Patrick Cudahy Sues U.S. Navy, Alleged St. Matthew Theft And Other Local Headlines

Patrick Cudahy Inc. and others are suing the U.S. Navy for its alleged role in the massive 2009 fire at the Cudahy meatpacking plant.

Check out the story here.

And check out these other local headlines:

Also, County Supervisor Pat Jursik weighs in (strongly) on the debate over the Shakespeare in the Courts program and Sheriff David Clarke’s budget (including his stable of horses). And State Sen. Chris Larson has published a new Larson Report, where he, in detail, deconstructs one year of Republican control in Madison.

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South Milwaukee Sports And Activities Update

Here is the latest installment of Rocket Update from the school district’s athletics and activities department … congratulations to the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams for their hot start!

Good morning everyone,

Here is another quick update. If you have a TV near you, try to turn on TMJ4 to catch a glimpse of the Madrigal Choir. They are singing until 7:00am on their local morning show this morning.

MADRIGAL CHOIR
The madrigal singers are currently at the TMJ4 studios, singing Christmas songs as they have for several years running and are doing a fantastic job under the direction of first-year choir teacher Emily Buckner and student leader senior Lexie Bartell. They deserve a lot of credit for sounding so good this early. The bus picked them up at 3:50am!!

BOYS BASKETBALL
The Rockets are off to a fast start with a 6-1 record, despite a slew of injuries to a number of starters. Senior Austin Stueck has led the way, averaging over 20 points a game, despite a pretty bad high ankle sprain limiting him in practice. Senior Dominic Stanley also has a fractured ankle and was the team’s second leading scorer and is out at least another week or two. Senior Sam Stojsavljevic has taken his turn filling in nicely, scoring 18 pts in their 49-29 win over St. Francis on Tuesday, and senior Jake Eaton has been solid averaging over 12 pts a game.

The Rockets next game is at Concordia University in Mequon as they take on the Neenah Rockets in the Wisconson Yearbook Classic on Tuesday, 12/27 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $5 for the game.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Like the boys, the Rocket girls team is off to a super start with a 5-0 record, despite a rash of injuries. Returning all-conference guard Mallory Wesley is a week away from returning after a foot injury that has kept her out for 3 weeks after a strong first week of the season. The Rockets have been led by a contingent of juniors who have just played fantastic basketball seemingly alternating big games. In their win against St. Francis, junior Riley Budde led the way with 13 pts and 10 reb. In their win over Shorewood last Friday, junior Emily Pusheck led the way with 15 pts and 10 reb, and against Greenfield, junior Ellie Pusheck led the way with 12 pts and 9 reb. Junior Sam Page has also been among the contributors, playing solid defense and passing the ball well averaging over 2 steals and 4 assists a game.

The Rockets next play on Tuesday, January 3rd @ Wauwatosa West.

WRESTLING
The Rockets are a very young squad with several freshman in the mix at the varsity level, but that has not stopped them from starting off the winter strongly. They defeated New Berlin at home on 12/4 with 8 pins out of 14 total matches. At the prestigious and stacked Stech Tournament in West Allis, the Rockets did a great job taking 9th place out of close to 20 teams, with juniors Tom Mitchell (182 lbs) and Tom Wawrzyniak (285 lbs) taking 2nd place in their respective age divisions.

The Rockets next home meet is Wednesday, January 4th (in the Middle School Gym) at 7:00pm.

POMS
At the recent Milwaukee Bucks competition, the JV Poms took 1st place overall in their division, while the Varsity Rockettes took 3rd in the Pom division and 5th in the Jazz division.

BOYS SWIM & DIVE
The Rockets took 2nd place at the Milwaukee Hamilton Invite on 12/13, just narrowly being edged out for 1st place. The 200 freestyle relay with Andrew O’Neill, Bart Brzezicki, Brian Rewolinski, and Michael O’Neill took second, and the 400 freestyle relay with Brian Rewolinski, Dan Wimmer, Mark Carnezki, and Jake Polakowski took second. The 200 freestyle relay with Andrew O’Neill, Bart Brzezicki, Brian Rewolinski, and Michael O’Neill took second, and the 400 freestyle relay with Brian Rewolinski, Dan Wimmer, Mark Carnezki, and Jake Polakowski took second. In the 100 free Matt Verstegen too second with a time of 55.22. In the 500 Free Mark Czarnezki took second with a time of 6:08. In the 100 free Matt Verstegen too second with a time of 55.22. In the 500 Free Mark Czarnezki took second with a time of 6:08.

The Rockets next home meet is Wednesday, January 4th (in the Middle School Pool) at 5:00pm.

POWERLIFTING
The powerlifting team started off their season well qualifying seven lifters for State, including senior Devin Dettmann who lifted an astounding 1100 lbs without any equipment. The Rocket Varsity girls took 1st place and the Rocket Varsity boys took 2nd place overall.

