After being closed for two months, the Kenosha Winter HarborMarket will reopen this Saturday, March 7th, starting at 9am and ending at 1pm. The Winter HarborMarket will take place at Rhode Center for the Arts at 514 - 56th Street.

The reopening will feature a fun social atmosphere with more children's activities than in past, music, and as always a great chance to enjoy a cup of coffee.

A list of participating vendors can be found HERE. 

The Kenosha County Historical Society is seeking volunteers for the upcoming season. Volunteer position to be filled are at the Kenosha History Center and the Southport Light House and Light Station Museum.

Volunteers work as docents, greeters, catalogers, archival processors, clerical assistants, and also work on special projects and events. Volunteers to guide school tours this spring are specifically needed.

For more information about becoming a volunteer, please call 262-654-5770 or go to www.kenoshahistorycenter.org.

The Kenosha County Division of health is offering flu shots for people six months of age or older. A nasal spray is available for healthy kids ages 2-18. They are available at:

• Kenosha County Division of Health, located in the Job Center/Human Services building, 8600 Sheridan Road, from 7am - 6pm weekdays;

• Racine/Kenosha Community Action Agency-WIC office, 2000 63rd Street, from 8:30am-3:30pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. (Hours on the second Tuesday of the month are 9:30am - 5:30pm. Hours on the third Saturday of each month are 9am - 2:30pm)

Fees are based on a sliding scale, starting at the $12 administration fee for pediatric vaccine (6mos - 18years). BadgerCare is accepted. For adults, vaccinations are $30, with Medicare (Part B) or BadgerCare accepted. No appointment is needed.

For more information, please visit www.kenoshacounty.org or call 262-605-6700 or 800-472-8008.

As your state representative, one of my jobs is to introduce legislation to address Kenosha's needs and concerns. I will be focusing more and more on the laws and policies of our state. I'll be devoting time to researching what changes would make sense for our state. If you have ideas for possible legislation, I'd love to hear about them! Do you have an idea for a state law that needs fixing? Have you had an experience that brought a state problem to light that you would like to see addressed?

I believe the best legislation comes from constituents like you. So, I hope you will contact me to share your ideas for bill! You can email me with your legislation ideas or you can call my office at (608) 266-0455.

Right To Work Rushed Through Legislature

Over the past two weeks, an extreme, anti-worker bill has been forced through the Legislature at warp speed - the so-called "Right To Work" bill. Legislative Republicans called an extraordinary session on Friday, February 20th, and by the end of the following week, Senate Bill 44 had been forced through the State Senate without any changes being made, despite the bill receiving near-unanimous opposition during the Senate Labor Committee's public hearing and despite rallies of thousands of people in opposition to the bill.

Workers Rally at State Capitol during Senate consideration

of so-called "Right To Work" bill

After passing in the Senate, the bill came over to the Assembly. As a member of the Assembly Labor Committee, I had the privilege of listening to public testimony on the bill on Monday, March 2nd. It was a long day of twelve non-stop hours of testimony from citizens from all over Wisconsin. It was humbling to hear their stories about working both union and non-union jobs, and their fears about what the future could hold if Right To Work becomes law in our state.

Reps. Ohnstad, Mason, and Sinicki listen to testimony

in Assembly Labor Committee

Two days after the public hearing, the Assembly Labor Committee held an executive session. My Democratic colleagues and I offered a handful of very reasonable amendments which would have made a bad bill slightly better. Sadly, all four amendments failed.

Finally, over the last twenty four hours, the full Assembly debated and took votes on Senate Bill 44. I spoke several times on the bill, sharing both my own personal experience of working in both union and non-union plants giving voice to the opinions you expressed to me, which were overwhelmingly against right to work. (You can watch my first floor speech of the evening HERE.) I had hoped my words and those of my fellow colleagues against SB 44 would be persuasive. Unfortunately, earlier this morning - an entire day after session began - the Right To Work bill passed the Assembly on a 62-35 partyline vote.

I am incredibly disappointed not more legislative colleagues from the other side of the aisle refused to listen to public outcry on this bill. Despite being just a few pages in length, the bill represents a massive change in state law - one which I fear will put Wisconsin workers in a more vulnerable and more dangerous position. We should be doing everything we can to support and strengthen Wisconsin's workers in the middle class, not make life and employment even less stable.

Governor Walker has said he will sign Senate Bill 44 into law on Monday of next week, despite having told Wisconsin voters as recently as September during his re-election campaign he did not support right to work in this session. I sincerely hope he will change his mind between now and Monday, but I'm not holding my breath.

#SaveSeniorCare Petition Drive: DEADLINE EXTENDED

One of the most egregious elements of Governor Walker's proposed budget for 2015-2017 is the elimination of SeniorCare. As I mentioned in my last e-newsletter, I am strongly opposed to this elimination, as I believe SeniorCare is good for Wisconsin seniors and good for Wisconsin taxpayers. It is a win-win, and we should do everything we can to preserve the program.

Given the importance of SeniorCare, I am pleased to tell you the deadline to sign the "Save SeniorCare" petition has been EXTENDED to March 15. Simply click HERE and sign the electronic petition, or print out a hard copy of the "Save SeniorCare" petition in hard copy, sign it, and send it to my office. The more signatures we collect, the more impact these petitions will have on Gov. Walker and legislative Republicans. Please sign and share the petition far and wide!

Kenosha Casino

By now, I'm sure you have heard the unfortunate news that Governor Walker refused to approve the Kenosha casino by the February 19th deadline. In the days leading up to the deadline, there was incredible activity by casino supporters working to convince the Governor to change his mind, both in Kenosha and in Madison, and even along the highway from Keshena to the State Capitol.

Menominee Rally in support of Kenosha casino fills State Capitol

I had the privilege of speaking at a rally of several hundred members of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. (You can watch my speech by clicking HERE.) The rally was at the conclusion of their march from Keshena to the State Capitol in Madison. It was truly humbling to witness so many individuals arrive after walking more than 150 miles in hopes of convincing Governor Walker to change his mind. Sadly, he chose not to do so. The casino will not become a reality in Kenosha.

Rep. Ohnstad speaks at rally of Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin members in support of Kenosha casino

This is very disappointing news for many many people in our community. But I want to you know I am committed to Kenosha's economic development, and I am committed to working with anyone interested in making an investment in our community. Despite the frustrating setback handed to Kenosha by Governor Walker, we will come together as a community and continue building and strengthening our community.

Joint Finance Committee

Schedules Budget Hearings

After the official introduction of the proposed state budget by the Governor (which happened in early February), the next step in the budget process is the Joint Finance Committee's consideration of the budget. One important element of the Joint Finance Committee's work is its public hearings that are scheduled around the state. These public hearings are where public citizens can come before the Committee and express their thoughts and concerns on the proposed budget.

This session, the Joint Finance Committee has scheduled four public hearings. Those dates and times are:

• March 18 - Brillion High School, Brillion

• March 20 - Alverno College, Milwaukee

• March 23 - UW-Barron County, Rice Lake

• March 26 - Reedsburg High School, Reedsburg

All public hearings will begin at 10am and are scheduled to conclude at 5pm, except the hearing at Reedsburg High School, which will begin at 9:30am and conclude at 4pm..

I am disappointed there will not be a public hearing by the Joint Finance Committee in Kenosha. However, I do want to reiterate to you how seriously I take the emails and letters you send me, as well as your phone calls and Facebook messages. Particularly for a bill as important to our state and community as the state budget, I hope to hear from as many Kenosha residents as possible. I will have a chance to vote on the budget as a whole, so it is important to know how you feel and how you are affected by each of the many budget components.