Thursday, October 31, 2024
Beer & Bacon Walk in Downtown Racine on Nov. 2
Liz Snyder
Foods will include Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Bacon BBQ Meatballs — just to name a few examples.
“We are excited to bring this event back, especially one that pairs crafts brews with local restaurants,” said Kelly Kruse, DRC executive director. “This is a great way to have fun with friends, while supporting our small businesses.”
The $40 ticket includes 20, 3-ounce samples of beer; 20 bacon-infused food samples; a 16-ounce pint glass; and one 16-ounce full-pour of choice. For tickets, go to racinedowntown.com.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Cops Gone Wild: Florida teen forced to collect her own evidence to prove she was sexually abused
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Nearly 3 in 4 older Americans don’t trust AI for health information
One of the longest-term residents at the Racine Zoo, a gibbon, has died
Amy Schwabe
One of the Racine Zoo's longest-term residents — Yule, a male white-handed gibbon — has died.
According to a news release from the zoo, Yule and his daughter, Robin, first arrived at the Racine Zoo in 1986. Yule was 58 years old when he died, much older than the species' typical life expectancy of approximately 30 years. He was the oldest living white-handed gibbon in a zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums by at least two years and holds the records for oldest gibbon in the association's records.
Due to his advanced age, Yule was monitored closely by the zoo's veterinary and animal care staff. A "slow, normal decline" had been evident, but this summer, Yule began to have difficulty using his right hand and leg, the release noted. As his condition was untreatable, staff decided to humanely euthanize Yule on Oct. 22.
Yule was well known in the neighborhoods around the zoo, according to the release, due to his loud vocalizations, which were studied by local Carthage College researchers. They "found that while playing with his daughter, Yule used a unique 'bleat' sort of play vocalization — one typically only heard from infant gibbons." His "sweet, nurturing" relationship with his daughter earned him the moniker "Papa Yule" among his keepers.
ManpowerGroup partners with Walmart to open job hubs. Opens location in Sturtevant
Ricardo Torres
Finding potential employees has been difficult for years, but ManpowerGroup is taking a different approach.
The Milwaukee-based staffing company partnered with Walmart to put some of its hiring offices in a seven pilot job hubs.
In September ManpowerGroup officially opened a location at a Walmart in Sturtevant in Racine County. It’s the only branch in Wisconsin that has a hub.
Raj Namboothiry, senior vice president at ManpowerGroup in the United States, said this is an opportunity to meet potential employees in for jobs that range from basic financing roles to industrial warehouse roles, assembly jobs and “skilled technical roles.”
“Customers can apply for a job. If they already have a job they can explore new avenues,” Namboothiry said. “They can enter into a career conversation; they can talk about what’s next for their careers; they can talk about their interests and pursue new areas with Manpower helping them navigate their careers.”
Namboothiry said he would like to increase the number of locations between 50 and 100 in Walmart stores during the next several years if these stores are successful.
“We’re still working through the details on how does this model work. It’s a learning curve for us to and it is for Walmart too,” Namboothiry said. “There’s no better avenue other than places like Walmart where you got a high concentration of talent walking in... and it drives proximity to our talent."
Since opening the pilot stores, Namboothiry said the company has seen increased interest and foot traffic.
"While it has only been a few weeks, we are already seeing hundreds of candidates walk in each day into these hubs and engage in a career conversation and apply for a job," Namboothiry said.
Tené Green, Walmart Senior Director issued a statement on the partnership:
"We aim to provide products and services in our stores that enhance the shopping experience and contribute to a better quality of life for our customers. One of the pathways to a quality life is through employment."
Although the program is still in the early states, Namboothiry said the company expects a “massive influx” of potential employees.
“Talent scarcity is something employers have been facing,” Namboothiry said. “That said, Manpower does well in this space in terms of being that talent attraction company for us to be able to build a pool of talent, a pipeline of talent.”
More:'We have an untapped group here': A career fair for disabled job seekers links with employers
Monday, October 28, 2024
Racine man who is facing child pornography charges pleads not guilty
RACINE — Tony Radunz pleaded not guilty last week to 14 counts of possessing child pornography.
Radunz, who is 57, was charged after investigators with the Racine County Sheriff’s Office searched his residence in the 700 block of Arthur Avenue on Sept. 25.
Each count carries up to a $100,000 fine, a 25-year prison sentence, or both. The court also can impose a $500 surcharge for each image or copy of an image recovered.
Investigators were assigned to the case by the state Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation on July 30.
According to a criminal complaint, Radunz allegedly admitted to viewing child pornography and to storing images on a USB drive.
Radunz is scheduled to appear at the Racine County Courthouse for a status conference Dec. 16.
Cops Gone Wild: Former Waukesha County sheriff's lieutenant sentenced to four months for smuggling drugs to a jail inmate
Hope Karnopp
A former Waukesha County Sheriff's lieutenant has been sentenced to four months in prison and a year of supervised release after smuggling marijuana and a cell phone to an inmate in Waukesha County Jail, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday.
