- selected communitywatch item -
By Jane Ford
Dec. 23, 2009 10:56 a.m. | Demolishing Lakeview Elementary School and building a new one on the same site will no longer be a facilities improvement option, the Muskego-Norway School Board decided Monday night.
Two other potential options remain, however, for Lakeview as part of the district's overall facilities planning. Lakeview could still be expanded and renovated or the building could be closed as a school and a new Lakeview Elementary School built on the site of Lake Denoon Middle School.
For many months, the School Board has been narrowing its options to improve school facilities. The board favors consolidating the five elementary schools into three by retiring the district's two oldest schools - Tess Corners Elementary and Muskego Elementary. In addition, one new school would be built on district land on North Cape Road. Lakeview and Mill Valley elementary schools would be expanded, as necessary. The combined Bay Lane Middle/Country Meadows Elementary would become either entirely a middle school or entirely an elementary school.
The various plans are organized into two general options that have some overlap.
But both the options cost money and public input sessions will start in late January to get a feel for whether there is enough support for borrowing to actually do the facilities update. If strong community support is found, the community might be asked to vote in a referendum as early as November 2010.
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By Jane Ford
March 12, 2010 4:18 p.m. | The Muskego Teen Advisory Board is looking for additional members. In addition, adults and young people are being sought for the Teen Idol Committee being formed.
Both bodies meet on the third Thursday of the month.
The Teen Idol contest is held during Muskego Community Fest in August.
More information may be obtained from the Muskego Park and Recreation office, (262) 679-4108, or from Alderman Kert Harenda, (414) 531-8825.
March 11, 2010 7:21 a.m. | Want to weigh in on who you think are the best boys and girls basketball players in the suburban area?
Now's your chance, as we're asking high school hoops fans to help us select the annual NOW Newspapers All-Suburban boys and girls basketball teams, and the Players of the Year.
We've nominated the top players in the area to fill 10 spots on each honors team and we're asking you to pick the players that you think are the best in the NOW Newspapers coverage area.
When the fan voting is over, your votes - along with the votes of our sports staff - will determine the makeup of our All-Suburban Teams. And one lucky person will win a pair of lower-level tickets to a Milwaukee Bucks game just for voting!
Vote for the boys team
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March 04, 2010 7:43 a.m. | Want to weigh in on who you think are the best boys basketball players in the suburban area?
Now's your chance, as we're asking high school hoops fans to help us select the annual NOW Newspapers All-Suburban Boys Basketball Team, and the Player of the Year.
We've nominated 14 players to fill 10 spots on the honors team and we're asking you to pick the player that you think is the top basketball player in the NOW Newspapers coverage area.
When the fan voting is over, your votes - along with the votes of our sport staff - will determine the makeup of our All-Suburban Team. And one lucky person will win a pair of lower-level tickets to a Milwaukee Bucks game just for voting!
Vote here.
By David Cotey
March 02, 2010 10:40 p.m. | Muskego — The Muskego boys basketball team's game plan was simple: try and limit Franklin junior forward Nick Romanowski.
The Warriors were mildly successful in doing so in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal at Franklin on Tuesday, holding the 6-foot-7 post player to 18 points, four below his average.
But when Romanowski wasn't filling the basket, his teammates were.
Four Sabers scored nine or more points as Franklin blew out its guests, 75-57, to advance to Saturday's regional final against Milwaukee Hamilton.
"We knew we were going to see zone (defense) and we knew they were going to want to take 'Romo' out of the game," Franklin coach Tim Hogan said. "And we ran our offense very, very well.
» Read Full Article
By Jane Ford
March 01, 2010 5:04 p.m. | Muskego will hold an informational meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the possibility of putting sanitary sewers in on Durham Drive. The meeting will be at Muskego City Hall, lower level.
Durham Drive will be reconstructed in 2011.
By
Dan Polley
March 01, 2010 1:50 p.m. | The 2010 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Golf Show starts Friday, and you could win a pair of free tickets by entering our Twitter and Facebook contests.
