Who's that big kid on the school bus?

To begin the 2008-2009 school year as well as his official first day on the job, Racine Unified's new Superintendent of Schools will catch the bus with students on Tuesday.

Dr. Jim Shaw will ride Bus #2 from 16th Street and Howe Street from 7:07 a.m. until 7:28 a.m., arriving at the SC Johnson Elementary School on Tuesday, Sept. 2, as students from kindergarten to 12th grade begin school. Four-year-old kindergarten and early childhood students will have their first day of school on Wednesday, Sept. 3; 4K and early childhood parents have orientation on Tuesday.

McKinney, Green Party nominee, will visit Racine

Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate for president in 2008 will be in Racine on Friday, Sept. 5.

She will hold a Town Hall meeting with the student body of Walden III High School and Middle School from 1 to 2:10 p.m. From 4:30 to 6 p.m., she will hold a meet and greet event at Park Six (6th and Park) with live music and a speech.

McKinney, 53, is described by The Nation magazine as "Resolutely anti-war and anti-imperialist, firmly committed to defending individual liberties and determined to hold the outgoing president and vice president to account."

During her 12 years as a Congresswoman from Georgia, she authored legislation to: eliminate subsidies for corporations for taking jobs abroad, institute a national living wage, repeal the Military Tribunals Act, and eliminate the use of depleted uranium in weapons. She was the first to introduce articles of impeachment against Bush, Cheney, and Rice.

The Kenosha-Racine Greens will open a McKinney campaign office at 521 Sixth Street, at Sixth and Villa (across the street from the Obama headquarters).

"We feel the team of Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente has a message that resonates with the people of Wisconsin and these offices will give us a base of operations in these cities." said Pete Karas, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Coordinator for the McKinney/Clemente campaign and a former Racine Alderman. "We will be taking the campaign's message of ecological wisdom, nonviolence, grassroots democracy, and social and economic justice directly to the people of Wisconsin who we believe share these same core values."

More information is at the campaign's website: http://www.gp.org/index.php

2,000 miles away, local Democrats cheer Obama

Local Democrats gathered at Park 6 last night to watch Barack Obama accept their party's nomination for president. The crowd was dazzled by the speech, chanting along with the Denver crowd and exploding in applause at key moments. People even shed tears during Obama's talk and took pictures of Obama on the TV screen put up in the club.

Here's some photos from the night (lighting was terrible, so apologies in advance):

About 100 people watched the speech (possibly more ... it was hard to count).



People cheered along with the Denver crowd.

A handful of kids were there, including this 4-year-old girl.

Corinne Owens gave a speech before Obama's speech.

Sierra Club flunks Vos, Gunderson and Kerkman

The John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club today released its Environmental Scorecard for the 2007-08 Wisconsin Legislature.

Racine and Kenosha legislators were among the best, and worst, according to the Sierra Club's tracking of legislative votes on ten environmental issues.

Among the best are Reps. Cory Mason and Bob Turner, both D-Racine, and Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, all with scores of 100%, and Rep. Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, with 90%.


Among the worst are Reps. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, Samantha Kerkman, R-Burlington, and Rep. Robin Vos, R-Racine, all of whom had 10% ratings.

And, yes, we did notice that the Sierra Club's tree-hugging favorites here are all Democrats, and the environmental dunces it would send to the corner are all Republicans. Those three 10-per-centers, by the way, were spared the ignominy of 0% environmental ratings only by their vote in favor of the Great Lakes Compact.

Complete Scorecard results, vote by vote, legislator by legislator.

“The Sierra Club Scorecard illustrates which lawmakers are committed to protecting Wisconsin’s environment,” said Shahla M. Werner, PhD., John Muir Chapter Director. “The Scorecard also shows us which lawmakers consistently protect the interests of polluters.”

Thirty-nine state lawmakers scored 100% on the Scorecard. On the opposite end of the scale were Representatives Mark Gundrum, Mark Gottlieb, and Sheryl Albers, all of whom earned the score of zero. An additional forty-five members of the Assembly garnered a 10% score, meaning they voted against the environment nine times out of ten.

“Our Assembly has a core of legislators who consistently vote for more pollution,” said Dave Blouin, John Muir Chapter Political Committee Chair. “There is a very stark and partisan difference between legislators who consistently strive to protect and conserve Wisconsin’s air, drinking water, lakes and streams and legislators who do not.”

