Email: james.price@patch.com
Phone 414-218-2779
Hometown: Wauwatosa, WI
Birthday: February 21, 1956
Bio: I've wanted to write ever since my father introduced me to the complete works of Mark Twain when I was a child, but I didn't get my start in journalism until 1986 when I began supplementing my income as an English major through freelancing for the Chicago Reader. Getting paid to write seemed better than not, so after graduating from the University of Illinois-Chicago, I applied to the graduate program of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, the first and I believe still the best J-school in the world.
Still a poor student, I begged my way onto the copy desk of the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. After five years of journalistic boot camp, I made my way to The Milwaukee Journal, settled in Wauwatosa, and I've been here ever since, editing and writing for The Journal and Journal Sentinel and teaching journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I'm thrilled to be a Patch editor in my adopted hometown of 22 years.
Our Beliefs
At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.
My Politics
I am unashamed to call myself a liberal in my personal political beliefs, and I don't think anyone should think it's a dirty word, because I believe this nation was founded on the most liberal principles the world has ever seen: that all people are equal and should govern their own affairs as equals. That said, I agree with my hero Thomas Jefferson about the limits of government and with many people today who believe that our government has in many ways outgrown that notion. In any case, I have 25 years of training and experience in journalism and I can assure readers that I have never let any personal beliefs affect my sense of fairness and balance in reporting or editing any story.
My Religion
I grew up in the Methodist Church, and although I do not practice any religion now, I still adhere to much of the guidance of that church, which taught that we should all act toward others and conduct ourselves in accordance with certain beliefs that underlie Christian morality.
Local Hot-Button Issues
The hottest button in Wauwatosa, I believe, is in the undercurrents that swell to the surface from time to time as we try to deal with being the closest suburban community to urban Milwaukee and the socio-economic issues that sometimes spill over our borders.
Officer runs a random plate late in the evening and finds unpaid parking ticket suspension – and then finds he's stopped a man way over his proscribed alcohol limit.
If you've ever felt the anxiety of 'voter confusion' – not knowing exactly what you're supposed to do on a particular ballot – take a minute to get to know Tuesday's.
Put him on the 'dry out' cycle – this guy is just looking for a warm, clean, dry and lint-free place to sleep it off.
For Jelani Spencer, it isn't so much what the voices are telling you but whether you're listening when it matters.
Wanted for burglary and carrying a pocketful of pot, 23-year-old ran from an officer, but just added obstruction to the list when Tosa patrol officer proved he had more endurance.
Mayor, aldermen will present and respond to topics of interest or concern to the city as a whole as well as to districts specifically. And there will be bakery.
Eight residents who failed to pick up their mail Saturday had it picked up for them by a neighbor in the middle of the night, leaving them to retrieve it from the police station – which fortunately is nearby.
Late East Tosa resident's sister comes to prepare for estate sale only to find that much of her brother's property, including contents of the refrigerator, have already been disposed of by burglars.
Easter eggs and baskets made of bakery's famous cheesecake are flying out the doors, but don't forget that Simma's is closed Easter Sunday.
Whether he was trying to steal someone's heart, who knows, but tender-aged boy was certainly trying to steal the ingredients for a close encounter.
A large turnout and overwhelming support for a new North Avenue streetscape that does not involve winding motorist lanes – but does add bike lanes – prompts city panel to take that route.
Attempted robberies net assailants nothing but frighten three Wauwatosa boys and injure a Milwaukee man.
Phil Kroner: I ask hard and challenging questions and demand excellence and rigor, and that may make some colleagues uncomfortable.
These residents are rallied around the incumbent candidate for Seat No. 1 on school district's policy-setting board in Tuesday's only contested election in Wauwatosa.
Beginning early Saturday afternoon and through Sunday night, seven drivers were caught in a highly publicized dragnet for drunken or drugged drivers on holiday weekend.
With more than a few odd twists and turns, the holdup unravels after an informant tells the FBI where Wauwatosa Police can start looking.
Carmela Rios has what it takes to help build on the strengths of Wauwatosa schools and deal with new challenges, three sitting board members say.
On April 24, McKenna Nerone will make a powerful statement in denim on a brutal subject – the rape of more than 1,000 women in just the hours she spends each week in school.
Rios is the challenger, running for her first time for public office.
Admitting attempted break-in, teenager says his mother's voice told him to stop. Now, though, he has one more charge to add to the 12 he's already facing.