Suspect may be linked to seven North Shore home burglaries

Aug. 31, 2010 10:24 a.m. | Whitefish Bay police have arrested a Milwaukee man they believe is responsible for as many as seven burglaries in the village and neighboring Shorewood.

Police received a call of a prowler in the 1500 block of East Cumberland Boulevard about 1:30 a.m. Monday, according to police.

Responding officers located a suspect who matched the description provided by the caller and arrested him. The facts of this incident closely resemble recent entries to residences in both Whitefish Bay and Shorewood in which homes were entered by cutting first floor window screens at night while residents slept.

Police Chief Robert Jacobs said there were four incidents in Whitefish Bay and three in Shorewood in recent weeks.

The suspect remains in custody, and charges are being sought through the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.

TMJ4: Man arrested in North Shore home burglaries

Aug. 31, 2010 8:33 a.m. | Today's TMJ4 is reporting that a 42-year-old man arrested for breaking into several homes in the North Shore while the homeowners were sleeping.

Police said the suspect was arrested around 1:30 a.m. on Monday after they received a call about a prowler in the 1500 block of East Cumberland Boulevard in Whitefish Bay.

For more on this story, visit Today's TMJ4's website.

Special football preview section now online

Aug. 26, 2010 12:18 p.m. | We're just hours away from the first official games of the 2010 high school football season and there is no better way to find out the latest news on your favorite team then to check out NOW's comprehensive football preview page.

The page is packed with videos on area teams, a roundtable discussion from our sportswriters previewing the top teams to watch, position by position breakdowns, an interactive poll, photo gallery and more.

Go to NOW's 2010 football preview section.

BD's Novak, BE's Byrne and Nicolet's Sperl ito go into WBCA Hall of Fame

Aug. 24, 2010 12:20 p.m. | Long-time Brown Deer boys basketball coach Mike Novak and Nicolet assistant coach Jim Sperl will be inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Hall of Fame in ceremonies to be held Oct. 2 at the Marriott Hotel in Middleton.

The pair will be two of 27 inductees to be honored that night. Sperl, who worked at Nicolet for 27 years is the only assistant being entered, while Novak will be one of nine head coaches to go into the hall including Racine St. Catherine's legend Bob Letsch.

Other inductees of note include Marquette's Al McGuire, Governor Jim Doyle, Lomont Weaver of Beloit and Kelly (Byrne) Mueller of Brookfield East.

Last chance to win State Fair tickets on Facebook

Aug. 12, 2010 8:04 a.m. | With just a few days left of the Wisconsin State Fair, you still have time to score free tickets from NOW Newspapers.

All you have to do is "like" NOW Newspapers on Facebook and respond to our last status update and tell us your favorite story from our papers this week.

A random drawing will be held at 8 a.m. Friday and announced on Facebook.

Winners will receive a four-pack of tickets to the fair, which begins runs to Sunday. Winners will have to pick up the tickets in our Waukesha office, 1741 Dolphin Drive, Suite A, 53186.

Nicolet's flood damage estimate tops $5 million

Aug. 11, 2010 7:48 p.m. | The price tag for repairing Nicolet High School after 80% of the building was damaged in last month's floods rings up at more than $5 million, Superintendent Rick Monroe said Wednesday.

School officials also announced Tuesday that the first day of school will be pushed to Sept. 13, rather than Sept. 1.

"The last couple weeks, it seemed like the scope of the project was growing exponentially, and we just had many more areas of the building that needed to be renovated and restored," Monroe said.

The flooring in the building makes up a large amount of the work that still needs to be done. In addition to replacing the gym floor, the theater stage, dance studio and most of the flooring in classrooms and offices will be replaced. The cafeteria floor, only about 3 years old, will be replaced during winter break.

In addition to the few inches of standing water on the main level, 6 feet of water in the basement damaged two major boilers, each costing $160,000, ruined the football team's new equipment, submerged the building's three main electrical units and destroyed the drama department's props and costumes.

School year starts late due to flood damage at Nicolet

Aug. 11, 2010 12:06 p.m. | The first school bell will go off nearly two weeks later than initially planned this fall at Nicolet High School. District officials have announced the start date at the school - heavily hit by last month's storms - has been pushed to Sept. 13. School originally was set to start Sept. 1.

Nicolet, one of the hardest hit areas of the North Shore, endured about $6 million damage from the heavy rains July 22. Since then, crews have been working around the clock with clean-up efforts. Inspectors have found the building to be structurally sound.

