Milwaukee, WI
Meet the composting advocate who helped end the landfilling of Milwaukee Christmas trees
That Milwaukee will no longer landfill its Christmas trees came as welcome news to the person who set the change in motion.
The city this week began Christmas tree pick up after all following a flap at City Hall over their collection and disposal.
But, unlike past years, the trees will not be headed to the garbage heap, where they decay and release harmful gases to the air.
“The trees we collect will not be landfilled. They will be separated from the rest of the garbage. They will be composted,” city Department of Public Works spokesperson Tiffany Shepherd told the Journal Sentinel in an email.
It was just weeks ago that the department announced plans to cease tree collection at the curb under pressure from the state over the practice of landfilling them, only to back off that plan following heavy criticism from Common Council members afraid trees would be strewn across the city instead of taken to drop-off centers.
All of which pleases Compost Crusader founder Melissa Tashjian, whose complaint to the state Department of Natural Resources about the city’s landfilling of Christmas trees prompted the agency in January to issue the city a notice of noncompliance.
“We’re thrilled,” she said. “The whole reason for the complaint was to get the city to acknowledge that they could be doing it differently.”
That notice cited state law regarding yard waste and required that by Feb. 20 the city submit and implement a written plan to the DNR describing the steps the city would take to prevent Christmas trees from being sent to landfills.
The department agreed in February to end Christmas tree curbside collection but did not announce the change until early this month, prompting council backlash.
Tashjian, whose business picks up compostable materials from homes and businesses, said her complaint to the state came from her realization two or three years ago that the city was landfilling trees, back-and-forth with the DNR over the practice’s legality, and, ultimately, frustration over the city landfilling trees that she said were marked for her company to pick up and compost.
Still, she said the goal was not for Compost Crusader to make money off the trees but rather to push for a more sustainable program.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that the City of Milwaukee is picking these trees up,” she said. “I hope in the future we can become more part of their solution because they’re taking on all the work themselves right now, which may not be necessary but, again, I’m glad they’re not getting landfilled. That was our only intention out of this clarification was for us to do better as a community.”
More: Wisconsinites, don’t toss your trees or recycle your lights: How to be conscious of the waste you create this holiday season
Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.
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.
Milwaukee, WI
34 from Portis leads Milwaukee to 112-101 Victory Over Washington
Matt Yeazel brings you Bucks in 6, a 6-minute recap of Milwaukee’s 112-101 over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night despite Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard being out with injuries.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bobby Portis replaced Giannis Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup and scored a season-high 34 points, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-101 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Khris Middleton had 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks, while Portis finished with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Antetokounmpo (back spasms) missed his third game of the season and the Bucks also played again without Damian Lillard (right calf strain) after winning the NBA Cup earlier this week.
Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said Lillard could play Monday against Chicago.
Rookie Ryan Rollins started at point guard in Lillard’s absence and contributed 14 points in 31 minutes. Center Brook Lopez also had 14 and Gary Trent Jr. had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Middleton played for the second straight night after scoring 14 points in 19 minutes at Cleveland on Friday. He continues to get into shape after missing the first 21 games following offseason surgery on both ankles.
Jordan Poole scored 26 points and Bilal Coulibaly had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Washington.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee kids pick gifts for family members at 'We Got This Garden'
MILWAUKEE – The holidays came early on Milwaukee’s north side on Saturday, Dec. 21
At “We Got This Garden” near 9th and Ring, kids were able to pick out gifts to give to a parent, guardian, or other family members.
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“Around this time of the year, parents, guardians loved ones – they want to make their kids feel as special as they can,” said Meg Bruzan, team leader with We Got This Milwaukee. “We thought it would just be really great for kids to be able to give back a little bit to those families that do so much every single day of the year.”
The event was new this year. It was made possible due to donations, which the organization accepts online.
In the summer, “We Got This Garden” welcomes neighborhood kids to learn the basics of gardening – and earn some money in the process.
Data shows that the 53206 area is one of the most incarcerated ZIP codes in the nation. There are also health and poverty concerns.
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