Mama's waiting for second Good Samaritan

Our adoptable four-legged friend this week is Mama, a nine-month Chihuahua mix at the Countryside Humane Society.

Mama was found "almost dead" alongside a Racine highway by an apartment dweller who nursed her back to health and wanted to keep her. Enter mean landlord (twirling black moustache, no doubt).

The landlord made our Good Samaritan bring Mama to the humane shelter, where she's just waiting for someone to call. We don't know whether she's really a Mama, but that was the name she picked up along the way.

UPDATE, 11/14: Mama has been adopted by a couple with a black lab. They wanted a lap dog. Mama loves her new large playmate and that warm comfortable lap!

P.S. Good news regarding Hap, last week's dog. He's been adopted by a Racine family whose last rescue dog gave them 15 years of companionship.

Racine BMX: These guys are awesome...

Here's a little diversion for the day... great video from Racine's skatepark...

City Council answers School Board's tough questions

Kutz, Van Atta, McKenna query aldermen in otherwise empty chamber

The Racine Unified School Board met with the big kids at the Racine City Council Tuesday night.

And while they weren't given all the answers to the test (though they asked for them), neither were they given wedgies. They weren't even rapped across the knuckles with a ruler (although that was suggested by a councilman, but in a slightly different context.)

It was billed as a Community Listening and Linking Session by the school board, which initiated the meeting in council chambers. School board members William Van Atta, Sue Kutz and Julie McKenna met with more than a dozen aldermen and asked them the really tough questions.

Here's some of the Q and A:

Q: Would you support building new elementary schools to allow grade reconfiguration at the high schools? (i.e., from 10-12 rather than 9-12):

Thomas Friedel, District 10: We could do a better job with smaller high schools. But before you do any of that, you've got to wrestle with the redistricting problem; it's been on the table for years. Until you solve that, you won't pass a referendum.

Jim Kaplan, District 4: I only support new schools in high density areas.

Mayor Gary Becker: I sense the school board isn't willing to make the tough decisions. No matter what, people will be upset; that comes with the big bucks you get.

Raymond DeHahn, District 7: The high schools were not built for grades 9-12, they were built for 10-12.

Q: Should we renovate or build new?

Becker: Whatever makes sense. We don't want a ring (of schools) built around the city. We want kids able to walk to school.

Friedel: You've got a school built in the 1850's (Winslow, 1856); you've got to wonder whether it makes sense to keep putting money into it.

Q: Would you support building schools west of Route 31?

Becker: If you're waiting for the perfect plan -- it's not going to come. City neighborhoods have to be taken into account. Of course, that's easy to say: It has to work for the community, for Mount Pleasant, for Sturtevant, for the city.

Q: What do we need to get referendum support?

Sandy Weidner, District 6: Bring more people into the schools.

DeHahn: Have a community open house.

Jeff Coe, District 1: Unified has to regain credibility, get trust back. Stop saying one thing and doing another. (The name Hicks was mentioned.)

Pete Karas, District 9: Hold exit interviews with kids, so staff and administrators can learn. Create more opportunities for recent grads to come back and work with kids. Engage young people; invest in the future.

David Maack, District 5: The school district doesn't do a good enough job of tooting its own horn about the good things, not just the dropout rate. You need to be able to show some success stories.

Kaplan: (Quoting a study showing why kids drop out) The kids found school too boring. I found it boring too ... and got a ruler across the back of my hand.... (amid laughter) I know you can't do that now.

Becker: Keep the process as open as possible. We're representatives of the community, but we're not the community. Find your critics first, if you're going for a referendum, and talk to them

Coe: Create a junior school board; we don't listen to our kids enough.

Robert Mozol, District 15: Indecision is worst.

SiCKO, the movie: Friday night, and free

How sick is the American health care system? Don't get me started. Don't get me started.

We can all agree it's broken: there are 50 million Americans without health insurance, Congress can't find the backbone to provide coverage for 26 million children, prescription drugs can cost as much as a compact car. Don't get me started!

Earlier this year, filmmaker and provacateur Michael Moore -- he of Fahrenheit 9/11, which skewered the war on terror and won the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or in 2004 -- brought out a controversial documentary about health care in the U.S. Now, for the first time (I think!), it will be shown in Racine -- one night only, and free!

