This is your WRJN Daily News Roundup for 99.9 FM and 1400 AM in Racine and 98.1 FM in Kenosha.
From the WRJN Radio Park Newsroom, I'm Stuart J. Wattles with a quick news update.
Racine firefighters say three fires in two hours were all caused by improperly discarded fireworks, causing more than $140,000 in damage.
Crews early yesterday responded to a dumpster, a home, and a garage fire with one family needing help from the Red Cross.
No injuries were reported.
Officials are reminding people to soak fireworks before throwing them away.
Cleanup continues west of the eye after powerful downburst winds, not a tornado tore through Walworth and Racine counties Friday.
Guss up to 100 miles an hour destroyed barns, snapped hundreds of trees, and caused heavy damage in Burlington.
Three children died after a boat cap sized on Geneva Lake.
Five people are recovering after an 80-foot silo collapse during those storms in Walworth County.
Officials say those people had taken shelter near a barn when the big structure fell.
Several had serious injuries.
All southbound lanes of the interstate near the Racine Kenosha County line were shut down for about four hours yesterday after a serious crash.
Traffic was backed up and diverted near Highway 11 in Apple Holler.
Authorities have not confirmed injuries, but a major crash team is investigating.
Construction on the long-awaited Buckeys and Oak Creek is moving forward after earlier delays.
Site work is set to begin in August, with full construction expected to start in the spring near I-94 at the Milwaukee Racine County line.
The project had been held up by weather and approvals.
And Kenosha Bay Snap-On is expanding into new markets with two recent acquisitions worth more than $150 million.
The company bought firms focused on hydraulic tools and heavy-duty vehicle diagnostics.
Officials say the move broadens Snap On's approach beyond auto tools into more specialized industries.
And that's news on WRJN.
I'm Stuart J. Wattles, news at the top and bottom of the hour, or anytime at WRJN.com.
I'm Connie Feldman from the Civic Media Newsroom.
It's well known that many dogs fear fireworks and local shelters take in more animals over the 4th of July holiday.
But wildlife experts say what many don't realize is that those bombs bursting in air can also be a disaster for wildlife.
Experts say fireworks displays cause panic and disorientation in the natural environment, leading to traumatic injuries and death among wild animals and birds.
They say the loud blasts can lead to wildlife abandoning their young.
Experts say if abandoned, the young can easily die of starvation or predation.
Other prey animals like rabbits and deer instinctively flee when they perceive danger like a loud noise, causing accidents and injury.
Much of the research to date focuses on the effects fireworks have on birds being startled as they roost and flying into windows or buildings.
In response, cities like Salt Lake City in Utah and Boulder, Colorado have replaced their fireworks displays with drone shows over the past few years.
The choreographed aerial displays showcase hundreds of drones equipped with LED lights flying in unison to create massive
of 3D imagery set to music.
Experts say drone displays reduce noise and pollution, while also eliminating wildfire risk.
A pair of live stream appearances by Democratic candidate Francesca Hong is sparking debate.
Hong joined online shows hosted by Michael Bayer and Hassan Piker, both known for past controversial comments.
Piker is an influencer that has faced criticism for remarks, including support for Hamas and a comment that America, quote,
deserved the September 11 attacks.
Bayer recently made anti-Semitic comments.
Hong's campaign says she does not support those views, and noted Bayer has apologized.
Opponents argue the appearances still matter.
Two Democratic rivals criticized the appearances, with Milwaukee County's David Crowley calling the hosts' comments unacceptable, and State Senator Calderoy's accusing Hong of aligning with a controversial influencer for political gain.
Two people survived a plane crash in Winnebago County this week.
Winnebago County Sheriff's deputies say the single-engine plane had mechanical issues and crashed in the town of Clayton just after 4 p.m.
on Thursday.
The 71-year-old pilot from France and a 22-year-old Swedish passenger both got out of the plane without injuries.
Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
A claim about who wrote Wisconsin's Clean Energy Plan is drawing new questions in the governor's race.
