Milwaukee, WI
IndyCar Series returning to the historic Milwaukee Mile
WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Milwaukee Mile is steeped in history but hasn’t hosted an IndyCar Series event since 2015.
For those who remember sun-splashed days, that distinctive open-wheel engine sound and supportive crowds, it’s been tough to take.
Enter Roger Penske, the biggest mover and shaker in the sport, is bringing the series back to the facility.
“Great track, the best kind of racing when you get a mile flat like this,” said Penske. “It’s just a great spot. The racing and the visibility, you know from the grandstand, you see everything and that’s what’s key.”
Josef Newgarden drives for Team Penske and is the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion.
It stands to reason that he’d support his boss’ pursuits, but Newgarden’s enthusiasm for this return is personal.
Milwaukee Mile, West Allis
“I’ve been waiting nine years, okay,” said Newgarden. “It’s very important to me. The last time I was here, it was my first pole position in IndyCar. I grew up dreaming of being an IndyCar driver. Milwaukee is a staple, it should be on the calendar, so I can’t wait to come back here. I want to see everybody there August 13th through September 1st. We’re going to be there. It’s a good time.”
And it’s a rapidly approaching time. Just like on the track, windows close very quickly when it comes to getting a venue up to speed, especially one that hasn’t hosted this series in almost a decade.
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“Of course it’s daunting,” said Shari Black, Wisconsin State Fair CEO. “Certainly, it’s a challenge. It’s almost, well, it’s similar to planning another fair, maybe not quite as big, but it’s a big deal.”
“Well, I think we’re looking at sustainability,” Penske said. “We’ve got quality sponsors, we’ve got more teams than we thought we’d ever have, we’ve got an entry level of guys that are coming at Indy next and this is the ones that want to be at the Indy 500, so we’ve got a great leader series coming in.”
For years, the Mile’s event was just one week after the Indy 500.
There was a built-in build-up. More recently, the track has been quiet.
Preparations and eagerness are now accelerating toward top speed in regard to the Mile’s return to the IndyCar schedule.
By the time the teams get to town, they will be in final jockeying mode for the season championship. And more history will be made at America’s legendary oval.
The doubleheader at the Mile will be the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend.
There will also be racing in Elkhart Lake on June 9th.
Milwaukee, WI
Fox Point fire Sunday night, multiple crews respond
FOX POINT, Wis. – A fire broke out in a Fox Point neighborhood on Sunday night, Dec. 22.
The Brown Deer Fire Department and Milwaukee Fire Department confirmed multiple units responded to the fire in a neighborhood on Barnett Lane.
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It’s currently unclear what started the fire.
Milwaukee, WI
Wisconsin holiday gas prices falling as thousands hit the road
MILWAUKEE – Thousands across Wisconsin are expected to hit the road for the holiday. The travel comes at a good time – because GasBuddy experts predict nationwide gas prices will be at their lowest point on Christmas Day since 2020.
At Good Hope and Green Bay roads, Victor Tran is filling up – and it’s not a bad time to do so.
“The gas right now. Very, very good right now. They’re getting lower. Better than they were before,” Trans said.
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According to AAA, the average for a gallon of regular gas in Wisconsin is around $2.82 per gallon. The average in Milwaukee County on Sunday, Dec. 22 was around $2.79. That is lower than Ozaukee County with an average of around $2.93. All those prices are below the $3 per gallon national average.
Patrick De Haan is the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
“It’s the seasonality that’s really been the primary reason for gas prices that have fallen compared to where they were this summer,” De Haan said. “In the last couple of days we have seen a big jump in some parts of Wisconsin ahead of the holiday. That has to do with oil prices jumping up.”
But De Haan believes prices will once again fall in Milwaukee. He suggests waiting until closer to Christmas to fill up.
GasBuddy suggests people always check fuel prices before filling up – especially when crossing the state line.
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“I do think a high number of Americans are likely going to be hitting the road in light of the relatively low gas prices,” De Haan said.
De Haan predicts prices will rise after the cold winter months.
“What goes down eventually will go up in the spring,” De Haan said.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee shooting near 14th and North; 25-year-old accused
MILWAUKEE – A 25-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of shooting another man near a gas station near 14th and North. The accused is Dreaten Burch – and he faces a single charge of first-degree reckless injury.
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police responded on Sunday evening, Dec. 8 to a shooting near 14th and North Avenue. Officers spoke with relatives of the shooting victim who came home with a gunshot wound to his face. They believed he had been at a nearby gas station.
That same night, a detective went to Froedtert Hospital where the shooting victim was being treated for his wound. He indicated he “exchanged words with the driver of a white vehicle, then ran west on North Avenue and got shot in the face as he ran,” the complaint says. The victim said he did not see who shot him.
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Milwaukee police responded to the Citgo gas station near 14th and North and reviewed surveillance video showing the suspect and victim. The complaint says the “video shows that at about 5:31 p.m., a man walks into Citgo, then leaves and walks through the parking lot. At about 5:33 p.m., a white vehicle turns into the parking lot and appears to nearly strike the man in the parking lot, who has to avoid the vehicle. The vehicle parks, then a suspect exits the driver’s door, then heads in the same direction as the first man.”
Investigators found a casing and unspent cartridge northeast of the intersection of 14th and North. Police “later found additional surveillance video showing the man and suspect heading to this location, and showing the man returning to the white vehicle,” the complaint says.
Investigators reviewed photos of the suspect vehicle. They also queried the Flock Safety database and found a matching vehicle within three days of the incident. Officers had previously stopped the vehicle — and identified the driver as Dreaten Burch.
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Burch was arrested on Dec. 9. When police tried to question him about the shooting incident at the gas station, Burch “said he may have been at the gas station and may have been in the car, but he didn’t know about anything else,” the complaint says.
Burch made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Saturday, Dec. 14. Cash bond was set at $10,000.
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