Court disbars lawyer who gambled client's millions
Thomas H. Koch, who gambled away millions of dollars he had recovered for a Texas client, had his law license revoked Wednesday by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Koch, 46, of Greenfield, was charged with theft of $2.4 million in February, He consented to the law license revocation rather than defend against related professional misconduct claims being investigated by the Office of Lawyer Regulation.
According to the criminal complaint, Koch (Marquette, '90) worked for Affiliated Computer Services, a Dallas-based company, that checks to see whether medical insurers are recovering costs for injuries when possible. ACS hired Koch in 2001 to pursue such cases in the Milwaukee area for ACS’s insurance company clients.
In 2007, a new litigation manager at ACS noticed Koch had about 360 open claims. When he failed to reply to her request for status updates, she found that about 270 had been settled, but that no proceeds had been forwarded to ACS.
The Supreme Court noted in its ruling that Koch admitted his embezzlement once confronted by ACS, and has entered treatment for compulsive gambling.
» Read Full ArticleWest Allis pays $30,000 to man arrested for wearing gun
The city of West Allis has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit prompted by one of the first tests of Wisconsin residents' right to openly carry guns.
Brad Krause was planting a tree in his backyard in August 2008 -- while wearing a holstered handgun -- when police arrived, drew their weapons and arrested him.
In February 2009, a municipal judge found Krause not guilty of disorderly conduct, and in April of that year state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a memo advising law enforcement agencies that the mere fact of wearing a gun, by itself, would not support a charge of disorderly conduct.
Krause sued the city in federal court in 2010.
"This is a clear victory for Mr. Krause and Wisconsin residents who wish to assert their rights under the state and federal Constitution to bear arms lawfully," said his attorney, John Schiro.
» Read Full ArticleWest Allis Central boys take over first in GMC with win over Lancers
West Allis Central came back twice and finally passed Brookfield Central for good with 6 minutes left to play, beating the Lancers, 63-59, Friday night at BCHS.
The win put the Bulldogs (9-2, 13-4) in first place, while the Lancers fell to second (8-3, 13-5). WAC has won 9 of 10 games, including seven straight in GMC play. The Lancers have lost three consecutive league games.
The Bulldogs led 22-19 with 4:11 left in the half, when the Lancers went on a 12-0 run to take a 31-22 lead with 1:09 to play. But baskets by Najeal McMillian and Tonnie Collier cut the lead to 31-26 at intermission.
The Lancers began the second half with a 12-6 run to increase their lead to 43-32 with 3:36 left in the quarter.Seth Mortag had six points and Riley LaChance four in that stretch.
But the Bulldogs came back and cut the lead to 46-44 after three periods behind McMillian (four points), Jaquan Carlson (three), Jarvis Garrett (three) and Darvell Brown (two) while all the Lancers could muster was a 3-pointer by LaChance.
» Read Full ArticleGreenfield athletes sign with colleges
A total of five Greenfield High School football players, plus standouts in boys soccer and girls track and field, signed national letters of intent with colleges this week.
The football list is led by offensive lineman Josh Ruka, who was given a full scholarship with Division 1 Northern Illinois. Ruka was regarded as one of the state's top linemen last fall.
The others are kicker Alex Bosl, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; defensive lineman Kyle Sobocinski, Carroll University; offensive lineman Jared Lang, UW-Platteville; and running back Bathong Pham, Concordia University of Wisconsin.
In addition, offensive lineman Wahid Othman and linebacker/defensive back Yazan Rizeq are both undecided about their colleges at this point.
Also signing were Michelle Garner, the WIAA Division 1 state champion in the 300-meter hurdles, with Winona State University; and soccer goaltender Eric Frank with the University of Dubuque.
Spartans lose to Hale, lose chance to end losing streak
West Allis Hale nipped Brookfield East, 42-40, Thursday night at East and kept the Spartans winless in the Greater Metro Conference.
The Huskies are now 2-8 in the GMC, while East dropped to 0-10. With Brookfield Central (5-4), Divine Savior Holy Angels (8-1), West Allis Central (5-4) and Menomonee Falls (7-2) on the Spartans' schedule the rest of the way, the chance getting into the win column in league play is not good.
