Check out these South Shore headlines …
And there is more bad news for Caterpillar and its global mining business.
Filed under Headlines
The Frontier League team initially proposed for Franklin is now looking at Oak Creek — on a site across the street from South Milwaukee’s Fourth District.
Here is the Business Journal story …
Zimmerman now is working with Cobalt Partners LLC, Milwaukee, to build on a 62-acre property at the southwest corner of East College and South Pennsylvania avenues in Oak Creek. The U.S. Postal Service owns the property, and has been working with Cobalt to develop it.
Oak Creek’s Common Council on Tuesday will consider a proposed tax incremental financing and development agreement that Cobalt submitted. Zimmerman, via email, confirmed the TIF proposal is for his stadium project.
I’ll keep you posted.
Here is the Oak Creek City Council agenda.
Filed under Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
Thursday night brought one of my favorite events of the year: the 128th Air Refueling Wing Civic Dinner Dance. And the event had a local flavor.
Among the honorees from retired Chief Master Sergeant Tom Ludka, a former South Milwaukee resident who, along with his wife Barb, still has strong roots in the community.
Ludka, who spent nearly 30 years in our fair city, was inducted into the Wisconsin Air National Guard Hall of Fame, which was established in 1982 as a way to honor “enlisted or commissioned airmen who have greatly contributed to the success of the mission of the Wisconsin Air National Guard.”
That certainly sums up Chief Ludka, whose biography is as impressive as his commitment to community. Congratulations!
The Honored Citizen recipient was Richard Paradowski of St. Francis.
Filed under Community, South Milwaukee
Note: A previous version of this post listed the wrong date for this event. It is Wednesday, May 7.
Here is the message from State Sen. Chris Larson’s office … see you there!
Join Senator Chris Larson and Mayor Erik Brooks for a town hall meeting on Wednesday, May 7, at the South Milwaukee Library (1907 10th Ave) from 5 pm to 6:30 pm.
Senator Larson will discuss how legislation that passed during session this year will affect the community, and looks forward to hearing from neighbors! This is also a great opportunity to connect with South Milwaukee’s new Mayor, Erik Brooks.
Please contact Grace Fuhr, Senator Larson’s district director, for additional information: 414-273-1509,grace.fuhr@legis.wi.gov.
Filed under Community, South Milwaukee, State Lawmakers
Don’t forget to stop by Azteca Restaurant from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, for the first Meet the Mayor session.
No topic is off limits, so bring your ideas, concerns, complaints, compliments … or just stop by and say hi. And enjoy some great authentic Mexican food while you’re there.
I’ve also locked down dates through the summer, so mark your calendars. Each session is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
See you soon, and bring a friend!
Filed under Community, Local Business, South Milwaukee
Update: And County Supervisor Pat Jursik has published a new e-news update, with information on transit and other items.
There are reports that Cooper Power Systems is facing a $166,000 fine from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration following an October chemical spill that injured seven employees.
Here is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story. The Business Journal also has coverage.
And check out these other South Shores headlines …
Also, NOW has published a new police blotter, including this …
Police are investigating theft of about $1,000 in cash from the Milwaukee Lounge, 1009 Milwaukee Ave. According to police reports, surveillance video shows a man using a key to enter the bar at 9:49 a.m. April 20, then going to the bar’s office before leaving several minutes later.
And this …
Extensive vandalism was found near the pavilion at Grant Park, 100 E. Hawthorne Ave., the morning of April 19. There was graffiti on the building, saplings pulled from the ground, and garbage cans were found on the roof.
And this …
A 25-year-old South Milwaukee man was cited for reckless driving, criminal damage to property and unlawful use of a vehicle in a park after police received reports of a car driving across parkland in the vicinity of 16th and Marquette avenues just before midnight April 18. The driver abandoned the car, which had struck several trees and crossed Oak Creek before landing on its side. The man, who said he had gotten lost, turned himself in to police April 23. He was also cited for possession of drug paraphernalia after a marijuana pipe was found in the car.
Filed under Headlines
Some good news in Caterpillar’s first-quarter earnings report, which came out Thursday … but mining continues to struggle.
From the Reuters story …
Caterpillar said it expected its sales to the global construction industry to increase 10 percent from 2013, up from a previously anticipated rise of about 5 percent.
