By Dr. Richard A. Busalacchi Publisher, Franklin Community News Introduction Over the past several years, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has published articles that mischaracterized both my career at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and my reputation as a person. Their reporting — particularly the March 2021 story following the resignation of Vice President Amir Law, the October 28, 2024 investigation by Tamia Fowlkes, and the January 13, 2025 “What to Know” explainer — told only half the story. These articles took isolated remarks out of context, amplified accusations from a letter written by the African American Network (AAN), and ignored the findings of independent outside investigations that cleared me of racial discrimination and retaliation. In doing so, the Journal Sentinel created a false public narrative that I was part of MATC’s “culture of racism.” That is simply not true. The truth is this: for more than 30 years, I served MATC as an innovator, problem sol...

  By Franklin Community News   The Poth's General Development is one of Franklin’s most closely watched redevelopment projects, located at the southeast corner of South 76th Street and Rawson Avenue , the site of the aging Orchard View Shopping Center . Originally pitched in 2023 as a neighborhood-friendly mixed-use project, the plan promised apartments, retail, a hotel, and public gathering spaces — all designed to generate less traffic than a big-box shopping center. Two years later, the reality looks very different. At a July 1, 2025 Common Council meeting, the developer unveiled a downsized version of the project — fewer apartments, lower building heights, no hotel, and the elimination of once-promised public amenities. The evolution of Poth's General tells a familiar Franklin story: community-friendly promises at the start, followed by denser plans on paper, and finally revisions under pressure. Residents embraced the vision cautiously, believing buffers and amen...

By Franklin Community News Milwaukee County Supervisor Kathleen Vincent (District 11 – Greendale, Greenfield, and portions of Milwaukee) has long styled herself as a dedicated public servant. But recent investigations reveal a troubling pattern of dereliction of duty, ethical lapses, and misuse of taxpayer resources that stretch across her multiple public roles — as a Milwaukee County Supervisor, Greendale School Board President, and full-time English teacher in the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD). Dereliction of Duty: Packers Over Constituents On Saturday, August 23, 2025 , Vincent was scheduled to co-host public “In-District Office  Hours” with Alderman Peter Burgelis and Supervisor Patti Logsdon at Milwaukee Fire Station 29 from 9:00–11:45 a.m. The original flyer — posted by Alderman Burgelis — clearly listed Vincent’s name alongside Burgelis and Logsdon. The event was billed as a chance for residents to meet their elected officials, ask questions, and raise communit...