Milwaukee, WI
Some Milwaukee homes undergo lead abatement for free
MILWAUKEE — Health officials said lead is still commonly found in older homes around Milwaukee. Lead paint was banned in the U.S. in 1978, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
So many of the city’s homes are contaminated with lead that the Milwaukee Health Department is calling it a crisis.
Tyler Weber, the deputy commissioner of environmental health at the Milwaukee Health Department, said there are 200,000 homes in the City of Milwaukee contaminated with lead.
He said the older the home, the higher the levels of lead. That poses an array of health risks, especially for children.
“It can prevent a child from learning to read earlier in life,” Weber said. “It can decrease their vocabulary. There’s impulse control [and] potentially ADHD. So there’s a number of behavioral challenges and that can have a lifelong impact.”
Weber said lead can be found in walls, windows, water and soil. He said because it’s so prevalent in Milwaukee homes, $20 million in federal funds have been put toward reducing the lead hazard in low-income communities.
“They’ve been significantly red-lined, segregated economically and they have older homes with more windows, bigger square-footage and 80% of the families we work with are renters,” Weber said.
In Milwaukee, a resident may qualify for the Wisconsin Lead-Safe Homes Program (LSHP) if they meet the following criteria:
- “Your home was built before 1978
- “Your taxes are paid to date or you are enrolled in a tax payment plan
- “Children under age 19 or a pregnant woman living at or regularly visiting your home are on, or are eligible for, Medicaid or BadgerCare Plus. (“Regularly visiting” means visiting for at least three hours per day on two or more days per week, totaling at least 60 hours per year)”
The Morris sisters are just two of the many individuals impacted by lead exposure in the city. Their home was built in the early 1900s and riddled with lead.
A Habitat for Humanity flyer left in their mailbox that advertised free lead abatement services caught their interest.
“I told my sister, I said ‘Hey, I think this would be a good thing to look into,’ because it’s an older house. We have peeling paint and she had her two grandchildren living here with us,” Shawn Morris said.
They met the qualifications, as the grandkids living in the home had high levels of lead in their blood. Habitat for Humanity quickly got to work. The abatement took about three months to complete and was done free of charge.
“It’s a wonderful program,” Morris said. “They totally transformed our house. They gave us a new house. There’s no way we would have been able to afford it.”
The project saved the Morris family thousands of dollars and brought the grandkids’ lead blood levels back to normal. Weber is hoping to do just that for other families affected by lead exposure.
“Helping to get this crisis under control and bring awareness to the lead poisoning and the effects in can cause,” Weber said.
For more information on how to qualify and apply for free lead remediation in Milwaukee, click here.
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred on early Sunday morning on the 4900 block of W. Capitol Drive that left one person injured.
An 18-year-old sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
TMJ4
The police is currently looking for an unknown suspect at this time.
Those with information regarding the shooting are encouraged to contact the Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360 or contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS or P3 Tips to remain anonymous.
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MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Department requested the public’s help to find 11-year-old Sir’Charles Bason, a critically missing boy who was last seen near Teutonia and Kiley at around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.
Police described Bason as 4 feet, 5 inches tall with a slim build, brown eyes and black, low-cut hair. He was last seen wearing a gray jacket with green lines, dark-colored jeans, tan sandals and carrying gray Nike Jordan shoes.
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What you can do:
Anyone with information on Bason’s whereabouts is asked to call Milwaukee Police District 4 at 414-935-7242.
The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department released information.
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, previously named one of Wisconsin’s Most Wanted, has been sentenced to prison for shooting and killing his cousin in 2020.
In court
What we know:
A Milwaukee County jury found 39-year-old Brandon Gladney guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firm by a felon earlier this year.
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Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Gladney to 29 years in prison on Friday, April 17. He was granted credit for more than a year’s time served and further sentenced to 14 years of extended supervision.
Arrested in Arizona after years on the run, court records show Gladney has also been ordered to pay the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office more than $1,800 for extradition costs.
Homicide investigation
The backstory:
The shooting happened in May 2020. Investigators said Gladney was captured on video apparently arguing with the victim, his cousin, outside a Milwaukee convenience store near 21st and Meinecke.
“It’s all on video, and it’s devastating for that family,” the marshal on the case told FOX6 when Gladney was profiled on Wisconsin’s Most Wanted. “You have a family member that shot and killed another family member.”
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Prosecutors said Gladney walked away but then returned with a gun pointed directly at the victim and shot him. The victim died from his gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Multiple bullet casings were found at the scene.
Gladney went on the run for years. He was arrested in Arizona in January 2023, years after he was charged.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage.
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