The Fischbowl

Well that time has finally come... time to pack up my nerdy journalism paraphernalia and say farewell to CNI. This has been an incredibly informative summer, I can't even begin to list all the valuable things I've learned interning here (although somehow I'm going to have to compress that thought into an 10,000 word essay tonight)

So what's next for me? 

I was at a party a few weeks ago where people were obsessing over their five-year plans. My five-year plan? Well, I ain't got one, and I'm OK with that. Five years ago I was a high school sophomore with a chip on my shoulder and no intentions of ever going to college. Now look at me-- an honors student nine months away from a bachelors degree with a portfolio full of valuable experiences. l figure things out as I go along.

Thanks to everyone who read my blog or my articles, sent me e-mails, or somehow interacted with me this summer. It really meant a lot to me.

Thanks for reading and take care.

"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today"- Malcolm X

 

School's less than a month away... hooray??  Well, maybe for the parents.  Here is a preview of a few child-teen oriented programs at the Franklin and Oak Creek Public Libraries.  Call or visit for more info or to register. 

Franklin Public Library (414) 425-8214

Nursery Rhyme Time

• ages 17 months and younger
• Fridays September 12, 19, and 26th and Oct 3rd
• Walkers @ 9:30 a.m. and Pre-walkers @ 10:45 a.m

Get Crafty!

• Grades 1-3
• Tuesday September 16 @ 6-7 p.m.

Teen Ready Week

• Ages 12-18 yrs old
• October 12 to the 18
• Special events throughout the week
  

Cool Websites for Kids

• Grades 2-5
• Tuesday October 7 @ 6-7 p.m.
  

***Whats Up with Web 2.0

• grades 5-12
• Tuesday October 21 @ 6-7 p.m.
  

Halloween Storytime and Trick or Treat

• Ages 2 1/2 to 7
• Tuesday October 28 6-7:30 p.m.
• Trick or Treat through the library!  
  

*** This looks relevant to things I've studied at UWM, so it you have a college bound student who is interested in journalism or the media, this may be worth their interest. 

Oak Creek Public Library (414) 764-4400

Preschool Story Time

• Ages  3-5
• Wednesdays September 17- October 22
• 10:30-11:15; 1:30-2:15; and 6-6:45
  

Fall Toddler Time

• Ages 18-35 months
• Wednesday November 12- December 10
• 10:15-10:45; 11:15-11:45 

 Oh, when politics and sports collide.

I'm watching the parade of nations from the Olympics opening ceremony right now.  This is my first time watching the Olympics in HD and it is FABULOUS.  Never before has  the emotion and the experience been conveyed so clearly to us watching from home.  I'm oozing awe right now.  You can just see the pride and excitement in the athletes faces.  I saw tears streaming down one flag holders cheeks.  AMAZING. Say what you will about the controversy surrounding China and the Olympics right now, but they are putting on a fantastic and warm welcoming.

I love watching the parade of nations, and I'm just waiting and waiting for the Americans to walk by.  The countries aren't walking in alphabetical order this year because they are going by the number of lines in the Chinese characters representing the countries(?) Yeah, Matt Laurer has already explained it a dozen times and I still don't get it.

It's interesting watching the receptions of some of the countries as their names are announced.  Guess who didn't clap for who... 

Anyway, I need to get a schedule of events so I can figure out when I can watch what. 

Speaking of controversies, I am sooo sad to see Brett go.  It's kinda like when a couple you've known forever breaks up--it's just weird not to see them together anymore. I've been watching him play for the Packers pretty much my entire life.  I even remember having an 'I heart Brett' sweatshirt when I was a kid. I keep telling my roommate that now we need to get cable and the NFL Sunday ticket so that I can still watch him play.  It's probably gonna happen.  I don't know if I'll commit to buying his Jet's jersey though...

I'm really going to miss watching Brett play.  I'm not a huge sports fan, but I love my Brewers and I LOVE my Packers.  What I'm going to miss most is the camaraderie.  

