Tuesday, August 25, 2026
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Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Mt. Pleasant creates project review committee for TID housing Microsoft data centers
Holly Gilvary
MOUNT PLEASANT — Village trustees on Monday approved the creation of a Project Review Committee for Tax Incremental District No. 5, which houses Microsoft's data center campus.
Committee members will review proposed projects or expenditures, evaluate whether they are consistent with the TID's project plan and can be shown to benefit the TID (as required under state statute) and, where applicable, forward a recommendation about action to the Village Board.
The committee will be comprised of the TID No. 5 project manager, the deputy administrator, the Racine County Economic Development Corporation executive director, the Mount Pleasant community development director and one at-large member nominated by the village president and confirmed by the Village Board.The at-large member must have "significant professional economic development experience in the region" and will serve an indefinite term, until resignation or removal by the Village Board, according to village documents.
The at-large member must have "significant professional economic development experience in the region" and will serve an indefinite term, until resignation or removal by the Village Board, according to village documents.
TID No. 5 was created in November 2017 for the Foxconn project and includes about 3,900 acres of Business Park-zoned land along the Interstate 94 corridor.
In other business, the board:
- Approved the village's financials for the second quarter of 2026.
- Approved the job description for the Mount Pleasant Department of Public Works Superintendent.
- Approved a change of agent license application for Kwik Trip at 7155 Durand Ave.
Sunday, August 9, 2026
Friday, August 7, 2026
Flock system mix-up leads to stop on I-94 | FOX6 News Milwaukee
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Monday, June 8, 2026
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Microsoft drops Caledonia data center after facing opposition. Company looking for new site
Ricardo Torres
Microsoft Corp. has pulled its plans for a Caledonia data center after opposition from area residents and elected officials.
"Based on the community feedback we heard, we have chosen not to move forward with this site," according to a Microsoft statement provided to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"We remain committed to investing in Southeast Wisconsin and look forward to working with the Village of Caledonia and Racine County leaders to identify a site that aligns with community priorities and our long-term development goals," the Oct. 8 statement said.
Microsoft is still planning a second data center in Mount Pleasant — where there's been little opposition.
A Microsoft spokesperson said it's possible a data center could be built in a different area of Caledonia or in a different part of Racine County. The change likely impacts the development timeline.
The Caledonia Plan Commission had recommended rezoning the data center site — 244 acres of farmland along Douglas Avenue and Botting Road, near the We Energies power plant in neighboring Oak Creek.
The Village Board was to consider the rezoning proposal on Oct. 14.
Microsoft change surprises critic
Village Trustee Fran Martin, a data center critic, was surprised about the change in plans.
“I commend Microsoft for listening to the community,” Martin said. “And for also addressing the concerns that the community had and that I had about that particular site.”
Martin has suggested the company build a data center along Interstate 94.
Racine County Executive Ralph Malicki said the county is committed to helping Microsoft find a location in Caledonia or somewhere in Racine County.
“We believe them to be an excellent partner and a good steward of our resources and whatnot in our community,” Malicki said.
Hope Otto, director of human services for Racine County, who spoke on behalf of Malicki at the Plan Commission meeting, said the majority of people who spoke at the meeting were against the project in that location.
“(Microsoft) has a high degree of social responsibility to the community that they’re investing in, so I think they heard the message that that location was not going to be a desired spot for them,” Otto said.
“And they want to make sure that they are respected and wanted in the areas in which they’re investing. And we’re committed to finding that for them and hopefully still in Caledonia.”
In a joint statement, the Racine Economic Development Corp. and Milwaukee 7 regional economic development organization said:
"We appreciate Microsoft’s collaboration in working with the Village of Caledonia, RCEDC and M7 to bring new development opportunities to the Racine County region.
"While Microsoft will no longer be considering the originally proposed site, we look forward to continuing our conversations and partnerships to strengthen our local economy and support the essential services that make Racine County and southeastern Wisconsin a great place to live and work."
Using AI to organize against Microsoft
Caledonia resident Chris Atkinson said the work isn't done for data center opponents.
“Regardless of people’s national politics, locally, people have been able to unify and find a common objective that they're working together to achieve,” Atkinson said. “The fight is not over.”
Atkinson helps run the website nodata.center which pushed against the Caledonia project and could be a model for other communities.
“I think I’m going to use that one going forward to help other people in the country rally and maybe create a unified plan,” Atkinson said. “Without the strategic plan that was implemented under a common directive, you don’t win against giants like Microsoft.”
Nodata.center includes these notes: “Developed using Gemini AI deep research and Grok 4 deep research. All facts sourced from public documents and news reports.”
