Friday, January 9, 2026
Thursday, January 8, 2026
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Racine man sentenced to prison on child pornography charges
Milana Doné
RACINE — A 25-year-old Racine man was sentenced to nine years in prison Tuesday after child pornography reportedly was found on his cell phone.
Dakota Newburg was charged with 12 counts of possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to four counts. The remaining eight counts were dismissed but read into the court record.
Newburg also was ordered to serve nine years of extended supervision.
The court imposed a $500 surcharge for each image or each copy of an image associated with the crime, which totaled $6,000.
Allegations
According to a criminal complaint, the Racine County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at a residence in the 700 block of Willmor Street on June 3, 2025, after receiving a cyber tip.
During the search, Newburg allegedly told RCSO that the email address associated with the tips belonged to him and that he had at least one video on his cell phone that would be considered child pornography.
A forensic examination of Newburg’s phone reportedly showed “cartoonish” AI-generated pornography depicting children being sexually assaulted by adults.
Monday, January 5, 2026
Foxconn paid $15 million to Mount Pleasant as 'makeup payment' in 2025
Ricardo Torres
Foxconn Technology Group has paid nearly $30 million in "makeup payments" to the village of Mount Pleasant during the last two years.
This comes after the Taiwan-based company fell far short of 2017 promises of a massive tech development and hiring surge in the Racine County village.
Thanks to huge data center projects, Microsoft is now set to surpass Foxconn as the largest Racine County taxpayer.
According to the contract signed by Foxconn and local municipalities in 2017, Foxconn agreed to a minimum guaranteed value of $1.4 billion on its property in 2023. If the property is not worth $1.4 billion the company needs to pay a “makeup payment” of the difference between the assessed value and the minimum guaranteed value.
According to Mount Pleasant officials, Foxconn paid the village about $15 million in 2025 as part of the makeup payment for not having the minimum guaranteed value in 2024.
In a statement Foxconn said:
"Foxconn supports expansion of technology and innovation in Wisconsin. We continue to invest in the state and faithfully carry out our financial obligations with local governments."
The money went to paying for investment upgrades for tax incremental district, the area that includes the Foxconn development.
The agreement also states Foxconn must maintain the minimum guaranteed value of $1.4 billion through Dec. 31, 2047 or otherwise make more payments.
In 2024, the company paid $14.3 million to the village to make up for assessments in 2023, according to village officials.
Microsoft's data center will make it Racine County's top taxpayer
Ricardo Torres
For the last several years, the Foxconn Technology Group has been the largest taxpayer in Racine County. But in 2026 it will be dethroned when Microsoft pays property taxes for massive data centers being developed nearby.
Based on Microsoft’s assessed property value from Racine County, the company's facilities in Mount Pleasant are worth about $1.224 billion, which means its tax bill is $19.75 million.
Microsoft is in the process of building a second data center in Mount Pleasant and has committed to spend roughly $7.3 billion on its development in Racine County.
In 2026, Microsoft's property value will increase as construction continues. The company is also searching for another location, possibly in Racine County, for another data center.
In a statement, a Microsoft spokesperson said: "We believe our data center operations serve as an economic and innovation driver for the region, and we look forward to our continued partnership with the community of southeast Wisconsin to build out that vision."
Across the road, a facility developed and owned by Taiwan-based Foxconn is valued at $514 million with a tax bill of $8.3 million. That's a fraction of the initial investment promised by the tech company when it announced Racine County development plans several years ago.
Foxconn had been the largest taxpayer in the county since 2020 when it paid $5 million on its property assessed at $260 million at the time.
In 2025 Foxconn announced it was planning to add more than 1,300 jobs at its facilities in Mount Pleasant and could get $16 million from Wisconsin taxpayers, according to an agreement with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
With that expansion, Foxconn could receive up to $96 million in state tax credits through 2029.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Daykin contributed to this report.
Sunday, January 4, 2026
Saturday, January 3, 2026
Wisconsin flu activity surges over holidays, following national trend
Madeline Heim
Flu activity spiked across Wisconsin over the holidays, with nearly 1 in 10 people visiting an emergency room the week of Dec. 21-27 having an influenza diagnosis, almost double the week prior.
New respiratory illness data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services show flu activity in the state was classified as "very high" that week, up from "moderate" the week before.
Such an increase is typical as people travel and gather together for the holidays. But it's a warning sign of what could be a tough flu season ahead, driven largely by a new variant of the influenza A virus known as H3N2 subclade K.
Over 620 people were hospitalized across Wisconsin with the flu the week ending Dec. 27, data show, more than a two-fold increase from the week prior. The majority were residents ages 65 and older.
Wisconsin is not alone. Flu cases are surging around the U.S., with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating at least 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths from the flu so far this season as of Dec. 20. The number of illnesses recorded grew 63% from the week prior.
The 2025-2026 U.S. flu season's severity level is still classified as low, according to the CDC, and health experts caution that it's too early to tell the impact of the new variant. The CDC does predict that influenza activity will continue for several weeks.
In the Milwaukee area, sharply rising levels of influenza A in wastewater – one way health officials measure the spread of respiratory disease – indicate sustained activity.
Last year's flu season was particularly intense in Wisconsin, peaking later in the season with more than 860 people hospitalized with the flu the week of Feb. 8, 2025.
State health officials say the best way to avoid the flu is to wash your hands, stay home if you are sick and get the flu vaccine, available to anyone 6 months and older.
To get vaccinated, residents can check with their doctor, health department, pharmacy or other community clinic. People who do not have health insurance can use programs such as the Vaccines for Children program and Vaccines for Adults program.
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