Change of commenting rule

I am removing the anonymous option from commenting for now. A lot of sensitive and dividing issues coming up in downtown Waukesha... Just a precautionary measure...

I can say that one side of the FFNL/street closing issue is not making friends, but I can also understand that the only way to go is attack, attack, attack if you are on the side losing the edge. All is coming to a head and it will be an interesting Common Council meeting. I will not be able to attend and report due to a rather large back piece tattoo I will be working on, but I will have my TV on.

On defending Chef Tony, he is my friend and so is Jody. A lot of people want to see him fail for many reasons, and he also made some mistakes, I will continue to support them both and the rest is for the law to decide. Their personal lives are still theirs and their business is bigger than what Tony did or did not do off the clock, there are real people and jobs at stake.

Thank you for understanding.

Alisha and the piggy cake

We went to Pat's Rib Place to help celebrate their two year anniversary... I totally should have been in the hot wing contest... The sauce is nowhere near Bodway's demon sauce or Chef Tony's ghost pepper surprise in spicy level, and it is tasty!

Keep it up, Alisha and gang, you guys are truly a gem for foodies in Waukesha!

7.30.11

Big crowd and some controversy...

History lesson 10 of 10.

This country is built on debt...

Lots of fireworks promised on Thursday... Magellan's extension of outdoor dining is the big battle coming...

More public hearing!?

That is....a pit bull in Waukesha!

SOUND OFF- The re-branding of Mayor Scrima continues...

POLICE BLOTTER

FFNL update

Local merchants are up and armed about the Milwaukee food truck brought in by Mr. Barta... Passive aggressive is truly the WackySha way of life.

There is also some concern with a HAWS tent by Maple, I think the dog and cats out there can use a fan...

By the way, I think I will have some ribs instead of sliders...

7.29.11

Let's find her replacement properly...

I am retired from eating contests... BUT congrats to Alisha and crew!

The Master Plan... UPDATE: THE NEW LINK THANKS TO WEST END OBSERVER. Here is the (old) link.

Tough sell but we need this...

History lesson 9 0f 10.

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER

I jinxed our sponsored softball team... Going up against the undefeated #1, they were down 7-0 after 3 innings... but to their credit, they fought back to 8-5 after 2 outs in the final inning.

FFNL is tonight, gals from Moxie's will be out by D Mo's doing hair and feather extensions along side of Shay's face painting. They put a rather large feather in my hair yesterday and no, a giant bird is not hiding in my head.

I am paying "tribute" to all the people who do not want to see FFNL turned into a "carnival"... ;) Seriously, some people need a new hobby...

Game changer:

Foodies' gain and the rest of the downtown better be ready to step up a notch.

Chef Tony did tell me that despite the large fresh oyster in half shell station during Easter Brunch, people were going for the waffles instead... now that was my gain with Oyster Rockefeller the next few days...

Wine tasting at D Mo's

Here is a photo of some of the sample wine for the wine tasting tonight... With finger food pairing too. $12 with reservation, $15 at the door. I know I am a fan of the Louis Jadot already...

7.28.11

The quest for water runs into a possible road block.

History lesson 8 of 10.

Now we watch and pray for justice...

Do talk to your neighbors FIRST before you go up to Plan Commission...

Nice metal tree!

Almont got the blues...

Wiggy is not going to share, but I am already buying Lake Michigan water on tap, and I don't have to go to Tosa to discharge it...

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER

BTW, the sky is falling...

Big event with the City Master Plan tonight at Carroll U. and the other option is the wine tasting at D Mo's... We shall see what people choose to do...

Our sponsored softball team is taking on the No.1 team tonight sitting at the #2 spot, I think it is time to play cheerleader and do the perfect cheer...

7.27.11

A sad ending and now a mystery. I hope there is justice.

Hey, that is the trench guy! (More info here thanks to Wiggy.)

History lesson 7 of 10.

