Milwaukee, WI

4 people have died from cold weather this winter in Milwaukee County, more below-zero temps on the way

Published

1 year ago

January 17, 2025

4 people have died from cold weather this winter in Milwaukee County, more below-zero temps on the way

Four people have died from cold-related causes in the last three months in Milwaukee County, according to the medical examiner’s office, as homeless shelters and others brace for a weekend of brutal below-zero temperatures.

Temperatures are expected to be between 15 to 25 below zero with windchill from Sunday to Wednesday, raising concerns for advocates for people without housing and those who must find ways to stay warm.

“People go wherever they can to stay warm,” said Darlene Roots, who has lived in a tent in an encampment near King Park for roughly the last year, after being evicted from her apartment.

Roots has a homeless shelter to stay at during the upcoming cold, beginning at 7 p.m., but must be elsewhere in the afternoon, she said. During that time, she’ll find ways to stay warm back at her tent.

Roots intends to use hand warmers, blankets and potentially burn hand sanitizer to keep warm, she said.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said four people have died from hypothermia or complications from hypothermia so far this winter.

An 82-year-old man was found dead in his home by police with temperatures between 26 to 50 degrees in late November. The home’s thermostat and many light switches were not working, according to medical examiner reports.

Three others, who were all homeless, died in December, including a 69-year-old found dead outdoors in a chair behind a business on Dec. 2, when temperatures ranged between 14 to 32 degrees.

Eleven days later, a 64-year-old woman was found outside on a sidewalk unresponsive and later died at the hospital. Temperatures ranged between 4 to 32 degrees that day, according to National Weather Service records.

That same day, a Milwaukee firefighter found a 56-year-old man dead in a vacant house.

“It’s a profound grief, especially under circumstances like that,” said Pat Vanderburgh, president at Milwaukee Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter. “First thought that people have is, ‘That didn’t have to happen.’”

The Milwaukee Rescue Mission operates an overflow shelter for men and another for single women or single women with children.

“If we’re at capacity, we will try to make room,” Vanderburgh said.

As the executive director of the homelessness organization Repairers of the Breach, James West has seen the daily struggles of people who experience homelessness: cold weather, limited shelter resources, among others.

Although there are resources for people experiencing homelessness, West said there should always be improvements, and community support is essential.

“It’s horrible,” he said of people dying in the cold. “The only way we can continue to do this is if the community decides to take care of the community.”

The Milwaukee Health Department advises people looking for shelter to call 211 or visit the website www.impactinc.org/impact-211/.

Where are the warming shelters in Milwaukee?

Here’s where you can find the warming centers in Milwaukee. Note that some centers are only open to certain groups, such as single men or single women.

Guest House of Milwaukee, at 1216 N. 13th St. Open to single men.
Unity Lutheran Church, at 1025 E. Oklahoma Ave. Open to singles and families.
Tippecanoe Church, at 125 W. Saveland Ave. Does not accept walk-ins.
Repairers of the Breach, at 1335 W. Vliet St. Open to singles.
Milwaukee Rescue Mission Joy House, at 830 N. 19th St. Open to single woman and families.
Milwaukee Rescue Mission Safe Harbor, at 830 N. 19th St. Open to single men after 10 p.m
St. Benedict the Moor Parish, at 930 W. State St. Open to singles.

Eva Wen is a reporter at the Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at qwen@gannett.com

David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.

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Milwaukee, WI

MPS layoffs plan draws pushback as district works to close $46M gap

Published

4 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

MPS layoffs plan draws pushback as district works to close M gap

MPS cuts face backlash

Milwaukee Public Schools plans about 200 layoffs to close a $46 million budget gap, but union leaders say cuts could impact student safety while district leaders say no classroom teachers will be eliminated.

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Public Schools is planning to cut roughly 200 positions next school year as the district works to close a multi-million-dollar budget gap — but there’s disagreement over which roles will be impacted.

What we know:

District leaders say the goal is to close a roughly $46 million shortfall, prompting changes that Superintendent Brenda Cassellius says are necessary.

Milwaukee Public Schools said about 201 staff members will be impacted. District leaders say no classroom teachers, counselors or social workers will be cut — something the teachers’ union disputes.

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The reductions stem from a previously approved plan to eliminate about 260 non-classroom roles. The final number dropped after retirements and existing vacancies. The Milwaukee Board of School Directors approved that plan on March 9.

What they’re saying:

“We have a $50 million deficit, we are for sure not going to be able to do business the same way that we’ve been able to do business,” Cassellius said. “Change is just hard. It’s just hard. And every single one of our employees is so important.”

