FAREWELL TO U&L

Dear Reader,

I've had a few spare moments today, and I thought I would get this news off to you before I head out for a break in this lovely weather.


Hines Shakes Things up at City Hall

Common Council President Willie Hines has been able to pass through the council a number of changes of committee responsibilities, even going so far as to rename two Common Council committees. This news will probably eventually appear in the daily newspaper, but milwaukeeworld.com thought you should read it here first.


The Utilities and Licenses Committee of the Milwaukee Common Council is no more, under action approved by the council on September 27th. The action, which does not require the approval of the Mayor, strips some of the more boring functions from the council's most entertaining committee and renames it as simply, "The Licenses Committee."
The committee will no longer deal with communications policies, gas and telephone rates and service, motor bus lines, railroads and other transportation and the Water Works.
Those functions have been transferred to the Public Improvements Committee.
Public passenger vehicles and alarm businesses will now be regulated by the Public Safety Committee.
U&L -- excuse me, "L" will still be responsible for alcohol beverage related licenses, amusement machine licenses, bicycle licenses, cabaret, night club and tavern amusement licenses, cigarette and tobacco retail licenses, dance hall licenses, direct seller licenses and domestic partner registration, among other functions.

In other action, "the procedure for selecting the Common Council President is simplified by removing the requirement that the order of voting for the presidency be determined by lot. Members will vote in district number order."

Former members of the Common Council and department heads will not be permitted within the bar of the Common Council chambers during meetings.

The Library System has moved from the Finance and Personnel Committee to the Community and Economic Development Committee.

Taxation and new revenue sources "is moved from the authority of the Judiciary and Legislation Committee to the Finance and Personnel Committee."

The Common Council has also assigned a new matter -- lobbying -- to the Judiciary and Legislation Committee.

Transportation, including railroads has moved to the Public Improvements Committee, which has changed its name to the Public Works Committee.

Matters regarding the office of the City Clerk will be moved to the Steering and Rules Committee as will "matters within the responsibility of more than one standing committee, in the discretion of the president."
The president of the Common Council is also the Chair of the Steering and Rules Committee, significantly.

It will take a bit of a road map to figure out the implications of the internal shift of committees and their assignments at City Hall.

COUNCIL MEETING SPECIAL
The Milwaukee Comon Council met Tuesday, October 4th at 4 p.m. with only one item on the agenda. The meeting immediately followed the very first meeting of the newly-named Licenses Committee. At issue was the license for Shaker's, a long-established bar and restaurant at 422 South Second Street. Shaker's license had expired on September 26th, and the 14 aldermen present voted unanimously to renew the license, which ordinarily would have been automatically approved, as there were no objections to the license or police record for the place.
As recently as Friday, Common Council President Willie Hines was reluctant to call the special meeting, which would have kept Shaker's closed for another month.
He changed his mind when copies of the medical records for owner Bob Weiss were delivered to the council.
The records show that in June Weiss suffered a heart attack four days after a knee replacement (left). The application was due on June 30th, Weiss said.
"The license application was signed and notarized and on my desk," Weiss said. He, however, was near death at the time, he said.
Immediately after the meeting, Weiss headed down to the License office on the first floor of the Great Hall of the People and walked out with his license at 4:15 p.m. "We'll be open by five," he said, adding, "I could use a Sous Chef. My old one couldn't wait out this process."

DAILY PAPER WINS NATIONAL AWARD
(Nope, it wasn't the Journal Sentinel)

The Daily Reporter won first place for best business story in a daily newspaper of under 15,000 circulation at the National Newspaper Association's national convention held September 30th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee.
The story was written by Sean Ryan and former colleague Jeremy Harrell. The subject was Wisconsin's future in Biotechnology.
Ryan, 24, has written for the Daily Reporter since his college days when he pursued and then received a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin.

CRASH INJURES ROSS BIGLEY

At about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 2^nd, a hit-and-run driver rode over the ankle of Ross Bigley as he attempted to cross Brady Street at the corner of Astor Street. Ross, the founder of the Milwaukee Short Film Festival, had been at the Brady Street Pharmacy where he had been editing film on Jim Searles’ equipment.

Reports are sketchy – the police report has not arrived yet, but any of us who have crossed Brady Street know it is a challenge, the numerous warning signs notwithstanding.

Jim said Monday that if you would care to have any of your bones broken in an accident, the ankle would be about your last choice. It contains many bones, and about 120 ligaments, so Ross’s recuperation will be a complex one, and expensive.

By Monday, the following e-mail was sent out by Eric A. Levin, who operates the Times Cinema, and who is a sponsor of Bigley’s film festival:

Thursday, October 13 only... The Times Cinema invites you to laugh yourself

silly (and benefit a good cause) when we present The 3 Stooges: Dazed & Confused, a festival of five of the nuttiest Curly shorts: Dizzy Detectives; Hoi Polloi; All the World's a Stooge; Loco Boy Makes Good; and We Want Our Mummy. 

All ticket proceeds go directly to Ross Bigley, the founder of the Milwaukee Short Film Festival*, who was injured Sunday night (October 2nd) by a hit-and-run driver. Ross is undergoing surgery to repair a shattered ankle as this is being written, and we wish him a speedy recovery. We hope to lessen Ross's pain by helping him financially in this time of need; let's reassure him also, that all the world isn't a stooge, like that knucklehead who ran into Ross as he was attempting to cross Brady Street. 

Thursday, October 13 at 9:20 P.M. only. Admission is our usual $4.75, although we won't discourage contributions above and beyond that amount. Thank you to Sony Pictures Repertory, who were kind enough to donate the use of these Stooge shorts.  

*The Times hosts this annual festival.

TIMES CINEMA

5906 West Vliet Street  453-2436 (recording)

We will also hold a neighborhood event, most likely, and will get the word out to you by one means or another. Also, on Monday October 3rd a bicyclist was hit by an automobile. Remember folks, we are all traffic – not merely those of us in automobiles. 

A Statement from Alderman D’Amato’s Office:

Here's what we know from the officer that responded: 

It was a hit-and-run at the intersection of Astor and Brady. 
It took place around 7 PM.  Mr. Bigley was hit by a car or SUV traveling Eastbound on Brady.
 He was almost halfway across the street and ended up right near the yield sign in the road.  
The only witness was a driver traveling Westbound on Brady that heard the accident,
and saw what he thought was a backpack flying in the air in his rear view mirror.  
The witness and Mr. Bigley gave conflicting accounts as to the description of the vehicle.  
They only could agree that the vehicle was dark in color.  
With no witnesses, we don't even know if the car was traveling East on Brady and was building up speed,
or had just turned onto Brady from Astor.     

Sam McGovern Rowen