Showing posts with label Racine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Racine. Show all posts

Friday, March 20, 2026

Racine mayor proposes renaming Cesar Chavez Community Center

From The Journal Times.com:

Holly Gilvary



RACINE — Mayor Cory Mason is proposing that the Common Council consider renaming the Cesar Chavez Community Center to the Dolores Huerta Community Center.

He made the proposal Thursday after Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farmer Workers alongside Chavez, accused Chavez of sexual assault.

A New York Times investigation Wednesday found Chavez also groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the movement.

Mason
“The recent allegations regarding Cesar Chavez are deeply troubling, and I believe they merit a serious response,” Mason said in a statement. “I am proposing the council consider renaming the center in honor of Dolores Huerta, a remarkable leader whose own legacy of courage and service speaks for itself.”

A resolution to rename the community center will be introduced at the Common Council meeting April 20.

The Cesar Chavez Community Center is on Racine’s north side at 2221 Douglas Ave.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/article_1918707d-83e4-429b-9ebe-f39db5cc5522.html#tracking-source=home-top-story


Recent stories by Racine Journal Times reporter Holly Gilvary

Sunday, March 15, 2026

City of Racine declares snow emergency from Sunday to Tuesday


Milana Doné


RACINE — The city's Commissioner of Public Works has declared a snow emergency effective from 3 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Tuesday.

According to a City of Racine news release, the declaration is meant to aid the snow removal operations.

No parking will be permitted on either side of the city's arterial or collector streets. Alternate side parking will be in effect from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. per city ordinance. 

Parking restrictions will allow crews to remove as much snow as possible from city streets, the release said. Vehicles parked in violation of these restrictions will be ticketed and subject to towing.

An outline of the Snow Emergency Parking Restrictions and list of affected streets can be found at https://cityofracinewi.gov/publicworks/snowemergency/.

According to meteorologist Benjamin Sheppard at the National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan station, some of the predictions regarding the incoming snow storm have shifted from yesterday.

The system is still expected to begin with rain and could bring a wintry mix as it transitions to accumulating snowfall. However, it will take longer to reach the Racine and Kenosha areas than originally predicted.

A wintry mix and rain will reach southeast Wisconsin by Sunday morning. Some thunder and hail are possible Sunday morning as well.

Coming from central Wisconsin, the snow front will reach Racine and Kenosha areas between 7 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday.

Snow will begin accumulating then and keep falling into Monday morning. Lighter accumulations will occur Monday afternoon.

Most of the snow accumulation will happen six to 12 hours after the snow starts, Sheppard said.

Because it will take longer than originally predicted for the snow front to reach southeast Wisconsin, total accumulations for Racine and Kenosha are down from prior estimates. They are now 3-6 inches.

By midday Sunday, Racine and Kenosha could see wind gusts of up to 35 mph. Sunday night gusts may reach upwards of 45 mph.





Your local TV meteorologist is not judged by the accuracy of his/her forecasts, but by the ratings that he/she generates.  Thus we have the shouting and foaming at the mouth and the inane warnings about future events that they have little knowledge of.  I've seen the city of Racine needlessly shut down a number of times due to these faulty forecasters.  I spent my final years on the job outdoors, in the landscape.  I learned to trust my own instincts rather than the babbling of some shill on the TV or radio.

Friday, March 13, 2026

Weekend system could bring up to 12 inches of snow to Kenosha and Racine counties

From The Journal Times.com:

Milana Doné 


RACINE — Southeast Wisconsin can expect a storm system this weekend, bringing rain, freezing rain and snow accumulations.

According to meteorologist Michaela Heeren at the National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan station, the system is expected to begin with rain or a wintry mix on Saturday evening. It will be mainly rain for Kenosha and Racine areas, but the counties could see sleet mixing in if the temperatures fall below freezing.

Then, there will be a period of rain Sunday morning as temperatures warm again.

The rain will change back to freezing precipitation by the afternoon hours Sunday and then to snow in the overnight hours. The snow could accumulate between six and 12 inches because of lake enhancement.

“We have quite a bit of moisture that comes off the lake when we have melting patches, which will allow for taller clouds which will allow for moisture to be created into snow and fall across the lakeshore counties,” Heeren said.

Heeren clarified the enhancement isn’t exactly a lake effect snow band where there is a short window of snow but a broad scale snowstorm with “locally higher snow totals from that lake enhancement.”

Temperatures will fall below freezing Sunday night so most of snow will stick as it falls.

"Going into Monday, as well, we are expecting those temperatures to remain below freezing, so there’s not going to be a lot of melting once the transition (to snow) happens,” Heeren said.

The upcoming snow system will also bring widespread gusts of wind, which could reach 30-40 mph, Heeren said.

Sunday’s windchill be in the 20s. Overnight, between Sunday and Monday, the wind chill could reach zero.

Heeren noted this can cause worse visibility during driving conditions.

She said the National Weather Service expects transportation to be impacted by the weather, particularly when the sleet is transitioning to snow.

“Go slow, especially during the period of snowfall,” Heeren said. “Be prepared to have traction in your car, a shovel and anything that is available to be more protective if you’re going out during the time of snowfall.”

