Milwaukee, WI

Pregnant Milwaukee mom of 3-year-old dead after arson fire, police say

Published

2 weeks ago

January 6, 2026

Pregnant Milwaukee mom of 3-year-old dead after arson fire, police say

A 22-year-old pregnant Milwaukee woman was found dead in a house fire that was intentionally set, leaving behind a 3-year-old daughter.

The family of Gladys Johnson is heartbroken at their loss. Her death occurred 33 years almost to the day that her brothers died in a fire.

Gladys Johnson was discovered by her mother, Michelle Johnson, following a fire at their residence in the 2800 block of North 26th Street on Jan. 5.

The Milwaukee Police Department said a 21-year-old man has been arrested for arson. Police said the man intentionally brandished a firearm and then started a house on fire.

The man who was arrested is the father of Johnson’s daughter and unborn child, according to Josie Johnson-Smith, Gladys Johnson’s aunt.

Police said Gladys Johnson’s cause of death is officially undetermined and under investigation, but the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide.

“He took my niece’s life,” Johnson-Smith said. “He threatened to kill her before. That’s why she ended up back with her mom.”

The Journal Sentinel does not typically name suspects unless they’ve been formally charged with a crime.

Gladys Johnson was five months pregnant with a baby boy, according to Johnson-Smith. “She was so happy, teaching her daughter that she was going to be a big sister,” Johnson-Smith said.

Fire-related death reopens old wounds

Gladys Johnson’s death reopens old wounds for her mother, who lost two sons in a bar fire in Milwaukee in 1992.

Milwaukee Journal reporting from the time recalls Terrance Bizzle-Johnson, 4, and Antonio Bizzle-Johnson, 2, being found dead on New Year’s Eve 1992 from smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at a family tavern on the north side of the city.

The Journal’s article details a harrowing rescue attempt by family members, including by Josie Johnson-Smith and Michelle Johnson.

Gladys Johnson was the ‘light in our family’

Gladys Johnson was named after her late grandmother.

“She was the most loving person you ever wanted to meet,” Johnson-Smith said. “Her spirit was a light. If you were in a bad mood, she would cheer you up. She was the light in our family.

“Her daughter is 3 years old and can talk, spell, and say her ABCs. She was a good mom.

“We’re just so devastated right now. He’s seemed like a nice man. So many young women have passed away with domestic situations and it’s just overwhelming.

“The only thing I’d ask the community, to the young women out there that are going through situations similar to my niece, speak out. Don’t be ashamed. You have to tell somebody.”

Gladys’ Johnson’s family started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses.

Where to find help for domestic violence

Victim advocates can help with safety planning. Calls to advocates are confidential and do not involve law enforcement.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
The National Sexual Assault Hotline is 800-656-4673.
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin has a statewide directory of resources at endabusewi.org/get-help.
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault has a statewide directory of resources at wcasa.org/survivors/service-providers.
The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at 414-933-2722.
The Milwaukee Women’s Center offers a 24-hour crisis line at 414-671-6140.
We Are Here Milwaukee provides information on culturally specific organizations at weareheremke.org.
Kids Matter Inc. provides free legal services and specialized assistance to individuals caring for children impacted by domestic violence and homicide. Kids Matter can be reached at 414-344-1220 and offers free online resources at kidsmatterinc.org.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee school committee moves forward plan to narrow police role in schools

Published

6 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee school committee moves forward plan to narrow police role in schools

How police operate in Milwaukee schools appears set to change.

A Milwaukee School Board committee passed on Jan. 20 a resolution aimed at narrowing the types of situations that police officers can become involved in at district buildings. It comes 10 months after the program was brought into the city’s public schools, following a state law that forced the hand of officials.

The resolution compels Superintendent Brenda Cassellius to implement a district policy that reflects its asks, which broadly restricts police from intervening in non-criminal situations that more closely reflect school discipline issues, like rude or disruptive behavior or loitering in hallways.

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of the first three months of the program found police were at times responding to situations like that, along with others including fights between students. School resource officers issued 92 citations during that time.

“Without clear and strict guardrails, it’s easy for SROs to become the default response to all behavior challenges,” Missy Zombor, president of the board, said during remarks at the meeting.

The School Board’s Committee on Legislation, Rules and Policies moved the resolution forward to the full board for final passage on Jan. 22.

Under the resolution, police would be expected to stay out of the following situations: Rude or disruptive behavior, excessive noise, loitering in hallways or bathrooms, dress code violations, use of profane or lewd language, and possession of legal items prohibited by school policies.

It also would put into place reporting requirements for the program. That includes quarterly reports breaking down incidents by demographic information, issuances of citations and specific actions by school resource officers, including searches, seizures and restraints.

Before the meeting, a demonstration consisting of about 35 students and community members took place outside of the district office. In support of the resolution, they chanted mottos like “counselors not cops” and “up with education, down with intimidation.”

Many there later spoke in support of the resolution during the public comment of the committee meeting. That spanned over an hour with each speaker in support of the resolution.

Many students described feeling unsafe with officers in the schools and criticized the state law that mandated the program.

Students Brenette Tunney, Elijah Shorts and Anneliese Schultz told the Journal Sentinel they were in support of the resolution. Each is a member of Youth Empowered in the Struggle, a student group that advocated for the resolution.

Tunney, a student at Hamilton High School, described her school becoming a “scary place” since the program began.

“I’ve never seen them do something actually helpful in school at all,” she told the Journal Sentinel before the meeting.

Those comments come as police and some school officials have lauded the program publicly, saying it made the district safer and said officers have tried to be mentors or counselors to students.

Members of Voces de la Frontera, Milwaukee Turners and Black Leaders Organizing for Communities spoke in support of the resolution.

Krissie Fung worked with students to prepare for giving comments on the program and Zombor on crafting the resolution. She is a member of the Fire and Police Commission, the city’s oversight committee for the two department.

Fung said the resolution was about letting students “coexist with SROs in schools as safely as possible.”

“In my opinion, current gaps in policy and lack of transparency for students and parents are a liability,” Fung said.

The committee meeting came hours after hundreds of Milwaukee students walked out of class in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.

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Milwaukee, WI

5 inches of snow possible as NWS issues winter weather advisory for Milwaukee area

Published

18 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

5 inches of snow possible as NWS issues winter weather advisory for Milwaukee area

Several southern Wisconsin counties will be under a winter weather advisory beginning 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 for a storm system that could bring up to 5 inches of snow to the area.

The National Weather Service advisory will be in effect until 6 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21 for the following counties: Iowa, Dane, Jefferson, Waukesha, Milwaukee, Lafayette, Green, Rock, Walworth, Racine and Kenosha.

Forecasters are expecting snow accumulation between 2 to 5 inches, Meteorologist Cameron Miller told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Peak snowfall is expected between 10 p.m. Jan. 20 through 5 a.m. Jan. 21 along and south of Interstate-94, according to the NWS. Lesser accumulation is expected north.

“We’re watching throughout the day whether the band will move north or south,” Miller said.

Miller said temperatures are expected to be in the “low teens” and forecasters are not expecting high winds, adding that lower wind chills “might be a concern later in the week.”

Wednesday’s morning commute will likely be impacted, so Miller urged drivers to allot more time to account for conditions. For live updates on road conditions in Wisconsin, you can check out the 511 Wisconsin map.

A separate system could bring more snow to the counties under the advisory between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Jan. 21, though only up to an inch of accumulation is expected.

Wisconsin weather radar

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee contractors face winter salt shortage, turn to rationing

Published

1 day ago

January 19, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee contractors face winter salt shortage, turn to rationing

MILWAUKEE – Private snow service contractors in Milwaukee say they are facing a rock salt shortage this winter, even as the city’s Department of Public Works reports it has enough supply on hand.

What we know:

Contractors say municipalities typically get priority access to salt, leaving private companies scrambling as winter storms pile up earlier than expected.

“This is not like winters past,” said Myron Dorshak, co-owner of Dorshak Tree Service and Snow Plowing Service.

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Working in single-digit temperatures is nothing new for snow crews, Dorshak said, but rationing salt this early in the season is raising concerns.

“Certainly we are struggling to keep enough in stock and the prices are skyrocketing.”

What they’re saying:

Dorshak said his company normally buys about 1,000 tons of salt each year at roughly $110 per ton. This season, suppliers are charging more than double that price, around $250 per ton.

“The problem is the prices are doubling. And really, there’s no more coming in from Milwaukee,” Dorshak said. “So we have to get salt from Chicago, and it’s starting to go from other states. They said we could go to Kansas to pick it up, but that’s a far way to go. They have good prices in Kansas, though.”

Dorshak said the company did not anticipate the higher costs when setting up contracts with customers.

“We didn’t put it in our cost structure with our customers and our contract, so we are just going to have to eat that — take a little loss there,” Dorshak said.

He said early November snowfall and multiple winter weather events quickly depleted supplies. Dorshak added that his company is not alone, noting that at least two FOX6 viewers also reached out with similar concerns.

Dig deeper:

As salt supplies tighten, Dorshak said his company is turning to brine as an alternative.

“It’s a liquid salt and it melts at a lower temperature,” Dorshak said. “Brine is actually very good, it’s costly to set up and all that.”

At Jones Island, a major hub for salt from various producers, piles appeared noticeably smaller than in past years.

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“We may not have enough salt for the rest of the season and it’s going to get very slippery,” Dorshak said.

He said moving forward, crews will rely more on brine and ration salt by applying lighter treatments when possible.

The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.

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