Milwaukee abandoned boat; leader of crew that freed vessel talks
The Brief
The owner of All City Towing spoke on Tuesday, May 20, about his team's removal of Deep Thought from Milwaukee's lakefront.
The boat was abandoned back in October.
Despite multiple attempts by other teams, the All City Towing crew successfully removed the boat in early May.
MILWAUKEE - Boat watch 2025 is back! Well, sort of. On Tuesday, May 20, we learned a lot more about how a Milwaukee crew successfully removed Deep Thought, the boat that was abandoned on the city's lakefront.
What we know
On Tuesday, Jeff Piller, the owner of All City Towing, spoke at the Rotary Club. He was invited to share how his crew was able to free the boat which had been beached between Bradford and McKinley beaches from October 2024 until early May.
Piller said his crew estimated the boat weighed between 40,000 and 50,000 pounds. It was actually close to 100,000 pounds.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Piller spoke about the challenges of removing the boat. He initially estimated the cost to free it from the beach would be around $50,000. It turns out that it was much more than that.
What they're saying
"There was a lot of people who wanted to see it stay but it was definitely time to get rid of the boat," Piller said.
Piller said he is giving the county and taxpayers a discount, as they are figuring out a way to come up with the money to pay for it. Two donors previously pitched in around $20,000 to help with the costs.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
"But we have went way over that," Piller said. "But I have a discount on my invoice. That's approaching about $35,000."
What's next
Milwaukee County Parks said final costs and responsibilities will be confirmed once it reviews the invoice.
For now, the boat is being housed at All City Towing's lot on Milwaukee's south side.
The Source
The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News and taps into previous FOX6 News coverage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Upgrades coming to Forsyth Park courtesy of Savannah rotary clubs
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Two local rotary clubs are coming together to breathe new life into Savannah's Forsyth Park while honoring a legendary Savannahian in the process. With the city in the midst of tearing down a failing playground, the Rotary Club of Savannah and the Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club have been raising money to create something beautiful in its place. Thursday marked the unveiling of the clubs' plans for the new area. They plan to call it the Herb Traub Gathering Space to honor the memory of a man who lived to make Savannah beautiful. 'There will be four quadrants in that space, and there will be picnic spaces, seating, tables, chairs for people to sit and have a picnic in each of the different quadrants,' Chair of the legacy project at the Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club, Jordan Chase, said. 'Right in the center will be a big community table. This is going to be a big, community table. They'll be some etchings around the side of it that will help to honor Herb Traub.' Traub's friends said he never sought the spotlight but is more than deserving of recognition. 'Two of the driving passions in his life were community and hospitality, and he was so committed to improving Savannah,' Traub's long-time friend Phillip Soloman said. The two clubs presented a video about Traub's life at Thursday's event, and in an old clip, Traub said, 'If I was able to do anything to improve my hometown, that gave me extreme pleasure.' Before he passed, Traub brought lights to several of Savannah's monuments. Through his rotary involvement, he also spearheaded the projects to create the fountain in Daffin Park and the clock tower in City Market. Known for his entrepreneurship as well, Traub ran the Pirate's House restaurant, a spot that's still serving customers today. Still, the plans for Forsyth Park are pending city approval. 'They're showing us some renderings of what it may look like and some sketches,' Savannah's District Two Alderman Detric Legget, said. 'It's beautiful. So, they wanted to show it to us first and then we're going to go out into the community and show the community and get some feedback as to how we're going to do it. We're going to make some things move, but we want to make sure everybody understands this is not the Forsyth Park Master Plan.' Although the rotary clubs have put together a plan for the space, the Forsyth Park Master Plan and the city's plans for recreation will all have to be considered. Then, Savannah City Council will vote on the final design. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
GOP's Megabill Would Light the Fuse on Debt Time Bomb
At a Rotary Club gathering in Watertown, South Dakota, last year, Senator John Thune didnt hold back. The national debt, he warned, was a "ticking time bomb." He blamed both Republicans and Democrats for failing to defuse it. "You are never going to get Members of Congress willing to make hard votes to deal with the debt," Thune said, "absent a president who is willing to give them political cover." Now Thune is Senate Majority Leader. And hes responsible for passing President Trumps so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," where the House-passed plan adds nearly $4 trillion to the debt without so much as a fig leaf of fiscal responsibility. What would the country get in exchange for this new debt? More inflation, and sky-high interest rates making it harder for families to buy a house or car or for businesses to invest. If the government can just keep printing dollars, the money in our paychecks is worth less. And cuts to the social safety net to "pay" for a portion of the tax cuts leave millions hungry and without health care. The price tag is raising alarm bells across the board, from credit ratings agencies to Elon Musk. