Milwaukee, WI

Don Richards, the former Milwaukee District 9 alderman, dies at 89

Published

3 weeks ago

January 6, 2026

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Don Richards, the former Milwaukee District 9 alderman, dies at 89

Former Milwaukee Common Council member Don Richards died on Dec. 26 at age 89.

Richards served on the Milwaukee Common Council between 1988 and 2004, representing District 9 on the city’s north and northwest sides until his retirement due to health reasons, according to his obituary.

During his tenure at the city, Richards was a member of the Judiciary and Legislation Committee, Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee, as well as the Housing Authority and City Records Committee.

Although the two had a brief overlap in city government, former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who was first elected in 2004, recalled Richards as “always smiling and always caring.”

“He was a wonderful man. A very Christian man who cared deeply about the community and the people who live here,” Barrett told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Before becoming a city alderman, Richards participated in the citywide marches protesting a lack of open housing legislation in the city in the 1960s and was a priest in the Milwaukee Archdiocese for almost two decades, starting in 1963. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the St. Francis Seminary and Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

Following his time on the Common Council, Richards began to teach local government classes at Alverno College. He also worked as an economic development specialist with the Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, his obituary said.

Richards is survived by his brother, Bob (Joanne), and was preceded in death by his wife, Doloros; his parents, Gregor and Rose Richards; and his brothers, Jim Richards and Ed Richards, according to his obit.

A visitation is planned at 10 a.m. Jan 8 until his funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at Alvina of Milwaukee Chapel, 9301 N. 76th Street.

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Milwaukee, WI

Davion Patterson, 15, died amid ‘chaos.’ A Milwaukee man responsible is going to prison

Published

11 hours ago

January 23, 2026

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Davion Patterson, 15, died amid ‘chaos.’ A Milwaukee man responsible is going to prison

This would have been Davion Patterson’s senior year in high school.

Graduation would have been right around the corner. Tiera Carter says she would’ve been right there, chest out, proud to watch her son march across the stage to pick up his diploma.

That didn’t happen.

Davion was 15 when he was shot to death as a gunman opened fire into a crowd of young onlookers who had gathered on Milwaukee’s north side to witness a fistfight between two girls.

“I will never be OK. Never,” Carter said at a Jan. 23 sentencing hearing for Romello Littlejohn, the man convicted of killing her first-born son. “His little brother will never know who he is, except for new pictures and us telling him stories about him.”

Littlejohn was 16 when he opened fire on a group that had gathered near 15th Street and Concordia Avenue nearly three years ago.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge John Franke sentenced Littlejohn, now 18, to spend the next 25 years behind bars.

A jury found Littlejohn guilty in December of first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime and various other felonies in connection with the deadly March 20, 2023, shooting that killed Davion and injured five other people.

Here’s what prosecutors say happened to Davion Patterson

A group assembled at North 15th Street and Concordia Avenue as a street fight between two girls got underway.

According to a criminal complaint, Littlejohn threatened to “pop” anyone who harmed his sister, who was involved in the fight.

Moments later, shots rang out. As many as 30 of them, Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan said.

Davion suffered 11 gunshot wounds and died.

Five others suffered injuries.

One of them, now an 18-year-old woman, was shot in the back by Littlejohn. She testified she laid on the ground next to Davion after the shooting.

However, she was unable to stand or run for cover as bullets whizzed by; she was temporarily paralyzed after the shooting, but is now able to walk after undergoing multiple surgeries.

“This was an incident of chaos and madness,” Vance-Curzan said.

Several of those who showed up to watch the fight captured video on their cellphones. Some of the footage was shown during Littlejohn’s five-day trial.

Defense attorney William Sulton reminded the judge none of the bullets that killed him were matched to the weapon that Littlejohn fired.

People on the scene, including some victims who survived the shooting, said another person whom they identified also had a gun and was seen shooting during the fracas.

Vance-Curzan said another firearm was recovered at the scene, but no one else has been charged in the incident. Littlejohn needed to be held accountable for Davion’s death and the other injuries because he put things in motion by starting the shooting, he said.

Carter said the last two mental images she has of her son still make her emotional.

One is that of Davion cleaning the kitchen. The moment came before the shooting, and, ultimately, became the last “happy” memory she has of him.

The other was of Davion lying in a casket.

“[Littlejohn] does not deserve to have a life. My son’s life was taken. He does not deserve to have a life,” Carter said.

“What he did was malicious. He does not … deserve to get out. He deserves to die himself, just like my son died.”

Littlejohn’s mother, Sheila Jones, pleaded for leniency and less prison time for her son, arguing he has matured since the shooting.

“He’s redeemable,” she said.

The shooter spoke. What did he tell the judge?

Littlejohn spoke during the 90-minute hearing, saying he didn’t intend to shoot anyone, adding he was intoxicated at the time and “wasn’t using my right mindset.”

He said he has sat up every night, trying to think of a better solution for what happened, but hasn’t come up with one.

Littlejohn pleaded Franke to give him “a second chance on life,” so he could return to his family one day, and watch his nieces and brothers grow up.

Why did the case take nearly three years to get to this point?

Lawyers for Littlejohn tried to get his case moved into juvenile court. They argued he’d get better treatment within the juvenile system, citing his age at the time of the killing.

Court records show a judge in October 2023 rejected an appeal to have his case waived into juvenile court.

Since then, the court received a half dozen letters of support for Littlejohn, many of them from juvenile justice personnel.

Franke also ordered Littlejohn to serve 20 years of extended supervision once he is finished with his prison time. Littlejohn was given 1,048 days of in-custody credit, which can be applied to his sentence.

A restitution hearing has been set for Feb. 19. Vance-Curzan requested that Littlejohn be made to pay $5,300 to cover funeral costs.

Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@gannett.com.

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Milwaukee, WI

Interstate 94 into downtown Milwaukee closed due to crash

Published

23 hours ago

January 23, 2026

Press Room

Interstate 94 into downtown Milwaukee closed due to crash

Eastbound Interstate 94 into downtown Milwaukee is closed due to a car crash.

The interstate is closed from 13th Street to Interstate 794 east at the ramp from Interstate 43 due to a crash that occurred at 5:14 a.m., according to a Wisconsin Department of Transportation notification.

The most recent update, issued around 8:30 a.m., estimate the closure to last over two hours.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to the crash. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for more information.

WisDOT’s live traffic map can be found here.

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

Milwaukee garbage, recycling pickup delayed due to extreme cold weather

Published

1 day ago

January 22, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee garbage, recycling pickup delayed due to extreme cold weather

article

MILWAUKEE – Due to the extreme cold forecast for Friday and Saturday, Jan 23–24, all garbage and recycling pickup, along with sanitation collection work in Milwaukee will be suspended on those days.

What we know:

The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) said that only emergency outdoor work will be done during this time.

The city’s drop-off centers will also be closed on Friday and Saturday.

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To catch up on missed collections, DPW crews will work extended hours next week. Residents are asked to keep their carts at their normal collection spot until they are collected.

What’s still open

What we know:

Milwaukee City Hall will remain open, and residents can continue to access services indoors.

The Milwaukee Tow Lot will be open on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Residents are encouraged to call 414-286-2700 before coming in, as some questions or issues may be resolved over the phone without an in-person visit.

The Source: The Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) sent FOX6 a news release.

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