But it cautioned that 2014 would be “another very tough year” for mining, another key market, and that its outlook reflected an anticipated drop of about 80 percent in sales of large mining trucks from the company’s peak year in 2012.
Adam Fleck, an analyst at Morningstar, said he was pleasantly surprised by the company’s “very solid cost control in construction in particular,” where operating margins continued to grow and “were at their highest quarterly level in several quarters”, even though they were typically more compressed than in the mining equipment category.
Fleck said the weakness in mining “wasn’t terribly surprising” and added that because that once-critical business accounted for just 17 percent of sales and 12 percent of operating profit in the first quarter, any continued weakness in the sector was “more of a headline risk than a true economic one.”
The better-than-expected report was tinged with caution. Chief Executive Officer Doug Oberhelman said the Peoria, Illinois-based company was watching several regions closely. Having visited China recently, he said the construction industry there was facing challenges.
Caterpillar was also concerned about the situation in Ukraine and Russia, he added.
The news followed stories this week of mixed dealer data and of reduced 2013 compensation for the CEO.
Of course, we’ll continue to watch the Caterpillar news closely, especially that from the mining front, given our (and Oak Creek’s) position as the center of Cat’s global mining operations.
With that in mind, I had a really positive meeting with several local Caterpillar officials on Friday, as part of my ongoing efforts to introduce myself to local elected official and business owners.
I look forward to keeping lines of communication open … and I have Caterpillar’s commitment to do the same. Having a strong partnership with our largest employer is a priority for me as mayor.
Filed under Caterpillar, Local Business, South Milwaukee
From the Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network …
Join us on Saturday, May 3rd from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the South Milwaukee City Hall, Common Council Chambers, 2424 15th Ave., South Milwaukee.
This workshop will feature a classroom presentation on the causes of polluted storm water runoff and the role of rain gardens, rain barrels, composting and other yard care practices to reduce polluted runoff to our streams, river and Lake Michigan.
Our instructors are experts in the field and teach workshop participants about actions they can take in their yards and neighborhoods to reduce stormwater pollution and protect our streams, rivers and lakes. A rain barrel will be given away at each workshop in a free drawing.
Pre-registration is required here.
Questions? Contact Allison Chernouski at Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network, 262-898-2055 or allison@rootpikewin.org.
Filed under Community, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
Here is information about a program through the Milwaukee Area Workorce Investment Board.
The goal: “Hhelp young people enter the world of work, build their resume and be introduced to a potential career.”
The application deadline is May 9.
Filed under Local Business, South Milwaukee
Take note: The westbound lanes of Drexel Boulevard from 15th Avenue to Nicholson will be completely closed for approximately three weeks starting on Tuesday, April 22.
Then, once work on that side of the street is done, eastbound lanes will be closed.
This is all part of the multi-year reconstruction project on this major city street. The project should be completed by the end of May.
Learn more here. And thanks ahead of time for your patience as we continue to invest in our infrastructure.
Filed under City Services, Construction, South Milwaukee
The latest South Milwaukee Police Department crime alert …
Over the past couple of weeks there have been a good number of counterfeit bills passed at our local businesses. There have been fake $50’s, $20’s and even $10 dollar bills that have been passed.
If you own a business, please be sure you have and use a counterfeit bill marker. Although this can be a tedious process at times, it can save you money in the long run.
For those who do not own a business, please pass the word when doing business in town.
Want to receive these in your email inbox? Learn more here.
Filed under Police, South Milwaukee
There is a well-done story in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about Milwaukee-area residents returning to run in the Boston Marathon, one year after the bombings.
One of those people is South Milwaukeean Michelle Tanem. Check out the story here, and join me in wishing Michelle well in the race.
From the story …
Tanem had just finished the race and she was elated. The 46-year-old mother of three from South Milwaukee who works in communications at Johnson Controls has been running for 20 years and has completed more than 50 marathons, mostly around Wisconsin and the Midwest.
But Boston was always in the back of her mind.
“If you’re a runner, a marathon runner, there always is this Boston qualifying time,” said Tanem. “For the average runner, it’s kind of this ultimate goal that’s always out there.”
She made the time and applied for the race and had to wait months to find out she was accepted for her first Boston Marathon in 2013.
“It was a really big deal,” she said.
