Victim in West Allis fatal shooting identified
West Allis - Police identified a teenager killed in a shooting Tuesday as 17-year-old Darnell M. Kendricks.
Kendricks, of West Allis, was shot shortly after 5:30 p.m. in the 900 block of S. 72nd St., according to West Allis police.
The shooting is believed to have stemmed from a dispute between two groups of teenagers and young adults who had set up a fight between two males at McKinley Park, according to police statement.
Police are looking for an 18-year-old Milwaukee man suspected in the shooting, which forced the lockdown of the nearby Milwaukee Area Technical College west campus.
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MATC campus in West Allis locked down for a time after nearby shooting
The Milwaukee Area Technical College campus in West Allis was locked down early Tuesday evening after a shooting that occurred nearby, according to witnesses and an MATC official.
The campus was locked down from shortly before 6 p.m. until shortly after 6:30 p.m., MATC spokeswoman Kathleen Hohl said.
The incident did not involve any MATC students or staff, Hohl said.
Students said they were told that the campus was locked down because of a shooting in the neighborhood.
West Allis police cordoned off nearby McKinley playground, however the department had released no information on the incident as of late Tuesday.
SHOW again surveys city for health research
The SHOW has returned again to the city as researchers continue a statewide effort to measure residents' health.
SHOW, an acronym for the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin, will be in local neighborhoods the weeks of Sept. 26, Oct. 10 and Oct. 24, randomly selecting about 36 homes.
Each participant will be asked to fill out a survey and answer questions verbally on health topics, schedule an appointment at a survey center to have a few physical measurements taken, and talk on the phone about once a year to discuss any health changes.
SHOW, which also visited West Allis in February, does not provide any information about participants, according to survey officials. It only shares data summaries from the information gathered.
The study is conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Medicine and Public Health. For information, visit the website at www.wisc.edu or call (888) 433-7649.
Districts to see $30.4 million from investment firm charged by SEC
An investment firm charged with selling unsuitably risky investments to five Wisconsin school districts has agreed to settle the charges and pay $30.4 million, which will be distributed to the districts, U.S. securities regulators said today.
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged RBC Capital Markets LLC with misconduct in the sale of unsuitable investments to the Waukesha, Whitefish Bay, West Allis-West Milwaukee, Kenosha and Kimberly school districts, and for inadequate disclosures about the risks of those investments, according to a news release.
RBC marketed and sold to trusts created by the districts $200 million worth of risky investments, for which the districts contributed $37.3 million of their own funds and borrowed the rest. The districts made the investments to help fund post-retirement benefits, which they had promised to employees.
"It's a great day for these five districts," said Stephen Kravit, an attorney representing the districts. He added that they had been vindicated in fraud, and that a significant portion of their losses would be paid immediately by RBC.
Districts can expect to receive their share of the money, distributed by the SEC through a formula, within 10 days.
» Read Full ArticleFormer Wauwatosa West basketball coach Landisch loses battle with cancer
Former Wauwatosa West boys basketball coach Mike Landisch lost his year and a half year battle with cancer Sunday night.
Landisch, 31, is survived by his wife, Colleen, daughter, Makenna, and son, Caden, who was born in August. He was placed in hospice four weeks ago.
The Wauwatosa community and beyond, embraced the likeable Landisch, who discovered he had kidney cancer in January, 2010. There were several fundraisers set up to help him and his family battle medical bills.
Landisch's final season as a coach was one of the best in the school's recent history.
The Trojans finished with an 11-6 Woodland Conference record and a 15-11 overall mark and they won their first regional championship since 1996.
» Read Full ArticleBattle of West Allis belongs to Bulldogs
Second half leads Greendale over Hawks
Momentum was the story on Friday night as the Greendale football team capitalized on big plays to turn a defensive game into an offensive display against host Greenfield, 35-3.
“We executed well,” said Greendale coach Rob Stoltz. “We have some very good playmakers.”
Going into the third quarter, the momentum seemed to be with Greenfield. Alex Bosl had nailed a 37-yard field goal mere seconds before halftime to cut the Panthers’ lead to just 4, and Greenfield started the second half with the ball.
“I thought that with getting the field goal and going in to halftime 7-3, and then getting possession to start the third that we’d be fine,” Otto said.
Greenfield’s first possession amounted to very little, and the Hawks were forced to punt after 6 plays. Greendale took over on their own 25 yard line, but a bad snap on 3rd down and 3 forced the Panthers back to their own 5-yard line, and they had to punt from inside their own end zone. Brett Nethery punted the ball nearly 70 yards to the Hawks’ 40 yard line, preventing Greenfield from getting the good field position it had hoped for.
The momentum continued to shift to the Panthers after the Hawks failed to convert on a 4th and 4 situation. On the second play after Greendale took over on downs, Brick found Ringelberg on a 25 yard pass, which helped set up the touchdown run from Scheidt. Ringelberg finished the game with three touchdown receptions and 148 receiving yards.
“It’s just finding space and then making the catch,” Ringelberg said. “It’s what I love to do.”
“He works very hard. They all work very hard,” added Stoltz.
