and do whatever else it takes to get the site ready for up to 50 parked cars.

The city’s Public Works & Public Property Committee discussed the item at its meeting on Monday night. I’ll keep you posted.

The city has owned the site for some time, and it has already put around $20,000 into the property in acquisition and demolition costs. Leasing the land will help us recoup some of that money — while still allowing for future development there, even if that is unlikely given its odd shape and location. And it shows our willingness to do what we can to make it easier to do business in South Milwaukee.

That’s why I support this. What do you think?

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by | May 14, 2012 · 10:42 pm

More Headlines

Check out these headlines of local interest …

Also, South Milwaukee NOW has published a new police blotter, which includes this disturbing item:

Police received several reports about 7:10 p.m. May 9 of a man standing behind a light pole in the 1400 block of Rawson Avenue for about 45 minutes staring at little kids playing in the area, while keeping his hands near his groin area. When he was confronted by the callers, the man became aggressive and tried to fight them. Police checked the man out; he had no prior sexual-related offenses on his record. He was warned to stay away from the area and sent on his way.

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by | May 11, 2012 · 10:16 pm

Mark Your Calendars! South Milwaukee Farmers’ Market Returns May 24 — With Special Guest Melinda Myers

Nationally recognized gardening expert and author Melinda Myers will help the South Milwaukee Downtown Market take root this summer, as she appears at the market’s outdoor season debut on Thursday, May 24.

The market is located on and around 11th Avenue, south of Milwaukee Avenue, in the heart of South Milwaukee’s city center. Hours are 3 to 7 p.m. each Thursday through October 11 – a 21-week run.

More than 60 regular vendors are expected throughout the year selling produce, organics, arts, crafts, baked goods, prepared foods and other specialty items. Weekly live music and other special events are also planned as the market enters its fourth year.

Myers’ appearance kicks off the season, as she does gardening demonstrations, holds a question-and-answer session and meets her fans. Myers, who has more than 30 years of horticulture experience, has written more than 20 gardening books and hosts nationally syndicated “Melinda’s Gardening Moment” segments that air on nearly 100 television and radio stations across the U.S. and Canada.

Learn more in this press release, and check out more details on the market on our website: www.smmarket.org.

See you May 24!

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by | May 10, 2012 · 10:56 pm

Headlines!

The Business Journal has an interesting story with Tim Sullivan’s thoughts on the state of manufacturing in Wisconsin — and his viewpoint on a related issue near and dear to his heart: worker training.

The piece includes this reference to South Milwaukee:

Sullivan noted that Bucyrus, which was purchased by Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar Inc. in a deal that closed last year, set up a plant in Kilgore, Texas, in 2009 because it struggled to find welders to fill open jobs. The plant now employs about 200 welders.

“Those 200 jobs should be here in Milwaukee. We spent $250 million renovating and expanding a (Bucyrus) plant in South Milwaukee that we couldn’t fill because we couldn’t find the work force.”

Check out the story here.

And check out these headlines from around the South Shore:

Also, State Sen. Chris Larson has published a new Larson Report. The headline: Education is the Backbone of Our Community.

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by | May 10, 2012 · 9:54 pm

Gypsy Scam Alert From South Milwaukee PD

Just got this notice from the South Milwaukee Police Department about a “gypsy” scam occurring in our area.

Strange, and scary, stuff. See it here.

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by | May 10, 2012 · 10:43 am

Whooping Cough Update: Six Confirmed Cases In South Milwaukee … And Some Advice From The Health Department

The South Milwaukee Health Department is reporting six confirmed cases of whooping cough since March … and is urging parents to be vigilant about pertussis symptoms.

That number also continues to rise, along with numbers across the state, according to Public Health Administrator Jacqueline Ove.

Here is her message: If you suspect your child has whooping cough, take him or her to the doctor, and work to ensure that the doctor tests for the illness. If the test comes back positive, treat with antibiotics. Additionally, those in the ill person’s household and those who had close contact with him or her should also be treated with antibiotics.

Those with symptoms should also stay home from school or work.

Learn more about whooping cough symptoms in this note sent to South Milwaukee Middle School student families last week. One of the confirmed cases involves a middle school student.