East led 16-13 after the first period, as Christy Johnson nailed three 3-pointers. East extended that lead to 25-18 when Hale's Rachel Seefeldt threw in a half-court shot to make it 25-21 at halftime.
But the Huskies came out and went on an 11-0 run to take a 32-25 lead with 3:12 left in the quarter. Jazzmin King banked in a 3-point shot from the top of the key to open the scoring in the second half.
Then when Erin Barbeau, standing behind the backboard on the right side, threw a shot over the top of the backboard and into the net, the Huskies were off and running.
» Read Full ArticleAppliance World stores won't reopen
Appliance World confirmed today that it is permanently closing its three area locations in Brookfield, Greenfield and Germantown.
One of the area's most recognizable retail stores, the appliance retailer locked its doors Sunday and told its employees the company's future and ownership was in doubt, though it had left open the possibility the stores could reopen under new management and ownership.
But in a statement issued through My In-House Agency today to media outlets, owner Ed Aumann set aside any hope.
"The economic conditions of the past several years have been too much to overcome," Aumann said in the news release. "I would like to thank all of our customers and employees for their support and patronage over the past half century."
Aumann said Appliance World, in business in Southeastern Wisconsin for more than 56 years, closed at behest of its secured lender, GE Capital Solutions. Assets have been surrendered to the bank.
» Read Full ArticleSkeletal remains appear to be those of suicide victim
The Milwaukee County medical examiner's office has identified the skeletal remains found in a vacant West Allis house on Monday as a man who apparently committed suicide.
According to a release from the West Allis Police Department, the man had been a resident of the house on the 1300 block S. 58th St. where his remains were found, along with a handgun. A time of death couldn't be determined, but he would have been age 45 now.
"The residence was presumed unoccupied and abandoned for the past several years," the release said.
Video: Daykin discusses recent changes at Southridge Mall
In this week's Land and Space video, Tom Daykin talks about the addition of Macy's to Southridge Mall and other new stores in the area.
Skeleton found in abandoned West Allis house
Police and medical examiners are investigating the death of a person whose skeleton was found Monday in an abandoned house in West Allis.
The West Allis Police Department received a call at 3:12 p.m. Monday about a body in a residence in the 1300 block of S. 58th St., according to a news release.
"The body was located in a state of decomposition to the degree that skeletal remains were recovered. The residence was presumed unoccupied and abandoned for the past several years. The exact date/time of death is unknown at this point," the release said.
Police and the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office are now trying to find out who the person is and how he or she died.
Police said preliminary investigation "does not indicate a danger to the community."
Redistricting errors impact Greenfield primary
The Greenfield clerk's office is under the gun as it races to fix a redistricting snafu that could turn Feb. 21 primary election day into a nightmare for voters and poll workers.
The problem is that the boundaries state legislators drew in redistricting following the 2010 U.S. Census don't match up in some places with local maps. As a result, some voters are not in the right wards or districts.
To fix the problem, the clerk's office must move 5,000 voters one by one into the proper wards, City Clerk Jennifer Goergen told the Greenfield Common Council on Tuesday night.. That's a big job - one she isn't sure can be completed by a Jan. 31 deadline tied to the printing of election-related documents.
Goergen emphasized that the problem is not a local mistake. It came about because state legislators relied on census blocks to draw their maps. Those blocks have been found to be inaccurate all over the state.
If things aren't put right, voters could come to the polls for the Feb. 21 primary election and not be listed in the right poll book, Goergen said. They could re-register at the polls, though, she suggested.
City scales back $10 million roads plan
The aggressive $10 million road repair plan that was proposed to take advantage of low interest and construction costs will not be followed, the Greenfield Common Council decided Tuesday night.
Instead, the council approved $3.7 million in road projects, which is more in line with what the city usually spends in a year.
While lumping three years of road repairs into this year offered an estimated $2 million savings and a hiatus in any road work, the council did not feel comfortable taking on that much debt. Times are too uncertain, Mayor Michael Neitzke said after the meeting.
The council did approve the crash plan in November when it approved the 2012 budget, but even then aldermen expressed reservations.
The projects that actually were approved for next year were recommended by the Public Works Committee that met last week.
