Ray's Liquor seeks 'educational area' for employees

Feb. 08, 2010 8:20 p.m. | The owner of Ray's Liquor wants to convert second-floor offices into an educational area for staff and the public to learn about the alcoholic products sold at the North Avenue store.

The Plan Commission tonight unanimously supported granting owner Rick Laev a conditional-use permit. The request will go to the Community Development Committee Tuesday night, then on to the Common Council next week.

Laev plans to use the space to educate his 15 to 20 employees about the products sold in the liquor store. Vendors regularly come to introduce new spirits hitting the market. In addition, wine tastings and other special events for up to 25 people are expected.

Any sales brought in from the events will be done in the store, which closes at 9 p.m., so the upstairs space is expected to have the same operating hours.

Laev has applied for a Class B liquor license that would allow alcohol to be served and consumed on premises.

Homes near Mo's will be moved, not razed, for parking lot

Feb. 08, 2010 4:18 p.m. | Plans to demolish two houses to make room for another parking lot at Mo's Irish Pub have changed.

Movers have spent the afternoon today inserting steel beams under the 1,400-square-foot ranch house across the street from the restaurant at 431 108th Place.

By the end of the day, they expect to remove the house from its foundation, but it will have to remain on the property while permits to take the structure on the road are finalized at the city and state levels. The house will be relocated to West Bend within the next two to three weeks.

Owner Johnny Vassallo started looking into moving the homes late last fall after residential neighbors of the pub voiced opposition to demolishing two houses that were in good condition to put in asphalt pavement.

Mo's staff will work with the building movers to start preparing the neighboring house for moving over the next several months.

Follow tonight's School Board meeting on Twitter

Feb. 08, 2010 1:34 p.m. | Wauwatosa's next charter school could be based on the Montessori method, which employs a more free, self-directed approach to learning.

School Board members tonight will receive a report from Superintendent Phil Ertl about the district's interest in the possibility of creating a Montessori charter.

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 will receive a report on the district's gifted and talented program, a proposed contract revision for the Tosa School of the Trades, an update on the district's long-range plan and a possible policy revision regarding the district's relationship with its charter schools.

The meeting agenda can be viewed and downloaded here: www.wauwatosa.k12.wi.us/agendas_2010.cfm.

Boy injured when WWII rifle goes off

Feb. 08, 2010 1:34 p.m. | A Wauwatosa teen was cut above his eye and suffered gunpowder burns to his forehead when a World War II rifle that had been on display as art fired as he looked at it Friday.

According to the Wauwatosa police report:

A year ago, the boy and his mother moved into her boyfriend's home in the 100 block of North 121st Street. During that time, he has expressed interest in the vintage bolt-action wood rifle that hung over the fireplace. The Japanese World War II rifle was given to the boyfriend by his father more than 20 years ago, and he believed it was not loaded and would not fire even if it had ammunition.

About 5 p.m. Friday, the teen asked his mother if he could look at it and she agreed. He heard a rattling sound coming from inside the barrel, so he pointed it toward the floor and a bullet fell out. He put the bullet back in, and it immediately fired, hitting him in the forehead just above his right eye.

His mother and sisters heard him scream and ran into the room to find him bleeding. His eyebrow was peeled back. The Wauwatosa Fire Department took him to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, where he was treated for a cut above his swollen eye and gunpowder burns to his forehead. His sight was not affected.

Crown Vic linked to vehicle break-ins

Feb. 08, 2010 12:44 p.m. | Wauwatosa police are looking for a white, older-model Ford Crown Victoria vehicle that is believed to have been involved in a series of vehicle break-ins that occurred in the past week.

According to Wauwatosa police:

The vehicle, which has black rims and a hood that is slightly sprung up, was seen in video footage taken of the parking lots at Wisconsin Heart Hospital, 10000 W. Blue Mound Road, and GE Healthcare, 9900 Innovation Drive, about the time that vehicles were broken into there Thursday afternoon.

At the hospital, a car window was broken and a glove box rummaged through. Nothing appeared missing.

Cash and Global Positioning System units were taken from two cars at GE Healthcare.

Tosa West-Whitnall basketball gallery now online

Feb. 07, 2010 8:08 a.m. | We've just posted a photo gallery from Wauwatosa West boys basketball team's 62-57 victory over Whitnall.

Whitnall's William Pelkofer scored his 1,000th career point for the Falcons in the loss.

Check out our photo gallery from the game.

West beats Falcons again in thriller, Pelkofer passes 1,000 point mark

Feb. 05, 2010 10:16 p.m. | Wauwatosa West won its fourth straight and seventh game in eight outings Friday night at Whitnall, defeating the Falcons for the second time in two weeks, 62-57.

The win improved the Trojans to 10-3 behind first place New Berlin Eisenhower (13-0) with four games left to play in the Woodland Conference. Whitnall fell to 8-5.

The Trojans played outstanding defense in the first quarter to take an 18-8 lead and that 10-point advantage held up at half-time (35-25) and through three quarters (53-43). But William Pelkofer scored seven of his team-high 24 points in the fourth period as the Falcons outscored West, 14-9.

Pelkofer banked in a 3-point shot from the top of the key with 2:05 left to play to tie the game at 57-57. But West's Sam Krenzien stole the ball and scored with 1:25 left to play. After the Falcons tossed the ball out of bounds on a long pass, A.J. Krause was fouled with 17.5 seconds left. After missing the first free throw, Whitnall coach Ken Kroupa called time out to try and ice Krause, but he hit the second free throw after time resumed for a 60-57 lead.

