The City of Durand is applying for a $10,000 Urban Forestry Grant from the state of Wisconsin. The grant can be used to help the city remove the ash trees in city parks and boulevards. According to Durand Mayor Patrick Millren the city will have to match the grant amount. The city still has about 50 ash trees remaining in city parks, the city cemetery, and boulevards.
Motorists using Hwy 25 between Nelson and Wabasha should expect significant delays over the weekend. Traffic is expected to be heavier because of the 58th annual Flood Run set for Saturday. Hwy 25 is currently down to one lane as construction crews remove and replace the pavement on the Northbound Lanes. Once crews are done with the northbound side, they will begin with the southbound lanes. That project is set to be completed in October.
The 2023-24 academic year at the University of Wisconsin-Stout has kicked off with positive news — more first-year and international students and increased financial support for all students. The university has seen an important increase in first-year students and a double-digit increase in international students, the latter for the second straight year. Nearly 250 international students from 43 countries are enrolled. First-day enrollment figures across the UW System were announced Sept. 14. With the second week of classes underway, UW-Stout's incoming student numbers and current enrollment continue to rise.
Enrollment is down at UW-Eau Claire this fall. The university released its Fall 2023 enrollment numbers yesterday, and Eau Claire lost 153 students compared to last fall. The drop brings Eau Claire's total enrollment under 10 thousand students. Overall, enrollment across the UW System is up by 540 students, though most of that is at the Madison campus. UW officials say they are focused on bringing-on new students, and winning the war for talent.
The Minnesota fire marshal is assisting local investigators who are looking into the cause of a fire at a historic creamery in Hastings. Fire tore through the building late Wednesday night, leading to warnings about smoke getting into nearby homes through heating and air conditioning systems. Highway 61 near the creamery was reopened yesterday after being closed for several hours due to the fire. The creamery had been serving the area for more than 100 years, but it closed last month after being denied access to the local sewer system.
We're waiting to see what the new mascot will be at CVTC. The school yesterday said it will unveil its new mascot at a ceremony that will also introduce the college's new president. It will either be a river otter or a tiger. CVTC used to be known as the Tech Tigers when the school had some sports teams back in the 70s and 80s.
The Drought in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Continues to expand. According to the latest drought monitor, most of the WRDN Listening area is either under drought or severe drought conditions. Some rain is expected at times today, but it won't be enough to break the drought. Only far northern Pierce County and a small portion of Western Dunn County are experiencing pre-de-drought conditions.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will offer abortion services again next week. The organization stopped the service after Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer. Planned Parenthood says the ban isn't enforceable, and abortion services will resume at the Water Street Health Center in Milwaukee and Madison East Health Center starting Monday. Patients can start scheduling appointments today.
As expected, legal action quickly followed a vote on the status of Wisconsin’s elections administrator. The Wisconsin state Senate voted 22-11 along partisan lines Thursday to not accept the appointment of Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Megan Wolfe – with Republicans effectively attempting to fire her from the position. Democrats argued the action was not properly before the chamber and that Wolfe may remain in the post. Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul agrees - he’s already filed a lawsuit declaring that Wolfe “is lawfully holding” her position and the Senate has “no power to reject her.”
The Wisconsin Senate is looking to cut taxes, once again. Republicans in the Senate yesterday overrode Governor Tony Evers' vetoes that cut a three-and-a-half billion-dollar tax cut out of the new state budget. Republicans also voted to scuttle the governor's veto that ordered a 400-year school funding increase. The override votes don't really matter though. Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly don't have enough votes to do the same. The governor yesterday accused Republicans of wanting to take money away from public schools, and of wanting to give tax cuts to millionaires.
A shake-up within the Portage Police Department. 2 officers and an administrative assistant have now been fired over alleged inappropriate and threatening comments in a video posted on social media. The post showed the officers making the remarks about someone who had filed a temporary restraining order. Officers Craig Crary and Ben Oetzman(oats-man) were fired, as was Administrative Assistant Casey Crary. The Crarys were both arrested and charged with violating a restraining order while Oetzman faces a charge of disorderly conduct.
Milwaukee County supervisors say the costs to fix the Mitchell Park Domes are frightening. The county got an update on just how much it will cost to deal with the Domes moving forward. The most expensive option is a 67-million-dollar total restoration for the domes. But the county could also spend about 50-million to restore one dome and build something new. There's also a 22-million-dollar option to simply repair the Domes, and there's a five-million-dollar option to tear them down. Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman says the high cost of repairing or rebuilding each dome could mean they will likely just be torn down.
Minnesota's Supreme Court says the smell of marijuana is not enough to allow law enforcement officers to search a vehicle. An opinion issued yesterday examined a case from 2021 where an officer in Litchfield conducted a search based on the smell of marijuana in a vehicle. Attorneys for the state maintained that the smell was enough to establish probable cause for the search. However, the court found that previous cases where the smell of alcohol wasn't enough to justify a search also applied to cases involving marijuana. A state law allowing possession of certain amounts of recreational marijuana went into effect last month.
It is the latest sign of fall. Archery and crossbow season open across Wisconsin on Saturday. The Department of Natural Resources is reminding hunters to be safe, and to be sure to register any deer they take by 5 p.m. the next day. The DNR says there are bonus antlerless deer permits available in many counties. While bow season begins this weekend, gun season in the state is still a few months away.
Lufthansa will launch its first-ever service in Minnesota next summer. The German airline will provide year-round nonstop flights between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Frankfurt, Germany starting on June 4. Lufthansa will operate the flights five days a week.
Who has the best-tasting tap water in Wisconsin? A statewide panel of judges says Janesville takes that honor. On Wednesday, the city’s Water Utility announced its first-place finish in the Wisconsin Section American Water Works Association Water Taste Test Competition. Organizers required the water from each Wisconsin city to be at room temperature when being judged so the temperature does not mask the flavor. Last year’s champion for tap water taste in the state, Menasha, came in second. Janesville will now move on to Anaheim, California next June to compete for the title of North America’s Best Tasting Tap.
No comments:
Post a Comment