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Milwaukee children face lifelong impacts from lead poisoning in rental homes

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Milwaukee children face lifelong impacts from lead poisoning in rental homes


MILWAUKEE — The latest Milwaukee Health Department data reveals a troubling reality: about 1 in 10 Milwaukee children have been poisoned by lead, with the vast majority of cases traced to contaminated rental properties built before lead paint was banned in 1978.

For the past year, our Lighthouse special reporting team has been investigating the dangers of lead exposure and the obstacles many renters face in keeping their children safe from this preventable health crisis.

A family’s ongoing struggle

Aidan Branch was hospitalized twice as a toddler for extreme lead poisoning, and though he was too young to remember those frightening days, the effects continue to shape his daily life.

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“I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’ve been through,” Aidan said.

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Deanna and Aidan Branch

His mother, Deanna Branch, says the lead poisoning has left lasting damage that will affect her son for the rest of his life.

“After he was lead poisoned, he was diagnosed with ADHD, ODD. He still has behavioral problems and nervous things where he can’t sit still. He’s been that way since he was two,” Deanna Branch said.

Watch: Milwaukee children face lifelong impacts from lead poisoning in rental homes

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Milwaukee children face lifelong impacts from lead poisoning in rental homes

The Branch family’s ordeal wasn’t limited to Aidan. His older brother was also poisoned in their old rental home, where a health department inspection found lead contamination on walls, windowsills, and in the water supply.

“Definitely, the lead paint was the number one factor. Eating those wood chips, playing in the window sills. The paint chipping off the walls,” Branch said.

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Staggering numbers reveal widespread problem

Milwaukee Health Department data from the last four years paints a concerning picture of the scope of lead poisoning in the city. Of the 81,000 children age 5 and younger who have been tested, 9,000 were found to have concerning levels of lead in their blood.

Perhaps most alarming: inspections found that 88% of these poisoned children live in homes contaminated with lead paint.

“Lead paint, long story short, is highly concentrated, and a little bit of dust in a small child can send them straight to the hospital,” said Tyler Weber from the Milwaukee Health Department.

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The problem stems from the city’s aging housing stock. Weber says Milwaukee has an estimated 255,000 housing units with lead paint because they were built before 1978, when lead paint was banned.

“Overtime as homes age, does the problem get worse?” Weber was asked.

“Yes. Absolutely, it gets worse. The older the home, the longer it goes without maintenance, the worse it is,” Weber said.

Children most vulnerable to exposure

UW-Milwaukee lead expert Amy Kalkbrenner explains why children face the highest risk of lead exposure and suffer the most severe consequences.

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“They’re crawling on the floor. That’s where the tiny lead particles are. Or they’re putting everything into their mouth,” Kalkbrenner said.

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Amy Kalkbrenner

Lead is particularly harmful to developing brains, making children the biggest concern for health experts.

Children’s Wisconsin tests thousands of kids annually for lead poisoning. Pediatrician Heather Paradis says the effects primarily impact a child’s ability to regulate behavior.

Dr. Heather Paradis

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Dr. Heather Paradis is the medical director of the Integrated Lead Program at Children’s Wisconsin.

“Some of the behavioral problems that we see do mimic things like ADHD, so hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficulties with learning,” Paradis said.

Temporary fixes for a permanent problem

Having experienced the devastating effects of lead poisoning firsthand, Deanna Branch now volunteers to advocate for other parents facing similar situations. However, she often finds herself recommending temporary solutions rather than permanent fixes.

“I have to tell them, if you see paint chipping, you have to cover it with duct tape. If there’s dust particles on the window, use a bleach wipe or swiffer mop the floor so they won’t be exposed to the dust, just putting a bandaid on the situation, not addressing the root issue, having the lead paint out of the house,” Branch said.

“What most people don’t realize when a child is lead poisoned, it’s a lifelong thing,” Branch said.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.


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Milwaukee, WI

Critically missing Milwaukee man; last seen near Teutonia and Good Hope

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Critically missing Milwaukee man; last seen near Teutonia and Good Hope


The Milwaukee Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a critically missing man, 33-year-old Nicolas Blakely.  

Missing man

What we know:

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Blakely was last seen around 9:45 p.m. on Monday, March 9 in the area of Teutonia and Good Hope. 

Blakely is described as a male, black, 6’1″ tall, 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.  He was last seen wearing a blue puffy jacket over a white hooded sweatshirt, with tan Nike sweatpants. 

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Police tips

What you can do:

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Anyone with information is asked to call the Milwaukee Police Department District 4 at 414-935-7242.  

The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Police Department. 

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10 months after fatal hit-and-run that killed motorcyclist, Milwaukee man charged

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10 months after fatal hit-and-run that killed motorcyclist, Milwaukee man charged


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A 23-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 44-year-old motorcyclist during the summer last year.

