Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Monday, July 13, 2026
Thursday, June 25, 2026
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Cops Gone Wild: Milwaukee to pay $825,000 to end two police cases
David Clarey
The city of Milwaukee will pay $825,000 to resolve two claims brought forward after alleged police misconduct.
The payments will end legal action surrounding the death of a woman who was run over by a Milwaukee police officer in 2025, and in the lawsuit made by a couple who were repeatedly the subject of false claims to police and prompting numerous police responses between 2022 and 2023. Milwaukee Common Council passed the payments June 2.
The family of Haley Linville will receive $250,000 in connection to her Sept. 16, 2025, death.
A Milwaukee police officer was responding to the city's south side for a welfare check when, as Linville lay at the entrance of an alleyway, an officer ran her over. She later died at the hospital.
The other payment, for $575,000, will go to Niki Robinson and Patrick Tomlinson. Police were dispatched 45 times to their home over a two-year span. The city admitted in court documents that police knew the couple was being targeted by fake emergency calls.
The city denied searches related to the calls were illegal.
The payments still require Mayor Cavalier Johnson's signature for final approval. Spokesperson Jeff Fleming said the mayor will decide whether to sign off in coming days.
"He is inclined to support the council action," Fleming said in a text message.
An attorney for Linville's family initially sought over $21 million for her death, but Wisconsin state statute caps civil settlements at $250,000.
Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic, who abstained from voting on Linville settlement, said the amount was not enough for the family.
"We need to continue to hold people accountable," she said. "Quite frankly, too many women in particular I'm seeing not getting the standard of care they need from the city of Milwaukee."
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Friday, March 20, 2026
Racine mayor proposes renaming Cesar Chavez Community Center
Holly Gilvary
RACINE — Mayor Cory Mason is proposing that the Common Council consider renaming the Cesar Chavez Community Center to the Dolores Huerta Community Center.
He made the proposal Thursday after Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farmer Workers alongside Chavez, accused Chavez of sexual assault.
A New York Times investigation Wednesday found Chavez also groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the movement.
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| Mason |
A resolution to rename the community center will be introduced at the Common Council meeting April 20.
The Cesar Chavez Community Center is on Racine’s north side at 2221 Douglas Ave.
Recent stories by Racine Journal Times reporter Holly Gilvary
Thursday, March 5, 2026
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Friday, February 20, 2026
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Racine hosting inaugural MARK Rail Commission meeting Friday
Holly Gilvary
RACINE — The Milwaukee-Area-Racine-Kenosha Passenger Rail Commission will hold its inaugural meeting in Racine on Friday.
The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at Racine City Hall, 730 Washington Ave., in Room 207.
The Passenger Rail Commission was created through an Intergovernmental Agreement under Wisconsin statutes approved by the cities of Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee.
The agreement authorizes the cities to work collaboratively on preliminary planning, public engagement and eligibility for federal rail-planning programs.
The Racine Common Council unanimously approved the formation of the commission in September.
Friday's meeting will focus on establishing the commission's organizational structure and beginning early coordination to explore the feasibility of future passenger rail service in Southeast Wisconsin, according to a news release from the City of Racine.
The commission's formation does not commit the cities to building rail infrastructure, launching service or making financial expenditures; rather, it provides a formal structure to support long-range evaluation, coordination and planning, the release said. Participation in the commission's early activities carries no local funding obligation.
The release said any future decisions involving investment, construction or service implementation would require additional technical analysis, public input and subsequent commission action.
Friday's meeting agenda includes a presentation of the commission's vision, mission and strategic goals for early-stage coordination; adoption of bylaws to establish the commission's internal governance framework; election of officers, including chair, vice-chair and secretary; review and approval of a Memorandum of Understanding with Metra, Chicago's metropolitan commuter rail service which currently services Kenosha, to support future planning discussions; and authorization to prepare an application to the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program, which provides federal planning support with no required local match.
For more information about MARK Rail, visit www.markrail.org.
