(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.)

Milwaukee Alderman Paul Henningsen, who was convicted on four counts of mail fraud in June, is likely to be sentenced to longer than eight months in a federal prison.

Henningsen, a member of the Common Council for more than 20 years, will be sentenced by U.S. Federal Judge JP Stadtmueller on September 26. A sentencing recommendation is being put together by the U.S. Attorney’s office, but it will not be released until the day of his sentencing.

Francine Wendelborn, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office, did say that Assistant U.S. Attorney Mel Johnson will request that Henningsen receive a sentence that is longer than the eight-month prison terms that former Milwaukee Aldermen Rosa Cameron and Jeff Pawlinski received.

Cameron and Pawlinski were also indicted as part of the recent federal investigation of Milwaukee City Hall. They both reached plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s office, something that Henningsen did not do. Both have already begun to serve their prison sentences.

“The government would like the sentence to be higher than the other two alderpersons as they both pled guilty,” she said. “Under the (federal sentencing) guidelines, when a defendant pleads guilty, and there is no need for a trial, they review points (reduction in time) for accepting responsibility. Judge Stadtmueller will have the final say.

Henningsen, who was found not guilty of a separate extortion charge, has continued to serve on the Common Council since being found guilty. He will be forced to resign after he is sentenced.

Several political sources said Henningsen is not likely to resign sooner, even though there is a Common Council meeting on September 23.

“I think he’s going to ride this one out right to the end,” said a political source. “He’s not going to give up his seat until he has to.” Now that the Summerfest Board has decided not to renew Executive Director Bo Black’s contract, the speculation about who will head the lakefront festival has started in earnest.

Summerfest Board Chairman Howard Schnoll has promised a national search for Black’s successor, but many local names are floating around the community, ranging from Patty Brash McKeithan, a high-ranking Miller Brewing Co. official, who is also a member of the Summerfest Board, to Mary Ladish Selander, who is director of development of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, to Beth Nicols, executive director of Downtown Milwaukee Management District
Another name mentioned frequently 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.

In a recent interview, Hanrahan declined to comment on possible successors, only saying he would not rule out returning to Summerfest.

“Right now, I am not looking to make a change because I am very happy with the way my business is going,” he said. “But looking to the future, I am always interested in looking at opportunities to work in this city at great events.”

Read a profile of Ed Hanrahan Arthur Thompson, the brother of Health and Human Services Secretary and former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, is no stranger to the Wisconsin Court System.

Arthur Thompson was recently charged in Winnebago County Circuit Court with fourth degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct for allegedly fondling a fellow Wisconsin Department of Corrections trainee. Both Arthur Thompson and the victim were trainees for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and were staying at South Gruenhagen Hall on the campus.

A check of Wisconsin court records found that Arthur Thompson has had numerous lawsuits filed against him in recent years, including two foreclosure actions. The most recent case was the first time he has had criminal charges filed against him.

Arthur Thompson could not be reached for comment.

According to court records:

*In December 2000, Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota filed a foreclosure lawsuit against Arthur Thompson for property he owned in Iowa County. A judgement of $87,172 was filed against him and Kathleen Thompson in August 2001.

*In March 1996, State Bank of Mt. Horeb filed a foreclosure lawsuit against Arthur Thompson and Kathleen Thompson. Court records do not reveal if a judgement was ever entered in the case.

*There were four separate tax warrants filed against Arthur Thompson by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue in the last four years, seeking a total of $7,174 in unpaid taxes. In addition, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development filed a lawsuit against Arthur Thompson in January 2001 seeking $118.14 in unemployment compensation.

Arthur Thompson has also received several municipal citations in recent years, including a $138.20 fine for non-registration of his automobile in March 2003 and a $129.05 fine from the City of Mineral Point for his dog running at large in January 1999. The Jewish Community Center, using some school yard lessons, is trying to raise as much as $250,000 from its members and area residents to fund its lawsuit against the Village of Whitefish Bay over the village’s refusal to approve its extensive expansion plan.

“When I was a boy, there was a bully who harassed me,” Bruce Arbit, chairman of the JCC’s legal defense fund, wrote in a recent fundraising letter. “He took my lunch, he beat me up, and he called me names. Then one day, my father of blessed memory, told me to stand up to him. I did what my father said and trust me the bully never tried it again.”

Arbit said that is what the JCC is doing to Whitefish Bay – standing up for what he called religious freedom. He said JCC officials tried to accommodate the village’s endless demands, but in the end Whitefish Bay “reneged on its promise and we were double-crossed.”

“When they told us we could only have 12 Bar Mitzvahs a year, they crossed my line,” Arbit wrote

The letter claims the JCC has already spent $1.75 million in legal fees and other expenses. It estimates it will spend an additional $250,000 on the federal lawsuit.

“My father of blessed memory also told me to never look down at my shoes when talking to authority. He told me to stand up for what is right,” Arbit wrote.