The alterations will affect the entire 2010-11 school year at Nicolet. The regular school year is scheduled to end June 16, 2011, and graduation has been rescheduled to June 19.

Residents voice frustration over flooding

Aug. 05, 2010 10:30 p.m. | A standing-room only crowd of more than 100 people packed a meeting room at the Shorewood Library Thursday night and peppered officials with questions and complaints about the severe flooding that hit the community last month.

Some residents at the meeting, the first of four town hall sessions on the flooding in the village, held signs that read "Sewerwood" or branded biohazard symbols. Complaints also were heard over the lack of seating as residents lined the wall of the room.

Frustrated residents like Mary Jo Kukoda said the village didn't do enough during the floods that caused at least $1.5 million in damage and affected hundreds of homes.

"Shame on the village of Shorewood, shame on you," Kukoda said.

Other residents asked about potential health issues associated with sewer water in basements and wondered why the village didn't answer phone calls on the Monday following flooding.

Voting for our All-Suburban Baseball team ends this weekend; vote now and you could win Brewers tickets

July 30, 2010 9:52 a.m. | There's still time to help us select the best players and coach in the area for our 2010 NOW All-Suburban Baseball Team, but you need to get your votes in before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.

Check out our nominees and their stats, and then vote for the players and coaches you think are most deserving. You can vote once a day, and everyone who votes will be entered in a random drawing for a pair of box seats to a Milwaukee Brewers game.

Vote now

Registration at Nicolet moved to Aug. 24

July 29, 2010 3:22 p.m. | Registration for falls classes at Nicolet High School has been pushed back about a week because of the flooding damage at the school

Registration has been changed from Aug. 18 to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 24.

All forms returned related to the school district, high school and Nicolet Recreation Department that need to be returned to Nicolet can be dropped off at Glen Hills Middle School, 2600 W. Mill Road, until further notice. That school is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

For updates on how flooding is affecting the school, visit the Nicolet website at nicolet.k12.wi.us. You may also call (414) 351-1700 to leave a message for staff at the school and Recreation Department.

Nicolet High School cleanup photo gallery now online

July 27, 2010 4:32 p.m. | Nicolet High School is a hotbed of cleanup activity as district officials and workers are drying out the school and assessing damage in the wake of last week's torrential storms that caused flooding throughout the area.

We've just posted a photo gallery that highlights some of their efforts, which include transporting damaged computers to nearby Cardinal Stritch and funneling air into the school.

Go to NOW photojournalist C.T. Kruger's photo gallery.

After the flood: Nicolet officials hopeful school will be ready Sept. 1

July 27, 2010 11:18 a.m. | Nicolet School District officials and Paul Davis Restoration believe they can have the high school ready for students on Sept. 1. Officials hope part of the building can be open Aug. 18 for student registration but at this point can't say definitively that will happen.

About 80 percent of the high school was hit by flood waters during the heavy rains July 22.

J. Murphy of Paul Davis National said the effect of the flooding becomes more apparent with each passing day as contaminants from the water begin to cause odors and mold. The company has been at the school since Friday morning, first pumping all standing water out of the building and then methodically assessing damage and starting the process to sanitize all areas that were hit by flooding.

The school district hired an independent industrial hygienist to oversee the clean up. The hygienist will monitor the building for spores and contaminants and develop tests to make sure the clean up is successful.

With fall sports programs scheduled to begin the second week of August and with several Nicolet Recreation programs still on the summer schedule, the district is encouraging residents to use the Nicolet website for updated information.

Flood severely damages Jewish Community Pantry

July 26, 2010 4:22 p.m. | The Jewish Community Pantry building was severely damaged by more than four feet of water as a result of last week's storm and is closed for an undetermined period of time. The Pantry is located at 3033 W. Burleigh St., Milwaukee, one of the lowest lying streets in the area.

All contents of the pantry were lost and all services have ceased at this time. The pantry is actively searching for an alternative site in the 53210 zip code or surrounding area. The pantry serves over 1,500 people every month.

The Jewish Community Pantry is part of the Emergency Pantry Network of the Hunger Task Force and co-sponsored by the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center and Women's Division of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. The Pantry has been serving the needs of the community since 1976.

Individuals in need are advised to call "211" (IMPACT) for alternative sites and services.

Donations and inquiries including alternative business site for the Pantry should be directed to: