Republican Party hosts Tosa candidate forum

March 11, 2010 3:58 p.m. | Candidates running for seats on the Wauwatosa Common Council will present their views about city issues during a debate at 7 p.m. March 24 at the Wauwatosa Women's Club, 1626 N. Wauwatosa Ave.

Candidates from the contested races in districts 1, 2, 3 and 8 will answer questions posed by the local branch of the Republican Party of Milwaukee County.

The public is invited to attend.

Ann Phillips wins honor for Ronald McDonald House 'secret garden'

March 11, 2010 3:56 p.m. | Wauwatosa resident Ann Phillips has been chosen as the International Society of Arboriculture Gold Leaf Award recipient for her work in the garden of the local Ronald McDonald House.

She has led a group of fellow Master Gardeners in creating and maintaining "the secret garden," a place of comfort and solitude for families dealing with a seriously ill child. Plantings, a gazebo, wishing pond and pathways are some of the amenities of the private, walled garden.

She will receive the award April 12 at the Ronald McDonald House on Watertown Plank Road.

Help us choose the All-Suburban teams and you could win Bucks tickets

March 11, 2010 7:21 a.m. | Want to weigh in on who you think are the best boys and girls 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 and girls basketball teams, and the Players of the Year.

We've nominated the top players in the area to fill 10 spots on each honors team and we're asking you to pick the players that you think are the best in the NOW Newspapers coverage area.

When the fan voting is over, your votes - along with the votes of our sports staff - will determine the makeup of our All-Suburban Teams. And one lucky person will win a pair of lower-level tickets to a Milwaukee Bucks game just for voting!

Vote for the boys team

Brookfield man charged with sexual assault of Falls teen

March 10, 2010 6:22 p.m. | A 48-year-old Brookfield man has been charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl he met at a Menomonee Falls gas station.

According to a copy of a criminal complaint, Sunil K. Singh talked the Menomonee Falls girl into getting into a car Saturday before getting her drunk, groping her and driving to an apartment building in the 11000 block of W. Meinecke Ave. in Wauwatosa.

According to the complaint, Singh threatened to kill the girl before dragging her by the wrist into the basement of the building, where he beat her and forced her into sex.

The girl managed to escape to a nearby apartment, where a resident called police.

Singh admitted to police that he provided the girl with alcohol, had sex with her and slapped her several times to keep her from crying.

Wauwatosa East vs. Oak Creek girls basketball photos now online

March 09, 2010 9:56 p.m. | We've just posted a photo gallery from tonight's first-round girls basketball tournament game between host Oak Creek, a fifth seed, and 12th-seeded Wauwatosa East.

Oak Creek posted a 53-29 victory over the Red Raiders to move to the second round. The Knights will play at No. 4 King at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

See NOW photojournalist Peter Zuzga's photo gallery.

Man accidentally shoots himself in leg

March 09, 2010 5:44 p.m. | A Wauwatosa man accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday morning with a revolver he kept in his basement.

According to the Wauwatosa police report:

The 22-year-old man was constructing furniture in his basement in the 6400 block of Milwaukee Avenue at 3 a.m. and had been drinking alcohol. He took the .357-caliber revolver that had been sitting on the heat duct and cocked it. It is not known why. When he tried to return the weapon to the uncocked position, it discharged and he was shot about three inches above the knee.

He called his father to tell him about the accident, then he drove around for four hours because he was scared neighbors might have heard the shot and that he would get in trouble. The father went to his son's house and took the gun, then told him to go to the hospital.

Doctors said they did not believe the gun owner had meant to hurt himself and that he was likely embarrassed. He had minor wounds and was released from St. Joseph Hospital that day.

Woman causes scene after long wait in Aldi parking lot

March 09, 2010 5:42 p.m. | If angry drivers on the highway experience road rage, a 54-year-old Milwaukee woman's arrest for disorderly conduct can only be blamed on parking petulance.

According to Wauwatosa police:

The woman was circling the parking lot at Aldi, 12120 W. Burleigh St., looking for a space close to the store entrance. She followed a woman who was returning to vehicle and waited for the car to back out.

Although she did not say how much time had passed, she believed the shopper was taking a long time to leave just to irritate her.

So the woman parked in a different spot and walked to the shopper's car to confront her. She called the other lady a "spoiled brat" and yelled at her about being selfish.

Woman accused of stealing from two employers

March 09, 2010 5:36 p.m. | A 25-year-old Wauwatosa woman has been arrested for stealing from the North Avenue businesses she worked at and for resisting arrest.

According to the Wauwatosa police report:

The manager at Mobil Mart reported March 3 that on three occasions money recorded in the cash register totals didn't make it into the bank deposits. In all, about $590 was unaccounted for. The woman was the only person who recorded register totals and dropped off the money for the gas station, so she was fired.

Officers went to her house, but she refused to come outside and speak with them. Instead, she got irate, started pounding on the door from the inside and shouted threats.

On Sunday police were notified she had returned to the gas station, and officers found her walking on North Avenue. She refused to stop for police, quickly turning violent and resisting arrest. She struck the officer in the chest and ripped her uniform shirt, leading to a struggle on the ground.

Mom cited for kids' chronic truancy

March 09, 2010 3:58 p.m. | A Wauwatosa mother has been cited for truancy because her three sons have only made it to school seven out of 53 days since they've been enrolled in the school district.