Jarvis L. Walker was charged March 7 with four counts: hit-and-run resulting in death, knowingly operating a vehicle without a valid license causing death, fleeing an officer and first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

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The crash occurred June 7, 2025, at the intersection of North 76th Street and West Florist Avenue. Walker crashed into Wyman Kemble on his 2002 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and fled the scene, according to a criminal complaint.

Kemble suffered severe injuries in the crash and died at the scene.

Police said nearby security footage video shows Kemble was traveling northbound on 76th Street and had a green light when Walker, traveling southbound on 76th Street, crashed a rental car into Kemble while trying to make a left turn onto Florist Avenue.

Walker then exits the vehicle, grabs a backpack from the backseat and leaves the scene, the complaint said.

But a witness’ cellphone footage shows Walker return, yell something, and turn around and walk away before getting into another vehicle that just pulled over, according to the complaint.

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The rental car came back to a person only identified in the complaint with the initials EW. The rental car customer told police that Walker had the vehicle during the time of the crash and Walker called him and told him that he had just been in a crash after a motorcycle ran a red light.

Ten months would pass before investigators zeroed in on Walker to arrest him.

On March 3, police had reason to believe that Walker was in the area of the 7200 block of West Marine Drive, the complaint said. Two undercover officers observed Walker get into an SUV, which exited a nearby parking lot and then immediately pulled over because the trunk was open, the complaint said.

Different officers in full uniform and an MPD squad moved in to try and arrest Walker, who was at the rear of the vehicle in the trunk, according to the complaint.

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Walker then made his way back to his seat before one officer activated the squad lights and siren and exited the squad to say “Hey Jarvis, don’t do it” and “Jarvis get out of the car,” the complaint said.

But Walker fled the scene and led police on a nearly 10-mile pursuit in excess of 115 miles per hour, according to the complaint.

Police lost visual sight of Walker’s vehicle near North Teutonia Avenue and North Green Bay Avenue, but Glendale police observed the vehicle traveling southbound on West Green Bay Road and another short pursuit ensued before officers lost sight of Walker again, the complaint said.

Later that evening, Walker’s vehicle was observed unoccupied and running in the 4800 block of North 19th Place, according to the complaint. Police found Walker inside a nearby residence and arrested him.

Walker made his initial appearance in court on March 9, where bail was set at $25,000. If convicted on all counts, he faces decades behind bars.

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Wyman Kemble remembered as mother’s rock

Leanne Kemble, Wyman Kemble’s mother, previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the time of the crash that Wyman was her oldest child and her “rock.”

She said her son loved the motorcycle he was riding at the time of his death. She described him as one of the most “kind, caring and fun-loving people you’d ever meet.”

Leanne Kemble said her son graduated from Riverside High School, where he played on the football team, and was a graduate of Milwaukee Area Technical College. Volleyball was now his sport of choice, and he played year-round, she said.

“He was always helping people with their car repairs, or just doing odd jobs to help out our neighbors,” she said. “He was an all-around great person. Everybody loved him.”



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Milwaukee Public Schools budget proposals; board meeting Monday

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Milwaukee Public Schools budget proposals; board meeting Monday


MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius proposed cutting more than 263 non-classroom positions to help bridge a $46 million structural budget deficit.

A special meeting of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors is scheduled to take place on Monday night, March 9, to vote on this proposal. 

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Shifting resources

What we know:

The district said the reductions, which would take effect for the 2026–27 school year pending school board approval, would save about $30 million.

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“It is an extremely difficult day for us here in Milwaukee Public Schools, but in the end, I’m still hopeful. I’m hopeful for our students, I’m hopeful for all of the employees we have, and every single employee matters to us,” said Cassellius. “This is hard, and we’ll get through it.”

Officials said no classroom teacher positions are being cut to close the budget gap. That said, the district may need fewer teachers where there is lower enrollment. About 40 of the 263 positions being eliminated are already vacant, meaning that not all reductions will result in layoffs. Affected employees eligible for classroom-based roles will be encouraged to apply for available positions.

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Cassellius stressed that MPS faces rising costs while receiving a $0 state increase in general aid for 2026-27 public school students. While the recent referendum has helped to support arts, physical education, mental health services, and career exploration, the superintendent indicated it does not make up for the lack of state-funded inflation increase

Proposed reductions

By the numbers:

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The approximately 263 position reductions include the following, according to the school district:

  • MPS Central Services: About 116 positions from the offices of Academics; Communications; Family, Community, and Partnership; Finance; Human Resources; Operations; Schools office; and the Superintendent’s office
  • Non‑classroom school‑based roles: About 147 positions, including assistant principals, deans of students, and implementers.

The Source: Milwaukee Public Schools released information about its proposal.

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