In the first half, Ringelberg scored just two minutes in on a pass from Brick.
Possession then changed hands a number of times before the field goal from Bosl.
“We played a good game for two and a half quarters,” said Otto. “I thought our defense played well, but they usually aren’t on the field this much because we like to play a possession game. Momentum was huge in this game. We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.”
Andy Lucas led Greenfield in rushing yards at 48. Greendale’s Sam Brick completed 8 passes for 174 yards.
The win moves Greendale to 5-1 overall, and 5-0 in the Woodland conference. Greenfield dropped to 3-3 overall and 3-2 in conference. The Hawks will try to recover against Wauwatosa West, while Greendale seek to maintain its undefeated conference record against Whitnall.
Gas service restored after main break
Seven of eight We Energies customers whose gas service was shut off after a construction crew broke a gas main in West Allis have had their service restored, a utility spokesman said Monday evening.
Technicians could not restore service to the eighth residence because no one was home, utility spokesman Barry McNulty said.
All 75 We Energies customers whose electric service was stopped as a precaution after the break have had their service restored, McNulty said.
The break was reported about 2:30 p.m. in the 2800 block of S. 99th St.
Residents of nine homes that were evacuated after the break, including the eight where gas service was interrupted, were allowed back into their homes late Monday afternoon, a We Energies official said.
Greenfield chiefs not expected to be selected tonight
The Greenfield Police and Fire Commission will meet tonight but will not approve new chiefs for the city's police and fire departments.
Both departments have been directed by interim Police Chief Bradley Wentlandt and interim Fire Chief Jon Cohn since early summer. The interim chiefs have substantial support on the commission, which only interviewed them and no other candidates for the job two weeks ago.
"We're not making any decision tonight," said commission chairman Dennis Clark.
Instead, the commission discussed the information gleaned from the oral interviews.
The interim chiefs were appointed through the end of the year, but those appointments can be extended.
Local firm is finalist for BBB ethics award
The Starr Group of Greenfield has been named a finalist for the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin Foundation 2011 Business Ethics Torch Award.
The award is a statewide competition that honors companies and charities doing business in Wisconsin that demonstrate excellence in ethical practices, service, honesty in advertising, management practices and employee training in ethical behavior. Peer recognition and reputation also play a role in determining the award winners.
The Starr Group is an independent insurance and risk reduction agency.
Awards will be based on the size of the organization. Winners will be announced at the BBB's 9th annual Torch Awards banquet Oct. 19 at the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.
Robbery spree covers three counties
A masked man has captured the attention of police, not just because of the number of armed robberies he has committed - 15 so far, all in the past month - but the unusual geographical breadth of his hits.
He has covered eight police jurisdictions in three counties, hitting gas stations and liquor stores near freeways and highways in the greater Milwaukee area. And he's not working alone; after the robberies, he jumps into the passenger seat of a getaway vehicle.
"What is kind of unique here is the fact that it's spread out in such a wide range of jurisdictions, from Ozaukee to Waukesha County, Milwaukee County," Milwaukee police Lt. Kenneth Grams said Monday. "So that's fairly . . . I'm not going to say unique, but that's not real common."
The man started his armed robbery spree just before 10 p.m. Aug. 18 at the S&M Petro Mart on Stevenson St. in Milwaukee.
Since then, the man has committed 14 more nighttime robberies, police said. All the stores are within a mile of major highways, and all the robberies except one occurred between 8 and 11 p.m. Three of the robberies were repeats at stores he previously had hit, Grams said.
» Read Full ArticleStrong first half leads Falls gridders past WAC
It was all about establishing a tone and an atmosphere for the Menomonee Falls football team Friday night against West Allis Central after the Indians' rough loss to Brookfield East last week.
And the job was done quickly, as Falls scored on its first three possessions and never looked back despite a late-game rally by the Bulldogs, earning a 28-12 Greater Metro Conference decision.
"We had some good practices this past week," said Falls quarterback Brett Krause. "They were needed because that was a bad loss last week. We needed to just come out and pound it."
Despite a shaky second half, where Central shut out the Indians, Falls managed to improve to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the Greater Metro Conference, good for a four-way tie for second in the hyper-competitive league. Central fell to 1-2 and 2-3 respectively.
"Our guys did a great job of coming out and establishing a tone," said Indians coach John Baker. "We needed to get to where we were playing more physically and we did that.
» Read Full ArticleCross-dressing man bites store employee during attempted theft
A cross-dressing man was arrested for retail theft, two accounts of battery and using an oleoresin device while committing a crime after he threatened to use pepper spray and bit a store employee at 7 p.m. Sept. 10.
According to the West Allis police report:
A man wearing woman's clothing entered Pick 'n Save and hid several grocery items into his purse. Employees tried to stop the man, but he pulled out a can of pepper spray and threatened to spray them. A loss prevention employee tried to contain the man and the offender bit the employee.
Police arrested the man for retail theft, two accounts of battery and for using an oleoresin device (pepper spray) while committing a crime.
With governor watching, WAC holds on
Karweik's score wins it for Whitnall
West Allis could consider concealed carry ban this month
As soon as Sept. 20, the West Allis Board of Public Works might consider an ordinance to ban bringing a concealed weapon into municipal buildings in West Allis.