Alderman Patton backed off on Pit Bulls but this is not over.

Hunting on public land moves ahead.

I think it is the other way around...

Darryl fires back.

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER

Mayor Scrima, are you paying attention? We can deal with WauKe$ha for a day for you to get a celebrity date for the royal wedding...

It must go on...

This is too scary.

Have to run, I am reporting from BID's development committee meeting. The rumor is that the bulky apartment project for O'Brien's is still alive and kicking...

7.26.11

Danny went for it again and it passed on a trail base after a long discussion. Next hurdle is the Common Council. By the way, we are only talking about having a beer with your pizza in front of the band in a small fenced in area...

Rumor is that there is a smear campaign going against the FFNL management and an opposing bar owner called the cops on Mia. Once again, just rumors.

History lesson 6 of 10

What is this board? Sounded official but whose interest does it serve?

I hope this gets some national attention or even regional.

Wiggy almost got wiped. We were TP-ed twice and both incidents were intended for our neighbor... From the brands of the toilet paper, we know they were rich kids... I was even tempted to "recycle" a few rolls of those.

Mayor Scrima and Ms. Kurz.

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER

Sunday extra

This is kinda interesting...

We can all be friends...

How to beat the heat...

I have eaten 50% of them.

But I wish I have some of these...

Where is Mayor Scrima...

Okay, Ms. Kool and I ran into him today in downtown Waukesha, he was just Jeff, all dressed down. I was told by some that quietly he is repairing some relationships with local biz people and that is a positive step. I also think with boots on the pavement and ear on the ground helps. I hope this is the first of many little steps to ditch the Smart People + Angry Scrima's Screamers and really be a people's mayor.

Steak at D Mo's

I was here the other day for taste testing of new beef suppliers....now I get the whole steak! This one is from Robert's meat.

Also, Sunday brunch is back! Saturday too..

7.22.11

A big scandal involved a public official and a Freeman columnist....Oh, you guessed it wrong! Not Mayor Scrima and Wiggy!

Let's conserve...

SOUND OFF

My suggestion:

Latta style:

Wiggy style:

HBR made it official from Chef Tony.

She is awesome and I was introduced to her when I was in Carroll...

Competition coming...

POLICE BLOTTER-Dude, so I had the wrong apartment...

I was not able to make my plead to Mr. Dixon on coming to Waukesha, but I did talk extensively to Kya (Jennifer) to bring her art to downtown Waukesha again... Perhaps at Gear room of the D Mo's galleria next...I am still hoping to see her art through out the rooms of Clarke Hotel. Wendy Strong was sitting next to her and I wish I knew about her involvement with Elm Grove Humane Society, I know Carol Sumbry! I also met designer Stephanie Gordon, I can't wait to see her project at Jackson Square Lofts at the next Milwaukee Gallery Night. It is a great idea to take unsold condos and re-design with art as high end apartments.

The event was M.H.'s birthday, and I was one of the many asking him about the J Lo-Marc Anthony split up. No PR is bad PR, look for their clothing lines at Kohl's in the Fall!

I was sitting at the patio of Iron Horse and thinking how nice it would be to have something like this in Waukesha, but then I really thought about it... People's Park rooftop will be OUR hip patio with a view... We do already have a big Milwaukee pub and grill chain and the name is Taylor's!

P.S. I met the manager of Swig too but I am sorry that his name escaped me, I told him I know Alisha from Pat's Rib Place. The rumor is that Auntie O LOVES the black bean cake there... Kya's is the permanent artist at Swig! (That is why it would be so kool to bring her art to Waukesha!)

7.21.11

A mystery...

Dude, I know her!

Common Council news.

I am against it if it means someone is gonna buy out all the yummy bakery!

Detail on Flash Mobs on FFNL.

Wiggy's column is just not the same without mentioning of Mayor Scrima.

SOUND OFF-I came up with a solution yesterday: GIANT DE-HUMIDIFIERS!

