Milwaukee, WI
I am disappointed that Dan O’Donnell is still on the air | Letter
WISN radio host Dan O’Donnell casually jokes about harming an elected official. This is hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy. Language like this does not belong in any civil society.
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I am appalled by WISN-AM host Dan O’Donnell’s recent social media posts, in which he suggested “taking out the Supreme Leader of Minnesota” and shared a mocking image of Gov. Tim Walz (“Milwaukee radio host says to ‘take out’ Gov. Tim Walz,” March 4).
This is not political commentary — it is dangerous, irresponsible, and disgusting.
Even more outrageous, O’Donnell has publicly defended pardons for convicted or alleged fraudsters, including high-profile cases from the Trump administration, yet he casually jokes about harming an elected official. This is hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy. Language like this does not belong in any civil society.
Our community deserves media voices that uphold decency, honesty and public safety, not ones that normalize threats and spread fear. I demand that leaders and media outlets reject this kind of rhetoric and make it clear that it will not be tolerated.
Laura J. Nigh, Wauwatosa
I am disappointed Dan O’Donnell is still on air at WISN
I am disappointed that Dan O’Donnell is still on the air. I further ask the Milwaukee County District Attorney to charge him for calling for violence against a public official. His apology is not enough.
David Schmitz, Baileys Harbor
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Watch surveillance footage of federal raid at S2 Real Estate office.
Federal agents arrested 18 people this week in a drug conspiracy case, including Sam Stair, the owner of S2 Real Estate, and his business manager.
Footage courtesy of U.S. Petro, editing by Angelica Edwards/ The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee elected officials say the recent arrest and charging of a Milwaukee landlord in a sprawling drug case showed the city needs to take problematic landlords and the tenants who report them more seriously.
Sam Stair, 52, owner of S2 Real Estate Group, was arrested by federal agents early on April 22 and charged with multiple drug charges stemming from renting houses to be used for drug trafficking. In the week since the arrest, elected officials and community groups responded with alarm and said it showed a need for more to be done against problematic landlords.
“I’m angry. I’m disappointed,” said Ald. Jose Perez, who represents parts of the city’s south side and is president of the Common Council. “We want these properties to be caught sooner.”
Stair owns and manages over 150 properties, which have over 500 units and are mainly concentrated on the city’s south side. The charges against him and 17 others suggest a wide-ranging operation where Stair would lease homes that would be used by drug dealers either as stash houses, for storing drugs, or as trap houses, for selling drugs to dealers, according to a 176-page criminal complaint.
Stair, whose properties are the frequent subject of tenant complaints, is accused of earning over $1.5 million as part of this operation, which included using these dealers to manage his properties, including finding those addicted to drugs to rent the units to, according to court documents.
The case has been under investigation since May 2024.
Stair’s arrest and the charges against him have been pointed to by community members and organizations as a clear example of a gap in the city’s safety. On April 26, the public safety organization Common Ground pointed to it when promoting a plan for improving safety on the city’s South Side.
In a statement, the group said “negligent landlords” like Stair are hurting Milwaukee neighborhoods “in order to maximize their profits.”
“The victimization of these neighborhoods is systemic,” said Jack Eckblad, Milwaukee County District 4 Supervisor, who endorsed the safety plan. “It erodes trust in institutions like the police, like the fire department.”
At that event, Danyell Austin, a tenant of Stair’s, told the Journal Sentinel she and other tenants are left uncertain of how to move forward or whether to continue paying rent. Austin rents a commercial storefront from Stair’s company S2 Real Estate Group on West Greenfield Avenue and South Layton Boulevard.
Community Advocates, a nonprofit that helps low-income families meet their basic needs, recommends that tenants hold on to traditional rent payments, like checks, until further notice. However, if tenants are able to pay through their online portal, they should continue to do so, as that is typically more secure, said Shawanna Lindenberg, the organization’s housing department manager.
Austin has reported myriad concerns with the company to the council member in her district, JoCasta Zamarripa, mainly relating to unresolved maintenance issues which she continues to struggle with to this day.
In an interview prior to Stair’s arrest, Zamarripa told the Journal Sentinel she had received messages from a few constituents but was unaware of the severity of tenant complaints or Stair’s business model.
Austin said she’s not surprised that the city hadn’t acted against Stair before his arrest.
“He acts like he was untouchable,” Austin said. “He’s likeable, he has the money behind him, he knows that most people don’t have the financial stability to fight against him in court if it really comes to it.”
