Breaking News
Riverport Chorus Diva Quest 2025 Finals Show Set For January 25
The Diva Quest 2025 vocal music scholarship finals show will take place on Saturday, January 25, at 3 pm, at Journey Church in Kenosha. All 10 Diva Quest finalists will perform live (collectively and as soloists), evaluated by a panel of judges in front of a live voting audience. The program will also feature The Naturals of Marquette University, Riverport Chorus, and 2024 Diva Quest Winner Ana Pucetti. Diva Quest finalists for 2025 are: Avery Meachaum, Tremper High School,
Riverport Chorus Diva Quest 2025 Finals Show Set For January 25
The Diva Quest 2025 vocal music scholarship finals show will take place on Saturday, January 25, at 3 pm, at Journey Church in Kenosha. All 10 Diva Quest finalists will perform live (collectively and as soloists), evaluated by a panel of judges in front of a live voting audience. The program will also feature The Naturals of Marquette University, Riverport Chorus, and 2024 Diva Quest Winner Ana Pucetti. Diva Quest finalists for 2025 are: Avery Meachaum, Tremper High School, Kenosha, Wisconsin Brieana Kazort, Wilmot Union High School, Wilmot, Wisconsin Elle Kinney, Wilmot Union High School, Wilmot, Wisconsin Emily Self, Antioch Community High School, Antioch, Illinois Emma Robers, Elkhorn Area High School, Elkhorn, Illinois Isabelle Nicholson, Round Lake High School, Round Lake Beach, Illinois
Congressman Steil Announces Listening Sessions
Menominee’s Bad Bets on Democrats Catch Up To Them
Former Rogue Prosecutor Appointed Family Court Commissioner – She Has No Experience
Alexandra Smathers (D) recently quit the Kenosha County DA’s Office as a prosecutor becuase she didn’t want to work for a Republican. She has a history of unethical behavior like writing a false letter that led to the firing of a beloved sexual assault nurse. She was also demoted when she worked as a prosecutor in Sheboygan County. She will soon wear a robe and make life-altering decisions in family cases. She has been appointed as the new Kenosha County Family Court Commissioner. Smathers was hired by former DA Mike Graveley (D) in August of 2021. She lost many serious sexual assault cases and made several questionable decision while acting as the sexual assault prosecutor. When she abruptly quit, she left behind many upset victims. Former family Court Commissioner Elizabeth
Congressman Steil Announces Listening Sessions
Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) announced he will be holding four listening sessions in Wisconsin on Friday, January 10, 2025. The listening sessions are free and open to the people of Wisconsin’s First Congressional District. Residents are encouraged to attend to discuss issues pending in Congress or to request assistance dealing with federal agencies. Individuals needing additional assistance or special accommodations should contact the Office of Congressman Steil at 608-752-4050 in advance. “My top priority is to be available and accessible to Wisconsin families. I’m looking forward to hearing directly from you about the issues facing our community, our state, and our country,” said Steil. 9:30am – 10:20am Janesville Listening Session
Drug-Using Former Foster Mom, Counselor To Plead Guilty To Weapons Crime
A Kenosha-area professional counselor and former foster mom was in court today, charged with operating a firearm while intoxicated. Jacqueline P. Niccolai, 37, of Kenosha, is ready to plead guilty and her attorney asked a judge to set a new hearing so she can take a plea deal. Niccolai has admitted that she has recently used illegal drugs. A friend of Niccolai’s also told KCE that she also enjoys cocaine and threesomes. Also, according to her friend, while on bail for this case, she was ignoring her bond conditions by going to the bar and drinking frequently while this case was pending. KCE first wrote about Niccolai’s arrest on May 29, 2024. This made Niccolai furious and she went on to conduct some very odd and scary behavior. She sent KCE 18
Kenosha County Eye Back Up!
Kenosha County Eye is back up and running, after being unavailable for about 6 days. If the site goes in and out over this week, it only means that I am having trouble teaching myself IT. I’ve relied on a friend of KCE too much and I wanted to learn how to handle the site alone. KCE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. KCE has grown steadily every single month for the last three years. I used a budget website server that cost about $180 per year. It is known as a “shared server” plan. That means, KCE shared server with many other websites. This last month, KCE reached a record number of unique monthly visitors – about 200,000 (With the exception of the Kyle Rittenhouse trail, which received over 1 million
America’s Judge Announces Retirement – The Legal Community Responds
(This is part one of a two-part series on the retirement of Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder) After 40 years on the bench, America’s Judge, Bruce Schroeder, will retire on November 27, 2023. Judge Schroeder announced his retirement to KCE Thursday evening. “In January of 1971, fresh out of the Marquette University Law School, I was hired as an Assistant District Attorney by then District Attorney Burton A. Scott. I knew only two people in Kenosha from law school, but on my first day on the job, I met a woman who has been the joy, inspiration and pride of my life. A year and a half later, I married her, and we recently celebrated our fifty-first anniversary with our three children and five angelic grandchildren. Along the
KCE Attends Night Court – Not Exactly Like The 80’s Sitcom
Did you know that there was night court in Kenosha? We didn’t. That was, until we did. Judge Richard Ginkowski holds night court on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm for the Village of Pleasant Prairie. He’s been elected to his post since 2012. He isn’t new to the criminal justice system, however. He was a cop, prosecutor, and now, a judge. We asked Ginkowski if we could take a couple of photographs inside his courtroom while court was in session. He granted our request. As many of you know, photos can’t be taken during court in Wisconsin without permission from the judge. KCE didn’t photograph any defendants Wednesday evening. There weren’t any serious charges that warranted that. Wednesday evening, we saw about 20 defendants appear for their initial court dates.
