(This is a feature that runs frequently on Milwaukeeworld.com to provide the latest information on breaking news in Milwaukee. If you have story ideas or tips, please email them to mark@milwaukeeworld.com.)

Even though Bo Black still holds the title of executive director of Summerfest, there already is a short list of her possible replacement to run the popular summer festival floating around Milwaukee.

Black, whose contract expires at the end of the year, is expected to be let go by the Summerfest Board when her contract expires. She is currently negotiating with board attorneys, seeking a long-term buyout agreement that would include health care benefits, with a value of about $1 million, said a source close to the negotiations.

According to several political sources, the names on the list expected to be under consideration include:

*Patty Brash McKeithan, a high-ranking Miller Brewing Co. official, who is also a member of the Summerfest Board. Her husband, Daniel, is present of Tamarack Petroleum Co., and a frequent contributor to political campaigns.

*Kristine Martinsek, a Milwaukee public relations and marketing executive, who is a former high-ranking Milwaukee Department of City Development official.

*Mary Ladish Selander, who is director of development of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Selander, a Milwaukee native, held a number of high-profile jobs in Milwaukee, including executive director of the Milwaukee Ballet from 1985 through 1988.

Another name circulating as a possible replacement is Ed Hanrahan, who used to be the number two person at Summerfest before leaving in the mid-1990s to start his own festival promotional firm.

Prior to this year’s Summerfest, board members said they would wait until the festival was over to make a final decision on Black, which most political sources have predicted would be to not renew her contract. A meeting had been scheduled in May to decide her fate, but was called off at the last minute by Summerfest Board Chairman Howard Schnoll.

A Summerfest Board meeting is expected to be held in the near future

Black has already started to look at options for a new career. As Milwaukeworld reported recently, Black has met several times with Racine Alderman Jeff Coe to discuss job possibilities and opportunities in Racine, including possibly running Racine’s Festival Park and Memorial Hall, according to a July 13, 2003 column in the Racine Journal Times. State Rep. Pedro Colon is picking up some money from south of the Wisconsin border to help in his campaign to become the next mayor of Milwaukee.

According to his recent campaign finance report, the Milwaukee Democrat received $2,100 from four Chicago-area politicians, including $1,000 from the political campaign committee of U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat. Colon also received $500 from the campaign committee of Illinois State Rep. Maria Antonio Berrios, a Cook County Democrat, $500 from committee of Chicago Alderman Billy Ocasio and $100 from the committee of Illinois State Rep. Cinthia Soto, a Cook County Democrat.

In all, Colon was able to raise $77,732 during the past few months. His total was the second highest behind former Milwaukee Congressman Thomas Barrett, who raised more than $216,000.

Barrett is considered the frontrunner by most political observers to replace Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, who is not running for reelection.

Barrett’s list of contributors included many high-profile Milwaukee business and community leaders including $3,000 from Nick Anton, owner of La Perla Restaurant, $3,000 from lobbyist Cindy Broydrick, $3,000 from Wauwatosa developer Mark Irgens and $3,000 each from Waukesha-based Redmond Construction Co. executives Mark Redmond and Brian Cummings.

Milwaukee-area real estate, construction and architectural executives poured nearly $42,000 into Barrett’s campaign, a review of his campaign finance statement showed.

He also received a lot of support from some high-profile members of the Norquist administration, including $1,000 from Julie Penman, commissioner of the Department of City Development, and $1,000 from Michal Dawson, deputy commissioner of DCD.

Other prominent candidates in the crowded field are Common Council President Marvin Pratt, Milwaukee Alderman Thomas Nardelli and Milwaukee business executive Sandy Folaron, who became the first candidate to begin running television ads in mid-July.

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke still has not announced if he intends to enter the race, although most political observers predict he will throw his hat in the ring during the next several weeks. Russ Darrow, who is part of the Russ Darrow Automobile family, is apparently considering a run for the U.S. Senate against Senator Russ Feingold.

If Darrow would enter the race to be the Republican nominee to challenge Feingold, he would join State Senator Bob Welch, a Redgranite Republican, who has already announced his intention to run and is lining up the support of many of the stateâs top Republicans. Darrow started a string of automobile dealerships in southeastern Wisconsin. Michels Corp. executive Tim Michels is also considering a run as a Republican and is expected to announce his intentions in the next several weeks.

The election is in November 2004, with some national Republicans targeted Feingold as one of handful of Democratic incumbent Senators that could get knocked off. Feingold sneaked by Kenosha homebuilder Mark Neumann in 1998.

After word got out this week of Darrow's interest in the race, Feingold's campaign staff immediately circulated an e-mail that stated Darrow had made several financial contributions to Feingold's campaign and had spoken out in support of him at recent community events.

Click here to see the memo from Feingold's campaign staff. City of Milwaukee officials are courting real estate developers, hoping to lure a new grocery store to the Historic Third Ward or Walker’s Point neighborhood to serve the growing number of residents living in downtown Milwaukee.

In recent weeks, Milwaukee Department of City Development (DCD) officials have given tours of the two neighborhoods near downtown Milwaukee to at least two development firms – General Capital Group, Mequon, and Redmond Development Co., Waukesha – in an effort to get them to develop a project.

Developers and city officials said the sites under considerations are the parking lot adjacent to the Italian Community Center in the Historic Third Ward, a parking lot at the southeast corner of North Second and Michigan streets and a parcel that would be assembled on South First Street between East Pittsburgh and East Washington streets in Walker’s Point.

Another possibility would be to have a grocery store developed on the first floor of one of the condominium projects being developed in downtown or the Third Ward. City officials are also touting a former hotel near North 27th Street and West Wisconsin that is being torn down as a separate location for a second grocery store.

“It really makes sense because that market is tremendously underserved,” said Julie Penman, commissioner of DCD. “We are trying to get something started, and I am confident we are going to be very successful because of the residential growth and demand that is there. People would like to see a grocery store that they could walk to because that is one of the benefits of living downtown.”

Since 1997, more than 3,600 new units of housing have been constructed or are currently under construction in downtown Milwaukee.

Retail sources said city officials have targeted Roundy’s Corp., which operates Pick ‘n Save Warehouse Food stores, Sendik’s Food Market and Whole Foods as the possible operator of the upscale grocery store.

Penman said there has been a lot of interest from developers and she is confident city officials will be able to make a major announcement on a new grocery store development within the next three to four months.