POLICE BLOTTER

There are some rumor on the big hotel/convention center/shops project by the river, I think the success of downtown Waukesha is catching some attention of the big boys...

There are also some rumors on some regulation on the SOUND POLICE, I was told that the more than normal amount of complaints from the same people is starting to become an issue for "draining the police resource" and "harassing local businesses". I am just reporting it, don't kill the messenger.

There are also rumors that there is some push (other than me) to get a big Milwaukee pub and grill chain to take over the O'Brien's building. That would be good if we want FFNL to extend down to the far West End.

Going to Iron Horse tonight, maybe I should talk to (more like begging) Mr. Dixon about coming to Waukesha?

7.20.11

Darryl takes on the police...

Council biz 1 and 2.

That is a good neighbor...

Let's put the P in Pewaukee!

The County Fair starts!

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER

Letters to the Editor

Still no word of when D Mo's Pita and Pan can re-open or re-locate due to on-going difficulty with the property management company, but I was assured that there will still be gyro for FFNL and they can still cater for us for Art Crawl. For the new galleria space, the gear room is almost done being painted by Adam Nilson at downtown D Mo's and the tree room is about to start.

There is also a new art school called Healing Forrest going into the back of Potter Shop. It is for age 12+ or adults. Please do check back for discount code for $10 off.

Duchess of People is suffering from serious Carpal Tunnel from that big piece of rock on her hand, the inside story is that she found that in the end of a fishing line while fishing... Good catch, Duke of Quad/Cleveland.

We should be thankful that we are getting a Les Paul instead of ...

Don't forget about Bikesha this Friday!

7.19.11

It is NOT our mayor in the news!

Is it now a scandal?

The brighter days ahead...

If you have not filled it out and give your two cents yet...

My insider source said collect your own urine too....

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER

Breaking news

D Mo's Pita and Pan is closed due to issue with the A/C system, more info coming...Stay tuned.

7.16.11

FFNL went well last night, Chef Tony from D Mo's reported that he went from 2 reservations to 100 people walked in to dine. The Bouncy House and gyro stand are such hits that Magallan's is going to have $3 slice of pizza and Mia is talking about Italian sausage as street food. However there is word of an opposing email going around and some report of certain enraged neighbor on the street stopping people and complain. I am so out of the loop that perhaps the responsible party would like to send me the email to post here. There is also a rumor that American Tattoo is said to be for sale (because of FFNL?), but I explained to the person that a tattoo shop needs conditional permit and the permit is tied to the original person holding it. Even with a sale, the new owner needs to re-apply again, that was what I was told when I received ours.

I guess a lot of "newcomers" of downtown Waukesha did not know there were many street fests in the past after the relocation of the gazebo, there were outside vendors setting up on the street, much larger bouncy house and inflatable slide, there were even a petting zoo once but there were never this many people in downtown other than the Harley fest.

Can FFNL expand out to the far West End? We would need more retail people there to pull it off. We don't want to just be THE parking lot for FFNL... It is a business district after all...

How do you feel about Street Closure? Here is the BID SURVEY.

Meet the BID director.

That is a piece of Waukesha history...

The YMCA/Gas station story continues...

Public Art needs to regroup after the whole Couri Mural issue... but the Les Paul mural is coming! Man on the Street told me there will be more public art, and even the Art City can not escape from bad art...

Follow up on OOPS.

The Cycling Classic will go on thanks to the Couri's donation.

The Waukesha County Fair is coming!

Good stuff Carroll U. is doing...

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER

Pre FFNL

Moxie is having a spray tanning and feather special!

How do you spell "attic"? Public nudity... Main street might as well be Bourbon St. now... ;)

7.15.11

Oops.

The wacky drama continues...

Strategic default?

It is a done deal... Politics 1, Art City 0.

Big change at the Museum.

If you renovate it, they will come. Congrats to Dani for a beautiful new home and welcome to the West End!

