Homes near Mo's will be moved, not razed, for parking lot
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.
Schlitz Park lands suburban technology firm
A suburban company that provides technology to the financial services industry has signed a lease for 18,000 square feet of space at downtown Milwaukee's Schlitz Park.
The firm, which wasn't named in the Wednesday announcement from Schlitz Park developer Gary Grunau, plans to move 50 employees to the first floor of Schlitz Park’s Bottlehouse A building. That move will occur June 1.
Commercial real estate industry sources said the tenant is Indianapolis-based Streetlinks Lender Solutions, which operates its Milwaukee-area office at 2365 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa. Streetlinks provides housing valuation services and technologies to mortgage lenders.
A Streetlinks executive didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.
This is the first new tenant announced for Schlitz Park since renovations started in December at the business park’s two Bottlehouse buildings, at 1610 N. 2nd St. and 101 W. Pleasant St.
» Read Full ArticleMan says gun was pointed at him on Mayfair Road
An incident of road rage resulted in a man pointing a gun on Mayfair Road on Friday night.
According to the Wauwatosa police report:
A man was driving in the 500 block of North Mayfair Road when a sports-utility vehicle pulled out from Taco Bell and directly entered his path. He had to swerve to avoid a collision.
When the SUV pulled up beside his vehicle, the three men inside were yelling and swearing. The backseat passenger rolled down the window and pointed a gun at him, then said, "What are you going to do now?"
The man sped up and the SUV followed as he drove to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office substation on Watertown Plank Road, where he reported the incident.
Teens fight, draw a crowd to Alice Street
Two teens decided to settle a dispute at the dead end on Alice Street. The 15-year-old boys fought while about 25 other high school students watched Jan. 30.
According to the Wauwatosa police report:
A homeowner saw several cars coming down Alice Street and a large group of high school-age students walking toward the road's dead end at 3:23 p.m. Jan. 30. Two of the boys fought while the rest looked on.
While the homeowner called police, he noticed the kids leaving. One of the boys who had been fighting was bleeding as he got into a vehicle.
When police tracked the boys down they said they had been arguing about a girl through rude comments on Facebook. They decide to meet up after school and fight.
» Read Full ArticleFight in mall parking lot leads to charges
A warrant has been issued for a 23-year-old Milwaukee man, who was charged Friday with disorderly conduct following a fight with his ex-girlfriend in a Mayfair parking lot two days prior.
According to the Wauwatosa police report:
A mall patron called police after he heard the couple yelling and saw the man try to force the woman into a vehicle at 12:42 a.m.
The 20-year-old woman accused Carrington Smith of stalking her during the four months since they broke up. Things allegedly got violent in late January when she says he attacked her and brandished a gun outside a Milwaukee nightclub.
On Feb. 1, she had gone to the AMC Theatre with friends. When she exited the mall, she found Smith standing next to her vehicle. She said he repeatedly hit her and grabbed her around the neck so she hit back in defense. Smith then pushed her into the vehicle, but as she resisted he pulled a handgun from his waistband and threatened her.
» Read Full ArticleLego coming to Mayfair
Construction on a new Lego store -- the first in the Milwaukee market -- is set to begin this week at Mayfair mall.
The store, to be upstairs at the mall between Starbucks and Gymboree, is scheduled to open in May.
The store will feature "kid-chic design, innovative displays and consumer-friendly play areas that deliver an engaging, entertaining and fun experience for famiiles of all ages," according to Denmark-based Lego.
"Our store at Mayfair will enhance our consumers' overall Lego brand experience through product variety, store design and regular hands-on family events," said Eric Wolfe, vice president of Lego Group. "Children and families will be able to experience first-hand and hands-on the creativity and imagination that goes into Lego building and be inspired by the over 4 million Lego bricks that are in the store at any given time."
The Lego store will include the popular "Pick-A-Brick Wall," which allows customers to pick and buy specific Lego bricks and elements in a variety of colors and shapes in bulk.
» Read Full ArticleMilwaukee Map Service moves to 124th Street
Milwaukee Map Service has moved to a new location within Wauwatosa.
The family-owned business closed its Mayfair Road doors last week and found a new home at 3720 N. 124th St.
The business and building are owned by the three Swain brothers. The decision to move resulted from an increasing difficulty in finding and keeping renters to fill up the remainder of the building.
"The speed of vehicle traffic on Mayfair Road, south of Mayfair Mall, and being located away from other retail locations made it difficult to attract customers into our store location," senior cartographer Gary Kraft said. "We had to be a destination location."
The business offers more than 6,000 maps and related products, including nautical charts, globes, atlases and travel guides. Employees also make and publish maps.
» Read Full ArticleCraigslist 'buyer' turns car thief
In an example of a Craigslist.com transaction gone wrong, a 53-year-old Hartford man reported that an unidentified man drove away with his 2004 Audi, valued at $8,000, during a test drive after the two met about 7 p.m. Jan. 30 in the parking lot of Target, 3900 N. 124th St.
According to the Wauwatosa police report:
The two agreed to meet at the lot because the potential buyer lived on Milwaukee's East Side.
The owner accompanied the man as he test drove the vehicle on several roads, including Capitol Drive, North Avenue and Highway 45.
Stopped on the Swan extension near Watertown Plank Road and Highway 45, the driver asked the owner to drive, saying he wanted to "listen" to the vehicle from the back seat while it was being driven.
» Read Full ArticleTeen accused of trying to rob four people
A 17-year-old Milwaukee boy arrested for attempted robbery is accused of making four separate robbery attempts within 20 minutes near Wauwatosa and North avenues the afternoon of Feb. 1.
According to Wauwatosa police reports:
The teen accosted a 66-year-old Milwaukee man and three Longfellow Middle School students - ages 14, 13 and 11 - demanding money and showing them what they thought was a knife.
The knife turned out to be a switchblade facsimile that contained a comb.
The incidents occurred within a block or two of the intersection. The teen approached each victim with threatening demands including, "Do you got any money" and "Give me three dollars."
» Read Full ArticleSalvation Army beats its Red Kettle fundraising goal
The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County collected $2.9 million during its 2011 Red Kettle Christmas Campaign, surpassing its goal by $200,000. The fundraiser ended Jan. 31.
Contributions will help the organization, which has headquarters in Wauwatosa, assist the county's unemployed, underemployed, homeless and others in need with emergency shelter, food and clothing.
In Milwaukee County, the Salvation Army operates 85 programs including disaster relief, utility and rent assistance, employment services and summer lunch programs for children.
Crosswalk at Glenview and Wisconsin to be quite noticeable
Residents living near Glenview Avenue have vehemently opposed widening the road, saying they are concerned that doing so will make the already busy intersection at Wisconsin Avenue more dangerous.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation brought plans for crosswalk and signal changes that should provide extra protection for pedestrians to the city's Traffic and Safety Committee on Tuesday.
A 20-foot-wide colored concrete crosswalk will be installed with a striped eight-foot crosswalk in the middle.
"It's really going to stand out in this area," said Tim Anheuser, consultant with Forward 45, which is working with the DOT on the Zoo Interchange reconstruction project.
Changes to the intersection are expected to happen in 2013; the DOT anticipates more traffic on local roads due to freeway construction.
» Read Full ArticleSending a message: Businesses ask for sign code change
Surrounded by the city of Milwaukee on three sides, Bluemound Automotive competes with national franchises that attract customers with inflatable mascots and flashy signage.
Jim Dietrich, president of the business at 60th Street and Bluemound Road, would like to step up his promotions by changing the message on his electronic sign more frequently than once per day.
"I'd like to be on a level playing field with the competition," he said.
Dietrich got support from Alderman Dennis McBride, who on Tuesday asked the Community Development Committee to consider allowing businesses with electronic signs to change them as frequently as every hour for a trial period of 90 days.
