Milwaukee, WI
Who wins from I-794 removal? Developers. Rest of us will be stuck in traffic. | Letters
Drone video: Should a surface street replace I-794? Advocates promise development
Development sprouted in place of Milwaukee’s former Park East Freeway. Urbanists and environmentalists hope to see the same thing happen with I-794.
Mike De Sisti and James B. Nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The lobbying of Department of Transportation by a small group of architects and developers to remove, rather than repair, Interstate 794 is self-serving and narrow-focused (“Removing I-794 will enhance downtown safety, save city money,” Nov. 26).
What about the residents of Bay View and the southern suburbs? What about rapid access to the airport from the central city? What about Summerfest, the Art Museum, the Milwaukee Public Market and the million travelers coming to our lakefront? They won’t be coming on foot or bike.
That short spur connecting the Hoan Bridge and Third Ward to the Marquette interchange is an essential corridor. Surface streets cannot accommodate that traffic. Arguments that claim removing I-794 will improve quality of life in the Third Ward and reconnect it to downtown are spurious: There’s nothing dividing them now.
Not so fast: Removing I-794 would restore bridge to nowhere, hurt Bay View neighborhood
The areas under the freeway are rightly utilized for parking and can be further beautified. Some years ago, developers were calling for demolition of the Hoan itself with similar arguments. The Hoan and I-794 were rightly envisioned to provide an alternative route to the south from often congested Interstate 43.
While the south end of I-794 remains to be connected or extended, it provides essential regional connectivity and should remain a blueprint for the future of the metropolitan area. The desires of a group of developers should not take precedent.
Chad Czarkowski, Milwaukee
The Journal Sentinel and USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin welcome readers’ letters. Timely, well-written, provocative opinions on topics of interest in Milwaukee and Wisconsin are given first preference. All letters are subject to editing.
Tear down the highway: 7 reasons why removing I-794 would be a boon for downtown Milwaukee
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MILWAUKEE – A grocery store on Milwaukee’s north side needs your help, or they could close. The Sherman Park Grocery store serves one of 13 federally recognized food deserts in Milwaukee.
What we know:
The grocery store serves one of the most underserved areas of Milwaukee. But in order to stay open, the store owner, Moe Wince, says he needs help.
The store is dealing with a multitude of obstacles – including paying monthly bills, increased food prices, and flood damage.
Sherman Park Grocery Store says it’s the only Black-owned grocery store in the state and serves one of 13 food deserts in Milwaukee.
Food deserts are areas with low income households and poor access to grocery stores.
Sherman Park Grocery Store
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What they’re saying:
“We can’t sustain ourselves. If things do not change, or we don’t start collaborating and getting somebody or an organization or nonprofit or philanthropy group stepping up and saying ‘Mo, this is what it looks like for us, and we want to maintain your store, we want to make sure you sustain yourselves, not just tomorrow, but long term,’” said Mo Wince, Sherman Park Grocery owner.
The store says their goal is to help provide healthier food options to the area.
In an effort to keep their doors open, Sherman Park Grocery is reaching out for help to anyone – including state government, local non-profits, businesses and volunteers.
The Source: This post was produced by FOX6 News.
Suspected Milwaukee drunken driver drives into sheriff deputy, footage shows
A 21-year-old, accused of drunken driving the wrong way on Interstate 43 and crashing into a Milwaukee sheriff’s deputy on January 1, was charged with second-degree reckless endangering safety and a driving while under the influence, second offense.
Provided by Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office
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.
Take flight over the Milwaukee area
Get a bird’s-eye view from a drone over downtown Milwaukee, American Family Field, the Mitchell Domes, and along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Former Milwaukee Common Council member Don Richards died on Dec. 26 at age 89.
Richards served on the Milwaukee Common Council between 1988 and 2004, representing District 9 on the city’s north and northwest sides until his retirement due to health reasons, according to his obituary.
During his tenure at the city, Richards was a member of the Judiciary and Legislation Committee, Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee, as well as the Housing Authority and City Records Committee.
Although the two had a brief overlap in city government, former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who was first elected in 2004, recalled Richards as “always smiling and always caring.”
“He was a wonderful man. A very Christian man who cared deeply about the community and the people who live here,” Barrett told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Before becoming a city alderman, Richards participated in the citywide marches protesting a lack of open housing legislation in the city in the 1960s and was a priest in the Milwaukee Archdiocese for almost two decades, starting in 1963. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the St. Francis Seminary and Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
Following his time on the Common Council, Richards began to teach local government classes at Alverno College. He also worked as an economic development specialist with the Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, his obituary said.
Richards is survived by his brother, Bob (Joanne), and was preceded in death by his wife, Doloros; his parents, Gregor and Rose Richards; and his brothers, Jim Richards and Ed Richards, according to his obit.
A visitation is planned at 10 a.m. Jan 8 until his funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at Alvina of Milwaukee Chapel, 9301 N. 76th Street.
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