Jessica Mcbride

The Wauwatosa School District is asking voters to approve a pair of referendums worth $124.4 million on the Nov. 5 ballot. But a taxpayer advocacy group believes the district , with declining enrollment, should “right-size” its current budget rather than using a referendum to spend more taxpayer money. The group pointed toward a second planned referendum in 2026 as part of a cycle of tax increases that it believes needs to end. The group points to a reported $4 million budget mistake by the district as a sign of mismanagement. The district’s two proposals include $16.1 million per year for four years to fund operational expenses such as salaries and benefits and a $60 million referendum for maintenance and capital projects at Eisenhower, Madison, Roosevelt, Jefferson, and Washington elementary schools, Montessori/Fisher and Wauwatosa East and West high schools. State law caps how much a district can increase its property tax levy without voter approval. The district says t...

There will be a new Wauwatosa police chief announced on Thursday, July 1, 2021. The City of Wauwatosa Police and Fire Commission will take a vote at 4:30 p.m. today. Update - It was announced, on a 4-1 vote, that James MacGillis will be the new Wauwatosa chief. Read our updated story here. All three finalists are current or retired Milwaukee Police Department commanders. One, Jeffrey Norman, is currently the acting MPD chief, but his future in that post is uncertain as the city continues to delay in coming to a decision on the Alfonso Morales mess. Morales is scheduled to resume his job as Milwaukee police chief on July 3, per a judge's order, if the city doesn't reach a settlement with him. All three finalists for Wauwatosa police chief are long-time commanders with the MPD: James MacGillis, Jeffrey Norman, and David Salazar. At the same exact time, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission is meeting to hear an update on Morales. How to Watch According to the cit...

James MacGillis, a retired Milwaukee police commander who runs a major drug investigation unit known as HIDTA, is the new Wauwatosa police chief. He was formerly director of training for the Milwaukee Police Academy. The City of Wauwatosa Police and Fire Commission voted 4-1 to choose MacGillis at 4:30 p.m. today. Jeffrey Norman, the acting Milwaukee police chief, received one vote. That decision sets the stage for Norman to possibly become permanent MPD chief if the city reaches a settlement with Alfonso Morales , which it must do by July 12. All three finalists were current or retired Milwaukee Police Department commanders. David Salazar was the other finalist for the Tosa chief position. James MacGillis will replace long-time chief Barry Weber, who was chief for 31 years and had 48 years of law enforcement experience. James MacGillis Biography Wauwatosa released this bio for James MacGillis. He is a retired MPD commander who is currently in a leadership position for a...

Judge Glenn Yamahiro, whose ex-wife and the mother of his child has represented the families of men shot by former Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah, used a rare John Doe procedure on Wednesday to find probable cause that Mensah committed homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon in the death of Jay Anderson five years ago. Yamahiro's decision, which is unheard of in Wisconsin, runs counter to the decision years ago of an elected prosecutor and former prosecutor. Mensah was already cleared in the 2016 death of Anderson by the elected district attorney John Chisholm and by former US Attorney Steve Biskupic in a report as an independent investigator. Furthermore, a federal review amounted to nothing, and the Milwaukee Police Department did an exhaustive review at the time. He will appoint a special prosecutor to consider whether to bring a homicide charge. Remember that any charges would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt before a jury. That's a highe...

Milwaukee County Judge Yamahiro, in an unprecedented decision, has outrageously found probable cause that former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah committed homicide in the five-year-old death of Jay Anderson Jr. Judge Yamahiro will appoint a special prosecutor to consider whether to bring a homicide charge using a little-known provision in John Doe laws. Remember that any charges would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt before a jury. That's a higher standard than probable cause. We don't think the media will tell you all of these facts, but they are important to remember. Here are 14 key facts that are important to remember about Judge Yamahiro's outrageous decision: Judge Yamahiro Key Facts 1. Judge Yamahiro has a significant alleged conflict of interest. His ex-wife and the mother of his child, Deja Vishny, assisted in representing the Anderson family and has worked side-by-side for months with attorney Kimberley Motley, calling for criminal charges...

Deja Vishny, the ex wife of the judge who issued the unprecedented decision that there is probable cause that already cleared former Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah committed homicide appeared in a press conference last year in which she trashed Mensah and vowed that she and attorney Kimberley Motley would "use every legal means at our disposal to continue this fight. To continue the fight to make sure Mensah is never a police officer." You can watch the video later in this article. In addition, Deja Vishny, a former public defender who works for Motley's law firm on an of counsel basis, has written many anti-Mensah screeds on Twitter, calling for him to be fired. She also wrote a tweet that somewhat presaged what her ex-husband, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Glenn Yamahiro, decided as a result of a rare John Doe hearing requested by Motley and the family of Jay Anderson, who Mensah shot to death. Vishny, who has helped Motley represent the Anderson family as...

Why won't the media fully report the deep ties that Tammy Baldwin's Milwaukee office director, Tiffany Henry, has to the Wauwatosa unrest, including a dangerous scene of violence? Henry was accused by fellow People's Revolution members of being at the scene where two police officers were attacked and beaten at their own home in a chaotic riot where a gun was discharged near them. Some Peoples Revolution members alleged that Henry used physical violence against an officer, called him an expletive, spoke to the accused shooter before he turned himself in, and said he was "fair game," police reports show. Would the media report it if the staffer worked for, say Ron Johnson, and the violence occurred from people associated with the right? That seems even more relevant now that Baldwin, on July 21, announced that she is seeking a federal civil rights investigation into the Wauwatosa Police Department stemming from the three shootings by former Wauwatosa Officer J...