Latest Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Stories

By Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 14--Midwest Air Group Inc. said today that it will lay off 1,200 employees -- 40% of the company's work force -- because of coming schedule reductions forced by record-high jet fuel prices. Oak Creek-based Midwest Air, which operates Midwest Airlines and the Midwest Connect regional carrier, is cutting jobs throughout the company's operations, in all work groups, spokesman Michael Brophy said. The job cuts, scheduled to occur no later than...

By Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 14--Midwest Air Group Inc. said today it will lay off 1,200 employees -- 40% of the company's work force -- because of coming schedule reductions forced by record-high jet fuel prices. Oak Creek-based Midwest Air, which operates Midwest Airlines and the Midwest Connect regional carrier, is cutting jobs throughout the company's operations, in all work groups, spokesman Michael Brophy said. The job cuts, scheduled to occur no later than...

By Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 14--The King of Beers has a new ruler -- and the global brewing industry is seeing yet another huge consolidation. Anheuser-Busch Cos., brewer of Budweiser, Bud Lite and other beers, said today it has agreed to a $70 a share purchase offer from InBev, a Belgian-based global brewer of brands such as Beck's, Bass and Stella Artois. The $52 billion deal will create the world's largest brewer, with revenue of $36.4 billion. The combined company...

By Thomas Content, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 13--GLENDALE -- Tapping the sun's rays for electricity has remained a small niche in the alternative energy arena. But with industry forecasts showing the market tripling or more over the next decade, Wisconsin's largest company wants to help shift perceptions so that energy from the sun is cast in a new, and more mainstream, light. Johnson Controls Inc. is rolling out new solar kits designed to make it easy for a school district or...

By Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 13--JOURNAL SENTINEL WATCHDOG REPORT A flame retardant that was taken out of children's pajamas more than 30 years ago after it was found to cause cancer is being used with increasing regularity in furniture, paint -- even baby carriers and bassinets -- and manufacturers are under no obligation to let the public know about it. The chemical, known as chlorinated Tris, one of the three most commonly used flame retardants,...

By Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 13--JOLIET, Ill. -- Kyle Busch couldn't have predicted this, and Joe Gibbs wouldn't have dared. Seven Sprint Cup Series victories already? For a driver new to his team? For a team new to its manufacturer? No, that would have been unrealistic to expect. But not impossible to do. "Just getting used to everything was going to be weird, but it's all kind of falling into place," Busch said after pulling off a masterful pass on Jimmie...

By Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 12--GREEN BAY -- One of the subjects general manager Ted Thompson refused to address was the willingness of the Packers to trade Brett Favre should the quarterback apply for reinstatement. Thompson made it clear to Favre that he would not release him and that if Favre wanted to play again he was open to carrying him on the roster. But he also said that Aaron Rodgers was his starting quarterback and refused to say whether he and coach Mike...

Pilots for Midwest Airlines Saturday feared the U.S. airline would soon file for bankruptcy after failing to reach a collective bargaining agreement with them. Jay Schnedorf, chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association's Midwest Airlines chapter, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he believes Midwest is not bargaining in good faith and is instead is looking for a better deal through a bankruptcy filing. Schnedorf told the newspaper the pilot's union has offered to concede several millions...

By Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 12--The corporate parent of Midwest Airlines appears headed toward a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, the head of the company's pilots union said Friday. Jay Schnedorf, chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association's Midwest Airlines chapter, reached that conclusion based on the company's response to the union's proposal on possible wage cuts. In a statement issued to chapter members, Schnedorf said Midwest Air Group Inc., the airline's corporate...

By Jan Uebelherr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 12--Did you hear about the new baby at the zoo? Sure, everyone knows about Mahal the orangutan, and he's a great reason to visit the Milwaukee County Zoo. But there are other animals -- and yes, other zoo babies -- living there. Consider the 2-month-old baby Baird's tapir named Chac. This animal looks like "a huge pig, with stripes and spots," says Bruce Beehler of the zoo. Currently, Chac the tapir looks like "a walking watermelon" with an...