It appears as if Racine is out of the running for the Milwaukee Bucks' new development league team. A Green Bay TV station reported Monday night that the Bucks plan to make an announcement Wednesday in Oshkosh---one of three Wisconsin cities in addition to Racine that had sought the team. Racine Mayor John Dickert had envisioned the D-league team becoming a cornerstone tenant for a new arena that he's proposing for the downtown area. In recent weeks, Dickert has said the arena could still be built even if the Bucks picked another city.
More than 800 high school students from Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties have applied for Gateway Technical College’s “Promise” program. Based on the experiences of other tech schools with similar programs, between 250 and 300 of those applicants will actually qualify to attend Gateway this fall under the 'Promise' umbrella, according to Gateway President Bryan Albrecht. The new program guarantees eligible high school students from lower-income families free tuition by blending standard financial aid with money from a new Gateway endowment fund. Albrecht says the school will work with applicants who don't make the cut in a bid to make college affordable for all.
State Senator Van Wanggaard wants the FBI to tell him what agents have found at the state's troubled youth prisons. The Racine Republican sent a letter last week to the special agent-in-charge of the FBI's Milwaukee office, asking for an update, saying that legislators need answers so they can make informed decisions about changes at the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and the Copper Lake School for Girls. Wanggaard says he's troubled that he has yet to receive a response. An investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel uncovered a series of problems at the facilities.
The Kenosha County Sheriff's Dept. has identified the woman killed in a head-on crash in Salem Sunday night as Jennifer Ginter of Bristol. The driver of the other car was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The investigation into the cause of the accident continues. The department also reports that a deputy was injured as he was directing traffic around the crash site. The deputy had his foot run over by a suspected drunk driver from Ingleside, Illinois. The 65 year-old man was charged with OWI, 4th offense and driving without a license.
In Racine Court Monday, a 20 year-old woman was charged with theft for stealing the purse of an 89 year-old woman who'd been waiting for her daughter at a Boston Store exit. The victim's screams drew the attention of her 51 year-old daughter and a good samaritan. Both took off running after the thief. Police responded and arrested 20 year-old Dailanique Jones. She'd been put on probation just last December for a series of offenses, including shoplifting, bail jumping and drug possession.
-0-