The Journal Times from Racine, Wisconsin • 19

the Journal Times 8. 1996 SECTION 2C. page editor. David Stehkraus AND CLASSIFIED RACINE RACIMS METRO Teem is adylfi Bin grfo as April fight between cousins turned fatal when one pulled cops I I DEBORAH ALEXANDER Journal Times A 16-year-old murder suspect was waived into adult court Friday in connection with the April 16 fatal shooting of his cousin. Darquice R.

Streeter, of 208 15th was charged with first-degree intentional homicide while armed in the death of James A. Barker. Barker, 16, died early the next morning during surgery at St. Luke's Hospital. Medical Examiner Dr.

Alan Stormal T'T' LIANA J. GRIFFITH Journal Times A The Landing, at 1001 N. Main St. in Racine, is closed, a casualty of the Main Street Bridge project The station's owners say the new road will be higher than the old and will cut off easy access for customers. U.

said the cause of death was complications of a gunshot wound to the abdomen, according to the criminal complaint. Barker, of 1610 Center became Racine's second homicide victim this year. Dressed in an orange Racine County Jail jumpsuit, Streeter said nothing as Court Commissioner James Drummond explained the slows bridge job nary hearing, is scheduled for Tuesday. Racine police said they found Barker when they responded to a 911 call at 1804 Mead St. According to the complaint, Barker told one of the officers that Streeter shot him twice.

Barker showed police his wounds, which appeared to be two gunshot wounds to his mid-torso, said the complaint. A witness inside the residence told police that Streeter and Barker were cousins and knew them as Gangster Disciples. The two were arguing loudly in the rear of the residence, the complaint said. The witness did not say what the cousins were arguing about Barker allegedly told Streeter there was no need for guns to be involved, the witness said. "We can fight this straight up," Barker was quoted as saying.

The witness reportedly saw Streeter pull two handguns from his front waistband and shoot Barker with one of the guns several times, the complaint said. Barker then ran to the residence, knocked on the door and said that Streeter had shot him, said the complaint. Streeter fled the scene but turned himself in two days later following pleas from his family. The initial hearing for Streeter in juvenile court on April 19 was closed by Racine County Circuit Judge Nancy Wheeler. Under the current juvenile code, proceedings can be closed to the public at the discretion of the presiding judge Effective July 1, the state's new juvenile justice code will allow reporters to have access to juvenile court records.

It will also permit the identification of youths alleged to have committed serious felonies. Streeter accused penalty for the offense life imprisonment plus five years. Assistant District Attorney Brian E. Pawlak requested a $250,000 cash bond for Streeter, but public defender Richard L. Jones said the amount was too high because of his client's age and the fact he is unemployed.

While Streeter had no prior criminal record, since 1989 he has had extensive juvenile supervision on such offenses as possession of marijuana, strong arm robbery and an order to attend school, said Pawlak. Drummond set a cash bond of $250,000. Streeter's next court appearance, a prelimi- Arvai said a large part of the reason was "the change in the whole pattern of traffic flow," when the bridge is reopened. "The road will be about four feet higher," he said. Motorists would have hd to go past the station, then come back via an access road.

Blazek, however, said the city was prepared to lay a driveway to the Landing from the new bridge route. "They are claiming they will lose business because of access to Main Street," Blazek said. "The city denies that claim." Blazek also noted that the Landing would have had to close for some time in order to pull and replace its old, underground fuel storage tanks. "If their site is contaminated (by leaking fuel), it could take a year or so to get that site cleaned up," he said. But Arvai said the gray building, once called Stan's Pugh Service, will reopen as a different business.

"It won't be a gas station," he said. However, the owners have not decided exactly what it will become. Owner William Pugh has "a lot of different thoughts on it," Arvai said. With that stretch of Main Street slated to be closed for five to six months, there's no rush to decide, Arvai said. MICHAEL BURKE Journal Times The Main Street Bridge will stay open for a while; the Lighthouse Run will trot around it, and the Landing will close for good.

The old bridge, which was to have been closed early this week, will not be shut until July 17 at the earliest, and maybe not untilJune 24. "Everything else is being set back because of the weather," said Elton Hubbard, a state Department of Transportation engineering specialist. Workers finished pouring concrete for the widening of State Street between Main Street and Lake Avenue That stretch will go from two to four lanes. But rain intervened Friday, drowning plans to do the landscaping just south of there. "Today just put the complete kibosh on it," Hubbard said.

Driving through the construction zone lately is like snaking through an obstacle course; numerous facets of the project are under way from downtown to the bridge. However, it has been possible to get through, and will remain so until the old bridge closes. Then it will stay closed until the project is finished, somewhere between Thanksgiving and year's end. The new double-leaf structure will be workable much earlier, but it will stay closed while extensive road construction in the area is completed. "Come hell or high water, they're doing everything in their power to open it before the end of the year," Hubbard said.

During the next lengthy phase, traffic will be detoured from Main via State Street, Douglas Avenue and Hamilton Street. Racine City Engineer Jim Blazek said the State Street bridge will open on demand from boat traffic but said the city could impose a 20-minute opening limit. Then the leaves would rise only at 20 minutes before, 20 minutes after, or on the hour. Although the old bridge will stay open well beyond this weekend, the Lighthouse Run will bypass the venerable structure. "We heard about this just 48 hours ago, and there was no way, logistically, to change it back," said Donald Karkow, a race adviser.

