In the News
Your Photos
Throughout the month of May readers sent us dozens of colorful photos with blooming flowers, hungry birds and hazy skies. Take a look at a slideshow of the photos for the month of May here.
Past Your Photos slideshows
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
Packers cartoons
Joe Heller, whose editorial cartoons appear in the Kenosha News, was looking for a way to mark the end of the Green Bay Packers season. He says Favre’s history-making year — breaking numerous NFL records and having fun doing it at age 38 — became the basis for his “This Old Man” parody.
Heller drew 18 cartoons in 10 days, creating a slideshow with a song sung by his daughter, Chelsea. Packers fan or not, you may enjoy it. Heller says it was great to draw about something other than the usual politics, war or economic woes.
The slideshow comes with a warning, though. The song is about 4 minutes long, repetitive and will get stuck in your head.
Click here to check it out anyway.
Off to 'Idol'
 Angelica Puente is onto the next round of “American Idol,” but you don’t have to wait weeks to hear her sing in Hollywood.
Click the links below to listen to the 17-year-old Tremper High School senior perform three complete songs, including Celine Dion’s “Power of Love,” which she sang during Tuesday night’s edition of Fox’s hit reality show.
It was fun while it lasted. Check our coverage of the Green Bay Packers' run to the NFC Championship, where they lost to the New York Giants, by clicking here.
Taken by storm
 On Jan. 7, 2008, Kenosha County was hit with a series of tornadoes, damaging homes and property on Kenosha's north side, and taking a huge toll on the town of Wheatland.
Our reporters and photographers, along with lots of local readers, jumped into action to help document the devastation caused by the January twisters. For a look back at all of our coverage, click here.
Looking back at 2007
2007 saw everything from flooding to fairs and everything in between. For a look back at the year that was in pictures and stories, click here.
When F. Gregory Campbell arrived on the Carthage College campus in 1987 the school was operating at a crippling deficit, its endowment fund was evaporating and student enrollment had sunk to anemic lows.
Unless things changed, the survival of the campus was in doubt.Things changed. Campbell, who is observing his 20th year as president of the private, Lutheran-church-affiliated liberal arts college, immediately placed unprecedented emphasis on student recruitment, marketing campaigns and fund-raising efforts.
For a four-minute audio interview taken from Bill Robbins’ interview with Campbell, click here.
Kenosha dentist Dr. Toni Roucka often volunteers her time at the Kenosha Community Health Center, but last month she was part of a team of dentists to travel to Tanzania and teach a dozen residents how to care for the teeth of more than 150,000 people in and around the refugee camps.
For Roucka, it was her seventh humanitarian mission overseas and her first trip to Africa. “In all the other trips I’ve done, I’ve gone to do the work, as opposed to going to teach,” she said.
Read Diane Giles' story about Roucka, and view a slideshow of Roucka's trip.
 Debi Nutting,an emergency room nurse at St. Catherine's Medical Center, and Paula Matarrese, a nurse who works for a medical software company, recently returned from a goodwill trip to Peru for Global Health Ministry. For an audio slideshow of photos they took on their trip, click here.
 Students at Indian Trail Academy have been perfecting their skills of producing a weekly news broadcast and a daily newscast to relay their morning announcements. We watched their videos and took some clips for readers to sample here.
Serving four generations 
The fourth generation to enter the Kenosha Sheriff's Department, new hire Deputy Sheriff Michael Preston is following the badged footsteps of dad, Capt. Gary Preston, late grandpa Lt. Donald Preston and late great-grandpa Under Sheriff Jesse Preston.
Read Bill Guida's story in Tuesday's Life section, and for an audio slideshow click here.
The bassist for superstar rock band Aerosmith loved Sharon Cline's custom-painted-guitar design so much he dropped by the shop where she works, plugged in his axe and played the classic introductory bass lines to "Sweet Emotion."
"That was incredible," said Cline, a Pleasant Prairie resident who spray-paints instruments for Parker Guitars in Mundelein, Ill. "Tom Hamilton came in and spent 10 minutes talking to everyone in the shop. I painted a three-tone sunburst on his guitar. He's a great bass player and a great guy. "
Cline also has custom-painted images and designs on guitars for the likes of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Merle Haggard, among many other music-biz luminaries.
