Riverwest

Senator John Kerry paid another visit to Milwaukee on Monday, August 2nd at a public rally in Pere Marquette Park. Gates to the park opened at 4:30 p.m. while the presidential candidate was still racing across Lake Michigan on the Lake Express ferry. Access to Kerry these days requires a thorough screening by security personnel, so by 6 p.m. a line stretched from Plankinton and Kilbourn, the park’s entrance, across the river to the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, at which point it headed north, wrapped itself around the building, headed east on E. State Street and finally tapered off at N. Edison Street. For pictures click here. The line moved slowly as security guards checked the attendees, emptied pockets, etc. Once inside the secure enclosure, the crowd was able to buy bottled water and pizza from Amazon Pizza, a fun new spot on W. Wells St. However, many people never made it to the security screening, and they simply camped out along the riverfront, enjoying the event from the Marcus Center riverwalk. It made for a nice sight for cameras, since Candidate Kerry, speaking from a raised platform on the north end of the park, would gesture from time to time toward those on the distant shore. Alas, milwaukeeworld had almost resigned itself to distant coverage of the event, but as it turns out there was a special entrance to the event, and we designed to make it ours. Joe Klein and I headed to Kilbourn and N. Third Street where an officer was in place to tell us that we could not advance to the press table set up in our sight, but out of our reach. Meanwhile, he waved in such prominent figures as Sen. Herb Kohl, Rep. Sheldon Wasserman, Steve Marcus and others, all of whom had red tickets, while we had none. Providentially, Margaret Henningsen showed up on the scene with an extra red ticket, which we begged for and received. The red ticket made us legit for the officer, and we proceeded through our screening, after watching several of the people mentioned above get screened themselves. (Steve Marcus does not look like a guy who gets frisked a lot.) Inside the gates of the special section, where the red-ticketed people go, we were treated to a fascinating caste system in which our “Kerry Edwards From Sea to Shining Sea Believe in America Tour” Press pass marked us as scum. The real media stars, and there were dozens of them, were members of the “Traveling Press.” The Traveling Press spends its time apart from the regular press, and they dine together in a fancy tent. The food was from Chef Pat’s catering. Pat Houlihan said the campaign kept changing its meal plans, but he settled on roast pork sandwiches, a couple of salads, pretzels, soft drinks and Miller Beer. The Traveling Press drinks very little beer, which in the end turned out to be a blessing for Chef Pat’s weary and thirsty crew. The […]

Aug 3rd, 2004 by Michael Horne

The Roundup

“Groundbreaking” for Bridge

May 31st, 2004 by Michael Horne

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Changes at the Election Commission

May 24th, 2004 by Michael Horne

The Roundup

Art Dealer in Jail

Don’t bother calling Kennedy Fine Arts in Northbrook, Illinois. Don’t even try to leave a message, because the voice mailbox is full. Of course, it is easy to see why – James F. Kennedy, the art dealer, has been sitting in the Milwaukee County jail without bail since May 7th, and it looks like he’ll be there at least until a hearing date on May 18th, according to a jail spokesperson. (According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, Kennedy’s offense occurred May 10th.) He is charged with a felony under statute 976.03(13), “extradition – arrest prior to requisition.” Milwaukeeworld.com told you two weeks ago that an individual was trying to peddle fake Picassos in the Milwaukee area. Although Kennedy is held on an unrelated out-of-state warrant, he is the fellow who was trying to pass off the fakes in our community. Apparently police did not have enough evidence to charge him with a crime in the matter – mere possession of fake artwork is not a crime, and there was insufficient evidence he had tried to sell the works, they say – Kennedy’s van was seized along with some 300 works of art that were allegedly fakes. He was arrested on Milwaukee Street, and is from Northbrook, Illinois. It is doubtful that Kennedy was the author of the fakes, and it is likely that he is a player in a much larger art fraud ring. So, just to remind you once again, if you have purchased any “Picasso” drawings in the last couple of weeks, contact a reputable art dealer or law enforcement authorities. Kennedy was born on May 17, 1957, so it looks like he will be spending his birthday in jail. Concordia Gets Bush President George W. Bush visited the Ozaukee County megalopolis of Mequon Thursday to deliver the commencement address at Concordia University at the Lutheran school’s very secure lakeside campus. Milwaukeeworld correspondent Patrick C. Horne, a Mequon resident, was at the intersection of Port Washington Road and Highland Road where Bush supporters and detractors hoped the presidential motorcade would pass. Of course, it didn’t, since the president’s motorcade traveled along Lake Shore Drive, far removed from the supporters, detractors, and reality. “We’ve got protestors on one side and the republicans on the other side,” Horne said via cellular telephone while awaiting the motorcade’s non-arrival. “We’ve got TV people on the other side, we’ve got Secret Service, we’ve got Germantown, Milwaukee, Ozaukee County, all sorts of people, all sorts of squads, all sorts of everything. Now, the mystery is which way he’s going to come in. I hope they take our President on LSD.” [Editor’s note: LSD is Mequon slang for Lakeshore Drive.] According to Horne, there was a good deal of “ranting and raving back and forth” between the President’s supporters and detractors. “’Give him four more years.’ ‘No, give him five more months,’” they chanted, he said. “Lot of Republicans,” Horne said. “’Oh! I forgot my flag!’ ‘Oh! Don’t they have anything better to do […]

