Mayor Nelson supports cigar bar exemption
Mayor Larry Nelson says he supports exempting cigar bars from current bids to enact a state-wide smoking ban in public places, Waukesha FYI reports.
GMA delivers food after Waukesha broadcast
Waukesha - "Good Morning America," the ABC news show that broadcast from the home of a Waukesha couple this morning, delivered two truckloads of food to America's Second Harvest of Wisconsin.
One truck contained 25,000 boxes of macaroni and cheese, donated by Kraft Foods. The second truck was loaded with apples, donated by Wal-Mart.
Gina Styer of Second Harvest said the agency supplies food to 1,100 distribution outlets in eastern Wisconsin.
The donations, she said, will help Second Harvest, which has seen demand for food donations increase 26% during the past seven months.
The crew of Good Morning America visited the home of Mike and Kelly Schmitt, who are worried about the economic downturn and job loss as they expect the birth of their first child.
» Read Full ArticleGMA party moved to Racine Ave. home
The BBQ being thrown by "Good Morning America" from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. today will be at a home on Racine Ave, between Broadway and College. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Waukesha man gets 16 years in child sex case
Waukesha - A 50-year-old Waukesha man who was accused of sexually assaulting a girl and boy was sentenced Monday to 16 years in prison.
Gregory P. Williams also was ordered to serve 10 years of extended supervision when he is released, under the sentence handed down by Judge Lee S. Dreyfus Jr.
He was charged in May with two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child in connection with indecent touching of the girl in June 2006 and June 2007, according to a criminal complaint filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court.
He was charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault of a child in connection with indecent touching of the boy sometime between June 1, 2007, and May 12, 2008, the complaint says.
He pleaded guilty in February to one count of first-degree sexual assault and was convicted. As part of a plea agreement, the other two counts were dismissed but considered for sentencing purposes.
Nude woman gets a shock
Waukesha FYI checks on the weekend police blotter.
More on GMA and Waukesha
"Good Morning America" could broadcast from Waukesha on Wednesday, according to Inside TV and Radio.
'Good Morning America' throwing picnic
"Good Morning America," ABC's morning news and gab show, is throwing a picnic for Waukesha Tuesday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Buchner Park on the east side. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Flood warnings issued for Milwaukee County, Waukesha County
The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for the Root River at Franklin and the Fox River at Waukesha. Scattered thunderstorms continue to drop moderate to heavy rain on portions of southeast Wisconsin at this hour, the weather service said.
Waukesha West Academic Decathlon team places 2nd in U.S. competition
Waukesha West High School finished second to a rival from California on Saturday as it competed in its eighth national Academic Decathlon competition.
The team won the national title in 2002 and has come close to repeating several times, including last year, when it also lost to Moorpark High School from Moorpark, Calif., by the equivalent of a single question.
This year's margin was a little larger - the equivalent of about 16 questions - lessening the heartbreak a bit, said Duane Stein, the coach of the squad.
"Strangely enough, that makes it a little bit easier," Stein said.
This year's group included more new recruits, while last year's team was mostly returning members, said senior Jeff Spence, who competed with the squad for the last three years.
» Read Full ArticleCameras will monitor Waukesha
Waukesha - Police-operated cameras will soon keep watch over the historic downtown shopping and entertainment district.
Waukesha, which is contending with fights and other problems as it seeks to transform its downtown into an area of trendy stores and nightlife, is one of the first communities outside of Milwaukee and Racine to install police-monitored cameras.
"More than anything, I believe the cameras will be a deterrent," said Roger Igielski, a downtown business owner. "The cameras will cause people to behave better. It'll help identify some people who are misbehaving. That would be good."
Problems downtown with drunkenness, minor robberies, fighting and drugs usually happen after midnight, when regular customers have left downtown, Igielski said.
"I think most of the people who come downtown are good people, and the cameras will help them be good people," Igielski said. "I've heard people say there's an intrusion of privacy with the cameras. The way I look at it is if you're behaving yourself, you have nothing to worry about. We just want people to behave and respect the property down here."