Friday, November 21, 2025
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Thursday, July 17, 2025
City to purchase three new electric buses
Holly Gilvary
RACINE — The city will purchase three new electric transit buses using federal grant money.
The Common Council on Tuesday approved a resolution to replace the manufacturer that the city purchases EV buses from, purchase three replacement buses and implement an affiliated workforce training program for about $4.5 million.
The new buses will replace three that have been in service for more than 12 years, Racine Transit Director Trevor Jung said.
The workforce component involves a technician who will train city mechanics to maintain the new electric vehicles, according to Jung.
The grant, which can only be used for EV vehicles, will cover $3.8 million of the costs, Jung said.
Alders also voted 9-5 to defer to their next meeting an item relating to the city employee health care plan. A new proposal would offer city employees two additional health care plans to choose from.
Alder Olivia Turquoise Davis, who made the motion to defer, said she wanted time to digest the information presented so the council can "make a clear call on what we are deciding for the employees."
"Health insurance is not something (that) you just say, 'OK, we heard it and yes, we're going to agree to this,'" she said.
The council will consider the new health care proposal at its next meeting, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a resolution declaring official intent by the city to reimburse costs attributed to the 2026 lead service line replacement project. The principal aggregate amount of debt for the project is expected not to exceed $40 million, of which 49% may be allocated as principal forgiveness through the fiscal year 2026 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Safe Drinking Water Loan Program.
• Approved a resolution declaring official intent by the city to reimburse costs attributed to the 2026 water main replacement project. The principal aggregate amount of debt for the project is expected not to exceed $10 million, with the balance reduced by eligible principal forgiveness earned. The project will be funded through the fiscal year 2026 DNR Safe Drinking Water Loan Program.
• Authorized the city administrator to commence collective bargaining with the four public safety employees collective bargaining units for successor agreements.
• Disallowed a $2,652 claim from Kevin Pirelli for medical expenses allegedly arising from a slip and fall in front of a stairwell of the Gaslight Drive parking ramp in January.
• Disallowed a $4,863 claim from Cedric Foster for vehicle damage allegedly caused by a city-owned vehicle in February.
• Granted permission to the assistant fire chief to accept the $275,000 Operations and Safety Acquisition Assistance to Firefighters grant for the diesel exhaust capture system awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the AFG program.
• Granted permission to the human resources department to accept the $354,885 Wisconsin Fast Forward grant for the fire cadet and CDL trainee programs.
• Granted permission to the Financial Empowerment Center to apply for and accept a $2,500 donation from Landmark Credit Union to fund a kid's calendar art contest.
• Granted permission to Mayor Cory Mason to establish a Sister City relationship with Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
• Approved a change order to a contract with A.W. Oakes & Son for reconstruction of West Lawn Avenue, reducing the contract amount by $50,054.
• Approved submission of final payment of $1,512,178 to A.W. Oakes & Son for West Lawn Avenue reconstruction.
• Approved a change order to a contract with Century Fence Company for fence replacement at Greencrest Park, increasing the contract amount by $5,896 for a total of $75,050.
• Approved a change order to a contract with Absolute Construction Enterprises for Island Park shelter staircase removal, increasing the contract amount by $5,813 for a total of $51,753.
• Approved submission of final payment of $72,700 to Top Performance Corp. for the Chavez Center small gym floor replacement.
• Denied a new massage establishment application from Lucky Weiwen Zhu Therapy, 906 State St.
• Approved a new cigarette, tobacco and electronic vaping device retail license application for Fast Link, 1405 Washington Ave.
• Adopted the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Racine: 2050.
• Approved issuance of a Community Development Block Grant loan to the owners of 1520 Lincoln St.
• Approved issuance of a Community Development Block Grant loan to the owners of 1733 Erie St.
• Approved issuance of a Community Development Block Grant loan to the owners of 2022 Saint Clair St.
• Approved issuance of a Community Development Block Grant loan to the owners of 1310 Layard Ave.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Milwaukee council places age restrictions on the sale of delta-8, other hemp products
Wisconsin has no age restriction on the sale of hemp products, but after an incident from August of 2024 in which two children were hospitalized after being sold "THC gummies," city officials have found a way to crack down on the sale of hemp-derived THC products.
