Help us choose the All-Suburban teams and you could win Bucks tickets

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

Finding superintendent taking longer than expected

March 10, 2010 8:44 p.m. | Whitnall school officials were hoping they would know who their next superintendent would be by early February.

But February came and went, and now - the second week of March - a successor to Karen Petric still has not been named.

School Board President Bill Osterndorf said Tuesday the reason for the hold up is contract negotiations with one of the candidates. The board previously narrowed the field to two: Grafton High School Principal Ken McCormick and former Beloit superintendent Lowell Holtz.

Board members are scheduled to meet in closed session Monday to continue discussion over superintendent candidates.

Osterndorf said an announcement could be made as early as the board's next regularly scheduled meeting, March 22.

Brookfield Central vs. Whitnall, Tosa West basketball photos now online

March 08, 2010 10:30 a.m. | This weekend featured a number of closely contested regional-final boys basketball games and we've posted NOW photojournalist Peter Zuzga's photo galleries from two of the top matchups.

Brookfield Central defeated Whitnall, 73-65, in a regional final Saturday to advance to a sectional semifinal and our photo gallery features more than 20 images from the game.

We also have shots of Wauwatosa West's 78-67 loss to Milwaukee Washington that included a post-game tribute to West coach Mike Landisch.

Brookfield Central vs. Whitnall gallery

Wauwatosa West vs. Washington gallery

Mortag, Lancers defeat Falcons in regional

March 06, 2010 4:49 p.m. | The Brookfield Central boys basketball team overcame a 37-point effort from Whitnall senior Will Pelkofer to defeat the host Falcons, 73-65, in a WIAA Division 1 regional final Saturday.

Central sophomore Seth Mortag had team-highs of 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to lead a balanced Lancer attack that included five players with double-digit points.

His key block of a layup attempt with 4 minutes, 30 seconds left prevented the Falcons (15-7) from tying the score at 63-63 and gave Central (14-10) one final momentum boost to close out the contest. The Lancers put the game away with a 10-0 following the block.

Pelkofer's 37 points were a season-high and boosted his season total to 515. He finished with 1,166 for his career.

Balance, however, was an issue for the Falcons, who did not have another player with more than nine Saturday.

Vote for the All-Suburban Basketball Team and you could win Bucks tickets

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.

Dudek gets some name recognition in Hales Corners

March 03, 2010 1:46 p.m. | Welcome to Hales Corners, hometown of Olympic medalist Alyson Dudek.

A sign to that effect could be erected at entry points into the village, though that's just one possibility. At the very least, Hales Corners is trying to find some meaningful way to honor Dudek, who did the village proud in Vancouver by capturing a bronze medal as a member of the women's 3,000-meter relay team.

Dudek, who now lives in Salt Lake City so she can train with the national team, is believed to be the first Hales Corners native to ever compete in the Olympics.

The idea of attaching a permanent Dudek sign to the village's existing welcome sign was floated during the Village Board meeting Monday, but so were other suggestions, Trustee Donald Schwartz said.

Some of the ideas have already taken root.

Whitnall candidates forum set for March 23

March 02, 2010 5:30 p.m. | The Edgerton Elementary School parent-teacher organization will host a Whitnall School Board candidates forum at 6:30 p.m. March 23 in the board room at the high school, 5000 S. 116th St.

Incumbents Suzette Larson and Michael Clarizio, and challengers Stephanie Richter and Jon Jones are running for three seats on the School Board.

The general election is April 6.

Village plans to broadcast board meetings

March 02, 2010 1:38 p.m. | Coming soon to your living room: Hales Corners Village Board meetings.

Well, not literally. But the Village Board Monday night put the wheels in motion to begin broadcasting its semi-monthly meetings on local cable access Channel 14.

Officials said now it would be a great time to do it because the board's meeting room is under renovation as part of the project to overhaul Village Hall.

The board is temporarily holding meetings in the Ben Hunt Room of Hales Corners Library, located next door.

Because the meeting room is under renovation anyway, it would make it much easier to install the proper wiring and sound equipment, officials said.

