Saturday, May 31, 2025
Trump's threat over teenage transgender girl at heart of sports row in California
Friday, May 30, 2025
Downtown Racine kicks off summer market
Caroline Neal
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Thursday, May 29, 2025
Racine man sentenced for possessing child porn
Caroline Neal
RACINE — A Racine man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in Wisconsin State Prison for possessing child pornography.
Dimas De Leon, 37, faced 10 counts of possession of child pornography and pleaded not guilty in November 2024.
On May 23, he accepted an offer from the state and pleaded guilty to three counts, while the remaining seven were dismissed but read into the court’s record.
In addition to 15 years in prison, De Leon will serve 15 years of extended supervision.
De Leon also will be required to register as a sex offender and pay a $5,000 surcharge for possessing child pornography.
According to previous Journal Times reporting, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office began investigating after receiving a tip from the state DOJ’s Division of Criminal Investigation.
In September 2023, Snapchat reported the tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after a user reportedly uploaded an image depicting child pornography.
Investigators reportedly connected the upload to an IP address and email account associated with De Leon, who allegedly was in possession of 44 illegal videos.
Evers, Mason fill potholes in Racine as Evers tours state
Holly Gilvary
RACINE — Gov. Tony Evers and City of Racine Mayor Cory Mason filled potholes in the 1100 block of Grove Avenue on Thursday as part of Evers' fifth annual statewide Pothole Patrol Tour.
Evers and Mason got to work around 10 a.m., joined by Racine Department of Public Works and Wisconsin Department of Transportation staff.
Evers' proposed 2025-27 biennial state budget includes more than $2.6 billion for the state highway rehabilitation program and $100 million for the Local Roads Improvement supplement program, which provides direct support to local road and bridge projects throughout the state, according to a news release.
The state's Joint Finance Committee is currently reviewing and revising the budget proposal, which will then be sent to the Senate and Assembly for approval. Both houses of the Legislature must pass the budget before it can go back to Evers' desk for a final review and signing.
The new budget is expected to take effect July 1.
More than 8,600 miles of roads and 2,000 bridges in Wisconsin have been improved since 2019, according to the governor's office.
Evers' tour also included stops in La Crosse, Wausau and Waukesha.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
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Tuesday, May 27, 2025
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Saturday, May 24, 2025
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38-year-old charged in connection to alleged sexual assault
Caroline Neal
YORKVILLE — A 38-year-old Cudahy man has been arrested in connection to an alleged sexual assault in the Village of Yorkville.
Michael Wezyk faces one count of second degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age, which is a felony.
The maximum sentence upon conviction is a fine of up to $100,000, imprisonment of up to 40 years, or both.
Online court records show that Racine County Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch set Wezyk’s cash bond at $10,000 during an April 22 hearing. Wezyk is scheduled to appear in court April 30.
According to a criminal complaint, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office began investigating following a report from the child’s biological father.
The complaint alleges Wezyk took the child to a bar and assaulted her between January and May 2024.
Wezyk also reportedly made inappropriate comments about the child and her sister, according to the criminal complaint.
Friday, May 23, 2025
Former LGBT Center staff members establish The People's Center
Holly Gilvary
RACINE — Following what former staff members called an "unexpected" closing of the LGBT Center of Southeast Wisconsin on May 16, several have formed The People's Center to reestablish services for local LGBTQ+ community members.
In a news release issued Wednesday, Kyle Johnson said The People's Center's most urgent goal is to continue critical programming for the local LGBTQ+ community, starting with youth programming.
The center is working with community partners to secure new spaces and will be publishing a calendar with times, dates and locations for reestablished groups, the release said.
Founding members include Johnson, Patricia Castillo Venegas, Jasmine Alvarez, Haven Slater, Zak Butler, Becky Crowley, Shay King and Elliott Hurd.
Once critical services are reestablished for the area's highest-risk populations, Johnson said, The People's Center will launch "new and re-imagined services" centered on community feedback.
Reconnecting with community members left behind by the LGBT Center's closure is also a high priority, according to the release.
"The LGBT Center was never a building or an institution," Alvarez said. "The Center was the people, and we're not going anywhere."
Johnson said The People's Center is a response to a common refrain that the LGBT Center "did not adequately serve the needs of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community members." Internal changes made by the LGBT Center to address the needs of BIPOC community members were slow, "where effective at all."
King said they don't want to "simply revive the broken system that existed before."
"Instead, we started envisioning a new organization that would prioritize the needs of those who have been left behind," King said.
Johnson said The People's Center will "serve as a resource and support hub for Queer communities in Racine and Kenosha, with a focus especially on BIPOC, disabled, and otherwise marginalized community members."
The People's Center is working to establish a social media presence and a newsletter, along with an offline presence. It can be found on Instagram and Facebook at @thepeoplescenter and at www.thepeoplescenter.us.
Johnson said the center plans to eventually hold a Pride Prom and gradually build services using "grassroots and non-hierarchical methods of organizing."