Menomonee Falls Plan Commission approves FBI facility
The Menomonee Falls Plan Commission on Tuesday approved a permit for an FBI facility to be located on Town Hall Road.
Menomonee Falls is one of three locations the federal government is looking at to relocate its regional office currently located on Kilbourn Avenue in Milwaukee. The Plan Commission approved the conditional use permit with ten conditions for the renovation of an existing 105,000 square foot facility at W180 N7950 Town Hall Road.
The now vacant building used to be a health and medical facility that has since moved across the street. Procacci Development Corp. is the contract purchaser of the property and would lease the building to the federal government.
Should the Menomonee Falls site be selected, the architectural plans would have to be approved by the Architectural Control Board to ensure the project fits the aesthetics of the village, said Planning Commissioner Michael McDonald.
"We are one of the communities in the running so we made it so it provided enough flexibility initially that they don't have to jump through hoops, but then ensure that it is compatible with the community and meets the security needs of the FBI," he said.
Menomonee Falls defends GMC softball title with 2-0 win over BC
The Menomonee Falls girls softball team remembered the two home runs that Brookfield Central catcher Carly Sobrilsky hit against them in their late April 3-2 loss to the Lancers.
So on Saturday morning in the teams' Greater Metro Conference championship showdown at Willowood, the Indians were determined not to let the senior all-world player get in their heads again.
And they didn't.
Indian sophomore pitcher Kelly Berglund and her defense held Sobrilsky hitless and junior shortstop Claire Mohrfeld bashed a huge insurance run of a homer to left in the fifth as Falls successfully defended its GMC title with a 2-0 victory.
"She singlehandedly beat us the last time," said Indian interim coach Nick Heiting of Sobrilsky. "To get her to go 0 for three was just huge. We just played her well today."
» Read Full ArticleArmed robbery reported at Menomonee Falls McDonald's
MENOMONEE FALLS - It was a frightening night for McDonalds employees.
On Thursday two masked gunmen burst into McDonald's and demanded money. They haven't been caught, but police are saying they have nothing to fear.
"I’m going to go home from now on,” explains Germantown resident Victoria Zoellner. “I'm not stopping anywhere else because you never know."
Zoellner lives in Germantown. But she's shaken up after last night's armed robbery.
“They could be right around the corner waiting for you to stop your car and they'll just shoot you," adds Zoellner.
» Read Full ArticleFalls wrestlers earn all-state honors
Menomonee Falls wrestlers a total of 11 slots on the recently named Crossface Magazine Academic All-State team.
State 106-pound runner-up Aaron Daly earned first-team, Bill Holz second-team and Will Genthe third-team. Eight others earned honorable mention, including state 182-pound runner-up Ayoola Olapo, Zach Pogorzelski, Jake Fuiten, Jake McMahon, Ian Virlee, Tyler Simcock, Jerott Holz and Nick Umbs.
Indian coach Jim McMahon said the criteria includes the wrestler's grade in school his grade point average, the number of wins he had in a given year and other factors.
Falls had its best overall year in school history with a Greater Metro Conference championship, its first-ever berth in the WIAA State team Tournament and two state individual runner-ups in Daly and Olapo.
Germantown School Board narrows superintendent search to three
The Germantown School Board has selected three finalists for the superintendent position after interviewing six candidates Tuesday.
The finalists are Jeff Holmes, Daniel Olson and Ron Russ, who all work as superintendents at school districts throughout Wisconsin. The School Board will invite each candidate for a separate, full-day interview on May 13, 14 and 15. The candidates will tour the schools, meet with administrative staff and community partners, and participate in a closed session interview with the board.
The board hopes to have a new superintendent selected by May 20 at the regular School Board meeting.
Holmes is completing his fifth year as superintendent in Montello. Olson is in his eighth year as superintendent in Campbellsport. Russ is serving his second year as superintendent of the Merton School District in Hartland.
"The board was impressed with the quality of all three candidates. They each modeled the profile recently developed through survey and focus groups to inform the superintendent search," said School Board President Bob Soderberg. "The finalist process next week will determine which candidate is the best, long term fit to lead the Germantown schools."
» Read Full ArticleGermantown softball team edges Bay, 1-0, to improve to 11-0 in NSC
As if it needed to be told to Germantown softball pitcher Felicia Kons, nothing about defending a North Shore Conference championship is ever going to be easy.
Take the day the Warhawks had on Wednesday, where due to numerous rainouts and cancellations, they found themselves in the situation of having to play an unusual doubleheader.