Runners will use State, Erie and Dodge streets to reach Michigan Boulevard, and will go back the same way. In a related development, the Landing, a service station, convenience store and bait shop at 1001 N. Main closed on Monday. Pugh Oil Company Vice President Joe 4 DUnUKGTOH Area looking into health center research the necessity for the center. A recent survey of Chamber of Commerce businesses suggested that some businesses in the area might pay for employee memberships and send employees to the center for work-related injury rehabilitation.

"I want to see it for the community, and I feel the community wants it pretty bad," said Burlington Mayor. Jeannie Hefty. The health center committee has also started speaking with schools and other organizations to understand their needs, Stone said. "What we're working on is not just a fitness center, but a cornerstone for a community center," Stone said. planned for the complex, Stone said.

Southern Lakes and some rehabilitation programs at the Burlington Memorial Hospital may relocate there. New programs would be based on public demand. Exactly who will finance the estimated $5 million project has yet to be decided, said Jim Stowell, head of the board of directors at the hospital. However, he said the financing should only be a "detail" after it is decided whether the center is feasible for the community. That decision is expected by the end of the summer.

The idea for a center began about five years ago, Stone said. At that time, a group of community members met and began to ANN McGLYNN Burlington Bureau Swimmers can don their suits. Walkers can lace up their shoes, and basketball players can dribble away. Burlington may be getting a new health and fitness center. The center, which would combine fitness and wellness programming along with physical and occupational therapy, will probably be built in the town of Burlington and consist of at least 50,000 square feet, said Tracy i Stone, executive director of Southern Lakes Therapeutics, a rehabilitation firm in Burlington.

A pool, track, basketball court and aerobic equipment, among other facilities, are JIM SLOSIAREK Journal Times A Fest prep Volunteers wheel a load of soda toward the entertainment tent for the Bohemian Fest at St John Nepomuk Church in Racine. The festival with food, games, ethnic items and bake and craft sales runs from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. today and 11 :30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

on Sunday. For a listing of other area events and festivals, see the Today calendar on page 4 A. STATE GOP fires up for November elections Dole will talk to delegates by phone; governor's aide denies effect of recall This vJ defeat had nothing to do with Republicans' Kevin Reane governor's spokesman 'I. 1-i 2 I Democrats take over control of the 33-member state Senate. State Rep.

Kim Plache, D-Racine, due to be sworn in as the Democrats' 17th senator on Thursday in Racine, beat state Sen. George Petak, R-Racine, by fewer than 1,800 votes on Tuesday. Thompson spokesman Kevin Keane maintains the mood of the convention and Thompson is upbeat despite the loss of the Senate. Republicans, he said, are looking fjrward to November's legislative elections. All of the 99 seats in the Assembly are subject to voter changes while 16 of 33 state senators must seek re-election.

"This defeat had nothing to do with Republicans' accomplishments," Keane said. "It's why the governor has the confidence that we're going to retake the Senate. We absolutely have the right message." Petak was defeated largely because he switched his vote last year to be in favor of a $250 million Milwaukee Brewers stadium plan that levied a sales tax surcharge on five Milwaukee-ca counties, Including Racine. Keane listed these GOP legislative accomplishments: $1.2 billion in school property tax relief, a plan to end welfare, and rewriting of the juvenile justice code. "The Republicans campaigned on bold ideas, and they delivered on them," Keane said.

But hanging over the entire convention is the uncertain future of the Milwaukee Brewers stadium and the team itself. -The state's largest city is waiting to see if the Brewers can obtain financing. Meanwhile, state Democrats, who mostly opposed the financing plan, are planning to use the issue across the state whenever possible. When Democrats meet for their convention next weekend in Appleton, they'll be celebrating Petak's defeat. "I am absolutely convinced that this is a harbinger of November, said state Sen.

Joe Wineke, D-Verona, a party spokesman. "I'm just seeing a Democratic landslide. (The Plache victory) is going to help everybody. It'a mood thing." JEFF MAYERS Wisconsin State Journal GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting Bob Dole plans to have a telephone chat with the state Republican Party Convention today, hoping to unify the party faithful and ensure state GOP victories in November. Dole is set to address the annual convention of more than 1,000 delegates by telephone this morning after the keynote address by GOP Gov.

Tammy Thompson, a Dole supporter and possible running mate Wisconsin has only 11 Electoral College votes, but the campaigns of Dole and President Clinton are paying attention because this is a swing state that could go Republican or Democratic. Dole's March primary showing indicated the longtime Kansas senator had some work to do. In the Republican primary, Dole only gathered 53 percent of the state GOP primary vote while challenger Pat Buchanan, who almost won a congressional district with his strong anti-abortion message, received 34 percent jatewide. MARK HERTZBERG Journal Times A Banged bus Five people were injured Friday when a Racine city bus and a brown Ford pickup truck collided at the intersection cf 7th Street and Park Avenue around 11:30 am Friday. Among the injured were Corey D.

Princean Willie Tyler, both 16, Deavetta McGee, 20, and Melody McMorris and Sherry Smith, both 30. Racine police said the five suffered minor injuries and were later treated and released. The crash left the right front comer of the truck crumpled, but the bus had little visible damage. No further information was available. Thompson's speech is set to begin about 10 a.m.

at the Holiday Inn-West in Middleton, site of the three-day gathering that began Friday, aides said. Thompson speaks every year to the convention, but this year's speech is being viewed as important for boosting the mood of a party still coping with this week's special recall election loss in Racine. The loss means.