Milwaukee, WI
RNC Milwaukee 2024; airport preps for first-time travelers
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport will have thousands of first-time visitors walking through its terminals as they arrive for the 2024 Republican National Convention.
They will arrive by plane load, from California to the Carolinas, on jet airliners and private planes. The airport is the first chance Milwaukee will have to impress.
“It’s very important to us,” airport director Brian Dranzik said. “We want to showcase the airport as the first impression for people coming in from where they’re coming in”
Dranzik has now prepared for two national political conventions.
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“We’ve been very thoughtful over the past couple of years of what this experience is going to be like for people,” he said. “We were prepping like this for the DNC in 2020.”
This time, though, people are really coming. And the airport will be ready in ways we can and cannot see.
“One of the things we did a few weeks ago is recapped the entire terminal space, which took about a week and a half to complete,” he said. “Also things like runway safety, making sure the airfield is in good condition. We’re going to suspend some of our work activity. Work will conclude before the even and start up again.”
In terms of air traffic volume, the RNC will make Milwaukee’s airport just a tad busier than it would be during a normal spring break week. It’s more than equipped to handle commercial traffic.
A bigger challenge is handling the scores of private planes coming to Milwaukee, sometimes on short notice.
“We’re trying to get information from them as to what that private air traffic looks like, but the problem with that is that they don’t have to notify us until 24 hours before they arrive, but they’ll be shutting down two runways,” Dranzik said.
The signage is already up, reminding visitors about the event. A Dunkin’ Donuts will be open just in time to greet them.
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Perhaps the first test of readiness will be how things go at baggage claim.
“That’s our conversation with the airlines because they’re the ones pulling the bags off and making sure they’re getting back to the causal system,” Dranzik said. “I’m not expecting too may issues that way.”
To learn more on how to handle the mass departures on the two days following the convention, Mitchell officials reached out to the airport in Louisville which handles such crowds each year on the day after the Kentucky Derby.
It’s all hands on deck until the last plane leaves, and the two days following the convention will be the busiest.
“When people are leaving, that’s equivalent to a Super Bowl scenario,” Dranzik said. “Everyone’s gonna want to get out at pretty much the same time.”
Dranzik is confident the airport’s final impression will be as impressive as its first.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee man accused of robbing restaurant, cellphone store
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man is charged in a pair of armed robberies – one from a restaurant, the other from a cellphone store – that happened at the end of December.
Prosecutors said 29-year-old Lamont Stallings denied robbing the restaurant, and claimed an unspecified co-actor “forced him” into the cellphone store robbery.
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Restaurant robbery | Dec. 27
Wauwatosa police were called for an armed robbery at a restaurant near 67th and North. According to a criminal complaint, an employee said a masked suspect handed over a note that said something to the effect of: “Don’t scream. Give me all the money or I’m gonna shoot.” The employee handed over all the cash in the register, and the suspect ran off.
The robbery was captured on surveillance. Court filings said it showed a red car pull up and seemingly park just out of view of the camera. Shortly after, the suspect walked into the frame from where the car would’ve parked, and ran back to the area where the car would’ve parked just after the robbery.
Suspect, later identified as Lamont Stallings, in restaurant robbery (Courtesy: MCDAO)
Cellphone store robbery | Dec. 30
Milwaukee police were called for an armed robbery at a T-Mobile store near 103rd and Silver Spring on the city’s northwest side. The complaint said a suspect handed over a note that read: “Don’t scream, I am armed, make it quick, give me 20 iPhones.” The suspect then showed a pistol.
According to court filings, an employee handed over “numerous” iPhones, each worth approximately $500, and the suspect loaded them into a duffle bag before he made the employee walk him out of the store.
The robbery was also captured on surveillance, and a nearby doorbell camera video showed the suspect – with the duffle bag in tow – walking toward a red car.
Court filings said one of the cellphones had a GPS tracking device. Officers used that GPS information to look for the suspect, leading them to the area of 76th and Brown Deer. There, officers saw a man matching the suspect’s description walk to a red car and place a duffle bag in the trunk.
