North Shore Library exploring expansion

March 04, 2010 2:40 p.m. | North Shore Library, which serves Glendale, Fox Point, Bayside and River Hills, is seeking approval from the four communities to acquire more space to expand.

The library will make a presentation Monday to the Glendale Common Council, Tuesday to the Fox Point Village Board and March 17 to the River Hills Village Board, library Director Dick Nelson said Thursday. No date has been set for the Bayside Village Board, he said.

The library is seeking to acquire more space in the BVK office building, 6800 N. Port Washington Road in Glendale, its current location.

According to a history of the library, the library moved into its 20,000-square-feet of space in the building in 1986.

UWM to unveil County Grounds campus plans tonight

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.

Swing into the 2010 Golf Show with free tickets

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.

Drive your way to auto show with free tickets

Feb. 16, 2010 10:16 a.m. | The Greater Milwaukee Auto Show starts Saturday, and you could win a pair of free tickets by entering our Twitter contest.

To win, simply follow MyCommunityNOW on Twitter and tweet "I want to win free tickets to the Greater Milwaukee Auto Show from @MyCommunityNOW. RT to win. Details: http://bit.ly/cdQMKE"

A drawing will be held at 10 a.m. Friday for the four pairs of free tickets. Winners must pick tickets up at NOW's Waukesha offices. Winners will be contacted through Twitter before noon on Friday.

For more information on the auto show, visit AutoShowMilwaukee.com.

Follow us on Twitter for chance to win Bucks tickets

Feb. 04, 2010 2:48 p.m. | Follow us on Twitter and you could win a pair of Bucks tickets to Tuesday night's game against the Detroit Pistons.

All you have do is visit twitter.com/MyCommunityNOW, click the "follow" button, and then post your own tweet mentioning @mycommunitynow and the words "Tweet this for a chance to win Bucks tickets." The deadline to win the tickets is 5 p.m. Friday.

If you're already following us on Twitter, just send us the Tweet - this contest is open to new and existing followers.

At 5 p.m. Friday, we'll randomly select two people from everyone who tweeted "Bucks Tickets" - and they'll each will win a pair to tickets to Tuesday's game.

If you're not already following us on Twitter, do so today. Not only will you get a chance to head to the game, but you'll also be able to stay on top of the latest news, sports, photos and more from the MyCommunityNOW.com Web sites.

Municipal group endorses uniform trick-or-treating hours

Jan. 11, 2010 4:14 p.m. | Cudahy — A group representing the mayors and village presidents of Milwaukee County's 19 municipalities recommended Monday that each community hold trick-or-treat on the same day - usually a Sunday.

The resolution is aimed at keeping children safe and deterring groups of kids from collecting candy outside their own communities.

The recommendation is not binding on any city or village.

Under the resolution, trick-or-treat would be held from 1 to 4 p.m. the Sunday on or before Oct. 31. When Oct 31 falls on a Saturday, trick-or-treat would be held that day.

The resolution is for 10 years.

Tell us how the roads are in your neighborhood

Dec. 09, 2009 2:48 p.m. | As the workday comes to an end, people are going to want to know: What are the roads going to be like?

Help us help your fellow driver by sending an update on the situation where you are. Are the roads well-plowed? Is black ice beginning to develop? Are the puddles knee deep in the dip in the road at the intersection?

Feel free to also share other ways the weather is affecting you. Whether the power is out or the kids are enjoying the first sledding of the year, it's unquestionable this first snowstorm of the season is affecting people's plans.

Let us know what is going on by sending an e-mail to news@cninow.com. We may share your stories with our readers. Please make sure to note which community you are in, and if relevant, which specific area of the community.

Energy-producing apartments in Bay View win zoning OK

Nov. 24, 2009 11:30 a.m. | A plan to develop a 32-unit apartment building, which would create its own energy through a geo-thermal system and solar panels, was recommended for approval this morning by the Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee. Read more in Land and Space.

Mayoral control of MPS to be discussed at Bay View forum tonight

Sept. 10, 2009 3:12 p.m. | A group of elected leaders who oppose the plan for Milwaukee's mayor to take over the city school system will hold a public forum tonight in Bay View to discuss the issue. Read more in School Zone.