Forty-six Representatives received a passing grade for their votes in the last session by voting at least 80% pro-environment including twenty-one who scored a perfect 100%. Eighteen State Senators compiled 100% positive scores. Failing grades were given to fifty Representatives and two Senators who consistently vote pro-polluter and anti-environment (scores of 20% or less in
the Assembly, 29% or less in the Senate where few environmental votes were taken).

“The agenda of this Legislature was to roll back basic services and environmental protection while shifting costs to taxpayers,” said Legislative Coordinator Caryl Terrell. By voting to pass AB 163, Wetlands, Assembly proponents gave a developer a special favor to allow a road through a specific wetland, ignoring the science-based permit process and degrading Nature’s flood mitigation systems. Votes to repeal the Nuclear Moratorium, AB 346, erased the commonsense requirement that the Public Service Commission ensure that secure nuclear waste facilities are identified and all financial costs of life cycle operation are considered against all other alternatives before new nuclear power plants are constructed in Wisconsin Votes to pass three bills, AB 543 Ordinary High Water Mark, AB 718 Delay Implementation Date of Smart Growth Law and AB 805 Takings, undermined land use regulations designed to protect the value of private property and instead allow for irresponsible, unsafe development.

“Efforts to remove politics from the DNR, AB 504, and to deal pro-actively with greenhouse gases, AB 157, and hazardous electronic waste, SB 397, were turned down,” said Terrell. “The major bright spot was the adoption of the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact, SB1, in the April Special Session.”

Senate and Assembly scores were based on different measures, so comparisons between the two houses are not valid.

When air fresheners collide

It ain't pretty when air fresheners fight. Probably smells bad, too.

Let's see if we have this straight:

-- SC Johnson just sued Dial in Madison, claiming Dial's "Tri Scents" infringe on one of SCJ's patents.

-- In June, Dial sued SCJ laiming Glade PlugIns "Scented Oil" infringed on one of its patents.

- -Meanwhile, in July, Procter & Gamble sued SCJ claiming that Glade "Clean Linen” and “Tropical Mist” infringe on three of its patents.

It's just so unseemly. Don't we all have the same goal: sickly sweet-smelling, overpoweringly odoricious houses. Can't we all just get along?

Felner: Thank Goodness he's not our problem!

We shouldn't care about Robert Felner any more.

After all, the University of Louisville Dean of the College of Education is not our problem. He came thisclose to becoming Chancellor of UW-Parkside, (at a $50,000 cut in pay from the UofL) but an unexpected FBI investigation spared us barely a week before his investiture here.

Still, as the revelations pile up, it's hard to turn away. Like watching the Titanic hit the iceberg. The good news is that while Felner may have been the iceberg, we are not the Titanic, thanks to dumb luck and serendipitously wonderful timing. The Titanic role is being played by the University of Louisville.

So what's the latest?

-- Once given credit by UofL President James Ramsey for bringing "more than $40 million" in grants to the university, a review of public records by the Louisville Eccentric Observer shows that Felner "was only personally involved ... in bringing in about $1 million in total grants during his tenure." And $694,000 of that is the No Child Left Behind grant "funneled to a defunct nonprofit headed by a longtime friend and former associate of Felner," and the subject of that first FBI investigation.

But mostly it's the emails ... hundreds of emails that prove two things: UW-Parkside didn't look very carefull into the background of its presumptive chancellor. They also show that an awful lot of administrators at the UofL didn't realize that emails are forever. What's there?

-- Emails that show the University trying to cover its butt as things started to unravel, and failing at first even to preview materials first released to the media.

-- Emails showing Felner and the University finding ways to disguise travel funds to and from his estranged wife in Rhode Island.

-- Emails detailing what Felner called "creative solutions" that crafted his pay package.

-- Emails denigrating his critics ("...Sam is, between us, the purest B.S.r I have ever met.") and trying to hand-pick his successor.

-- Emails showing that UofL administrators knew Felner was a problem more than a year before he appeared willing to leave.

And on, and on, it goes. PageOneKentucky.com has sorted through hundreds of them, and posted scores online. (And they have 158,000 more emails to go through!) At the very least, everyone who had a part in recommending Felner for the Parkside post ought to be forced to read them all... and then write a 10-page essay: "Why I will never again serve on a search committee."

