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Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.

UPDATE: Culinary no-no #105

Posted by Kevin Fischer on April 1, 2009

Culinary no-no's

This past Sunday’s entry dealt with barbecue, specifically the barbecue pork sandwich, or “heaven on a bun” as I referred to it.

The Charlotte Observer reports on a different type of Hog Heaven; are you ready, a new spa barbecue.

The latest from Rehorst

Posted by Kevin Fischer on April 1, 2009

The Monthly Newsletter of Wisconsin's First Craft Distillery -Number 21-

Artisan Series Brandy

Visit our brandy webpage for more information on each product.

Some or all of these products can be found in a limited number of places as of 3/25 this includes;

Liquor Stores

Consumer Beverage- Hales Corners
Groppi's- Bayview
Otto's Bayside
Otto's Menomonee Falls
Otto's (Oakland Ave.)
Otto's- Elm Grove
Piggly Wiggly- Wauwatosa
Ray's- Wauwatosa
Sendik's- Wauwatosa
Star Liquor- Madison
Thief Wine Shop -Milwaukee

Bars and Restaurants

Balzac -Milwaukee
Beans and Barley -Milwaukee
Comet Cafe -Milwaukee
Hi-Hat -Milwaukee
Iron Horse Hotel -Milwaukee
Marchese Olive Pit -Milwaukee
Palm Tavern -Bayview
Safe House -Milwaukee
Transfer -Milwaukee

Due to very limited production these are available in Wisconsin only (sorry to our out of state fans).

Quick Links

Where Can I Buy A Bottle?

Where Can I Buy A Drink?

American Distilling Institute

Great Lakes Distillery is the only distillery member of the Wisconsin State Agriculture Departments "Something Special from Wisconsin" created to promote Wisconsin produced products.

State buck$ for the Bucks?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on April 1, 2009

*DISCLAIMER: I was and remain a staunch supporter of the approved sales tax to build Miller Park*

The state Building Commission today voted 7-1 in favor of giving $5 million over 10 years to pay for maintenance at the Bradley Center, the home of the Milwaukee Bucks. Governor Doyle says the 21-year old facility has “"significant maintenance issues."

State Senator Ted Kanavas (R- Brookfield) was the only NO vote. Other legislators on the Building Commission who voted in favor were:

Senator Jeff Plale (D-Oak Creek)

Senator Fred Risser (D-Madison)

Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh)

Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison)

Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah)

Funding must still be approved by the state Legislature.

I love the Bucks and don’t want them moving out of town the way the old Milwaukee Hawks did. And while I wholeheartedly support the tax for Miller Park (I believe we’ve reaped obvious dividends), the stark reality is that sentiment about public funding for sports complexes has dramatically changed since the wild vote in the state Senate on Miller Park led to the end of my dear friend George Petak’s political career.

I’m not sure the public would be receptive to state tax dollars being used to subsidize sports franchises, let alone the mediocre Milwaukee Bucks. We’re not talkin’ Packers or the national pastime here, folks.

And since we’re talking about the Bucks and the team's famed owner, there is this trivial matter to consider…

Franklin decides not to let Uncle Sam fix our roads.....thank God!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on April 1, 2009

Tuesday night, the Franklin Common Council upheld a veto by Franklin mayor Tom Taylor to request federal stimulus money to widen S. 51^st Street from Rawson Avenue north to College Avenue. The vote to sustain the veto was 4-2. Aldermen Steve Olson (disappointing, Steve) and Steve Taylor (not surprising, Steve) voted to override the mayor’s veto.

I would like to think that the other four aldermen voted to sustain the mayor’s veto for the right reasons:

1) Neighbors directly affected made a clear and loud stand in opposition.

2) Widening S. 51^st Street from Rawson to College (and forgive me if I don’t have engineering degrees sprouting from my armpits) is unnecessary.

