Thursday, October 22, 2026
Arizona mother speaks out after her toddler was found alive in a morgue
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Pleasant Prairie man pleads not guilty in father's stabbing
RACINE — An 18-year-old Pleasant Prairie man pleaded not guilty Wednesday in connection to the stabbing of his father.
Joseph Niemiec faces one count of attempted first-degree intentional homicide with use of a dangerous weapon.
Allegations
According to a criminal complaint, Racine Police Department officers were sent to the 4200 block of 21st Street about 12:51 a.m. Aug. 12 and found a man covered in blood and putting pressure on his neck.
An officer examined the man and saw a puncture to the left side of his throat.
The man told officers that he had heard a sound at his back door as if someone was trying to get in, the complaint said.
The man reportedly banged on the door from the inside to scare off the person. A voice from outside of the door claimed it was the man's son, Niemiec, so the man opened the door and let him in.
Niemiec reportedly sat in the kitchen with his father and told him he was having a rough time and had attempted suicide.
Niemiec’s father told officers that his son went to the bathroom and asked for a hug when he returned.
As they went to hug, Niemiec allegedly stabbed his father in the neck.
The father ran to a neighbor's house to call 911 and Niemiec reportedly ran away, according to the complaint.
According to a news release, the Nebraska State Patrol was told that an attempted homicide suspect was believed to be traveling through the state on Interstate 80 in a Chevrolet Malibu.
A trooper saw the vehicle about 11:45 a.m. Aug. 12 and initiated a traffic stop near Grand Island.
The trooper confirmed the driver was Niemiec and arrested him on a warrant from Wisconsin.
Niemiec was taken to Hall County Jail in Nebraska and extradited to Wisconsin.
He is scheduled to appear in court for a status conference Dec. 9.
Racine woman charged in connection to fatal shooting at Russet Street home
Milana Doné
RACINE — A 62-year-old Racine woman was charged Monday in connection to a fatal Sunday shooting.
Charlene House was faces one count of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of possessing a firearm as a felon.
House made an initial court appearance, where her cash bond was set at $500,000.
According to previous Journal Times reporting, Racine Police Department officers were sent to a residence in the 2900 block of Russet Street about 3:11 a.m.
According to a criminal complaint, the 911 caller was determined to be House. She reportedly said during the call that she would "kill him" if she arrived at the house before law enforcement.
Dispatch reportedly heard shots fired during the call.
Officers arrived to find House administering CPR to 30-year-old Raymond Massie Jr., who was suffering a gunshot wound to the head.
Massie died at the scene.
According to the complaint, Massie had been in a verbal argument with someone else in the residence.
Witnesses told investigators that there was no physical contact between House and Massie before the shot was fired.
House told police that she was at the store and was told there was an argument that had become physical between Massie and another person, so she returned to Russet Street.
House reportedly said that Massie kicked her in the stomach and the gun went off.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28.
Recent stories by Racine Journal Times reporter Milana Doné
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Microsoft eyes expanding data center operations to Sturtevant
USA Today Network
 |
Construction continues on a second Microsoft data center Wednesday, May 20, 2026 in Mount Pleasant. |
Microsoft plans to expand its footprint in Racine County with the purchase of 70 acres of land in the Village of Sturtevant.
The company plans to purchase the land from United Natural Foods which announced in March it was closing its facility at 3138 County Road H and laying off more than 400 workers.
After UNFI laid off workers and relocated, Microsoft began considering how to use that facility as a potential data center.
"Microsoft is considering the next phase of our data center investment in Racine County, and looks forward to beginning early and open conversations about a potential expansion into the Village of Sturtevant, adjacent to our holdings in Mount Pleasant," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement.
Microsoft has completed one massive hyperscale data center in Mount Pleasant and is constructing a second next to the first.
The company has been in contact with the Village of Sturtevant and is in the early stages of understanding what local ordinances or applications are needed to potentially make the facility into a data center.
It's unclear how much money Microsoft paid for the property or the size and scope of any potential data center in Sturtevant.
In July, Microsoft was sued by Sturtevant residents in federal court and the lawsuit cited comments and complaints received by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Microsoft is also evaluating 80 acres of land across three parcels currently owned by the Village of Mount Pleasant and Foxconn Technology Group.
The company recently changed its plans for its campus in Mount Pleasant, shifting from nine data centers to seven.
Posts