Also, keep in mind that because we have children who attend our local schools and daycares from outside of South Milwaukee, all of the local cases may not live in the city. That requires a lot of coordination with other communities, as these large outbreaks do not know jurisdictional boundaries.

Our Health Department is up for the challenge. I’ll keep you posted.

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by | May 9, 2012 · 9:03 pm

County Board Committee Backs 794 Extension

A key Milwaukee County Board committee on Wednesday approved a resolution advancing plans to extend the Lake Parkway (Highway 794) to Ryan Road in Oak Creek.

The resolution passed by the Transportation, Public Works & Transit Committee calls for the project to be added to the regional transportation plan, making it eligible for federal funding and getting the project closer to the preliminary engineering stage — even if it still may be 10 to 15 years before a shovel gets in the ground.

South Shore Supervisor Patricia Jursik co-sponsored the resolution and has been a leader on this project. Check out the press release here.

In other news out of that county committee, the panel declined to act on a request by Sheriff David Clarke to rent storage space at the former home to the 440th Air Refueling Wing near Mitchell International Airport.

See the Journal Sentinel story here. From it:

The move was criticized as an unnecessary and ill-advised expansion of the sheriff’s office at a time of tight budgets. Clarke wants to store gear for his bomb squad, SWAT team, canine unit, emergency services, boat patrol and dive rescue unit in space at the 440th, now county property and renamed MKE Regional Business Park.

“This is the wrong time for the sheriff to start spreading out instead of consolidating,” said Supervisor Patricia Jursik, who also faulted Clarke for not appearing personally before the committee.

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by | May 8, 2012 · 9:57 pm

South Milwaukee Election Results: Barrett Rolls Over Falk In Recall Primary

Not surprisingly, Tom Barrett easily beat Kathleen Falk in the Democratic gubernatorial recall primary on Tuesday in South Milwaukee. The margin among local voters, however, is noteworthy.

Barrett more than doubled up Falk, 67.4% to 28%, or 1,660 to 689 votes, in South Milwaukee. Kathleen Vinehout got 47 votes, and Douglas La Follette got 46. That margin is well ahead of the statewide spread.

Other results and observations:

  • Gov. Scott Walker beat “fake” Republican candidate Arthur Kohl-Riggs, 97.8% to 2%, in South Milwaukee.
  • Mahlon Mitchell easily won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor with 43.7% of the local vote to 27.7% for Isaac Weix and 26% for Ira Robbins. The fact that a “fake” Democrat (Weix) got such a high percentage of the vote locally is concerning to me — probably as concerning as the fact that these “fake” candidates were allowed to run, on both sides, in the first place.
  • Turnout was a surprisingly high 41.4%, as 4,849 of the city’s 11,699 registered voters cast a ballot on Tuesday.
One other observation, for what it’s worth — and reading tea leaves in elections like this can be tricky business: More Democratic votes (2,461) were cast for governor locally than Republican votes (2,364). How that translates (if it translates at all) to the June 5 general election remains to be seen.

Check out the complete results on the city’s website. What are your observations? Post them below!

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by | May 8, 2012 · 8:08 pm

Even More Headlines

Check out these headlines from around the South Shore:

Also, NOW has published a new South Shore police blotter.

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by | May 8, 2012 · 7:41 am

It’s Election Day: Vote!

No reminder is probably needed, but here’s one anyway: Today is recall primary day.

Please do your civic duty and vote.

Not sure where? Check out the election information page on the city’s website, where you can find a list of polling places, district maps and sample ballots.

Let me know what you see at the polls. Also, if you haven’t already, please vote in the poll on the right side of this page.

Turnout of between 30 and 35% is expected statewide.

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by | May 7, 2012 · 8:50 pm

Celebrating Two Great Local Businesses

We’re lucky to have some strong businesses anchor our downtown. Parkway Floral and Nona’s Cafe are two of them.

Both are featured in online articles this week. Check out the NOW story on Parkway Floral, and here is a piece from OnMilwaukee.com on Nona’s. And be sure to patronize both, especially with Mother’s Day coming up.

What’s your favorite local business? Post your comments below!

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