CHEER
At the Oak Creek Cheer Invitational, the Rockets did a fantastic job, taking 2nd place in the competition.

ROCKET REVUE & THESPIANS
On 12/16, a number of students (and a few alumni) performed in the PAC in a variety of singing acts, raising money for the Thespian Scholarships and did a fantastic job. Over a dozen student actors also did their annual elementary school tour performing the children’s classic story, “The Mitten,” before student audiences at each of the four elementary schools. The performers did great, but so did each of the elementary audiences!

PERSIAN MARKET & ART HONOR
Congratulations to HS Art teacher Rick Cartwright and his Art Honor students, including senior Alaina Totka for raising over $1,100 in scholarship money through their Persian Market fundraiser. Many people bid on some fantastic items, raised some good money and enjoyed themselves.

Stay tuned for a really good alumni update coming soon!

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A Brief Consolidation Update

The mayor on Tuesday night gave a brief update on fire department and dispatch consolidation talks between South Milwaukee, Cudahy and St. Francis. It was brief because there really isn’t much new to report.

Talks involving city, fire and law enforcement leaders and staff continue, and their next meeting is set for January.

The parties remain in the information gathering stage and are working to pull together more data they’ll need to hopefully step up the discussions in 2012. This may include a third-party review of the pros and cons of various consolidation possibilities.

One factor that will be an important part of the debate: Recent cuts in county funding to municipalities for paramedic service. Simply, this reduction in funding (and potentially more down the road) will force all county communities offering this service, including South Milwaukee, to ask hard questions about how paramedic services are delivered going forward.

I’ll keep you posted. And post your comments below!

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More On Drafting Of The Mining Bill, New Interim Oak Creek Mayor And Other Local Headlines

It turns out that South Milwaukee Rep. Mark Honadel was one of five state lawmakers who led drafting of the controversial mining regulation bill now before the legislature.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just lawmakers who helped draft the bill. The mining industry also apparently played an advisory (how strong, not sure) role in shaping the wording — which has me further concerned about what this legislation will mean for the environment if enacted in 2012. Honadel’s quote from the Journal Sentinel story:

“Of course we worked with getting ideas from the mining company,” Honadel said. “If a biotech company came here, we would sit down with and get all of their ideas, too.”

Check out the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here. And check out these other South Shore headlines:

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Route To A Smaller County Board

Update: The City Council on Tuesday decided not to move ahead with putting either question on the spring ballot. A motion to do so was not seconded — essentially killing the proposed referenda. 

Should South Milwaukee voters weigh in on the size and full-time status of the Milwaukee County Board?

The City Council will consider that issue on Tuesday night, when we discuss and potentially act on two potential advisory referendums that several other communities are adding to their local April ballots.

One asks voters if supervisors should be part-time, instead of full-time, positions. The other under consideration would ask voters if the board should be reduced from its current 18 members to nine.

Five other local councils have already voted to bring these questions before voters next spring, and the County Board had considered calling for a similar countywide referendum — an effort that now appears dead.

Where do I stand? Let me start by saying I think we have a terrific county supervisor in Pat Jursik. She is smart, hard-working, passionate and focused on positive change, and she truly cares about her constituents.

Even so, I absolutely support a smaller county board, and nine seems about right. (I’m not sure about the part-time issue.)

I am just not sure these local referendums will make any difference toward this end.

With only a handful of the county’s communities planning to ask the questions, their effectiveness is limited, and the message they may send would be severely weakened. And with these questions only being advisory in nature, you have to ask: How seriously will county supervisors take the results? My guess: Not very.

Any referendum on this issue should be countywide. Only then would it carry significant weight with the people who need to hear the message the loudest: the county board.

While I am open to hearing other arguments, I am hesitant to support putting this on the ballot only in South Milwaukee. It strikes me as a waste of time.

What do you think? Post your comments below!

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South Milwaukeeans Injured In Oak Creek Crash, Walmart Growth And Other Local Headlines

Several South Milwaukeeans, including two children, were hurt in a serious car crash on Sunday in Oak Creek.

One woman suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to the hospital, according to the story in Oak Creek Patch.

Check out the story here.

Also, a 78-year-old Cudahy man was killed in a Washington County crash over the weekend. Check out the WISN story here.

And check out these other local headlines:

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Free Falling? Magazine Offers A Rather Unflattering Portrayal Of Milwaukee … And Cudahy

The Atlantic magazine has a piece on the demise of the middle class in Milwaukee and its impact on the region — including inner ring suburbs like Cudahy.

Check out the story here.

I’d like to know what you think about the piece and its conclusions. I guess I take a  more optimistic view. Sure, the Milwaukee area has its problems, and income disparity, joblessness and poverty are among them. But I also see so many good things — positive signs — emerging.

