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Palermo's Pizza celebrating 60 years in operation

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Palermo's Pizza celebrating 60 years in operation


MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s own Palermo’s Pizza is expanding. The company will start building a new 200,000 square-foot facility this summer in West Milwaukee. 


What You Need To Know

  • Palermo’s Pizza was founded by Italian immigrants in the 1950s
  • It’s expanding into a new 200,000 square-foot facility this summer
  • That means the company is hiring for 50 new positions

It will allow Palermo’s to grow its production capacity and add 50 new jobs. This comes as the family-owned business is celebrating 60 years in operation. 

Founded by Italian immigrants in the 1950s, Palermo’s Pizza has deep roots in Milwaukee, family and tradition.

“My grandparents came over from Italy with nothing in their pocket,” said Nick Falluca, chief product and innovation officer at Palermo’s.

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He said they worked hard and eventually turned some of their favorite Italian recipes into a business.

In 1964, the Falluca family opened a bakery out of a house on Milwaukee’s East Side. Four years later, they transitioned that bakery into an Italian restaurant. That’s where the family began offering their signature frozen pizzas for customers to buy and make at home. From there, they started selling those frozen pizzas at local grocery stores and bars.

Decades later, Palermo’s Pizza has grown into a national and international brand, selling millions of pizzas each year at major retailers, like Costco. Despite its growth, Palermo’s remains committed to its roots and values.

Still, every one of its frozen pizzas ties back to grandma and grandpa.

“We’d be at the dinner table, and everybody would be like, ‘Why is he screaming?’ And we would be like, ‘No, that’s just how grandpa talks,’” Falluca said. “He was loud and vibrant. That’s how the name ‘Screaming Sicilian’ came about.” 

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Dax Schaefer is the corporate chef for Palermo’s, and Brianna Fyock is a manager and senior food scientist for the company. They both said while they are not related to the Falluca family by blood, anyone who works for Palermo’s is treated like family.

“The Falluca family has been nothing but generous to their employees,” Schaefer said.

“It really does feel like family here,” Fyock added. “To actually see the start to finish, from the idea of a pizza to creation, and then be able to buy it for your family in a grocery store, is such a great experience.”

Falluca said prioritizing the customer, employees and a quality product also comes from grandpa.

“That’s how he ran the restaurant, putting the customer first, really great food, and focusing on your employees,” Falluca said. “That’s how to create a great business, product and customer service.”

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee shooting Wednesday; 1 wounded near 11th and Locust

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Milwaukee shooting Wednesday; 1 wounded near 11th and Locust


Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)

A shooting in Milwaukee on Wednesday, July 8 left one person wounded. 

11th and Locust

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What we know:

According to the Milwaukee Police Department, a 23-year-old was shot around  6:30 p.m. near 11th and Locust. 

The victim arrived at the hospital for treatment.    

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The circumstances leading up to the shooting are under investigation.

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MPD tips

What you can do:

Milwaukee police are seeking information to identify a suspect in connection with this incident.   

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Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or P3 Tips.

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

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Milwaukee, WI

‘Peace on Every Block’ brings Milwaukee community together to fight gun violence

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‘Peace on Every Block’ brings Milwaukee community together to fight gun violence


Milwaukee community members gathered at pop-up events across the northwest side Wednesday as part of “Peace on Every Block,” a week of activities aimed at building community, mentorship and sharing resources for violence prevention.

The week is organized by Advance Peace Milwaukee, Milwaukee Community Cross Roads and Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services.

“We want to see everybody win, and that’s the whole theme about it, about healing, coming together, stopping the violence,” Desilynn Smith of Uniting Garden Homes said.

Lorenzo Davis of Advance Peace said the northwest side was a deliberate focus for the effort.

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“Because this is where the gun violence is happening, and we’re trying to end the gun violence in the city of Milwaukee. We really want to do what’s best for Milwaukee,” Davis said.

The Milwaukee Police Department reported a 30 percent drop in homicides during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year. But community members say that progress doesn’t always reflect what people are experiencing on the ground.

