Milwaukee, WI
Who is funding the Milwaukee school board recall?
One of the main drivers of the MPS School Board Recall Collaborative’s campaign is criticism over what recall members said is a lack of transparency by Milwaukee Public Schools.
But since the group was launched last month to unseat four MPS board members, there have been questions about how the collaborative’s efforts are being funded.
The group says they have anonymous donors, whose names they are not disclosing. That’s led the MPS teachers’ union to file an ethics complaint with the state.
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During a press conference last week, members of the media questioned the group about who is paying canvassers for positions they advertised.
Recall organizers did not list expenses and the contributions to fund the canvassers on their July 15 campaign finance reports.
The group announced last week they’ve collected more than 37,000 signatures so far to recall school board president Marva Herndon, vice president Jilly Gokalgandhi, school board member at large Missy Zombor and board member Erika Siemsen.
“Our deepest gratitude goes to all our committed volunteers and those who signed up for paid canvassing work,” the group said in a statement announcing they had hit the signature threshold.
To trigger a recall election, the group will need to collect 5,137 signatures for Herndon, 6,809 signatures for Siemsen, 7,759 signatures for Gokalgandhi and 44,177 signatures for Zombor, according to Paulina Gutiérrez, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.
Tamika Johnson, an English teacher at New Testament Christian Academy who is leading the recall campaign, said canvassers would be paid by “anonymous donors.”
“We have not paid anyone, but we do have an anonymous donor that could pay for individuals,” Johnson said during a July 24 press conference.
Johnson told reporters that before canvassers can be paid, signatures have to be confirmed. That is why nothing has been reported on the campaign finance report, she said.
“We don’t even know who the anonymous donors are… why is this a question?” Johnson said to reporters.
One speaker, who organizers refused to identify, said the canvassers were working “on contracts,” but no one from the group would produce the contracts.
Johnson went on to say canvassers working for the MPS School Board Recall Collaborative were “free volunteer workers.”
“Do we have other organizations out there, yes there are. We probably won’t know the end of it until the recall is over with,” Johnson said. “We are not trying to hide any money, because there’s no money in this. So if there are people getting paid, guess what? We want to know too.”
Johnson told WPR on Monday she’s “not taking media calls right now.”
MTEA files ethics complaint with the state
When the MPS School Board Recall Collaborative was launched June 12, organizers said Milwaukee voters were duped into voting for the $252 million MPS referendum in April because school board members already knew the district was going to be penalized millions from the state for not submitting audits on time.
Prior to the referendum, political committees and groups including Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and City Forward Collective, spent more than $1.2 million to try to defeat the measure.
But campaign finance reports filed July 15 by the recall collaborative have very little information.
Johnson, of Bayside, is listed as contributing her services. In addition to her work at New Testament Christian Academy, she is also a Master Life Coach.
Chantia Davis, also of Bayside, designed the website. Davis is a former MPS substitute teacher who is now self-employed, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Ebony Grant, of Milwaukee and Janice Patterson, of Bayside, are also named as members of the collaboration.
The campaign finance report states that less than $300 has been received and spent.
Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association President Ingrid Walker-Henry said calls for transparency are hypocritical given the secretive nature of the recall group’s financing.
MTEA filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission after the group admitted to having anonymous donors.
“It is unfathomable that a group of individuals operating a campaign to replace four democratically elected School Board members would so brazenly violate campaign finance law,” Walker-Henry said in a statement. “The people of Milwaukee deserve clean, transparent elections so they know who is funding the candidates and initiatives seeking their vote.”
The Wisconsin Ethics Commission is prohibited from releasing copies of complaints it receives, according to staff counsel David Buerger.
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Milwaukee, WI
Teen passenger dies in fiery crash after fleeing driver crashes into Milwaukee roundabout
MILWAUKEE — A police chase that began in West Milwaukee on Sunday morning ended in a fiery crash on Milwaukee’s south side, killing 18-year-old Izack Zavala.
The Medical Examiner’s Office identified Zavala as the passenger who died in the one-car crash at 37th and Mitchell streets. His family said he was a 2025 Milwaukee Public Schools Alexander Hamilton High School graduate who loved soccer and would do anything to help his loved ones.
Provided by family
The West Milwaukee Police Department said officers attempted to pull over the driver for a traffic violation near Miller Park Way and Lincoln Avenue, but the driver fled and crossed into Milwaukee.