For links to all the older revelations, go to our listing of The Felner Chronicles in the Schools section of RacinePost.com.

Gov. Doyle is Letterman Top 10 punchline

And not a very funny one, at that.

Don't believe us? The video is HERE. (But they make you sit through a 30-second commercial first.)

Here's what Gov. Doyle said at the convention.

Filmed arrest now subject of $150,000 lawsuit

A lawsuit seeking $150,000 is the latest twist in a case that began back on Jan. 22, when Racine Police stopped a car "for not having a front license plate as well as obstructed vision of the driver."

That traffic stop led to an arrest for cocaine possession ... and a charge of police brutality by witnesses to the arrest.

Nothing came of the brutality charge; squad car video showed three policemen roughly hauling the driver from his car, but after an internal review and an "objective review" by an outside expert, the officers were cleared, their actions described as "within the standards of training prescribed by the state of Wisconsin."

You can see it all for yourself. The Racine Police Department originally posted the squad car video on the city's website on Feb. 14. It was taken down on Feb. 18 by Police Chief Kurt Wahlen, who felt -- we were told then -- "there had been adequate time for those with a sincere interest in reviewing it, to have seen it."

At that time, RacinePost requested a copy of the video from the Police Department, and it was given to us. We didn't post it online then -- agreeing with the chief, as it were -- but now that the issue has again become viable, we posted it this morning.

The driver arrested in that traffic stop, Bilal Gilleylen, claims officers used excessive force. The Journal Times' today said notice of the claim was filed on May 20 -- three months ago. (Is this really the first we've heard of it? Yup. Court reporting ain't what it used to be.) The city has 120 days to respond.

Is Racine County bucking poverty rate increase?

Racine County's poverty rate appears to buck the statewide trend and held steady over the past seven years, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The state's poverty rate is considerably higher today than it was in 2000, both for children and overall, but the Racine County rate is only marginally worse today for children, and actually declined overall.

There's one important caveat: Racine's numbers are valid only if one ignores the study's margin of error. The report notes: Because the sample sizes for the county/city data in the table are much smaller than for the statewide figures, it is important to note the margin of error when drawing conclusions about poverty at the local level.

For Wisconsin as a whole, the poverty rate worsened from 8.7% in 2000 to 10.8% in 2007, with a margin of error of just .3%. For Wisconsin children, the rate increased from 11.2% to 14.4%, with a margin of error of .7%. In other words: no question at all, considerably more state residents adults and children, are living in poverty.

But for Racine County, the numbers are less clear: The overall poverty rate went down from 8.4% in 2000 to 8% in 2007, but with a margin of error of 1.8%, which could negate the whole decline. For Racine County children, the figures show the poverty rate marginally increasing, from 11.9% in 2000 to 12% in 2007 ... but with a margin of error of 4.4%, which again could turn everything on its head.

Although Racine's figures are better than the state as a whole, those statewide totals are grossly affected by the figures from the City of Milwaukee, whose poverty rates are roughly three times that of any county: 24.4% overall in 2007, and a numbing 34.8% for children for the same year. The figures show 16 counties with worse poverty rates than Racine, and seven with lesser rates, again ignoring any margin of error.

The typical Wisconsin working family’s income, when adjusted for inflation, has declined during the same seven-year interval.

A report from the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families puts all this data into perspective:

“The frightening thing is that this data does not reflect the impact of the current economic downturn,” said Charity Eleson, executive director of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families. “Too many families were being left behind even when the economy was relatively strong, and the situation has certainly worsened since this data was collected.”

Newly released data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey show that Wisconsin’s overall poverty rate declined slightly from 11.0 percent in 2006 to 10.8 percent in 2007, a change that is not statistically significant. The child poverty rate dropped from 14.9 percent in 2006 to 14.4 percent in 2007, also a non-statistically significant change. Overall, more than 588,000 Wisconsin residents (including 187,000 children) lived in poverty in 2007. Wisconsin’s overall and child poverty rates remain substantially better than the national rates, but by less of a margin than in 2000 and earlier. Nationally, the 2007 overall poverty rate was 12.5 percent, and the child poverty rate was 18.0 percent; both are similar to the previous year’s figures. The federal poverty level for a family of four in 2007 was $20,650.

