One person is dead after a house fire in Tiffany Township on Monday. According to the Dunn County Sheriffs Department, firefighters responded to the fire on 50th street and while engaging the fire, firefighters found a 74yr old male who was pronounced dead at the scene by the Dunn County Medical Examiner. The fire and death remain under investigation.
One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident in Ellsworth Township on Sunday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 46yr old Chester Bauer of Durand was traveling eastbound on Hwy 10, when he was struck by a vehicle driven by 76yr old Barbara Wager of Prescott as she was leaving the parking lot of a private business. Wagner was taken to Regina Hospital in Hastings.
Firefighters from Alma, Tri-County, and Wabasha responded to a fire in Alma yesterday afternoon. The fire was at a home on Hwy 35 and the highway was closed for approximately an hour while crews battled that fire. No word on injuries or the cause of that fire.
Authorities along the Mississippi River are urging people to stay off the river during high water, especially spillways, and swift water. Saturday evening, Winona County emergency crews were dispatched to a spillway near Prairie Island Campground for a report of a boater in the water. The boater was rescued by the Winona Fire Department, treated, and then released at the scene. Winona County Emergency Management reports this was the second rescue in the last five days in the same location and said these rescues take numerous resources and put its rescuers in danger.
Chippewa Falls is the first community in Wisconsin to okay baby boxes. The city council last month approved a new ordinance allowing for boxes at places like fire stations and hospitals where parents can surrender newborns, no questions asked. Wisconsin law allows parents to hand over their new babies without fear of prosecution, but there aren't any cities that have the boxes to allow for completely anonymous surrenders. Chippewa Falls council member Heather Martell says the new ordinance allows for the boxes, it doesn't mean that new boxes will be installed anytime soon. Anyone who wants to add a box will need to ask Chippewa Falls for permission first.
A man on the sex offender registry will be living in Chippewa County when released from prison later this month. According to the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office, Jay E. Fasbender Sr. will be homeless when released on May 23. Fasbender is not allowed to have unsupervised contact with minors and will be GPS monitored. He will be under Department of Corrections supervision until 2027.
This month planes will be spraying for spongy moths in western Wisconsin including Dunn and Chippewa Counties. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says those are two of over a dozen counties that will be treated in mid to late May. The planes will spray soil bacteria that kills spongy moth caterpillars, which are damaging to the environment. The department says the spray isn't harmful to humans or pets. A map of the coverage areas is available online at D-A-T-C-P-dot-W-I-dot-gov.
With the fishing opener on May 6, Xcel Energy is encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to be aware of high water levels on rivers near the company’s hydro plants. Due to high river flows, boat restraining barriers upstream of Xcel Energy’s hydro plants on several rivers have washed away or remain uninstalled and recreation is not recommended until river flows recede to lower levels. Locations impacted include the Holcombe, Jim Falls, Wissota, Chippewa Falls, and Dells plants on the lower Chippewa River. Also, the boat barriers upstream of the St. Croix Falls Plant on the St. Croix River and the Superior Falls Plant on the Montreal River have failed due to high river flows and debris. The barriers will be installed when the rivers subside and it is safe to do the work.
A Western Wisconsin highway remains closed after a train derailment last week. Parts of Highway 35 are closed as crews are still working to clear a derailment near De Soto. Two train engines and ten rail cars from B N S F went off the tracks on Thursday, with two of those cars falling into the Mississippi River. Four people were injured in the incident, but have since been released from the hospital. It's unclear how long the cleanup will take.
Republican lawmakers will begin trimming-down Governor Evers' budget proposal later today. The budget-writing Joint Finance Committee will hold its first session of the month, with an eye toward finishing Wisconsin's new two-year state budget within a few weeks. The JFC has not yet said what will be included in the new budget, or just how much it will be. Republicans have been expected to gut most of the governor's budget proposal since he first made his pitch for a 104 billion-dollar state budget back in February.
There could be some free days at Wisconsin's state parks for some people very soon. A State Senate panel today will hold hearings on plans to offer free admission to certain fourth graders in the state, anyone with an Every Kid Outdoors pass, and to everyone in Wisconsin on Earth Day. This would be on top of the Free Fun Weekend which gives everyone free admission to a state park on the first weekend of June.
Governor Tony Evers' proposed budget includes an item to restore the free school breakfast and lunch programs that were part of Wisconsin's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every student in the state, regardless of their family's financial status, could receive free school meals, through federal funding. Department of Public Instruction Communications Director Abigail Swetz described the plan as "a no-brainer," and called it "a great opportunity to make a difference in kids' lives."
A person drowned in the Wisconsin River in Wood County Saturday. The county’s Sheriff’s Department says Wood County Central Dispatch received a call reporting a person bringing the person to the shore of the river in the Town of Saratoga. After first responders arrived, the person was pronounced dead from drowning. The sheriff’s office says there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. The name of the victim has not yet been released.
A member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission is stepping down. Julie Glancey made the announcement Friday that she plans to step down on Monday. Glancey was appointed to the commission in 2016 by then-Governor Scott Walker. She was then reappointed by Governor Tony Evers to serve a five-year term ending in 2026. Glancey said in a statement that it’s time for her to make way for someone with a fresh perspective. She was an initial member of the elections commission when it was formed in 2015 to replace the Government Accountability Board, which was a panel of retired judges that oversaw elections
The DNR is asking for help in tracking chimney swifts. Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources on Friday asked for volunteers to help track the small birds. Swifts are small, unique birds that fly all day long. The DNR says their chittering sounds can be heard starting mid-April into early May as they return from their winter homes in South America. But their numbers are shrinking, by one count they are down 70 percent over the past 50 years. You can find out more about the swift count at the DNR's website.
The Hiawatha Golf Course is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Early this year, The Minnesota State Historic Preservation Review Board nominated the Minneapolis course for inclusion on the registry. It's not clear how the new designation could affect plans to redesign the course that first opened in 1934 and became a popular place for African American golfers to play. Last fall the Minneapolis Park Board passed a 43-million-dollar plan that would reduce the course to nine holes.
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