» Read Full Article'Good Morning America' may broadcast here
"Good Morning America," part of ABC news, might broadcast next week from a Waukesha home, City administrator Lori Luther says. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Garden advice at museum
Horticulturist and gardener Melinda Myers will give a presentation at the Waukesha County Museum. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Waukesha schools in line for recovery funds
The Waukesha School District is in line to receive funds to teach low-income and disabled students in the 2009-’10 school year as part of the federal government’s economic recovery plan, state officials announced Thursday. Read more in the School Zone.
Pool tournament at Master Zs
On Saturday, April 24, through Sunday April 26, Master Z’s Cue Club will welcome over 130 billiard players competing for more than $10,000 in cash and prizes during the Billiards Congress of Wisconsin (BCW) State Championships. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Police told holstered handguns are OK
Deputy Chief Wayne Dussault said this afternoon that folks who carry exposed and holstered handguns generally will be left alone by police. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Dreyfus named to Washington state job
Susan N. Dreyfus, the daughter-in-law of the late Gov. Lee Sherman Dreyfus, has been named the head of the Department of Social and Health Services for the state of Washington.
Gov. Chris Gregoire made the appointment. Dreyfus is currently executive vice president for strategy with Rogers Behavorial Health System Inc., and is a former senior vice president and chief operating officer of the National Alliance for Children and Families and Families International.
"Susan brings an outstanding record of accomplishment, particularly in the areas of child welfare and mental health services," Gregoire said in a statement.
The agency Dreyfus is taking over is Washington state's largest agency, with more than 19,000 employees and a combined state and federal two-year budget of nearly $20 billion.
Dreyfus, 51, is a former administrator of the state Division of Children and Family Services within the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. She also served on the Wisconsin State Legislative Council on Adoptions.
» Read Full ArticlePolice cameras downtown; robber arrested
Poilce report on plans for cameras downtown and on an arrest in a downtown robbery. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Salvation Army expands student food program in Waukesha
Waukesha - The Salvation Army is adding a second Waukesha elementary school to its Snack Pack program, which distributes food to students in backpacks.
Started last fall at Whittier Elementary School, where 67 families are being served, the program is expanding to Saratoga Elementary School starting Friday, said Rachel Fjellman of the Waukesha Salvation Army. This is National Volunteer Week. St. Luke's Lutheran Church is helping make the expansion possible by offering volunteers, Fjellman said.
To donate non-perishable food or to volunteer, contact The Salvation Army at (262) 547-7367.
Low-tech courtroom can't handle high-tech evidence
One courtroom in the aging Waukesha County Courthouse is so obsolete that defendants and plaintiffs in a civil case against Waste Management are unable to use their electronic Power Point presentations and computer generated graphics. The room is not equipped to accommodate the devices and probably doesn’t have the capability to provide enough juice to power all of the evidential bells and whistles. Read more in Proof and Hearsay.
New courthouse entrance delayed
Plans to redesign the Waukesha County Courthouse entrance to accommodate improved security measures will be put off until at least 2012, when county officials intend to study the fate of the current building. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Big police response to kegger
Twenty-seven squad cars responded to a home rented by college students on Cook St. at 10:30 a.m. Friday for a loud party in which the partygoers were throwing water balloons and cups at officers, Waukesha Police Capt. Mark Stigler said. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
What to do with Oscar
Oscar Sanchez, a homeless man with a drinking problem, is a regular on the daily police blotter. Yesterday was no different. Waukesha FYI recounts the city's difficulties with Sanchez.
Open house for I-94, Highway F redo
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Southeast Regional Office in Waukesha is announcing a public information meeting to discuss improvements to the I-94 and County F interchange in Waukesha County. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Bus transfer fee eliminated
The 25 cents charge for transferring from City of Waukesha and Waukesha County buses to a Milwaukee County bus is eliminated as of today. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Repeat sex offender released
Waukesha police said Friday that twice-convicted sex offender Jessie Vasquez, 42, will be living at 1356 E. Moreland Blvd. Read more in Proof and Hearsay.
School investment lawsuit won't go to federal court
A lawsuit filed by five Wisconsin school districts over investments that have gone sour should be tried in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, a federal judge ruled Friday.
Attorneys for two investment banks named in the lawsuit, Stifel Nicolaus & Co. and Royal Bank of Canada, had tried to have the case removed to federal court after it was filed in September.