Sponsored by Americans for Democratic Action, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, SEIU 1199 and Mayor Gary Becker, SiCKO will be shown in two places hereabouts on Friday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m.: In Racine at Union Hall, 1840 Sycamore Ave. and at UW-Parkside, in Greenquist Hall, Room 103, with parking in the Communications Building parking lot.

Space is limited; call Will at 262.994.8905 to RSVP.

Happy Birthday, HALO! Two years of hope and shelter

Bedrooms in the women's shelter have
uplifting names, not numbers.

An important Racine anniversary passed this week, but if you missed it consider yourself blessed. And not homeless.

Two years ago, on Nov 4, 2005, HALO opened the city's first full-time homeless shelter, in a former Massey-Ferguson factory on DeKoven Avenue. To say it's been a success, and fills a great need, would be two large understatements.

In a single year, it provided 38,314 nights of safe, warm and dry sleep to 944 homeless adults and 200 homeless children.

We should have held a citywide party to celebrate HALO's birthday. And then, of course, redoubled our efforts to make it redundant.

Cheryl Buckley looks over the shelter's busy schedule

You don't have to be one of the hundreds of homeless people who used to traipse back and forth throughout the city -- from one church to another, a different one each night, carrying all your belongings -- to understand the difference a guaranteed and stable bedroom makes, along with regular meals. REST, the old Racine Emergency Shelter Taskforce, performed a necessary service on the backs of church volunteers, and deserves much credit for its years of work; but there simply is no comparison.

When REST provided beds and meals for the homeless, approximately 60 people could be accommodated each night. (Homeward Bound also provided emergency housing for 35 women and children.)

By HALO's definition, homelessness is "a temporary circumstance." Some people only stay one night. But for others ...

According to Cheryl Buckley, HALO's director, about 1,200 people are homeless in Racine County, and 150 to 200 need emergency shelter on a daily basis. Many of those are children.

HALO has beds for 120 people, 60 men and 60 women in two separate areas. But there are many nights when more show up; HALO has stacks of portable mattresses it pulls out for the overflow, setting up for men in their dining room, and for women in a family room. Last Friday, for example, 64 men were sheltered.

More pictures HERE.

As it gets colder, more men will seek beds, Buckley says. "There are more seasonal jobs in the summer, and when it's warm men are more willing to sleep outside in cars, parks, streets or cars. Men are more likely homeless in fall and winter."

For women, it's the opposite; the shelter hosts more women and children occupants in June and July. "The hidden number in homelessness is people living with others," Buckley says. "People live doubled up, with an aunt or grandmother; you get into an argument and are thrown out. But it's real hard to kick them out in winter."

The crunch for women and children comes in May, "when the hammer comes down from the utilities." Under Wisconsin law, utilities are prevented from shutting off service for non-payment between October and April.

Despite all that, Buckley says she feels "a sense of hope here." And well she might: much of HALO's effort is aimed not so much at running a homeless shelter as at trying to fix the underlying problem, one resident at a time.

"All we guarantee people who come here is 24 hours. Then they meet with a case manager and create an Individual Success Plan" that helps them work toward independence and self-sufficiency. "If it takes one year, or two years ... as long as you make progress you can stay here. We're really about connecting people with the services they need. But everybody is surprised at how long it takes." Social Security disability claim appeals, for example, routinely take at least a year and a half to be resolved.

"Ninety-eight percent of the people who come in here want to work, want to be productive. But even when working, they're on the edge; get sick for a couple of weeks and lose a job, and they have to start over."

That was one of REST's frustrations, Buckley says; they saw the same people coming back year after year. "It's like an onion; you peel the layers back. A man is a tool and die maker; try to find a job doing that these days. First the job goes, then the marriage, the kids, the psyche. People are road-weary." HALO aims to end that cycle; help the homeless get diplomas, training, free of addictions.

Buckley was hired just before construction started in the summer of 2005. Her touches are everywhere: for example, rooms are not numbered, but instead named: "Caring," "Peace," "Love," "Kindness," and so on. On the women's side, the names are gaily painted on signs hung on each door, project of a Girl Scout troop. Four bedrooms were recently painted and their floors re-waxed by a group of Johnson-Diversey executives, who spent a day working their muscles and hearts.

Bedrooms are tidy (It must be said: Buckley is a neat- and cleanliness micro-manager). Besides the bedrooms -- there's a subtly tiered system for men: if you have a job, you live in a room without bunk beds -- there is a tutoring room with computers (project of a Leadership Racine class), family room on both the men's and women's sides with comfortable couches and TV, and a colorful children's playroom. And two separate kitchens.

