West Allis takes more cautious approach for fireworks show
With the current stretch of dry weather, the West Allis Fire Department will take extra precautions at this year's Fourth of July fireworks, said Lt. Jay Scharfenberg, public information officer.
The entire launch area at the State Fair Park, where the fireworks will be set off on July 4, will be wetted down, he said.
He also reminded city residents that all fireworks are illegal in West Allis, "this year more than ever."
Greenfield School Board decides against social media restriction
The Greenfield School Board on Monday decided against a policy that suggested staffers cannot post inflammatory or detrimental messages about the schools on social media.
"We shouldn't be going there," said board member Cathy Walsh.
The policy tries to regulate employees' personal private use of social media, Walsh said, adding that the policy might be hard to enforce anyway.
"I would have a hard time saying who decides what's inflammatory," she said.
The policy was suggested so that school officials could do something about inflammatory postings that can bring disruptions to the schools, said Superintendent Conrad Farner.
» Read Full ArticleRichlen resignation opens up School Board seat
David Richlen has resigned from the Greenfield School Board because his family is moving to Franklin.
The family, which is expecting a third child in November, decided that their house in Greenfield is too small, Richlen explained. They want to move to Franklin to be closer to grandparents.
"I enjoyed being on the board," Richlen said Tuesday.
His term expires in April 2013 when an election will be held to fill a new three-year term.
Because the School Board may appoint someone to serve until then, the board is asking for anyone wanting to be considered for appointment to submit a written letter of interest and is strongly encouraged to include a resume with qualifications to Cathy Walsh, School Board Clerk, School District of Greenfield Board of Education and Administration Center, 4850 S. 60th St., Greenfield WI 53220
» Read Full ArticleSchool Board member backs idea of putting more meeting information online
Making the actions of the Greenfield School Board more transparent by putting background information for board agenda items on the district's website was suggested by board member Cathy Walsh on Monday.
"It would help people decide if they want to attend the meetings," Walsh said.
She noted that many districts and municipalities already provide background documents and some also stream meetings on the Internet.
"These kinds of things really help the public understand what's going on," Walsh said.
In her 18 years on the board, one of the major complaints she has heard is that people feel that decisions have been slid past them and that they have been left out, Walsh said.
» Read Full ArticleWoman arrested for attacking neighbor's fence with sledgehammer
A dispute over damaged property that ended with one neighbor swinging a sledgehammer at the other neighbor's fence led to the arrest of a 62-year-old Greenfield woman this week.
According to the police report:
A resident in the 4800 block of West Anthony Drive called police at 2:25 p.m. June 17 to report the woman threatened to damage his property that evening. The woman apparently accused the caller's dog of damaging her fence and was upset because the caller didn't fix the damage.
Later that day, the resident called police a second time to report his neighbor just arrived home and asked him if he was going to fix her fence.
The woman then allegedly went into her garage, came out with a sledgehammer and started pounding on the caller's fence.
» Read Full ArticleNOW honor rolls updated
We've just updated our honor rolls page with the latest lists of high-achieving students from area schools.
The honor rolls posted include: Forest Park Middle School, Greendale Middle School, Homestead High School, Kennedy Middle School, Muskego High School, Oak Creek-Franklin West Middle School, Saint Thomas More High School, St. Francis High School, South Milwaukee Middle School, South Milwaukee High School and Whitefish Bay High School.
You can always see the latest honor rolls by visiting www.mycommunitynow.com/honors.
Congratulations to all the students and their parents on their academic success.
Apply now for seat on West Allis School Board
Residents of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District who are interested in filling the seat on the School Board left vacant by the resignation of George Sotiros may apply until 4 p.m. July 13.
The appointee will serve until the 2013 April election.
School Board President Susan Stalewski is asking applicants to submit a written biography, including employment history and any involvement in local public schools.
Applications should be mailed to or dropped off at the Educational Administration Center, 1205 S. 70th St., 5th Floor, West Allis, WI, 53214, Attention: Susan Stalewski, board president.
Candidates may be called upon to meet with the board.
George Kottaras, radio personalities at ATI grand opening
Milwaukee Brewers catcher George Kottaras and 540 ESPN Milwaukee afternoon radio show hosts Homer and Thunder will be the special guests at the grand opening celebration of ATI Physical Therapy, 10724 W. Oklahoma Ave., West Allis, to be held from 3 to 7:30 p.m. June 20.
Kottaras will be available to sign autographs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. ATI is the official physical therapy partner of the Milwaukee Brewers and the sponsor of the ATI Club at Miller Park.
Homer and Thunder will broadcast their show live from the clinic from 3 to 6 p.m.
The West Allis ATI clinic, which opened earlier this year, features research-based services in physical therapy, work conditioning/hardening and sports medicine. Founded in 1996, ATI now has 12 facilities in Wisconsin with locations in Greenfield, Kenosha, Mequon, Milwaukee's East Side, Milwaukee's Third Ward, New Berlin, Racine, Sheboygan, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, Whitefish Bay and West Allis.
ATI has been named "Best Physical Therapy Practice in the Nation" by Advance Rehab Magazine and has been awarded URAC Core Accreditation.
City wants to put park-and-ride land into gear
With Greenfield's acquisition of a Milwaukee County park-and-ride lot perhaps only months away, city officials would like to find out what the market thinks the land could become.