Earlier in the day, Germantown edged Grafton, 2-1, in a road game behind the pitching of Amanda Witzlib.
Then before the Warhawks had a chance to breath, they hopped back on the bus and made their way back to their Kennedy Middle School home fields for a night game with Whitefish Bay.
And as noted, nothing would be easy. The Warhawks needed an unearned run in the first, and the steady pitching of Kons to pull out the 1-0 win, a victory that helped them improve to 11-0 in North Shore play.
» Read Full ArticleThieves stealing checks out of Falls residents' mailboxes
The Menomonee Falls Police Department is strongly recommending residents mail documents with personal information to a secure U.S. Post Office mailbox and stop using their curbside boxes after three people reported fraud after their mail was taken.
Thieves have taken mail containing checks from curbside mailboxes between April 5 and 16 and using the victim's personal account information. They have then used that information to purchase items at area businesses and online, according to the Police Department.
The victims were notified by their banks of fraud, and not at the time of the theft. Menomonee Falls detectives are pursuing active leads in three cases.
To report suspicious activity, contact the Menomonee Falls Police Department at (262) 532-8700.
Police find explosives in Germantown home
A home in Germantown remained cordoned off Tuesday night after police found explosives in the residence earlier in the day, police said.
After receiving a tip, police officers were sent to the home near County Line Road and Fond du Lac Ave. about 2 p.m., found explosives and arrested a 33-year-old man who lives there.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office bomb squad were contacted and the explosives will be removed from the home on Wednesday, police said.
Falls names Ben Farley new boys basketball coach
Menomonee Falls High School has an accepted offer by Ben Farley to lead the Boys’ Basketball program according to a press release from the district Tuesday afternoon.
Farley, the Brookfield East top assistant, has coached 10 years at his alma mater. Coach Farley brings a wealth of basketball knowledge to Menomonee Falls.
“I’m extremely grateful and feel truly blessed for the opportunity to lead the
basketball program at Menomonee Falls High School," said Farley. "Our student-athletes will exemplify our three principles, Tough, strong, together. We will take pride ourselves and work everyday in building our identity of being the hardest-working team in the reater Metro Conference."
“The selection committee and I are ecstatic to add Coach Farley to our coaching
staff at MFHS. He has made a name for himself at Brookfield East as a defensive
guru in basketball,” said Athletic and Activities Director Ryan Anderson. “Farley
is a coach who stood out among the 42 applicants. He is a gym rat who will
teach basketball skills, hard work, and determination to each young man in our
program. This hire is big to help move our program toward success in and out of
the classroom.”
Farley is ready and chomping at the bit to get started. He is replacing Dan Leffel who recently stepped down after two years on the job.
“I ask for all our stakeholders to support our student-athletes and our basketball
program," said Farley. "Let’s make every Tuesday and Friday night special, pack the gym for all our home games and make Menomonee Falls a very special place to play. The weather is just starting to get nice, but I can’t wait for winter to get here.” he said.
Farley has the freedom to hire all three of his assistant coaches. Interested
applicants are to apply on WECAN or contact Anderson for more information. The deadline to apply is May 13.
State superintendent visits Menomonee Falls schools
When it comes to boosting individual learning, the School District is "ahead of the curve," said Sate Superintendent Tony Evers during classroom visits at Riverside Elementary School Tuesday.
Evers visited Riverside and North Middle School to see the district's initiative to improve student learning through the Plan, Do, Study act (PDSA) model in action and how it is applied in classrooms. The PDSA process implemented districtwide is a cyclical evaluation method in which teachers look at a data wall to determine what type of learning plan individual students need. It is used at all grade levels.
Evers said the work being done in Falls fits into a new statewide evaluation system that measures student progress and helps individual students. Falls is ahead of the state, making changes in every department and grade level throughout the district.
Though a teacher's workday is changing, the effects are worth it, said Riverside Elementary Teacher Gail Dryer.
"I make check-in sheets to monitor them on a daily basis, so I can pull in any small group of kids that doesn't quite have the skill yet," Dryer said.
» Read Full ArticleMenomonee Falls teachers will have an extra class due to budget freeze, enrollment decline
Teachers with the Menomonee Falls School District face an increase to their workload next year as a result of a state-proposed budget freeze and slight dip in enrollment that resulted in more than a dozen layoffs.