May 17th, 2004 by Michael Horne

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How Did Peggy Know?

Over Cocktails in 2001, then-A.G. Candidate Peg Lautenschlager Said Rival would be Indicted

May 3rd, 2004 by Michael Horne

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The Last of Kerry as a Free Man?

Last Monday February 16th – Presidents Day – John Kerry, in Milwaukee, made what might have been one of his final appearances as a “free” man. By Friday, home in Boston, Kerry had asked for and received Secret Service protection. The protection, which will last through the election should he become the nominee, and for his lifetime should he become president, will contrast greatly with the free-and-easy access enjoyed by the crowd of perhaps 400 who gathered to see the Massachusetts senator at the Italian Community Center. The event was billed as a rally and was held the day before the Wisconsin primary. As mentioned here last week, the Kerry campaign printed up thousands of leaflets for the event, hastily writing in “and Ted Kennedy,” by hand when it appeared the other Massachusetts senator would be joining him there. The closest Kennedy came to the ICC, though, was in this lame joke by candidate Kerry: “Massachusetts is a Wampanoag Indian term meaning ‘Land of Many Kennedys,’” Kerry said at the beginning of his remarks. He spoke from a raised platform in the center of the ICC east ballroom. Arrayed on three walls of the room were risers filled with local politicians, and a lot of union workers. The crowd had been placed there about an hour before Kerry’s 7:30 speech, and was kept entertained by a band playing rousing, funky music. Among those on the risers: Senator Jeff Plale, Patti Keating Kahn (Mrs. Hon. Chuck Kahn), Marlene Johnson-Odom, Vel Phillips and Supervisor Willie Johnson. Ald. Ryan Schroeder was also there representing his constituents, back in whatever city he’s from. Tom Barrett worked the room, wearing a neat tie with pink triangles. “You either get it, or you don’t,” he said about his gay cravat. Vince Bobot, then still an opponent, went up and shaked Barrett’s hand, the way politicians do with their rivals. Matt Flynn worked the room, as did County Executive candidate David Riemer. Other notables included Angelo Cataldo, who is still operating his pizza bus, along with Jim and Joanne Klisch, having a look around. No Nuts, Crackpots – Or Secret Service Access to the room was simple: you just showed up and waited for the doors to open, and then waited some more for the candidate. No metal detectors, no guys with sunglasses, no hassle. This will change considerably with the candidate’s secret service protection. The good news: there were no nuts or crackpots in the audience, just democrats. Not everybody in the room was a Kerry supporter. Michael Retzer, the controller of W. G. Strohwig Tool & Die, Inc. came down from Industrial Road, in Richfield, to hand out cards from “Save American Manufacturing,” a “national organization concerned about the loss of all areas of manufacturing and services to non-domestic sources that is causing a rapid decline in the economic condition of the United States.” Business owners are having second thoughts about NAFTA, it seems. He handed out a list of John Kerry’s top contributors, including […]

Feb 23rd, 2004 by Michael Horne

The Roundup