“Karen” Allegedly Stiffs Moving Company, Calls Police, Makes Derogatory Remark: Video
A 53-year-old racist “Karen” named Leslie A. Troha summoned the Pleasant Prairie Police Department just after 2:00 pm on September 2, 2023. She told the dispatcher that a moving company is refusing to give her her things at a storage facility in Pleasant Prairie. Two Pleasant Prairie Police Officers responded to the Extra Space Storage in Pleasant Prairie and started speaking with Troha. Troha told the officers that she wants her belongings off of the moving truck, but refuses to pay the full bill. Apparently, Troha hired the moving company, About Time Moving Systems for three or four hours of work because she only had $1,200 on her debit card. The move, however was taking longer, and the manager told Troha, that if she wanted to stay under her budget,
District Attorney Gives Court-Skipping DJ Huge Plea Deal – DA Ignores Missed Court Appearances
Kenosha’s DJ Droop will hopefully no longer be in the hizouse – courthouse, that is. A liberal Kenosha Assistant District Attorney made almost all of the charges go away for less than the price of a speeding ticket last Thursday. Democrat Sydney Star entered into a plea agreement with Ronald Akiyas Gordon, who is also known as DJ Droop. Gordon didn’t take his multiple warrants seriously, and neither did the Kenosha DA’s office, run by Michael Graveley (D). Gordon got an OWI in 2012 and hasn’t had his license since. He still drives, however, and didn’t install an ignition interlock device in his vehicle as ordered by the court. Having his license revoked and breathalyzer in his car is supposed to protect Kenosha County from death or great bodily harm.
Embattled Former Kenosha County Veteran Services Director’s Personnel File Released
In August, KCE wrote about former Veteran’s Services Director, Aloysius “Ali” Nelson resigning his position “under duress”. Prior to our breaking story, some county board supervisors were spreading allegations that his resignation was due to political reasons. When our story broke, along with the video of Ali allegedly attacking a veteran in Silver Lake Park, those who were spreading the allegations had egg on their faces. The County Veteran’s Service Officers Association of Wisconsin believed the incident with the veteran in Silver Lake Park warranted his removal as president of the Association. In true KCE fashion, we did an open records request pertaining to Nelson’s job as Kenosha County Veteran Services Director. We requested: Due to the “Woznicki Rule,” it took us some time to receive a portion of our
Carthage College Professors Vote To Censure “Woke” President John Swallow – Good Move, But For the Wrong Reasons: Opinion
John Swallow is the president of Carthage College and is very “woke.” When he arrived at Carthage College, a Christian institution, he began to dismantle the religious program in his quest to make the school more secular. He is a strong supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion projects. He has published, but later removed a video attacking republicans on the Carthage College YouTube page, referring to the January 6 riots. He has suggested that Kenosha Police officers are racist, following the justified shooting of Jacob Blake. He was a champion of closing down the college during covid-19 and moving more classes online. He started a “robust anti-racism plan of action.” Most of the professors are woke too. They didn’t complain about Swallow until it affected their bank accounts. According to
Sheriff’s Department Makes Huge Drug Bust – Suspect Caught on Jail Recordings Saying She Will Go On The Run
A Chicago woman is behind bars as of Thursday morning holding on a $50,000 cash bail. On Wednesday afternoon, a court commissioner had set her bail at $25,000, but the Sheriff’s Department was listening to her jail calls. They notified Kenosha prosecutors that she may be a flight risk and post the original $25,000 soon. Indeed, somebody named Nelly DeJesus walked into public safety building this morning just after 5:00 a.m. with $25,000 in cash. Thursday morning in an emergency hearing requested by the state, prosecutor Alexander Huber played for commissioner William Michel II one or more Jail phone calls. The defendant was recorded on the phone saying that she would rather “go on the run” than do four years in prison. Four years in prison is what the person
Salem Lakes Hires New Village Administrator
The Salem Lakes Village Board unanimously appointed Cassandra Hiller as its next Village Administrator. The appointment was made at a special meeting on October 17, 2023. A native of Johnsburg, Illinois, Hiller currently serves as an Assistant County Administrator for Lake County, Illinois. “Cassandra emerged as the Village’s top choice from a very competitive field of candidates,” according to Village Board President Rita Bucur. “I am very excited to have her on board. Cassandra has had a wide range of experiences that will benefit residents of Salem Lakes. Having grown up in Johnsburg, and spending time in our area enjoying recreational activities, she is familiar with our community. Her passion to work here was evident during her interviews. I was pleased to see the Board approve her contract with a
Bradford Basketball Coach Placed On Administrative Leave After Allegations Of Improper Conduct With Young Girls