But this is not summer camp. All residents are required to be up and dressed by 8 a.m. and active. There are classes and chores, with big whiteboards listing the schedule, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9 to 2, everybody is required to be out of the building, to give the staff time to catch up. Baby-sitters are provided, so mothers don't have to bring kids to appointments in town. The YMCA provides free memberships to all who want it, the DeKoven center offers classes, the Racine Public Library is available.

Besides the shelter, HALO also manages 22 transitional apartments rented for those who are nearly independent; last year they housed 32 adults and 26 children. The cost comes from a HUD grant that used to be managed by the now-defunct Homeward Bound women's and children's shelter. When Homeward Bound was operating, Racine provided (along with REST) beds for about 135 people. Now, with the larger HALO facility there are beds for about 165.

And still they are sometimes turned away. No matter how full, the shelter will find room for anyone from Racine County, but when at capacity it will turn away people from out of town, giving them bus tokens to Kenosha or Milwaukee.. Kenosha still operates its homeless shelters as Racine used to, moving from church to church each night.

By the numbers, in one year:

944 people sheltered
672 adults created Individual Success Plans
301 moved to a permanent address
95% of parents attended parent education classes
Of 200 children: 98% had wellness check-ups and immunizations
98% attended school regularly
75% maintained passing grades

Things you didn't know:

-- HALO is one of those hard-wrought acronyms, more trouble than they are worth: Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization.

--REST, the old Racine Emergency Shelter Taskforce which HALO replaces, performed a necessary charitable service thanks to myriad church volunteers, and deserves much credit for all it accomplished. Cleaning out church basements, setting up and taking down 60 beds a night, cooking meals for all who needed food, taxed a lot of resources.

-- Many people helped bring HALO to fruition, but the one without whom nothing would have happened is David Maurer, executive director of the United Way of Racine County, who, starting in 2002, formed the committees, populated the task forces, knocked on corporate doors seeking capital and put his organization's money where its mouth was. United Way put up $150,000 in transitional funds to make the leap from REST to HALO, and currently supports the organization's $1 million annual budget with $280,000.

-- The capital campaign seeking $2.1 million to build HALO in 2005 was one of the more successful here in recent memory, actually raising $2.4 million. Maurer and Willard Walker (chairman of Walker Forge, whose wife, Mary, was United Way board president in 2005) managed to obtain pledges like the following:

$600,000 from SC Johnson
$243,000 from the city
$180,000 from the county
$150,000 from Modine
$100,000 from Twin Disc

-- Executive director Buckley spent 11 years as associate director of the Racine YMCA, leaving here in the mid-90s to direct Y's in Chicago and Des Plaines, before "retiring" in 2002, being recruited to restore the Women's Resource Center to health, and then to direct construction and operation of HALO in 2005.

-- The building is owned by the Neubauer family (Kranz Inc.). HALO and the Food Bank, which each occupy about a third of it, pay only interest payments toward eventual condo ownership.

Sale won't change Batteries Plus operation here

Owners may come and go, but at the retail level the clerk at the counter is unchanged.

In other words, don't expect any changes when you visit Batteries Plus (behind Best Buy on Regency West Drive), just because the Hartland-based retailer was sold today to an Atlanta equity firm, Roark Capital group, owner of such franchisers as Cinnabon and Schlotzky's.

Batteries Plus has 292 franchise stores and 15 company-owned stores in 41 states, generating $200 million in annual sales. The Racine store, along with most others in Wisconsin, is company-owned, according to Ken Burket, corporate store operations manager.

And if your cellphone, car, watch or other battery dies in a few weeks, when you're up in Milwaukee, the company's 16th Wisconsin store is about to open at Bayshore Mall.

Root-Pike WIN announces grants

The Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network’s Resource Group awarded $13,610 in grants on Monday. Grant winners include:

$10,000 for Signage for the Root River Parkway, Racine County Department of Public Works. Signs will be installed at conspicuous points along the Root River corridor where the publicly-owned parkway intersects with or is in close proximity to public roads. The signs are intended to increase public awareness of over 675 acres of publicly owned lands that comprise the Root River Parkway, and to stimulate interest and support for the acquisition and protection of additional land in the corridor. The signs will be installed in August 2008.

