Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Common Council opposes We Energies’ data center rate plan
Aerial view of the Microsoft’s data center in Mount Pleasant
See an aerial view of the Microsoft’s data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin
The Milwaukee Common Council has called on state utility regulators to reject We Energies’ data center rate proposal in its current form.
The council unanimously adopted a resolution March 3 opposing We Energies’ proposal to create a separate energy rate for large-scale data centers, saying the plan does not go far enough to protect ratepayers.
At the same time, a group of council members led by District 14 Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic is drafting a six-month moratorium on data center development in the city of Milwaukee.
We Energies’ plan “is not a good deal for Milwaukeeans,” Dimitrijevic said during a Common Council meeting March 3.
We Energies’ proposal would create a separate energy rate for “very large” customers with an expected load of 500 megawatts or more. These very large customers, which include data center developers like Microsoft and Vantage, would pay for the massive amount of new infrastructure being built to serve them.
In October, We Energies filed plans to build more than $5 billion in new solar projects and natural gas plants to meet electricity demand brought by hyperscale data centers.
The utility says its rate plan protects customers from bearing costs associated with these projects, and hold data center companies responsible for costs through the life of the new assets.
“Our proposal is fair, transparent, and establishes strong safeguards — including binding agreements so data centers owners, not other customers, pay for the infrastructure they require,” We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway said in a statement. “That means Wisconsin families are not subsidizing these projects.”
The resolution, introduced by Dimitrijevic, calls for stronger ratepayer protections, including binding service agreements that last the life of new infrastructure and include termination charges. It also wants the “very large” customer threshold lowered from 500 megawatts to prevent avoidance by data center companies.
In filings submitted to the Public Service Commission, We Energies said it would be willing to lower the threshold to 250 megawatts.
The resolution took particular issue with We Energies’ proposed cost split for the new natural gas plants. Under the current proposal, data center companies would pay for 75% of operating and maintenance, and other ratepayers would cover the remaining 25% as well as annual fuel costs.
We Energies says the plants will serve all customers as demand for energy is projected to rise across rate classes.
“If data centers never existed, we would’ve had to have built other plants, other power generation to meet our customers’ increasing need,” Conway previously told the Journal Sentinel.
The resolution said data center companies should pay “100% of all incremental and fixed costs required to serve them, including generation capacity, operations and maintenance, and fuel costs attributable to serving the data center load.”
Council members’ concerns echo those brought by environmental and consumer advocacy groups during a public hearing Feb. 10. The Public Service Commission will rule on the proposal by May 1.
This is not the first time the City of Milwaukee has weighed in on We Energies cases brought before the Public Service Commission. It’s intervened in opposition to previous energy rate hikes proposed by the utility, arguing they disproportionately burden thousands of low-income Milwaukee households.
In December, Dimitrijevic proposed a six-month moratorium on data center development in the city. The pause will give council members time to establish a regulatory framework for large-scale data center proposals, she told the Journal Sentinel.
“Sometimes the economy moves so quickly that we haven’t been able to catch up in licensing,” Dimitrijevic said. “We have to set up a careful way to regulate it and have public input.”
A group of aldermen want to require data center developers apply for a special use permit through the Milwaukee Zoning Appeals Board, a process they say creates more transparency. Should this pass, large data center proposals would be subject to public hearings, and the Zoning Appeals Board can reject a plan based on public health concerns.
The moratorium will receive a public hearing in the next few weeks.
This article was updated to include new information.
Francesca Pica can be reached at fpica@usatodayco.com.
Milwaukee, WI
Critically missing Milwaukee man; last seen near Teutonia and Good Hope
MILWAUKEE – 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:
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:
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.
Milwaukee, WI
10 months after fatal hit-and-run that killed motorcyclist, Milwaukee man charged
Viral video shows alleged car theft confrontation on Milwaukee street
Car theft confrontation in Milwaukee sends stolen vehicle spinning as the suspect escapes on foot.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Public Schools budget proposals; board meeting Monday
MILWAUKEE – 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.
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.
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:
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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