Read Bill Robbins story here and view a slideshow of some of her creations here.
Abby Greer believes that brie, the soft French cheese, just may be the secret ingredient that makes the world go round.
Greer, 9, of Kenosha, was one of 10 national finalists in “The Next Gourmet Burger Kids’ Recipe Contest” sponsored by Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. A slathering of brie in her recipe caught the preliminary judges’ eyes.
Greer made her burger, “French Connection,” for a panel of judges in Colorado. And then she made the burger for our photographer. View the step-by-step slideshow here, and read the story in Wednesday's Life section.
Salem School fourth graders have composed -- with some help from their music teacher -- a new school song. Click here to hear them performing it.
A week doesn’t go by that we don’t receive dozens of photos submitted by readers for the Your Photos feature, which runs throughout the week on the Connections page of the Kenosha News.
Since our space in the newspaper is limited, only the best photos are making it into the paper. But that’s not preventing us from showing the rest of them here on our Web site.
Starting with all of the photos we received in the month of October, we are going to be piecing together a monthly slideshow to showcase all of the pictures we get from readers each month.
You’ll find the monthly slideshows by visiting www.kenoshanews.com and clicking on Connections.
October’s photographs include scenic shots of Door County, some flowers blooming late in the season and, of course, man’s best friend.
Keep sending in your photos. In the meantime, click here to look at October's finest.
Petrifying Springs. Lincoln Park. Antigo. Bowler.
Those are a few of the places where readers were so dazzled by the fall foliage, they decided to capture their sights in a photo. Now you can enjoy their images too.
We’ve assembled the best fall color photos our readers sent us into a slideshow.
Costume creations
These days, there’s a good Halloween get-up for the more mature crowd behind every pop culture story or major motion picture.
According to one Associated Press poll, Hillary Rodham Clinton and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani were the popular political costumes this year. (And both can be scary in their own way.) On the other end of the spectrum, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were named the most popular celebrity couple costume for Halloween 2007.
While neither of these couples or political candidates showed up Saturday at the Brat Stop’s annual Halloween costume contest, our photographer found a multitude of over-the-top costumes that were nothing less than spooktacular. Click here for a slideshow of photos we got from the event.
 Don’t worry, some Kenosha News readers also submitted their pictures of trick-or-treaters (young and old) dressed in the more simple costumes that some of us are more familiar with. Some residents even decked their pets out in some holiday gear. All of their photos have been put together for a separate slideshow available here.
 We all know it is important to make sure youngsters are safely secured in a carseat. But do you know how to do it correctly. One area woman took the time to show us how, step-by-step. For the online demonstration, click here.
For the complete story from reporter Jessica Hansen, click here.
 Kenosha is full of Halloween decorations at dozens of area homes, and we found a handful of them thanks to Kenosha News readers. For a printable, interactive map that previews some of the spooktacular houses, click here.
For a look at all of our fall coverage, ranging from fall color, and pumpkin-picking to haunted houses, click here.
 The massive fires burning in southern California have captivated the country with stories of survival and flight. But the pictures that have come out of the region tell an even greater story of destruction and beauty. For a slideshow of the latest photos from Southern California, click here.
For a story about former Kenosha County residents trying to survive the fires, click here.
Central High School might be expanding, and the landscape around the building will be shifting to arrange for improved athletic fields. For our interactive map, click here. For a story from reporter Brian O'Connor, click here.
Unknown to most people in Kenosha, the arboretum on the Kemper Center grounds displays more than 70 different species of trees, including a state grand champion horse Chestnut, and some of the trees are believed to be more than 150 years old. Click here for our interactive page and learn about some of the trees at Kemper.
The Kenosha News Ghostbusters (Mark Hornickel, Brian Sharkey, Liz Snyder and Raechel Turner) took along photographer Brian Passino and an audio recorder to capture the best sights and sounds of all things that go bump in the night. And what a combination of things we captured for our online audience wanting to watch and listen to the team as they try to make it through four area haunted attractions without running scared, injuring themselves or laughing hysterically.
