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MILWAUKEE – Parts of Southeastern Wisconsin have already seen snow fall, causing havoc and numerous accidents on slippery roads and freeways.

That’s nothing compared to what’s coming in the two days – up to 16″ on the way for our area.

“We’re going to have deal with our own shoveling and snowblowing, something we haven’t had to do a lot in the past month,” said Storm Team 4Caster Brian Gotter.

Between 6″ and 16″ inches of snow are expected to fall in Southeastern Wisconsin, prompting a winter storm warning to be issued for every county in Southeastern Wisconsin from midnight Tuesday morning through 6:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.

“The storm intensifies throughout the day today,” said Gotter. “Then, after midnight tonight, the snow really cranks in.”

The snow should remain constant throughout the entire duration of the storm, but the worst of it should – as often happens – come along the lakefront.

“The heaviest snow will be right along the lakefront,” explained Gotter.

“This is a lake effect snow band. All of us will pick up at least six inches, but with that northeast wind very strong off the lakefront, there will be snow totals of 12″, 14″ maybe even 16″ along the lake before it is all said and done.”

That snow will make things really harsh for drivers on the roadways, thanks to the winds whipping off Lake Michigan.

“By later this evening, overnight tonight and through the day tomorrow, the winds begin to pick up,” said Gotter.

“We will begin to see wind gusts of over 30, especially at the lakefront. Tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow night and into Wednesday, that will create blowing and drifting. There will be a little sticky snow at the lakefront, but the rest of us will be dry enough and cold enough to see this as a light, fluffy snow for the most part. There will be significant blowing and drifting snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, that will create near zero visibility on some of those county roads away from the lakefront.”

MILWAUKEE – The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for all of south east Wisconsin that goes into effect Monday night and lasts throughout the day Tuesday. 

“It’s going to be a long duration snow storm,” says Storm Team 4caster Scott Steele.  “Once it starts Monday night, it will continue right on through Tuesday night.  It looks like this will be a consistent period of snow.”

The slow-moving system is expected to dump a significant amount of snow over south east Wisconsin as it moves across the state.  Steele expects anywhere from 8-14 inches when all is said and done.

“Some locations may approach a foot while others may perhaps see a little more than that with lake effect enhancement.”

That effect is expected to be a significant factor during this storm – the most accumulation is expected along Lake Michigan.

Stay with Storm Team 4 for the latest information as the storm approaches.

SOUTH MILWAUKEE – Residents of South Milwaukee are now able to drink city tap water again.

The announcement was made Saturday morning after Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources tests came back negative for any bacteria.

The all clear was issued following the repair Friday night of the city’s primary water main, which broke early Friday morning.

According to an announcement on the city’s Web site, residents can now drink the water, use the water to cook food, make infant formula, and bathe infants as they normally would.

“All South Milwaukee food establishments and businesses may resume operations as usual,” the city said.

While the drinking ban was in place, the city distributed bottled water to about 1,800 families Friday night.

Because of the demand, stores had a hard time keeping bottled water on their shelves.

Saturday the city thanked residents for their cooperation, and thanked all of the companies that donated water during the city-wide emergency.

Residents who drank city tap water on Friday should continue to monitor their symptoms, the city said. If they experience any diarrhea, cramps, nausea or headaches, they should call their doctor.

 

MORE INFORMATION: Click Here to get more information from the City of South Milwaukee

 

 

 

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office charged a man with three felonies after he crashed into another driver while driving northbound in the southbound lanes of I-43 in Glendale on Sunday.

Brian T. Hoy, 33, faces two counts of causing injury by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle and one count battery to a law enforcement officer.  

According to a criminal complaint,  Hoy crashed head-on into another car, severely injuring both the driver and passenger.  As a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s deputy arrested Hoy and tried to place him into the rear of his squad car, Hoy “leaned his torso into the deputy, trapping him in the rear of the squad car.  The defendant then drew back and swumng his head into the deputy’s face, head-butting the deputy in the left cheek and eye.”  The deputy suffered minor injuries.  

Hoy registered a 0.276% blood alcohol level and was booked for his third drunk driving offense.  He now faces a maximum penalty of 31 years in prison and $60,000 in fines if convicted on all three felony charges.

MILWAUKEE - A fire that started in the first floor of a Vietnamese restaurant on Milwaukee’s south side heavily charred the building’s second floor apartment and damaged the restaurant to a point where it’s considered a total loss.

The fire happened at Saigon Vietnamese and Chinese Restaurant near the corner of South 20th Street and West National Avenue before 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Milwaukee Deputy Chief Jack Christianson said that a restaurant worker who lives in that apartment went down to work in the restaurant, when the worker saw smoke on the first floor.

That worker was able to escape the restaurant without injury.

At about 10:20 a.m., the fire was clearly visible to drivers traveling on the high rise bridge near downtown Milwaukee.

There is no word yet on the cause of the fire or the total value of the damage.

MADISON – Neha Suri, a University of Wisconsin-Madison senior, died of bacterial meningitis Tuesday, a little more than a week after she was rushed to the university’s hospital and put into a medically induced coma.

“The loss is hard for everyone to understand,” Suri’s family posted on her CaringBridge.org page.  “Truly, this time will be marked in sorrow for the rest of our lives, and the process of mourning will run its course in different ways for us all.”