$1,386 to Weed-Out! Racine, a volunteer program of the S.E. Gateway Group Sierra Club, for equipment & supplies to control the spread of exotic invasive plants in City of Racine parks and natural areas. Volunteers will remove honeysuckle, buckthorn, garlic mustard and dame’s rocket and restore areas with native trees, shrubs and plants.

$2,224 to Eye on Racine for a pilot cable television program created by Racine youth featuring Root-Pike WIN grant projects and volunteers. The purpose of the project is to increase awareness about Root-Pike WIN, especially among Racine youth who will also acquire interview skills and learn about television production. The production will be aired on CAR-25 twice a week for four weeks and a DVD will be donated to WIN for use in public outreach activities.

Six applicants applied for grant funding in the cycle that ended August 25, 2007. Root-Pike WIN’s next grant cycle ends February 3, 2008 and grants will be awarded in Spring 2008.

For the first time, Root-Pike WIN will offer a pre-application workshop intended to help applicants plan their projects and write stronger grants. The workshop is planned for December and the date, time and location will be announced soon.

“We want to work with applicants right from the beginning and help them write stronger grants, ones that are likely to get funded,” said Susan Greenfield, executive director of Root-Pike WIN. “Often, our grant application is the first one our applicants have prepared. Our goal is to help them succeed with projects that will protect, restore and sustain the ecosystem in the Root and Pike river watersheds,

The Root-Pike watershed extends from Kenosha County, through Racine, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. Since 2001 the organization has awarded $311,170 to seventy-one watershed projects. The Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network grew out of a group convened in 1998 by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to identify critical natural resource issues in the Root River and Pike River watersheds.

For more information, go Root-Pike WIN’s website, www.rootpikewin.org or contact Susan Greenfield at 262-898-2055 or sgreenfield@wi.rr.com.

Kohl votes no on Mukasey over waterboarding

Sen. Herb Kohl, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted today against the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey to become U.S. Attorney General because of his refusal to condemn waterboarding.

In voting against the nomination, Kohl said:

“It is with great reluctance that I cannot support Judge Mukasey’s nomination to be Attorney General. He is nominated to be this nation’s top law enforcement official. His unwillingness to say what we all know – that waterboarding is torture – sends the wrong signal to the rest of the world, puts our own soldiers at risk, and harms our ability to win the war on terrorism.

“As Judge Mukasey’s answers mirror the President’s on this issue -- and defy common sense -- we are forced to question his independence as well. The Attorney General’s loyalties must be to the Constitution, to the American people and to the law. Too much doubt on this point is disqualifying.”

Wisconsin's other senator, Russ Feingold, said this weekend that he, too, would oppose Mukasey's nomination when/if it comes to a vote in the full Senate.

The Associated Press reported this morning, as the Judiciary Committee prepared to vote on the nomination, that Mukasey's confirmation "seems assured" after two key Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats accepted his vow to enforce any law Congress might enact against waterboarding.

However, committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said Mukasey's assurance to Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer was disingenuous.

"Unsaid, of course, is the fact that any such prohibition would have to be enacted over the veto of this president," Leahy, D-Vt., said as the panel prepared for the vote to advance Mukasey's nomination to the full Senate.

UPDATE: Sen. Russ Feingold, also a member of the Judiciary Committee, voted against Mukasey's nomination, too, saying:

"In many respects, Judge Mukasey is a big improvement on the previous Attorney General. At this point in our history, however, the country needs more.

"Simply put, after all that has taken place over the last seven years, we need an Attorney General who will tell the President that he cannot ignore the laws passed by Congress. And on that fundamental qualification for this office, Judge Mukasey falls short…The rule of law is the very foundation of freedom and a crucial bulwark against tyranny. Congress cannot stand silent in the face of this challenge by the executive to the crucial underpinnings of our system of government."

Nonetheless, the committee approved the nomination by a vote of 11 - 8. All of the Republicans on the Committee voted in favor of Mukasey, while all but two of the Democrats on the panel opposed the nomination.

Pope Benedict's new Racine connection

Pope Benedict XVI now has a Racine connection.

Here's a hint: It can lift 20 tons.

Stumped? It's a New Holland tractor that will be used to move the stage in St. Peter's Square when the Pope addresses the faithful.

The New York Times reports that the Vatican recently began using a new, bigger stage (weighing 17 tons) that could not be moved by its previous equipment, so representatives went to a New Holland dealership in Rome in search of a tractor. Sergio Marchionne, the Fiat chief executive, decided to give the tractor to the Vatican and handed the Pope the keys on Wednesday.

