Milwaukee, WI
Longtime Brewers Announcer Bob Uecker Dies At Age 90
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 03: Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer Bob Uecker throws a ceremonial … [+]
Summertime in Milwaukee will never be the same.
For the last 54 years, Bob Uecker’s voice let Milwaukeeans know that another long, cold winter had come to an end, that spring had finally arrived and with it, Milwaukee Brewers baseball and another summer of sunshine and warmer weather.
Uecker provided the soundtrack for those months, bringing Brewers games to fans as they made their way to summer cottages, enjoyed days on the lake or just relaxing in their own backyards.
This summer, though, will be different after Uecker passed away Thursday at the age of 90, following a brief and private battle with cancer.
“He’s really the heart of Milwaukee baseball,” Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said.
That might be an understatement because in many ways, Uecker epitomizes Milwaukee baseball.
Long before he called his first Brewers came in 1971, the Milwaukee native was a standout prep baseball player for Boys Tech High School. After graduating in 1956, he became the first local player signed by the hometown Milwaukee Braves, who brought him to the big leagues in 1961.
Uecker would spend six seasons in the majors and was part of a St. Louis Cardinals team that won the World Series in 1964. After closing out the 1967 season in Atlanta, where the Braves moved following the 1965 season, Uecker retired and started his broadcast career with WSB-TV.
Milwaukee, though, was always home and Uecker return to the city where he became a scout for the fledgling Brewers franchise, which Bud Selig had brought to town after a one-year run as an expansion team in Seattle.
While scouting wasn’t Uecker’s forte, Selig knew where his friend would shine and sent him up to the broadcast booth where he joined Merle Harmon and Tom Collins, a spot he’d never relinquish.
Along the way, Uecker’s natural gift for entertaining and comedy led to more than 100 appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, who gave Uecker the nickname “Mr. Baseball,” syndicated shows like “Bob Uecker’s Wacky World of Sports,” a starring role in the ABC sitcom “Mr. Belvedere” and starring roles in classic films like “Major League.”
Oh, and enshrinement in baseball’s Hall of Fame.
But no matter where Uecker’s fame led him, he never strayed too far from his hometown and never considered giving up his “real job” with the Brewers, so much so that up until recently, he never worked under a contract.
“Every year we asked,” said president of business operations Rick Schlesinger. “And every year he said, ‘No, a handshake is good enough for me.’”
Uecker called some of the franchise’s greatest moments, including it’s first — and to this date, only — trip to the World Series in 1982 but was also behind the mic during a lot of forgettable years, during which his humor kept fans tuning in every night.
When the franchise’s fortunes started to turn for the better, Uecker was still there helping teach a new generation of players what it meant to play in Milwaukee and brining their successes to a new generation of fans.
“He had the unique ability to relate to all of us,” former Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun said. “He’d lived the game through our eyes. He understood how challenging a season could be at different times. And so to be able to go to him just to talk about life more so than baseball, was something that I think we all looked forward to. The season can get challenging. It can feel stressful at times. I think he was just a source of consistency and calm for all of us, and we valued his opinion, right? He just always had a unique ability to say the right thing, to give good advice, to make you laugh, to not take things as seriously and to just bring joy to our lives.”
The Brewers never made it back to the World Series before Uecker passed away and it will be somewhat bittersweet if they get there without him making the call, but time marches on and as different as it will be, so will the Brewers, who are planning ways to honor their franchise icon this season.
“Bob Uecker is not replaceable,” Attanasio said. “He was a true man of the people, without saying he was a man of people.”
See the aftermath of high-speed reckless driving in Milwaukee
Journalist James Causey and his wife narrowly escaped a high-speed chase and accident when an SUV ran past them and through an intersection, colliding with a Mercedes.
Milwaukee County will receive nearly $25 million in federal funding for 67 traffic safety projects along 10 of the county’s most hazardous roadways, according to a Jan. 12 announcement from County Executive David Crowley’s office.
That funding will support upgrades for pedestrian infrastructure, intersections and high-speed corridors in Milwaukee, West Allis, Glendale, Brown Deer, Shorewood and on multiple county highways.
