Feb. 8, 2022 8:45p
From WGTD News:
Racine’s recent order of electric buses has arrived. Racine Mayor Cory Mason says the nine buses, which will be able to run all day on a single charge, will be placed into service this spring. The $9 million cost has been covered by two grants. Speaking on a recent edition of WGTD’s Morning Show, Transit Manager Trevor Jung said the purchases address the dual goals of achieving greater degrees of sustainability and efficiency. Racine expects to save $60,000 annually by putting the electric buses into service.
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Another key vote Tuesday night on a proposed, state-financed youth detention center that’s earmarked for a site in Caledonia. The Racine County Board voted unanimously to offer the village $100,000 annually to cover the estimated municipal costs of hosting the facility. Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave has been pushing the proposal for the past several years, even though it’s not popular among many Caledonia residents who don’t want it in their backyard. The village board is expected to consider the county’s $100,000 offer at a meeting later this month. The center is designed to house youth from Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties, plus several others in the region.
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Kenosha County Executive candidates Rebecca Matoska-Mentink and Samantha Kerkman are well-positioned financially to advance to the general election in April—if they survive next Tuesday’s three-way primary. The latest campaign finance reports show that the third candidate, Jerry Gulley, lags behind Matoska-Mentink and Kerkman. The reports show that Matoska-Mentink had over $38,000 on hand at the end of January while Kerkman reported a campaign fund balance of just over $26,000. Gulley reported a balance of just under $8,000. The current county executive, Jim Kreuser, is retiring after 13 years on the job.
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Eight non-profits in Kenosha and Racine counties were awarded grants Tuesday under a COVID-relief program run by the state and financed by the federal government. Statewide, Gov. Evers doled out $82 million to community-based organizations that are working to increase equity and eliminate disparities in communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The Racine groups getting grants are Catherine Marian Housing, Legal Action, HALO, Racine Vocational Ministries, Safe Haven and the Women’s Resource Center. The Kenosha groups are the Kenosha Achievement Center and the YMCA. At $1 million, the YMCA’s grant was the largest among the local groups. The Y’s development director said the money will allow it to continue after school programs in a half-dozen schools in Kenosha through 2024.
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