The suspect drove off, per the complaint, and minutes later officers were notified that the phone’s GPS location was on the move. Officers continued to get updates on the device’s location and found the same car parked more than nine miles away near 27th and Burleigh. Officers saw the same suspect they saw near 76th and Brown Deer and took him into custody.
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In custody
Prosecutors said the suspect initially refused to identify himself, but a traffic citation issued to Stallings was found in the car. A previous booking photo further identified the man in custody as Stallings.
A search of the car located a pistol, the complaint states, as well as clothing that matched that worn by the suspect in the T-Mobile robbery. When he was arrested, investigators said Stallings was also wearing pants and shoes that were “an identical match” to the suspect in the restaurant robbery.
Suspect vehicle tied to robbery (Courtesy: MCDAO)
In the trunk of the car, the complaint states police found numerous cellphones that were confirmed as having been stolen from the T-Mobile near 103rd and Silver Spring.
Stallings denied involvement in the restaurant, per the complaint. In regard to the T-Mobile robbery, court filings said he told investigators a “co-actor forced him to do it with him, and force [sic] him to ride in the maroon Pontiac, change clothing with this unknown suspect before the robbery, and then change clothing back after the robbery.”
In all, Stallings is charged with two counts of armed robbery, one count of possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent and three counts of felony bail jumping. Stallings appeared in court on Jan. 4, and his bond was set at $50,000.
Milwaukee, WI
Anfernee Simons and Deni Avdija power the Trail Blazers past the Bucks 105-102
MILWAUKEE — Anfernee Simons scored 28 points and Deni Avdija 19 as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 105-102 on Saturday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo hit two free throws to give the Bucks a 102-100 lead. Simons was fouled on a scoring drive and completed the three-point play, giving Portland a 103-102 lead with 23.5 seconds remaining.
Milwaukee turned it over on its next possession without getting a shot, giving Portland possession with 8.4 seconds remaining.
Simons hit two more free throws with 5.4 seconds left, giving Portland a 105-102 lead. Damian Lillard missed a 3-point try from the left side on the Bucks’ final possession.
Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds, and AJ Green added 21 points on seven 3-pointers.
Trail Blazers: Portland snapped a two-game skid and won for the third time in five games.
Bucks: Milwaukee has lost two straight and four of five, with each loss to teams with sub-.500 records.
Simons’ three-point play gave the Blazers the lead for good at 103-102 with 23.5 seconds remaining.
Green’s seven 3-pointers matched his career high.
Both teams play again Monday. The Trail Blazers are at the Detroit Pistons, and the Bucks are at the Toronto Raptors.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Milwaukee, WI
Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers Among Cheapest Spenders of 2025 MLB Offseason
The 2025 MLB offseason has been underway for over two months, with plenty of blockbuster trades and massive free agent signings defining the winter so far.
However, a few teams have seemingly sat out on the action altogether.
The Seattle Mariners, for one, have yet to commit a single dollar to their MLB payroll in any capacity, per Spotrac. The Miami Marlins are in a similar boat, with their only move thus far being a split contract for infielder Eric Wagaman.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ front office hasn’t been much more aggressive, simply spending $250K on international free agents. And although the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers haven’t signed a free agent, they have at least spent money on avoiding arbitration with players, while the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves gave pitchers Michael Wacha and Reynaldo López eight-figure extensions.
It isn’t surprising that the Marlins have skimped out on their big league payroll, considering all of the franchise centerpieces they have traded away over the past year. In 2024 alone, Miami dumped Luis Arráez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Tanner Scott, Jake Burger and Jesús Luzardo, just to name a few.
The Brewers, unlike the Marlins, actually made the playoffs in 2024, so their lack of spending is at least somewhat softened by their recent success. They also had first baseman Rhys Hoskins pick up his $18 million player option, which doesn’t count towards their free agent spending, nor does their one-year, $1.35 million agreement with backup catcher Eric Haase.
There are still six weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, and a good number of notable free agents are still out there on the open market. It remains to be seen if the cheaper teams will finally break out of their shells to add some of them, or if only the rich will get richer.
Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.
You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.
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