“These figures should be a wake-up call for policy makers,” said WCCF Executive Director Charity Eleson. “The effects of poverty are devastating for children and for our communities. Wisconsin has many strengths, but we could be doing much more to help kids and families escape from the poverty trap.”

Median household income in Wisconsin was $50,578 in 2007, compared to $50,821 in 2000. During that period, the share of families with children in Wisconsin living in poverty grew significantly from 8.8 percent to 12.0 percent.

Educational attainment has long been a powerful indicator of family success. Nearly 30 percent of those with a high school education or less live in poverty; only 3 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or more are poor.

“We know that access to quality early care and education, adequately funded K-12 schools, and opportunities for low-income parents to qualify for good-paying jobs by pursuing higher education and skills training are all critically important in moving families out of poverty,” Eleson said. “These are areas we must focus on as we make decisions about how to invest public resources in Wisconsin’s future.”

The Census Bureau figures illustrate that health care is an area in which Wisconsin continues to be a national leader. Based on a three-year average from 2005 to 2007, 8.8 percent of Wisconsin residents were uninsured for all or part of the year; only three other states had a lower percentage of uninsured. However, that still left nearly half a million Wisconsinites without coverage. Since the collection of the data released today, more than 76,000 children and parents have enrolled in the highly successful BadgerCare Plus program, thereby reducing the number of uninsured people in Wisconsin.

“We are edging closer to the ultimate goal of insuring every kid in Wisconsin,” Eleson said. “If we continue to make health care coverage a priority and fill the few remaining gaps in our system of programs, we can achieve that goal in the foreseeable future.”

WCCF, in partnership with the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association and the Wisconsin Head Start Association, has launched a campaign to end child poverty in the state. The campaign, called Vision 2020, represents a systemic approach to battling poverty that is both visionary and practical, focusing on solutions grounded in public policy. Vision 2020 addresses poverty on four key fronts: family-supporting jobs; access to high-quality early care and education; health care; and safe and affordable housing. Eighty-five organizations and 900 individuals have signed on to the campaign to date.

“The Census Bureau data make it clear that we need a coordinated, strategic plan to end child poverty in Wisconsin,” Eleson said. “The Vision 2020 campaign is a way for public officials, citizens and organizations to get involved in a tangible, focused way. Poverty need not be something we just accept as inevitable. We can address these issues, and Vision 2020 provides a roadmap for doing so.”

Its recommendations:

-- Education and training that meets the needs of both Wisconsin families and employers by providing targeted training and financial aid to workers seeking to improve their skills and credentials.

-- Improve the effectiveness of the state’s economic development incentives to ensure that public investments made in businesses are producing family-supporting jobs.

-- Preserve and bolster BadgerCare Plus, and continue to find ways to reach the more than 400,000 people in Wisconsin who are still uninsured.

-- Support and improve policies that help mitigate the effects of poverty on children, specifically quality early education opportunities for every child in Wisconsin.

-- Maintain Wisconsin’s critical income support programs, including child care tuition assistance, the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit, the Homestead Tax Credit, and food security programs.

All the Census data is HERE.

Library announces grand prize winners

More than 1,500 library patrons participated in the Racine Public Library's 2008 Summer Reading Challenge. The annual reading contest challenged participants to read the selected number of books for their age group, and to visit the library ten times over the summer. School age children were also challenged to complete a family activity bingo game during the contest.

Those who completed their challenges received a small gift courtesy of the Library and coupons from Pizza Hut, State Park passes from the Wisconsin DNR, and free admission tickets from the Renaissance Faire. Participants also had their names entered in a drawing for a Wii Game System and other prizes donated by Barnes and Noble of Racine.

The 2008 Grand Prize winners were:

Amanda Van Swol – winner of the Wii
Barb Chernouski, Laura Cardenas and Miranda Fair – winners of Barnes and Noble gifts.

The 2009 reading challenge, "Be Creative @ Your Library" and "Express Yourself @ Your Library" will begin on June 15, 2009.

Moon Shine, of the Poodle variety

There's been a full moon this week, although no truth to reports that Mars would come out to play.

Still, while we're focused on the moon, how about some Moon Shine?

