Milwaukee, WI

Bids to build the new juvenile prison in Milwaukee are in. What happens next? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Published

2 years ago

June 13, 2024

Bids to build the new juvenile prison in Milwaukee are in. What happens next? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

This property at 7930 W. Clinton Ave. – an old vehicle emissions inspection center – has been selected as the site for the new juvenile correctional facility in Milwaukee. (NNS file photo by Edgar Mendez)

Milwaukee’s long-awaited new juvenile prison has reached another milestone in the years-long construction process.

The end of bidding for contractors to construct the new prison inches the state toward the fulfillment of state law and the closure of Lincoln Hills School for Boys, a Type 1 juvenile correctional facility, the most secure type of juvenile correctional facility in the Wisconsin Department of Corrections system.

A goal of building the prison in Milwaukee is to have youths who are incarcerated remain in their communities, as stated by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ in a news release. While there is neighborhood opposition to the new prison, those in favor say that it will better support Milwaukee youths in this way.

Bidding ends

Bidding by potential general prime contractors to build the prison ended on May 22.

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It’s “usually several weeks” before a successful bidder is selected, assuming there is one, Tatyana Warrick, communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Administration, said in an email.

“Contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder who is a qualified and responsible bidder that results in the lowest total construction cost for the project,” she said.

After a contractor is selected and contracts finalized, groundbreaking can take place.

The project’s completion date is estimated to be summer of 2026, but the actual date will be set in the construction contract with the contractor, Warrick said.

When complete, the prison will accommodate approximately 32 boys and employ approximately 70 staff, according to the Department of Corrections.

Residents’ reactions

The site for the new prison is located on the North Side, at 7930 W. Clinton Ave., the former site of an emissions testing center.

Although the site was approved by the Milwaukee Common Council and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, some residents are not pleased.

Many of their concerns revolve around the perceived risks to nearby residences and businesses posed by a prison in the area.

During a City Plan Commission meeting in December 2022, for example, Margaret Thorn, a nearby resident and block watch captain, expressed safety-related concerns, saying that her house has been broken into twice.

“And what that does to an individual frazzles you,” she said. “They take your stuff but what they give you is fear. And it’s a fear that you can’t get rid of.”

Thorn and her neighbors are unhappy about “this facility being crammed down our throats,” she said.

Kathy Fulfer, who has lived in the area her whole life, told NNS that “It used to be a lovely place to live with new investments and development. Unfortunately, there has been little positive growth on the far Northwest Side of Milwaukee in many years.”

The proximity to friends and family “will be great for the prisoners, not so great for the surrounding community who have had it forced upon them,” she added.

Keeping youths closer to home

At the same December commission meeting, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Judge Lena Taylor, who was then a state senator, disputed the common arguments about negative effects of prisons on nearby neighborhoods.

“I respect the fears that people have, but they are not warranted,” Taylor said.

The Department of Corrections’ position is that there is no research to support concerns that prisons increase crime or negatively affect property values, Beth Hardtke, director of communications for the department, said in an email.

Taylor also emphasized how a Milwaukee-area prison will help keep Milwaukee youths incarcerated there connected to their families and communities.

“I don’t know the Milwaukee that we’ve become. But I believe that this is a part of the Milwaukee that we need to be, which is one that will allow us to heal families,” she said.

As of May 29, there were 53 boys at Lincoln Hills, according to data provided by the Department of Corrections. Thirty of these boys – over half – are from the Milwaukee area.

Ald. Larresa Taylor represents District 9, the district in which the prison will be built. She takes a balanced approach to the differing views on the prison.

“I want to fully represent the desires of the community and what is best for them,” she said.

Devin Blake is the criminal justice reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. His position is funded by the Public Welfare Foundation, which plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Bucks injury report: Is Giannis playing tonight vs. the Jazz?

Published

8 hours ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee Bucks injury report: Is Giannis playing tonight vs. the Jazz?

The Milwaukee Bucks host the tanking Utah Jazz tonight, March 7, at Fiserv Forum in a must-win game that also sees the Bucks on a four-game losing streak. They have also lost five of their last seven games to fall further out of the postseason picture in the Eastern Conference.

“‘Cause this league, anything can happen,” Bucks guard AJ Green said after the team shot around Saturday morning. “We’ve lost four in a row. Somebody else can lose four in a row, we win four in a row and we’re right back there. So just control the controllables, focus on us.”

The Bucks are 26-35 overall and even with Giannis Antetokounmpo returning to action this week, the offense has continued to struggle. The team has scored fewer than 100 points in four of those five losses. Milwaukee’s defense, one of the poorest in the league all season, has remained sievelike as well, allowing 120.1 points per game in over the last seven.

Utah would appear to be a good team to break a losing streak against, as the Jazz are efforting to finish with one of the league’s worst records. At 19-44, they have the fifth-worst mark in the league. If their pick falls out of the top eight in May’s NBA draft lottery, it will go to Oklahoma City as part of a 2021 trade.

That said, the Jazz have the seventh-best scoring offense in the league and young guards in Keyonte George (24 points per game) and Ace Bailey (12.4) that could give the Bucks trouble. Utah does own the league’s worst scoring defense, however.

Is Giannis playing?

Yes.

The Bucks superstar is no longer on the injury report after returning from a nearly six-week absence due to a right calf strain. Antetokounmpo is playing under a minutes restriction, however, and logged just under 26 minutes in his first two games on March 2 and March 4.

Is Doc Rivers retiring?

On March 5, Rivers’ former ESPN colleague Stephen A. Smith said on a SiriusXM radio that the Bucks’ head coach was going to hang it up after the season.

Following his team’s practice on March 6, Rivers issued somewhat of a denial.

