National Night Out - August 7, 2012

Here is a press release from the Rock County Sheriff's Office about National Night Out.

Sheriff Robert Spoden is pleased to invite the citizens of Rock County to the National Night Out crime prevention event on Tuesday, August 7, 2012, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Schilberg Park, located at 30 W. High Street in Milton, WI.  

The Rock County Sheriff’s Office has been working with the Milton Police Department to plan a crime prevention event that promotes law enforcement-community partnerships. Twenty-nine years ago, the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) began holding these crime prevention events. Presently, across the country, over 39 million people in more than 16,000 communities are involved in National Night Out events.
 
Our National Night Out event will provide an opportunity for free family fun and interaction with law enforcement and community partners. Free food and drink will be available. There will be a free bounce house and games for children, a display of emergency vehicles, SWAT, K-9 and Taser demonstrations, along with public information displays from community groups. Milton Fire/EMS will also be conducting demonstrations of fire safety equipment. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will have a simulation display on Motorcycle safety. AAA’s Distracted Driver Experience will be on site. The Med-Flight helicopter will be available for tours. There will be a free raffle for kids’ bikes and other prizes.

We encourage all families to come out to Shilberg Park for what promises to be a fun and exciting night!

Press Release - Death Investigation

Below is a press release from Milton Police Chief Daniel Layber regarding a death investigation.  

On July 5th at approximately 2:30 pm the City of Milton Police Department was dispatched to 20 1/2 N. John Paul Rd, Milton, WI, for a possible deceased male adult. Upon arrival, Mark R. Buchanan, date of birth 06/14/1981, was found unresponsive in his bedroom and later pronounced dead by the Rock County Coroner’s Office. The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation by the Milton Police Department and the Coroner’s Office with toxicology results expected within 2-3 weeks. Anybody that has information they feel could be of assistance during this investigation should contact the Milton Police Department at 757-2244 or Janesville Area Crimestoppers at 756-3636. Anonymous tips can also be sent via text to CRIMES (274637), then enter JACS, plus your message. Any information provided can be given anonymously.

Press Release - Recklessly Endangering Safety

Below is a press release from Milton Police Lieutenant John Conger.

At approximately 2:30am, this morning, the City of Milton Police Department was dispatched to the area of Merchant Row and Crandall Street regarding a subject that had been struck by a motor vehicle. Our initial investigation has revealed that Philip Shane Ullius, 24, of Milton had been struck twice by the same vehicle. The incident was a result of an altercation on the street between Mr. Ullius and the suspects. It appears that Mr. Ullius was struck once, the suspect vehicle then circled the block and returned to strike the victim a second time. 

The suspect vehicle is described as a 1990’s black and white Ford Crown Victoria. The vehicle had high performance automotive parts decals along the bottom of the rear window. There was also a yellow large yellow decal on the lower left corner of the rear window. There may also be a Ford decal in the rear window. It is possible the suspect vehicle has front end damage. 

The suspect driving the vehicle has been described as a Hispanic male, approximately 25 years old, with short buzzed black hair. He was further described as being approximately 5’8” tall and 130 lbs. He was wearing a white t-shirt and shorts. There were two female passengers in the car, one was described as being Hispanic, the other as a white female with blonde hair. 

The victim was transported by Milton EMS to Mercy Hospital, Janesville, with non-life threatening injuries.

Individuals that come forward with information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for this crime are eligible for a cash reward through Janesville Area Crimestoppers. Individuals with tips can remain anonymous. If you have information regarding this incident please contact the Milton Police Department at 757-2244 or Janesville Area Crimestoppers at 756-3636. Anonymous tips can also be sent via text to CRIMES (274637), then enter JACS plus your message.