No, not that kind. Moon Shine is an adult male Poodle mix. He is an outgoing, friendly guy who would like a family that likes to go for walks with or without the moonlight. He came to the Countryside Humane Society as a stray, and they've cleaned him up -- and also fattened him up.

Oh, yes, they also gave him a cool new hairdo. All you need to supply is love.

Moon Shine, and many other animals with equally fanciful names, is available for adoption at Countryside Humane Society, 2706 Chicory Road, or call (262) 554-6699.

United Way kicks off $5.4 million campaign

2008 Campaign Chair Catherine Powell of Modine

The United Way of Racine County kicked off its 2008 fund drive today, hoping to raise $5.4 million, its largest goal ever. The United Way has 700 "leadership givers" (who donate at least $1,000 annually), more than 12,000 donors, and 2,000 volunteers. Last year's campaign -- its most successful -- raised $5, 125,000.

"We're advancing the common good," said executive director Dave Maurer, "and we are getting results. We all benefit when a child learns to read, or when a felon gets a job."

The United Way's three priorities are Education, Income and Health.

Maurer pointed out that the organization has changed in recent years -- "there are no more entitlements, outcomes are measured" -- and the United Way is focused on giving, advocating and volunteering, "the keys to Living United," the organization's present mantra.

Maurer introduced Catherine Powell, senior counsel at Modine Manufacturing, this year's campaign chair, who -- along with her campaign cabinet -- has been making calls on businesses helping them organize effective employee fund drives.

He pointed out that Jeff Collen, director of the Racine County YMCA, has issued a challenge to other non-profits: Any non-profit or United Way partner-provider that increases its own donation more than Y employees increase their overall donation will win a free swimming party for employees. "Up to 1,000 employees," Maurer said... finally adding, "well, he really didn't say that part."

Jeff Neubauer, CEO of Kranz, Inc., detailed part of the strategic plan initiative undertaken by loal business leaders under the aegis of the Workforce Development Center, which has three major goals: finding replacements for all the baby boomers who will shortly be retiring; helping those portions of the city with chronic high unemployment; and creating workers for the "jobs of the future."

Jeff Neubauer, of Kranz, Inc.

Focusing on the chronically unemployed, he said, "We've got to first do an honest assessment; the numbers aren't moving in the right direction."

Neubauer pointed to one of United Way's recent success stories -- the creation of HALO, a permanent shelter that both houses the homeless while at the same time providing training to get them into jobs and their own housing. "This community did a fabulous job with HALO," he said. "We can use that model -- a good business plan to tackle tough issues -- and if there is one indispensable partner in creating a collaborative joint venture, it's the United Way."

He and Maurer pledged "to bring some of our most vulnerable families to financial stability."

United Way Board President Greg Anderegg noted that Tuesday's kickoff lunch "was filled with leaders laying the framework for solutions." He expects to achieve -- "and exceed" -- this year's goal.

The first major campaign event will take place on Sept. 5, at Downtown Racine's final First Friday, when shops are open late and musicians perform throughout downtown. Some 45 retailers will be holding raffles in their stores to kick off "Live United - Downtown."

Un regalo de Jalisco y Zapotlanejo *

Paco Padilla, center, and some bandmates

* A gift from Zapotlanejo, our sister city

The state of Jalisco, Mexico, and the city of Zapotlanejo, Racine's newest sister city, gave us a gift last night -- a rousing performance of modern Mexican music and dance.

Performing in Monument Square were Paco Padilla, his band of eight musicians and four dancers. The group is visiting here -- this was their first performance in Wisconsin -- and before they return home to Guadalajara next Monday they will perform in Chicago, Melrose Park and Aurora, Illinois, and Indiana.

Betty Franco sings

Padilla has been performing for more than 30 years, and has been all over the world, including France, Italy, Germany, Europe and Latin America. He's a songwriter as well as a performer, telling stories through his music that touched the mostly Hispanic audience who needed no translation.

"We represent the new way of Mexican music," Padilla said, and his band was the furthest thing from what the term usually brings to mind here -- Mariachi bands, for example. "Mariachi music is for the countryside," Padilla said. "Now, we're mostly born in and grow up in big cities, that's the new Mexico, and that's our music."

Miguel Angel dances

Zapotlanejo officially became Racine's sixth sister city on July 3, when Racine Mayor Gary Becker and Zapotlanejo’s municipal president, Hector Alvarez Contreras, signed the "twinning" agreements. The next day they marched together in the city's FourthFest parade.