The Caledonia data center was planning to assist Microsoft’s AI operations in Mount Pleasant.
“That’s hilarious and yeah, definitely the definition of irony,” Atkinson said about the notes. “You can leverage AI to do deeper searches and connect dots that no human mind can ever do.”
Microsoft's decision was announced one day after hundreds of people attended a Port Washington Common Council meeting to oppose a data center planned for that community.
The council on Aug. 19 unanimously approved a development agreement with that data center's operator, Denver-based Vantage.
The agreement covers a new tax incremental financing district that would reimburse Vantage for fronting $175 million in infrastructure improvements and other project costs. The financing district funds would come from property tax revenue generated by the data center.
(This story was updated with new information).
Saturday, September 13, 2025
Automatic license plate reader technology use OK'd for Racine County Sheriff's Office
Holly Gilvary
YORKVILLE — The Racine County Sheriff’s Office will soon incorporate Automatic License Plate Reader technology to assist with investigations.
The Racine County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday authorized a two-year contract with software company Flock Safety to pilot the technology. RCSO will use a $75,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Justice Intervention Program to pay for the contract.
The technology works by capturing vehicle images and license plates using a solar-powered camera, and stamps the date, time and location, turning the images into searchable data, according to RCSO Capt. James Evans.
“The technology itself is truly just a solar-powered camera,” he told board members. “It’s the software that we’re paying for that powers the camera which makes it so unique.”
The contract includes 10 cameras, which Evans said RCSO will place along high-traffic routes, including Interstate 94.
The board voted 15-1 to approve the contract, with Supervisor Jody Spencer voting against it.
Spencer said she appreciates the RCSO’s intention for the technology but was worried what could happen if the data compiled from the Automatic License Plate Readers, colloquially referred to as “ALPRs,” gets into the wrong hands.
“What limits do we think we will actually have to control where the data goes?” Spencer said. “We need to be vigilant and ask questions about how our local data is used now and well into the future.”
Evans said RCSO will own all data collected and only RCSO can authorize sharing.
Data collected from ALPRs can only be stored for 30 days, unless it is being used in an investigation, and accessing APLR data requires a reason, such as a stolen vehicle, missing person or crime in progress, Evans said.
The board also approved an ordinance that will temporarily adjust the speed limit on parts of County Trunk Highway C for the duration of three development projects, lasting through Dec. 31, 2026.
The speed limit will be lowered to 50 mph for all vehicles from the intersection with State Trunk Highway 20 easterly to a point 3,650 feet west of the intersection with County Trunk Highway V, and from this point, 35 mph to a point 850 feet east of the intersection with County Trunk Highway V.
In other business, the board:
- Established parameters for the sale of general obligation promissory notes in the not-to-exceed amount of $25,510,000 related to the remaining portion of Racine County’s 911 dispatch center capital project and the first phase of the public safety building capital project.
- Established parameters for the sale of general obligation promissory notes in the not-to-exceed amount of $7,500,000 for the second phase of the Reefpoint Marina capital project.
- Delegated the authority to enter into settlement agreements with opioid defendants to the designated Racine County officer(s).
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
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Friday, December 13, 2024
Monday, December 9, 2024
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Drone helps in arrest of wanted Racine man who fled police on I-90/94 near Tomah
jhricgels
A drone helped authorities track down and arrest a wanted Racine man who fled police on Interstate 90/94 near Tomah on Tuesday afternoon, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The Wisconsin State Patrol attempted to stop a vehicle on westbound I-90/94 in Juneau County for an unspecified reason at about 1 p.m., but the vehicle fled at high speed and the State Patrol ended the pursuit for safety reasons. The sheriff’s office and state troopers located the vehicle in Monroe County, and it fled again, eventually driving into a ditch of I-94 between Highway ET and Industrial Avenue, Monroe County Sheriff Wesley D. Revels said in a statement.
The driver, Demetrius L. Johnson, 39, of Racine, fled on foot into a wooded area west of I-94. Johnson was wanted by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and was “noted to have violent tendencies,” Revels said.
At about 5:30 p.m., a Sheriff’s Office sergeant saw Johnson walking on Highway ET at the east city limits of Tomah and he fled north on a snowmobile trail.
More law enforcement responded and set up a perimeter before continuing the search. At about 8:30 p.m., Johnson was located by a drone team from the Fort McCoy Fire Department, apprehended by a police dog and arrested by the sheriff’s office.
Johnson was medically treated at the scene before being taken to the Monroe County Jail by the Wisconsin State Patrol.
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