The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has awarded grants to Buffalo and the Eau Claire County Sheriff Departments to support their work addressing the opioid epidemic. The Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office is receiving $4,950 for community drug disposal programs, while The Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office is receiving $350,000 for community drug disposal programs, programs to keep people with an opioid use disorder out of jail and to train staff on medication-assisted treatment for an opioid use disorder. The one-year grants are funded by the state’s share of the National Prescription Opiate Litigation settlement received last year.
Residents needing child care here in Western Wisconsin could see a sharp increase in childcare costs. A program that helped with those costs, Child Care Counts is coming to an end and the State of Wisconsin is not funding the program. According to Western Dairyland, an organization that assists families, childcare costs could rise as much as 20-40 percent. Western Dairyland told WQOW that staffing issues and the lack of child care in rural areas are two factors in the reasons for the costs. Earlier this month, the Durand-Arkansaw School Board allowed the district superintendet to continue to explore the development of an early learning center that would also provide child care services., however, that project would be years away.
The village of Cadott is considering buying the old Marshfield Clinic building. Cadott police department and the village board will hold two public listening sessions on a potential purchase. The idea is to use the old Marshfield Clinic building on Highway 27 for a new village clerk and police department office building. There's also talk of adding a new library to the old clinic. The old Marshfield Clinic building is for sale for just under 900-thousand dollars, Cadott's police chief says they don't know how much it would cost to renovate it but he says the village's current building is it least 60 years old.
Add another state to the map for Kwik Trip. The company yesterday opened its first store in South Dakota. The new store is in Brandon, in the southeast corner of South Dakota. Kwik Trip says it plans to open five more stores in South Dakota over the next several months. South Dakota now makes it six states to be home to either a Kwik Trip or a Kwik Star.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s expansion of the Sherco Solar project, which will soon become one of the biggest solar projects in the country. The unanimous vote paves the way for 710 megawatts of solar generation near the existing Sherco coal plant in Becker, Minnesota, by adding a 250-megawatt array to the 460 megawatts currently under construction. All phases of the project are expected to be complete by the end of 2025, replacing the capacity of the Sherco plant’s first coal unit that is scheduled to retire later this year. The project also includes a plan to purchase power from the 100-megawatt Apple River solar project in northwestern Wisconsin, which will be one of the largest solar projects in Wisconsin.
New details are coming out about a massive data breach at the University of Minnesota. Last month, the U of M announced it was investigating claims that a hacker accessed sensitive information on students and employees in 2021. Yesterday the university confirmed that personal information dating as far back as 1989 may have been compromised in the breach. They say the hacker may have access to people's names, addresses, social security numbers, employment information, and much more. Those potentially affected will receive a notice from the school.
There is now a complaint over the group of former Wisconsin Supreme Court justices who are offering the state's assembly speaker advice on impeachment. The liberal-leaning group American Oversight filed a complaint With Dane County's district attorney asking him to void any action that comes from the panel. American Oversight says Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is breaking the state's open meetings rules by asking the former justices for their advice on how to possibly move forward with an impeachment against Justice Janet Protasiewicz [[ pro-tuh-SAY-wits ]]. Vos last week said he was reaching out to former justices to get a sense of how the state could move forward with an impeachment proceeding. Vos has not said just which justices he has reached out to, American Oversight says Wisconsin's open meeting laws require that he make that information public
A 10-year-old girl who took part in Madison's Naked Bike Ride became part of the Congressional inquiry into the Attorney General Wednesday. Northwoods' Congressman Tom Tiffany pressed Attorney General Merrick Garland as to why he never heard back on a letter he sent a couple of months ago about the girl who was spotted during the Naked Bike Ride in June. Tiffany wants charges for bike ride organizers, and maybe even the girl's parents. Garland said the question is probably best for local law enforcement. Authorities in Madison refused to press charges, saying there was nothing pornographic about the young girl's nudity, or the pictures that were taken of her while she was on her bike without any clothes.
Kraft is recalling American cheese slices over a potential choking hazard. The company says nearly 84-thousand individually wrapped singles were affected when one of their wrapping machines malfunctioned, making it possible that a thin strip of film could stick to the slice. Kraft Heinz got several complaints from customers, including six who said they choked or gagged. Customers can return or exchange singles where they were purchased.
A pair of Republican lawmakers want to protect Wisconsin's voter ID law in the state's Constitution. State Senator Van Wanggaard and Representative Pat Snyder yesterday introduced a plan that would have a constitutional amendment requiring voter ID for people to vote in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has had a voter ID law on the books for years, but Wanggaard says he wants to make sure it stays on the books going forward. Some Republicans are worried that the new liberal majority Supreme Court May roll back the state's voter ID requirements.
Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol say they want to see a lot more money from the Brewers' owner before they agree to spend any taxpayer dollars on American Family Field. Team executives met with Democratic lawmakers at the Capitol yesterday, just days after statehouse Republicans unveiled a plan that would spend 600-million in taxpayer money to pay for work needed at the Brewers' ballpark Milwaukee Democratic State Senator Tim Carpenter, whose District includes American Family Field, says he wants to see 200-million dollars from the Brewers owner. The current plan calls for just 100-million dollars from the Brewers. Other Democrats say the current plan asks too much from both Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. The proposal would have the city and county pay about 200-million toward the future of the ballpark.
The issue of whether former President Donald Trump can appear on the ballot in Minnesota next year will go before the state Supreme Court. Oral arguments in the constitutional challenge of Trump's 2024 ballot status will take place on November 2nd. Earlier this month a group filed a lawsuit looking to block Trump from appearing on the 2024 ballot in Minnesota. They point to the 14th Amendment which bans those who engage in insurrection against America from running for president.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is no longer in the top spot in a customer satisfaction survey. The J.D. Power 2023 North America Airport Satisfaction Study shows that Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is ranked number one. MSP is now ranked second followed by Harry Reid International Airport near Las Vegas. The survey measured areas like terminal facilities, airport arrival and departures, baggage claim, security check, and food, beverage and retail.
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