Common Council members backed a proposal July 15 to restrict the purchasing of hemp-derived products to anyone under 21 years old.
Those include products with names such as delta-8 and delta-10 — chemical cousins to marijuana. The legislation does not apply to "any non-intoxicating cannabinoids," including CBD.
To hold establishments accountable, anyone violating the ordinance would receive a citation ranging from $400 to $1,000. They could also be prosecuted for the offense.
An investigation last year by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Examination and AL.com found the products are causing a sharp rise in reports of children and adults getting sick. Those findings are alarming doctors and public health researchers.
Such products can be traced to Congress' legalization of the sale of hempdelta-9 and products extracted from it in the 2018 Farm Bill. Hemp is a type of cannabis plant with low levels of the psychoactive compound that gets people high, known as delta-9 THC.
A city committee voted unanimously to support the legislation earlier this month, and now that Common Council backed the potential ordinance, Mayor Cavalier Johnson would need to sign off before it can be enacted.
Monday, July 7, 2025
Milwaukee council committee backs regulating chemical cousins to marijuana, including delta-8
Alison DirrSophia Tiedge
It was August 2024 when two kids arrived at Children's Wisconsin, having snacked on newly purchased gummies before the woman caring for them realized what they had eaten was not an innocuous sugary candy.
As the children wandered through a convenience store while the woman shopped, they were munching on what was later described as "THC gummies."
She told police the candy looked just like what they normally got in grocery stores, down to the Trolli branding. When she realized what they were eating, she took them directly to the hospital.
The store clerk told police he gave the candy to the woman after she purchased it, though surveillance video showed the clerk getting the gummies from under the counter and handing them directly to the two children, according to a Milwaukee police report.
Alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa was alarmed that police could not issue a citation because there is no age restriction in Wisconsin for hemp products, including on the sale of those that can get users high.
"The truth is that he was within his rights to hand those gummies to a child," Zamarripa said of the clerk on May 20, when the store owners came before the Common Council's Licenses Committee, which she chairs.
Manwinder Singh Bhagat, one of the owners of Rama Foods, 6730 W. Villard Ave., told the committee he believed there was a miscommunication. The employee had been fired, he said, and the store sells such products only to people over 21, as listed on some of the packages.
Now, council members led by Zamarripa and Alderman Peter Burgelis want to see that minimum age become more than optional in Milwaukee.
"There was no violation of city ordinance or state law; it is wholly unregulated," Burgelis said during a July 3 meeting of the council's Public Safety and Health Committee. "This ordinance will fix that and give an age restriction to these products."
Milwaukee council members seeking minimum age for delta-8, other hemp derivatives
Council members have put forward legislation to prohibit selling or providing hemp-derived THC products to anyone under 21 years old.
Those include products with names such as delta-8 and delta-10 — chemical cousins to marijuana. An investigation last year by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Examination and AL.com found the products are causing a sharp rise in reports of children and adults getting sick. Those findings are alarming doctors and public health researchers.
Such products can be traced to Congress' legalization of the sale of hemp and products extracted from it in the 2018 Farm Bill. Hemp is a type of cannabis plant with low levels of the psychoactive compound that gets people high, known as delta-9 THC.
The city legislation would carry fines of between $400 and $1,000.
It does not apply to "any non-intoxicating cannabinoids," including CBD.
The committee backed the ordinance, which is expected to go to the full Common Council for a vote at its July 15 meeting.
Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.
From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/07/milwaukee-council-committee-backs-regulating-delta-8/84430410007/
Friday, May 9, 2025
Cops Gone Wild: Milwaukee moving toward $7 million settlement in police misconduct suit, city's 2nd largest ever
David ClareyAlison Dirr
Milwaukee is poised to pay the second-largest settlement in the city's history over a federal police misconduct civil rights lawsuit that will cost nearly $7 million.