“No, I’m not getting into that,” Rivers said. “That’s something that’s; I think he feels that way, but not from me.”

Smith offered his take on Rivers’ future when he was asked if Ja Morant would be helped by being coached by the Hall of Fame finalist if he were to be acquired by the Bucks in the offseason.

“It’s not gonna be Doc Rivers because Doc Rivers is gonna retire at the end of this season,” Smith said. “Doc Rivers has been coaching for close to 25 years, this is it for him. He’s gonna step away.”

NBA playoff standings

The Bucks are out of the postseason picture entirely. Here are the play-in standings in the Eastern Conference heading into game play on March 7:

No. 7: Miami (35-29): The Bucks and Magic have split the season series 1-1. Milwaukee travels to Miami on March 12.

No. 8: Orlando (33-28): The Bucks and Magic have split the season series 1-1. The Bucks host the Magic on March 8.

No. 9: Atlanta (32-31): The Bucks and Hawks have split the season series 1-1. Milwaukee travels to Atlanta on March 14.

No. 10: Charlotte (32-32): The Bucks own the tiebreaker over the Hornets having won the season series 3-1.

No. 11: Milwaukee (26-35): The Bucks have had better luck against the play-in teams to date, as they are just 5-14 against the top six seeds in the conference.

“I think you can look at (the standings) and just see what it is but you gotta then come back to the now,” Green said. “We have a game today. How can we get better today? What do we need to work on. We gotta win today. Just keep controlling what we can and worry about ourselves.”

Taurean Prince, out (neck surgery)
Kevin Porter Jr., out (right knee swelling)

Bucks probable starting lineup

Guards: AJ Green, Ryan Rollins
Forwards: Ousmane Dieng, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Center: Myles Turner

What time is the Bucks game?

The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. CT.

What channel is the Bucks game on?

The game will be simulcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and WMLW The M with Lisa Byington, Wesley Matthews and Melanie Ricks on the call.

Bucks vs. Jazz odds

Milwaukee is a 9.5-point favorite over Utah with the over/under set at 231.5 points, per BetMGM.

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Milwaukee, WI

I am disappointed that Dan O’Donnell is still on the air | Letter

Published

20 hours ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

I am disappointed that Dan O’Donnell is still on the air | Letter

WISN radio host Dan O’Donnell casually jokes about harming an elected official. This is hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy. Language like this does not belong in any civil society.

Letters to the Editor
| Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

I am appalled by WISN-AM host Dan O’Donnell’s recent social media posts, in which he suggested “taking out the Supreme Leader of Minnesota” and shared a mocking image of Gov. Tim Walz (“Milwaukee radio host says to ‘take out’ Gov. Tim Walz,” March 4).

This is not political commentary — it is dangerous, irresponsible, and disgusting.

Even more outrageous, O’Donnell has publicly defended pardons for convicted or alleged fraudsters, including high-profile cases from the Trump administration, yet he casually jokes about harming an elected official. This is hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy. Language like this does not belong in any civil society.

Our community deserves media voices that uphold decency, honesty and public safety, not ones that normalize threats and spread fear. I demand that leaders and media outlets reject this kind of rhetoric and make it clear that it will not be tolerated.

Laura J. Nigh, Wauwatosa

I am disappointed Dan O’Donnell is still on air at WISN

I am disappointed that Dan O’Donnell is still on the air. I further ask the Milwaukee County District Attorney to charge him for calling for violence against a public official. His apology is not enough.

David Schmitz, Baileys Harbor

Here are some tips to get your views shared with your friends, family, neighbors and across our state:

Please include your name, street address and daytime phone.
Generally, we limit letters to 200 words.
Cite sources of where you found information or the article that prompted your letter.
Be civil and constructive, especially when criticizing.
Avoid ad hominem attacks, take issue with a position, not a person.
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Each writer is limited to one published letter every two months.
All letters are subject to editing.

Write: Letters to the editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 330 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI, 53202. Fax: (414)-223-5444. E-mail: jsedit@jrn.com or submit using the form that can be found on the on the bottom of this page.

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Milwaukee, WI

Arizona Diamondbacks 0/2, Chicago White Sox/Milwaukee Brewers 6/6

Published

1 day ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Arizona Diamondbacks 0/2, Chicago White Sox/Milwaukee Brewers 6/6

Record 7-7. Change on 2025: +0.5. 5-inning record: 4-9-1.

The D-backs found themselves swept on both sides of today’s split squad double-bill, with fairly weak line-ups in both games. Starting off at Salt River Fields, a pair of three-run homers did all the damage as the White Sox blanked the D-backs 6-0. They were allowed by Landon Sims and Joe Ross; the latter came in to relieve Daniel Eagan with two outs and two on in the second, and didn’t. The best of the relievers for Arizona was likely Andrew Hoffman who struck out three batters in a scoreless seventh. The Diamondbacks were held to four hits and two walks: Angel Ortiz had the only extra-base hit, a double, as the team went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

Over in Maryvale, the team did at least pick up a five-inning win, leading 2-1 at that point. But the Brewers scored five unanswered runs to beat the D-backs 6-2. Mitch Bratt started, and walked four over 2.2 innings, but gave up just one run on one hit, with two strikeouts. Bryce Jarvis tossed two scoreless, but Juan Burgos, John Curtiss and Taylor Rashi allowed five runs on six hits and two walks, over their three frames. Gavin Conticello and Demetrio Crisantes each went 2-for-3, while DH Manuel Pena had a homer and drew a walk. LuJames Groover drove in Arizona’s other run with a groundout.

Tomorrow, it’s back to one game: that comes at Salt River Fields against the Giants, with a 1:10 pm first pitch, and Kohl Drake starting for the Diamondbacks.

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