The lawsuit filed by the Kenosha, Kimberly Area, Waukesha, West Allis-West Milwaukee and Whitefish Bay school districts contends that the districts were misled by the banks into investing $200 million in risky securities that have since lost most of their value.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Rudolph Randa said the banks did not provide enough evidence to overcome a presumption favoring a trial in the court chosen by the districts.
Randa's decision means that unless the banks appeal his decision, the case can go forward in state court, generally seen as a more favorable forum to plaintiffs.
New homicide charge filed in overdose case
Waukesha - A second homicide charge was filed Thursday against a Waukesha woman who is accused of providing methadone on separate occasions to two people who then overdosed and died.
Nina E. Pudil, 34, gave liquid methadone to Donald G. Arnold, 40, who was found dead March 31, 2007, at the Airport Lodge in the City of Pewaukee, where he lived, according to a criminal complaint filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court.
Pudil is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the case and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
In February, Pudil and Aaron B. Schmoller, 30, of Waukesha, were charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the methadone overdose death of Nola K. Heinowski, 46, of Waukesha.
In the Arnold case, Pudil gave some of her methadone to Arnold after a night of drinking and partying, the criminal complaint says.
» Read Full ArticleLibrary to host construction party
The Waukesha Public Library is throwing a party Thursday for the public to celebrate the under-construction addition of about 3,500 square feet to its second-floor children's area. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Mayor hosts meeting on homeless issue
Mayor Larry Nelson is hosting a meeting in his office this a.m. with local officials about the issue of homelessness in Waukesha County. The meeting was prompted by Hebron House opening a temporary shelter for homeless men not wanted by policy at nearby St. Matthias Church. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
School Board incumbents prevail
Despite a challenge from elementary school mother Mary Boudry, Waukesha School Board incumbents Patricia Madden, Dan Warren and Patrick McCaffery maintained their seats on the board after Tuesday’s election.
Thieme re-elected to Common Council
Incumbent 1st District Ald. Terry Thieme heald off a re-election challenge from John Holst. Click here for more information on this race.
HAWS' monkey challenge
A capuchin monkey proved to be an interesting guest at the Humane Animal Welfare Society. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Another take on the school investment story
The sour investments made by five Wisconsin school districts continue to make national news. Read more in the School Zone.
Christmas Clearing Council seeks stories for celebration
Panel seeks more information on Waukesha water plan
Several members of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's governing commission on Monday asked Waukesha officials to give the commission a briefing on the city's proposed use of Lake Michigan as a source of drinking water.
At a meeting Monday, the commission's Operations Committee agreed to wait for the briefing before it acts on a proposed $40,000 study of the impacts of discharging all of Waukesha's treated wastewater in the future to a small stream in Wauwatosa.
Discharging to Underwood Creek, a tributary of the Menomonee River, is one of Waukesha's options for returning water to Lake Michigan – if the city receives approval of each of the eight Great Lakes states to use Lake Michigan as its water supply.
Waukesha has agreed to pay MMSD up to $40,000 to do the Underwood Creek impact study, Waukesha Mayor Larry Nelson said Monday. MMSD staff is seeking the commission's approval to conduct the analysis.
Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak said city officials will schedule a briefing in May on its plan to withdraw water from the lake.
Waukesha North administrator named principal of the year
Ryan Champeau, a long-time principal of Waukesha North High School, has been recognized as the 2009 Wisconsin High School Principal of the Year. Read more in the School Zone.
Police respond to fight at Butler Middle School
Waukesha — Police responded to a fight at Butler Middle School on Thursday night involving five boys, one of which claimed to have a gun, police said.
Carroll's Hispanic cultural exhibit tonight
Carroll University photography students, and advanced Spanish composition and conversation students have collaborated to host "Hispanic Images, Voices and Visions." Read what's happening tonight in Waukesha FYI.
BluesFest dates set
Dates, but no lineup as of yet, are set for this year's Waukesha BluesFest. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
Eble Park Ice rink to close for 5 weeks
Town of Brookfield - Eble Park Ice Arena, 19400 Blue Mound Road, will be closed for routine maintenance from April 9 through May 17.
Skaters can use Naga-Waukee Park Ice Arena, open seven days a week. Public skating hours are 11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, 3 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays.
