Milwaukee Post
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/100931
4 ��� Milwaukee Post ��� December 28, 2012 WEEK IN REVIEW STATE AND LOCAL STORIES OF INTEREST 1 Marcus Center inks new deal with Broadway The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and Broadway Across America have agreed to an eightyear deal to continue jointly presenting the Broadway series of shows at the Marcus Center. The new agreement means the Marcus Center will continue to have first access to the newest and hottest touring productions straight from Broadway. ���We are so thrilled to extend our long term relationship with Broadway Across America,��� said Paul Mathews, Marcus Center president and CEO. ���Their access to the best shows, their close relationships with Broadway producers, as well as investments in new shows, gives us a clear advantage in booking the shows our patrons want to see.��� According to a release, income from ticket sales and facility fees are a significant revenue support for the Marcus Center���s building operations and mainte- nance. Consequently, presenting Broadway helps support the many nonprofit arts groups who call the Marcus Center home, including the Milwaukee Symphony, Milwaukee Ballet, Florentine Opera and First Stage, it added. The Marcus Center has presented a Broadway series in Milwaukee for 17 years, welcoming more than 1.6 million patrons to over 1,000 Broadway performances. A release said Broadway���s impact at the Marcus Center is about $23 million per year over the last three years, including nearly $1 million in state and county sales tax revenue from ticket sales. ���We are proud to continue our successful relationship with the Marcus Center and look forward to bringing the best of Broadway, direct from New York to Milwaukee,��� said Lauren Reid, Broadway Across America president ��� theater division. 2 HUD: State sees more homeless 3 Milwaukee couple convicted of Medicaid fraud An estimate released last week by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said that although the nation is seeing a slight dip in homelessness, local communities in Wisconsin are reporting rising figures. Local homeless housing and service providers in Wisconsin reported that the number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless people increased by 4.2 percent between 2011 and 2012. But nationally, homelessness dropped by 0.4 percent while the number of homeless veterans and the chronically homeless dropped 7 percent. One night last January, more than 3,000 providers across the nation reported on their figures to get a ���point-in-time��� look at the problem, and found 633,782 people were homeless that night. In a press release, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said, ���We continue to see a stable level of homelessness across our country at a time of great stress for those at risk of losing their housing. We must redouble our efforts to target our resources more effectively to help those at greatest risk. As our nation���s economic recovery takes hold, we will make certain that our homeless veterans and those living on our streets find stable housing so they can get on their path to recovery .��� A Milwaukee couple have been convicted of Medicaid fraud in connection with the operation of a specialized medical vehicle company . Joseph W. Roberts and Tracy L. Roberts appeared before Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Michael D. Guolee on Dec. 20 and were each convicted of party to the crime of medical assistance fraud for their respective roles in the operation of Community Transportation LLC. Tracy Roberts was placed on probation for a period of one year; sentencing for Joseph Roberts is scheduled for Feb. 28. According to the criminal complaint, Tracy Roberts was the registered agent and owner of the domestic limited liability company organized in 2010 and became a certified Medicaid provider of transportation services. As part of the certification process, she agreed to comply with all state and federal regulations regarding the Medicaid program. Joseph Roberts had been placed on the federal exclusion list in 2008 based on prior convictions for Medicaid fraud, which prohibited him from working for any certified Medicaid provider. The complaint alleged that Joseph Roberts actually provided transportation services on multiple occasions for the company, for which Tracy Roberts filed claims with Wisconsin Medicaid for reimbursement. 4 Report:Americans will donate more this holiday 5 State unemployment rate drops 6 Marcus Theatres has record quarter Americans will donate to charitable causes this holiday season despite having less money to spend on gifts, according to a recent survey conducted by Northwestern Mutual Foundation���s financial literacy website, Themint.org. The findings support a rise in total giving to U.S. charitable organizations, which reached $298 billion last year, as reported by Giving USA Foundation and the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University . Sixty percent of the respondents said their families will contribute to charitable causes monetarily or through volunteer support, even though 43 percent said they will have ���less money to spend this year than last on gifts,��� a release said. In 2011, only 28 percent reported having ���less money to spend this year than last on gifts.��� Other findings include 28 percent reporting they have the same amount of money to spend this year, down from 23 percent in 2011, and 15 percent reporting they have more to spend than last year, up 3 percent over 2011. Wisconsin���s unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent for November while the state added 10,300 private-sector jobs, the state Department of Workforce Development said recently. The unemployment rate dipped from 6.9 percent in October to 6.7 percent in November. It���s a full percentage point better than the national average of 7.7. The state Department of Revenue is forecasting the state to add 3,000 jobs a month in 2013. It said the state���s unemployment rate could dip to 6.8 percent in 2013 and 5.8 percent by 2015. Gov. Scott Walker said he would add 250,000 jobs during his first term. Several blockbuster movies helped Marcus Theatres to have a record quarter, which in turn contributed to parent company Marcus Corp. having increases in revenues, operating income and net earnings in the second quarter, the company said Dec. 20. The strong film slate for Marcus Theatres helped lift Marcus Corp. to a 67.3 percent increase in fiscal second-quarter earnings.