City opts to revert to old overtime rules
New overtime rules limiting Department of Public Works overtime only to work over 40 hours in a week and dropping overtime premiums for work on holidays and weekends were scrapped by the Greenfield Common Council on Tuesday night, 17 days after they went into effect Jan. 1.
The council opted to revert to most of the old rules, which granted overtime after eight hours in one work day and counts vacation and personal time as hours worked. Workers will earn time-and-a-half pay for any hours beyond eight in a day and on holidays and weekends. Double-time on Sundays, as was offered under the old rules, was not restored.
The Finance and Human Resources Committee, which recommended going back to most of the old rules, agreed with Daniel Ewert, public works superintendent, who said the new more restrictive rules do more harm than good.
Ewert pleaded with the committee to restore at least some of the old overtime rules to show DPW workers who are called on to meet all kinds of emergencies that rules are not being implemented just because the city can.
Most of the overtime is paid for battling snowstorms, Ewert said, and overtime itself is less than 8 percent of the DPW payroll.
Greenfield tries to avoid a sign of things to come
With the approval of one flashing sign, Greenfield leaders hope they aren't opening the city up to TV-like advertising signs along its thoroughfares.
The sign OK'd by the Common Council on Tuesday night was for the city's own Greenfield Community Center, 7215 W. Cold Spring Road.
Advertising would be sold on the sign, placed in front of the building. The city would collect an estimated $12,000 per year from the company that would be in charge of the sign. That money would help support the community center.
The council's approval was significant because for the first time businesses will be able to advertise on a sign on someone else's property elsewhere in the city. To try to avoid a proliferation of signs and off-site advertising, the council decided to limit those types of signs to public property associated with public buildings.
But that still leaves the door open to Milwaukee County and the two school districts in the city to erect similar signs, said Karl Kastner, Common Council president, who cast the only "no" vote. Milwaukee County, which is desperate for revenue, alone could conceivably have its signs on Root River Parkway, Cold Spring Road, Highway 100, Beloit Road and 92nd Street and Forest Home Avenue, he noted.
Hale names Ehret as new football coach
Brandon Ehret has been named head football coach at Nathan Hale High School, the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District just announced.
Ehret has served on the Nathan Hale football staff for the past two seasons as head junior varsity coach and linebackers coach. District officials said he also will bring a strong background of playing experience to the job of varsity head coach.
Ehret was a four-year letter winner at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and was an all-conference selection at linebacker in both his junior and senior years. He was team captain as a senior and named his team's defensive Most Valuable Player as both a junior and a senior.
"It's a dream come true to coach at the same school in which I teach," Ehret said in a press release.
He takes over from Sean Hegarty, who has been head football coach for two seasons.
West Allis woman was victim in fatal car crash
A 34-year-old West Allis woman died and another woman was injured when the car they were in spun out and slammed into a tree on Milwaukee's northwest side early Sunday, investigators said Monday.
Patricia A. Wnuk was riding west in the 9000 block of W. Capitol Drive in a Chevy Impala driven by a friend at 1:17 a.m. when the driver lost control of the car, jumped the curb, spun out in the snow-covered median and slammed the passenger side of the vehicle into a tree, according to an investigation report by the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office released Monday.
An investigator from the office said an empty bottle of citrus-flavored vodka was found stashed in the magazine compartment behind the front passenger seat. No air bags deployed.
The driver of the car was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Wnuk, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene.
The report said the speed limit in the area is 35 mph.
» Read Full ArticleSouthridge owner may ban county buses because of noise, other concerns
Milwaukee County buses may be banned from Southridge Mall in Greendale starting next month, because of noise and other concerns raised by the Indianapolis-based owner of the mall.
Simon Property Group has told the county and Milwaukee County Transit System that the four bus routes that now serve the mall won't be able to use mall parking lots for picking up and dropping off mall-bound passengers.
That will mean a long hike to the mall entrances from buses that drop off passengers at stops along S. 76th St. and other surrounding thoroughfares. The four regular bus routes that serve the mall provide about 1,200 rides a day.
The only specific problem raised by the mall owner was bus noise complaints from mall neighbors, according to a county memo. County officials said they had no documents spelling out other concerns, but expressed skepticism that noise was the only issue.
Supervisor Michael Mayo Sr., the chairman of the County Board's Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee, said he found the complaint about bus noise odd.
» Read Full Article