The Pope's new tractor is painted white, has custom trim and the Vatican coat of arms on the front. If you want one just like his, be aware it costs $173,000.

Fiat, the Italian carmaker, owns CNH Global, the maker of Case and New Holland tractors. It purchased Case in 1999 for $4.3 billion. Case began in 1842 as the Racine Threshing Machine Works

Karas seeks payback for presidential candidate visit

Alderman Pete Karas was busy Monday. After putting in a communication requesting to talk with city committees about signage in Racine, he went back to work with two more proposals.

Karas wants to talk with committees about requiring presidential campaigns who visit Racine to reimburse the city for the cost of the visit. This could come into play during the 2008 presidential election. Wisconsin is a toss-up state and Racine County is split between Democrats and Republicans, which could draw candidates to the city.

Karas also teamed with Alderman Aron Wisneski to announce a public information and listening session on the city's 2008 budget. The meeting will be held Nov. 16 at 6:30 pm at Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 3319 Washington Ave. Attendance at the session is open to the public.

Painting, Maasai and more coming to Library

A variety of family programs is scheduled at the Racine Public Library this month.

Events include:

-- Families creating decorated windows based on entertaining stories.
-- A presentation on Africa's semi-nomadic Maasai by a cultural ambassador from Kenya.
--Creation of a "teens-only space" with free internet, video games, music and food.
--A create-a-card stamping workshop.

The Adventures in Stories program for kids and their families is Tues., Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Children's Dept. Families will share stories told by storytellers and will form teams and adopt a library window to decorate for the holidays, or dabble in finger paint. Space is limited so families are urged to form their teams as soon as possible and call 636.9245 to reserve a spot. Window decorating supplies will be provided, and families are invited to bring anything they would like to add to make their window unique. This program is free and open to all ages.

"Meet the Maasai," in cooperation with the Agape Performing Arts Center, will be at the library on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. Presented by Joseph Ole Koyei, Cultural Ambassador to the Maasai, the program will offer a look at the culture, lifestyle and rituals of these people based in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania in East Africa. Mr. Koyei is founder of a school for indigenous children in Kenya and speaks extensively about the issues facing his people and ways people can help with education and relief programs. He hopes to preserve the Maasai's traditional ways while restoring self-sufficiency. This program is free and open to the public; no registration is necessary.

The "teens only" space will be created on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16 and 17, from 3 - 5 p.m. Youth ages 13-17 will have access in the community meeting room to free internet service, video games, music, popular teen reads, food and more at this free event. Interested teens will be offered the opportunity to have a say in future teen programming and in the library's future renovation of its youth area.

And finally, the library will host a series of stamping workshops on Sun., Nov. 18 from 2:30-4 p.m. and on Sat., Dec. 8 from 1:30-3 p.m. for beginners 12 and older. Kelly Graham, an independent consultant for Stampin' Up! will demonstrate a variety of greeting card creations and participants will take home a project created in class. Supplies will be provided. Space is limited for this free workshop and registration is required. Contact the library to reserve a spot.

Holidazzle: Artful fun and shopping downtown

Downtown Racine holiday shopping hours and events have been announced, starting with the lighting of the city's 35 ft. Christmas tree at Monument Square Saturday, Nov. 10, after the parade. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m.

Special Holiday Hours have been set. Beginning Friday, Nov. 30, downtown shops are extending their hours until 8 p.m. every Friday evening, and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

Downtown Racine’s Holiday Open House will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1. More than 50 unique stores, galleries and boutiques will be open with holiday gifts and decorations.

Holiday Gallery Night will be held on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 6-9 p.m. Fifteen galleries and workshops will be open, offering exhibits, refreshments and entertainment. Maps detailing the gallery locations and exhibits are available at all participating galleries, as well as the DRC office at 425 Main Street.

