Help us choose the All-Suburban teams and you could win Bucks tickets

March 11, 2010 7:21 a.m. | Want to weigh in on who you think are the best boys and girls basketball players in the suburban area?

Now's your chance, as we're asking high school hoops fans to help us select the annual NOW Newspapers All-Suburban boys and girls basketball teams, and the Players of the Year.

We've nominated the top players in the area to fill 10 spots on each honors team and we're asking you to pick the players that you think are the best in the NOW Newspapers coverage area.

When the fan voting is over, your votes - along with the votes of our sports staff - will determine the makeup of our All-Suburban Teams. And one lucky person will win a pair of lower-level tickets to a Milwaukee Bucks game just for voting!

Vote for the boys team

Germantown vs. Homestead girls basketball photo gallery now online

March 09, 2010 9:56 p.m. | We've just posted a photo gallery from tonight's first-round girls basketball tournament game between host Germantown and Homestead.

No. 5 Germantown earned a 63-56 victory over the No. 12 Highlanders to move to the second round. The Warhawks will play at No. 4 Waukesha South on Saturday.

See NOW photojournalist Peter Zuzga's photo gallery.

E Street Denim coming to Mequon

March 08, 2010 2:54 p.m. | Highland Park-based E Street Denim is planning to open a store in the Pavilions shopping center in Mequon, in the space formerly occupied by Maurice's.

E Street is a 20-year-old business that is known in northern Illinois as a regional magnet for fashion-conscious jeans shoppers.  E Street offers denim brands such as 7 for All Mankind, Paige Premium Denim, J Brand, Chili Pepper and many others. The store also carries tops, sweaters, outerwear, leather and shoes.

The Mequon opening will be a sort of homecoming for owner Thomas George, 63, who is a native of Thiensville. George started his career with the former Weyenberg Shoe company, now known as Weyco Group Inc.

"We've been looking at the area for two years," George said. "We have a tremendous amount of customers from Shorewood on up through Mequon."

Vote for the All-Suburban Basketball Team and you could win Bucks tickets

March 04, 2010 7:43 a.m. | Want to weigh in on who you think are the best boys basketball players in the suburban area?

Now's your chance, as we're asking high school hoops fans to help us select the annual NOW Newspapers All-Suburban Boys Basketball Team, and the Player of the Year.

We've nominated 14 players to fill 10 spots on the honors team and we're asking you to pick the player that you think is the top basketball player in the NOW Newspapers coverage area.

When the fan voting is over, your votes - along with the votes of our sport staff - will determine the makeup of our All-Suburban Team. And one lucky person will win a pair of lower-level tickets to a Milwaukee Bucks game just for voting!

Vote here.

Arrowhead gymnastics sectional photo gallery now online

March 01, 2010 8:53 a.m. | We've just posted a photo gallery featuring more than 20 images from Saturday's WIAA Division 1 Arrowhead gymnastics sectional.

The gallery features athletes from Brookfield Central/East, Germantown/Menomonee Falls, Homestead, Nicolet and West Allis Central/Hale.

The hosts won the event with 143.725 points and Homestead was second with 140.7. West Allis' Emily Fuchs won the all-around competition and Brookfield's Katelyn Malcore was second.

See NOW photojournalist Peter Zuzga's photo gallery.

Germantown, Homestead boys basketball photos now online

Feb. 26, 2010 10:42 a.m. | Germantown defeated rival Homestead, 56-50, last night in a North Shore Conference boys basketball game and we've got images from the game in this photo gallery.

With the victory, Germantown clinched a share of the North Shore Conference. Check out Steven L. Tietz' story for more on the game.

See NOW photojournalist Peter Zuzga's photo gallery.

The unexpected becomes reality: GT boys beat HHS to share NSC title

Feb. 25, 2010 10:12 p.m. | The reaction said it all for Germantown boys basketball coach Steve Showalter.

Moments after the finish of the Warhawks' workmanlike 56-50 win over archrival Homestead that clinched a share of a most remarkable third North Shore Conference title in four years, Showalter walked over and congratulated Highlander coach Ray Curry for the fine effort.

Then he just let loose.

Even for this normally impassioned coach this was some response.

He hunched up a bit, clapped his hands very quickly for several seconds, his face exploding in a smile that almost threatened to break through the walls of the Germantown gym.

Falls boys avoid trap by rallying to beat Homestead, 74-71

Feb. 22, 2010 10:39 p.m. | Fat and happy from their conference-title clinching win over Wauwatosa East two nights before, the Menomonee Falls boys basketball team was ripe to fall into a trap set by a motivated and well-supported host Homestead team Monday night.

But the Indians showed some lean muscle and steely-eyed heart, as they rallied from a five-point deficit with less than two minutes to go to pull out an emotional 74-71 nonconference win.

"We knew that they were a solid and very physical team," said Indian coach Ben Siebert, "and it took us awhile to match their intensity. ...but we never quit. We never stopped thinking that we could win this game."

The Indians (18-3) ran their winning streak to 12 games while the Highlanders fell to a very deceptive 11-10. The game had been postponed from two weeks ago due to snow and so it's impact on the WIAA seedings was lost (the pairings were officially announced this morning).

But Highlander coach Ray Curry knew that his team may have shown the way how for others in WIAA tournament play in how they tackle the talented and deep Indians.

Thanks to HHS win over Port, GT boys have chance at North Shore title

Feb. 19, 2010 11:13 p.m. | Germantown boys basketball coach Steve Showalter spent a few minutes thanking Homestead coach Ray Curry on the phone Friday night after Showalter discovered that the Highlanders had upset Port Washington, 82-77, giving the Warhawks a chance to clinch at least a share of their third league title in four years.

