‘‘You call this a gutter? I call it a vacation home.’’
Fire damages Clarke Hotel in downtown Waukesha
A carelessly discarded cigarette likely ignited a fire and heavily damaged The Clarke Hotel and two adjacent eating and drinking establishments in downtown Waukesha, a fire official said Tuesday.
Although damage to The Steaming Cup appears to be minimal, there were heavy losses at the neighboring Spring City Wine House.
The fire also sent two Waukesha firefighters to Waukesha Memorial Hospital to seek treatment for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion, Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Hoffman said. Four firefighters were treated at the scene, he said.
The fire started on the outside wall of the hotel, 314 W. Main St., about 1 p.m. The hotel was evacuated before firefighters arrived.
Wisconsin State Fair’s 2018 attendance sets a record
The Wisconsin State Fair posted record attendance of 1,037,982 for its recently concluded 2018 edition — the sixth straight year the fair has topped the 1 million mark, fair officials said Tuesday.
Other mathematical highlights of this year’s fair:
❚ More than 120,000 people took a ride on the Giant Slide, which marked its 50th anniversary this year.
❚ More than 90,000 people rode the WonderFair Wheel.
❚ Nearly 400,000 cream puffs were sold. (No numbers on how many ended up all over kids’ faces.)
❚ Stands at the Wisconsin Products Pavilion sold 55,000 grilled cheese sandwiches, 40,000 baked Wisconsin potatoes and 16,000 butterfly pork sandwiches. The 2019 Wisconsin State Fair is scheduled for Aug. 1 to 11.
Sheriff’s Office finds no evidence of alleged shooting on I-43
Milwaukee County investigators say there is no evidence of shots fired on I- 43 near Fond du Lac Avenue after witness reports prompted a full closure of the southbound lanes about 12:40 p.m. Tuesday.
Witnesses said they heard three shots fired, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives found no evidence of bullet casings and no alerts from Shot Spotters, acoustic sensors that detect gunfire.
Authorities shut down the southbound lanes just before 1 p.m. in order to investigate. They reopened the freeway to traffic about 2:15 p.m.
Franklin man found at bottom of fitness pool in Greenfield
GREENFIELD - A 31-year-old Franklin man is dead after he was found at the bottom of a swimming pool at a Greenfield exercise facility late Monday night.
Police and fire personnel responded to a report of an unconscious male at Xperience Fitness, 6251 S. 27th St., shortly before 10:30 p.m.
Bystanders and first responders performed CPR after removing him from the water, but he could not be revived, according to Battalion Chief Mark Dahlman of the Greenfield Fire Department.
Dahlman said there were no witnesses. The facility is open 24 hours a day, and Dahlman said the pool had no lifeguards on duty.