Wilderness Resort theater, Local 139 protests rank as most-read stories

A “fat cat” inflatable figure stands at a work site in West Allis in March 2018. Local 139 of the International Union Operating Engineers has been using this figure and similar ones this past year to protest the equipment rental company Sunbelt Rentals’ refusal to negotiate with workers who wanted to unionize.

In a whirlwind year of notable events, it can be difficult to remember what made headlines 12 days ago, let alone 12 months ago. So The Daily Reporter has compiled a list of the 100 most-viewed pages and stories on dailyreporter.com in 2019. The top spot on the list, unsurprisingly, went to JobTrac, the newspaper’s online resource with hundreds of construction project bidding opportunities. After sifting out similar pages, we came up with this list of the top 10 stories readers clicked on and shared most:

1. Crews get to work on theater project in Wisconsin Dells’ Wilderness Resort (PHOTOS)
   First published on Dec. 2, 2019
   This photo gallery shows contractors working on the Fly Theater at The Wilderness Resort in November.
   Holtz Builders is the general contractor on the 23,899-square-foot, five-story building, which will house an amusement ride and a domed 4-D theater screen.
2.  Local 139 members clash with Sunbelt Rentals over unionization (VIDEO)
   First published on March 19, 2019
   The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139 protested with an inflatable “fat cat” at the Franksville office of the equipment rental company Sunbelt Rentals in March. Union officials said Sunbelt had refused to negotiate with workers who wanted to unionize, and in August, the union accused Sunbelt of laying off and firing some of the workers.
3. Worker who died on Amazon construction site identified
   First published on July 11, 2019
   Police identified a contractor who died after driving an ATV out an open window at the Amazon distribution warehouse in Oak Creek. Police said 24-year-old Zachary Dassow fell more than 30 feet to the ground while working at the site in July. He died at the hospital from his injuries.
4. Komatsu picks Hunzinger, Graef, Eppstein Uhen to build, design waterfront HQ
   First published on March 27, 2019
   Komatsu Mining Corp. signed on Hunzinger Construction, Graef and Eppstein Uhen Architects to build its new headquarters in Milwaukee’s harbor district. The $285 million project includes plans for a manufacturing plant and an office building.
5. Frac-sand producer files for bankruptcy, says it owes Wisconsin contractors $13M
   First published on July 17, 2019
   The Frac-sand company Emerge Energy Services filed for bankruptcy in July, saying it owed Wisconsin contractors at least $13 million. Emerge owns eight sand pits and processing plants in Wisconsin. It had been under pressure in recent years because of falling oil prices and increased frac-sand production in Texas.
6. Person killed by excavator at Wisconsin Dells resort
   First published on Sept. 24, 2019
   An excavator hit and killed a person at a Wisconsin Dells resort job site in September. Police said contractors were doing utility work in the parking lot of Hotel Rome when the accident happened. At the time, police said the incident didn’t involve any guests or employees of the hotel or the adjacent Mouth Olympus resort.
7. OSHA fines two contractors who caused deadly explosion in downtown Sun Prairie
   First published on Jan. 10, 2019
   The Occupational Health and Safety Administration fined Bear Communications and VC Tech for a deadly explosion in Sun Prairie in 2018. Investigators discovered the contractors failed to call the Digger’s Hotline or utility owners to find out the location of a natural gas line before starting work. The blast killed a firefighter and leveled most of the city’s downtown.
8. Man dies after falling 7 stories down elevator shaft (UPDATE)
   First published on March 5, 2019
   Anthony Azarian of Racine’s Azarian Wrecking died in March after falling seven stories down an elevator shaft while working on a remodeling job in Milwaukee. Officials say he was operating a forklift equipped with a bucket to remove bricks from the walled-off elevator shaft when the accident happened. He was the third company employee to die in a workplace incident in the past two decades.
9. Law firm involved in public notice going out of business (UPDATE)
   First published on Jan. 22, 2019
   A large law firm that had been heavily involved in publishing public notices in Waukesha County shut down in January. BP Peterman Law Group had offices in Brookfield, Illinois and Indiana. The firm’s closing came amid two lawsuits and an eviction proceeding.
10. Construction worker draws cult following as ‘Milverine’
    First published on Oct. 8, 2011
    The ever-popular ‘Milverine’ has been delighting readers since this story first posted in 2011. John Hamann, a construction worker, gained online fame after someone posted pictures of him walking around Milwaukee shirtless. He took on the nickname “Milverine” because of his hairy resemblance to the comic book character Wolverine and his similar mannerisms.

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