"If we're going to allow electronic signs, we ought to allow them to be useful," McBride said.
» Read Full ArticleCity, district look to improve traffic safety near schools
The city and Wauwatosa School District likely will partner on a project aimed at enhancing safety for pedestrians and motorists along streets near four public schools.
The Traffic and Safety Committee on Tuesday unanimously supported spending $26,700 - half of which would be covered by the school district - to hire consultants to investigate "short- and long-term structural solutions" in two heavy traffic zones. The first is along Center Street, the route to Wauwatosa West High School, Whitman Middle School and Eisenhower Elementary School. The second area is on 100th Street in front of Madison Elementary School.
The full Common Council must approve the contract before the study can start.
Meetings with school and police officials, on-site observations and traffic counts would be conducted. A final report with recommendations for changes is anticipated before the city starts putting together its budget for 2013, Bill Porter, city public works director, said.
Schools Superintendent Phil Ertl contacted the city in late fall to voice concerns for motorists and schoolchildren during drop-off and pick-up times. School and city officials have determined that simple solutions such as adding crossing guards or installing stop signs likely won't work in these situations, Porter said.
» Read Full ArticleVideo of Bowlero vehicle break-ins leads to arrest
A 32-year-old Wauwatosa man has been arrested for a string of car break-ins that happened at a local bowling alley between October and January.
In most cases, car windows were smashed out at AMF Bowlero, 11737 W. Burleigh Road, and items such as purses and wallets were taken. The cash and credit cards were then used at gas stations and stores until the owners got wise and canceled the cards.
"We have a pretty state-of-the-art camera system in place so we were able to ID the vehicle to police," said Roy Brent, bowling center manager.
The video led police to a minivan owned by the Tosa man, and officers started conducting surveillance.
"We believed there was a pretty good chance we'd witness him committing a crime within a short period of time," Sgt. David Moldenhauer said. "It was just a different crime than we expected."
» Read Full ArticleMan arrested for taking out gun during family's move
A 58-year-old man was arrested for recklessly endangering safety while armed after his son's friend accused him of pointing a gun at him as he helped move the family into their Wauwatosa home Jan. 26.
According to the Wauwatosa police report:
The man's family, which includes his wife and six children ages 3 to 16, were moving into a home in the 12200 block of West Dearbourn Avenue at 2:50 p.m. Jan. 26. The oldest son and his friend, an 18-year-old Spencer man, had made several trips between the old and new home and were doing much of the heavy lifting. Feeling frustrated, the friend referred to the wife using profane language and one of the younger children overheard.
The child told her father, and he confronted the friend. The father said the friend threatened his wife and refused to leave the home, so he got his gun from a safe, but at no time pointed it at the Spencer man.
Not so, according to the son's friend. He said the father grabbed the gun from the safe and pointed it at him, ordering him out of the home.
» Read Full ArticleWauwatosa in spotlight thanks to McGivern's new TV show
Don't expect a red carpet full of Hollywood stars wearing haute couture. The screening of the Wauwatosa episode of John McGivern's new television show "Around the Corner" will feature local celebrities including Cranky Al, former Wauwatosa Chamber of Commerce director Meg McKenna and restauranteur Joe Bartolotta.
Attendees of the chamber's annual meeting last week viewed a 3 1/2 -minute trailer for the show, which will air at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. But Wauwatosa residents can sneak an early peak of the full episode thanks to a free premiere showing at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Rosebud Cinema, 6823 W. North Ave. McGivern will answer questions after the screening.
Each episode of the Milwaukee Public Television show features McGivern visiting a Milwaukee-area neighborhood and checking out what "working, living and playing is like in each of these communities," McGivern said. Each episode will have an introduction by historian John Gurda.
McGivern and producer/director Lois Maurer spent four September days filming in Wauwatosa, but they decided to return in October once the Wauwatosa Curling Club took to the ice at Hart Park.
Wauwatosa was one of 13 neighborhoods chosen for the show's first season, which started airing last week.
