- selected communitywatch item -
Jan. 25, 2010 4:54 p.m. | Wauwatosa — A man being sought by police confessed that he killed the mother of his young daughter - perhaps in front of the toddler - and then drove around with the woman's body in his car for four days, according to court documents released Monday.
As the search for Benjamin M. Germano entered its fifth day, the 32-year-old Wauwatosa resident was charged Monday with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Sarah Rosio.
The body of the 24-year-old Milwaukee woman wasn't found until last Thursday, in a storage unit in West Allis, triggering the search for Germano.
According to a criminal complaint and a search warrant document filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court:
Germano told two friends Thursday that he killed Rosio eight days earlier, on Jan. 13, at his apartment. He said the 5-foot-3, 100-pound Rosio attacked him in front of their daughter, and "I just snapped, I lost it."
» Read Full Article
By
MARK SCHAAF
March 05, 2010 5:16 p.m. | A 42-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested Thursday afternoon in connection with a burglary at Mitchell Elementary School earlier that morning.
According to a news release:
Officers responded to an alarm at the school, 10125 W. Montana Ave., about 1:35 a.m. Thursday and detected movement inside the building within moments of arriving.
Police then established a perimeter around the school, but the man was able to escape out a south door before the perimeter was completely set up. He was found and arrested in Milwaukee about 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Police are still investigating. The district attorney's office is expected to review the case for a decision on possible charges Monday.
By
Tom Kertscher of the Journal Sentinel
March 04, 2010 10:14 a.m. | West Allis - The Common Council is calling on the Legislature not to adopt any unfunded mandates that the city has to pay for, such as expansion of employee health insurance benefits.
The Legislature approved new health insurance benefits for state and local government employees, which took effect Jan. 1, without providing any money to local governments to pay for them, Ald. Michael Czaplewski said.
In turn, Czaplewski proposed the resolution approved Tuesday in an effort to stop unfunded state mandates of all types.
The resolution also says that if the state passes any more mandates regarding pay or benefits for government employees, that it also give local governments the power to pass on the costs to employees.
The new health insurance benefits include required coverage of dependents up to age 27, if they are not married or employed and covered by employer health insurance; coverage of autism treatment; and 100% coverage, up from 80%, of hearing aids and cochlear implants for deaf children.
March 04, 2010 7:43 a.m. | Want to weigh in on who you think are the best boys basketball players in the suburban area?
Now's your chance, as we're asking high school hoops fans to help us select the annual NOW Newspapers All-Suburban Boys Basketball Team, and the Player of the Year.
We've nominated 14 players to fill 10 spots on the honors team and we're asking you to pick the player that you think is the top basketball player in the NOW Newspapers coverage area.
When the fan voting is over, your votes - along with the votes of our sport staff - will determine the makeup of our All-Suburban Team. And one lucky person will win a pair of lower-level tickets to a Milwaukee Bucks game just for voting!
Vote here.
By
MARK SCHAAF
March 03, 2010 10:28 a.m. | A driver has been charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle after his female passenger was killed in a traffic crash in West Allis early Saturday morning.
Police say Joshua J. Lechmaier, 21, caused the death of Jennifer A. Sztukowski, 34, who was riding in his car when it crashed in the 11800 block of West Oklahoma Avenue about 2 a.m. Feb. 27.
According to a criminal complaint:
Lechmaier was recklessly driving his sports-utility vehicle westbound on Oklahoma Avenue, swerving across all three lanes at an estimated 90 miles per hour.
A witness driving behind Lechmaier told police the vehicle began to lose control in the 11600 block, just west of Root River Parkway, before going airborne and flipping over.
» Read Full Article
By
Amy Hetzner of the Journal Sentinel
March 02, 2010 5:50 p.m. | An investment bank sued by five Wisconsin school districts that allege they were misled into making risky investments has filed its own claim in the case, saying the districts should pay the bank back any winnings they might receive from bank in the lawsuit.
Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Inc., filed its counterclaims Monday against the trustees for trusts run by the five districts -- Kenosha, Kimberly, Waukesha, West Allis-West Milwaukee and Whitefish Bay -- as part of its response to a new complaint in the case. The districts sued Stifel and Royal Bank of Canada in Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2008, alleging that the banks had misled them into making $200 million of risky investments that now are nearly worthless.
Proceeds from the investments, which were funded mostly by money borrowed from DEPFA Bank, were intended to help pay for district employees' retirement benefits.
The St. Louis-based bank's counterclaims assert that school district officials, acting in their capacity as trustees for district-run trusts, signed letters and other documents that indemnifed the bank against "any and all losses, claims, damages, or liabilities claims that arise out of or are based upon any action, suit, or proceeding" from the transactions.
"I think this establishes that Stifel believes that the districts and the trustees bear the financial responsibility for these trusts, as stated in these letters and agreements," said Dan Callahan, a spokesman for Stifel.
» Read Full Article
By
Tom Kertscher of the Journal Sentinel
March 02, 2010 2:14 p.m. | West Allis — The Legislature has approved an expansion of health insurance benefits for state and local government employees without providing any money to local governments to pay for them, Ald. Michael Czaplewski says.
"You have a Cadillac plan and now make it a Mercedes plan and have the people driving a 10-year-old Chevy pay for it," he said Tuesday.
In an effort to stop what he says is another unfunded state mandate and a burden on taxpayers, Czaplewski is presenting a resolution tonight to the Common Council.
The resolution says that if the state passes any more mandates regarding pay or benefits for government employees, that it also give local governments the power to pass on the costs to employees.