On Twitter, simply follow MyCommunityNOW and tweet "I want to win free tickets to the #MKE Golf Show from @MyCommunityNOW. RT to win. Details: http://bit.ly/cPficZ"
A random drawing will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday for the three sets of free tickets, with each winner receiving four tickets. Winners must pick tickets up at NOW's Waukesha offices. Winners will be contacted through Twitter before noon on Thursday.
On Facebook, become a fan of the MyCommunityNOW fan page and respond or write on the wall about a story, photo or some other staff work you saw in one of our papers or on one of our Web sites and tell us what you liked or didn't like about that work. Two winners will be picked during a random drawing at 10 a.m. Thursday with each receiving four free tickets. Winners will be contacted through Facebook and must pick tickets up at NOW's Waukesha offices. Winners will be contacted through Twitter before noon on Thursday.
For more information on the golf show, visit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Golf Show Web site.
By Steven L. Tietz
Feb. 28, 2010 7:11 p.m. | This is a matter of looking at the glass either half-full or half-empty.
From the standpoint of Muskego's 112-pound state runner-up wrestler Justin Scherkenbach, it took a little while, but he knows the future is still all ahead for himself and his fellow teammates and classmates, as Jordan Gruettner was also a runner-up Saturday night at 189 pounds and Roland Dunlap earned third at 171.
In Scherkenbach's mind, the glass is half-full and he and his teammates are in the process of filling it to the brim as they are all just sophomores.
It took awhile for him to feel that way after his disappointing, 10-3 loss to powerful Appleton West senior Ryan McQuade in the state 112-pound finals in the Kohl Center Saturday night.
He had dressed and came out to look at the action still going on and all the awards still being distributed. He had collected his thoughts and his first idea was about getting home and then getting back on the mat so he could become even better next year.
» Read Full Article
Feb. 26, 2010 10:15 a.m. | We've just posted a photo gallery featuring more than 20 images from yesterday's opening round of the WIAA Division 1 individual state wrestling tournament.
Competitors from Brookfield, Franklin, Germantown, New Berlin, Nicolet, Muskego, Oak Creek, West Allis, Whitnall and Whitefish Bay are featured.
See NOW photojournalist Peter Zuzga's photo gallery.
By Jane Ford
Feb. 18, 2010 1:16 p.m. | The concept of the city establishing a park on part of what used to be the DandiLion Park amusement park on Little Muskego Lake won the cautious support of residents, many of them lakeside homeowners, at the Muskego Plan Commission last night.
A crowd of about 45 people attended the meeting at which the concept of the park - proposed as a place to sit on benches, enjoy the lake and maybe have a picnic - was described. A bike path and a small beach are part of the concept, and a medium-size condominium development is envisioned to help the city recover any lost tax base. There also is potential along Janesville Road for a restaurant, a coffee shop, a boutique or any number of businesses that would enhance the lake experience, said Alderman Keith Werner, who along with Mayor John Johnson was instrumental in unearthing the opportunity to buy property along the lake. No land purchase has been made at this time.
They also see the concept as a keystone to creating a downtown for Muskego and a fulfillment of the Muskego 2020 comprehensive plan's call to "bring back the lake."
With a consensus of the Plan Commission to pursue the concept, the next step is for the Common Council to consider hiring a consultant to recommend a plan for the area. Common Council consideration is expected Tuesday.Once the city gets an idea of what would succeed, the concept would go to several city boards and committees. Public hearings and other opportunities for input would be scheduled.
Feb. 09, 2010 10:10 a.m. | Despite the slippery roads, Muskego police Capt. John LaTour reported only one spinout this morning.
"Plows are out in force and are hitting the main roads, and are still able to attend pretty well to the secondary roads," LaTour said.
By Jane Ford
Feb. 09, 2010 9:44 a.m. | To ensure that the Muskego-Norway School District is eligible for federal economic stimulus money in the form of zero-interest construction bonds, the School Board on Monday approved borrowing authority of $3 million.
"That doesn't mean we have to borrow or do any projects," Scot Ecker, director of business services, said.