For the slideshow with audio, click here.
Voices of Tremper
The Tremper High School choir was chosen to record a holiday album for Delta Records, because according to officials there, the group was the best in the six states they sampled. The group was kind enough to record two songs they have on an upcoming CD for us. For Gary Kunich's story click here.
To hear the choir, click below:
City’s new firetruck serves as both a ladder and an engine unit
The Kenosha Fire Department’s new vehicle may look similar to its current fleet, but there’s more than meets the eye.
The new truck arrived at Fire Station No. 7, near the airport, on Thursday from Ohio’s Sutphen Corp. The red sheen and the long ladder all look familiar, but this truck can function as both a ladder unit and an engine unit as a pump panel is on the side of the vehicle. Click here for more.
For additional photos and information about the truck, click here.
Up, up and away
Some four decades after he left the Air Force, Wayne Greisen is finally a pilot – even if his planes fit in the trunk of his car. Greisen talks to the Kenosha News about what happens when you lose sight of a remote-controlled plane, or fly it so far away that you can't tell whether it's coming or going, or get your pitch confused with your yaw.
(Hint: It involves the cold, hard ground.)
To see more photos of Greisen flying his remote controlled airplanes and listen to audio of him discussing his hobby with Kenosha News reporter Chris Barncard, click here.
For some people, cemeteries are depressing, sometimes spooky  places. For others like Diana Bird, they’re a place help people explore their family’s past. And one of the techniques the Walworth County Geneological Society librarian helps cemetery-goers is by showing them the art of tombstone rubbings.
Find out how to make the epitaphs and inscriptions on weather gravestones come to life through our audio and visual presentation here. During the video, Bird instructs visitors how to do their own tombstones rubbings and offers some helpful tips.
It took eons to make the fossils, but it only took about an hour to reconstruct the giant.
Kenosha’s Dinosaur Discovery Museum, 5608 10th Ave., is set to reopen at noon Tuesday (Oct. 9) with new dinosaurs, and the Kenosha News was on hand to document the assembly of the suchomimus, one of the featured dinosaurs. Click here to see at a slideshow chronicling the process.
The museum is typically open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. For more, call (262) 653-4140.
Take a look at these readers' photos...
A couple of weeks ago, we decided to clean out the bin of photos we’ve received from readers and set up an online gallery of the best photos that depicted summer. We’ve included photos of architectural wonders, breath-taking landscapes, animals playing, street scenes and stunning views.
* Click here for travel photos
* Click here for a slideshow of summer
Down and out
 For a slide show of photos from Kevin Poirier, to accompany Deneen Smith's a story about foreclosures on Kenosha homes, click here.
At right, Kenosha Moving and Storing employees pack up a truck with what County Sheriff Department Deputies decide is valuable as condo owner Leonardo and Sara Lopez put the rest in the trash. Kenosha News photo by Kevin Poirier
School days
When Peggy Van Aken learned that she was expecting a baby, she was stunned. After all, her only child, Chelsea was already 13.
Five years, two months and 28 days after she was born, Claudia Van Aken was ready Thursday for her first day of kindergarten at Salem Grade School. Her teacher will be Linda Fisher, the same teacher her big sister had. In a scene that took place so many places in early September, here’s how one little girl got ready for the first day of school.
Watch our slidehow of Claudia's first day here
Local animator Paul E. Nunn has quite the portfolio of colorful, funny and even quirky animations. To see his video portfolio, right click here and use the "Save Target As" function to save the item to your desktop.
(The video plays in Quicktime. To download the Quicktime's latest version, click here.)
You can read all about Nunn in Gary Kunich's story in the Tuesday, Aug. 28 edition of the Kenosha News.
 You see a snapping turtle on the side of the road or in a near your home, in a swamp or swimming in a pond. Do you A) Try to save it and send it back to its home. B) Make it a pet. C) Trap it. For one local woman, trapping snapping turtles is her forte, and she'll even show you how to cook them. See the slide show here.
