Milwaukee, WI

Illinois' Trump delegates head to Milwaukee at a time of upheaval in the state Republican party – IPM Newsroom

Published

2 years ago

July 12, 2024

Illinois' Trump delegates head to Milwaukee at a time of upheaval in the state Republican party – IPM Newsroom

Kent Gray has been a political junkie for most of his adult life.

The attorney from Leland Grove, an upscale Springfield suburb, maintains a home adorned with all sorts of Republican memorabilia. A portrait of Abraham Lincoln painted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower hangs among roughly 200 presidential Christmas cards from Republicans and Democrats. A small elephant statue sits near his front porch.

“A lot of people follow sports, a lot of people, you know, follow TV shows, a lot of people follow all kinds of different stuff,” Gray said. “My interest is politics.”

Gray was a John McCain delegate in 2008 and an alternate for Trump in 2016. He ran Trump’s Illinois and Missouri campaigns until the rally at the formerly-named UIC Pavilion that was shut down due to protests.

He was let go a few days later.

“I really had some reservations back in 2015,” Gray said. “Should I go work for a guy who is considered, you know, he was a Democrat. He gave money to the Democratic party … will he end up being a disappointment if he were to win? And in my opinion he ended up being, I think, probably the most effective conservative president we’ve had – certainly in my lifetime.”

Gray has been working in or around Republican politics since he was in college and worked for former President George W. Bush. But the atmosphere has shifted significantly since Trump’s entry into politics. Then-Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner didn’t even attend the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. The event was marked by the differences between the Illinois GOP who supported Trump and those who wanted a more moderate candidate.

This year the Illinois delegation is all-in on Trump.

Voters elected 51 delegates during this year’s primary election – three from each of Illinois’ 17 congressional districts.

There are 64 total delegates from Illinois who will vote – the 51 who were elected, 3 delegates composed of the state party chairman and two national committee persons and 10 at-large delegates. There are also 51 alternates. The 10 at-large electors are hand selected by the state party.

The convention is happening at a time when the state party’s future direction is unclear.

After a period of intense infighting, Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy plans to resign at the conclusion of the RNC. In explaining his decision, he said it’s based in part because his fellow Republicans would rather fight each other than Democrats. The GOP State Central Committee is in discussions now about a replacement.

The party has been in the superminority in Springfield for years and hasn’t held a statewide office since Bruce Rauner was governor.

Steve Balich, an elected delegate from Will County, blames “establishment” Republicans, whom he accused of leaning further left and compromising too much to try winning elections. Balich said GOP members who consider themselves part of the “grassroots” are tired of it.

“We feel like we’ve been pushed to the edge of a cliff,” the Homer Township supervisor said. “There’s nothing to compromise anymore for us. So any kind of compromise for us becomes… well, we might as well just jump off the cliff.”Balich listed off a number of grievances like illegal immigration and perceived special rights for the LGBTQ community. His positions on those reflect the 2024 Republican party platform – which includes things like “no men in women’s sports” and “seal the border and stop the migrant invasion.”

Republicans have lost ground in Illinois in recent years as Democrats have successfully campaigned against Republican positions on issues like that. But the national platform also includes kitchen table issues like lowering taxes and making cities “safe, clean and beautiful again.” Balich thinks there’s plenty for the party to build on given strong cross-aisle agreements there.

“I haven’t had anybody say they like the idea of all these illegals coming in,” Balich said. “I haven’t had anybody say that they’re happy about all the spending that’s going on, because whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, (Democratic Illinois Gov.) JB Pritzker is spending money like water.”Balich is a die hard Trump supporter. After a New York jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records, he raised an upside down American flag in front of the Homer Township administration headquarters last month. The flag was returned to right-side up when people got angry.

In spite of Trump’s poor performance in past Illinois elections, Balich can’t wait to nominate him again this month. He was a Trump delegate in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic turned that convention into a largely online affair and this will be his first in person convention.

Neither Balich nor Kent Gray are making many predictions about what’s next for the state party or how the convention will go.

