It is going to feel like summer this week across Wisconsin. Forecasters say a wave of 90 degree temperatures will blanket the state all week. Some of the warmest weather will be in northwestern Wisconsin. The Chippewa Valley is bracing for a high of 97 by Thursday just in time for the Dunn County Fair. Forecasters say these are the days to stay inside if you can, and to drink plenty of water and take breaks if you cannot.
There's another warning about the air in Wisconsin. The National Weather Service has posted an Air Quality Alert for most of Wisconsin through noon tomorrow. Forecasters say smoke from the Canadian wildfires is once again to blame. The Alert means the air is unhealthy for people who are sensitive to smoke and other particulates in the air.
Gas prices across Wisconsin are unchanged this weekend. Triple-A reports the statewide average for regular remained at three-40 a gallon Saturday. That's three cents higher than a week ago an 13 cents lower than last month. But gas prices are a lot lower than this time last year when the statewide average for regular was four-13 a gallon. Here in Western Wisconsin this morning gas was averaging $3.49 a gallon in Durand and Ellsworth, $3.39 in Mondovi, $3.36 in Menomonie, $3.34 in Alma, and $3.33 a gallon in Wabasha.
The Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office says speed and alcohol played a role in a wreck that sent a 17-year-old to the hospital. The wreck happened about 4 a.m. yesterday morning after the teenage driver sped away from deputies. The chase reached 100 miles-per-hour before the teen crashed into the roundabout at Black Avenue and Riverview Drive. Deputies say the teen's car rolled several times. Prosecutors are looking at OWI and several other charges in the case.
Governor Evers has issued a new round of pardons, taking his total over one thousand. The governor on Friday issued 96 more pardons, Most of the people on this latest list were arrested for drugs years ago. The governor's pardon doesn't clear their records, but allows them to once again serve on a jury or hold public office. Governor Evers has now pardoned one-thousand-29 people since being elected in 2018, that's a new record for Wisconsin governors. Former Governor Julius Heil set the previous record with 943 pardons between 1939 and 1943.
Wisconsin isn't out of the woods when it comes to drought. Our recent rains were a God send, for sure, but according to the latest US Drought Monitor, a third of Wisconsin is still in the "severe" drought category and large portions of southern Wisconsin still face "extreme" drought conditions. Farmers in 27 Wisconsin counties may be eligible for emergency loans because of recent drought conditions. They have been designated as natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This designation allows the USDA Farm Service Agency to provide support, like emergency loans, to farmers. Here in Western Wisconsin, we have parts of Central Pepin, Eastern Pierce and Central Dunn Counties abnormally dry, with the rest of the WRDN Listening area under moderate drought conditions.
One of the biggest Democratic organizations in the nation is challenging Wisconsin's absentee ballot rules in court. Priorities USA filed suit in Dane County Circuit Court, arguing that elements including signature requirements and a state Supreme Court ruling barring absentee ballot drop boxes violate the Wisconsin Constitution and disenfranchise voters. The suit filed against the Wisconsin Elections Commission is aimed at changing voting rules in this swing state before the 2024 presidential election.
A man who fell over 50 feet from a cliff near the Wisconsin-Minnesota border Wednesday is rescued. The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office says the 74-year-old man fell from a cliff face along the St. Croix River in Franconia was believed to be bleeding and unconscious when first responders arrived. Due to the difficulty of the rescue on near-vertical terrain, local fire departments used ropes and other equipment to hoist the man out of the valley with a helicopter. The man was transported to a a local trauma center. He’s expected to survive the ordeal.
There's a new budget option to flying to Florida for northern and central Wisconsin. Budget airline Avelo is now sending flights from Mosinee to Orlando. Company executive Trevor Yealey says there's a market for it, and room for growth. Flights will be running on Tuesdays and Sundays for now, but Yealey says they're expecting expansion in the future.
The Better Business Bureau sent an alert Wednesday, warning of contracting fraud. Lisa Schiller, media relations with the BBB, said most cases involve someone making contact with a homeowner at their door claiming to be doing a project in the area and having left over supplies. The would-be scammer will then promise to repave the homeowner's driveway or conduct repairs at a lower cost with payment up front. According to Schiller, you should avoid contractors that demand full payment in cash or provide unwanted estimates. If you're the target of a scam, officials said filing a complaint with the BBB allows other homeowners to be aware of the risk. Another important step is to contact local law enforcement so they can investigate.
June's jobs numbers are out and the Department of Workforce Development says more people are employed in Wisconsin than ever before. D W D chief economist Dennis Winters says having this many actively working is great news for the economy. Winters says over 3 million people are now employed in Wisconsin, and unemployment remains below 3 percent, so that gives workers plenty of incentive to seek out better paying jobs, and pushes to increase wages.
A man shot himself to death in the back of a squad car in Kenosha County. A preliminary investigation shows Pleasant Prairie police were transporting a man arrested for weapons offenses to the Kenosha County Jail Thursday when the shooting occurred near the entrance of the jail. Authorities believe the man shot himself with a concealed weapon that police didn’t locate during an initial search. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is being investigated by the Racine County Sheriff's Office.
Republican Minnesota lawmakers want carjacking sentencing to be harsher. Officials say the omnibus public safety bill set no minimum sentence fro the crime but has a maximum of 20 years for first degree carjacking offenses. Republican lawmakers say the new law does nothing to dissuade would-be jackers and the crime should be treated more serious than a traditional aggravated robbery. Officials say during yesterday's meeting at the State Capitol, Senator Warren Limmer tried to get a five-year minimum sentence built into the law. The sentencing panel will make the final decision on carjacking sentences at it's next meeting on July 27th at the Department of Corrections offices in St. Paul.
The death of a Marathon County woman in prison for the cold case murder of her husband is a homicide. The Department of Corrections says 68-year-old Cindy Schulz-Juedes was found dead in her cell at Taycheedah Correctional on Wednesday. Fond du Lac police are handling the death investigation and have released no further details. Schulz-Juedes was convicted of the 2006 murder of her husband in 2021. Marathon County investigators had long suspected her of her husband's death, and say she was looking to get his life insurance benefits.
TSA officers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are seizing firearms at a record pace. They recently confiscated 31 weapons so far this year at MSP checkpoints. In all of 2022, TSA officers found 58 firearms in carry-on luggage. Passengers caught with weapons will be arrested, face jail time, and receive a fine of nearly 15-thousand-dollars.
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