City of Racine and Wind Point community page

Donate books and CDs for a great cause

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:10:43 GMT

On November 15th, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will be collecting books, movies, CDs and computers games for its annual sale in February.

You can drop off items at Westgate Mall (just west of Shopko). All proceeds from the February sale go towards scholarships for girls and women in the area!

An addtional collection day will be December 6th at the same location.

A Lesson In The Birdfeeder Effect

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:33:28 GMT

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quite, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now lets see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor; you child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English; Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English; and, people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties. Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

Community Address #1

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:18:46 GMT

Good Afternoon,

For those who didn't get a chance to read my introductory blog; my name is William J. Leverson and I'm running for 15th District Alderman in the upcoming sping 2009 election. I'll be addressing my polices and thoughts in the next few months, so that my potential district residents will have an opportunity to associate what they'll be reading here, with the ballots in the election. After speaking with several residents, I would like to address city quality of life and security issues in this address. It has been my observation, that over the course of time there have been "pockets" of social disorder established in certain areas of our city. It has also been my obeservation that in these 'pockets" all sorts of unsatisfactory conduct and crime have taken place. I plan on working with homeowners/landlords in these areas to establish neighboorhood reclamation programs. These programs will be enforced on many fronts, but primarily support will be garnered from the Racine Police Department, Residents, and Land owners respectively. As a City Council Member, one of my top priorities will be instituting a city ordinance that will levy heafty fines against landlords of "slum" property for improper background checks and property upkeep. My thinking on this is that, for every law abiding citizen in these "pockets" there are many criminals who have been allowed to set up shop and choke the life out of areas in our city. My proposed city ordinance would fine these landlords if they have residents who are identified as habitual offenders of crimes like theft, drug possesion/dealing, rape, aggrevated assault, and other serious offenses. If the landlords fail to pay these fines, they will be flagged by the county assessor and not allowed to purchase any other property in our county. If we start with this base level policy, the criminals will have a more difficult time finding a place to live, especially with landlords being reluctant to allow them occupancy; knowing that there is a strictly enforced law in place. On that same token, I'd like to work closely with the RPD to change patroling practices as they are to date. I'd like to see more beat walking officers that are interacting with residents, allowing them to establish further rapport in conjunction with the cops houses that have been built in the problem areas. I sincerly believe that with these two strategies will rid our city of serious crime and allow a since of normalcy to return to our city. I hope to directly speak with all of my prospective 15th district residents within the next few months, as I begin my door-to-door campaigning Dec 1st. I wish you all well and again thank you for your time, consideration, and confidence.

Very Respectfully,

William J. Leverson

15th District Aldermanic Candidate

check your locks

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:19:33 GMT

A neighbor came to our door this morning to tell us that at about 3am today she observed a man walking from house to house trying to open front doors. I don't believe she has notified police. By the time she arrived at home he was gone.

We live in the area north of Melvin, south of Shoreland and east of Erie. I know I will be leaving more lights on outside and putting the old-fashion chain on my doors.

Daycare Abuse

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:40:20 GMT

In Saturday's JT, there was a report of the owner of a daycare beating a child who had wet himself. Does anyone know which daycare this happened at?

School time-out rooms don't need to be abusive

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:53:19 GMT

This story out of Iowa is disturbing - locking kids with behavioral problems in a room, and then ignoring them for hours on end is wrong. It IS a form of abuse.

However, school time-out rooms can, and are being used effectively in at least one RUSD middle school.

At my son's Fall Open House, the principal told the parents that when a child repeatedly acts up in class, the student will be sent to a separate room where he/she is expected to work quietly on homework. When the bell rings for the student to go to their next class, the child is allowed to continue his/her day.

Act up in the cafeteria for lunch? Same thing, only this time instead of doing their schoolwork, little Johnny or Jane will be eating alone in that same room.

Removing disruptions from the classroom doesn't have to be abusive; time-out rooms can be an effective tool.

Trolloween, anybody?

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:25:53 GMT

Anyone attending the Trolloween event on the 25th? Do you have a costume idea you would be willing to share?