But Gray, sitting in his house among decades worth of GOP campaign memorabilia adorning the walls, is predicting a good time.

“We’ll have a lot of networking, a few cold beverages and probably some fun in Milwaukee… and a whole lot of hot air from politicians speaking for four days.”

NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect that the Illinois Republican Party released its list of delegates after WBEZ reported that multiple requests for a full delegate list had been ignored.

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Milwaukee, WI

10 months after fatal hit-and-run that killed motorcyclist, Milwaukee man charged

Published

4 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

10 months after fatal hit-and-run that killed motorcyclist, Milwaukee man charged

A 23-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 44-year-old motorcyclist during the summer last year.

Jarvis L. Walker was charged March 7 with four counts: hit-and-run resulting in death, knowingly operating a vehicle without a valid license causing death, fleeing an officer and first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

The crash occurred June 7, 2025, at the intersection of North 76th Street and West Florist Avenue. Walker crashed into Wyman Kemble on his 2002 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and fled the scene, according to a criminal complaint.

Kemble suffered severe injuries in the crash and died at the scene.

Police said nearby security footage video shows Kemble was traveling northbound on 76th Street and had a green light when Walker, traveling southbound on 76th Street, crashed a rental car into Kemble while trying to make a left turn onto Florist Avenue.

Walker then exits the vehicle, grabs a backpack from the backseat and leaves the scene, the complaint said.

But a witness’ cellphone footage shows Walker return, yell something, and turn around and walk away before getting into another vehicle that just pulled over, according to the complaint.

The rental car came back to a person only identified in the complaint with the initials EW. The rental car customer told police that Walker had the vehicle during the time of the crash and Walker called him and told him that he had just been in a crash after a motorcycle ran a red light.

Ten months would pass before investigators zeroed in on Walker to arrest him.

On March 3, police had reason to believe that Walker was in the area of the 7200 block of West Marine Drive, the complaint said. Two undercover officers observed Walker get into an SUV, which exited a nearby parking lot and then immediately pulled over because the trunk was open, the complaint said.

Different officers in full uniform and an MPD squad moved in to try and arrest Walker, who was at the rear of the vehicle in the trunk, according to the complaint.

Walker then made his way back to his seat before one officer activated the squad lights and siren and exited the squad to say “Hey Jarvis, don’t do it” and “Jarvis get out of the car,” the complaint said.

But Walker fled the scene and led police on a nearly 10-mile pursuit in excess of 115 miles per hour, according to the complaint.

Police lost visual sight of Walker’s vehicle near North Teutonia Avenue and North Green Bay Avenue, but Glendale police observed the vehicle traveling southbound on West Green Bay Road and another short pursuit ensued before officers lost sight of Walker again, the complaint said.

Later that evening, Walker’s vehicle was observed unoccupied and running in the 4800 block of North 19th Place, according to the complaint. Police found Walker inside a nearby residence and arrested him.

Walker made his initial appearance in court on March 9, where bail was set at $25,000. If convicted on all counts, he faces decades behind bars.

Wyman Kemble remembered as mother’s rock

Leanne Kemble, Wyman Kemble’s mother, previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the time of the crash that Wyman was her oldest child and her “rock.”

She said her son loved the motorcycle he was riding at the time of his death. She described him as one of the most “kind, caring and fun-loving people you’d ever meet.”

Leanne Kemble said her son graduated from Riverside High School, where he played on the football team, and was a graduate of Milwaukee Area Technical College. Volleyball was now his sport of choice, and he played year-round, she said.

“He was always helping people with their car repairs, or just doing odd jobs to help out our neighbors,” she said. “He was an all-around great person. Everybody loved him.”

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Public Schools budget proposals; board meeting Monday

Published

16 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee Public Schools budget proposals; board meeting Monday

MILWAUKEE – MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius proposed cutting more than 263 non-classroom positions to help bridge a $46 million structural budget deficit.

