Good morning, Racine.

A fire destroyed a detached garage in Kansasville on Saturday, May 10 when a lawn mower ignited inside and 12 fire departments responded—using 25,000 gallons of water and 5 gallons of foam—to extinguish the blaze with no injuries reported.

A Friday afternoon fire at a Mount Pleasant apartment on Sun Valley Drive claimed three family pets after emergency crews arrived at 1:19 p.m. on May 9 and brought the scene under control by 1:35 p.m.—the cause remains under investigation.

A new report shows that Wisconsin construction apprenticeship programs grew nearly 50% from 2016 to 2024 but could have grown faster if the state restored its prevailing wage law on government projects and ended its right-to-work law (which prevents unions from requiring dues).

Gov. Tony Evers and union leaders have proposed measures to boost training investments and set a rule requiring contractors to hire 10% apprentices on state projects (a move aimed at meeting the high demand for skilled trades).

State and local officials, builders, and housing groups met at Arabella Apartments in Racine on Monday, May 12 to talk about how old building rules and high costs slow affordable home projects.

They said performance-based codes could cut costs — making it easier to build homes for families in need.

City officials held a sledgehammer ceremony on May 12 where Mayor Cory Mason swung the first blow to begin demolishing the former YMCA building in Racine.

Officials said the demolition is the first step toward a new project — no redevelopment plans have been made yet.

On Monday, the city started demolishing the former Lakefront YMCA building as Mayor Cory Mason took the first ceremonial dig— a bittersweet moment that began the project.