The board supported the ban for the City Hall, fire stations, public works and recreation buildings and directed the city attorney to draw up a proposed ordinance. The Police Department already prohibits people from bringing weapons into police stations.
The West Allis Library Board has expressed a desire to also post the library as a place where weapons cannot be brought, but was waiting for the Board of Public Works to decide how it would handle the situation, said Library Director Michael Koszalka. The Library Board might now consider such a ban at its Sept. 28 or October meetings, he said.
Lottery ticket purchased in West Allis is worth $1 million
A Powerball lottery game ticket worth $1 million dollars was sold Wednesday at a liquor store in West Allis, Wisconsin Lottery officials said Thursday.
The ticket was sold at River Bend Liquor, 7506 W. Oklahoma Ave. It matched all five numbers drawn in the game Wednesday.
Because the ticket purchase included the Power Play multiplier feature, the $200,000 prize for the ticket was automatically multiplied by five, lottery officials said.
The winning numbers drawn Wednesday night were 3, 5, 18, 27 and 54, with a Powerball number of 13 and a Power Play prize multiplier number of 4.
Future Walmart sites in Wauwatosa, Greenfield sold
A 63,000-square-foot former Jewel-Osco store in Wauwatosa that will be remodeled for a Walmart supermarket and other retailers has been sold for $5.1 million to an investors group.
The building, at 3850 N. 124th St., was sold by ASP Realty Inc., a subsidiary of Jewel-Osco's corporate parent, Supervalu Inc., to Capitol 124 LLC, according to documents filed with the Milwaukee County register of deeds.
Wauwatosa city officials earlier this year approved plans for a 38,000-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market at that location. Gatlin Development Co., which is developing the building, will seek other retailers for the remaining space.
I contacted a Walmart spokeswoman to find out when the supermarket will open but haven't heard back yet.
Also, the 17.2-acre Green Fields Golf Center driving range and miniature golf course, east of S. 108th St. and just north of W. Layton Ave., Greenfield, has been sold to Walmart Real Estate Business Trust for $7.4 million, according to the register of deeds.
» Read Full ArticleRoad work on 60th Street finally nears completion
Motorists and businesses in West Allis waiting for the completion of extensive road work along 60th Street need only to hang on for another month or so.
The work that started in March 2010 should finally be done in October, Michael Lewis, director of public works and city engineer, said today.
The 60th Street project, extending from Lincoln Avenue north to the city limits, involved ripping up the old street and replacing the water and sewer lines and private utilities underground and laying a new concrete surface.
Despite the seemingly endless wait, the project is actually on time and on budget, Lewis said.
And once the work is done, everyone can rest easy for a while. That's because another complete reconstruction probably will not be needed for 80 years, he said, assuming the road is resurfaced and otherwise properly maintained. A couple of resurfacings should extend the street's life that long.
Three arrested during Ryan speech in Greenfield
Three people were arrested at an event with U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
The protesters shouted at Ryan as he tried to discuss the nation's debt crisis during a Rotary meeting Tuesday in Greenfield, according to WTMJ-TV (Channel 4).
Ryan, of Janesville, said protests are the new norm. He added that Wisconsin is going to be the most targeted state in the presidential race and that's why political tactics are occurring.
About 20 people were escorted from the event. Three were arrested after refusing to leave.
Harris powers Central past Hale
Brookfield Central used 3 touchdown runs by DeMario Harris to spark a 34-14 win over West Allis Hale at Central Friday night in the Greater Metro Conference opener for both teams.
Harris scored on a 56-yard run in the second period, a 15-yard run and another 56-yard run in the third period and finished with 137 yards in 9 carries, a 15.2 average.
Charlie O'Dwyer scored on a 5-yard run to open the game and Jason Meichtry ran a score in from 7-yards out to wrap up the games's coring.
The Huskies got scores from Zach Smith on a 4-yard run in the third period and Dan Sotiros on a 1-yard run in the fourth period.
Central is now 2-1 overall and the Huskies fell to 1-2.
Spartans crush West Allis Central, 48-13
Brookfield East crushed West Allis Central, 48-13, Friday night at the West Allis Athletic Complex in the Greater Metro Conference opener for both teams.
The Spartans improved to 3-0, while the Bulldogs fell to 1-2.
Senior Troy Brown returned the opening kick for an 80-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead, but the Spartans came right back to take the lead for good on a 4-play 30-yard drive, concluding on a 1-yard run by East's Zach Schober, who also kicked the PAT for 7-6 lead at 9:44 of the first period.
After a quick 3-and-out, East scored again on a 7-play 61-yard drive, ending when QB Bryce Pompos had a 17-yard TD pass to Kyle Wirtz. Schober's PAT made it 14-6 at the 5:18 mark.
After another 3-and-out, the Spartans went 37 yards in 3 plays, concluding when Pompos passed 38 yards to 6-4 WR Griffin Lynch, who who outjumped the smaller Bulldog defensive back for the ball and took it in for score and a 21-6 lead with 2:10 left in the period.
» Read Full Article