And here is a good piece a trivia to share with your friends: The first pass Brett threw as QB for the Packers was to himself.   

 
So, next Wednesday will be my last day.  I'll put in a couple more blogs before I go and a few more stories.

Finally! The American's are walking by--they are wearing blue blazers,white pants, ties and white hats. Kinda looks like school uniforms?? haha I think they just said the outfits were designed by Ralph Lauren. Whatever, as long as they play good...

Ok that's it for tonight

Have a great weekend! Go team USA!!
 

Here are the links to the story and slide show for the Franklin-Oak Creek Relay for Life:

Slideshow

Story

I talked to many many people and heard lots of great stories worth sharing... this is just a sample of the many reasons people get involved in a wonderful program like this. 

Enjoy! 
 

I went to the Franklin-Oak Creek Relay for Life last Friday and I have to say it was an amazing experience.

It was wonderful to see so many survivors celebrating and raising money for those who have fallen to cancer, but on a personal level, it was also a very important night.

Three months ago I lost my uncle Hank to a very rare incurable form of thyroid cancer.  It was devastating watching him go like that.  One of his last wishes was that I stand at the head of his coffin and carry him to his final resting place.  It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but I did it for him. 

I knew that covering the event would bring up sad memories for me, but I decided to do it anyway.  I felt it was that important.

Over the course of four hours, I talked to a lot of people.  They opened up to me and I opened up to them.  We shared tears, but most importantly, we shared our stories.  I am so grateful to those who were strong enough to talk about their personal experiences to a complete stranger. 

Repeatedly throughout the night I heard a common theme that was reflected in my own sentiment; tonight is going to be hard, but it is going to be worth it.  We need to raise funds and awareness to eradicate this terrible disease that has affected so many.

So I went to the event and I wrote a story for the newpaper and I made a photo slideshow.  I will post the links as soon as they are available.

I just want to take the opportunity to say that this is for you, Hank.  I love you and I miss you and I wouldn't have done this if it wasn't for you. 

I can only hope that the coverage of this event will impact someone else like it did me. 
 

 The purpose of this specific blog is not to reflect upon pop culture, politics, etc but I just can't help myself.  I've really enjoyed reading other's blogs, particularly Kevin's and Janet's, that often reflect upon popular culture and politics,etc and frankly I'm jealous.  The purpose of this blog is to share my experiences in Oak Creek and Franklin as a reporter and to promote projects I'm working on.  I guess as a human being/ American student journalist/ who is witnessing this groundbreaking, not to mention radically media format shifting election, I have a lot to say about what is going on right now.  That being said, I'm still going to remain (relatively) objective in what I have to say.  I'm not going to promote a specific conservative/liberal format... what ever you believe is OK by me and I'm not here to judge or promote anything.  That being said............

I left a comment on Janet's blog about the new 'Celeb' ad John McCain put out a few days ago.  (I found it on the internet the night before it was released on TV in Wisconsin; how timely of me)  Originally I thought it was a bad idea, but you know, I have to say that now I think it was actually exactly what McCain needed to do for his campaign.  He put it all out there. Literally.   It got A LOT of attention and, as they say, any publicity is good publicity.  It got people thinking. 

Anyway, I was just watching Nightline (yeah it's about midnight right now) and they just promoted THIS on the end of their show.  I feel like I should share it because it is HILARIOUS  to me and  I don't know if  it will be promoted  anywhere during daytime (I could be wrong, who knows).  Take it how you want, liberal or conservative, I just think it's funny.  (And NO, I am not ordinarily a fan of Paris Hilton, but I just knew that she would find some kind of way to turn this ad into her own favor). 

 I saw Obama's TV ad to respond to McCain's last two attack ads and frankly they are too boring to post. 

 
Anyway, I will post something relative to the communities of Franklin and Oak Creek immediately after this.  If reading this blog post was a waste of time, sorry, I just felt like sharing.  I guess my justification is that, obviously, the good peoples of FR and OC are interested in politics and perhaps this wouldn't have been brought to their attention anytime soon. It's not groundbreaking or deeply thought provoking; it's just funny.  Sometimes we all need to laugh.

