The City of Durand has approved a new five year agreement with the Durand-Arkansaw School District for the library. Ddurand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city and school district were able to find changes to the agreement and remove policy issues. The city and library will pay the school district $21,500 in the first year with that amount increasing $500 each year of the agreement. The agreement still needs to be approved by the Library Board and the Durand-Arkansaw School District Board.
The Mondovi City Council has approved a new agreement with area townships for fire protection services. Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says while the townships are paying more, the city has made some investments into new equipment for the department. The new agreement will take effect in 2024.
The Red Wing Fire Department responded to a call reporting a structure fire in the 1000 Block of Putnam Ave in Red Wing at 12:14 a.m. Thursday. According to the Fire Department, when firefighters arrived, they found fire through the roof upon arrival and made entry into the residence to start extinguishing the fire. The house sustained major fire damage throughout and was left uninhabitable. There was no one home at the time of the fire. Firefighters encountered significant difficulties extinguishing the fire due to the extremely high heat and humidity. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The latest candidate for Congress in western Wisconsin doesn't live in western Wisconsin. Aaron Nytes is from Milwaukee, but is finishing-up law school at Harvard -- yesterday he jumped into the Democratic race for the 3rd Congressional District. Democrat Rebecca Cooke announced her bid for the same seat last month. Nytes says his age, just 25-years-old, is an 'X factor' in the race. He says he plans to move to La Crosse once he graduates from Harvard, likely next spring. If Nytes wins the primary he would take on Republican Derrick Van Orden next fall.
The latest report from the Realtors Association of Northwestern Wisconsin shows home sales in the area were down 16-percent last month compared to July of last year. Just 9 homes sold in Pepin County, while Buffalo County had 15 homes sold, Pierce County 26 and Dunn County had 52 homes sold last month. Our area is not the only place in Wisconsin where home sales are down, the Realtors say almost every city in Wisconsin has the same problem. The Realtors blame a lack of houses to sell, high prices, and higher interest rates.
The investigation into the sheen-like substance that was found on the Chippewa River last Friday is now complete. The Wisconsin DNR was investigating the matter, and officials say the substance appeared to be oil-based. They say the sheen originated a quarter to half a mile upstream of the dam from an unknown source, and is not from the dam or the Union Pacific railroad. DNR officials did not observe any adverse impacts to aquatic life, wildlife, or vegetation, and say there is no threat to drinking water.
A Rochester man is being praised for his quick action after he spotted a man drowning at Foster Arend Park. Ken Hartmark ran into the lake yesterday afternoon after he saw people pointing to the area where a man had gone underwater. Hartmark says he had to dive three times to pull the man to the surface and then did C-P-R until paramedics arrived. The man was revived and transported to Mayo Clinic St. Mary's for treatment. The Rochester Police Department says the victim thanked Hartwell for his quick thinking after he regained consciousness.
A Minnesota power plant is getting approval from state regulators to store more nuclear waste, extending its life. The Xcel Energy nuclear plant in Monticello received the okay from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission yesterday. The approval will lead to the construction of a new area to store the spent nuclear fuel, a move that could extend the plant's operating life until 2040. The plant has reported two radioactive leaks over the last year, and the company says it's building a barrier to shield the Mississippi River from radioactivity in the groundwater.
Wisconsin will not have a shortage of task forces this year. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos yesterday ordered the creation of four new task forces for lawmakers. They include a task force on artificial intelligence, a task force on childhood obesity, a task force on truancy, and a task force on human trafficking. The speaker's assignments come after Governor Evers created his own task force on A-I earlier this week. Lawmakers will start holding hearings this fall, though it's not clear just when the groups will wrap up their work.
A merger affecting hundreds of Wisconsin workers is being called into scrutiny. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin said she's asking the Federal Trade Commission to do a retrospective analysis of a 2018 merger between Energizer and Spectrum Brands. Baldwin said the amalgamation of the companies resulted in Energizer controlling around 40 percent of the United States’ battery market, 60 percent of the world hearing aid battery market, and 85 percent of the total battery market. Baldwin believes that domination of the battery market has led to higher prices. The company plans to close plants in Fennimore and Portage.
Attorney General Josh Kaul says Republican lawmakers can't replace the head of the state elections commission. The Democrat AG sent a letter to the head of the legislature's legal council this week. Kaul says the elections commission hasn't voted to replace Meagan Wolfe so the Senate can't replace her. That's because the state supreme court ruled last year a person isn't removed from a commission or board just because their term is over. The decision was in favor of a Republican appointee to the state Natural Resources Board who stayed on the board two years after his term ran out. Kaul argues the same applies to Wolfe. A hearing on Wolfe's potential replacement is set for next week.
An 18-year-old driver charged with striking and killing a 13-year-old child as she boarded a school bus last May was allegedly texting at the time. The Wisconsin Department of Justice announced Thursday that Kevin Green, of Reedsburg is charged with homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle. The criminal complaint alleges Green was behind the wheel of a pickup the morning of May 12 when he failed to notice the bus stopped in front of him. Green, who was 17 at the time, swerved into a ditch and struck Evelyn Gurney while she was standing in her driveway. She died of her injuries. The complaint alleges that Green was texting while driving at and before the time of the crash.
You can help the American Red Cross help victims on the island of Maui. Jennifer Warren is regional communications director for the American Red Cross of Wisconsin. She said to help people affected by disasters such as the Maui wildfires, you can make a gift to Red Cross relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-Red Cross (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word “redcross” to 90999 to make a ten dollar donation. The Wisconsin Red Cross currently has seven volunteers who are assisting the victims of the Maui wildfires.
The Minnesota State Fair is underway. It runs through Labor Day and fairgrounds are open from 7 a.m. through 11 p.m. every day except Labor Day. Metro Transit State Fair Express buses will be available for fair-goers to shuttle to-and-from the fair. The entertainment today at the grandstand will be The Black Keys.
It's not every day you see a mountain lion roaming around your backyard. Duluth resident Nathaniel Smith had that experience earlier this week at his house in the Kenwood neighborhood. He was awoken at around 3 a.m. to see a mountain lion pacing his backyard through his security camera. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, only 51 sightings have been recorded in the state since 2004.
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