The Durand City Council has approved a resolution to return land that was to be a park back to the Durand-Arkansaw School District. The property was given to the city back in 2001 on the condition it would develop a park on the property and it would be called the O.R. Hanson FFA Park. After the dog park project was turned down it was decided to consider returning the land to the school district and the district can sell the land to a developer for a housing project. It is believed that 3-5 homes could be built on the property.
The Durand Fun Fest Committee is looking for your thoughts on the future location of Fun Fest. With the old Bauer property being sold and will be developed into housing, the committee is looking at different options for a fun fest. The biggest concern about keeping it at Memorial Park is where to put the carnival. The Fun Fest committee has posted a link to a survey on their Facebook page and is asking residents to take the survey. A link to that survey can also be found on the WRDN Station Facebook Page.
During a visit to Gunderson Tri-State Ambulance last week, Wisconsin 3rd District Congressman Derrick Van Orden announced a bill in the agriculture committee has passed that would allocate nearly $600,000 to Gundersen to help the Ambulance Service buy three new ambulances and hire 18 new paramedics. The bill is designed to provide additional funding for emergency services in rural communities. Van Orden says the bill now heads to the full House of Representatives for a vote.
Xcel Energy is eyeing northwestern Wisconsin's largest green energy project ever. The company yesterday opened the door to a 650-megawatt solar-specific project that combines solar with energy storage. Xcel says the idea is to use the green energy plant to replace the old, coal-fired King plant in Minnesota. That plant is supposed to come offline in 2028. Xcel says it wants to cut its carbon emissions by 85 percent by 2030, and eventually become carbon-free.
It will likely be next year before a judge in Chippewa County decides if the teenager accused of killing 10-year-old Lily Peters will be tried as an adult. A hearing in the case ended yesterday, but the judge said a ruling isn't likely til January. Lawyers for the now-15-year-old accused of killing Peters want the case moved to juvenile court. The wait for a ruling is just the latest delay. Peters was killed in April of last year, the trial for her accused killer likely won't start until two years after her death.
There's a new way to get from the Chippewa Valley to Las Vegas. Sun Country Airlines is launching its first flight to Vegas today. There will be two non-stop flights each week between the airport in Eau Claire and Harry Reid International Airport. The flights are for a limited time only. Sun Country is offering weekly flights until December 11th.
Culver's is one of the big reasons why food delivery rules in Wisconsin could be changing. The company told lawmakers on Tuesday that they want to be able to opt out of delivery apps like DoorDash and UberEats because they can't guarantee what happens to their food. The problem, Culvers' Steve Anderson said, is that when people order on the app, they're not ordering from the store. The driver doesn't work for the store either. That means if someone calls to complain about cold curds, Culver's has no control over any of it. The rules up for consideration would allow restaurants to opt-out, plus it would require delivery drivers to know basic food safety and hygiene and would require apps to order food immediately so the restaurant doesn't get swamped.
Republicans in Wisconsin and at the national level want to join the lawsuit over absentee ballots in the state. The state and national Republican parties this week asked to join the case which is being brought by a pair of liberal groups. The lawsuit looks to overturn Wisconsin's rules for absentee ballots, ballot drop boxes, and same-day ballots. The lawsuit is filed against the Wisconsin Elections Commission, but the Republicans say they should be the ones handling the defense because it will be Republicans who suffer if the liberal groups win. The lawsuit was filed last month, and there's no word when a judge may decide on the Republicans' request.
The state is seeing a slight uptick in COVID cases but one University of Wisconsin Health doctor says he's not worried. Doctor Jeff Pothof tells WKOW most of the new cases are the Omicron variant, and most people either have the Omicron vaccine or have had the Omicron virus before. He says this isn't a surge and most people are experiencing mild symptoms.
Minnesota health centers are offering flu vaccinations at some schools in Rochester. Olmsted County officials are advising everyone, especially children six months and older to receive the influenza vaccine each year. Mayo Clinic and OMC nurses will administer the vaccine and it will be billed directly to the child's insurance. Parents have until September 13th to register their children.
A political newcomer is looking to challenge Tammy Baldwin for a seat in the US Senate: She's 40-year-old Rejani Raveendran- a native of India who became a US Citizen in 20-15 and is working towards a degree in political science from UW Stevens Point. According to the Associated Press, she held a campaign kickoff event in Portage County on Tuesday, making her the first declared Republican candidate in the race. Established names like Tom Tiffany and Mike Gallagher have passed on the opportunity, but Raveendran says she feels she can bring an outsider's perspective to Washington. Baldwin is running for a third term in the Senate, and more Republicans are expected to announce their intentions by this fall.
The Wisconsin sailor accused of selling military secrets to China will remain in custody.Jinchao Wei was charged last week Wednesday with providing sensitive military information to China. A grand jury indictment accuses Wei and another U.S. Navy sailor of accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for information about U.S. Navy ships and their movement. Both have pleaded not guilty. Wei, who is from Delavan, was arrested as he was boarding the USS Essex at the San Diego naval base. He was assigned as a machinist's mate on the ship.
A new Wisconsin area code will roll out next month. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has confirmed that beginning September 15, customers may be assigned a number in the 353 area code when they request a new service or an additional line. The PSC announced the creation of the new area code last September as the 608 area code is expected to run out of digits. Current customers will get to keep their existing phone numbers. Cities in the new area code include Madison and its suburbs, Beloit, Janesville, La Crosse, Monroe, Platteville, and Wisconsin Dells.
The fall harvest is almost here for your home garden. Isaac Zaman at the UW-Madison Horticulture Center says the traditional Three Sisters planting of corn, beans, and squash should be seeing progress. Zaman says you can pick your beans now if you want green beans, or let them keep growing if you want to get harder beans to keep over the winter.
An inmate made a failed escape attempt at Faribault Prison on Monday night. Officials say the man first scaled an interior fence but then became caught in razor wire as he attempted to climb over an exterior fence. Minnesota Department of Corrections staff cut the inmate free from the fence, and he was transported to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He was then returned back to the prison.
Add Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to the list of schools with a Metallica scholarship. The band has offered the Metallica Scholars Initiative for years. There are 42 colleges enrolled, now including three in Wisconsin. The new offer means 100 NWTC students are now eligible for one-thousand dollar scholarships towards degrees or certificates in health sciences, human services, construction, manufacturing, and transportation.
No comments:
Post a Comment