No one was injured in a shed fire in Naples Township yesterday. Firefighters from Mondovi, Township Fire, and Eleva responded to the blaze at S77 Hwy 37 mid-morning to find the shed fully engulfed with the roof caved in. The fire started near the end of the shed that contained two manure trucks with full fuel tanks, several bales of hay, and corn stocks. No animals were injured in the fire. The shed is a complete loss.
One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident in Plum City Monday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 79yr old Jean Vance of Menomonie was traveling southbound on first street when she crossed Hwy 10 and stuck an eastbound vehicle driven by 25yr old Jacob Hendricks of Druand. Vance was trapped in her vehicle and had to be extricated from it and was transported to Advent Health Durand. Hendricks was not injured.
The Durand-Arkansaw School District has entered into a cooperative sports agreement with Assumption Catholic Schools for middle school sports. The board approved the agreement last night for all 7th-8th grade sports will be together. The agreement will also give the district access to Assumption's gym for events and team practices.
Gov. Tony Evers yesterday announced his appointment of Mary Malloy to serve as Buffalo County Register of Deeds. Malloy has been a resident of Buffalo County for over 12 years and has served as the county’s deputy register of deeds since 2018. The appointment fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Carol Burmeister, effective Jan. 2, 2024. Malloy will serve for the remainder of the unexpired term ending Jan. 5, 2025.
Thousands of local residents will soon be paying more for their utilities. Xcel Energy has announced a rate increase for 2024. Customers will see about a dollar increase per month for electricity and a little under three dollars more per month for natural gas. Officials say the increase will allow them to make upgrades in the future.
The City of Menomonie will collect live Christmas trees from residents. The goal is to recycle the trees after the holiday season. Residents should place the trees at their curb before sunrise on January 8th. Drop-off locations will be available as early as next Tuesday at Wakanda Park and the Elmwood Park Parking Lot.
A local man has been found guilty of murder and arson charges. It happened during the summer of 2022 when Scott Vanigan set his Chippewa Falls home on fire. Turns out he also murdered a woman moments before the arson. WEAU reports there was an altercation before the deadly incident.
A Menomonie man convicted of sexually assaulting two children has been sentenced. Thomas Bartels was sentenced to 26yr in prison yesterday by Judge James Peterson who ordered him to register as a sex offender. A Dunn County Jury convicted Bartels of five felonies including repeated sexual assault of a child.
Ground has been broken in the Village of Lake Hallie for the largest pickleball complex in the region. The Chippewa Valley Pickleball Club president tells WQOW-TV the 18-courts will make up the largest complex in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, or Minnesota. There will also be a stadium court, which will fit about 500 audience members. The project will cost about 350-thousand dollars, funded by the Village and pickleball club. The goal is for the courts to be open to the public on July 1.
An Eau Claire man was sentenced for stealing more than 179-thousand dollars from an armored truck facility. Ari Beck, a former employee at the local armored truck company, was charged last year with stealing full bank deposit bags. The bags came from Kwik Trip stores and cash he was meant to refill ATMs with. Beck says he spent part of the money on bills, poker tournaments, and guns. A Chippewa County Circuit Court Judge sentenced him to a year in prison and restitution payments.
Several Wisconsin residents are likely getting compensation out of a recent Google settlement. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul says the 700-million-dollar settlement stems from "anti-competitive practices" involved with the Google Play store. The tech giant has not admitted to any unlawful business practices, but, they have agreed to some changes to the digital app and content purchasing platform, including allowing users to install apps from outside the Google Play store. AG Kaul says consumers will not have to submit a claim form to receive compensation and additional details on restitution payments will be coming soon.
A federal judge is blocking a law that would have kept corporations with foreign ownership from engaging in campaign activities in Minnesota. State lawmakers approved a measure earlier this year that would have barred donations and other political spending by some companies. The law set a limit on individual foreign ownership at one-percent and total foreign ownership at five-percent. The judge's ruling yesterday will block the law from taking effect while a lawsuit makes its way through the court system. He said the new law could be problematic because it could restrict free speech.
A Wisconsin grocery store chain will soon offer paid parental leave to its employees. Starting on January 1, all part-time and full-time Festival Foods workers will have three weeks of paid leave following the birth of their child. The company says the benefit also includes leave for an employee who has a child placed with them for adoption or foster care. Festival Foods currently has more than eight-thousand people on staff across 41 Wisconsin locations.
Four Wisconsinites have tested positive for high levels of lead in their blood after consuming applesauce pouches. The Centers for Disease Control says they're investigating 205 reported cases in 33 U-S states. Symptoms of lead exposure include abdominal pain, fatigue, and neurological symptoms like seizures. The Wisconsin Health Department says cinnamon applesauce pouches from the brands WanaBana [ WAH-nuh BAH-nuh], Schnucks, or Weis should be thrown away if produced after November 2022.
A Weyauwega family that lost four members in head-on crash is getting community support. The family of four children killed in an alleged drunk driving crash in Waupaca County is receiving an outpouring of support from the community. GoFundMe pages for the Gonzalez children have brought in more than 135-thousand dollars. Daniel, Fabian, Lilian, and Daniella Gonzalez died when their S-U-V was struck by a wrong-way driver along Highway 10 Saturday night. ]The alleged drunk driver--Scott Farmer of Neenah--is charged with four counts of Homicide by Intoxicated Use of a Vehicle and 5th Offense O-W-I.
A sawmill where a teen died in an industrial accident this year will pay over a million dollars in fines. A 16-year-old died at Florence Hardwoods in June of this year while unjamming a machine. Acting US Secretary of Labor Julie Su says there was no excuse for that teen even being in the facility. Labor investigators say Florence repeatedly violated safety regulations and regularly put both teens and adults to work without safety training. On top of the 1 point 4 million dollars in fines, Florence will also have to pay nearly 200 thousand dollars to resolve its child labor violations.
A record number of people are seeking private health plans in Minnesota. MNsure says more than 132-thousand people have signed up for coverage in 2024 through the state's official health insurance marketplace from November 1 to December 15th. The CEO of MNsure says more people in the state have access to health care and financial protection from unexpected illness or injury than ever before. MNsure reported that private health plan sign-ups increased by eleven-percent, compared to the same time last year.
Minnesota is unveiling a new design for its state flag. The decision comes after several months of research and public meetings. The State Emblems Redesign Commission voted yesterday to approve the final design, which includes a solid light blue color to represent the Mississippi River, a white eight-point star, and a deep blue Minnesota-style shape. Pending a decision from the Minnesota Legislature, the new flag will start flying on May 11.
An online betting sites has named Lambeau Field the highest-rated stadium in the NFL. The rating by the site called JeffBet comes from data from websites such as TripAdvisor and Google that looked at the average number of five-star ratings for every NFL stadium. Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is runner-up to Lambeau Field in the survey. Last place goes to FedEx Field, home to the Washington Commanders.
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