UWM to unveil County Grounds campus plans tonight

March 02, 2010 10:06 a.m. | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee officials will introduce plans tonight for its proposed Innovation Park, which will include an engineering and applied sciences campus, on the County Grounds off Watertown Plank Road in Wauwatosa.

The plans will be presented to the Wauwatosa Common Council during a Committee of the Whole meeting at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 7725 W. North Ave. The public is welcome to attend the meeting to learn about the proposed project, but there will be no opportunity for comments or questions during the meeting.

Residents who would like to speak to UWM officials can arrive at 6 p.m. and ask questions prior to the meeting.

The next opportunity for public input will occur during the Plan Commission meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall.

Swing into the 2010 Golf Show with free tickets

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.

State wrestling photos now online

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.

Whitnall School Board shoots down restructuring plan

Feb. 23, 2010 8:06 a.m. | The Whitnall School Board on Monday night soundly rejected a proposal to reconfigure the district's elementary schools.

The board's 6-1 vote came after residents packed the board's meeting room in a 50-minute special forum prior to the board meeting. Many of them were parents of elementary school children, and everyone who spoke asked board members to keep the schools structured the way they are.

The proposal would have shifted Hales Corners Elementary to a school for students in 4-year-old kindergarten through second grade, and Edgerton Elementary for students in third through fifth grade.

Administrators proposed the reconfiguration because it would save at least $280,000 by cutting four teachers, and would also help balance the enrollment at the schools.

But parents said the proposal was rushed, would lead to a difficult transition for students and would only be a short-term fix for the schools' enrollment issues.

Man accused of stealing panties at open houses

Feb. 23, 2010 8:02 a.m. | A Hales Corners man has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of theft after police say he attended real estate open houses in the Milwaukee area and stole women's underwear from the homes.

According to Wauwatosa police:

Robert Remiker, 58, attended open houses in the 2300 block of North 62nd Street in Wauwatosa, as well as Greenfield and Franklin. Realtors and other visitors to the Wauwatosa open house said they saw Remiker opening drawers and taking items. When he was stopped by police, they found plastic bags containing eight pairs of underwear and printouts of Internet listings for area open houses.

Remiker told officers he was taking the items because he missed his ex-wife. He said he had about 50 more pairs at the home he lived in with his parents.

A look into his criminal history showed he had been arrested in 2004 for disorderly conduct and trespassing in the town of Brookfield for peeping into a neighbor's bathroom by attaching a stick to a mirror and putting it near a window.

Forum, vote set for Monday on school reconfiguration plan

Feb. 19, 2010 11:46 a.m. | The Whitnall School Board will hold an open forum at 5:30 p.m. Monday to hear comments on a proposal to reconfigure the district's elementary schools.

The forum, which will be held in the board room at Whitnall High School, 5000 S. 116th St., will take place before the regularly scheduled board meeting at 6:30 p.m.

The board is expected to make a decision on the proposal during the 6:30 meeting.

The district is proposing making Hales Corners Elementary a school for students in 4-year-old kindergarten through second grade and Edgerton Elementary for students in third through fifth grade.

District administrators say the change would mean they could cut four full-time teachers to save about $280,000, and also save money through consolidating services.

Edgerton students share in Dudek's Olympic moment

Feb. 17, 2010 11:30 a.m. | When U.S. Olympic speedskater Alyson Dudek laces up her skates tonight, many of the students at Edgerton Elementary School will be watching.

Her mother, Mary Dudek, is a third-grade teacher at Edgerton, giving students a special reason for their allegiance to the 19-year-old Olympian, a native of Hales Corners. Alyson is scheduled to compete at 9:07 p.m. local time in the women's 500.

Last week, before Mary Dudek left for Vancouver to witness her daughter's upcoming performance, she got a proper sendoff from her students. In a special assembly, the students entered carrying torches and national flags while the Olympic theme music blared.

Prior to the start of the winter Olympics, Edgerton students also learned some Olympic history, and they made posters and shared well-wishes in support of Alyson. Those posters eventually made their way to Vancouver.