Stories you might have missed from across Wisconsin.
Racine: City to receive $633K from WisDot.
Racine is home to two of Wisconsin’s nine lift bridges along Lake Michigan. Those bridges cost a lot to operate and maintain. The good news for Racine is that the city is about to receive $633,000 in grant funding from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for lift bridge maintenance. The Journal Times reports that Governor Evers and WisDot announced earlier this month that the department is sending will send over $2.1 million to help maintain lift bridges across Wisconsin. Racine will receive $377,592 for the Main Street bridge and $255,837 for the State Street bridge, according to the governor’s office. The funding will reimburse the city for costs including paying bridge operators, power costs and general maintenance fees, according to City of Racine Communications Director Sean Ryan. Full Story
Bristol: Kenosha County hosting meeting on highway crash reduction plan.
Executives in Kenosha County will hold the second of two public information meetings Thursday evening in an effort to gather input for a plan toward eliminating serious collisions on county roadways. A Comprehensive Safety Action Plan Committee made up of representatives of the county and all of its municipalities has been meeting since early this year, working to develop the plan. Kenosha News reports that the county was awarded a federal grant to create the plan which will spotlight hotspots with safety concerns, prioritize the concerns and provide guidance on how to mitigate the issues. The goal for the plan is zero deaths and serious injuries on county roads. The meeting will be an open house style gathering featuring draft materials and exhibits. Public input is welcome. The meeting will begin at 5:00 in the Hearing Room at the Kenosha County Center in Bristol. Full Story
Weston: Bladetober Fest brings fans from across the country to battle with Lightsabers.
A gymnasium full of Jedis battling Sith Lords might seem like the start of a joke, but it is no laughing matter to participants from across the country to compete in Bladetober Fest. Seth Clendenning, the organizer of the event , told KCOW “Fighters have come from all over the United States, about 50 of us, and we’re competing for legos and homemade medals and pride, but we’re mostly here to have fun and support each other. We emphasize having a hobby, having a community, getting some exercise, making some new friends, is definitely a good thing.” Anyone and everyone no matter who you are is welcome to join the tight-knit community in Central Wisconsin. One competitor, said, “The community that we have here. I think it’s probably the biggest thing about TSL (The Saber Legion) is gathering people together, old and young, big and small, just to join the community and see what we’re all about.” The Saber Legion, is a competitive saber dueling league founded in 2015. Since then, it’s grown to over 4,000 members with chapters in many U.S. states, Canada, and the U.K. The central Wisconsin chapter meets weekly at Thrive Church in Wausau, and anyone is welcome to join. May the Force be with you! Full Story