Living a LIfe that Matters-A Tribute to Tom Cramer

As we celebrate the birth of America and all that makes Milton, WI within it so great, we at City Hall pause for a moment to remember a dear friend who died way too young last week.  Tom Cramer, Plant Manager of Penn Color died at the age of 57 after a brief but courageous battle with Cancer.  While I had only known Tom for about 3 years, I found him to be an engaging, sincere man who truly cared about our community.  Tom was both salesman and scientist. He was both family minded and community minded.  He cared about Milton and worked with us to make us even better.  He wanted it well know that he was proud to be here, and proud to help the City in all of its projects, and spoke to prospective businesses who were looking at expansion of our industrial park.  He took our Mayor and Council on a tour of the plant.  He was a perfectionist in his work who earned the respect of those who worked with him and for him, and the admiration of City officials to see someone work so hard and help put our City on the map by opening Penn Color's 8th plant in the world right here in Milton. 
Like so many of our businesses, Tom and Penn Color were committed, civic minded and dedicated to the City's many endeavors.  Be it the 4th of July, school district projects or the Splash Park, Tom was a visionary who saw not what was, but what could be.  He believed in his well thought out vision, and worked hard to make them a reality.  Mayor Chesmore and I had the opportunity to express our sympathy to Tom's family today and the family handed out the poem below, which arguably best describes his life's legacy.  Upon behalf of our grateful community Tom, thanks for all your work here and for living a life that matters...

Live a life that matters
Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant
Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.
So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Press Release - Burglary at Milton High School

Below is a press release from Milton Police Lieutenant John Conger regarding a recent burglary at Milton High School.



On July 3rd at approximately 7:30am the City of Milton Police Department was dispatched to a burglary at Milton High School. The initial investigation has revealed that stolen in the burglary were 2 Mac Notebook computers, and 2 digital scales. Entry to the building was forced, and occurred sometime after 9:00pm on July 2nd. The total damage to the building and loss of property totals approximately $3500.00.

Individuals that come forward with information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for this crime are eligible for a cash reward through Janesville Area Crimestoppers. Individuals with tips can remain anonymous. If you have information regarding this incident please contact the Milton Police Department at 757-2244 or Janesville Area Crimestoppers at 756-3636. Anonymous tips can also be sent via text to CRIMES (274637), then enter JACS, plus your message.

Press Release - Fireworks and the Independence Day Celebration

Below is a press release from Milton Police Chief Dan Layber regarding fireworks and the Independence Day Celebration.

With the Fourth of July Holiday quickly approaching and unusually hot and dry conditions affecting our area of the state, the Milton Police Department would like to caution people about the use of fireworks. We are recommending that people not use fireworks, but if you do, make sure to have the area well watered before lighting the fireworks, have a hose nearby to put out any fires, and make sure to water down any fireworks remnants so that they don’t cause a secondary fire. We would also recommend against using sparklers at this time due to the amount of incendiary materials they can deposit on the ground. 

Also, be aware that very few fireworks are allowed to be discharged within the City, unless you have a permit. Essentially, anything other than snakes and sparklers are illegal, and discharging of them can result in a $114.00 forfeiture. 

No fireworks of any kind are permitted on the grounds of Schilberg Park. This includes sparklers and snakes. Possession of these materials at the park can also result in forfeitures.

Please be safe and if you have any questions please contact us for clarification.

City of Milton 4th of July Events on Schedule with Weather Precautions in Place

The City of Milton will continue all previously scheduled 4th of July events as planned, taking precautionary measures due to weather related conditions that are anticipated throughout the week’s events. Planned activities include the following:

Milton Optimist 4th of July 10K/1 mile run - Events will go on as scheduled, with an 8:30 am start. The route will have four (4) water stations and appropriate staffing levels to accommodate and/or assist event runners during the anticipated warm weather running conditions.

Milton 4th of July Parade -  Parade will continue as scheduled at 1pm on July 4th. Entrants should be at the staging area beginning at 11am. The parade route itself will have extra water/cooling stations at the beginning staging area, mid-point, and end of parade. Parade participants are reminded to dress appropriately for the weather, and to make sure your participants, both people and any animals, are properly hydrated prior to and throughout the event.  

Fireworks Show - Fireworks display will proceed as scheduled. The University of Wisconsin Marching Band will be playing on the grounds at approximately 8:30pm with the fireworks scheduled to launch at the conclusion of their performance (dusk). The Milton/Town of Milton Fire Department will be working with Schilberg Park staff to ensure fields are properly watered well in advance of the event with extra personnel to be present on the grounds during the event.

For additional information contact City Administrator Jerry Schuetz at 608-868-6900 ext. 4 or by e-mail at jschuetz@ci.milton.wi.us.