A special meeting of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors is scheduled to take place on Monday night, March 9, to vote on this proposal.

Shifting resources

What we know:

The district said the reductions, which would take effect for the 2026–27 school year pending school board approval, would save about $30 million.

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“It is an extremely difficult day for us here in Milwaukee Public Schools, but in the end, I’m still hopeful. I’m hopeful for our students, I’m hopeful for all of the employees we have, and every single employee matters to us,” said Cassellius. “This is hard, and we’ll get through it.”

Officials said no classroom teacher positions are being cut to close the budget gap. That said, the district may need fewer teachers where there is lower enrollment. About 40 of the 263 positions being eliminated are already vacant, meaning that not all reductions will result in layoffs. Affected employees eligible for classroom-based roles will be encouraged to apply for available positions.

Cassellius stressed that MPS faces rising costs while receiving a $0 state increase in general aid for 2026-27 public school students. While the recent referendum has helped to support arts, physical education, mental health services, and career exploration, the superintendent indicated it does not make up for the lack of state-funded inflation increase

Proposed reductions

By the numbers:

The approximately 263 position reductions include the following, according to the school district:

MPS Central Services: About 116 positions from the offices of Academics; Communications; Family, Community, and Partnership; Finance; Human Resources; Operations; Schools office; and the Superintendent’s office
Non‑classroom school‑based roles: About 147 positions, including assistant principals, deans of students, and implementers.

The Source: Milwaukee Public Schools released information about its proposal.

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Milwaukee, WI

Black joins Giannis, KPJ as out, How To Watch Orlando Magic-Milwaukee Bucks Lineups, Injuries, Betting Lines & More

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Black joins Giannis, KPJ as out, How To Watch Orlando Magic-Milwaukee Bucks Lineups, Injuries, Betting Lines & More

The Orlando Magic put together one of its strongest efforts of the season in Minnesota on Saturday, squashing one of the West’s best 119-92. They’ll look to continue a road win streak that began in L.A. with wins over the Clippers and Lakers.

Milwaukee also won on Saturday, pulling away from the Utah Jazz 113-99 to snap a two-game skid that coincided with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return from a 14-game absence due to a calf injury.

Antetokounmpo’s presence was necessary deep into the fourth quarter due to the game being tight, so that prevents him from participating in this one. Kevin Porter Jr. is also out.

The Magic are even with the Miami Heat atop the Southeast Division, although they hold a tie-braker since they have defeated Miami all four times they’ve played. The Magic’s upset of Minnesota has pushed them up to sixth place in the East.

Orlando is 14-15 on the road 20-19 against Eastern Conference foes. Milwaukee is 15-16 at home and 19-23 against Eastern Conference competition.

Vitals – How to Watch Magic at Bucks

Game date, time and location: Sunday, March 8, 8:10 p.m. EST, Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida (Magic), FanDuel Sports Wisconsin (Bucks)

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game/AM 740 WYGM (Magic), WTMJ (Bucks)

Magic look to extend road win streak to four by ending Bucks’ run

The Orlando Magic (34-28) visit the Milwaukee Bucks (27-35) in the third and final matchup between these teams this season.

The Magic last won a season series from Milwaukee in 2011-12, but have gone 14-35 since, which includes an upset loss (116-108) in the final game prior to the break. Cam Thomas, having just been signed after getting his release from the Brooklyn Nets, scored 34 points to complement a Kevin Porter Jr. triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists), so the Bucks are still in position to win this year’s series 2-1 if it can pull an upset on Sunday night.

The Bucks have opened up a 77-57 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1989-90. Milwaukee won the first nine matchups.

Betting Lines (via DraftKings)

Spread: Magic -6.5 (-112), Bucks +6.5 (-115)

Moneyline: Magic -218, Bucks +180

Total: 216.5 (Over -112, Under -108)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

PROJECTED STARTERS

MAGIC

F Tristan da Silva

F Paolo Banchero

C Wendell Carter Jr.

G Jalen Suggs