I see hope.

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Report: South Milwaukee Associated Bank Spared

Associated Bank announced Friday that it will close 21 branches across the state — and South Milwaukee’s won’t be one of them.

That’s according to this story in the Wisconsin State Journal, which lists the locations of the planned closures. They include Milwaukee-area locations in Greendale, Brookfield and Waukesha.

The Associated Bank in South Milwaukee is at 2815 S. Chicago Ave.

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New Bar Coming To The Former Bickler’s And Other Local Headlines

The Business Journal has a story on the new owner of the former Bickler’s — and it’s a name area Harley-Davidson enthusiasts may know.

Chaz Hastings, owner of Milwaukee Harley-Davidson, is growing his tavern business with Bottoms Up South on 5th and Madison. The tavern is expected to open in the next couple of months.

Chaz and his partner also have taverns in Butler, Richfield and Erin.

Learn more in this story (subscription required for full version). The Legislation & Permits Committee approved their license last month.

And check out these other local headlines of interest:

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter, and State Sen. Chris Larson has published a new Larson Report.

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Report: No Hoan Bridge Bike Lane

There won’t be a bike lane on the Hoan Bridge.

Check out The Business Journal story here. Here is the press release.

As most of my readers know, I supported the addition of a bike and pedestrian lane to the bridge — an effort, albeit costly, to go beyond the bare minimum to make the bridge truly unique and special.

Instead, we get the bare minimum. So it goes.

Maybe the powers that be will try again in 2050, or whenever the deck needs replacing again. In the meantime, I’ll continue to drive this vital link between downtown and the South Shore, wishing it could be this or this or this or this (because, yes, this is being done other places).

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Paying Your Taxes

By now, I’m assuming most, if not all, blog readers have received their 2011 property tax bills.

Remember, taxes are due Jan. 31, and you can pay by mail, by credit card online or over the phone, at City Hall and at these other local outlets:

  • Tri-City National Bank: Locations at 2115 10th Ave. and inside Pick ‘n Save at 2901 S. Chicago Ave.; and
  • M&I Bank, 1001 Marquette Ave.

Learn more about the tax billing process on the city’s website here.

And don’t forget that the treasurer’s office will be closed Dec. 23 and 26 and only be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Dec. 30.

I’d also like to know what your tax bill showed this year (especially the city portion). Post your comments below, and vote in my poll!

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Special Event At Studio 915 On Saturday

A quick shout out to Studio 915, which is holding a special jewelry sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The sale features handmade jewelry from a number of local sellers, including several that were at the South Milwaukee Christmas Market the last two Saturdays.

Studio 915, at 915 Milwaukee Ave., opened less than two months ago. Check out my previous post here and its website.

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More Memories Of Dick Bolender And Other Headlines

Services for former Oak Creek Mayor Dick Bolender, a South Milwaukee native, were held on Wednesday, as more and more people offered their thoughts on the local leader and his legacy.

Here is a story from NOW, and here is another story from Patch with reaction to Bolender’s death, including this from State Sen. Chris Larson …

“My first talk with him after the election as a good one. He had endorsed my opponent in the primary so there was a potential that we wouldn’t get along but I never felt slighted by him. He was someone who was above the fray. He was a statesman.

“I have five cities in my district – four full cities and part of Milwaukee. Of the five mayors that I’ve worked with, Mayor Bolender was the one I worked with the most. I sat down to talk issues with him more than anybody. A year ago I couldn’t have predicted that, but he was the easiest to approach, somebody who would get coffee at the drop of a hat if you wanted to talk about issues of development or what was going to be going on with the city hall project, what’s going on with Oak Creek schools, whatever it was … we acknowledged there was a difference between us (politically) but it was never an issue.”

And this from County Supervisor Pat Jursik …

“He was an extremely pragmatic man. He represented the community first and foremost. He did things in the interest of his community and I think that’s why he was such a good leader.

“He just totally loved his family. He wasn’t afraid to say that he loved his family and that he loved his wife.

“He was truly a (University of Wisconsin-) Whitewater fan. He played on the football team in college … and Bolender would wear his Whitewater football jacket around. To show how loyal a person he was, he supported that team his entire life.”

And check out these other headlines from around the South Shore:

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More On The Oak Creek Mayor’s Death And Other Local Headlines

The president of the Oak Creek City Council has been named the city’s acting mayor and upcoming meetings have been cancelled following the death of Dick Bolender over the weekend.

Learn more in this Oak Creek Patch story.

And check out these other local headlines of interest:

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Golf In December? Grant Park Reopens

It’s mid-December. Why not break out the golf clubs?

Four Milwaukee County Parks golf courses, including Grant, have reopened, weather permitting, according to the Milwaukee County Parks system.

Learn more here, including course conditions. Rain is expected later this week, so you might want to get in a round on Tuesday …

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