The Durand City Council has approved asking for bids for a new pool at Tarrant Park. At last night's council meeting, members approved putting the project out for bids on August 1st. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the fundraising for the pool will need to continue to cover the final cost of the pool project. Last year when the bids were opened, they were over $1 million higher than expected.
A judge in Dunn County yesterday sentenced Ryan Steinhoff to life in prison without parole for the brutal 2020 murder of Bruce McGuigan. Investigators found McGuigan's body in a mobile home in Downsville in 2020. They say they also found evidence that he was beaten for hours and likely tortured with a blowtorch. A second suspect, Ashley Gunder, pleaded no contest in the case and is serving a 25-year sentence. A third suspect in the case was acquitted by a jury.
Residents in Pepin County are being urged to fill out a survey on internet service. The survey is part of an effort between Pepin, Pierce, Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties to develop a broadband internet plan. LeAnna Kavanaugh from Pepin County Land Conservation and Planning says the plan is needed before the state of Wisconsin can develop its broadband plan. The goal is to have at least 355 households take the survey by July 14th. As of June 28 only 13 had taken the survey. To complete the survey visit the Pepin County website or call 608-261-6026.
State Senate Democrats said Wednesday's vote on the Republican-authored state budget wastes Wisconsin's budget surplus. Speaking ahead of the debate in the Senate on Wednesday, 31st State Senator Jeff Smith said child care funding that Republicans cut from Governor Evers's proposed budget would help Wisconsinites stay at their jobs. Republicans say they decided to cut taxes for residents instead and give back the surplus to taxpayers. Over 3 billion dollars in cuts were made to the proposed state budget.
Several people are in custody following a chase in Hudson Tuesday. According to Hudson Police, the incident began Tuesday afternoon when police were informed of a high-speed chase in Minnesota on I-94 heading toward Hudson. The vehicle left I-94 and went into Hudson and the pursuit ended near an apartment complex on Aspen Drive. Six to seven suspects fled the vehicle and went into the apartments, and authorities issued a shelter-in-place for residents. After a standoff of nearly 3 hours, all seven of the juveniles were taken into custody. The names of the suspects have not been released and the investigation continues.
The plan to change how kids in Wisconsin read is on its way to Governor Evers. The Wisconsin Senate yesterday approved the plan which will go back to teaching phonics as the basis for reading, and focus on making sure that kids are reading properly by the fourth grade. Education advocates say the plan is a game changer and should help most of the 70 percent of Wisconsin fourth graders who cannot read at grade level. The governor might veto the plan. He's not happy with a provision that would have kids take third-grade reading classes until they can hit their fourth-grade reading goals.
The latest Marquette Law School Poll shows a tight race for Republican presidential hopefuls and better approval ratings for Governor Tony Evers. Poll director Charles Franklin says the June polling shows that former president Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are neck and neck among Republicans. Overall, 31 percent of respondents prefer Trump, and 30 percent prefer DeSantis. But in a head-to-head race, more conservatives said they would vote for DeSantis. Democrat Governor Tony Evers's approval ratings were also up over the polling in October of last year, with 57 percent of respondents approving of his performance, and 39 percent disapproving. Those numbers were 46- approve and 47-disapprove last fall.
Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources is reminding people that they need a sticker to get into a state park this holiday weekend. The DNR yesterday suggested people buy their state park passes online, and skip the lines that sometimes clog state parks on busy holiday weekends. An annual pass for Wisconsin's state parks is 28 dollars, and you can buy them online at the DNR's website. The DNR says you can also find the rules for state parks, including check-in times for campsites, on the website as well.
Construction has begun on a new indoor recreation center in Rochester. The project was organized by the Southeastern Minnesota Center for Independent Living, a non-profit organization that addresses the needs of people living with disabilities. The facility will feature a playground, party room, basketball court, and ramps to allow access for people of all abilities. The organization began planning the project in 2019, and the rec center is expected to open in November of this year.
Wisconsin's Elections Commission is likely headed for both a political and legal battle over its administrator. Commission members last night deadlocked on whether to reappoint Meagan Wolfe to a second term as elections chief. Commissioners like Wolfe, but if they approve her for a second term she would then face a vote in the Wisconsin Senate, which she is likely to lose. But deadlocking, the Commission is relying on a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that says people can serve on a board or commission until a replacement is approved. Commission Chairman Don Millis though said playing that game will only give 'grifters more ammunition' to try and paint Wolfe and Wisconsin's election system as tainted or corrupt.
A group of Republican lawmakers wants to make sure the top high school graduates in the state have a seat at the University of Wisconsin's biggest campus. State Rep. Jerry O'Connor and others are pitching a plan that would give automatic UW-Madison admission to anyone who graduates in the top five percent of their class. O'Connor says the idea is to keep the state's best and brightest within Wisconsin. The university yesterday said it shares the same goal, but didn't say if the school supports the lawmakers' plan. Republicans are concerned about Wisconsin kids getting into the University of Wisconsin. The UW's own numbers show that less than half of this year's freshman class is from in-state, the rest are from out-of-state or from another country.
Crowds gathered at the Wisconsin State Capitol Tuesday for education funding increases in the state’s budget. Teachers, students, and parents involved in the “Day Of Action” want the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee to fund initiatives for childcare, free school lunches, and increased school staff, as well as the funding of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts in the UW-System. The Assembly and State Senate are expected this week to vote on the budget, which includes a $32 million cut to the UW-System.
A handful of new Minnesota laws go into effect on Saturday, July 1st. They include free school meals for all K-12 students, safety protections for healthcare workers, and limits on no-knock warrants. Other laws going into effect will improve broadband access in rural Minnesota and give first responders up to 32 weeks of mental health treatment.
The Minnesota State Fair is hiring. Around 17-hundred positions need to be filled before the fair kicks off at the end of August. Open positions include ticket sellers, barn attendants, and custodians. Anyone age 16 or older can apply. Applicants are encouraged to register online before heading to the State Fair's Employment Center, located across the fairgrounds.
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