34-year-old Johanna Grace pleaded guilty to the offenses in federal court in July. Prosecutors say Grace coordinated with associates outside the jail "on multiple occasions" to bring contraband inside the facility.
A tipster outside the jail alerted authorities to her misconduct, according to U.S. Attorney Gregory Haanstad. Grace shared internal law enforcement reports with her associates, he said, who confronted the tipster. Grace acknowledged she obstructed justice, Haanstad said.
“Today’s sentence is the direct result of an individual abusing her authority and violating the trust of the residents she was entrusted to serve and protect,” Haanstad said in a statement.
U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller said a sentence of imprisonment was required to deter others, and that Grace's request for a probationary sentence was not appropriate, according to the release.
The case was investigated by the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Grace is facing separate charges of allegedly abusing a resident of a penal facility in the death last year of Waukesha County Jail inmate Randy Glenn Jr.
Investigators said Glenn was arrested during a Jan. 16, 2023, traffic stop for a probation violation that was connected to prior drug convictions. Glenn was found dead in his jail cell the next morning.
An autopsy report found five small bags containing roughly 10 grams of cocaine in Glenn's stomach.
Grace and Deborah Link, a jail nurse, were charged with abuse of residents in a penal facility, a felony. Both are scheduled for a hearing in that case on Nov. 8.
Contact Hope Karnopp at HKarnopp@gannett.com or on X at @hopekarnopp.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Saturday, October 26, 2024
JD Vance to visit Wausau, Tim Walz to visit Manitowoc and Waukesha, on Monday
Drake Bentley
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance will hold an event at Wausau Downtown Airport, 725 Wood Place, at 2 p.m. Monday, according to his campaign. Doors open at noon.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz will travel to Manitowoc and Waukesha on Monday, according to his campaign.
With Election Day just 10 days away, Wisconsin, a swing state, will continue to be visited as major party candidates campaign for votes.
Kamala Harris will be at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Wednesday, while former President Barack Obama rallied the liberal base in Madison last week.
And, former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, will hold a rally at Fiserv Forum on Friday, just days before the Nov. 5 election.
Packers legend Brett Favre to join Donald Trump at Green Bay event Wednesday
Alison Dirr
Hall of Fame ex-Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre will join former President Donald Trump at his event in Green Bay on Wednesday, according to the campaign.
Favre will be a special guest speaker at the event that will take place less than a week before the Nov. 5 election in which Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris are each vying for the White House.
Trump and Favre are expected to make remarks at the Resch Center in the Green Bay suburb of Ashwaubenon.
The candidates and their campaigns are each crisscrossing this critical swing state in the final days before the election. Trump will also be in Milwaukee next week while Harris will hold a rally in Madison.
Favre played 20 years in the NFL.
He was known as an ironman during his career, starting an NFL-record 321 consecutive games across 18½ seasons from 1992 to 2010.
He began his career with the Atlanta Falcons before being traded to the Packers in his second year, a transaction that changed the course of the organization. He became the first player in NFL history to win three straight MVP awards and turned the Packers into a perennial contender. Favre led Green Bay to a Super Bowl title after the 1996 season, its first in 35 years, and another Super Bowl appearance in 1997.
The Packers traded him to the New York Jets after he came out of retirement in 2008. He spent one season there before playing the final two years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings.
Favre, 55, announced last month that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a movement disorder that affects the nervous system.
Favre suffered numerous concussions during his playing career.
He announced the diagnosis during testimony at a congressional committee meeting about the misuse of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds in Mississippi.
Favre, a native of Mississippi, is embroiled in the scandal but has not been charged with a crime. He has denied wrongdoing.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Christopher Kuhagen and JR Radcliffe of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this story.
Friday, October 25, 2024
It's peak season for car vs. deer collisions in Wisconsin. Here's how to avoid them
Alex GrothMaia Pandey
Drivers should be on the look out for deer on Wisconsin roads during the months of October and November when deer are most active during breeding season, says the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Every year, Wisconsin roadways record more than 15,000 deer related crashes, according to the DOT. In 2023, there were 16,153 crashes involving a deer in Wisconsin. Of these crashes, 14 people were killed, 12 of which were motorcyclists, and 585 people were injured.
The state has an estimated population of 1.6 million deer, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Most deer crashes happen in areas where there are high deer populations, along with high traffic, according to the DOT. In 2023, Waukesha County reported the most deer-related crashes at 836, followed by Dane County at 802 crashes and Washington County at 763. Last year, just in Lafayette County, 47% of all reported crashes included a deer, according to the DOT.
Here's how to avoid deer-related car crashes this fall in Wisconsin, plus what to do if you do hit a deer, according to the DOT.