Instead of their usual five classes, Falls educators will teach six classes in the 2013-14 school year. This means fewer teachers will be required to teach students, according to the Menomonee Falls School District. Staffing decisions are based on student registration for classes, class size and performance.
"Teaching staff decisions are always challenging. We have good people working across the district," Superintendent Patricia Greco said. "The state budget freeze and a slight drop in enrollment are placing our district in a position to reduce our teaching staff."
There are 15 people who will be laid off at the end of the school year as a result of staff reductions, which totals 12.46 full-time equivalent positions.
Seniority is no longer the sole factor in staffing decisions.
» Read Full ArticlePolice investigate bomb threat at Falls North Middle School
Police on Thursday investigated a bomb threat at North Middle School in Menomonee Falls after graffiti was found in a school restroom indicating the threat of a bomb on "Friday."
The Menomonee Falls Police Department was immediately notified and the school was searched after the bomb threat written in graffiti was discovered Thursday afternoon. No further threats were found, according to a School District letter sent to parents. A canine search was also conducted before students were allowed to enter into the building today. Police were also stationed at the school throughout the day to ensure student and staff safety.
Schools in surrounding areas have experienced similar incidents in the last few days, according to the letter. The district's letter also urged parents to educate their children about the seriousness of this type of implied threat.
Germantown WKCE results show 71 percent of students proficient or advanced in math
Out of CESA 1 member schools, Germantown students in math placed seventh out of 32 school districts, according to the 2012-2013 Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination results.
WKCE tests students in grades three through eighth and grade 10 in math, reading, language arts, science and social studies. Germantown students scored well above the state average in all categories.
The number of students who tested proficient or advanced in reading and math is lower than in years past. Scores used to show that more than 90 percent of students were proficient or advanced. Because the state has recently raised its assessment standards to a more rigorous scale, those numbers have dropped.
In total, 71.9 percent of tested students scored proficient or advanced in math, while 50.4 scored that in reading. The state average for students who scored proficient or advanced in math is 48.1. In reading, the state average was 36.2.
According to the Germantown School District, the goal is to once again have 90 percent of students testing advanced or proficient in these subjects as the district continues to build student interventions and curriculum realignment to the common core state standards.
Two Menomonee Falls residents arrested after separate gunshot incidents
Menomonee Falls - Police officers who responded to two separate reports of gunshots less than 24 hours apart arrested two residents for illegally discharging a firearm on April 7 and 8.
According to Menomonee Falls police:
Officers responded to the N49 W20800 block of Lisbon Road after a caller reported that someone was firing a shotgun on the rear porch of a residence at about 4:30 p.m. April 7.
When a records check of the residence showed the homeowner had multiple prior arrests for possessing a gun while intoxicated, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department and Brookfield Police assisted officers by setting up a perimeter around the residence before police made contact with the resident.
Police ended up arresting the homeowner, a 56-year-old woman, for discharging a firearm in a prohibited location after she admitted shooting a long gun in her backyard.
» Read Full ArticleMenomonee Falls schools to lay off 15 employees
The Menomonee Falls School Board on Monday approved the layoff of 15 employees.
Final layoff notices, which have to be issued no later than May 15, are equivalent to 12.46 full time equivalent employees. As some are partial reductions to teaching positions, 15 people will be laid off.
Performance from the last and current school years is the main factor considered in determining which employees will be laid off, according to Menomonee Falls School District documents.
There is one teaching position held at the elementary level that will be filled should enrollment numbers be higher than anticipated.
Germantown postpones decision on 150-foot cellphone tower
After more than two hours of discussion, the Germantown Village Board on Tuesday postponed the decision on a permit for a 150-foot cellphone tower on Wasaukee Road.
Instead of denying AT&T a conditional use permit for the tower and a wireless communication facility on a 25-acre parcel of land, the board directed AT&T to research whether it is feasible to both camouflage the tower and shorten it.
About a dozen residents addressed the board, voicing opposition to the cellphone tower saying it will be a visual eye sore and cause their property values to decrease. A handful of residents said reception is spotty in that area and the village needs to move into the future of cellphone and data usage, asking them to approve the permit.
Village Trustee Terri Kaminski made the motion to postpone the decision, saying if they vote on the 150-foot pole as presented it most likely would be denied. She wanted AT&T to have the ability to come back with options that would appease residents.
"This is the future - whether it's streaming movies or your kids in high school, virtual schools, a crisis where you have to reach your child - all these outlets are via cellphone," Kaminski said. "I would support this because this is life of the future and I don't think any of us in Germantown really want to be left behind."
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