So, now that I got that off my chest.. onwards and upwards!

(BTW Funny or Die is the website that comedian Will Ferrell creates content for; and hey, Step Brothers just came out so I guess that's timely too)
 

No blog yesterday... lame, I know. 

Lot's of people came to the OC Common Council meeting last night to express their concerns about the proposed 120 ft. AT&T cell phone tower at 800 W. Puetz Rd.

 Basically nobody in the neighborhood wanted it but the response was that, you know, the thing had to go somewhere.

Things looked bleak for the citizens of the residential neighborhood the tower was proposed for until someone brought up a very good point. 

BUT the decision was put on hold when a resident mentioned another tower that is approved to be built 840 W Ryan Rd.  Apparently, AT&T had no information about this tower and will look into before coming to the council again.  Even the AT&T spokesman said that typically putting a tower in a residential area was a big "no-no" and they may be able to attach their equipment to the Ryan Rd. tower without having to build a new one. 

 And the neighbors rejoice. 

To the guy who brought up the Ryan Rd. tower to the council after nearly an hour of discussion--- your neighbors should bake you a cake.  A yummy cake.  Good job.   

This weekend I went to the Relay for Life.  I have so much to say about it I'll have to save it for another blog post.  But I will say that I appreciate everyone who shared their stories with me, I had a wonderful time and this will probably be the beginning of a long relationship between my own family and the fundraiser. 

Goodness gracious me, this summer is just flying by.  I have two very full weeks left before I leave to attend UWM full-time again.  *Sigh

So, if you read the posts from yesterday then you are aware that last night the new 1st district alderman, Tommy Vandervort, met with concerned neighbors in his district to discuss the pros and cons of the of proposed USPS facility.  Here is a break down of a few discussed:

Pro-- the location is ideal for USPS; large open space near railroad, airport, highway, etc and the current facility in Milwaukee is falling apart

Con-- this area is a residential neighborhood and noise, light and air pollution could pose problems for the homes and residents

Con-- also there are concerns about water drainage and potential flooding for the area residents; also parents have raised concerns that the proposed water reservoir is a safety issue for area children

Pro-- if USPS does go in, there could be assistance to the city in fixing Pennsylvannia and College avenues

Con-- USPS employee traffic to and from work and the postal trucks could clog roadways even with road reconstruction.  Also concerns about public transportation.

Pro-- a USPS facility would be regulated by the federal government and not be as susceptible to tough economic conditions such a business facility would 

Pro-- the city could recieve a monetary "gift" for the USPS location (* the details of the specific amount, what it would be used for, who would manage it, and the time frame surrounding this sum are not clear at this point*)

Con-- the facility would not be taxable, as it is a federal building 

Con-- the city would not be, at least immediately, receiving any jobs as a result of the USPS facility 

Pro--  USPS employees may eventually decide to move their own families to OC

Con-- the facility could affect property values for residents 

Residents who organize and attend these meetings are also concerned that the traffic, property value, noise pollution, etc studies they have asked for are not being provided by Cobalt.   A representative from Cobalt was not present at the meeting last night.  No residents who openly accepted the proposed facility were present, or at least spoke up, at the meeting. 

Alderman Tommy Vandervort wrote down the concerns and responded where he could. 

If anyone has another pro or con regarding the USPS facility, please leave it in the comments section.  I know that there are more than the above mentioned. 

Now, tonight I will be at the Franklin/OC Relay for Life.  I'm working on a story and a slide show. 

Next Monday, August 4th, is the OC Common Council meeting. 

There are a few other projects I'm working on right now that I hope to have wrapped up in time before I head back to school. 

Stay cool and have a great weekend everyone!!
 