“As we all mourn Neha, we invite you to consider the dual meaning of her name: ‘love and affection,’ as well as ‘rain.’ If there is anything Neha has given us all, it is her steady glow of love and affection, a reminder to our best selves, and something to forever hold as we go forward all the days of our lives. Also, we can be sure that every future rainfall will be a reminder of her life-giving presence, and every time a showering of her love upon us.”

Dane County health officials are not concerned about a wider meningitis outbreak.

SHOREWOOD - Crews spent the waking hours of Monday morning surveying the damage of an early morning house fire that caused injuries which Shorewood fire officials say could possibly be life-threatening.

The fire happened in the rear of the home just after midnight Monday morning on North Morris Boulevard near East Menlo in Shorewood.

North Shore Deputy Fire Chief Robert Whitaker said the fire started in the basement, and then appeared to spread quickly.

Fire shot out of windows on the first, second floor and attic, and smoke billowed from all around the house which was nearly destroyed. 

It took 40 firefighters to put it out.  Firefighters from Mequon, Thiensville, Cedarburg, Wauwatosa and West Allis assisted in the effort.

A couple, their son and a son’s friend were able to get out before crews arrived.

One man, who is 50 years old, suffered burns and went to Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital.   His condition is unknown, but officials with the fire department said he may be fighting for his life.

Crews were able to stop the fire from spreading to a neighboring home.

Whitaker said crews did not hear smoke detectors when they arrived on scene.  They did not know if there were any in the home.

“Another lesson learned that significant number of smoke detectors in the home, all levels of the home, can be a lifesaving measure,” said Whitaker.

Crews are investigating the cause of the fire, though officials say in a release that it is not suspicious in nature.  Damage is estimated at $180,000.

“You can just feel for people who suddenly lost everything,” said neighbor Tom Rebholz.

If whoever burned the iconic “Pizza Man” restaurant down last week thought they did the same to this community’s generosity, they failed.

“Wow,” said Deanna Amidzich, Pizza Man owner. “People started dropping stuff off like you wouldn’t believe.”

Just a few blocks from the rubble that used to be the Pizza Man building, people donated rows of food and clothing to the folks at the Milwaukee Central Seventh Day Adventist Church.

The church will then donate the items to people who lost their homes and jobs in the blaze that investigators now call arson.

“I really don’t understand how anyone could do that to so many people with I’m guessing 100 people who either lost their home or job. That’s devastating especially in today’s economy,” said volunteer Nicole Henderson.

Officials say “Moon” the arson dog sniffed out accelerants that were used to ignite the fire.

Along with Pizza Man, the blaze destroyed several apartments and three other businesses.

Investigators think the fire started in one of those businesses, The Black and White Cafe but they won’t say if they have a suspect in mind.

TODAY’S TMJ4 tried to contact the cafe’s owner the last few days but got no response.

“You woke up to see that you were completely unemployed for no reason,” said Joe Wagenecht.

Wagenecht–who worked at Pizza Man–is now left to pick up the pieces, hoping, as do others, police can serve up their own dish of justice.

“We’ve got to catch whoever did this because this was a horrific crime,” said Amidzich.

If you have information about the fire, call the Wisconsin Arson Hotline at 1-800-362-3005. If the information leads to an arrest, it could lead you to a $10,000 reward.

And organizers will host another fundraiser next week, according to Amidzich.

You can drop off non-perishable food or clothing at the Milwaukee Central Seventh Day Adventist Church on 2229 N. Terrace Avenue between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 6.

 

LA GRANGE – A Walworth County man is in crucial condition after being shot during a shootout with sheriff’s deputies.

It all started when deputies responded to a domestic situation at a home in the Town of La Grange late Friday night.

Walworth County Sheriff David Graves says the incident involved Mark S. Beaver, 57, and Linda R. Haen, 52.

Beaver had a gun.

Haen was able to get out of house on Rice Road.

Beaver then left the house with the gun in his hand.

Deputies ordered him to drop it. He refused and fired several times at the deputies.

The sheriff says Deputy Wayne Blanchard fired back, hitting Beaver at least twice.

Beaver was taken to Lakeland Medical Center and then transferred to Froedtert Hospital by a Flight for Life helicopter.

Deputy Blanchard was not hurt. He is on administrative leave while officials investigate.

Walworth County asked the Waukesha Sheriff’s Office to lead the investigation to have a “fresh set of eyes.”

 

MILWAUKEE – Authorities now say the fire that destroyed the Pizza Man restaurant was arson.

The fire also destroyed three other businesses and several apartments above.  Authorities have already said that they believe the fire started in the Black and White Cafe on the east end of the building.

More than 150 firefighters were called to the January 19th fire that caused about $3 million dollars in damage.

There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Mayor Tom Barrett has issued the following statement:

“Today’s announcement by the ATF and Milwaukee Fire Department that the Oakland and North Pizza Man building fire was caused by arson is very disturbing.  This irresponsible and despicable act put our fire fighting personnel, paramedics and residents of the building at serious risk of injury or death.  I thank the men and women from local, state and federal agencies that were involved in determining the cause of the fire and for their collaborative efforts in the ongoing investigation.  The ATF is offering up to a $10,000 award, and I encourage anyone who has information to please step forward and call the Wisconsin Arson Hotline at 1-800-362-3005.”