3) We should not, aldermen Steve squared, be begging for stimulus money. It is not FREE MONEY! It is tax money with strings attached. Truthfully, I didn’t expect Alderman (I wish Franklin could be more like La Crosse) Taylor to grasp this, but my friend, Steve O.??? Okay, so we’re at least honest and real. We don’t always have stars in our eyes toward one another.

Sad, but true, when you wave a pot of money in front of all too many politicians’ noses, they can’t help, like Pavlov’s dog, but go crazy. They’ve just got to have it. The vote prior to last night’s had 5 out 6 Franklin alderman more than happy to stick their hands out to Uncle Sam begging, “Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme.” I’m happy with last night’s vote, but I’m not satisfied the outcome came about for the right reasons.

Which leads me, finally, to the real motivation behind this blog. The whole idea of the magic stimulus is that somehow, the federal government, blowing wads of money WE DON’T HAVE will fix everything, and I mean everything, starting with our roads.

Oh, really.

Award winning ABC News correspondent and columnist John Stossel has another view that I concur with. Read it here.

And there’s more here.

HAPPY ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, FRANKLIN!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on April 1, 2009

It was one year ago today.

April 1, 2008.

Voters went to the polls in the spring elections in Franklin, and they narrowly ousted two incumbent Franklin aldermen.

Franklin blogger Greg Kowalski, that great political analyst, if not linguist, dubbed it, “A New Day.” He was later joined by others with access to a computer who somehow saw the oh-so-close election results as a mandate from the people and a cause for ticker tape parades.

It was as if Charleston Heston himself had appeared on Rawson Avenue and with a wave of his arm cradling the certified election results set in stone by City Clerk Sandi Wesolowski had cleansed the city of all its ills and troubles.

Oh, sing with me, brothers and sisters!

HALLELUJAH!

HALLELUJAH!

HALLELUJAH!

HALLELUJAH!

HALLELUJAH!

So, what have we accomplished, New Dayers? What gives us pause to look back, reflect and see where we have come?

Oh, New Day in Franklin, let me count the ways:

1) There is no, none, zero, nada, zilch contention in city of Franklin politics.

2) Franklin Common Council meetings are a cacophony of melodious harmony, a symphony of simpatico soliloquy. (Can’t you just hear Kowalski scrambling to find his Funk and Wagnalls?)

3) Every vote by the Franklin Common Council is now a deliriously wonderful 6-0 tally.

4) There is no longer a reason to have citizen comment periods before each Common Council meeting because no one in the 53132 zip code has any complaints.

5) Fred Keller can spend more time at home writing blogs to build up the Franklin community because he no longer has to attend meetings and interrupt other speakers and say that he’s PO’d and tell Franklin Citizen of the Year Caspar Green to shut up and mumble and grumble while he takes notes and count how many times aldermen roll their eyes (God, he’s talented).

6) Since Franklin’s troubles are over, Janet Evans no longer has to attend meetings and lovingly stare at Alderman Steve Taylor as she records each and every word he utters and then tell us over and over about how she goes to every meeting and records them (VOTE FOR ME) on her blog. (Gee, I wonder if Steve will return the favor when she’s on the school board. I mean, think about it. Who, by golly, will do the Janet Evans podcast?).

7) Franklin blogger Bryan Maersch will no longer have to blog that Franklin blogger Greg Kowalski makes up stuff on his blog because Kowalski will no longer make up stuff on his blog because everything’s hunky dory in Franklin.

8) There is no longer any need to even discuss road repairs because the New Day has resulted in no potholes, no need of fixes, etc.

9) That Franklin Cultural Center? Coming along beautifully isn’t it?

10)   Ditto the Fountains of Franklin at 56^th and Rawson. No need to get lawyers or the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel involved. Nobody’s complained except little ol’ me, so everything must be just dandy. We should be shopping there, oh, I’d say about the time I’m ready for Social Security.

11)   Hey, can’t forget property taxes. My, oh my have they plummeted or what!

12)   And the best reason why the New Day has been SOOOOOOOOOOO successful in its first year in Franklin?

The biggest problem we’ve got is all those damn dogs running around without leashes!

Cue the King….