Another hazy weekend appears to be tap on for Wisconsin The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources expects smoke from Canadian wildfires will once again drift into Wisconsin beginning on Friday and continuing into Saturday. While the DNR does not expect air quality to be as severely impacted as it was in late June - when Wisconsin had the unenviable distinction of having the worst air quality on the planet - the agency is asking people to be prepared. Forecasts were still being analyzed on Thursday, but it appears northern Wisconsin will be most severely impacted, and possible air quality advisories may be issued.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and the City of Wabasha are set to sign a historic river sand management document during a brief ceremony in Wabasha on July 24. Col. Eric Swenson, St. Paul District commander, and Wabasha Mayor Emily Durand will sign a memorandum of agreement that affords the city to manage the Corps of Engineers’ dredged river sand within the Mississippi River Lower Pool 4 area. With the pact, known as a Water Resources Development Act Section 217 agreement, the Corps will be able to pay the city a tipping fee to help manage river sand removed from the navigational channel during Corps dredging operations. The agreement is years in the making and the first of its kind for inland waters within the United States. With this agreement, the city now has more control of where the sand goes and can develop more beneficial reuse opportunities.
A Mississippi man is looking at charges in Dunn County after police say he shot some bullets into some cars and sexually assaulted a woman. Jesse Fortenberry is looking at nine charges in two separate cases. He was in court yesterday. Menomonie Police say he shot holes into two cars in downtown Menomonie Tuesday night. Investigators say he sexually assaulted a local woman the night before. Fortenberry is looking at a five-thousand-dollar cash bond.
A Pair of Republican congressmen from Wisconsin wants to see new election rules for the states. Congressman Bryan Steil and Congressman Derrick Van Orden are out with separate plans that would push for voter ID requirements in every state, and a new list of rules to make sure non-citizens cannot vote. Van Orden's plan would have every state use Real IDs to make sure only American citizens can vote. Steil's plan would implement what he's calling 'federalist solutions' to make sure each state double-checks social security numbers against voting rolls, counts military ballots on time, and doesn't use federal money to expand voting to people who cannot vote. Steil says his plan has both 'the carrot and the stick.'
The Eau Claire City-County Health Department says two cases of legionnaires’ disease have been found in an Eau Claire care facility. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia that if left untreated can lead to lung failure and even death. The Health Department says that while they are not worried for the general public, they are concerned if they are noticing issues at a care facility. The Health Department says the source of the bacteria has not been identified yet, but they are working with the care facility to identify the issue. The facility in question has not been named.
Prosecutors in Washburn County are pushing felony charges against a local man after a high-speed chase last month. The D.A. is moving ahead with 15 felonies, most of them for recklessly endangering safety, against 50-year-old Chad Rollins from Chippewa Falls. Deputies tried to stop him back on June 25th on Highway 53 near Minong. He sped away. The sheriff's office says the chase topped out at 95 miles-per-hour, and says Rollins was able to lose the deputies that night. Deputies found him the next day and arrested him. Rollins is due in court later today.
Excessive speeding remains a "thing" on state roads. Wisconsin's State Patrol says the number of citations for drivers going 100-plus miles per hour spiked during the pandemic and the bad habit is continuing. In 2019, they issued 583 tickets for extreme speeding. In 2020, that number grew to over 14 hundred and continues to remain high
The World Dairy Expo's home will continue to be Madison. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced on Thursday that the county and the Expo have inked a five-year deal that would keep the event in southern Wisconsin. The show has run the first week of October for over 50 years, and Parisi says it's a one-of-a-kind event. Expo manager Laura Herschelb says the Alliant Energy Center will continue to be the home for the show, and they're planning to keep the Expo viable for years to come.
Recent data shows that all of Minnesota is currently experiencing some degree of drought. According to a report released by the National Drought Mitigation Center, 100-percent of the state is now abnormally dry. On top of that, 63-percent of the state is in a moderate drought, while 11-percent is experiencing a severe drought. The dry weather is affecting farmers, and poor growing conditions are driving up hay prices. Officials say that conditions could get even worse if the lack of rainfall continues.
A northwest Wisconsin woman leads law enforcement into a long vehicle pursuit. The Burnett County Sheriff’s Office says the woman allegedly stole a convertible in Spooner on July 8th. After a deputy and a DNR Warden spotted the vehicle on State Highway 35 and turned on their emergency lights and sirens, the woman in the convertible flashed an obscene gesture at them and took off, leading law enforcement on a 33-mile chase. The driver, identified as 34-year-old Katrina Boyle, reportedly caused damage to two different residential yards and a squad truck during the pursuit. Boyle was eventually taken into custody but was allegedly ‘uncooperative’ during her arrest.
“Safe space” signs are banned in Hartland’s Arrowhead High School. The Arrowhead United School District’s board approved a policy stating that Wednesday night. A revised version of that policy argues that every room in the high school should be safe. Supporters of the policy say it lets teachers focus only on curriculum and not political ideologies, while opponents say the policy solves a problem that doesn't exist and hurts LGBTQ+ students. The original version of this policy banned pride flags, rainbows, Black Lives Matter signs, and anti-racist posters.
The Waukesha School Board voted Wednesday to fire the teacher at the center of the "Rainbowland" song controversy. The board said Melissa Tempel violated board policy after tweeting out her frustration when administrators at Heyer Elementary School "banned" her first-grade students from singing the Miley Cyrus-Dolly Parton song “Rainbowland” at their spring concert, saying the song encouraged LGBTQ+ acceptance and references rainbows. The tweet received national attention. After Tempel was placed on leave in April, the district’s superintendent, James Sebert, said in May he would recommend that the board terminate the teacher. Tempel's attorney indicated she will file a lawsuit, arguing that Tempel was exercising her right to free speech.
Drought conditions continue to worsen in southern Wisconsin. Today's U.S. Drought Monitor map says all of Dane County is now under extreme drought, the second-worst drought category possible. All of Wisconsin is experiencing at least near-drought conditions. The rain we got yesterday isn't included on today's map.
Starbucks workers at the two Madison locations where they've formed unions are supporting other Starbucks workers wanting to unionize. Union workers took a bus tour to the State Street Starbucks yesterday in support of more members joining. Union workers say they hope their support will help more workers get a labor contract.
How much do you know about the history of the Green Bay Packers? UW-Green Bay will offer an online non-credit certificate program beginning in September. For a cost of $139, fans can explore the iconic history of the Packers in eight sessions available online via Zoom and taught by Packers Hall of Fame curator Brent Hensel. The sessions will cover important events and personalities from the Packers’ more than 100 year history that dates back to the early days of the NFL.
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