As it is now, Czaplewski said, local governments must provide the benefits mandated by the state but can't pass along costs because they are bound by employee contracts.
» Read Full Article
By
MARK SCHAAF
March 02, 2010 12:20 p.m. | The Greenfield Avenue eastbound and westbound ramps to northbound U.S. Highway 45 will be closed from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. today and Thursday.
The closures are part of the state's emergency bridge replacement project for the Zoo Interchange. Closures are subject to change due to weather.
Additional law enforcement will be patrolling the detour routes.
By
STEFANIE SCOTT
March 02, 2010 10:06 a.m. | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee officials will introduce plans tonight for its proposed Innovation Park, which will include an engineering and applied sciences campus, on the County Grounds off Watertown Plank Road in Wauwatosa.
The plans will be presented to the Wauwatosa Common Council during a Committee of the Whole meeting at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 7725 W. North Ave. The public is welcome to attend the meeting to learn about the proposed project, but there will be no opportunity for comments or questions during the meeting.
Residents who would like to speak to UWM officials can arrive at 6 p.m. and ask questions prior to the meeting.
The next opportunity for public input will occur during the Plan Commission meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall.
By
MARK SCHAAF
March 01, 2010 3:22 p.m. | A West Allis woman was sentenced to one year probation and 40 hours of community service Monday following her conviction of neglect of a patient.
According to a state Department of Justice news release:
Abigail Mader, 30, of 2092 S. 102nd St., worked at Brightstar Healthcare as a home health aide. She was assigned as a temporary care-giver for one day to care for a man afflicted with multiple sclerosis.
The man said Mader did not come to his home and he was deprived of his medications, food and water for more than 24 hours. Mader said she could not find the man's residence and returned home after several unsuccessful calls to Brightstar for assistance.
Mader in January pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge.
By
Dan Polley
March 01, 2010 1:50 p.m. | The 2010 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Golf Show starts Friday, and you could win a pair of free tickets by entering our Twitter and Facebook contests.
On Twitter, simply follow MyCommunityNOW and tweet "I want to win free tickets to the #MKE Golf Show from @MyCommunityNOW. RT to win. Details: http://bit.ly/cPficZ"
A random drawing will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday for the three sets of free tickets, with each winner receiving four tickets. Winners must pick tickets up at NOW's Waukesha offices. Winners will be contacted through Twitter before noon on Thursday.
On Facebook, become a fan of the MyCommunityNOW fan page and respond or write on the wall about a story, photo or some other staff work you saw in one of our papers or on one of our Web sites and tell us what you liked or didn't like about that work. Two winners will be picked during a random drawing at 10 a.m. Thursday with each receiving four free tickets. Winners will be contacted through Facebook and must pick tickets up at NOW's Waukesha offices. Winners will be contacted through Twitter before noon on Thursday.
For more information on the golf show, visit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Golf Show Web site.
March 01, 2010 8:53 a.m. | We've just posted a photo gallery featuring more than 20 images from Saturday's WIAA Division 1 Arrowhead gymnastics sectional.
The gallery features athletes from Brookfield Central/East, Germantown/Menomonee Falls, Homestead, Nicolet and West Allis Central/Hale.
The hosts won the event with 143.725 points and Homestead was second with 140.7. West Allis' Emily Fuchs won the all-around competition and Brookfield's Katelyn Malcore was second.
See NOW photojournalist Peter Zuzga's photo gallery.
By
Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 26, 2010 9:18 p.m. | Madison — The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District will continue to offer an elective abstinence-only class despite a new law that says sex education courses must include information about contraceptives.
Legislators who wrote the law said they believed the district's elective course could violate the new law.
"I think they're going to run into some legal problems with that," said Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee).
Superintendent Kurt Wachholz said he received a legal opinion from the state Department of Public Instruction that showed it could pursue its plans.
But department spokesman Patrick Gasper said in an e-mail that the agency had not "signed off on or approved" the district's approach.
» Read Full Article
By
MARK SCHAAF
Feb. 26, 2010 5:04 p.m. | The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District on Thursday exchanged initial contract offers with the union representing the district's educational assistants.
Following this week's exchange, the groups will continue with closed session meetings to begin negotiations.
The opening of negotiations comes at a time when school districts across Wisconsin, including WA-WM, will likely face severe budget deficits for the 2010-11 school year as a result of the economic recession, the loss of state aid and other factors.
There are about 80 employees in the educational assistants' union.
Feb. 26, 2010 10:15 a.m. | We've just posted a photo gallery featuring more than 20 images from yesterday's opening round of the WIAA Division 1 individual state wrestling tournament.
Competitors from Brookfield, Franklin, Germantown, New Berlin, Nicolet, Muskego, Oak Creek, West Allis, Whitnall and Whitefish Bay are featured.
See NOW photojournalist Peter Zuzga's photo gallery.
By
MARK SCHAAF
Feb. 25, 2010 9:30 a.m. | City officials plan to use $1.6 million in neighborhood stabilization funds to acquire and rehabilitate foreclosed properties in West Allis.
The money comes from the state Department of Commerce and was awarded to the city through a regional cooperation agreement between West Allis, Cudahy and Milwaukee.
The consortium as a whole was awarded about $2 million, though all the money will be used in West Allis and Cudahy.
The funds can be used to purchase foreclosed single- or multifamily properties and then resell them to low- to moderate-income families. The city also could purchase foreclosed vacant property to construct affordable housing.
This won't be the first time West Allis has taken on a project like this one.
» Read Full Article
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State wrestling tournament 
