Day One

Racine Post was started in October 2007 by Dustin Block and Pete Selkowe. It's an independent news source dedicated to covering and sharing all news related to Racine, Wis. We don't compete with other media in a traditional way. We link to as many stories as possible that relate to Racine, no matter where they appear. If the Journal-Sentinel or Journal Times have a good story, we'll make it the lead on our site just as readily as we'll put our own news on the site. We hope to become the definitive source for news in Racine by compiling all headlines into a single place - and adding a few of our own along the way!

Pete Selkowe (email) is a retired publisher of The Journal Times with 30 years of experience in the newspaper industry as a reporter, photographer, editor and publisher. He also sits on the board of the Racine Theatre Guild and is a member of the local Vespa club and the Downtown Rotary Club.

Dustin Block (email) is a freelance writer and editor who fell in love with newspapers the second he walked into the offices of The Badger Herald at UW-Madison in 1995. He's worked for several papers, including eight years at The Journal Times as a reporter and city editor. He left the JT in October 2007 to start Racine Post. He also writes for the Insider News, The Daily Reporter, Milwaukee Magazine and Wisconsin Builder Magazine.


Here's our first post:

We're off and running ... the initial comments are good. I've done no marketing, so I'm relying on friends and acquaintances for the initial traffic. I hope they like what they see and tells others.

A few notes ... I've set up an AIM account for people to instant message comments, tips, etc. My sign in name is simply, "Racine Post."

I also setup a MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/racinepost. I've done nothing with the page so far, but it's out there.

News wise, there are some good headlines out there. I liked the column out of England offering an alternative take on SC Johnson's Administration Building. Plus, Minnesota went smoke free today and Racine's "Message in a Bottle" couple is the lead story on Yahoo.

I'm working on a few original stories for later today or tomorrow, plus trying to figure out how to tell everyone Racine Post exists. If you're reading this, spread the word!