The $6.96 million payment would end a nearly two-year-long legal case between the city and Danny Wilber, whose 2005 homicide conviction was overturned after a federal appeals court found his trial was unfair.
"I understand that this is a massive dollar amount, represents one of the largest settlements in city history, and I would just note that these cases where individuals — Mr. Wilber spent 18 years in prison — are very difficult," City Attorney Evan Goyke told the council's Finance and Personnel Committee on May 7.
On May 8, the city's Judiciary and Legislation Committee recommended approving the settlement — though not before members had strong words about the agreement and actions by the Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge that led to the overturning of Wilber's conviction.
Ald. Mark Chambers Jr. labeled the judge "incompetent" and the cost to Milwaukee taxpayers "bullshit."
"I'm just extremely frustrated that we're at this point," he said.
Ald. Robert Bauman agreed, saying the situation resulted from a judge making "some pretty bad decisions."
"This time, the Milwaukee Police Department didn't do much to warrant a $7 million settlement," he said. "I mean, it's questionable whether they did anything wrong, and that the plaintiff simply had to drum up some kind of claim against MPD to have the city left holding the bag."
Council President José G. Pérez, too, said the city was "paying the price for some bad judgment and it's inexcusable."
The settlement still needs approval from the Common Council and Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
Wilber's case alleged that former Milwaukee Police Department officers violated his rights by fabricating evidence and omitting evidence suggesting his innocence. He spent nearly 18 years in prison over the 2004 murder of David Diaz, but Wilber always maintained his innocence.
Wilber's settlement only lags behind a $7.5 million 2019 settlement for Robert Lee Stinson, a man who was wrongfully incarcerated for 24 years.
The city is self-insured, meaning taxpayers bear the costs of any settlement. Police-related settlements have long proven costly for the city.
The city is expected to borrow the funds to cover the settlement, which exceeds the $5 million fund known as the "contingent fund" that the city could have used to cover a smaller unexpected sum.
The payment will be made as a lump sum. That means the interest over 10 years could be expected to total just under $2.1 million, city Comptroller Bill Christianson said. That would bring the total costs to taxpayers to about $9 million.
On May 7, the Finance and Personnel Committee debated legislation approving the borrowing. The committee ultimately sent the legislation to the full Common Council without a recommendation because the Judiciary and Legislation Committee was not scheduled to take up the underlying settlement until the next day.
That means when the council meets on May 13, one of the 15 members will have to move for adoption of the legislation permitting the borrowing.
The $6.96 million settlement will add to the city's bill. In February, the city spent $300,000 to hire a Chicago law firm to litigate the case.
An attorney for Wilber did not respond to Journal Sentinel requests for comment.
Lawsuit alleged officers coerced witnesses, fabricated statements
Wilber's civil rights lawsuit was filed in 2023.
It alleged the city and nine former Milwaukee Police Department officers violated his rights by fabricating evidence and omitting evidence suggesting his innocence. Two officers are dead, and their estates were named instead.
If approved by the full council next week, the settlement will end a case that stems from events that took place over two decades ago.
Wilber was convicted of homicide but has always fought the details of the case against him. His conviction was ultimately reversed due to reasons outside of the investigation into the death, but questions have long lingered over the details.
U.S. District Judge William Griesbach overturned Wilber's case in a 2020 decision due to him being shackled in front of the jury, which the judge argued can imply guilt. In its 2021 opinion upholding the lower court decision to overturn Wilber's conviction, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals noted the "difficulties" with the evidence for prosecuting him.
The decision to overturn the verdict left open the option for the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office to pursue a new trial, but the office declined to do so due to the case's age and problems posed by the evidence.
"The evidence certainly was not overwhelming," Assistant District Attorney Paul Tiffin said in 2022.
Among the defendants in Wilber's lawsuit is Ruben Burgos, a former Milwaukee Police Department detective and current member of the city's Fire and Police Commission. The commission is the city's oversight body for its fire and police departments, with it handling the hirings of chiefs and employee discipline appeals.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson previously defended the appointment of Burgos to the commission.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.
Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.
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