KUSD Settlement; Pimp's Enforcer Imprisoned; Foxconn Exec's UW Ties

Sept. 5, 2019 7:35p 

A settlement reportedly has been reached in the case of a former Kenosha Unified student who sued in federal court claiming that Unified staff over the years didn’t do enough to protect him from constant harassment. Guadalupe Paredes is gay, and says the harassment began as a third grader and continued into high school when Paredes at one point had to be hospitalized for psychiatric problems. While online court records indicate a settlement has been reached, details were not immediately provided. 

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The new project director for Foxconn’s planned manufacturing and research complex in Mt. Pleasant has Wisconsin ties. Jay Lee will replace Louis Woo who stepped down to address personal matters. In the early 2000s, Lee taught at UW-Milwaukee before being recruited by the University of Cincinnati. WGTD Community Matters host Len Iaquinta worked with Lee at UWM. He describes Lee as brilliant professor and researcher who knew how to bring ideas to fruition. Lee’s specialty is artificial intelligence.

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A former gang member from Chicago who once acted as the muscle for a local pimp was sentenced Thursday to ten years in prison, minus two years for time already served.  33-year-old Charles Donnell had pleaded guilty to a single count of 1st degree sexual assault of a child. Donnell—and a co-defendant who was described as the main player in a human trafficking ring—were both accused of abducting a 15-year-old girl from a Kenosha street on Christmas Eve then sexually assaulting her. Donnell likely would’ve gotten a stiffer sentence, had he not helped the prosecution in his co-defendant's case. That case has yet to be resolved. 

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Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian says he’s not concerned about the impact of a potential recession on a downtown redevelopment project. The city is in the process of negotiating a 12-block deal with a developer that would include construction of a new city hall, a community theater and hundreds of condos and apartments. The City Council, without discussion, approved a new tax incremental financing district Wednesday that provides a framework for financing the public’s share of the project’s cost. Afterward, Antaramian said he believes the prospects for the development will remain strong, with or without an economic downturn.

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A cousin of  Mayor Antaramian will fill a vacant Kenosha County Board seat. County Board Chairman Daniel Esposito this week appointed Laura Belsky to succeed the late Michael Goebel in the 4th District. Belsky, a retired bank executive, has lived in the district for more than 20 years and is active in several community groups, including Kenosha Harbor Market. The only other applicant was John Prue who works at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

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A Korean war veteran from Kenosha will receive a warm welcome home Saturday evening—after he returns aboard an “Honor Flight” from Washington. Retired Kenosha Fire Dept. Lt. Will Rice, Jr. will be among those veterans on Saturday’s flight out of Mitchell International. He’ll be escorted by retired Kenosha Police Chief John Morrissey. And upon his return, Rice will be escorted through Kenosha by a small contingent of emergency service vehicles. The parade will end at Fire Station #4 on 60th St. with a pizza party. Rice served in the Navy during the Korean War.

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