The
City of Durand will be selling the parking lot at 2nd
Avenue West and Madison Street. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says
the lot will be sold by sealed bid. The
minimum bid is $10,000 and bids are due by August 12 and will be
opened on August 13.
The City of Mondovi will be removing some large Maple trees on Cottage Street. During this weeks council meeting the council approved removing the trees on the city right of way, as they have become an issue for the foundation of a home. The homeowner had received a quote of $2350 to remove the two trees, but the council is wanting other bids before moving forward.
The Mondovi Fire Department has received a donation of emergency drinking water from Anheuser-Busch to help keep its firefighters hydrated during wildfire response efforts this season. The donation, made in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), will provide critical hydration to first responders working long hours in extreme conditions. Mondovi Fire Department serves a population of approximately 3,500 residents spread across 250 square miles in the City of Mondovi and six surrounding townships in northeast Buffalo County, southwest Eau Claire County, and eastern Pepin County.
The City of Wabasha is looking at the future needs of its ambulance station and City Hall and the possibility of a future joint city hall, ambulance, police building. The current ambulance building is inadequate for the security, privacy, and operational needs of the service. City Hall has a number of deferred maintenance items. The City completed a feasibility study and it concluded that sharing facilities between the police, ambulance, and city hall was an opportunity to improve efficiency and reduce costs, enhance public services. The study also noted that the ambulance services building needs must be addressed in the near future, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the service. The City is asking residents to fill out a survey on what they would like to see built. That survey is on the city of Wabasha Website.
Wisconsin's June home sales are up for the first time in four years. The Wisconsin Realtors Association says sales rose more than eight-percent from the same time last year. In Western Wisconsin, Pepin County had 9 homes sold, Buffalo 10, Pierce 24, and Dunn County had 71 homes sold in June. Association representatives say most home sale closings take place during the month of June. The June report also shows that affordability has been on the rise over the past year.
The town of Washington's petition to incorporate into a village is now approved. The Eau Claire County Circuit Court approved the petition Wednesday. Their next step is to get an approval from the Wisconsin Department of Administration, before incorporation plans are sent to referendum. If Washington becomes a village, they'll have to provide services like police and fire. Residents showed support for the petition following annexations by neighboring towns.
A Cadott woman is pleading not guilty to accusations that she stole thousands of dollars from a pair of organizations. Nicole Ruhe was the treasurer on accounts for the Boy Scouts and for the Cadott Basketball Association. The Boy Scouts say that more than four thousand dollars is missing and Cadott Basketball is missing more than 51-hundred dollars. Ruhe is charged with two counts of theft from a business setting.
Republican lawmakers want to cap tuition increases for the Universities of Wisconsin. Representative David Murphy and senator Andre Jacque say they want raises to match the rate of inflation. The university system saw a five percent increase on tuition for all its schools except UW-Green Bay. The Board of Regents has been increasing prices after a tuition freeze ended in 2023.
Wisconsin
Governor Tony Evers says he won't seek re-election next year. In a
video posted on X, Evers said he's not trying for a third term so can
spend more time with family. However, the Democrat did predict he
would win if he did run. Evers said for five decades, his family
sacrifiied to give him the gift of service and he now owes it to them
to focus on all the things they love doing together. The move will
likely begin the start of a wide open race in the battleground
state.
Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin has introduced two bills to help new homeowners and families. One bill wants to help first-time homeowners with a refundable tax credit. Another bill would cap childcare expenses at 15 dollars a day for a typical family. The third bill prohibits corporate price gouging. Baldwin says her bills would lower some of the biggest expenses for Wisconsinites.
Twenty-three people have died in fatal UTV and ATV crashes so far this year in Wisconsin. The Department of Natural Resources says only five of those people were wearing seat belts, which is required by law for anyone in a UTV. Forty people total died in ATV and UTV crashes last year. More information about how to sign up for safety classes is available on the DNR website.
UnitedHealth
Group officials say they're cooperating with a federal investigation
into its Medicare business. The Eden Prairie-based health care giant
is doing an about-face from when it called the U.S Justice Department
probe irresponsible in May. UnitedHealth Group's Medicare Advantage
business is being questioned about its use of Medicare diagnosis data
to boost payments by billions of dollars. The company is still
fighting a whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2011 by an insider who made
similar allegations.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is not revealing his plans for the 2026 election until after the state fair wraps up. Walz said he plans to make his announcement after Labor Day, adding that the assassination of Representative Melissa Hortman led to personal reflection. The governor has hinted he will be running again in recent months, saying in April he was raising the resources to run for re-election.
The Green Bay Packers are announcing a league-high in national revenue sharing north of 433-million-dollars. This comes a year after national revenue topped 400-million-dollars per team for the first time. The Packers saw an increase of just under ten-percent in total revenue, with operational profits rising over 39-percent. It's part of a league-wide surge, with each of the 32 NFL teams now splitting more than 13-billion-dollars from national media deals. Local revenue also increased, thanks in part to an extra home game.