TMJ4
About a mile later, police say the fleeing driver hit a roundabout, lost control, and crashed into a tree, ejecting both the driver and passenger.
“If they were trying to avoid one of those, and with the weather being cold and slick, and you hit a patch of ice, and you’re gone. You’re done,” Barbie, who witnessed the aftermath, said.
The loud crash woke up neighbors like Barbie in the middle of the night.
Watch: Teen passenger dies in fiery crash after fleeing driver crashes into Milwaukee roundabout
Teen passenger dies in fiery crash after fleeing driver crashes into Milwaukee roundabout
“Like thunder struck the building. The entire building shook. It was insane,” Barbie said.
TMJ4
Looking out her kitchen window, Barbie saw the devastating scene unfold.
“The whole thing just lit up like a torch,” she said.
Steven Huppenbauer
A day after the flames were extinguished, crash debris still surrounded the tree and Barbie’s backyard.
“The car was right there in the center,” she said.
Zavala’s family said his cousin was driving the vehicle. The 19-year-old driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Barbie, who has witnessed crashes before, said seeing this one up close was different.
“I’ve seen plenty of crashes, had people that I care about die in crashes, but to see it up close is something different. I feel bad for the kid’s family,” she said.
The witness hopes the tragedy serves as a warning to others who might consider fleeing police.
“I feel for their family, and I wish to God that that wouldn’t have happened, obviously, but there comes a point, ‘what were you doing’, you know?” Barbie said. “I just think that people need to think before they do, and that’s just not a thing anymore.”
TMJ4 asked the West Milwaukee Police Department if it plans to refer charges for the 19-year-old driver who remains seriously injured at the hospital. The department declined to comment, saying it’s still an active investigation.
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Milwaukee’s real estate market likely ended 2025 in much the same place as 2024, real estate analysts say.
A report from the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors released in December estimated that total home sales in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties will remain flat from 2024.
In Milwaukee County, home sales were down 9.2% in November 2025 compared to November 2024, according to the report.
Still, year-to-date home prices in the four-county Milwaukee metropolitan area rose 7.7% to an average of just over $431,000, the report says.
Here are a few of the oldest homes recently sold in Milwaukee, according to Milwaukee Metropolitan Multiple Listing Services data:
1913 Milwaukee bungalow sells for $365,000
A 113-year-old bungalow on South Wentworth Avenue in Milwaukee sold for $365,000 on Dec. 22.
The 1,500-square-foot home has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, according to the listing from Tom Horigan with Realty Experts, and it sits on a 0.11-acre lot.
The home features hardwood floors, a built-in buffet and leaded glass windows but updated home and garage roofs, according to the listing. It also has an enclosed front porch.
19th-century Bay View home sells for $295,000
A 1,250-square-foot Milwaukee home built in 1890 sold for $295,000 on Dec. 22.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is located on East Euclid Avenue in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood, according to the listing from Alexis Ruzell with Coldwell Banker Realty. It sits on a 3,050-square-foot lot.
The home features wood flooring and a second-story bedroom leading to an elevated porch, according to the listing.
Another century-old bungalow sells for $475,000
A bungalow on North 39th Street in Milwaukee’s Roosevelt Grove neighborhood sold for $475,000 on Dec. 23.
The home was built in 1922 on a 0.96-acre lot with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, according to the listing from Kendrick Taylor with Keller Williams Realty. It spans 2,250 square feet.
The home features a modern kitchen with quartz countertops and a dry bar in the living room, according to the listing. It also includes a finished lower level.
Scene near 107th and Wabash, Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee police are investigating two separate fatal shootings that occurred within hours of each other on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 4.
107th and Wabash
What we know:
The first shooting was reported around 2 p.m. near 107th and Wabash, according to the Milwaukee Police Department. A 40-year-old victim suffered gunshot wounds and later died from those injuries.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation, and police are continuing to search for a suspect or suspects.
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64th and Mill
What we know:
A second fatal shooting was reported around 3:40 p.m., near 64th and Mill. Police said a 53-year-old victim was shot and died from their injuries. A suspect is in custody and charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
The shooting remains under active investigation.
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Authorities say the incidents are not related.
MPD tips
What you can do:
Anyone with information related to either shooting is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or via the P3 Tips app.
The Source: Anyone with any information is asked to contact the MPD at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 Tips app.
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