A Mondovi man is being held on a $750,000 cash bond after causing a fatal accident in Eau Clarir last week. On Friday, 40yr old Kenneth Van Meter was charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, and first-degree recklessly endangering safety in Eau Claire County Court. According to the criminal complaint, witnesses saw Van Meter driving at a high rate of speed before colliding with a vehicle driven by 56yr old Tammy Jarecki of Eau Claire. When police talked to Van Meter they said his speech was slow and slurred. His next court appearance is June 13.
Sunshine and seasonal to seasonably warm temperatures are in store for the week ahead. However, smoke and haze from the wildfires in Canada are expected to return to Western Wisconsin and East Central Minnesota today as upper-level winds shift out of the north. This could create some issues with air quality levels locally. The smoke and haze can be expected for the first part of the week.
The man who shot and killed two Barron County police officers last month was a known threat who had a 'declining mental status.' A new report into Glenn Perry, the man who police say shot and killed officers Emily Breidenbach and Hunter Scheel, describes him as angry and armed. The report, which was released Friday, says Perry's father warned police about him. That warning came after Perry's daughter said he hated cops. Investigators say Perry used a rifle that he legally bought to shoot and kill the two officers. The report says Officer Scheel shot Perry in the leg, which caused him to bleed out. The report also says by killing Perry, the officers prevented Perry from possibly killing other people.
Two people were injured in a single-vehicle accident in Trempealeau Township on Thursday night. According to the Trempealeau County Sheriffs Department, a vehicle was traveling northbound on Hwy 35, when the driver lost control, entered the ditch, and overturned, causing both the driver and passenger to be ejected. Both were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The driver was cited for OWI. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in that accident.
Those traveling along Hwy 93 near Arcadia will have to find an alternate route on Tuesday and Wednesday. Construction crews will be replacing a culver near German Coulee Road and Hwy 93 will be closed. The designated detour will be Hwy F and motorists are advised to give themselves extra time as Hwy F is a narrow road and there will be more traffic on it due to the closure of Hwy 93.
Wisconsin gas prices jumped four cents on Friday. According to Triple-A, the Badger State average for regular rose to three-45 a gallon yesterday, eight cents higher than last Friday, but seven cents lower than this time last month. Here is Western Wisconsin gas was costing anywhere from 3.36 to 3.59 a gallon as of early this morning. The national average was up a penny, to three-54 a gallon.
The top Democrat in the Wisconsin Assembly wants to see more changes to the shared revenue plan being forwarded by Assembly Republicans. Minority Leader Greta Neubauer was on Capital City Sunday yesterday. She said the plan from Assembly Republicans goes too far with some of its spending restrictions. Her biggest criticism is that the plan 'micromanages' the city of Milwaukee. Neubauer and the Democrats at the State Capitol have been very clear about their opposition to the plan, but they don't have the votes to stop it.
Kids going into high school next year could have to take a class on credit, investing, insurance, and money management in order to graduate. A State senate panel will hold a hearing this week on a plan to require a financial literacy class. The idea, supporters say, is to make sure young people have the proper financial mindset when they are done with high school. Schools across the state don't have a problem with the idea of teaching financial literacy, but they do oppose another mandate from the state legislature.
An 18-year-old from Madison is looking at federal charges after investigators say he hacked thousands of sports betting accounts. Federal prosecutors last week charged Joseph Garrison with computer and wire fraud charges. They say he stole 600-thousand dollars from people who'd signed-up for online gambling websites. Investigators say he used stolen usernames and passwords to access 60-thousand accounts. If convicted on all charges, Garrison could spend nearly 60 years in prison.
A bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Minnesota is awaiting Governor Walz's signature. On Saturday, the state Senate gave its final stamp of approval on legislation that would allow adults over 21 to carry up to two ounces of weed in public and possess two pounds at home. The measure allows Minnesotans 21 and older to buy up to two ounces of cannabis flower, eight grams of concentrate, and 800 milligrams worth of edible products at a time. The legislation will also automatically expunge low-level cannabis convictions.
Wisconsin hits another record low for unemployment. The state’s latest jobs report from the Department of Workforce Development shows a drop of a tenth of a point in the unemployment rate in April, bringing the number to 2.4 percent. That’s the third straight month the jobless rate has fallen to a record number. The report also notes that Wisconsin added 3,800 jobs over the month and over 50,000 jobs over the past 12 months. Wisconsin’s unemployment number now sits a full percentage point under the national rate.
Hundreds of workers at a Madison-based insurance company are going on strike. Around 450 CUNA Mutual Group employees headed to picket lines Friday in their first ever strike in the union's 80-year history. The announcement from Local 39, a union made up of office and professional employees, follows a year of failed negotiations on benefits, pensions, and outsourcing at the company. Last month, Local 39 voted to authorize a strike lasting up to a week, with 92% of ballots in favor of allowing the strike.
As expected, the Wisconsin State Senate is not on board with the shared revenue bill passed by the Assembly this week. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has said negotiations on the legislation to provide additional state revenue to local governments are over. But Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu on Thursday said a Senate version would delete a requirement for Milwaukee city and county voters to approve sales tax increases. The Oostburg Republican called Vos' decision to end negotiations "disappointing," and said his goal is to pass a bill Governor Tony Evers will sign. A spokesperson for Tony Evers said the governor agrees with LeMahieu and appreciates the majority leader’s willingness to continue negotiations.
There are new questions at the Henry Vilas Zoo as the UW Veterinary School prepares to end its contract with the zoo. UW will cut ties with the zoo at the end of June. The decision was made back in December, the school says the zoo needed more time from veterinary students than the school could afford. But the end of the relationship comes as a former zoo employee claims the heavy reliance on veterinary students left some Henry Vilas animals with insufficient care. Zoo managers and UW officials both dispute the former worker's claims. The complaint is the latest trouble for the zoo, and follows a series of investigations into the zoo manager and working conditions at the zoo.
Police in the Grant County community of Boscobel report a father and son are dead after an apparent murder-suicide. Police Chief Jaden McCullick said officers sent to a home in the city around 7 a.m. Thursday found the bodies of a 58-year-old man and a 32-year old man later determined to be father and son. McCullick said both men died after being shot.
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