Sept. 1, 2026 10p
From WGTD News:
The Racine City Council will review the city's contract with Flock, the license plate reader technology company that has several dozen cameras in Racine. At Tuesday night's city council meeting, alders referred the matter to the committee of the whole to be taken up by the full council. The review is supported by Mayor Mason. A concern over privacy issues related to the cameras has been sweeping the country. Several residents voiced those concerns during the public comments portion of the meeting.
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State Representative Ben DeSmidt has been selected as Kenosha Labor Person of the year. The Kenosha AFL-CIO Council announced their selection Tuesday night. DeSmidt is a former Carthage College professor who now co-owns Union Park Tavern in Kenosha. He'll be formally recognized during Laborfest to be held Monday--Labor Day--at Pennoyer Park on the city's north side. As was the case last year, the event will be held in conjunction with labor organizations from Racine. The event is open to the public and runs from 11 to 4.
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A Racine woman has died from injuries she suffered in a two-vehicle crash over the weekend. According to police, 73 year-old Ida Chambliss sustained the fatal injuries when she ran a stop sign at 9th and Park Sunday afternoon and was struck by a van. A 58 year-old passenger and the 43 year-old van driver were treated for minor injuries.
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Students at Reuther Central High School in Kenosha got an extra day of summer vacation. Mold was discovered in the school over the summer months. Remediation efforts weren't entirely complete by the time classes were scheduled to resume on Tuesday. So the high school students, as well as students enrolled in Harborside, a charter school that is housed at Reuther, were told to stay home on Tuesday but report on Wednesday. The lost day will be made up by the conversion of two half-days on the calendar into full days of instruction. Crews took care of the mold problem by sealing affected areas, cleaning surfaces and running air scrubbers.
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The Racine Food Waste Composting Committee--a non-profit that's been collecting food scraps from households for the past two years--is getting a boost, thanks to students at Racine Unified's Starbuck International K-through-8. About 300 students in grades 3 through 5 will be collecting food waste from the cafeteria. According to a news release, selected students will serve as "composting captains." The weekly yield of a four week-long pilot project involving just 4th graders last year averaged 40 pounds of food waste. Organizers hope the program will encourage students to get their parents involved in composting. The committee collects food waste at three locations in town. Since the program began, over 28,000 pounds of organic material has been diverted from landfills through a composting process that's undertaken by Blue Ribbon Organics in Raymond.
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