This is a quickie video introduction from Tommy Vandervort, the new Oak Creek 1st District Alderman.  Tonight he met with concerned residents from his district and discussed the pros and cons of the proposed USPS facility

 More tomorrow... time for bed
 

What: Residents can meet new 1st District Alderman Thomas Vandervort 

When: 6 to 8 p.m. TODAY

Where: Oak Creek Public Library (8620 S. Howell Ave)

Why: some face to face time with the new alderman and opportunity to discuss proposed USPS facility 

Contact:  Vandervort at Thomasv3@uwm.edu  and Cobalt Partners at (414) 271-5000

Also, Julie Becker wrote this up on Vandervort's selection and it includes some background info about him.

Go Panthers! 

The 27th Street steering committee met this morning in OC to discuss the following:

• Gateway treatments; special monuments and signs, electronic and non-electronic, to emphasis or 'dress up' particular intersections along the corridor.  Probable intersections to have gateway treatments are Elm, Ryan, Drexel, Northwestern Mutual Way, Rawson, and College.

• Concerns about cross access (u-turn locations) on existing plans.  Right now, the plans only include about one median cut per mile.  This could be a concern for emergency services, and also business who would normally be accessed by a left turn. (may I add it could be darn annoying for drivers too!)

• Storm water drainage and median landscaping (to tree or not to tree? that is the drainage problem question)

• Median monuments-- another aesthetic property to the plans that was only briefly addressed with no consensus.  The median monuments, like the gateway treatments, would be special signs or landmarks to draw attention to certain areas of the corridor. 

• Roundabout or no roundabout.  Current map does not include roundabouts, but they have been topic of discussion.  Many people think they are pretty neat-o while others think they are a bit joke-o, but in all seriousness an accurate traffic study is absolutely necessary so that intersections don't become deadly-o

• Future website management.  South27th.com was created as a temporary website and now marketing is looking towards a future website to cater to both consumers and businesses

Basically, there is so much to discuss that it was impossible for a dozen people to come to a joint opinion on anything. SO, on August 12th there will be a special workshop for the above mentioned concerns, except for the marketing concerns, will be ironed out before meeting with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on the 22nd. 

The following Meetings Calendar was decided on:

August 6th 6:30 p.m.-- joint Common Council meeting in Franklin to update the councils on steering committee's progress

August 12th 8:00 a.m.-- workshop in Franklin to find consensu on concerns before meeting with the DOT (will take as long as necessary, possibly all day)

August 22nd 9 a.m. to Noon-- committee meeting with the DOT in Waukesha room 314

September 3rd 9 a.m.-- website workshop in Oak Creek.  This will only cover marketing of the corridor and relevant website discussions

 Even though it was early, I was surprised that only two citizens showed up the meeting today.  I hope more exercise civic engagement before it's too late and grumpy people get stuck with something they don't like. 

Oh, what a day...I just got hung up on 4 times in a row.  I think that means I should take a break.

I'm just going to take the opportunity to remind everyone that I will be at Relay for Life this Friday, August 1st, at 6 p.m. until either there isn't enough light for my camera or I fall asleep. 

Also, tomorrow morning I will be at a planning commission meeting for the redevelopment of 27th street.  I will give an update on my blog to any new developments, of course. 

By the way Oak Creek residents, did you see that last night the new first district alderman was appointed?  Julie Becker attended the meeting.

Thomas Vandervort, 22, was chosen from seven applicants and you can see him in action next Monday, August 4th at the next Common Council meeting. 

OK, back to work! 
 

 Hello and Happy Monday everyone.

This weekend Franklin's Ashley Pfister won a $250 cash scholarship in the Wisconsin Junior Miss program.  Samantha LaBrasca of Brookfield took the title and will go on to compete at the National Junior Miss competition in Mobile, Alabama next June.  Congrats to all the contestants!

Did you know that Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer is a former National Junior Miss?  Consider that the fun fact of the day. 

 
Now, onto other business-- Last Friday I met with the Oak Creek-Franklin joint school district superintendent Dr. Sara J. Larsen and discussed a number of things new to the schools this year.

