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Want to comment on a story or issue in news? Here’s how to get your voice heard. | Opinion

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Want to comment on a story or issue in news? Here’s how to get your voice heard. | Opinion



Some tips and guidelines for getting your views posted on JSOnline.com and in the print newspaper

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Letters to the editor are as old as newspapers themselves. People who write about issues of the day find themselves in good company, with the likes of Benjamin Franklin, who as a young man wrote letters to his brother’s newspaper under the pen name Silence Dogood.

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Later in his life, Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette helped establish the American tradition of average citizens pointing out the foibles of officials, praising or criticizing newspapers and holding government and institutions to account through letters to the editor.

That history continues to this day at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, though a few things have changed since Franklin’s times. We verify the identity of letter writers. We also post a selection of the best letters on the printing press of the 21st Century, our digital news site.

In the wake of the Journal Sentinel no longer having a comment function on our articles at JSOnline.com, consider having your voice heard by sending a letter to the editor or a guest column. Both are a key part of our goal to share a wide range of viewpoints from people across Milwaukee and Wisconsin, especially in a pivotal election year.

Tips for getting your perspectives published in Journal Sentinel

 Here are some tips to get your views shared with your friends, family, neighbors and across our state:

  • Please include your name, street address and daytime phone.
  • Generally, we limit letters to 200 words. 
  • Cite sources of where you found information or the article that prompted your letter.
  • Be civil and constructive, especially when criticizing. 
  • Avoid ad hominem attacks, take issue with a position, not a person.
  • We cannot acknowledge receipt of submissions.
  • We don’t publish poetry, anonymous or open letters.
  • Each writer is limited to one published letter every two months.
  • All letters are subject to editing.
  • Write: Letters to the editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 330 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI, 53202. Fax: (414)-223-5444. E-mail: jsedit@jrn.com or submit using the form that can be found on the bottom of this page.

We look forward to publishing your letters!

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Guest columns are longer, more comprehensive submissions

Do you have more to say than can fit in a letter to the editor? The Journal Sentinel also publishes guest columns, sometimes also called op-eds. Guest columns are longer, include more sources and represent a higher quality of arguments and writing.

We only publish op-eds written exclusively for our readers and automatically reject mass-produced work. Submissions that are shorter have a better chance of being published, so aim for 300 to 750 words. Guest columns often focus on news or events of the day, but not exclusively. Sometimes writers explore historic events, personal experiences or observations that figure into current issues. 

Want more tips for writing an op-ed? Read this guide from Harvard University

Before you submit, here are a few things to include:

  • A short biography, two sentences at most, to run at the end of your column.
  • If you or a business, trade group or other institution with which you are associated stands to gain financially or in any other way from your column, you should disclose that information to us in detail. In most cases, it should also be included in the body of the piece or in the author’s biographical information. People featured in columns must be identified by their real, full names.
  • Links (URLs, not headlines or footnotes) to back up quotes and factual material.
  • A headshot in .jpg format. 

You can send op-eds to jsedit@jrn.com. If you have an idea and need some guidance, or have a question about submission, message Ideas Lab Editor Jim Fitzhenry at: jfitzhen@gannett.com.



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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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Milwaukee, WI

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, WI

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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