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul says the math for the bill doesnt add up. "If I vote for the $5 trillion debt, whos left in Washington that cares about the debt?" Paul recently said on CBS. "The GOP will own the debt once they vote for this." Trump was quick to attack Pauls break from the ranks, throwing a social media tantrum. Paul "never has any practical or constructive ideas…The people of Kentucky cant stand him," Trump tweeted. But Paul isnt alone among his party. Sens. Rick Scott and Ron Johnson - both Republicans, both former business owners - have voiced concern over the bills ballooning costs. At least for the moment, they seem to understand what Washington wants to ignore: Our country cant keep spending more than we bring in. Currently, the United States spends over a trillion dollars annually just paying interest on its debt. Our credit card bill is bigger than our income, and were barely covering the minimum payment. In 2000, Americas national debt was $5.5 trillion, equivalent to 55% of the countrys GDP. Today, its over $35 trillion - exceeding 120% of GDP. Moodys has downgraded the U.S. credit rating, undermining our lucrative standing as the safest country to invest in. The bond market is in chaos. Economists across the spectrum are warning: rising debt, rising interest rates, and Trumps tariffs will slow growth and spike inflation. And the havoc from Trumps reckless agenda is already making it more expensive to buy a house, car, or afford a college education. Even with economic indicators blinking red, Trumps Washington keeps kicking the can down the road and reaching for the national credit card. The Big Beautiful Bill would have ugly results. Cutting taxes for billionaires, gutting benefits for working families, and exploding the debt doesnt portend a strong future. Perhaps thats why voters are starting to pay attention. The hard-working middle-class families that Trump and congressional Republicans promised to fight for are outraged at a tax plan that will make them poorer just so billionaires can see a tax windfall. And after the Moodys downgrade, a new poll for the Peterson Foundation found that 80% of voters say reducing the debt is an urgent priority. But Congress isnt listening to them. Nowhere in Trumps plan is there a real effort to tackle the debt. Instead, his team spins fantasy math. Speaker Mike Johnson has claimed the bill reduces the debt, despite the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), led by a Republican appointee, projecting a $3.8 trillion increase. Speaker Johnson also denies benefit cuts, saying people may "choose" to leave Medicaid. But according to that same CBO report, 13.7 million Americans would lose coverage. And the backdrop? Trumps inflationary tariffs are still hammering families. Prices are spiraling upward, from small businesses on Main Street to major companies like Walmart. Consumers are pulling back spending, eating at home, and buying less. Meanwhile, Trump announced 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum that will raise the price of a car, a dishwasher, and canned goods from Campbells soup to a six-pack. Congress wont stop this insanity. And working Americans will be poorer, sicker, and hungrier as a result. The Moodys downgrade was a warning sign that the United States should get its fiscal house in order, but Congress wants to double down on the very policies that got us here. Their bill mortgages Americas future by burying the next generation with mountains of debt while cutting the safety net to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. This is looting, not leadership. The only beneficiaries would be rich special interests and competitors like China, while the bottom lines of middle-class families and our nation as a whole take an unprecedented hit. Passing the Big Beautiful Bill will light the fuse on the ticking time bomb of debt. And the American economy will be caught in the blast zone. Terry Holt, a Republican, is a former Bush-Cheney national spokesperson and former senior adviser to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner. & Andrew Bates, a Democrat, was Senior White House Deputy Press Secretary in the Biden-Harris Administration and a top spokesperson on the 2020 Biden campaign.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Milwaukee cruise ship season 2025; tour the Pearl Mist
The Brief The Pearl Mist cruise ship frequently stops in Milwaukee, docking at Pier Wisconsin. The goal is economic impact for Milwaukee, from the jobs on board to the tourists visiting restaurants, bars and stores. FOX6 News got a look inside at the lounges, dining area, library and top deck. MILWAUKEE - A cruise ship is making economic waves in Milwaukee. Local perspective It's been 30 years since Michael Glickfield last visited Milwaukee. Now he gets to see the Cream City as one of approximately 200 passengers on the Pearl Mist, traveling from Toronto to Milwaukee on its Great Lakes cruise, operated by Pearl Seas Cruises. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android "We like cruising, I do a lot of cruising," Glickfield said. "[Milwaukee has] been revitalized and looks much newer." Dig deeper The stop in Milwaukee usually lasts about a day and a half, and during that time, travelers also get the opportunity to explore the city. The goal is economic impact for Milwaukee, from the jobs on board to the tourists visiting restaurants, bars and stores. Kristen Lambert is the ship's operations manager on the 11-day trip and gave FOX6 News a look inside at the lounges, dining area, library and top deck. "I think the Great Lakes are becoming a bit more popular, especially when we pull into a port where guests are just free to kind of walk up to the ship and take pictures and ask for information," Lambert said. "Pier Wisconsin alone is probably the most beautiful dock that we have on our Great Lake itinerary." Per Pearl Sea Cruises, the Pearl Mist can accommodate up to 210 guests. Lambert said it costs about $1,000 a day per person. "It's a smaller city, but with a bigger city feel, and that is something that we tried to offer and showcase on all of our ports," she said. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News While Glickfeld's trip has come to an end, it's an experience he and his wife have enjoyed. "I've been on over 80 cruises and I have to say this particular crew is as well organized and put together as any ship I've ever been on," he said. What you can do New guests are set to get on the Pearl Mist on Tuesday, June 3. The next port of call will be in Muskegon, Michigan. The Source The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
