A legal challenge to a Port Washington referendum on tax incremental districts has been dismissed by an Ozaukee County judge this week, allowing the April vote approved by city voters to stand, at least for now.

The referendum gave Port Washington voters a say in approving future tax incremental districts over $10 million. A group of regional business leaders had been trying to get that vote tossed out.

The problem is that none of the plaintiffs demonstrate how, why, or when this might happen," said Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Adam Gerol in an oral ruling Monday. "What's lacking from any of the averments is any presentation of actual plans contemplated or specifically how this provision would negatively affect them ... in essence, all we have are people who say that they don't like the law, and they're ... in a very vague hypothetical in a generalized sense that they think it will have a bad effect.

Great Lakes Neighbors United circulated the petition that led to the referendum and intervened in the court case. The group is happy the will of voters was respected, despite having to spend money to defend the vote in court.

"They gathered signatures, they voted. Today the court respected that," GLNU spokesperson Christine Le Jeune said in a news release. "While we welcome this decision, it is unfortunate that citizens had to raise thousands of dollars to go to court and ensure that their voting rights were respected."

One plaintiff, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, still does not like the precedent the decision sets for the city and the region. The group thinks higher courts should take a look.

"Regardless of todays ruling, our concern has always extended beyond a single project or a single community," MMAC spokesperson Ryan Amundson said in a statement to TMJ4 News. "If measures like this become a precedent across Wisconsin, they risk making our state less competitive for the housing, jobs and investment our communities need. Finally, we're disappointed with the judge's interpretation of the law on multiple fronts and feel confident further examination in higher courts is warranted."

In the community, residents are weighing both the vote and the effort to overturn it. Roland Chaloupka, a Port Washington neighbor and former fire department dive team member, has been following the myriad of data center-related legal challenges.

"A say in these items is important, and I also feel our leaders are put in those positions to make those decisions," Chaloupka said.

Although Chaloupka was in the minority of voters against the TID ordinance, he is also wary of tossing out the vote.

"I'm a little on the fence, but let the courts decide which way we need to go," Chaloupka said.

Other residents, like Brian Preising, are worried that leaving the ordinance in place could negatively impact the city's financials in the long term.

"There's gotta be a happy medium both ways," Preising said. "All the sudden, in 15 years, they'll be complaining because they don't have enough tax dollars."

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A 19th-century barn in Mequon went up in flames Monday evening, destroying several vehicles stored inside, but no one was hurt, the owner said.

The barn, owned by Tim Hoerig, was primarily being used for storage when it caught fire. Neighbors sent photos to the TMJ4 newsroom almost immediately, and the smoke was visible from as far away as Hartford roughly 15 miles away.

Several agencies, including the Southern Ozaukee Fire & EMS, responded to the fire. What sparked the blaze has not yet been released. The barn was still smoking Tuesday morning, as were the shells of several vehicles inside.

Hoerig declined an on-camera interview, but he shared a photo he snapped of his burning barn.

David Larson, who has lived across the street for nearly 40 years, reacted to a photo of the fire.

"That's a hell of a fire," Larson said. He said he saw the fire trucks heading down the road but didn't realize where they were going.

"I didn't know it was just down the block," he added.

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Port Washington's Plan Commission has rejected a proposal for multi-family housing on a vacant downtown parcel for the second time, a move neighbors near the Harbor Campus say signals their concerns are being heard.

The commission voted down a revised concept plan this week that would have created 135 units across a mix of three-story apartment buildings and duplexes.

"I will vote nay," Mayor Ted Neitzke said during the Oct. 15 Plan Commission meeting. "Motion fails for a lack of a majority."

It marked the second attempt for developer Port Ventures LLC, which received poor reviews from both commissioners and neighbors during Thursday's meeting.

The vacant parcel sits inside an older neighborhood of Port Washington. Many of the homes are several decades old.

