Mitchell International Airport is seeking bids to demolish and construct a new concourse and international terminal building that will be attached to the main terminal.

The airport has four requests for proposals available for contractors to bid on. One for the demolition of concourse E, one for the development of “new concourse E,” one on boarding bridges and another on fueling.

More: Milwaukee’s airport has charming stores and unique offerings. Learn a bit about them.

The work includes excavation, demolition, construction, fueling system work and installation of passenger boarding bridges.

Harold Mester, director of public affairs and marketing, said “Nothing is imminent at this time.”

“The project was largely designed five years ago, but was delayed due to our revenues being down during the pandemic,” Mester said in an email. “Since then, costs have increased and we are seeking a federal grant. Any potential federal funding won’t be announced until next year. But we are being proactive so that we are ready to go if funding becomes available.”

The international concourse construction was originally scheduled for January 2021. Since the delay, costs have risen from $55 million to roughly $85 million, airport director Brian Dranzik said in March.

Also in March, the airport was awarded a $5.1 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. The funding came from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The Milwaukee Brewers front office was tasked with acquiring a starting pitcher ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, and they did just that.

Although the Brewers are atop the National League Central, their roster still felt an arm short in the rotation to make a deep push in the postseason. Fortunately, general manager Matt Arnold added a much-needed arm to the pitching staff.

“Trade: The Milwaukee Brewers are acquiring pitcher Frankie Montas from the Cincinnati Reds, pending medical review, according to sources familiar with the deal,” FanSided’s Robert Murray reported Monday night.

Montas has a 5.01 ERA with a 78-to-41 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .256 batting average against and a 1.44 WHIP in 93 1/3 innings across 19 games this season.

The 31-year-old is under team control through the 2025 season and can offer a serviceable arm to a Milwaukee rotation that desperately needed the help.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand also reported that the Brewers are sending two players, yet to be named, to Cincinnati in return for Montas.

The Brew Crew may not be done here, as there have been reports that the front office is also searching for a left-handed bat due to star outfielder Christian Yelich being sidelined with a back injury.

More MLB: Brewers’ Newly Acquired Hurler Immediately Takes Shot At Rockies Organization

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.

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.