But some educators say the cuts go too far.

“MTEA is setting up a distress signal. We are talking about our teachers, art teachers, music teachers, physical education teachers, counselors — things that the voters of referendum of Milwaukee actually voted for,” said Ingrid Walker-Henry, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association. “Staffing is being cut to the extent that they are concerned about student safety.”

Cassellius acknowledged the uncertainty and asked school leaders for patience.

“We just have to for sure know our budget situation, where we’re at with that after these cuts are made in order to make those decisions,” she said. “So I’m asking my principals, be patient with us.”

By the numbers:

The district outlined the 201 affected positions as:

70 central office roles
62 educators with a teaching license but not assigned to one classroom
59 assistant principals

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MPS says the savings will support new class size guidelines, including:

18 students per teacher in K3
20 students per teacher in K4
22 students per teacher in K5

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)

District leaders say no students will be asked to leave a school to meet class size guidelines. Officials say they are working with schools that may not have space or that require larger classes based on specific programs.

What’s next:

Milwaukee Public Schools plans to present its proposed 2026–27 budget to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors in May.

The Source: Information in this post was provided by Milwaukee Public Schools and prior FOX6 coverage.

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Milwaukee, WI

Brewers finally announce cable, satellite TV channels for broadcasts

Published

16 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Brewers finally announce cable, satellite TV channels for broadcasts

Just before the pitch clock hits zero, the Milwaukee Brewers released a rundown of channels on cable and satellite for game broadcasts, mere hours before the 1:10 p.m. CT first pitch on Opening Day, Thursday, March 26.

The club said channels include 1263 on XFinity, 670 on DirecTV, 1743 on U-Verse, and 319 or 469 on Spectrum. The broadcasts are also listed as available on streaming service Fubo.

The Brewers are pointing fans to a channel-finding tool on their web site at Brewers.com/watch, though in the moments after the announcement, the channel finder was not yet locating details for Spectrum customers for Milwaukee-area zip codes. A club spokesperson said Major League Baseball was aware of the error and the games would indeed air on Spectrum in Milwaukee.

The built-in Spectrum guide still showed Channel 308 as the “BREW” offering in Milwaukee, with Brewers Live Pregame scheduled to begin at noon CT and baseball at 1 p.m. March 26.

With the February announcement of a switchover from FanDuel Sports Wisconsin to Major League Baseball productions in 2026, MLB negotiations have gone down to the wire with the various providers around Wisconsin. Several teams covered by Main Street Sports, which operated the FanDuel brand, have been in a similar boat this offseason.

Brewers fans aren’t alone in experiencing the late-arriving channel information. Maury Brown of Forbes has been keeping track of all the late-arriving channel announcements for teams around baseball, specifically those that were covered by the Main Street Sports. As of 7 a.m. March 26, the Royals, Rays, Tigers and Braves also still hadn’t released channel listings.

Streaming customers who used the FanDuel Sports Wisconsin app in previous years can use the new Brewers.TV option to once again watch games. The opener is also one of 10 games simulcast on over-the-air channels this season, including WITI-TV (Channel 6) in Milwaukee.

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Milwaukee, WI

Chase, crash into Milwaukee library construction site; man pleads guilty

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Chase, crash into Milwaukee library construction site; man pleads guilty

article

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a pursuit that ended with a crash into a library construction site.

In court:

Court records show Cameron Moore, 37, pleaded guilty to three felonies and the state dismissed two others as part of a plea deal. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in May.

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The backstory:

Sheriff’s deputies were monitoring a home near 2nd and Lloyd. They were trying to locate a man, later identified as Moore, who was wanted for burglary and fleeing/eluding.

Moore left the home and got into an SUV that afternoon. Detectives tried to pull the SUV over and, while it did briefly stop, it almost immediately took off.

Crash damages library at MLK and Locust, Milwaukee (Jan. 7, 2025)

About a mile into the chase, the SUV ran a red light and slammed into a car at the intersection of King Drive and Locust Street. It then careened into the library construction site.

Nobody in the vehicles involved in the pursuit or crash was injured, according to authorities. A construction worker inside the building reported leg pain, and he was examined and cleared at the scene.

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“120 to 140 miles per hour on the freeway, on the public roadways passing people,” Court Commissioner Katharine Kucharski said after charges were filed. “We are all very lucky that nobody is…passed in this situation.”

The Milwaukee Public Library’s new Martin Luther King Branch opened months later. At the official opening, Ald. Milele Coggs acknowledged the roadblocks along the way – including the crash.

The Source: Information in this report is from the Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior FOX6 News coverage.

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