Participating galleries include:

Artists Gallery, 312 6th Street -- Racine’s only cooperative gallery of local and regional fine art and gifts.
Art Metals Studio, 332 Main Street – custom designs in precious metals with exotic colored gemstones and diamonds by Chris Sklba.
Avenue Gallery & Frame, 402 Main Street – selection of artwork by local and nationally recognized artists; also art glass, pottery, sculpture and wood turnings.
Cobblestone Ltd., 415 6th Street – Racine Room hosts local artists in a variety of media, including originals, prints and pottery featuring many Racine landmarks.
Funky Hannah's Beads & Art, 324 Main Street -- they put the 'fun' in funky.
Hot Shop Glass, 239 Wisconsin Avenue -- Local artists will be blowing glass throughout the evening. Watch as molten glass becomes beautiful art. The hottest spot downtown!
Mathis Gallery Frameshop, 328 Main Street – thousands of works of art for every décor from period to contemporary.
Monfort's Fine Art Gallery, 430 Main Street – artworks by international, regional and local artists working in a wide variety of media.
Northern Lights Gallery, 423 Main Street -- featuring glass art from three artists: local glass and jewelry artist Lynne Rae Eaton, Michigan mosaic glass artist Jackie Russo, and glass faces by Indiana artist James Connolly.
Photographic Design Studio, 411 6th Street -- fine art photographic gallery with unique images by Carol Hansen and Brad Jaeck. Photographs of Racine's landmarks and other locales.
Plumb Gold Ltd., 322 Main Street -- combination of designers, goldsmiths, and American Gem Society Certified Gemologists.
Racine Arts Council, 505 6th Street
Racine Art Museum, 441 Main Street -- free admission from 5:00 – 9:00 pm.
Remington-May Workshop Gallery, 613 6th Street
Spectrum Gallery, displaying at Martha Merrell’s Bookstore, 600 Main Street.

Just the numbers 1 to 9; how difficult can that be?

I hesitate to tell you the following, since Sudoku is just an endless time-waster, with no redeeming value (much worse than the daily crossword puzzle, which at least teaches new words) but who am I to judge?

For those of you who indulge -- you know who you are -- Martha Merrell's Bookstore will host a Sudoku book signing and classes by local author Robert L. Ware on Nov. 10 and Nov. 17, both Saturdays.

Ware's book, "The WareBox Book of Sudoku," and its accompanying template explain how to solve Sudoku puzzles. Ware will host classes at the bookstore on the use of the book and the template, and will also sign copies of his book.

The classes will explain the logic behind Sudoku solutions, teach Sudoku tips, and solve the puzzles in minutes not hours .

Beginner classes are from 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., and intermediate classes from 11 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. on both Saturdays. Advance reservation is encouraged due to limited seating. Call Martha Merrell's Bookstore at 262-632-0215 for details and reservations. A small enrollment fee will be applied to the purchase of the book.

Any questions may be directed to Pamala Handrow, Scott Schroder or Vaughan Weeks at the bookstore, 600 Main St.

Newspaper circulation: Choose your synonym

UPDATE: The JT saw a slight dip in its circulation to 30,471 on Sunday and 28,287 weekdays, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. The Kenosha News declined 1.6 percent on Sundays to 27,149 and 0.9 percent weekdays to 24,552, the paper reported.

ORIGINAL POST: The auditing body of the American newspaper industry issued its circulation report for the past six months today, and it's an exercise in synonyms for bad news. The first report, from Editor and Publisher, the industry trade publication reveals:

Fell: New York Times, -4.5%
Down: Washington Post, -3.2%
Tumbled: Boston Globe, -6.6%
Down: Wall Street Journal, -1.5%
Slipped: New York Post, -5.2%
Experienced deep declines: Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News, -10%
Dropped: Minneapolis Star Tribune, -6.5%

There are a few papers with signs of life, mostly reported as "stabilizing" or "minimal" losses or "virtually flat."

Current numbers for the Journal Times haven't been released yet. In April, the last six-month figures available, ABC listed its average daily circulation, M-F, as 28,586 (26,453 on Saturday), with 30,807 papers sold on Sundays.

Both major papers in the region suffered declines: The daily Chicago Tribune "slipped" -2.9% daily to 559,404, and Sunday -2.1% to 917,868. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which only makes the top 25 on Sunday, "fell" -2.6% to 389,840.

The flagship paper of Lee Enterprises, owner of the JT, is the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, bought 2 1/2 years ago as part of a $1.46 billion deal. It's down -4.7% daily, to 265,111, but up Sunday by +.04% to 420,222.

Alderman wants fines for biz signs left in yards too long

Businesses could be fined $250 for leaving signs in yards for more than two days after they complete work on a project, under proposed changes to the city's sign ordinance.

Alderman Pete Karas wants to fine companies like AT&T who hook up television service at a city home and then leave signs in people's yards for excessive periods of time. He's also going after contractors who put up signs all over town after a hail storm or other strong storms. Both could be fined between $50 and $250 for signs left up too long. Homeowners would not be fined.