Racine's five other sister cities are: Oiso, Japan; Montelimar, France; Aalborg, Denmark; Forteleza, Brazil; and Bluefields, Nicaragua.

Death wants a dance...

Five more county barns get quilted

The first half of a barn quilt goes up

Under the bluest of skies Sunday, Racine County's Quilts on Barns project took a colorful leap forward.

Five more barns were hung with "quilts," bringing the total now completed to eight -- more than half of this year's projected total.

The 100-year-old red barns -- some of them still home to livestock -- received makeovers Sunday in a five-hour marathon made possible by the loan of an hydraulic lift by JM Electrical and teamwork by Jim Limburg and Jan Rowland from Johnson and Son Roofing, assisted by Al Barry and a crew pulled together by Kathi Wilson's project.

Kathi Wilson gives ownership certificate to Mike Straszewski
for Square in a Square, painted by Cops 'n Kids;
sponsored by Giving withJoy!

The first barn to receive a quilt Sunday morning belongs to Mike and Julie Straszewski. Located at 5915 Seven Mile Road, it is exactly 100 years old this year, and was originally a dairy barn, with 20 stanchions, serving a 250-acre farm. It soaked up 80 gallons of red paint just a year ago, but the 8-ft. by 8-ft. Square on Square "quilt" it received Sunday brightened it considerably.

Photographer Nicholas Ravnikar documents Churndash,
painted by the Lighthouse Quilt Guild;
sponsored by Klema Feeds

The second barn, built in the 1920s and only a mile and a half down the road, belongs to Roger and Sue Hays, at 8140 Foley Road. Horses still reside there, oblivious to the Churndash quilt visible from the road.

5-year-old Annie Comeau looks on as Dad Steve
stands under Corn and Beans, painted by the
Racine Arts Council; sponsored by Rustoleum

Sunday's third barn is another working barn, housing eight horses belonging to Sue Jensen, located at 6123 Highway 38 in Franksville. It received a Corn and Beans quilt, although there was nothing corns or beans-ish about the quilt's red, blue and black colors. "Most quilters who do it, use yellow and green," Wilson said, "but we preferred other colors."

Kathi Wilson and Jim Rowland take high view of Black-Eyed Susan,
painted by Monument Square Art Fair Board;
sponsored by Johnson and Son Roofing

The fourth barn hung on Sunday was the most difficult, because of the decision to place the quilt at its highest point, near the top of what essentially is a three-story building. The barn, belonging to Sara Neubauer and her family (which includes son Jeff and his wife, Judge Lisa), is located at 5553 Short Road. It, too, is a working horse barn, with six currently in residence, according to Erin Hopkins, farm manager. "It's a beautiful farm, and it would be a shame not to have horses here," she says. Well, now it's more beautiful, boasting a Black-Eyed Susan quilt facing the highway; the quilt covering what used to be the upper hayloft's door.

Depending on how one looks at the facts, this was either the oldest barn hung with a quilt Sunday, or the youngest. The barn was originally built in 1862 -- but it burned down to the foundation in 1991, and was meticulously rebuilt to the same specifications on the same site. So take your pick: it's either 146 years old or 17 years young.

Jim Limburg attaches Mariner's Compass,
painted by the Prairie School;
sponsored by Lighthouse Quilt Guild

The last barn Sunday was of indeterminate age. Owner Jerry Wishau admitted to being in his 70s, and knows his barn was built before he was born. Beyond that -- who knows? Call it 100, more or less. Now used just for storage, it received a colorful Mariner's Compass quilt, appropriate to the barn's location at 4164 Lighthouse Drive, right across the street from Lake Michigan -- probably the easternmost barn in Racine County.

Wishau was the first barn owner approached by Wilson and Levine -- "on a grey, grey February day," Levine recalls. "He said he always wanted to do something to dress up his barn. And now, here it is."

Each of the barn owners received a certificate of ownership of the "quilt," signed by Lorna Henning of the Racine Arts Council and Bill McReynolds, Racine County Executive. The presentations were made by Wilson and Lavine.

Six of the next seven quilts are painted, and will go up as crew and equipment are available.

Earlier barn quiltings are HERE and HERE.