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LARSON REPORT |
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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER |
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May 23, 2013 |
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CONTACT ME
Mailing Address:
State Capitol
Web Site:
Find Me on Facebook and Twitter:
COMMUNITY
EVENTS
Supporting our
neighbors and being involved in our community is of the utmost
importance. Some community events that might be of interest to you and
your family are listed below.
Milwaukee Trolley
Loop Location: Milwaukee Description: All aboard the Milwaukee Trolley Loop. Operating Thursday through Saturday each week, this transit option gives visitors a connection to attractions and summer activities throughout Westown, East Town and the Historic Third Ward. Two trolleys will service the route to offer 20-minute headways at designated stops. One complete loop is 40 minutes. Fare is $1 per person, round trip. CLICK HERE or call 414-562-RIDE for more information.
Spring on Brady
Location: Milwaukee Description: Visit Brady Street as they celebrate Spring as well as their Annual Art Walk with friends from Art Milwaukee. Shop at amazing sidewalk sales and dine and drink at various restaurants and their springtime deals. Nearly 20 merchants will be hosting live artists from painting, sketching, pottery, and even puppy artistry. CLICK HERE for more information including a list of artists and vendors.
Family Fun Night:
Puff & Other Fables Location: Oak Creek
Description:
Join local children's author and storyteller Mary Ellen LaPorte for an
evening of tales, songs, and activities. Light refreshments will be
provided. This program is geared toward children ages 5-10, but all ages
are welcome. No registration is required and this event is free and open
to the public.
CLICK HERE for more information. Oak Creek Public Library (MAP) 8620 S. Howell Avenue Oak Creek, WI 53712
Downtown Dining
Week Location: Milwaukee Description: Take advantage of this eight-day smorgasbord highlighting over 40 destination eateries with prix-fixe menus at $10 for lunch and $20 or $30 for dinner. Reservations are strongly encouraged. CLICK HERE for more information, including a list of participating restaurants and their menus.
Jazz in the Park
Description:
Jazz in the Park is an outdoor, free, summer music series featuring a
line-up of jazz, big band, funk, R&B, reggae, blues, and more.
Performers come from across town or across the country. Music starts at
6 p.m., but stop by early for Jazz in the Park Happy Hour and get great
drink specials. All proceeds from sales help offset the high costs of
production and ensure continued success of the summer festival.
CLICK HERE for more information.
Date: Fri., June 7 through Sun., June 9 Location: Milwaukee
Description:
Attend this annual festival that was founded in 1988 by the LGBT
community. Every year, PrideFest attracts thousands of people and
families, both gay and straight. With permanent stages, food buildings,
vendor pavilions, and support from Milwaukee World Festivals, PrideFest
kicks-off Milwaukee's festival season. Admission is $16 for a single-day
ticket at the gate or $13 online. A weekend pass is $30.
CLICK HERE for more information.
Henry Maier Festival
Park (MAP)
Locust Street Festival Date: Sun., June 9 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Location: Milwaukee Description: Join our neighbors at the Locust Street Festival in Riverwest for its 37th year. There will be music and dancing in the street with over 30 bands on six outdoor stages, over 100 unique vendors, a scrabble tournament, and the famous 1.8-mile beer run/walk. Admission is free. The festival will be held at Locust Street between Holton Street and Humboldt Boulevard. CLICK HERE for more information.
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Dear Friend,
This week, we honor the brave men and women that sacrificed for our country as we celebrate Memorial Day. A number of other important issues are also discussed including the opening of my new Milwaukee office, introduction of an education investment plan, announcement of recent job losses, and the sale of state assets, such as the Kohl Center. Continue reading for more information.
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Celebrating Memorial Day | ||
St. Francis Monday, May 27 at 8:30 a.m. Wake-up early to stop by the St. Francis War Memorial located at 4320 S. Nicholson Avenue for the city's annual memorial day event.
Monday, May 27 at 9 a.m.
Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m. Join me and our neighbors in South Milwaukee at this annual event. It will begin with a parade originating at the corner of Manitoba and 13th Avenues and concludes with a ceremony at the South Milwaukee War Memorial located on Chicago Avenue north of Rawson Avenue.
Click here for more information.