The rejection comes amid a wave of development in the city, including a newly opened public safety building and two separate apartment and condo projects planned for downtown.

Neighbors near the Harbor Campus have raised concerns about traffic and flooding since the first proposal came in February. Among their objections were the burden of losing privacy, increased noise and questions about whether the project addressed groundwater problems. Some of them told the plan commission they would rather see the parcel become a park.

"Does this project really fit the community?" one neighbor asked during public comment at Thursday's meeting. "I think most of us would say no it doesn't."

Megan Lacke, who lives on the corner of the parcel in question, remembers visiting Port Washington as a child to fish. She said the development did not fit the area.

"It's just such a big project going into our already established neighborhood," Lacke said. "Our council members, and I think they really took into effect, our opinions, our questions and concerns."

Thursday's decision does not sink the project altogether, as concept plans are not binding. And Ozaukee County as a whole still needs more housing. But it is a signal that the local government is listening something neighbors have been waiting for.

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After roughly 50 years behind the microphone, Milwaukee radio pioneer Bob Reitman is reflecting on a broadcasting career that has connected generations of listeners and inspired future broadcasters.

Reitman this week celebrated the release of his second spoken-word poetry album, 12th House, before a large crowd at Milwaukees Pabst Theater.

Proceeds from the event and album sales will help fund a high school radio camp through WUWM that bears his name, extending his influence to aspiring young broadcasters.

It means the world to me. It really does. Kids out there will have a chance to share their voice, Reitman said.

Reitman is best known as the former co-host of WKTIs Reitman and Mueller morning show, a program that helped make him one of Milwaukee radios most recognizable voices. His career began at WUWM, Milwaukees NPR station, where he hosted a show built around listener contributions.

People would send in poetry, and wed read it on the air, Reitman said.

As television and other forms of media have grown, Reitman said radio has continued to endure because of its unique relationship with listeners.

Televisions dominated, but radios doing fine, Reitman said. You can take it with you in the car, so its a real personal type of medium.

Among those honoring Reitmans legacy is Traci Montgomery, who grew up listening to him on the radio and later became his friend through her work at StoryPoint in Mequon, where he now lives.

He was a part of my family growing up, Montgomery said. You need people like that. Hes a teacher in his own right, even though hes not a teacher. He doesnt even realize it, how he pours into other peoples lives."

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Developers behind the under-construction $15 billion Project Lighthouse data center campus are now running a widespread advertising campaign across southeastern Wisconsin as debate over the project continues in Port Washington and beyond.

The ads, paid for by Oracle and Vantage, are appearing on television, radio, social media and online platforms. One advertisement features a heavy equipment operator named Colbi, who says jobs connected to the project have brought financial stability to her family.

In the ad, Colbi says she and her husband have gained financial freedom and are earning more money than ever before through work tied to the project.

The campaign comes as public opinion on data centers remains largely negative. September polling conducted by Marquette University's Law School found nearly three-quarters of registered Wisconsin voters surveyed believed the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits.

Still, some Port Washington residents TMJ4 spoke with in Port Washington said they are already seeing some positive effects related to the development.

Ray Simmons said he had seen the advertisements on television.

I mean, I think it's good and bad. A lot of people don't want the town to change, Simmons said. (But it) helps all of the businesses out. That's what it's all about really. Trying to help people out and make things better.

City leaders have previously said average worker pay associated with the project exceeds $50 an hour. Local restaurants have also reported a large rise in business while the construction is ongoing. The three companies behind the project also recently made a large grant donation to help first responders across Ozaukee County.

But Nick Creten said he does not believe the advertising campaign on its own is likely to significantly change public opinion.

I suspect not. I don't think people change their mind very readily, Creten said. (There's) a lot of good from it. A lot of positive infrastructure that has to be developed ... I think the people strongest against this, I feel for them."

The construction on the data center complex is ongoing. TMJ has toured the construction site multiple times since the beginning of the year.

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