The state, which will award the construction bonds in spring, requires districts to have borrowing authority at the time the bonds are granted, he said.
If the district gets the zero-interest bonds, the School Board would like to do several energy-saving projects. The projects will save enough money to pay off the loan, Superintendent Joseph Schroeder said.
The board is working with an energy consultant which guarantees a certain dollar amount of energy savings. If the improvements do not yield that much, the company will cut the district a check, Schroeder said.
By Jane Ford
Feb. 09, 2010 9:42 a.m. | The Muskego-Norway School Board on Monday rejected starting a boys hockey team. A hockey team was suggested by a resident at the Jan. 25 School Board meeting. School officials received a couple of requests for a team last year, too, Superintendent Joseph Schroeder said.
But after exploring the idea, Schroeder said that he and the administration advise against forming a hockey team to keep the balance between boys and girls sports, which is mandated by law. Currently, 51 percent of boys and 49 percent of girls participate in sports, he said. Adding hockey would boost the percentage for the boys.
If anyone complained, the district might have to drop a boys sport to bring the boys' percentage down again, or add a girls sport to bring the girls' percentage up, Schroeder said. Dropping a sport would reduce the vitality of the athletic program, he said, and adding a sport would cost money that the district does not have.
There is an appeal process, but it is cumbersome, expensive and probably useless, Schroeder said. He was advised by officials in other districts that had used it.
The schools would have the same compliance problem even if parents paid for the hockey program. The courts would not distinguish between programs paid for by the schools or by parents, Schroeder said.
By Jane Ford
Feb. 09, 2010 9:36 a.m. | Background checks would be instituted for many volunteers in the Muskego-Norway School District under a tightened security policy the School Board considered Monday night.
Background checks would be needed for all volunteers who would be with students without a teacher, an aide or other school employee present. That could include most classroom volunteers who routinely give students extra help or tests in hallways outside of classrooms. The schools already perform background checks on volunteers for overnight field trips such as band trips, Kelly Thompson, assistant superintendent of schools, said.
"This is a significant improvement," Superintendent Joseph Schroeder said.
The proposed policy update will come back to the School Board twice before a vote is taken.
Feb. 04, 2010 2:48 p.m. | Follow us on Twitter and you could win a pair of Bucks tickets to Tuesday night's game against the Detroit Pistons.
All you have do is visit twitter.com/MyCommunityNOW, click the "follow" button, and then post your own tweet mentioning @mycommunitynow and the words "Tweet this for a chance to win Bucks tickets." The deadline to win the tickets is 5 p.m. Friday.
If you're already following us on Twitter, just send us the Tweet - this contest is open to new and existing followers.
At 5 p.m. Friday, we'll randomly select two people from everyone who tweeted "Bucks Tickets" - and they'll each will win a pair to tickets to Tuesday's game.
If you're not already following us on Twitter, do so today. Not only will you get a chance to head to the game, but you'll also be able to stay on top of the latest news, sports, photos and more from the MyCommunityNOW.com Web sites.
By David Cotey
Jan. 29, 2010 9:41 p.m. | Despite 22 turnovers and a rough shooting night, the Muskego girls basketball team pulled out a 38-27 win over host Franklin on Friday.
Junior guard Alyssa Colla scored eight of her game-high 13 points in the second half and Katie Ellerson finished with 10 as the Warriors improved to 11-3 overall, 7-1 conference.
It was Muskego's fifth straight win over Franklin.
The Sabers (8-8, 4-4) took a 22-20 lead with 6 minutes, 55 seconds left in the third quarter on Taylor Atkinson's drive. But Muskego turned up the defensive intensity and went on an 11-0 run that put the Sabers away.
Franklin committed eight turnovers and missed all three of its shots throughout the remainder of the third and endured a scoring drought of 7:44 in the second half.
» Read Full Article
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Muskego girls basketball vs. Oak Creek
The sports season is in full swing at Muskego High School and, if you're a prep sports fan, we've got you covered in football and more!
