May 18, 2021 11:15p
From WGTD News:
A new panel to explore various race-related issues was approved Tuesday night by a unanimous vote of the Kenosha County Board. In the works for months, the Kenosha County Racial and Ethnic Equity Commission was first proposed by County Exec Jim Kreuser following last summer’s civil unrest. Seven of the commission’s nine members are to be appointed by the county exec, with the remaining two appointed by the chair of the county board. The establishing resolution dictates that the commission reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the county as a whole. The resolution also makes clear that the commission’s first order of business will be a close look at policing and law enforcement.
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The Racine City Council voted 10 to 1 Tuesday night to repeal the city’s mandatory facemask ordinance. Last week Mayor Cory Mason signed an executive order that suspended enforcement following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. The C-D-C said it’s okay for people who have received the COVID vaccine to go about their business without having to wear a mask in most public places. The agency said, however, that unvaccinated folks should continue to mask up. The vote was preceded by a number of questions posed to the city’s health department, and discussion among council members. The only vote against repeal came from Alder Natalia Taft who felt that the requirement was being lifted too soon.
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Alcohol was believed to be a factor in a crash on Racine’s north side Tuesday afternoon that injured four pedestrians, including a one-year-old child that was being pushed in a stroller. Police said a car driven by a 48-year-old man jumped the curb in front of a strip mall in the 3900 blk. of Erie and came to rest against a sign in the parking lot. According to reports, the mother who was pushing the stroller that was struck was also carrying a two-year-old child. Police said the one-year-old in the stroller was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. The driver was arrested on unspecified alcohol-related charges.
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The Kenosha Police Department’s high vacancy rate among sworn-officer positions was reduced a bit following action by the Police and Fire Commission Tuesday. The panel approved the rehiring of two officers who recently left the force for family reasons and had moved to smaller communities. At the time of his departure, Matt Hagen was a motorcycle cop who also trained new members of the department’s motor unit. And Jerel Jones-Denson was a member of the bicycle unit who also served on the department’s Bias Free Policing Task Force. According to the deputy director of the city’s human resources department, both officers missed their work and colleagues in Kenosha.
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