• The two Chinese teachers, as part of the Chinese guest teacher program, will be arriving in Milwaukee August 6th to teach elementary through high school students Mandarin Chinese the next two years in the district. While the Chinese government only allows each teacher to stay in the United States for two years (with a one-year visa renewal option), Larsen hopes that this year will be the first step in a long commitment to teaching the language in the district. 
  

•  Project Lead the Way, a pre-engineering program for middle and high school students, will be at both East and West middle school in the district this year.  The program will take the existing curriculum for the  home economic and workshop classes and, using new computer labs, expand the application of these skills to those used in college engineering programs.  For example, before home ec students step into the kitchen to prepare a meal, they will be creating weekly menus and shopping lists based on particular budgetary and nutritional constraints.

• A World's Cultures class will be new to the middle school curriculum this year. The class, which combines art and music, will replace the existing 'general music' class.  Students will study various forms of music, such as Latin and African, along with art from those regions.  This was made possible by a 'world drumming' grant received by the head of the Oak Creek-Franklin music department. 
  
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Another week come and gone...Where does the time go?

• Let's see, earlier this week the Taste of Egypt slide show and Target preview video were posted-- and may I add the latter was received with a little bit of 'drama', as the kids say.

• This South Milwaukee story I wrote was published in the newspaper.  It's a troubling read, to say the least.

•  I wrote this up on the Franklin teen competing in the  Junior Miss scholarship program and wish both of the local contestants the best luck tomorrow afternoon

• I learned to keep on the sunny side and handle my troubles with show tunes
  

AND I started digging the groundwork for my internship 'final'. I would still like to hear from anyone if they or their families own land on the 27th street corridor. I'll take any help I can get. Don't be shy!
 

Now next week, a few things to look forward to:

• Relay for Life at Franklin High School-- I'll be there with my camera and tape recorder collecting stories for another audio slide show
• A review of my meeting with the Oak Creek/Franklin school district superintendent Dr. Sara Larsen
• Update on how the local gals did in the JR Miss competition 
  

And I'm sure lots more!

Well, I'm off to Cheesefest so that's it for now

Have a happy weekend!

As I was leaving my part-time job this morning, I went to my favorite vending machine for one of those hearty lunches that only a fickle vending machine can provide, and delightfully it bore an extra snickers bar for me.  When you're in college, working two jobs and living off Target macaroni, you take every victory you can get.  Then, when I was walking home, the calming breeze and bird songs swept me off my tired feet and helped me decide that no matter what happens, today is going to be a good day.  No matter what, no one and no thing is going to rain on my parade.

With this in mind, I though I'd take the opportunity to give props to few people and community happenings:

• Junior Miss Pageant in Menomonee Falls this Saturday 

Local high school girls Ashley Pfister, daughter of Steven and Judy Pfister of Franklin, and Melissa Meier, daughter of Gary and Pamela Meier of Oak Creek, will be competing in the Wisconsin Junior Miss competition this Saturday in Menonomee Falls.  I wish them both good luck.

• Oak Creek/ Franklin Relay for Life August 1st

Relay for Life is still looking for teams.  As the community relations rep says, all you need is $150 and eight friends who want to spend a night under the stars with you.  They are also looking for volunteer to help set up for the event.

The event will also have a raffle, dance contest, food and games. 

To sign up a team or to volunteer, contact Deserae.Constantineau@cancer.org

• Oak Creek Renegades Football August 8th and 15th

The local football team, all run by volunteers, has two home games left this season.  They will be at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex in Franklin, and a portion of the ticket sales will go towards the Quarterback Club.  Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children and seniors. 

More information can be found at www.oakcreekrenegades.com

That's it for today I guess, and remember, if anyone tries to poo poo on you, just look at it through a positive tude'. 

Today I dusted off my Neil Young albums, drank a pot of coffee and blew five perfect smoke rings whilst being schooled on the Junior Miss program.

 Ah, the simple pleasures in working from home.

I also began work on project that, at least this moment, feels like a tremendous undertaking.  I've heard what city officials are planning for the redevelopment of 27th street and what they think of the project, and now I want to find out how local business owners and citizens feel about it. 