SOUND OFF-Pretty soon Mr. Mickler will get his own column.

POLICE BLOTTER

More people throw in their two cents on Pit Bull. Wiggy is against mothers killing their children with Pit Bulls but no official position on kids killing kids. Protesting crowd is forming around Freeman, or is it the same crowd around Avalon Manor for Alderman Patton?

We do not need that in our gas! Let's go one step further and give the public REAL SUGAR instead of that corn syrup crap!

Something for the Harry Potter Mania.

It is Friday, isn't it? Roasted corn, loud rock music and carnival atmosphere time!

7.14.11

Okay, I had my rant last night on Twitter over this. One way to see this is to imagine Main Street Plaza but with the full length on the Main Street to take out every bit of room possible. 36 units with 36 spots indoor parking on "street level" basement parking, but since the rule says 2 parking spots per unit, they would buy 36 parking pass for tenants to park at Clinton Street lot behind Bodway and Magellan's. I am sure all the business there will be kool with that. I do not think this developer give a darn about the neighbors or Riverwalk, we will see if he goes on with this project.

Memo to the mayor...

Old school...

FFNL preview.

NICE PHOTO! Patch!

SOUND OFF- Good match up. I have to agree with HBR that he is the funniest guy in the City Hall. / The fun police has the sight on the bouncy house...

Police Blotter

Wiggy has been quiet...

Royal Wedding in Waukesha?

The word is that Duchess of People and Duke of Quad/Cleveland are engaged.

This is no rumor, I have very reliable sources...

Perhaps the Emperor will stand up for his brother and bring the mystery blonde to the wedding.

7.13.11

HBR was there to report the WDBA meeting instead of me, the "gossip reporter", but what happened to all the news about Three Sister's Spirit moving to the beautiful space of Martinez building and the two Flash Mob events planned for downtown? ;) People's Park also has a new re-opening target date of mid to late October, while there will be a walk for Alzheimer in September, same day of Art Fest. Diva Day is also planned for 10.9.11. and there is a day set to "beautify" downtown. Some discussion was also on the bike rack project and certain impatient business owner (me) is urged to wait it out. There is talks to have bike lane on Main Street.(Waukesha Bike Gang, Danger Girl is in charge now, get to know her...) We also might be getting some temporary bike racks in downtown on loan from Carroll U. and I had agreed to have one by us (because we are tight with the bikers).

Mayor Scrima better write that memo now to his supporters...

Darryl tries to find that middle ground and I am sure it will be a hot topic. I saw Ms. Luther last night at D Mo's as she was leaving. Someone did give her flowers and we are sorry for all the BS. Good luck at your new job!

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER

The two most exciting news for me last night:

All Star MVP!

K-Rod is coming.

7.12.11

Freeman on Pit Bull regulation.

Better art at that corner...

Full report from HBR.

The Master Plan... Shouldn't this West End apartment project wait?

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER- Was that you on the Friday one, Darryl?

What?

I was late walking into the meeting regarding Magellan's request, all the usual suspects were there, except Danny himself. He thought it was next week! It was denied before I was even there.

No firework to report... Sorry, folks.

Pit Bull issue in the news

Wiggy has a lot of new fans over this already... Now there is another...

7.9.11

I was only able to walk the FFNL before it starts, but I did get some corn from D Mo's. Later on I walked out of the shop door to hear how the music level is. Using a new app on the tablet I have, it showed 50-60 db which is not a big deal. Not that I am the Sound Police, I just want to use my new app!

Not his first rodeo.

It is done!

Prepare for some hand to hand combat for this one! ( My position has always been that if the street is closed anyway, then use it! )

Please explain slower and with pictures so EVERYONE can understand the role of City Administrator in Waukesha.

What happened to the small bus campaign promise?

Wow, that is easy... Is there an app for that?

Oh, yes.

SOUND OFF-glass beads? That can be interesting...

POLICE BLOTTER-I did not know McDonald's stuff is that good, crack good...