The Greenfield Community Development Authority wants a marketing study that will indicate the most likely use of that land and the whole area around it, based on current and future market conditions.
The area in question is basically where Interstate 43 and Loomis Road meet. It lies east of Loomis, north of I-43 and south of Cold Spring Road.
The CDA on Monday discussed hiring a firm to explore development possibilities, but instead called on the city staff to gather proposals from other firms also, so that the CDA has a choice.
The study area is about the same land that was eyed for the failed Greenfield Corners redevelopment. That was dropped after many thought the city planned to use eminent domain to assemble properties for the project. That was never their intention, officials said, but the project was nonetheless dropped after the uproar in 2010.
» Read Full ArticleHair-razing fundraiser needs willing victims
For those who always wondered how they might look with a shaved head, here's an incentive: going bald could raise money for childhood cancer research.
West Allis Mayor Dan Devine says the upcoming St. Baldrick's Day event - set for 6 p.m. June 21 at Benno's Genuine Bar and Grill in downtown West Allis - still could use more participants.
Devine said he would like the hair-razing event to be a community occasion, but so far the volunteers to get their heads shaved are mainly city officials - the mayor, Alderman Michael May and city planner Steve Schaer - who will be joined by Mark Satterfield from West Park Place.
Money is raised through pledges for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which gives more money in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the United States government.
Since 2000, more than 240,000 volunteers, including more than 24,000 women, have been shaved at cancer at events in dozens of countries and in every state. Thanks to donations from friends and family, the "shavees" have raised more than $146 million for lifesaving research.
» Read Full ArticlePolice urge caution at reopened West Allis intersection
West Allis - Motorists are urged by police to use caution in the area of S. 108th St. and W. Greenfield Ave., where a burst water main buckled pavement, forcing the closing of the intersection from about 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, police said. The road will contain rough, bumpy patches until permanent repairs are made.
Walker was choice for Greenfield and West Allis
Gov. Scott Walker took both West Allis and Greenfield on the way to his statewide win over Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in Tuesday's recall election.
With a 75.4 percent turnout in West Allis, Walker polled 54 percent to Barrett's 45 percent. With the results still unofficial, the vote totals were 13,941 for Walker and 11,548 for Barrett. Those numbers do not include absentee or provisional ballots.
In Greenfield, where the turnout was 80 percent, Walker captured 57 percent to Barrett's 43 percent. The unofficial vote totals were 9,522 for Walker and 7,167 for Barrett.
All but three of Greenfield's 21 wards went for Walker. Barrett took Wards 3 and 4 in the northeast section of the city east of 43rd Street and Ward 17, an almost triangular-shaped ward south of Layton Avenue and between 60th Street and Loomis Road.
City waives block party fees
It's block party time in West Allis, and this time it'll be $25 cheaper.
To encourage neighbors to get together and meet each other and encourage a neighborhood feeling, the Common Council on Tuesday voted to suspend the usual $25 block party fee for the rest of the year. All the other requirements for block parties will remain, however, including getting a permit and abiding by rules for when street barricades are to be taken down.
Alderman Michael May proposed the fee suspension as a result of comments he heard while door-to-door campaigning this year. He said a lot of longtime residents said they wished they knew the newcomers, and the new kids on the block wished they knew the long-timers. The $25 block party fee seemed to be an impediment, May said.
To make up for the $300 to $350 in lost fees, May said he is waiving the health and dental coverage he is entitled to as an alderman, which will more than cover the revenue loss.
The block party fee will be back next year.
Looking for your local polling place?
If you would like to cast a vote today in Wisconsin's election and are not sure where your local polling place is, check out the Wisconsin Voter Public Access Page.
There you will find your local polling place, a sample ballot, list of elected officials and more.
Polls are open today until 8 p.m.
Hamilton ousts Hale from softball playoffs
A fascinating study in contrasts developed during the WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal softball game between West Allis Hale and Sussex Hamilton on Monday evening.
Cudahy slugs way past Whitnall
The first time that the Whitnall softball team played against Cudahy this season, the Falcons came out with a 4-3 win. This time, the result was drastically different with the Packers earning a 12-5 win in the playoff game played at Cudahy on Monday.
The theme of the day for the Packers was their hitting. They churned out 22 hits.
Their biggest inning was the third, when they turned the tables on the Falcons, erasing a 4-2 deficit and turning it into a 6-4 lead. Katie Immel started things off with a double up the third base line, and Emilie Wiltzius drove her in with a double. She later took third when Erica Bornhofer grounded out, and Tori McCudden drove Wiltzius in on a single to tie the game.
Bailey Kratt followed with a single, and Marissa Nelson’s double brought in two more runs to give Cudahy the lead.
“My team is capable to definitely hit, and we’ve show that today and I’m proud of them,” said Cudahy coach Justin Biever.
» Read Full ArticleNOW, Lake Country state track photo gallery now online
We've just added the final images to the NOW/Lake Country Publications photo gallery from this weekend's WIAA State Track and Field Meet in La Crosse.
Photojournalists Peter Zuzga and Todd Ponath collected more than 100 images from two days of competition at the sun-splashed Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Brookfield East repeated as the boys champions in Division 1 while Riverside captured the girls title.
