The Durand-Arkansaw School Board is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on a Termination Notice of the Joint Library Agreement with the City of Durand, the 2023024 preliminary budget, and renewal of the 2023-24 board schedule. Tonight's meeting begins at 6 in the Board room at Durand-Arkansaw High School.
The Pepin County Board of Supervisors is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include annual reports from the Health Department, Human Services and Extension Office, and discussion and possible action on the Pepin County Library Plan. Tonight's meeting begins at 7pm in the board room at the Government Center in Durand.
Attorneys hired by Eau Claire County spent last night's county board meeting trying to explain the damning investigation into the county's Department of Human Services. The lawyers downplayed the three-million dollars in extra spending the investigation uncovered and tried to explain away some of the extravagant expenditures in the report. For example, the lawyers said the mahogany high chairs the county bought were for a disabled child who couldn't use a cheaper one from Walmart. Those explanations didn't satisfy the crowd that turned out to get answers about the DHS investigation, and why no one is being charged with a crime. The attorneys suggest a new learning session to bring the county board up to speed on the county's budget instead.
A Red Wing couple accused of abusing and neglecting their children are being charged with multiple felonies. Benjamin and Christina Cotton are facing sixteen charges each, all related to the alleged abuse of their four children, aged three to nine. Last year, social workers and police found the children being held in makeshift cages inside the family's home. Authorities say the children had been kept in the cages for up to four years. The couple's bonds are set at 50-thousand with conditions and 500-thousand without, and their next court appearance is scheduled for July 12th.
Governor Evers made a stop in Chippewa Falls after signing the new law to share millions of dollars with local governments across Wisconsin. The governor made an appearance at the city's fire station to talk up the new plan that will share 20 percent of the state's sales tax with local governments but requires that the money be spent on police, fire, EMS services, and roads. There's also a 300 million-dollar innovation fund designed to get local governments to look at consolidations and mergers. The governor did not say just how much the new shared revenue law will send to Chippewa Falls or other local communities.
While Governor Tony Evers held a news conference to sign Wisconsin's new shared revenue law, he didn't bring as much attention to the other half of the deal. The governor yesterday signed a new school funding law behind closed doors. The law will send one billion dollars more to public schools in Wisconsin, but it also provides a huge boost for school choice funding. That part has many Democrats angry, Milwaukee state Senator Chris Larson called for teachers and schools to fight the new law. Meanwhile, school choice supporters say the funding increase is one of their biggest victories in years.
Wisconsin lawmakers are looking to take their pollinator protections beyond No Mow May. A handful of Democrats yesterday introduced what they are calling the Pollinator Protection Package. State Senator Melissa Agard said the idea is to make sure the state isn't harming bees and butterflies, and other pollinators. The package would create rules for state agencies on the use of certain insecticides. As well as rules for certain native prairie and forage plants, allow local governments to limit or prohibit the use of certain insecticides. Agard says protecting Wisconsin's pollinators is key to 'developing a positive coexistence between ecosystems.'
Taylor Swift fans beware. The singer is performing in Minneapolis this weekend, and after nearly 200 reports of ticket scams nationwide, the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers on what to look out for. The BBB's senior director of investigations Lisa Schiller said to avoid phishing scams through text or email. If someone reaches out to you first, it's probably a scam. Try to buy tickets from someone you know and avoid buying through Facebook, Instagram, or Craigslist, and use a credit card instead of cash apps like pay pal or vemo. Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison put out a news release warning fans to not fall for ticket scams. He said secondhand sellers are scamming people out of as much as $2,500 for tickets that never come through.
Two people have died following a shooting inside a Barron County home. The sheriff’s office there says 38-year-old Jeremy Wittrock and 37-year-old Beth Parker were found Sunday evening at the residence in New Auburn. Authorities report Wittrock had a no-contact order due to a pending domestic abuse charge involving Parker, who was found in the home with a gunshot wound and later died from her injuries. Wittrock was pronounced dead at the scene from what authorities believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A 15-year-old at the residence at the time of the incident was unharmed.
Republicans Donald Trump and Tom Tiffany were at the top of the ticket at a straw poll at this weekend's Wisconsin Republican Convention in La Crosse. WisPolitics.com reports that Donald Trump was the winner of the presidential straw poll, with 53 percent of attendees picking him for president. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took second with 34 percent of attendees. For the US Senate race, Northwoods Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany was the front-runner to take on Democrat Tammy Baldwin with 35 percent of the vote. Former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke took second with 19 percent of the vote.
A warming water warning from the DNR. An alert issued Monday by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources advises anglers that because water temperatures are heating up, they may notice more dead fish than usual. The agency said many underlying causes can explain warm weather fish die-offs, from pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, to environmental issues like low dissolved oxygen levels and thermal stress. Anglers and boaters should report fish kill events to their local DNR fisheries biologist.
The president of the University of Wisconsin says closing two-year campuses is an option if lawmakers don't give the school more money in the new state budget. President Jay Rothman testified before a Senate panel yesterday. He continues to push for an eight-percent budget increase in the new state budget. Rothman says the University of Wisconsin needs more money to both keep its 13 smaller campuses open, and to attract top-tier faculty members and students. Republican lawmakers haven't yet said what they plan to do about the university's budget -- they're focused on diversity, equity, and inclusivity programs at the school. The UW closed its campus in Richland Center earlier this year because there weren't enough students there to pay the bills. Rothman is not ruling out similar moves at other two-year campuses.
Legal marijuana sales could generate billions for the state of Minnesota in the next six years. A recent study conducted by Vincente LLP shows that state pot sales could raise one-point-five billion dollars by 2029. The report also indicated that more than 700-thousand people would be served each year. Marijuana sales in Minnesota are not expected to start until January 2025.
Three baby falcons in the state have been given names. The trio of peregrine falcon chicks born at Wisconsin Public Service's Weston Power Plant in central Wisconsin now have names of popular Wisconsin college mascots. After asking the public to choose the mascot names, the three selected were Norby, after Norby the Green Knight from St. Norbert College; Clash, which is the name of the UW-Oshkosh mascot; and Stryker, the name of the eagle mascot from UW-La Crosse.
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