Latest Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Stories

By Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 31--Grede Foundries Inc. has received a $45 million order to build truck axle castings for Daimler Truck assembly plants in Germany, even as Grede eliminates about 90 jobs at its Reedsburg foundry, where some of the work will be done. The Milwaukee-based company also anticipates finalizing another $20 million in sales from European customers in coming weeks. Combined, the contracts would represent a significant portion of Grede's...

By Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 31--Midwest Airlines Inc.'s flight attendants union will have no further discussions with company executives about possible wage concessions unless Midwest agrees to a major change in its bargaining stance, the union's president said Wednesday. The Association of Flight Attendants' Midwest chapter is seeking a severance package for flight attendants who are facing layoffs as the airline substantially cuts service in September, said Toni...

By Larry Sandler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 31--By a veto-proof majority, the Milwaukee Common Council voted Wednesday to impose a $20-a-car annual vehicle registration fee on every car and light truck kept in the city. Aldermen also set a binding referendum Nov. 4 on whether to require all private-sector employers to provide paid sick leave to their workers, and to let them use that time to take care of ailing family members. And the council agreed to expand city water sales to New...

By Steve Schultze, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 31--Sen. John McCain arrived Wednesday night for a one-day visit to Racine as his national campaign increased the intensity of its attacks on his presidential rival, Sen. Barack Obama. McCain's visit coincides with the launch of a new TV ad from his campaign in which Obama is compared to celebrities such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, concluding that Obama may be the "biggest celebrity in the world, but is he ready to...

By Tom Held, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 30--The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended the flood relief application deadline by a month, giving Wisconsin residents until Sept. 15 to register for disaster assistance. The announcement should come as welcome news to residents who have just returned to their properties in the last couple of weeks. Dozens were stymied by slowly receding water, particularly along the Rock River and Lake Koshkonong in Jefferson County. "There are...

By Diana Marrero, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 30--WASHINGTON -- Both chambers of Congress took steps Wednesday to advance an agreement between eight states to prevent outsiders from tapping into water from the Great Lakes. In the House, a key committee approved the agreement, known as the Great Lakes Compact, through a unanimous vote early Wednesday. A Senate committee held its first hearing on the subject later in the day. The actions in Washington gave supporters hope that Congress...

By Dan Egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 30--The Great Lakes Compact will hit center stage in Washington D.C. today when the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the eight-state agreement governing large-scale water diversions outside the Great Lakes region. The hearing comes just two days after President Bush issued a statement congratulating the eight Great Lakes states for reaching the historic agreement to protect a group of lakes that provide drinking water to more...

MILWAUKEE _ Midwest Airlines pilot Gerald Earwood was flying about 100 miles west of New York when he first noticed what seemed like wisps of smoke coming off the World Trade Center. Roughly 15 minutes later, Earwood and co-pilot Eric Fjelstad were frantically maneuvering their DC-9 jet to avoid colliding with United Airlines Flight 175, the second airplane to hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Their work, following orders from air traffic controllers, saved the lives of about 30...

By Larry Sandler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 30--Milwaukee's public health nurses and librarians pleaded Tuesday with Mayor Tom Barrett not to cut their services and their jobs in next year's city budget. Barrett responded that he valued the Health Department and the Milwaukee Public Library but that he also was reluctant to ask much more from taxpayers who are already struggling with rising food and fuel prices -- and in some cases facing the loss of their own jobs. The tough...

By Nick Halter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jul. 30--A Milwaukee Common Council committee Tuesday backed the sale of additional Lake Michigan water to New Berlin. The Public Works Committee voted 4-1 to recommend a 20-year agreement to send water to the middle part of New Berlin, which has radium in its groundwater. At issue was the relatively unknown value of water, and how Milwaukee can harness that value in negotiations with suburbs in the future. Ald. Michael Murphy said the deal...