Watch: ‘Peace on Every Block’ brings Milwaukee community together to fight gun violence

‘Peace on Every Block’ brings Milwaukee community together to fight gun violence

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“The data doesn’t lie, that’s true, but when it’s like every day we’re hearing about a shooting, or we’re so connected to it, and so many people connected to it, it just doesn’t appear that way,” Smith said.

The events come as Milwaukee has seen several violent deaths in recent days. 42-year-old Kristy Syed was found shot to death on Milwaukee’s south side.

The Medical Examiner’s Office also identified 19-year-old Savannah Lynn, who was killed after gunfire broke out following a fight on the Fourth of July.

Nine-year-old Jade Riser died after a shooting that happened near East Burleigh Street last Thursday.

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Smith said healing is central to any lasting change.

“If we don’t heal, we can’t stop anything, because violence is actually the secondary emotion that is really driven off a lot of pain,” Smith said.

Davis said the young people in these neighborhoods are ready for something better.

“They want to see a better inside Milwaukee. They want to see a better chance for Milwaukee, and they want to do something better for themselves. So, these kids out here, we promote peace with them, and we’re going to back them, and we want to see them win,” Davis said.


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Milwaukee, WI

Former Judge Hannah Dugan fined $5,000, won’t serve prison time, judge rules

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Former Judge Hannah Dugan fined ,000, won’t serve prison time, judge rules


MILWAUKEE — Former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan won’t serve prison time or probation and has been fined $5,000, a judge determined on Wednesday during her sentencing hearing.

It comes after a jury found her guilty of obstruction last year for helping an immigrant evade federal agents.

During the hearing, Dugan’s defense team called two character witnesses to the stand to speak on her behalf, including Rev. Gregory J. O’Meara, who is also a Marquette University Law School faculty member, and Janine Geske, the retired director of the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice and a law professor at Marquette.

“Hannah models what it means to be a Christian,” O’Meara said.

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Dugan herself also spoke for the first time since the case against her began.

She told U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman that she tried to “maintain a courtroom with the decorum and safety the public deserves.”

Dugan added her actions on April 18, 2025, when the incident occurred, were “not done with any malicious intent or to advance any personal interest.”

Wrapping up her remarks, Dugan said to the court she has been cast as a scofflaw and a hero, but considers herself neither of those things.

“I am a public servant who’s just trying to do my job,” Dugan said, adding that she has had to retire from public life due to threats against her and her family.

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A prosecutor then acknowledged that “she has experienced collateral damage because of her conduct,” but said “judges can’t choose to disregard the law.”

Prosecutors argued that Dugan’s actions amounted to an “abuse of trust” and asked the court’s sentence to reflect that.

Adelman then spoke, saying Dugan made a bad decision and that he doesn’t believe prison is necessary.

“This is a few minutes of conduct for someone who has dedicated her life to public service,” the judge said. “It’s a marked deviation from an otherwise law-abiding life.”

He also noted that Dugan’s actions didn’t stop the ICE agents from arresting the defendant outside the courthouse.

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In April of last year, federal agents showed up at the Milwaukee County Courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who had reentered the country illegally. On that particular day, he was appearing before Dugan’s courtroom for a state battery case.

Dugan confronted the federal agents in a hallway outside the courtroom and directed them to the chief judge’s office. Following that, she helped Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a private jury door. Agents eventually caught up to him outside the courthouse.

Dugan was later arrested and charged for her part in the incident, and she was found guilty of obstruction last December; she was acquitted on her concealment charge.

Her lawyers argued during her trial that President Donald Trump’s administration sought to “crush” Dugan in an effort to ensure judicial compliance with the ICE strategy of targeting immigrants as they showed up for court hearings.

Dugan resigned the Milwaukee County circuit judgeship she had held for nine years in January amid threats of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers who labeled her an activist judge. In her resignation letter, she said her prosecution threatened “the independence of our judiciary.” 

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Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who has the backing of Trump in his race for governor, urged authorities to “lock her up” in a social media post following her conviction.



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