Barry Ballinger then came up with a huge defensive play when he forced a Whitnall player into traveling, giving the Trojans the ball with 3.9 seconds left. Krenzien was fouled and he sank both free throws for the win.

Tosa East snaps two-game skid against West Allis Central

Feb. 05, 2010 9:41 p.m. | Darrell Bowie scored 17 of his game-high 21 points to lead Wauwatosa East to a 61-47 win at West Allis Central on Friday.

Bowie made 13 of 15 free throws, including eight of 10 in the fourth quarter to lead a remarkable display of foul shooting by the Red Raiders (8-11, 5-6), who had lost their previous two games.

East was 28-for-30 from the foul line, made its first 18 attempts and scored its last 16 points on 16-of-18 foul shooting.

West Allis Central's Nick Starich hit a pair of free throws with 3:06 remaining to pull the Bulldogs (9-10, 4-7) within six at 45-39. But the Red Raiders put the game away at the line.

Central freshman point guard Jarvis Garrett scored his team-high 15 points in the second half.

Teen accused of using stolen Lexus to injure officer

Feb. 05, 2010 5:04 p.m. | A 15-year-old boy is accused of stealing two cars and using one of them to rear-end a police squad, injuring a police officer.

The boy was arrested for vehicle theft and recklessly endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon Wednesday .

According to Wauwatosa police:

The boy first took a PT Cruiser that had been left unattended with the engine running in a driveway across from his Milwaukee home. He jumped in, drove to his girlfriend's house and took her to school.

On the way home, he drove through the 2500 block of North 66th Street in Wauwatosa, where he saw another unattended vehicle - this time a Lexus - with its engine running just after 8 a.m. He exchanged the PT Cruiser for the Lexus.

'Wauwatosa bug' believed to have harassed students twice in past

Feb. 05, 2010 4:54 p.m. | The 14-year-old boy behind the recent Facebook threats to both Wauwatosa high schools has inappropriately used technology on at least two prior occasions, according to Wauwatosa police.

According to police:

In December, the boy pretended to be a female on Facebook. He enticed a freshman boy to send nude photos, which he in turn posted on the social media site under a sexually suggestive user name. The boy sent out numerous requests to students to check out his page and the photos.

Also, in December, police investigated obscene calls and text messages that were made to a female student and her family members from the boy's cell phone. Many of those messages were phrased similarly to ones posted by the "Wauwatosa bug."

In the most recent case, the boy is accused of posting racist and sexual comments and threats to Wauwatosa West and Wauwatosa East high schools on Facebook, using the screen name "Wauwatosa bug."

Tosa Alderman donates monthly salary to Landisch fund

Feb. 05, 2010 3:02 p.m. | Dennis McBride, one of the Fourth District Aldermen in Wauwatosa, has donated his monthly alderman's salary to Mike Landisch's fund.

The city of Wauwatosa - East and West sides - have come together to suport Landisch, the Wauwatosa West boys basketball coach who recently was diganosed with kidney cancer. Tosa West had a night for Landisch last Friday at the boys game. Tosa East had a night last Tuesday for the boys game and will have another on Tuesday when the girls teams from East and West play.

It was also announced earlier today that the school's portion of the 50/50 raffle at the Menomonee Falls/Brookfield East game will be donated to Landisch.

"The sense of community in Tosa and other communities has come through because of this," McBride said. "Even though we compete in athletics, everyone has come together for this."

The alderman's monthly salary (after taxes) is $323.22, but McBride is is rounding his check up to $325.

Spartans to donate 50/50 money to Tosa West coach

Feb. 05, 2010 9:52 a.m. | The Brookfield East basketball program has found a small way to reach out and help Wauwatosa West coach Mike Landisch, who is battling kidney cancer.

The Spartans will have their usual 50/50 raffle tonight when first-place Menomonee Falls comes to East for a 7:30 p.m. game.

Fans purchased raffle tickets for three quarters and then the winner is announced. The winner keeps half the money and the program keeps the other half. Brookfield East will donate its half to Landisch and there is a hope that the winner will do the same.

"It is something we wanted to do for Mike and his family," East coach Andy Farley said. "We wish him best of luck."

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.

Former West student accused of being Facebook 'bug'

Feb. 04, 2010 1:56 p.m. | A former Wauwatosa West High School student is behind the Facebook threats posted under the alias "Wauwatosa bug" on Sunday, according to the Wauwatosa Police Department.

The 14-year-old boy now lives in San Diego, Calif., and authorities there are investigating, a news release issued today states. Police did not give the boy's name. He is not in custody at this time.

"We believe the threats were made by a person out-of-state and not in a position to carry out the threats," according to the release.

"Wauwatosa bug" posted messages on the social media site threatening a "blood bath" at Wauwatosa high schools and containing sexually obscene and racist statements. The threats have been removed from Facebook.

Ex-student suspected in Facebook threat inquiry, police say

Feb. 04, 2010 8:12 a.m. | A 14-year-old former Wauwatosa West High School student has been referred to juvenile authorities in San Diego in connection with threats against Wauwatosa high school students that were posted on Facebook last weekend, police said Thursday.

The child is not in custody, according to a statement from Wauwatosa police. Authorities have not identified the child.

The investigation began after a Facebook user who went by the name "Wauwatosa bug" friended several students before posting obscene comments and threats on the social media Web site, including threats about creating a "blood bath."

The postings have since been removed from Facebook, police said.