A Bradford High School basketball coach named Mentenia “Monte” Nelson, Sr has been placed on administrative leave, according to the Kenosha Unified School District. The news came five days after KCE asked the district why it didn’t seem to have taken any action about allegations of improper conduct by the 44-year-old man. We were tipped off about some videos that Nelson allegedly posted to his snapchat social media account. These videos were captured by a Bradford Dad who then put the videos up on Twitter. KCE is in possession of all of the videos and has reviewed them. Below is a portion of the videos. We redacted the visual part of the video due to privacy reasons. The videos allegedly taken by Nelson, who is a full-time security guard for
Resident Asks KUSD To Remove Sexually Explicit Books – Committee To Be Formed
A pair of Kenosha residents have filed 12 forms named “Citizen Request For Reconsideration Of A Book.” The man who submitted 11 of them, Caleb Laitinen, is a local leader of the organization “Mass Resistance.” “I encourage people to look at these books for themselves and decide if you want your kids to have access to them.” said Laitinen to KCE Tuesday Morning. “Check out booklooks.org to help see what is actually in these book.” KUSD will be appointing a temporary committee to help the school board decide if these books will still be viewable by children at KUSD schools. . . . . Books In Question ____________________ Push by SapphireAccording to the complaint, the book contains Explicit sexual activity, incest, profanity, and racism.Available at Bradford and Tremper . All
Kenosha County Resident Who Obtained Thousands of KUSD Students’ Names And Addresses Identified
KCE reported last Friday that the Kenosha Unified School District notified parents of a citizen who requested student directory information. The citizen was provided with thousands of students’ names and addresses. Today, KCE was made aware of the name of the requester – Kevin Hutchinson. KCE made contact with Hutchinson Monday evening. Hutchinson said that he was indeed the person who requested the names and addresses of KUSD parents. He says, however, the district didn’t sent the parents’ names, but instead, the students’ names and addresses. KCE has seen the public records request and can confirm that Mr. Hutchinson asked for the parents’ names, but KUSD provided the students’ names. “I think they may have messed up there, by sending me student info….. So what was the motivation for this?
“Karen” Allegedly Stiffs Moving Company, Calls Police, Makes Derogatory Remark: Video
A 53-year-old racist “Karen” named Leslie A. Troha summoned the Pleasant Prairie Police Department just after 2:00 pm on September 2, 2023. She told the
District Attorney Gives Court-Skipping DJ Huge Plea Deal – DA Ignores Missed Court Appearances
Kenosha’s DJ Droop will hopefully no longer be in the hizouse – courthouse, that is. A liberal Kenosha Assistant District Attorney made almost all of
Embattled Former Kenosha County Veteran Services Director’s Personnel File Released
In August, KCE wrote about former Veteran’s Services Director, Aloysius “Ali” Nelson resigning his position “under duress”. Prior to our breaking story, some county board
Carthage College Professors Vote To Censure “Woke” President John Swallow – Good Move, But For the Wrong Reasons: Opinion
John Swallow is the president of Carthage College and is very “woke.” When he arrived at Carthage College, a Christian institution, he began to dismantle
Sheriff’s Department Makes Huge Drug Bust – Suspect Caught on Jail Recordings Saying She Will Go On The Run
A Chicago woman is behind bars as of Thursday morning holding on a $50,000 cash bail. On Wednesday afternoon, a court commissioner had set her
Salem Lakes Hires New Village Administrator
The Salem Lakes Village Board unanimously appointed Cassandra Hiller as its next Village Administrator. The appointment was made at a special meeting on October 17,
Bradford Basketball Coach Placed On Administrative Leave After Allegations Of Improper Conduct With Young Girls
A Bradford High School basketball coach named Mentenia “Monte” Nelson, Sr has been placed on administrative leave, according to the Kenosha Unified School District. The
Resident Asks KUSD To Remove Sexually Explicit Books – Committee To Be Formed
A pair of Kenosha residents have filed 12 forms named “Citizen Request For Reconsideration Of A Book.” The man who submitted 11 of them, Caleb
Kenosha County Resident Who Obtained Thousands of KUSD Students’ Names And Addresses Identified
KCE reported last Friday that the Kenosha Unified School District notified parents of a citizen who requested student directory information. The citizen was provided with
Local Lawyer’s House of Cards Falls Over – Harming Clients and Employees
A law firm based in Kenosha and Racine abruptly closed its doors last Friday, October 13, 2023, shy of three years since its opening. Criminal
Family Gets Justice With Guilty Verdict In Loved One’s Rush-Hour Murder, Healing To Begin
Just before noon today, A Kenosha jury of seven women and five men convicted Victor H. Ramos of the July 29, 2021 murder of Hector
KUSD Releases Thousands Of Student Names, Addresses To “Citizen” – Residents File Complaints To Remove Additional Sexually Graphic Books
Two citizens have filed requests with the Kenosha Unified School District to remove two sexually explicit books from KUSD libraries. The Kenosha Unified School district