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/weather/article_03bb66ba-4dcc-404c-9be5-f0927ae3a1c7.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Here's why Racine received more rainfall than other parts of SE Wisconsin on Tuesday

From The Journal Times.com:

Holly Gilvary


RACINE — While a narrow swath of heavy rainfall Tuesday night that spanned from Lake Geneva to Racine left significantly more rain locally compared to the rest of Southeast Wisconsin, Racinians can expect a drier end to their week.

The greater Racine area received 2.5 to 3 inches of rain Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, compared to about 1.7 inches in Burlington and half an inch in Kenosha and Milwaukee, according to the National Weather Service.

NWS Meteorologist Marcia Cronce said "repeated rounds of individual cells of storms" caused the band of heavier precipitation.

"This fairly typical," she said. "We call it (thunderstorm) convection. You always get localized areas of higher versus lower precipitation. It just depends on where the storms track."

A light snow and rain mix was expected for Wednesday evening in Racine, according to Cronce.

Another round of light rain with a possible snow mixture is forecast for Racine on Thursday evening, Cronce said. Friday will be windy, but dry.

Recent stories by Racine Journal Times reporter Holly Gilvary

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/weather/article_a308d574-2944-4102-bf02-2e084215288f.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Racine man sentenced to prison on 2025 child pornography charges

From The Journal Times.com:

Milana Doné


RACINE — A 24-year-old Racine man was sentenced to six years in prison Tuesday in connection to 20 counts of possession of child pornography.

Christopher Dufay pleaded guilty in December 2025 to five of the counts. The remaining 15 were dismissed but read in to the court record.

Dufay also was ordered to serve five years of extended supervision.

Allegations

According to previous Journal Times reporting, Dufay was arrested in April 2025 after the Caledonia Police Department received a cyber tip from Internet Crimes Against Children.

The tip included eight videos and a Kik account with an IP address associated with a residence in the 2700 block of Holly Grove Court and an account name of Christopher Dufay.

CPD served a search warrant for the account, which showed 209 images/videos had been downloaded or shared by the account owner. CPD reportedly found 20 distinct videos containing child pornography.

Investigators also searched Dufay’s residence and seized several items as evidence, according to previous reporting.

Dufay originally pleaded not guilty to all charges during an arraignment in April 2025.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_21f30c6a-a407-42b9-83bc-5ceb13629d3c.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Pewaukee man accused of exchanging explicit information about teens with Racine inmate

From The Journal Times.com:

Holly Gilvary

RACINE — Two men have been charged in connection to allegations that they conspired to commit child sex crimes.

Nelson Heckenkamp, 27, of Pewaukee, is accused of exchanging explicit information about and contact information for several teenage girls with Jakob Wilhite, an inmate at the Racine Correctional Institute.

Heckenkamp was convicted of second-degree sexual assault of a child and child enticement in Racine County in April 2025. He was sentenced to three years of probation and credit for time served, according to a criminal complaint.

He is now charged with conspiracy to commit use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime as a repeater; conspiracy to commit child enticement as a repeater; and failure to register as a sex offender.

If convicted, Heckenkamp faces up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, or both; up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, or both; and up to six years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each respective charge. All three are felonies.

Additionally, he faces a bifurcated sentence of three-and-a-half years for the first two charges because of his status as a repeat violator.

Wilhite, 25, is charged with use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime as a repeater and child enticement as a repeater.

If convicted, he faces 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000 or both; and up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000 or both, respectively.

According to online Racine County court records, Wilhite was previously convicted of possession of child pornography and child sexual exploitation in 2021, as well as failure to update his information as a sex offender in 2025. He is currently serving his sentences at the Racine Correctional Institute.

According to a criminal complaint, Heckenkamp first contacted Wilhite in September 2025.

Wilhite is alleged to have provided Heckenkamp with information about several girls between the ages of 16-17, one of whom Heckenkamp allegedly exchanged explicit photographs with and later met in person.

A cash bond of $25,000 was set for Heckenkamp in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday.

He is scheduled to appear for preliminary hearing on Feb. 26, according to online court records.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_58ee1085-2df3-4f9d-81f2-c187b49703e3.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Friday, February 13, 2026

Jury finds Racine man guilty of child sexual assault

From The Journal Times.com:

Milana Doné 

RACINE — A jury found a 39-year-old Racine man guilty of sexual assault charges Wednesday.

David Fisher was charged Feb. 12, 2025, with one count repeated sexual assault of the same child and one count of child enticement involving sexual contact.

Fisher pleaded not guilty to the charges in April 2025.

The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes.

According to a criminal complaint, the girl, who had recently turned 15, alleged that Fisher inappropriately touched her beginning in 2023 and engaged in sexual intercourse with her.

In the complaint, Fisher denied any inappropriate touching or intercourse, but reportedly said that he might have touched the girl in ways he shouldn’t have while they were “roughhousing.”

Fisher is scheduled for a sentencing hearing April 6.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_9e9cb9fe-5ea3-4231-bea9-7f25c5e748b9.html#tracking-source=home-top-story