The Daily Reporter articles from May 2005

The Daily Reporter archives from May 2005

Recent financial indicators shows slowing economy.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Recent financial indicators don't paint a very bright picture for the economy, but leading industry analysts said it's too early to sound the alarm bells. "There's some good, solid evidence that the economy is...

Ecological plan adopted for Wauwatosa.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan A Milwaukee County Board vote settled the last issues holding up one state and one Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District environmental project in Wauwatosa. Since 2001, the state Department of Natural Resources,...

Non-profit HeartLove Place in Milwaukee plans groundbreaking Tuesday.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan HeartLove Place Executive Director Vanessa Claypool said she hopes the nonprofit's 30,000-square-foot gym and classroom expansion draws some much-needed attention. "We need to continue to let Milwaukee know we're here...

Milwaukee Common Council approves Columbia St. Mary's building plan.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan Thanks to years of planning, Columbia St. Mary's Prospect Medical Commons building gained city approval in less than a month. The Milwaukee Common Council Tuesday unanimously approved the project without discussion,...

OSHA steps up inspections of construction sites throughout Wisconsin.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors are becoming weekend warriors. In a new initiative that's already under way, OSHA compliance officers are making unannounced weekend and evening...

City of Waukesha wants to cut water use.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The city of Waukesha wants to lower its water consumption 20 percent by 2020 by re-examining ordinances dealing with any aspect of water use and management. The city hopes the draft comprehensive plan, unveiled...

Smaller companies at risk for theft by fraud.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Sometimes the biggest financial danger to a company comes from within. While companies like Enron and WorldCom generated headlines for perpetrating fraud on a massive scale, construction companies are themselves...

WI Public Service Commission approves water pipeline linking two counties.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell State regulators on Thursday gave final approval to a $119 million water project linking Brown County and Manitowoc, but the fight is still far from over. The six communities comprising the Central Brown County...

WI town addresses water supply problem by monitoring what flows into and out of its wells.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The small town of Richfield in Washington County is already confronting the water supply problem in a way that could benefit Waukesha County communities. For the past two years, Richfield has worked with Doug...

Vote on Milwaukee City Hall project delayed.
May 10, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The Milwaukee Common Council delayed a vote on the City Hall restoration bids but is expected to make a decision May 20. "We just want to make sure we have dotted all of our Is and crossed all of our Ts," said Council...

A new subdivision without sidewalks causes disagreements.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The plan to build a subdivision without sidewalks in Milwaukee is pitting city aldermen against city planners in a debate over urban versus suburban design. Backus Milwaukee LLC wants to build a new subdivision called...

Study: Kenosha-area can support two casinos.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The Menominee Indian Tribe Wednesday visited Milwaukee City Hall to argue that its proposed Kenosha casino wouldn't hurt the Potawatomi's business. "There is significant market potential to justify Potawatomi's...

WI Legislature's Joint Finance Committee repeals Smart Growth planning program.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The state Legislature's Joint Finance Committee Wednesday voted 10-6 to eliminate the Smart Growth planning program and its funding in the next biennial budget. "I think it's more of a gun-to-the-head approach," Rep....

Condos planned on Milwaukee's Park East property.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The Milwaukee Department of City Development Friday selected Legacy Real Estate Partners' 33-unit condominium proposal for its lone Park East property. "It is a challenging site, but we think it is one of the most...

Advocates of Wisconsin's Smart Growth want rule revived.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The broad-based coalition that lobbied for Smart Growth in 1999 is reuniting to resuscitate the rule after the Joint Finance Committee eliminated it last week. "Here you have a land-use issue, and it's very difficult...

WI contractor Hoffman Construction selected to finish Highway 12 expansion project.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Public owners statewide are still picking up the pieces left behind after road-building contractor James Cape & Sons Co., Racine, shut its doors earlier this year. Cape's bonding company and the state Department...

Calumet County in Wisconsin bans wind turbines.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan Calumet County banned all construction of wind turbines until the County Board can find consensus on regulating such projects in the future. The moratorium, which the board passed Tuesday night with a 17-2 vote, will...

U.S. Senate bill would shrink Wisconsin's share of federal transportation dollars.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Less is more, as the saying goes, but in the peculiar world of congressional budgeting, sometimes more is less. That's the quandary U.S. Sens. Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold found themselves in on Tuesday when the...

Bush makes case for Social Security reform during visit to Milwaukee.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce is hoping President Bush's Thursday visit to the Milwaukee Art Museum would showcase the city to the nation. "Part of the reason we did this is we wanted to showcase...

Cullen & Sons Inc. picked for Milwaukee City Hall project.
May 23, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The city of Milwaukee is preparing to bite the bullet and accept J.P. Cullen & Sons Inc.'s $59.9 million bid for the City Hall restoration. "I have concluded that the best course of action to protect Milwaukeeans'...

T-3 Group loses appeal in Wisconsin District I Court of Appeals.
May 23, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell A state appeals court on Tuesday sided with a Milwaukee condominium developer in its suit against a defunct construction manager. The District I Court of Appeals, based in Milwaukee, overturned a circuit court...

Town of Summit, Aurora Health Care sue over hospital decision.
May 24, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell The town of Summit and Aurora Health Care filed suit Monday to overturn a Waukesha County Board decision rejecting a proposed $88 million hospital. The Town Board voted unanimously earlier in the day to petition...

Several well-entrenched Milwaukee companies looking to expand by setting up offices in Madison.
May 25, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell People sometimes joke that the commercial hub in southeastern Wisconsin should be better known as the state of Milwaukee. If true, then several well-entrenched Milwaukee companies are looking to expand out of...

Three contractors working on Milwaukee City Hall restoration share sense of optimism.
May 25, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The three contractors who will try to achieve the Milwaukee City Hall restoration participation requirements are sharing a sense of camaraderie and optimism. "In order for this city to be successful, we're going to...

Wisconsin's construction industry preparing for new unsolicited fax ban.
May 26, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan Wisconsin's construction industry is mailing a blizzard of permission slips in rushed preparation for the July 1 implementation of a rule blocking unsolicited faxes. "When you get in this stuff early enough, it really...

Wisconsin senator drafts proposal that could save $2.15B power plant project.
May 26, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell State legislators could help save the $2.15 billion power plant project in Oak Creek even if the state's high court rules against it. A draft proposal by Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, chairman of the Senate...

Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation names state's most endangered historic buildings.
May 27, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation released a list of the state's 10 most endangered historic buildings hoping to stir up activism. "Part of our mission is to recognize and encourage restoration...

Milwaukee's Marquette Interchange project has all the ingredients to be another Big Dig.
May 27, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Harrell The $810 million Marquette Interchange project in Milwaukee has all the ingredients to be another Big Dig. The state Department of Transportation commands a huge budget, multiple overlapping projects and high...

Lloyd Street School in Milwaukee gets rain garden.
May 31, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee is using a $100,000 Environmental Protection Agency grant to build a rain garden at Lloyd Street School to keep water out of city sewers. "We're looking to encourage, enhance and promote across the Midwest...