Mandela Barnes said online he, quote, authored the state's Clean Energy Plan.
But JS Online reports that records show it was written by state agencies and partner groups.
His campaign says he was referring to earlier work leading to a climate task force that helped shape the plan.
Evers Team says the 2022 plan itself came from the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy.
The Barnes campaign also says a staff member wrote the social media post, not Barnes.
The feds want jail time for Dugan.
With the sentencing set for next week, new court filings are laying out what attorneys are looking for in the case of former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan.
Defense attorneys are asking for time served, pointing to her decades of public service and arguing the incident was brief and isolated.
Prosecutors say Dugan abused her position by helping a man avoid federal agents and are pushing for a serious penalty under federal guidelines.
They argue the case shows no one is above the law, especially a judge.
Dugan is scheduled to be sentenced July 8th.
The city of Amro is turning frustration into festive fun.
People have their homes decked out in red, white and blue to the max in a 4th of July decorating contest.
The friendly competition is meant to boost community morale during ongoing construction on Main Street and Highway 21, making it difficult for visitors to reach the city.
Instead of getting angry, though, they say they turn that frustration into a festive reason to light up Amro.
The city of Milwaukee is butting heads with ICE agents over the use of masks during arrests.
Civic media's Stuart J. Waddles has the story.
Milwaukee leaders say ICE agents could face fines for wearing masks during arrests, but federal officials say they won't comply.
A new city ordinance allows penalties of up to $10,000 for officers who don't follow identification rules.
ICE argues that those rules don't apply to federal agents and they say masks are needed for safety.
The disagreement follows a recent series of arrests across the area.
It's still unclear how or if the city can enforce the fines.
For Civic Media News, I'm Stuart Chewattles.
The ordinance allows penalties for masked officers who don't properly identify themselves.
Senator Tammy Baldwin is slamming the Trump administration for cutting off funding for people who are paralyzed.
The grant for the National Paralysis Resource Center expired on June 30th, cutting off key services for more than 5 million paralyzed Americans.
In a recent statement, Baldwin says a new grant should have been awarded prior to the expiration date, but the Trump administration delayed the notice of funding for months.
Baldwin says Trump is stopping a lifeline for veterans and others injured in accidents, while going full steam ahead building a luxury ballroom and asking for more money to fund the war in Iran.
The lapse comes as Congress, on a bipartisan basis, appropriated funding earlier this year to continue the program.
Gold star families in Wisconsin can now honor a fallen loved one in a more personal way without paying extra.
The state is waiving the fee so families can now customize their gold star license plates at no cost.
Governor Tony Evers says it's a small but meaningful way to recognize their sacrifice.
These plates are only available to immediate family members of service members killed in the line of duty.
State officials say hundreds of these plates are already on the road.
And that's your weekend news roundup.
I'm Connie Feldman for Civic Media News.
The Brewers in St.
Louis.
Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with sports.
The Brewers opening a five game series against the Cardinals tonight at Bush Stadium.
The two teams of the doubleheader tomorrow afternoon first pitch at 1.15 p.m.
The Brewers with a three to two win over the Diamondbacks yesterday in Arizona to win the weekend series.
Brandon Woodruff, now back on the 15 day IL, more trouble with his throwing shoulder.
I mean, initially warming up, everything was good.
First inning was fine and then kind of just a slow progression of just, I guess discomfort's the best word.
It's assist in his right shoulder, Pat Murphy.
Assist develops, you know, he's got
that terror of the labor is up.
We got to build a s can deal with this.
The coming off a series win in Chicago.
They beat the 17 to one.
The Cubs came b to avoid the sweep.
Milwaukee with a six game lead in the
Sunny today will get to 79 for a high this afternoon.
Tonight, mostly clear, we'll drop down to 61.
Tomorrow, sunshine with a high right around 80.
Wednesday could bring a sprinkler to North, otherwise partly cloudy, with a high in the low to
mid-80s.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.