DNR hosts Sept. 16 meeting on plans for Hank Aaron State Trail

Sept. 04, 2009 10:38 a.m. | People can get information about a proposed state recreation trail that would wind past the some of the Milwaukee area's biggest attractions during a public information session from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 in West Allis.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials will discuss design and development details for the Hank Aaron State Trail, which runs from Miller Park to 94th Place. Development of the corridor is planned for 2010. A new bicycle and pedestrian bridge is planned for the crossing of Hawley Road. The path would also make its way past the National Soldiers Home, State Fair Park and the Pettit National Ice Center.

Using an open-house format, members of the public can stop in anytime during the two-hour session at West Allis City Hall, 7600 W. Greenfield Ave. to review project displays or ask questions. A brief presentation on the project is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.

Man charged with murder in Bay View arson

Aug. 26, 2009 11:04 a.m. | A 31-year-old Shorewood man with a history of fascination with fire has been charged with murder in the death of an acquaintance this month in a Bay View house fire.

Christopher E. Masarik is charged with felony murder while committing arson at 2546 S. Wentworth Ave. in Milwaukee on Aug. 7. He faces up to 55 years in prison if convicted and is being held at the Milwaukee County Jail on $100,000 bail.

Michael Martin Jansen, 33, died in the early morning fire.

According to the complaint:

Masarik told another man, Jason Kuehn, that as a prank he had gone to Jansen's house about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 7 and lighted part of a cigarette pack and put it in the gas tank of a lawn mower but no fire had occurred.

Fatal Bay View fire now considered homicide

Aug. 13, 2009 11:20 a.m. | A fire that killed a 33-year-old man Bay View man last week was arson, police said Thursday.

Firefighters found the body of Michael Jansen in a bedroom on the second floor of a duplex at 2546 S. Wentworth Ave. Friday morning.

The death is considered a homicide because of the arson, Sgt. Mark Stanmeyer said.

Firefighters said the blaze apparently started on the back porch of the duplex and that covered much of the back of the building and blocked the stairwells leading to the upper flat. The lower unit of the duplex was vacant.

Police don't have a suspect in custody, Stanmeyer said.

Bay View fire kills man, 33

Aug. 07, 2009 11:11 p.m. | A fire that appeared to have started on the back porch of a duplex in Bay View killed a 33-year-old man early Friday morning.

Firefighters found the victim, Michael Jansen, in a bedroom on the second floor of the duplex, carried him out of the building using a ladder and attempted to resuscitate him in a paramedic unit, according to 4th Battalion Chief Jack Christianson. The lower unit of the duplex, 2546 S. Wentworth Ave., was vacant.

Christianson said flames covered much of the back of the building and blocked the exterior and interior stairway to the upper flat. The fire had reached the kitchen on the second floor when firefighters arrived, about 3:45 a.m.

A smoke alarm was sounding on the first floor, but firefighters did not hear a similar alarm upstairs, Christianson said.

Milwaukee police and the fire officials are investigating to determine the cause of the fire.

WIAA semifinal games postponed until Friday

July 30, 2009 2:11 p.m. | After delaying the start time for games twice, WIAA officials have decided to postpone the baseball semifinal games until tomorrow due to poor field conditions after hours of rain in Stevens Point overnight Thursday and all day today.

The first semifinal between Franklin and Marquette will be held at 11 a.m. The second game featuring Arrowhead and Muskego will be at 2 p.m., with the championship game at 6 p.m.

Follow all the action at our live blog tomorrow. 

Hide House area could get stricter design rules

July 27, 2009 11:16 a.m. | The alderman who represents Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood plans to propose stricter design standards for the Hide House development, where a controversial apartment project is on the verge of being built.

Ald. Tony Zielinski told me he plans to seek creation of a conservation overlay district for the Hide House, formerly the Greenebaum tannery, 2625 S. Greeley St., and the surrounding neighborhood. The district would create design rules to help preserve the area's history and architecture, he said.

However, Zielinski said it's too late to apply the district's rules--which will require Common Council approval--to Hide House Lofts, a 60-unit apartment building planned for the site.

Developers General Capital Group and Joseph Property Development want to demolish the newer portion of the Hide House complex and replace it with the apartments. The units would be available at below-market rents to families earning no more than $42,420 annually for a four-person household.

Many nearby residents oppose that plan, saying the apartments would bring too much traffic and noise to the neighborhood. They also say the building slated for demolition has historic value.