She finished 20 minutes before the bombs went off, but it took her a while to collect her medal, get checked over by the medical staff, get water and a little nutrition and then get to the gear-check tables.
She spotted her husband, John, back at the end of the race and assumed he was on his way to meet her. But John was stuck in a Summerfest-type crowd, with a mass of people, so he wasn’t going anywhere fast. He decided to just soak up the atmosphere.
Then the first bomb detonated.
“And you wonder, what is that? A celebratory firework or something?” said Michelle Tanem.
Then the second bomb exploded.
“And collectively, we all knew it was something. You could see the cloud,” said Tanem.
The people around John Tanem began to run. He saw a woman trying to hold on to her three young children. First responders rushed in without regard for their own safety. John helped the best he could, moving people away from danger. He was unharmed.
“We’re so, so lucky that he was that close and he didn’t get hurt,” said Michelle Tanem.
It seemed like it took forever, but Michelle and John did finally meet up and when they did, Michelle’s emotions turned on her. The thrill of completing her first Boston vanished.
“The feeling that was strongest for me was guilt,” she said. “My husband wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for me.”
Her three children, ages 8 to 28, weren’t at the race — but only because they had just been on a trip the previous week. It all left Tanem feeling sad and hurt but mostly with a powerful sense of guilt.
“Why here, why this environment?” she said. “These are everyday people. They are families and friends everywhere you turn. It’s the most celebratory, glorious environment you could ever ask for. It is an international event because Boston is the best-known marathon, and I felt guilty as a runner that all those people were there to support runners like myself. And yet they were all put in danger.” …
She never doubted she would go back this year. The threat of some horrific repeat stunt is a little scary, sure, but so were the Olympics, and athletes don’t stay home under a threat. So she will wear her Run Strong bracelet, which a friend picked up at the Marathon Sports store on Boylston, and the rubber band bracelet her daughter made for her in the race’s colors this year: blue, orange and white.
She will be careful, but she will not be stopped.
“I’m to the point where it’s time to focus on the positive, and I am looking forward to drawing from the positive energy in Boston,” said Tanem.
“And you know how runners are. Whether you are first, last, in the middle, whether you have run a thousand races or this is your first time, every other person around you is cheering for you. Everybody is out there supporting you to achieve your best. It’s this incredible, supportive, loving environment.
“And we always get back up and try again. We don’t stop running.”
Filed under Community, South Milwaukee
“How can I get involved?
I’ve had dozens of people ask me just that during and after the campaign.
Here is one way: Join a board or commission.
The city has more than a dozen of these groups providing oversight and guidance to various city departments and functions, and we’re always looking for new people to provide their expertise in a variety of areas.
So if you have a background or interest in libraries, health, law enforcement, public safety or a number of other areas, please consider getting involved.
For the first time, we’re actively promoting this process, and we’ve added some information on the city website, as well as a short application. Please consider filling one out, so we can get it on file.
My goal in pushing for this: Open up the process. While technically anyone can join a board or commission, too often we are picking members from a narrow group of people who are known to the mayor and other city leaders. I want to change that. I know there are plenty of South Milwaukeeans who I don’t know who have skills, knowledge and passion that could benefit this city and how we deliver our services.
I want to meet some of these people, injecting fresh ideas and perspectives into our boards and commissions.
Get involved!
Filed under City Council, Community, South Milwaukee
Check out these South Shore headlines …
Filed under Headlines, South Milwaukee
I officially become South Milwaukee’s next mayor on Tuesday, April 15, and I am excited to begin bringing my campaign platform to life.
A key plank: enhancing communication. One way I plan to do it — be more accessible to the residents of South Milwaukee.
Along those lines, I am introducing an initiative called “Meet the Mayor.”
Starting next month — and once a month on Saturdays going forward — I’ll bring City Hall to a local business by meeting and greeting local residents through “Meet the Mayor” events. Anything is fair game to discuss.
The first session is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, at Azteca Restaurant, 901 Milwaukee Ave.
I can’t think of a better business to start with. Carlos and Rosie have done great things with their restaurant, and I encourage folks to stop by and see the improvements they’ve made … and try the authentic food.
Look for a more detailed schedule soon. I — and our local business owners — hope to see you.
Filed under Community, South Milwaukee
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