 A Kenosha native, Alice Iaquinta, 62 was one of two women ordained as priests in the Roman Catholic Church on Aug. 12 in Minneapolis. The ordinations challenge what a growing number of Catholics see as an unjust law that discriminates against and keeps women subordinate in the church. See the slideshow of Iaquinta by clicking here.
Walkers who have survived cancer or are dedicated to raising money for research to fight the disease walked the track at Bullen Middle School on Aug. 3, and into the next morning. Click here for the story, extra photos and some other cool stuff. A special slide show with audio, including a song from local resident Lauren Kessler, can be seen by clicking here.
Proposals have been made to limit the number of trails that traverse the Kenosha Dunes. But before any thing is being done, Kenosha News photographer Brian Passino captured some of the beautiful wildlife on the shores of Lake Michigan. See the slideshow by clicking here.
Take a visit to Richard Bong State Recreation Area in Brighton with Kenosha News photographer Scott Mussell, who followed researchers as they studied the Blandings turtles in the area. See the slideshow and hear the audio by clicking here. Read
John Krerowicz's story here.
 Kenosha News photographer Scott Mussell, who was one of four interns the News had this summer, provides viewers with snapshots and audio from the Thompson Strawberry Farm in Bristol in this slideshow compiled from multiple visits to the fields.
Former Kenosha News Chief Photographer shared some of his favorite photos over the years before he retired in early May. See the slideshow here.
Contact the Connections Desk of the Kenosha News
at (262) 656-6282 or e-mail connections@kenoshanews.com. 5800 Seventh Ave., Kenosha, WI 53140 |
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Interact
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For a complete list of features and contests for which readers can submit material, go to our CHIME IN! page.
Regular features
Gas prices
We're all struggling to find the most inexpensive gas in the area. Help us by posting the low prices you find here.
7 Questions For...
Ken Rizzo, a chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s office in Sullivan, Wis. A St. Joseph High School graduate, Rizzo has worked in meteorology for the National Weather Service for the last 32 years. He’s watched the weather patterns in Fairbanks, Ala., Ann Arbor and Lansing, Mich., Cheyenne, Wyo., Kansas City, Mo. This week, he explains how he became fascinated by weather and why he stopped storm chasing.
Send your questions, and ideas for future subjects to connections @kenoshanews.com.
A look back 
Local historian Diane Giles, who is also a Kenosha News reporter, shares her expertise in local history, asks for your help and tests your knowledge of Kenosha's past.
Take a look back at all of the previous Person of the Year winners, including this year's recipient, by clicking here.
Take a look back at the 2007 high school/college football sesason on our special Web site.
Nice Job, Neighbor
During the summer of 2007, we honored some great-looking homes and properties in the city of Kenosha with some help from the Keep Kenosha Beautiful committee. Click here for a slideshow recapping all of the year’s “Nice Job Neighbor” winners and the features that made each property unique.
2007 festival coverage
Fun at the Fair
The Kenosha County Fair opened Wednesday, Aug. 15, and ran through Sunday, Aug. 19. The food, the games, the tractor pulls, the animals and the entertainment have become a summer tradition at the fairgrounds out in Wilmot. For our complete coverage of the event, click here.
Days to Discover
One of Kenosha's most unique festivals of the year, Days of Discovery, has come and gone. Six tall-masted ships from around the Midwest and one from the British Virgin Isles, sailed into the Kenosha harbor for four great days of nautical adventure. For our special coverage of the event, click here. There you will find some audio from some would-be pirates, a maritime quiz, tons of photos and links to all of our stories that covered the event. Our Slide show looks back at festival.
Big bang weekend
Relay for Life, Pleasant Prairie Family Days and the Pike River Rendezvous made the Kenosha area the place to be Aug. 3-5. Don't believe us? Check out all of the photos submitted by readers in this slide show. If you are interested in sharing your photos of any family vacations, events, or just things that catch your eye, e-mail them to connections@kenoshanews.com.
A look back
at Country Thunder
Country Thunder rolled into Twin Lakes/Randall on July 18-July 22, and the Kenosha News was  there for all the performances on and off the stage. As a way of looking back at the 15th annual festival, we've put together a pair of slide shows that feature the fans and the performers. Hope to see you all back next year. Yee-hah!
Diversions
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