"I believe this will raise public awareness of our sign ordinances and the changes will make Racine’s neighborhoods more aesthetically pleasing," Karas said about his proposal.

He's also taking aim at two obscure items in the city's sign ordinance. One, current law seems to ban signs for civic events - events like Pancake Days or church festivals - or statements of conscience. Karas would allow such signs.

Also, the city specifically requires evergreen trees to block views of signs near homes or apartments. Karas would like any perennial shrub to be acceptable, as long as it hides the sign.

Not included in Karas' proposed changes are fines for political signs. While they may be lumped in with the business signs, Karas said he does not intend for candidates to be fined for signs left up too long after an election.

VIDEO: Fritz Cape serenaded as new president of Realtors

Here's some fun from YouTube... Bill & Kathy Novak, Realtors with ERA Newport Realty Corp. in Racine recorded Fritz Cape's installation as president of the Racine, WI Board of Realtors on October 30. Cape, who is replacing Bill Novak as president, is a good sport about the surprise serenade, and his colleagues had a few laughs, too!

Dunder Mifflin Racine Branch

Some fun for local fans of The Office:

Gas prices? Here they go again ...

Chart courtesy of MilwaukeeGasPrices.com.

You know that hole in your wallet?

Well, we figured out where the money went. Gas prices snuck up again in the past week, while you were fixated on Halloween candy.

Scary, isn't it? We couldn't find anyone who tracks Racine prices, so the graph above is from Milwaukee, the state and the entire U.S. It shows quite clearly what's happened in the past nine days -- a 25-cent increase in the price per gallon of regular. Note that Wisconsin prices, on average, are higher than those in the rest of the U.S. Yea for our side!

According to the Lundberg Survey, which tracks this sort of depressing statistic, things can only get worse.

"If crude oil prices don't retreat, gas prices could easily cross back over the $3 mark on average," said publisher Trilby Lundberg.

Prices reached an all-time high of $3.18 in May.

The current average U.S. price, $2.96, is 78 cents higher than it was one year ago, Lundberg said.

The survey looks at thousands of gas stations across the country. It found the highest average price for a gallon of self-serve regular was in San Francisco, at $3.28. The lowest was in Newark, New Jersey, at $2.73.

If you're headed to Chicago, be sure to fill up here first; average price of a gallon of regular there is already $3.13.

Driving around Racine this weekend, we found prices from $2.97 - $2.99 a gallon. Those may look good in a few days ...

The JT's "Money" section throws out all pretense

Yup, it's all about money, and not about local business news.

Anybody beside us notice the extra advertising on the front of the Journal Times' Money section this morning? The usual 2-inch high strip across the entire bottom of the page is now 3 inches tall. And there's another ad on top of that, five columns wide and 4 inches tall. Between them, and a small house ad to square things off, they take up 40% of the page's ... um, newshole, to extol the virtues of a stock broker and a car dealer.

All the news that's fit to print on the cover are two wire stories and a sidebar.

Not that there's anything inside the section, either: just a single local business story in four pages. And that story -- about Racine Danish Kringle buying Pinahs Rye Chip. Co. -- was first reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal on Thursday, when we posted a link to it. (Even then the story was a month old; the sale reportedly was finalized on Oct. 1, although just announced.)

In fact, local business news gets far less space in the section than the reprinting of one of the JT's comic strips, because that strip, in the four-page comics sheet wrapped around advertising inserts, is missing eight words on its right side. The missing words are: is, the, a, and, morning, of, out, at.

The reprinted comic strip took up 24 column inches.

Feingold to vote against Bush's AG nominee

Early Sunday morning, Sen. Russ Feingold's office issued the following statement:

"I will vote against the nomination of Judge Mukasey to be the next Attorney General. This was a difficult decision, as Judge Mukasey has many impressive qualities. He is intelligent and experienced and appears to understand the need to depoliticize the Department of Justice and restore its credibility and reputation.

"At this point in our history, however, the country also needs an Attorney General who will tell the President that he cannot ignore the laws passed by Congress. Unfortunately, Judge Mukasey was unwilling to reject the extreme and dangerous theories of executive power that this administration has put forward.

"The nation's top law enforcement officer must be able to stand up to a chief executive who thinks he is above the law. The rule of law is too important to our country's history and to its future to compromise on that bedrock principle."

Last we heard, Sen. Herb Kohl was still trying to make up his mind; hadn't issued a definitive statement one way or the other.