Latest

U.S. Rep Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) said the federal funds allocated for high-speed rail in Wisconsin cannot be redirected to help pay for repairs to Milwaukee’s crumbling Hoan Bridge.

State Sen. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) and Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) had sent a letter to members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, asking that $250 million of $810 million in stimulus money for designated for high-speed rail be diverted to re-deck the Hoan Bridge.

Moore told the legislators in a letter today that the federal funds cannot be redirected for the Hoan.

However, Moore suggested some other alternatives to fund the repairs needed for the bridge.

In the Civil War-era village nestled behind Miller Park are three of Milwaukee’s oldest and most architecturally significant buildings. Today, nailed across their entrances are signs that read, “Building Closed – Do Not Enter,” in bold red letters.

Those signs may not mean the end for the buildings, but time is running short.

For years the buildings have deteriorated as efforts to save them, including a re-development proposal by the city in 2007, failed.

The Soldiers Home village on the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center grounds, is under consideration for national landmark status, which would qualify it for federal funding for restoration.

Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett want the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to begin the process of re-decking the Hoan bridge. They also want state officials to look at the feasibility of new ramps at both ends of the bridge. The two elected officials have sent letters to Madison asking for work to begin immediately on the Hoan.

D-O-T Secretary Frank Busalacchi earlier suggested replacing the bridge with a different type structure that would span the Port of Milwaukee.

Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik calls that a bad idea. She says timing is critical when it comes to redecking the Hoan.

Vice President Joe Biden and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner spoke about Wall Street reforms and the middle class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Tuesday in an effort to drum up support for President Barack Obama’s financial overhaul legislation.

These speeches came in the midst of negotiations in the U.S. Senate to compose a financial reform bill similar to one that has already been passed in the House of Representatives.  Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Carlos Santiago also spoke.

The House reform bill included provisions for allowing shareholders more say on executive pay packages, strengthening the Securities and Exchange Commission’s oversight of financial firms and creating a consumer protection agency.

Such reforms have been controversial in both the House and the Senate, with many Republicans, including Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, wary that further regulations could hurt business.

Legal Momentum, the women’s legal defense and education fund, applauds Rep. Gwen Moore’s (D-WI)  introduction of H.R. 4978, which would help victims of family access critical help and support when leaving abusive situations.  The bill would strengthen TANF’s anti-violence protections and make this vital family assistance program more accessible to domestic and sexual violence victims.

Irasema Garza, President of Legal Momentum, says, “Too often, victims of domestic violence confront an awful choice: either stay with an abuser, or sleep on the street. The recession has made the situation all the more critical: as employment rates dropped during the recession, rates of domestic violence climbed. H.R. 4978 is a vital step towards ensuring that victims get the help and support they need to begin building lives free of violence.”

HOME-ENERGY REBATES: Voting 246 for and 161 against, the House on Thursday passed a bill (HR 5019) authorizing rebates of up to $8,000 per home for energy-efficiency projects.

Modeled on the “cash-for-clunkers” law that spurred car sales last year, the program would last through 2012, cost $6 billion and benefit three million households with upgrades in areas such as heating, air-conditioning and insulation. Payments would go to the contractor for crediting to the property owner. The bill also would provide $600 million for state programs in which mobile-home owners could receive up to $10,000 for replacing pre-1976 homes with new, energy-efficient units. The bill is now before the Senate.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

C&D Technologies will begin renovations and construction this year in preparation for building advanced batteries next door to its lead-acid battery factory in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood.

Company officials said Friday that renovations of a building on Keefe Ave. are moving ahead after the U.S. Army awarded a $19 million contract to the Blue Bell, Pa.-based firm to develop large-format lithium-ion batteries in Milwaukee.

Funding for the project came through congressional earmarks proposed by U.S. Sen Herb Kohl, who discussed the project during an appearance at C&D in Milwaukee on Friday. U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) also assisted in obtaining the funds. The project also is receiving forgivable loans of $500,000 from the state and $200,000 from Milwaukee, said Jim Paetsch, vice president at the Milwaukee 7 economic development group.

The efforts of about 15 first-graders who sought to raise awareness of an African-American civil rights pioneer were rewarded with the ultimate Black History Month activity Friday: a personal visit from the very heroine they have championed for a year.

Ruby Bridges – who, as a first-grader in 1960, was the first black child to attend the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans – flew to Milwaukee on Friday to personally thank Barton Elementary School and the group of students who petitioned the federal government to recognize her integration efforts 49 years ago.

Based on the awareness campaign launched last year by teacher Laura Floryance and her students, Congress passed a resolution this month honoring Bridges for her bravery and recognizing Nov. 14, 1960, as the first day of integrated schools in New Orleans.

The House resolution was sponsored by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee), while a Senate version of the resolution was sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin).

>SEE PHOTO GALLERY<