Something extra from D Mo's

Chef Tony hid the special sauce Chef Nate made with 20 ghost peppers and 20 habanero peppers on one of the BBQ ribs last night... It was good but oh, boy, this is not going to be pretty this morning...

Oh, wait, I still have a lot of tattoo left to do on his ribs... ;)

Chef Nate was trying to prepare me for the Fearsome Threesome and the big eating contest day at Pat's Rib Place by placing three pounds of ribs in front of me... I was dizzy after 1.5 rack and passed out on the table...

Plan Commission next week

10. CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT – KENDALL LOFTS – 456 W. MAIN STREET – A

request from The Kendal Group Ltd. to consider approving preliminary plans for a 36-unit

apartment building to be constructed at 456 W. Main Street. MIKE (4-D-7) [E-1]

Oh, it is gonna be interesting...

7.8.11

The mural is back in the news and now I am not the only a-hole in the room...;) You get what you paid for, I guess... Of course we saw that all the time with homemade tattoos, so and so's brother or cousin did it on the kitchen counter for cheap... (The budget for our little mural is $14,000 with best material possible, just to give you some reference.) It is for the whole city and all the visitors to view, can't a big powerhouse like Couri Insurance do better than this? But Anonymous from yesterday was right, the professional mural artists I know will not be able to work with that budget just for professional grade paint alone if we are talking about lowest price for that big wall.

I'll be looking for it in the sky.

Once again, tell us what happened first!

So we want LESS representation?

I am a member so I guess I am standing behind her as a part of the business community!

SOUND OFF-Oh, boy...Nightmarish scenarios in da head...

POLICE BLOTTER

For Star War fans, the video in the bottom is a must.

Some nice old photos.

Let's end the day with some kool art...

This is amazing. So are these and these. How they pulled some of these off are just awesome.

Wiggy hacked!

Wiggy's far reaching fame caused a Syrian hacker to take down his site... I think he will call somebody who knows somebody to take care of it...

UPDATE: Zohan took care of it...Wiggy is back in business.

Starts tomorrow!

I am also disappointed here

Vigorous Citizen Mayor Scrima On Art City:

A new city identity

Q: You want to be the No. 1 art city in the US with comparable sizes to Waukesha. Where does that come from and how is that going?

A: First off all, we have to assess reality and look at the strengths that we already have in the city. Then we have to create measurable goals for ourselves so we have something to work towards. We do have a strong arts community in the downtown visual art community. We want to build upon the strengths of the arts and music in our community. Quite simply, those are things that people enjoy; the quality of life items: The quality of our parks, the quality of our festivals and the culture we have here.

Q: So the arts are something you take great pride in?

A: It's something I personally enjoy, but more importantly it's something the citizens want the city to be. Over a hundred years ago we were known for our spring water and we were known for our summer resorts. What are we known for today? And that's something we have to create together as a community. Who are we and what direction do we want to go in together?

Oh, wait, we are the ones in the trenches to actually DO something... Can someone tell me why a questionable mural gets pushed right through and the art bike rack project is tied up in red tape?

7.7.11

There seems to be clearly some entrenched thought from the Vigorous Citizen Mayor's camp. This city taxpayer said NOT SO FAST! Show us what happened between you and Ms. Luther. You promised to be transparent! ( Oh, wait, I do not LIVE in the city so my opinion does not count.)

The danger of this is that a group of very dogmatic people will continue to disrupt our city and slowly we will lose more good professional people and it will be Mob, no, I mean "Citizen" rule. When does "Citizen" become a substitute for "Amateur"? I sure hope you don't go find a "Citizen" tattoo artist, or a "Citizen" doctor. The one person that actually saved us city taxpayers money is driven out of Waukesha by this "Gang of 20" people are calling... Yes, Ms. Luther is a professional, she has skill, and she can make it anywhere... Hard to say for our "Citizen" mayor though. I am also alarmed by our Citizen Mayor's call to limit the candidate pool to someone local (perhaps a "Citizen"?); I see trouble on the horizon.

