Storm Sewer Fee, Stop Light Request And Siena On The Lake On Agenda

Want to learn more about the storm sewer fee the village is considering, there are plenty of other topics that will be discussed at the public

Keep informed about what's going in Caledonia. Here's a partial list of some of the issues currently being discussed by your village board and in the committees. To see the full agenda, check out the village calendar. The Public Works Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Caledonia Village Hall, 6922 Nicholson Rd. in the conference room. Discussion/recommendations on a 4-way stop sign request from resident of Prairie Crossing Subdivision The Storm Sewer Utility District meeting will be held 6:30 p.m. at the Caledonia Police Department, 6922 Nicholson Road, in the courtroom.

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Nun Catches Would-Be Thieves In The Act, Police Say

About $3,000 in damage was done to cars parked at the Siena Center, but what the two suspects didn't know was that a sister had their eye on them and called the Caledonia Police.

Those sisters are pretty keen, especially when it comes to keeping an eye out for misbehavior. Caledonia Police are searching for two unknown suspects they believe were attempting to break into cars at 5:41 a.m. Jan. 11 at the Siena Center, 5635 Erie St. The driver’s side mirror on a 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier and a 2005 Ford Focus were torn off, a wooden bench was pushed over, and two signs were damaged. The cost of the damage is estimated at $3,000, according to a report by the Caledonia Police Department. One of the sisters told police that the suspects were still at the Siena Center and were near the parking lot near the retreat center. Police spotted one of the suspects and he ran into a wooded area nearby. Police searched the woods, but…

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Week In Review: Unions Picket Senior Living Project, Elections Heat Up

You've been busy this week and so have we. Here are our top most read stories.

Union Members Picket Siena Center Construction Project Village Board Races Heat Up With Contested Races Bad Timing Means Charges For Area Man Man Reports Robbery; Gets Charged Police Catch Reckless Driver, But Had To Block Off Gas Station

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Construction May Not Be Booming Here, But It's Certainly No Bust

Times have been tough for our economy with manufacturing and construction jobs coming to a screeching halt five years ago, but things are gathering steam and businesses are starting to expand.

Manufacturing and construction jobs are slowly returning to Caledonia, Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant. But we're certainly not out of the unemployment trough created by the Great Recession over the past five years, according to a story on NPR, Five Years Of A Brutal Job Market, In Two Graphs. The story and graphs paint a dismal picture, with the national unemployment rate hovering at 15 percent, another 5 percent of people working part time and some who have given up looking for work. According to the story: Unemployment is still far higher than it was before the recession, as is a broader measure of unemployment (the wonks call it U-6), which also includes people who are working part time but want to be working full time and people who …

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Jay Warner

5:12 pm on Saturday, January 5, 2013

I'm really glad that construction - development - is picking up around here. But before we call for the 'good old days' of 5 years ago, remember what those days were. In 2007 we - the American consumer - spent 106% of our income. The only way to spend more than 100% is to take out debt - credit cards, home equity loans, mortgages and the like. We have been reminded firmly that home equity loans …   more ›

Union Members Picket Siena Center Construction Project

While the first phase of a senior living center complex has kicked off, several members of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters union are taking issue with one of the builders working on the project.

The first phase of a senior living center complex has begun at the Siena Center located at 5635 Erie Street, but not without controversy as union picketers are taking issue with Bob Anderson Builders, a contractor on the site. A handful of picketers representing the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters Local 161 have been picketing in front of the entrance at least since Friday, but it is not clear what specific things have the union upset. The union represents 47,000 people in the construction and maintenance industry from northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and parts of Iowa. The project is a joint venture between the Racine Dominican Sisters and Lincoln Lutheran of Racine. Daniel Risch, CEO of Lincoln Lutheran of Racine, said he met…

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Ed Willing

10:31 pm on Wednesday, March 27, 2013

I did ask two nuns and they wouldn't speak about it. Now you're just making stuff up. ;)   more ›

Coming Home: A Healing Retreat for Military Veterans

Here is a Christian-based retreat program designed to help military men and women come to spiritual healing and reconciliation with God and with one another in the light of the Gospel message.

Want To Start A Grief Counseling Group?

The Siena Retreat Center is hosting a ministry training for people who want to start a grief support group in their community.

“Honoring Grief- Intending to Heal: Grief Support Group Facilitator and Bereavement Ministry Training,” Saturdays, Jan 5, 12, & 26 and Feb 2, 2013; 8:30am-4pm. This is a condensed, intensive training program for those who wish to initiate a grief support group within their community, parish, health care facility, etc., as well as being a program for those who currently serve in those roles and wish to ‘hone’ their skills. Cost: $225, if registering before Dec 1. Siena Retreat Center, 5635 Erie St., Racine, WI. For information or to register, visit www.SienaRetreatCenter.org or call 262-639-4100, ext.1234.

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WEEK IN REVIEW: A Major Construction Project And Conservatives Protest

You were busy this week and so were we. Here are our five most read stories this week.

1st Phase Of $45 Million Siena Center Project Moves Forward Looking To Buy A Home In Caledonia Or Wind Point? Scammed! Elderly Man Loses Thousands After He's Promised Millions Conservatives Head To Capitol To Protest Recent Judges' Decisons Driver Who Caused Fatal Crash Won't Be Charged Criminally

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1st Phase Of $45 Million Siena Center Project Moves Forward

After two years of planning, the Siena Partners building project is set to begin this week after the Village Board issued their raze permit. The $45 million project is set to be built in three phases.

UPDATE: The first phase of a senior living center complex is set to begin at the Siena Center after the Village Board approved the developer's agreement on Tuesday. The initial phase includes a $12 million building with 90,000 square feet of space. Developers hope to finish the project in 2013. ORIGINAL STORY: Three sections of the Siena Center – two that served as apartments for Racine Dominican nuns and one that was used as office space – will be torn down by the end of this week. The Village Board approved a raze order requested by the Sisters at a special meeting held Monday. Greg Peters, vice president for Berghammer Construction Group, said the demolition phase of the project will likely take 10 weeks to complete. "In the first five …

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Convent Estate Sale Has Bargains, Unique Finds

There's a lot of buzz around the Siena Center's estate sale, which started Friday morning and continues into Saturday. Historic, antique and religious items for sale, plus some nuns' possessions.

The estate sale going on now at the Siena Center is worth checking out. If you're interested in learning more, check out the convent estate sale listing put together by ATR, the company holding the sale. Among the items on sale are antiques dating back to the 1700s, reliquaries, host makers, candlesticks, artwork, jewelry, cut crystal, Thonet chairs, furniture, pottery wheels, accordions and organs.  RetroRenovation calls it the "Estate sale of the year." If you go, share your finds with us in the comments, or upload photos to the article. We'd love to see them! 

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