Miltimes 9 29 16 issue

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Celebrating 35 Years of The Milwaukee Times Newspaper and milwaukeetimesnews.com

The

Milwaukee's Only “Blue Chip” Community Newspaper

Weekly Newspaper

“Journalistic Excellence, Service, Integrity and Objectivity Always”

Vol. 35 • No. 38 • Thurs., Sept. 29, 2016 - Wed., Oct. 6, 2016 • An NCON Publication Serving The Milwaukee Area • 65¢

Milwaukee Branch NAACP host 2016 Freedom Fund Dinner

Mayor Barrett submits austere and resourceful 2017 proposed budget to Milwaukee Common Council

Staff Photo

Mayor Tom Barrett Photo by Robert Bell

On Friday, September 23, 2016 the NAACP Milwaukee Branch hosted their annual Freedom Fund Dinner at the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. The theme for this year's dinner was, "Our Lives Matter, Our Votes Count" and the keynote address was delivered by TV One Morning News host Roland Martin. Pictured at the event are (from left) NAACP state president Frank A. Humphrey; NAACP Milwaukee Branch president Fred Royal, Jr.; MillerCoors business transformation process leader and M.C. Denise Thomas; guest speaker Roland Martin; and U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

BDPA Milwaukee Chapter hosts high school computer competition and youth technology camp awards ceremony

Photo by Yvonne Kemp

On Thursday, September 22, 2016 BDPA Milwaukee Chapter celebrated the success of its High School Computer Competition and Youth Technology Camp participants with an awards recognition ceremony at MillerCoors. The Milwaukee chapter completed its 3rd year of operation by preparing nine students to participate and compete in the 2016 National BDPA High School Computer Competition in Atlanta, GA on August 10-13, 2017. BDPA's goal is to assist school in giving students a solid computer foundation. Awards went to area high school students that participated in the Youth Technology Camp. They are (from left, top row) Jalil Gibson, Alvin Cherry, Jeffery Simon, Noah Aitch, (from left, bottom row) Isaiah Jones, Nadia Chestnut, Jayla Hopkins, and Vendah Jones. www.milwaukeetimesnews.com

Despite “the triple whammy of increased pension obligations, rising health care costs and cuts in state aid” Mayor Tom Barrett submitted to the Milwaukee Common Council a proposed 2017-18 budget of $1.53 billion which includes just a 2.7 percent increase in taxes. According to Mayor Barrett, the average homeowner will experience an annual property tax increase of $26.40 and a municipal fee increase of $10.86. The additional funds will address some longstanding infrastructure, public health and safety needs. Those needs include replacement of lead used in pipes which supply drinking water to about half of all Milwaukee residences and businesses. In addition there are a number of houses which contain lead paint. Elevated lead levels below the fatal threshold in the human body can cause learning and behavioral disabilities, especially in children. The proposed 2017 budget allocates $11 million over two years and prioritizes replacement of pipes at 385 state licensed day-care centers. The budget also includes $4.3 million in funding to increase the 17,000 houses which have already been made lead paint safe. The cost to replace all 70,000 houses estimated to contain lead pipe will cost $770 million. The budget presentation also included the news that two major employers have committed to opening major manufacturing operations at the Century City Industrial Complex, located at the old A.O. Smith Automotive manufacturing center. During Governor Scott Walker’s first year in office, he terminated a multi-million dollar contract to build two new train sets for the Chicago-Milwaukee Amtrak cor-

ridor to be built by Spanish railroad manufacturer, Talgo. The decision cost Wisconsin taxpayers at least $40 million for the unused trains the title to which a court awarded to Talgo, meaning the state received virtually nothing for its investment. Recently Talgo won a contract to refurbish commuter rail cars for the City of Los Angeles and announced it would use its former Milwaukee manufacturing facility to refurbish the trains. Century City will also have another major new manufacturer after the Rev Group announced it will be assembling prototypes as it competes for a U.S. Postal Service contract to build the next generation of delivery vehicles. The proposed budget includes a 60 percent increase in funding a variety of programs to help homeowners struggling to avoid foreclosure. Milwaukee has also benefited from the sale of 369 renovated tax-foreclosed homes. Law enforcement agencies will receive a $127 million budget increase that is nearly double the amount it received in 2004; the first year that Mayor Barrett assumed office. Putting the $302 million law enforcement budget in perspective, Mayor Barrett said the amount was more than the entire $267 million Milwaukee property tax assessment. The increase calls for 165 new police officers, almost all of whom will replace officers who are expected to retire. Calling the recent surge of violence unacceptable, Mayor Barrett said that “courts and cops are not the only answer.” Healthy neighborhoods, youth development and violence prevention are proven crime reduction strategies that are less confrontational and potentially less discriminatory.

An NCON Communications Publication


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