This what Wiggy thinks and I am a pessimist too.

Citizen Team Scrima gets a "thumbs down" for sportsmanship in SOUND OFF.

POLICE BLOTTER: There is a flight on Sesame Street!

Preview of FFNL lineup. Chef Tony said maybe ribs for street food this week? He is still working on it.

Now that is a burger!

Guard your beer!

Sunset is not going to be fixed until 2012?

Town of Waukesha hires a pro on Citizen Mayor Scrima's "mention"? What!? That can be a move of cutting one's own throat.

Okay, I am getting grumpy.

7.6.11

Now Freeman makes it official. Can we know about what really happened between her and Citizen Mayor Scrima now? (First media outlet to break the story gets a gold star!) Someone please send ME something!

Also, the Deputy Police Chief's retirement.

The pit bull victims recovering.

Did our little speedster HBR wrote this?

SOUND OFF

POLICE BLOTTER

He can do the Fearsome Threesome!

Some reactions to Casey Anthony verdict.

Waukesha's loss

There is joy in Scrima-ville tonight, Team Lori is no more. Let me see, a better paying job, a much bigger pond, a much more appreciative and professional working environment... hmmm, it is truly a loss for Waukesha and it will be Mayor Scrima's legacy.

Good luck and thank you for putting up with us.

...And then we lose another to retirement... Thank you for your service, sir!

7.5.11

Fourth of July parade.

Big exhibit at Waukesha County Museum.

Carroll's Vietnam Summer Institute.

A Vigorous SOUND OFF.

POLICE BLOTTER: Those gals at Moxie's are tough, don't mess with them...

Wiggy has tons of new "fans" now.

Brien had a good time playing with balloons.

Angry Bird the movie?

Wife carrying champion.

Potter-mania coming...

7.2.11

It is done! Wiggy picks on Mayor Scrima again...

When HBR IS the news... But only quarter page?

When rumors reported here officially become facts... Good to see more Carroll U. influence on the local art scene too. I have met Ms. Kurz many times and Mr. Foster is scheduled to show with us in December!

What to do with this house?

SOUND OFF- First sound off has a point...

POLICE BLOTTER-West End in the news AGAIN! / TMI on the tailpipe...

Chef Tony and I are going to take the Fearsome Threesome challenge at D Mo's Pita and Pan this weekend... another challenger had already called out his projected time of 8 minutes... I am hoping just to finish the challenge...

By the way, the corn dog/Mac and Cheese idea for FFNL is being considered... Oh, happy birthday to Kodiak Kid, how come I am not invited to the birthday party?

There were an Asian convention at Magellan's last night... Five! It was freaking out a lot of other guests... ( I counted 7 on Main last night including someone looks like me when I had long hair and goatee...)

Rumor has it that Couri mural was approved for BID money, but once again, I do not think the Couri's will miss that (small) grant if it is taken back. Some are calling for more artist involvement of the approval process, or at least a more transparent selection of artists. ( Isn't that the job of the Public Art? )

Sis and Niece in a show

Outdoor production at Royal Naval College in Greenwich/Docklands International Festival, three shows!

This uncle and brother is very proud.

Double Trouble

HBR and PBR....

HBR and her southern visitors

Party at D Mo's!

FFNL @ D Mo's

Cotton candy... I have the first one!

7.1.11

WE ARE IN THE PAPER!!!! Not just this one, but in POLICE BLOTTER!!! We need to frame this!

Energy secretary in town for a tour.

They are very involved with downtown Waukesha...

Rule of thumb: Don't lose the thumb.

What to do? Oh, catch up on drawings and housework... :(

SOUND OFF

Okay, he REALLY likes that soda...

Brien, they did build a new DMV by Country Spring!

Patch did not give us any love in their police report....

New slogan : "West End is for lovers..."