Local-Regional News Oct 20

 

Work on the new fire District in Durand is moving closer to completion. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says there are only a few minor issues needed to be resolved.  The hope is to have the new district in place by January 1^st.

Pepin County Land Conservation is holding their annual tree sale for landowner. Pepin County Land Conservation Director Jessica McMahon says Land Conservation has a variety of native trees available. The trees will be delivered next spring. For more information, call or visit Pepin County Land Conservation.

The Durand-Arkansaw School District is applying for a $25000 State of Wisconsin Grant to purchase a CNC Machine for the Tech-Ed Program. Durand-Arkansaw School Superintendent Ryan Nelson says its phase two of expanding the tech ed program.  The District recently received a $100,000 grant from the state to purchase a robotic welder.

The City of Eau Claire is changing its policy as it relates to social media engagement. The city is opting to disable comments on posts it publishes to its social media channels. This means those messages will be read-only. A spokesperson for the city says they don't want to make this change, but comments have become increasingly abusive, profane, and threatening -- with attacks aimed at staff and public officials, as well as residents, including crime victims, suspects, and family members. The comment sections have also been used to promote scams and identity theft.

First responders were dispatched Sunday to a runway at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport. Reports say a small aircraft was on the ground -- on its belly. Specific details of the incident have not yet been released. No one was hurt.

The FDA has announced that a Wisconsin-based company is voluntarily recalling specific lots of freeze-dried pet treats sold under four brand names in three states due to possible salmonella contamination. Foodynamics corrected and expanded a recall for certain lots of Raw Dog Bakery, Bell Pepper Cats, Kanu Pets and What's in the Bowl brand treats. The recall was initiated after routine sampling by the FDA found the presence of the bacteria. The recalled products were shipped to retailers in Wisconsin, New York and Florida. The company says a total of eight packages were distributed to consumers and so far no adverse health effects have been reported.

A woman who lied and said her twin sister caused a deadly Amish buggy crash near Stewartville is going to prison. Samantha Petersen, who eventually confessed to being the driver, was sentenced yesterday in Fillmore County court to four years behind bars. The Wabasha woman was also ordered to pay close to 40 thousand dollars in restitution. Authorities says Petersen was driving under the influence of meth when she crashed her SUV into the buggy killing two children and injuring two others in 2023. The defendant's sister Sarah pleaded guilty in March to two counts of aiding and abetting criminal vehicle operation and was sentenced to four years of probation.

Officials are urging parents to vaccinate their kids after a measles case was confirmed in Olmsted County. County health services announced on Friday the child had recently traveled internationally and was unvaccinated. The child is reported to be less than five years old. County health services is working with the Minnesota Department of Health to contact those who were exposed. According to the MDH, 20 cases have been reported in the state in 2025.

A bill looking to ban license plate flippers has passed in the state Senate and Assembly. Flippers are commonly used to conceal plate numbers that may be sought by law enforcement. If the bill is signed by the governor, anyone using or selling the devices could be fined up to a thousand dollars or face 90 days in prison, or both. The bill is authored by Senator Van Wanggaard and Representative Bob Donovan.

Former Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler will not be running in the 2026 governor race. Wikler announced Friday that he will instead support the Democratic nominee. He called the upcoming gubernatorial race a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to reshape state politics. Wikler said he plans to prioritize time with his family. The Democratic field includes Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is accused of keeping the public in the dark over accusations of sexual misconduct or grooming by educators. A yearlong investigation by the Cap Times of Madison found DPI investigated more than 200 educators from 2018 to 2023 on accusations of sexual misconduct or grooming behaviors toward students. The paper used DPI’s own internal records and discovered that at least 44% of 461 teaching license investigations during that period involved such allegations – and that 227 educators investigated for various types of misconduct either voluntarily surrendered their license or had it revoked. A DPI spokesman told the Cap Times that the Wisconsin Legislature has failed to adequately fund the agency, which has one full-time and one part-time investigator to handle more than 100 investigations each year. In a statement, state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos accused DPI of “falsely blaming the legislature for underfunding,” and said that “the lack of transparency is shocking and alarming.”

Wisconsin is ending the budget year with more money than it expected, again. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau says the state government will end the year with a general fund surplus of over 4 and a half billion dollars, about 270 million more than expected. The state brought in over 22 billion dollars in taxes, up about 5 percent from last year. Governor Tony Evers says he's looking forward to making smart and strategic investments with the surplus. Republican state representative and legislative Joint Finance Committee chair Mark Born says Republicans are responsible for the surplus, by refusing to pass Governor Evers' budget proposals.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development is highlighting how the federal government shutdown is impacting Wisconsin workers. DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek says DWD isn't able to release monthly job data, which helps organizations make crucial fiscal decisions. Pechacek says there's about 8,000 federal workers in Wisconsin and they could also be impacted if the Trump administration decides not to give them any back pay. Finally, Pechacek says certain migrant work visas aren't being processed, which will impact the ag industry if they shutdown lasts too long. Friday marked the 17th day of the federal government shutdown.

Minnesota exports are down 19-percent. The state's Department of Employment and Economic Development released a report Friday showing the change over the past year. Minnesota consumers and companies are paying 25 to 35 percent taxes on imports from Mexico, China and Canada, resulting in fewer transactions. While the U.S. as a whole has seen a six percent rise in exports, Minnesota is being hit harder. Exports to Canada alone have dropped 45 percent in a year, which is usually the largest buyer of Minnesota goods.

A historic World War II submarine that was drydocked in Sturgeon Bay has returned to its home in Manitowoc. The USS Cobia was brought back via tugboat to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum on Wednesday after it was pulled out of the water at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding for cleaning and repainting in September. The process took about five weeks to complete with Cobia getting zebra and quagga muscles taken off the bottom plus a fixture along one of the seems of the submarine. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum raised $1.5 million to drydock the historic sub, which included funding from donors and the Wisconsin State budget. Cobia will be reopened to visitors in the near future as the maritime museum does some maintenance. Cobia was first brought to Manitowoc in 1970 and serves a historical artifact that also recognizes the veterans who helped their country.