Collectively, these projects could reduce fatal and serious injury crashes in hazardous areas by 26%–50% and save an estimated $1.2 billion in car crash costs over 20 years, according to the announcement.
Preliminary designs are anticipated to begin in 2027, with all projects completed by 2031.
The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant, which the county’s Department of Transportation applied for in 2025 as part of its Complete Communities Transportation Planning Project, an initiative to increase safety and reduce reckless driving across its roadways.
Already, the county has analyzed crash data, identified 25 “Corridors of Concern,” and reviewed potential project opportunities.
Milwaukee County’s award amounts to the third-largest grant in the federal program’s 2025 funding cycle. It will be managed by the county and distributed to the five municipal recipients.
The municipalities will lead the projects and provide a 20% local match to support costs.
More details about the projects’ locations will be posted on the transportation department’s website, according to the announcement.
The 65 infrastructure projects and two studies enabled by the grant aim to improve safety along 10 hazardous roadways the county has identified.
Pedestrian infrastructure upgrades will include high-visibility crosswalks, upgraded pedestrian walk signals, restricting right-turn-on-red options, and sidewalk network expansion.
Intersection upgrades will include traffic signal upgrades, better visibility for pedestrians, bump-outs, and select geometric realignments. High-speed corridor upgrades will entail traffic calming improvements that help drivers stay in their lanes.
One of the projects will also seek to reduce reckless driving on the 16th Street viaduct, the 27th Street viaduct and the 35th Street viaduct.
The grant will also fund a safety analysis study on West Lincoln Avenue between South 124th Street and South 52nd Street, which will issue recommendations for future projects. The grant will also fund a county Department of Transportation report assessing the county’s progress toward the Vision Zero goal.
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
MILWAUKEE – New details are emerging in the death of a pregnant woman found dead after a house fire investigators say was intentionally set, as the man charged in the case appeared in court.
What we know:
21-year-old Cameron Washington appeared Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, where prosecutors outlined allegations tying him to the death of 22-year-old Gladys Johnson-Ball.
Washington faces six felony charges, including first-degree recklessly endangering safety and arson, all connected to the fire that broke out the night of Jan. 5.
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According to the criminal complaint, Johnson-Ball was the mother of Washington’s 3-year-old daughter and was pregnant with another child at the time of her death. Investigators say Washington lived with Johnson-Ball and her family at a home near 26th and Locust.
Police were called to the home for reports of a person with a weapon. When officers arrived, they reported seeing flames on the second floor of the house. While clearing the home, officers found Johnson-Ball unconscious in a bedroom that was on fire.
She was taken outside and pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators noted Johnson-Ball had bruises across her body and blood coming from her nose and mouth, according to the complaint.
The complaint says Johnson-Ball’s mother told police Washington and her daughter had been inside the bedroom together all day and that family members had been unable to reach her. She told investigators Washington would not allow anyone inside the room and pointed a gun at family members.
What they’re saying:
“He was blocking the door like, ‘No you not getting in here,’ then I turned around and that’s when he pointed the gun at my daughter Kayla,” said Michelle Johnson, the victim’s mother.
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Family members told investigators the fire started moments later in the bedroom and Washington ran away from the house. He was later arrested, and police say a lighter was found in his pocket.
“Ultimately, this is extremely dangerous and deliberate behavior,” said Assistant District Attorney Anthony Moore.
Dig deeper:
In court, Washington’s bond was set at $100,000. Prosecutors said he could face more than 50 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Court Commissioner Maria Dorsey noted Washington has not yet been charged with homicide because the medical examiner’s report was not completed when charges were filed.
What’s next:
Washington’s next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 20.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.
The Milwaukee Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a critically missing 15-year-old girl who was last seen with an unknown man.
Esther D. Prado was last seen Sunday, Jan. 11, around 12:30 a.m. near West Fillmore Drive and West Sumac Place. That’s near Jackson Park on the southwest side of Milwaukee.
Esther is described as a white female, 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes and may be wearing pink pajamas.
Anyone with information is asked to call MPD’s District 6 at (414) 935-7262.
“Critically missing” is a label police apply to people who may be especially vulnerable due to a variety of factors.
Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@gannett.com.
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