Then immediately after hanging up, the pair went about plotting how they could beat each other, because for the Warhawks to earn that title opportunity so graciously laid at their feet, they will have to beat that same Homestead team in a home game next Thursday night (Feb. 25).

That the endlessly youthful and callow Warhawks, they of the 0-2 league start and the three sophomores, one junior and one senior in the starting line-up, are in this position, is rapidly becoming the stuff of legend and has the 10-year veteran Showalter shaking his head as Port (9-4 in NSC play, 16-4 overall) and Germantown (9-4, 15-6) enter the final game of the regular season in a dead heat.

"Who'd have guessed that we'd be in this position with one game to go," said Showalter after his team took care of business with a 76-31 rout of Grafton Friday night. "We have a chance at the promised land, only we have to beat the team that's playing the best ball in the conference right now."

"My mind is just churning and plotting right now."

Krueger settles in as interim Homestead athletic director

Feb. 19, 2010 2:11 p.m. | Interim Homestead Athletic Director John Krueger had to manage a state wrestling team dual and a boys basketball game on his first official day of work (Tuesday) and now he's getting ready for a home boys basketball game tonight (Friday) with the potential for further WIAA tournament action looming dead ahead.

Not bad for a man who got his masters in sports administration 10 years ago from UW-La Crosse.

"It's the perfect opportunity," he said. "It (sports administration) is just something I haven't pursued in the last couple of years. This works out pretty well actually. I like the people I work with, I don't have to change locations and it's a great experience."

Krueger, who has also applied for the full-time position that was vacated as of Monday when eight-year Activities Director Charlie Gross became an Associate Athletic Director at UW-Milwaukee, started in his new temporary post on Tuesday.

The veteran physical education and health teacher, who started out in Menomonee Falls before coming over to Homestead several years ago, is well known to the Highlander athletic community as coach of the highly successful girls golf and track teams. He will stay on as track coach through the coming spring.

Sachdeva trial postponed

Feb. 17, 2010 11:06 a.m. | The April 19 date for a jury trial for Sujata (Sue) Sachdeva, the former Koss Corp. executive accused of embezzling $31 million from the company, has been postponed. Judge Lynn Adelman changed the schedule in keeping with the extension of the deadline for Sachdeva's lawyer to file motions on her behalf.

Attorney Michael F. Hart asked for the extension to allow time for him to review 6,000 pages of documents that prosecutors will use in their case against Sachdeva. Motions are due by March 11, and parties are scheduled to meet in court April 29 to discuss the status of the case.

Prep basketball sectional tickets now on sale

Feb. 16, 2010 3:51 p.m. | Tickets are now sale at for the WIAA boys basketball "Super Sectionals" to be played at Marquette University's Al McGuire Center at 12th and Wells Streets in Milwaukee, March 11-13.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Germantown will be co-hosting the event.

Teams from three sectionals will determine state tournament berths at the events. From division I sectional eight, area teams that could be involved include Nicolet, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee and Wauwatosa East and West.

From division I sectional five, potential sectional participants include Germantown, Homestead, and Menomonee Falls.

In addition, the division 2 sectional final will be held at the McGuire Center at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, March 13. This loaded event features many of the state's top-ranked teams including New Berlin Eisenhower, Port Washington, defending state D2 champ Wisconsin Lutheran and Catholic Memorial, along with Brown Deer, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay and New Berlin West.

Fiddleheads plans to build headquarters, roasting facility on Main Street

Feb. 16, 2010 2:22 p.m. | Fiddleheads will expand its operations, buying a vacant piece of land at 120 N. Main Street and redeveloping the site as its corporate headquarters, complete with a roasting facility and bakery.

The Village Board approved the sale of the land for $35,000 on Monday. Ray Marcy, whose son, daughter and son-in-law operate the three Fiddleheads cafes, unveiled an ambitious schedule that would have the business open in mid June. The next step in the process is site and building approval at the March 8 Plan Commission meting.

"We want to get our roaster at its home base as soon as possible," Marcy said Monday.

District names two interim administrators

Feb. 16, 2010 12:46 p.m. | Mequon-Thiensville School Superintendent Demond Means today named two interim directors of the district's recreation and high school athletic departments. Charlie Gross was the head of both until he left to become an assistant athletic director at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Michael Schoemer will oversee the recreation department. Schoemer was the recreation supervisor in the Delafield Parks and Recreation Department from 2004 to 2006, when he then joined the Mequon-Thiensville Recreation Department.

John Krueger, a teacher at Homestead High School since 2000, will be the interim athletic director.

Sachdeva seeks delay because of massive number of documents

Feb. 11, 2010 4:58 p.m. | The attorney for former Koss Corp. executive Sujata (Sue) Sachdeva has asked the court to extend a deadline for motions in the case, because of the volume of documents that prosecutors are using in the case against her.

Sachdeva is accused of embezzling $31 million from her employer and spending it on luxury clothing, shoes, furs, jewelry, vacations and renovations to her Mequon home.

The court earlier had set a Feb. 18 deadline for motions to be filed on Sachdeva's behalf.

Attorney Michael F. Hart, in a letter to Judge William Callahan Jr., said he was notified Monday that 6,000 pages of documents were available from prosecutors. Hart said he needed more time to review the documents, and asked for an extension until March 11 for motions.

Sachdeva, 46, remains free on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond, after pleading not guilty to charges against her. A jury trial is scheduled for April 19 in Judge Lynn Adelman's court.