Stair is not the first Milwaukee landlord charged for drug dealing. In 2017, Kenneth D. Churchill III pleaded guilty to a charge of distributing heroin.
He was a significantly less prolific landlord than Stair. Churchill operated 12 properties and half had a designation as drug houses, the Journal Sentinel reported at the time.
Stair’s arrest and prior incidents like Churchill’s show the need for more coordination between the city and more attention to residents’ concerns, Perez said.
“I don’t think we’re making the connection with some of the complaints we have in the neighborhood with an enterprise similar to what we’ve seen in the news – a drug enterprise,” he said.
Stair’s arrest gives the city the opportunity to build off that momentum and hold other problematic landlords accountable, said Milwaukee County District 14 Supervisor Caroline Gomez-Tom, who represents parts of the city’s south side.
While many were unaware of Stair’s actions, Gomez-Tom said tenants were reporting concerns and deserved to be listened to.
“Sometimes, unfortunately, its falls to deaf ears. Either they’re reporting it to police or they’re reporting it to elected officials,” Gomez-Tom said. “The need is there for stronger responses to even the smallest concerns. If one person is reporting it, many other people are seeing it.”
Stair appeared in federal court on April 22 and remains in custody. He is due back in court for a detention hearing on April 27.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at: dclarey@gannett.com.
Alyssa Salcedo covers Silver City, Layton Park and Burnham Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: asalcedo@usatodayco.com.
Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Zilber Family Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Journal Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is made possible through our partnership with Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association, and EnMotive, LLC, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc. USA TODAY Co., Inc. is the parent company of this publication.
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) says one woman is dead after a house fire Saturday night near N. 8th Street and W. Fiebrantz Avenue.
A brother of the victim identified her to TMJ4 News as 79-year-old Helen Dobson.
According to a press release from MFD, a call reporting smoke coming from a residence at 4488 N. 8th St. came in at 9:23 p.m. on April 25.
MFD says it arrived on scene at 9:28 p.m.
The release adds that crews found and extinguished a stove fire that caused heavy smoke on first floor of the residence.
After searching the house, firefighters found an unconscious woman who was only one in the residence, according to the release.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to TMJ4 News that the medical examiner was called to the scene.
MFD adds that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee food trucks will soon close earlier than they have been after the Common Council unanimously approved a plan this week to restrict late-night operating hours.
Local perspective:
Common Council members said the change came in response to safety concerns. The new rule, which takes effect on May 9, will require food trucks in the downtown area to close by 10 p.m. In other food truck zones, it’s now 11 p.m.
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The previous closing time for food trucks in the city was 1 a.m.
Food truck parked on Water Street
‘This is not fair’
What they’re saying:
On Saturday, the smell of burgers, brats and tacos lingered around the food trucks as busy cooks prepared tasty bites for hungry customers on Water Street.
“Everyone knows us here. A lot of support from students, from the community in this area,” said Abdallah Ismail, who owns the Fatty Patty food truck.
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Ismail said their peak hour is 10 p.m. Soon, they won’t be allowed to stay open at that time.
“If we close at 10, we lose everything,” said Ismail. “We have to close. That’s it. There’s no work anymore.”
Ismail said he and other food truck owners learned about the new rule from the news. He also said the city had reached out to them the first time they created restrictions for food trucks and outlined acceptable operating hours.
Abdallah Ismail, owner of Fatty Patty food truck
“This is not a fair decision, and at least they have to talk to us,” he said. “I’m a legit legal business – that I pay tax, that I have my permits, that I obey to all rules that the city has – so they should at least respect us.”
For now, the businesses parked along Water Street said they hope they can find a solution with Common Council members that works for everyone.
“I hope that they’re going to listen to us. If not, we want to see how we can solve it,” said Ismail.
In a statement, Ald. Robert Bauman said:
“The city and council followed all required procedures regarding posting and publishing notice of this legislation. Same process for all files that come before the council.
“There was a public hearing on this file before the Public Safety and Health Committee. There was public testimony in favor and against the file.
“The file passed the council unanimously and I understand it has been signed by the mayor.
“We are doing everything we can to quell the violence and disorder that has plagued the downtown entertainment districts. MPD and other stakeholders testified that food trucks were a contributing factor to this violence and disorder.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include Bauman’s statement.
The Source: FOX6 News reviewed the Common Council’s meeting and spoke to people on Water Street.
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