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Racine County's Daily Newspaper
The Journal Times
Our second of two sections honoring the Class of 2012 A+, Page 1B
Part 3 of the Racine County Dream Course Sports, Page 1C
Racine police chief Howell pursues efficiencies through technology Local, Page 11A
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Unified OKs preliminary budget Board votes unanimously to increase district tax rate 6.42 percent LINDSAY FIORI
Iindsay.fiori@journaltimes.com
RACINE — The Racine Unified School Board on Monday unanimously approved a budget for the coming school year that includes a 6.42 percent tax rate increase. The rate increase, from $8.94 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $9.51, upset many of the
about 60 people who attended the board meeting Monday at Unified's central office, 3109 Mount Pleasant St. Of six people who spoke about the budget during a time for public comments, all spoke against the increase and were applauded. "We're being taken advantage of," said Kristie Formolo, 52, a stay-at -
home mom in Mount Pleasant. She said she once worked to pass a Unified referendum but no longer thinks the district is being managed properly: "You guys get the money. You're not spending it wisely. This has to stop." Damian Valentine, 41, an IT consultant of Caledonia, said he has taken pay
cuts and suggested Unified staff do the same. Duane Michalski, 45, a truck driver of Caledonia, suggested the district cut back on purchases. "(Interactive) whiteboards are nice, but do you need them?" he asked board members. "Chalkboards worked good for me." The board voted 6 -0 to
approve the 2012-13 budget, which is preliminary and guides the district from the July 1 start of its fiscal year to the fall, when a final budget will be approved using actual student enrollment and monetary aid figures not currently available. Board members Julie McKenna, Gretchen Warner and Bill Van Atta were
SURF 's UP!
not present and did not vote. The budget is for $239.7 million, $6.6 million less than what was budgeted for 2011-12. It features a tax increase not because Unified is spending more, but because other revenue sources have disappeared More UNIFIED, Page 7A
Mount Pleasant explores adding two firefighters STEPHANIE JONES
stephanie.jones@joumaltimes.com
MOUNT PLEASANT
GREGORY SHAVER gregoryshaver@journaltimes.com
Kevin Stoeveken of Milwaukee surfs Lake Michigan off North Bay with the Wind Point Lighthouse behind him on Monday afternoon. Stoeveken said that the waves were 3 to 4 feet with a clean break.
17 cited protesters need not come to court for trial KRISTEN ZAMBO
kristen.zambo@journaltimes.com
RACINE — Instead of going on trial Monday in a Racine municipal courtroom, 17 people accused of picketing outside of a home during a political fundraiser in January will face a different sort of trial. Seventeen protesters were ticketed Jan. 5 for picketing outside of a Racine home, a city ordinance violation, during a political fundraiser for state Rep. Robin Vos, R- Rochester. They are fighting the citations on constitutional grounds, their defense attorney has said, saying their
First Amendment right to freedom of speech is at stake. Assistant City Attorney Nicole Loop said she and the defense attorney for the protesters will argue their sides of this municipal ordinance case by filing briefs. A Municipal Court judge will review those written arguments and make a decision based on those legal filings, Loop explained. This is legally allowable, although not done routinely, she said. "The legal issue is: Was what they were doing picketing? And was it a constitutional (application) of the ordinance?"
Loop said. "We think the ordinance was constitutionally applied." Defense attorney Richard Saks, who is representing the 17 on behalf of Wisconsin Jobs Now — which sponsored the rally — couldn't be reached for comment Monday. Wisconsin Jobs Now is a group of organizations, community and labor and groups advocating to bring jobs to Wisconsin, according to the coalition. Saks previously told The Journal Times they planned to fight the citations in part because they maintain they were not picketing. Instead, they were exercising
their rights to freely speak and assemble, Saks has said. "I'm pretty confident that the law is on our side,Loop said. The 17, who live in Racine County and other Wisconsin communities, were cited for picketing of residences in a residential area, according to Racine police reports. The group was accused of picketing outside of the home of Fred Young Jr. in the 3200 block of Michigan Boulevard, and some were seen carrying signs in the street there. The citation carries a fine of $271.50. When Racine police
were called to the home for a report of picketers out front, Young told officers several party guests told him "they had been accosted by the picketers" outside his residence, according to police reports. "Some (guests) were elderly and visibly traumatized by the confrontation," the report stated. That included a 75-yearold Racine County woman who "was trembling and near tears." The report stated that "One (protester) kept trying to grab her and force her to have a photograph taken with the group. She said they were mocking her."
CHARLES BABINGTON
that allows some illegal immigrants to stay in the WASHINGTON — Mitt country, is the latest inRomney wants to improve stance. Romney's cautious comments on his troubled standthe court deciing among Hispanic sion underscored voters while saying his discomfort as little as possible about immigration. with a topic that squeezes him beEvents keep working against him. tween conflicting goals. The Supreme He needs to fire Court's ruling Monup his conservaday on Arizona's immigration law, tive base, where Ro mney anti-immigration coming 10 days afsentiments run ter President Barack Obama's announcement strong. But Romney also
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needs to reduce Obama's sizeable advantage among Hispanic voters. Immigration is certainly not the only issue that
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matters to Hispanics, and Romney is trying to appeal to them by focusing on the economy. That's their No. 1 issue, as it is with other voter groups. But many Hispanics resent what they see as racial and social overtones in some Republicans' denunciations of people who crossed the Mexican border illegally. If the Nov. 6 contest is as close as many expect,
Hispanics could make the difference in swing states such as Nevada, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. In truth, immigration is a delicate issue for both candidates. Neither seemed overly eager to pounce on the high court's ruling that struck down much of the Arizona law. While Obama's campaign stayed silent, the president issued a statement praising much of the
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Analysis: Court hampers Romney's plea to Hispanics Associated Press
— Looking ahead for the rest of the year, Mount Pleasant's South Shore Fire Department is still on track to spend about $300,000 more on overtime than budgeted. But instead of racking up more overtime, village trustees voted unanimously on Monday night to have their committees review possible ways to finance two more firefighter positions. "They need two more staff members. We need to deal with it," said Trustee Karen Albeck. "We need to fix the problem this board created." The board forced public safety cuts that couldn't be made, she said. If the village hired two firefighters with starting dates in September, it would save the village about $14,000 compared to the cost of overtime for the rest of the year, said South Shore Fire Chief Bill Bouma. "That would help," Bouma said of the prospect of hiring two more firefighters. But while several trustees pushed for adding staff, others expressed some concern about paying for additional staff. "Do we have a money tree outside?" asked Trustee Jerry Garski.