Admission rates are $5.50 for adults and $4 for those under 18 or 60 years and older. Adult open hockey is on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 3 p.m. for $6 – full equipment, including a helmet is mandatory.
Discounted rates are available for school and group outings. Contact Naga-Waukee for more information at (262) 646-7072 or e-mail gnelson@waukeshacounty.gov.
Contact Eble for more information at (262) 784-7512 or e-mail jmichalek@waukeshacounty.gov.
» Read Full ArticleDean Foods acquires Waukesha, De Pere milk-processing plants
Foremost Farms USA, a Baraboo-based dairy cooperative, has sold its milk processing plants in Waukesha and De Pere so that it can focus on wholesale markets and get out of the retail milk business.
The plants have been sold to Dean Foods Co., of Dallas, the nation's largest processor of milk and other dairy products.
With 282 employees, the plants will continue operating and buying milk from Foremost Farms, according to Dean.
The sale includes the Golden Guernsey and Morning Glory brands. Terms were not disclosed, but the result of the sale means that Foremost will concentrate on its wholesale businesses of cheese, butter and dairy-product ingredients.
The dairy industry has been transformed through large waves of consolidations.
» Read Full ArticleFuture of Moor Downs Golf Course questioned
Waukesha - Moor Downs, the venerable golf course with ties to Waukesha's historic springs era, posted a $186,000 loss last year, prompting county officials Wednesday to wonder aloud if the links should be closed to stop the flow of red ink.
"If we're having trouble paying for human services, we're not going to put (tax) levy into the golf courses," Norm Cummings, director of county administration, told the County Board Finance Committee as it reviewed the 2008 fiscal performances of the county's three courses.
Originally built in 1915, the Moor Downs course was an addition to the renowned Moor Bath Hotel and Spa, now used for the county Department of Health and Human Services. The nine-hole course is seen as links for youth, novice and senior golfers.
The only county-owned course posting a gain was Naga-Waukee. County records show it made $115,977 last year.
Like Moor Downs, Naga-Waukee sold fewer rounds, which was blamed on the late start of the season, an unseasonably cool May, significant June rain and an early end to the season, a committee report says.
» Read Full ArticleWaukesha police recommend charges in sexting incident
Waukesha - Waukesha police are recommending that four 15-year-olds be charged in Juvenile Court with disorderly conduct over accusations they traded on their cell phones a nude photo of a girl.
Waukesha police included the girl whose photo was passed around in the charge recommendations, Capt. Mark Stigler said Wednesday.
The photo may have ended up on at least 150 cell phones, prompting police to urge parents to check their children's phones and delete any illicit photos.
The girl, a Waukesha West High School student, sent the photo to her boyfriend when she was 14. When the two broke up, he forwarded it to other students, using his cell phone, police say. Police learned of the photo Feb. 16.
The teens referred to the Waukesha County district attorney's office are those directly involved, police say. They could be charged with felony possession of child pornography, but Stigler said detectives recommended a lesser charge because they don't believe there was malicious intent in sending the photo.
» Read Full ArticleFourth person charged in Waukesha crack cocaine raid
Waukesha - A fourth person was charged Wednesday in connection with crack cocaine sales at a downtown Waukesha apartment that police raided on March 25.
Kristina K Salvadori, 21, of Waukesha, is charged with three counts of manufacturing/delivering cocaine and two counts of maintaining a drug trafficking place.
According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, Salvadori lives at the apartment at 319 W. Main St. that police raided.
Salvadori delivered crack to a confidential police informant on Feb. 16 and March 20, court records say. In the March 20 incident, the informant had arranged to buy crack from Tina M. Bogues, 23, of Waukesha, and Salvadori delivered it, according to the complaint.
Last week, Bogues and two others were charged in connection with illegal drug sales after the raid.
» Read Full ArticleBirding at Retzer Nature Center
A Retzer Nature Center naturalist will help bird watchers find feathered friends and their habitat during Friday hikes on the grounds, S14-W28167 Madison St., from April through June from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Read more in Waukesha FYI.
WaukeshaNOW.com and the Waukesha & Pewaukee Visitors Bureau are teaming up to provide you with an online calendar of community events and attractions.