Oak Creek Year In Review: The Stories Of 2021

OAK CREEK, WI —Oak Creek saw a lot this past year. From business openings and closings, to a new performing arts center or an OCHS student being drafted by the Brewers, here are some of the biggest and most unique stories from 2021.

Longstanding Trattoria di Carlo Now Closed In Oak Creek
Trattoria di Carlo, a longstanding Oak Creek pizza shop and Italian restaurant also known by the community as Di Carlo's Pizza, closed its doors for the final time on Sunday, according to a letter on the restaurant's website.

St. Francis Apartments Grow As Similar Ones Planned For Oak Creek
42 Hundred On The Lake, an ongoing apartment construction in St. Francis, is holding its grand opening today, according to a news release. Since its first stage of opening in April, the development has already reached 67 percent of occupancy, "a very fast leasing velocity," Kathryn Kjarsgaard, the development's representative, told Patch.

Brewers Draft Oak Creek High School Alum: MLB Draft
The Milwaukee Brewers chose a Wisconsin native and Oak Creek High School alum, Alex Binelas, in the 86th overall MLB draft.

Coal Is Out For We Energies, Oak Creek By 2035
Coal is on the way out for We Energies, and the changes are slated to come 15 years earlier than expected, a quarterly earnings report from parent company WEC Energy Group revealed.

Oak Creek Armory Cannons 'Cool Wakeup Call,' Surprise To Others
A series of blasts Tuesday morning at the National Guard Armory in Oak Creek left some residents scratching their heads.

The ceremony came as a surprise for some, as its series of cannon rounds rang off Tuesday morning.

Hillside Coffee House Giving All Employees A Week Off In August
The former school house and city hall turned coffee shop, The Hillside Coffee House, announced it will close down for a week in August. The reason? Some vacation time for employees, Rosemarie Patterson, the owner, told Patch.

Meet Crumbl Cookies: A Drexel Town Square Cookie Destination
A new Crumbl Cookies franchise just opened up at Drexel Town Square offering unique flavors such as biscoff lava, funfetti and rocky road all baked into a cookie, according to a press release.

Hub13 Rental Community Construction Breaks Ground
Construction on a 34-acre garden-style apartment complex called Hub13 broke ground on Tuesday, according to a press release.

Prisoner Escaped During Bathroom Break At MKE Airport: Sheriff
The prisoner who was lost during transport through Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport Tuesday night managed to escape when one of his unarmed civilian guards took him out of handcuffs for a bathroom break, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.

Riverside Family Restaurant Now Open In Oak Creek
After months of searching for employees, Riverside Family Restaurant is now open in Oak Creek on Ryan Road. It presents a menu similar to its counterpart in Iowa.

Oak Creek Health Officials Urge Masks For OC Schools In Letter
Officials from the Oak Creek Health Department sent a letter to the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education Tuesday urging the board to adopt masks and quarantining for students in light of recent district COVID-19 spread.

'Garden Style Apartment Community' Proposed Near Puetz And I-94
A new development that would create a community of attached apartments stylized as single-family homes was proposed for farmland near Puetz Road and Interstate 94 in Oak Creek.

Car Found At Bender Park Beach Linked To One Stolen Last Year
Authorities pulled a car out of Lake Michigan at Bender Park beach last week. The car is tied to a police report from 2020 where a man said his red convertible was stolen at knifepoint, according to the Oak Creek Police Department.

Drexel Avenue Streetscaping Project In The Works
New streetscaping could be coming to Drexel Avenue soon. Initial concepts for the plan would line the streets with trees, shrubs and a new sign welcoming visitors.

Resident Mourns Pet Duck Hit By Car In Oak Creek: 'Heartless'
A family of five ducks is now four after a driver struck and killed one on County Line Road in Oak Creek last week.

Oak Creek Restaraunt Hopes To Help Employees With Car Payments
The owner of the Jersey Mike's sandwich shop franchise in Oak Creek is hoping to help out his employees with car payments.

Behind Astronautics Corporation: Oak Creek's Aerospace Industry
Soon, Oak Creek will become a high-tech aerospace manufacturing hub. The process isn't happening overnight, but piece-by-piece over the next six months, Astronautics Corporation of America will settle nearly every part of their Wisconsin operation into Oak Creek.

Oak Creek Scout Makes Rare Achievement Earning Every Merit Badge
Joshua Rich, an Oak Creek resident and member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 218, earned the rare achievement of attaining all 137 Merit Badges available in the Boy Scouts.

Oak Creek Skate Park Grand Opening: From Foam To Concrete
To celebrate the completion of the Oak Creek Abendschien Park skate park, a grand opening has been planned. Dan Mancina, a professional skateboarder who has been going blind since he was 23, will be the highlight of the grand opening, a city official confirmed with Patch.

District Investigating Racial Slur Written In OCHS Locker Room
Administrators in the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District are investigating after student-athletes from Kenosha Bradford found a racial slur written in an Oak Creek High School locker room on Friday, according to a spokesperson from the district.

More articles from 2021:

Oak Creek High School Plans First Musical At New Arts Center

Oak Creek Makes It To Top 8 For 'Coolest Thing Made In Wisconsin'

Oak Creek Detective Receives First Responder Of The Year Award