Specifically that, perhaps inevitably, the redevelopment of 27th street will force out a few homes or existing businesses. 

I hope this blog post will elicit some responses from people who haven't had a platform to voice their opinions but feel affected by all this.

Please, leave a comment or send me an e-mail 

You know you want to.  
 

In case you didn't make it out-- or did and want to see my take on the festivities-- the audio slide show for the Taste of Egypt Festival is up.

 
Also,  the manager of the new Franklin Target very kindly took me through a tour of the department store, and here is a video of all the wonderful things shoppers have to look forward to.  The store will be open to the public at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

• Large food market with assortment of prepackaged and frozen foods, beer, wine and liquor
• Large better steering model of shopping carts
  
• Sales and specialty brands
  
• Starbucks and Pizza Hut inside
• Attractive inside and outer decor with large parking lot (and a roundabout on drexel ave!)
  

Enjoy! 
 

 
(Oh, and in case your wondering, the camel's face got waaayyyy too close for comfort to my face so, yeah, I chickened out on the whole ride thing.  I need to find an event with smaller animals....) 
 

It's going to be one busy weekend followed by another busy week! 

Here's something I'm happy to share with everyone: I will be going into the new Target in Franklin on Monday and filming a preview video for it--I've heard that it is the best Target store in Wisconsin and possibly the best in the United States.

I hope they let me raid the dollar aisle early... I love a bargain : )

Tomorrow I will be off to the Taste of Egypt festival. I'm still psyching myself up to get onto one of those camels, but we'll see how it goes. 

Speaking of food and fun, the Philadelphia grill restaurant on 27th street is opening mid-August.  I've been chatting with the manager about what to expect; you'll have to wait for the story to find out everything, but I'll give you a hint: if you like football, beer and pizza (and I know I'm not the only one, folks!) then you'll dig this place.   

 
I don't usually update my blog during the weekend, but if I do make my way to the top of that critter, I take a picture of the view and share it with everyone :) 

(You'll probably be better off checking it out for yourselves, though!)

Have a great weekend!
 

I remember six years ago (I'm giving away my age, I know) sitting in my driver's ed classroom, going through the standard manual of 3-point turns, street signs, etc when I first came across the mystery that is the 'roundabout'.  My classmates and I asked the teacher about the seemingly complicated whirly-whirls and he responded, "Don't worry about those, I don't think there are any in Wisconsin.  Maybe in Europe." 

 Oops.  Guess he didn't anticipate this news headline. 

Roundabouts seem to be the butt of a lot of jokes lately. Everywhere I go, the person who comes up with the first roundabout joke scores the biggest laugh of the night.  There were plenty at the USPS meeting, for sure, as a new round-about was part of the plans for the area.

I don't know if I'm looking forward to driving on any quite yet, but this video is sort of hypnotic.

Anyway...

Despite my recent obsession with roundabouts, two stories I wrote will appear in the Now newspaper tomorrow and can also be found online.

This weekend I will be at The Taste of Egypt Festival with my camera and audio recorder.  Hopefully I will be able to squeeze in some shopping (I already have my eye on an Egyptian tea set) and kabobs.  Don't know if I will be brave enough for a camel ride, though.  I've always been afraid of heights. 

Hope to see you there!

I heard that these high school students were taking time out of their summer to put on a play for children at the Oak Creek Public Library and I felt that they deserved a little recognition!

Cast:

Kelly Popp (Senior) Centipede

David Tetzlaff (Junior) James

Shalaine Buehl (Freshman) Spider

Katie Schmitt (Junior) Ladybug

Loren Schlei (Senior) Glow Worm

Anthony K.W. Brown (Senior) Grasshopper

Kaylee Schull (Sophomore) Earthworm

Not pictured is Oak Creek drama teacher Elizabeth Fritz.

The students also led the children in theater exercise games afterwards.

 The students started preparing for the play last month.  Let's hear it for them!