How to avoid deer-related car crashes in Wisconsin:
If you're planning any fall drives, there are a few steps you can take to avoid deer-vehicle collisions.
In general, best practices include always wearing a seat belt, driving slowly and carefully through forested areas, and being vigilant in the early morning and evening when deer are most active.
Here are some additional tips from the Wisconsin DNR:
- If you notice a deer in your headlights, don't expect it to dart away. Headlights can confuse a deer and lead the animal to freeze in place.
- Instead, brake firmly when you notice the deer. A long honk of your vehicle can sometimes frighten the deer to run away.
- If a collision is unavoidable, brake and stay in your lane. Do not swerve, as this can confuse the deer as to where it should run and lead to you losing control of your vehicle.
- If you are on a motorcycle, slow down, brake firmly and then swerve if necessary, to avoid hitting the deer. Try to stay within your lane if possible, to avoid hitting other objects or vehicles.
- If you see one deer, watch for more. Deer seldom run alone.
What to do if you get in an animal-related crash
If you do end up hitting an animal, there are a few steps you should take, according to the DNR. These steps are specifically for deer-related crashes:
- If possible, get your vehicle safely off the road. Stay buckled-up inside your vehicle to avoid being struck by another vehicle, particularly if you are on the highway.
- Be prepared to describe your precise location to law enforcement. Helpful location markers include proximity to a mile post, the lane direction, nearby exit numbers, an address or mailbox number.
- If the animal remains are on an active portion of a highway, call 911. These remains pose an urgent safety hazard.
- If remains are on the shoulder of the highway or off the busy portion of the roadway, contact your local county sheriff. Here are the numbers to call for killed deer pick-up in each Wisconsin county.
More:Animal-vehicle collisions are more common in Wisconsin than almost any other state, study says
Top 5 states for animal collisions in the U.S.:
According to State Farm, these are the top five states for animal collision in the U.S., including the odds for animal collision:
- West Virginia — 1 in 40
- Montana — 1 in 54
- Michigan — 1 in 59
- Pennsylvania — 1 in 61
- Wisconsin — 1 in 65
Racine County Board of Supervisors approves 0.5% county sales tax
Holly Gilvary
Supervisors voted 13-5 to approve the ordinance adopting the tax, which will take effect April 1, 2025.
Supervisors Valena Coleman, Tom Rutkowski, Melissa Kaprelian, Jody Spencer, Q.A. Shakoor II, Brett Nielsen, Eric Hopkins, Tony Veranth, Don Trottier, Scott Maier, Gary Kolb, Greg Horeth and Tom Preusker voted in favor of the sales tax; supervisors Renee Kelly, Ernie Rossi, Robert Miller, Tom Kramer and Taylor Wishau voted against it.
Preusker offered an amendment to the ordinance that reduced the general obligation debts that will be allocated to property tax relief from $5 million to $2 million, saying it would not be fiscally responsible to pass the ordinance as is based on the county's proposed 2025 budget, the county's current deficit of $17 million and the projected $20 million of anticipated sales tax revenue.
"If we commit five million of the expected 20 (million) to general obligation debt, that means there's only 15 (million) left to solve a gap of 17 million," Preusker said. "I don't think it's responsible to knowingly, tonight, pass an ordinance that knowingly creates a deficit."
The board voted 11-7 in favor of the amendment.
The county will begin allocating some of the sales tax revenue to property tax relief in 2026.
Supervisors Robert Miller and Melissa Kaprelian also offered amendments to the ordinance, but both failed.
Miller proposed allocating "approximately 50%" of the sales and use tax revenue to the portion of the county budget devoted to debt service on general obligation debt to affect direct property relief.
"If we do not do this sales tax in a responsible way with a lot of direct property tax relief, many of our constituents will be justifiably unhappy," Miller said.
The board voted 10-8 against Miller's amendment.
Kaprelian proposed changing the amount of revenue committed to property tax relief from "not less than $5 million" to "up to $5 million based on operational needs, debt services, borrowing for capital projects and state municipal aid approved in the state budget."
Kaprelian said the change would maintain the $5 million target for property tax relief but would allow for more flexibility so that the number could be adjusted through the county's budget process if necessary.
"By binding ourselves to this rigid allocation while facing a $17 million deficit, now we risk sending this contradictory and fiscally irresponsible message," Kaprelian said. "How can we tell our constituents that we're implementing a sales tax to resolve the deficit while simultaneously committing to a specific allocation that could perpetuate that deficit?"
The board voted 9-9 for the amendment, so it failed.
In other business, supervisors:
- Authorized and approved the memorandum of agreement between the National Association of Conservation Districts and Racine County to accept the Urban Agriculture and Community Conservation Grant for $60,000 to be used at the Racine County Youth and Development Care Center micro-nursery.
- Authorized the purchase of up to five capital asset vehicles and a transfer of $120,000 within the Public Health 2024 Budget.
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