Franklin There will be a service held at St. Martin of Tours Church Cemetery located at 7963 S. 116th Street. Immediately following the service, there will be a short walk and parade to Market Square Park for a Flag Retirement Ceremony sponsored by VFW Post 10394 and the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Monastery. Anyone may bring old flags that are in need of retirement to the ceremony.
Click here for more information.
Monday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m. Cudahy will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony at the War Memorial located at E. Layton Avenue and S. Lake Drive. Stop by to take part in remembering those who fought for us.
Milwaukee
Click here for more information.
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Education Investment Plan Introduced |
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The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau recently released an adjusted budget projection showing Wisconsin will have an additional $500 million. While the governor has said that this money should be used for such things as tax breaks and building up a rainy day fund, my colleagues and I have different priorities. Yesterday, Democratic members of the Joint Finance Committee introduced a plan reinvesting in our children to guarantee Wisconsin a brighter future. The education plan contains three basic components:
Click here or on the video above to view the press conference introducing this plan.
In the 2011-2013 Biennial Budget, Governor Walker and Republican legislators chose to cut funding for Wisconsin's public schools by $1.6 billion. Unfortunately, the 2013-2015 state budget is not any better for Wisconsin's children as it freezes spending for public school students while increasing funding for voucher schools by up to $1,414 per student. The people of Wisconsin are also opposed to this diversion of funds away from our public schools. This was further illustrated when my Democratic colleagues and I delivered 16,809 signatures to Governor Walker in opposition to the expansion of private school vouchers.
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Kohl Center for Sale? |
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It is amazing that this divisive provision again made it into the governor's budget, but clearly selling the state's assets with limited oversight remains a top priority for this governor. From the Kohl Center to Camp Randall to I-94 to the Waupun Correctional Institution, state property is on the auction block with minimal legislative oversight.
While Republicans in the Joint Finance
Committee had the opportunity to once again remove this divisive
provision that is widely opposed by the public, they failed to do so.
Instead, they slightly changed the provision requiring Joint Finance to
approve a sale or lease. This alteration is by no means a remedy for the
problem given that Wisconsin's agencies, the governor's office, and the
Legislature are all controlled by the same party. As a result, if
Governor Walker chooses to sell the Kohl Center to the lowest bidder, maybe
a political friend, he will still be able to do so relatively easy with
no input from taxpayers.
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Milwaukee Office Opening on May 29 |
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Ask Chris |
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I often have neighbors contact me
looking for my perspective on various local and state issues. I very
much appreciate our neighbors' questions and want to dedicate a portion
of my newsletter to common questions that I hear to maintain an open
dialogue. Please continue reading for this week's question.
These numbers paint an even clearer
picture of where Wisconsin stands on job creation and economic
development compared to its neighbors. While Wisconsin ranked 11th in
the nation in job growth the year before Governor Walker took office, it
has since plummeted to 44th. Additionally, Wisconsin currently ranks
45th in wage growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and
dead last in short-term job growth, according the conservative U.S.
Chamber of Commerce.
My colleagues and I have proposed real
solutions to move us forward and create jobs by introducing a job
creation proposal and offering reforms for WEDC. Governor Walker's
political appointees, on the other hand, have simply blamed April's job
loss on the weather, saying that everything will be okay and jobs will
be created so long as the sun is shining. It is clear that those in
charge are no longer governing, but rather are now trying to get by with
just hope and a prayer.
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No-Call List Deadline Approaching |
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The deadline for the Wisconsin No-Call
List is fast approaching, so be sure to register or re-register your
phone number before the Friday, May 31 deadline. The list is updated
four times per calendar year (January 1, April 1, July 1, and October
1).
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Did You Know...? |
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You may know that the deadline for Wisconsin's No Call List is fast approaching. But did you know that our very own Milwaukee is also the birthplace of the first answering machine?
In 1949, Joseph J. Zimmerman of Milwaukee invented a device known as the "Electronic Secretary." Zimmermann, the owner of his own heating and air-conditioning business, created the device because he did not have enough money for a company secretary to answer the phones. His first model weighed 80 pounds and was eventually housed in the Milwaukee Public Museum's collection.
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Honoring Our Police and EMS This May |
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Summer Camps Nearby |
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Our community offers a wide variety of
camps to keep Wisconsin's youth busy while school is out for summer.
Below are just a few activities that your children can take part in this
summer in Milwaukee and the surrounding area.
Peacemakers' Day Camp
Click here for more information, including an application form.
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