According to Wauwatosa police:

The 49-year-old woman enrolled one son as a first-grader at Eisenhower Elementary School and her 16- and 17-year-old boys at Wauwatosa West High School in early December. Since then, they have not shown up for class most days.

Often, the mother does not call in her kids' absences, but when they have gotten ahold of her she has provided various excuses, such as being called out of town for family emergencies and bad weather making travel difficult.

Her youngest son allegedly told his teacher that he "was at home watching SpongeBob" when he didn't come to school.

Three charged in home burglary on 111th Street

March 09, 2010 2:46 p.m. | Three 19-year-old Milwaukee men were each been charged Friday with felony burglary and vehicle theft after a television taken from a Wauwatosa home was found in their car trunk.

According to Wauwatosa police:

The owner of a house in the 4000 block of 111th Street arrived home to find the television missing and rear door kicked in at 11:45 a.m. March 2. Soon she learn a couple hundred dollars of cash was gone, too.

Later that day, Milwaukee Police Department chased and pulled over a vehicle in the 3100 block of North 78th Street. During a vehicle search, the television was found in the trunk.

Abu Bruce, Jarquise Cunningham and Justin Johnson are scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Brookfield man arrested in suspected assault of teen

March 08, 2010 5:44 p.m. | Wauwatosa police have arrested a 48-year-old Brookfield man suspected of abducting and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl Saturday, a police spokesman said Monday.

Police expect to refer the case to the Milwaukee County district attorney's office Tuesday, Lt. Dominic Leone said. The man is in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail, Leone said.

The girl, a resident of Menomonee Falls, told police the man abducted her and then sexually assaulted her in an apartment near N. 111th St. and W. Meinecke Ave., police said.

The girl was able to get out of the apartment and call police.

The man was arrested Saturday night while he was driving near the apartment, police said.

Follow tonight's School Board meeting live on Twitter

March 08, 2010 1:22 p.m. | Wauwatosa School Board members tonight will receive updates on the status of district technology, the comprehensive student services model and the number of non-resident students who have applied to attend through the Open Enrollment and Chapter 220 programs.

The meeting will start at 7 p.m. in the board room at the Fisher Building, 12121 W. North Ave.

If you can't be there in person, but want to stay on top of what's happening, we'll be using Twitter to provide real-time updates of the meeting. You can follow as-it-happens coverage of the meeting at www.twitter.com/israldebruin.

In addition, the board is expected to approve changes to its contract with the Tosa School of the Trades, that will bring the charter school into closer compliance with state and federal guidelines.

The meeting agenda can be viewed and downloaded here on the district's Web site.

UWM wants more time to buy County Grounds site in Tosa

March 08, 2010 12:30 p.m. | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee says it needs more time to buy a Milwaukee County Grounds parcel in Wauwatosa, where the university and its partners plan to develop a science research facility, technology-based business park and other buildings.

UWM was to buy the 89-acre parcel in April after waiving all contingencies by March 31. The land, east of U.S. Highway 45 and north of W. Watertown Plank Road, is being sold for $13.55 million.

But the university had to redesign its layout of the development site after the County Board changed the boundaries of a wildlife habitat zone on the parcel, said David Gilbert, president of the UWM Foundation. That delayed UWM from seeking zoning approval for the proposed development, he said, with the Wauwatosa Plan Commission taking up the issue at tonight's 7 o'clock meeting.

So, the university is asking the County Board to postpone the deadline on waiving contingencies until July 31. The board's Committee on Economic and Community Development recommended approval on a 5-0 vote at its Monday meeting.

The request is being formally made by UWM Innovation Park LLC, an affiliate of the university's real estate foundation.

Brookfield Central vs. Whitnall, Tosa West basketball photos now online

March 08, 2010 10:30 a.m. | This weekend featured a number of closely contested regional-final boys basketball games and we've posted NOW photojournalist Peter Zuzga's photo galleries from two of the top matchups.

Brookfield Central defeated Whitnall, 73-65, in a regional final Saturday to advance to a sectional semifinal and our photo gallery features more than 20 images from the game.

We also have shots of Wauwatosa West's 78-67 loss to Milwaukee Washington that included a post-game tribute to West coach Mike Landisch.

Brookfield Central vs. Whitnall gallery

Wauwatosa West vs. Washington gallery

Washington's new balance too much for Trojans

March 07, 2010 6:44 a.m. | The two high school boys basketball teams in Wauwatosa might finally have something to collectively agree on.

Playing at Milwaukee Washington in the state tournament is a gauntlet.

Wauwatosa West found it out Saturday night, falling to the Purgolders, 78-67, on the same floor the Red Raiders of Wauwatosa East had the season end a year ago.

Playing without suspended leading scorer Quevyn Winters and fellow junior Dominique Williams, Milwaukee Washington used a balanced attack of four players scoring 15 points or more. Winters and Williams were suspended from play last week after an incident with an official. Coach Jay Kenseth's new game plan served him well against a Wauwatosa West team that came to fight.

“When the door of opportunity closes for someone, it opens for someone else so we're going small and trying to reinvent ourselves,” Kenseth said. “The Tosa West players are great warriors and the coach is one of the kindest people I've ever met in my life.