A body was found in the Chippewa River on Tuesday. According to the Dunn County Sheriffs Department, the body was found in the river just upstream of the old railroad bridge in the town of Dunn. The body was determined to be that of a while male and an autopsy is being conducted at the Ramsey County Medical Examinier's Office in Minnesota. The body has been identified and the name is not being released pending notification of family and relatives.
The City of Mondovi will keep on hold a possible $400,000 reconstruction of Valley Estates Road after the city received a notice of intent to circulate a petition to Detach Valley Estates from the City of Mondovi and be annexed by the Township of Naples. During this weeks council meeting members took comments from some residents of Valley Estates that wanted to stay in the city. The city will be holding a Board of Appeals meeting on June 18th to discuss some road connection requests to Valley Estates Road from landowners that have property in Naples Township.
Music in the Park in Durand may return this month. At last nights Durand City Council meeting, members of Durand Improvement Group requested the use of the park for the event on June 24th. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the council approved the request, with conditions. If the event is approved by the Pepin County Health Department, there would be no food served, no raffle drawings and all attendees would be asked to maintain social distancing. The JFT Party Band would perform for the June event.
The Pepin County Dairy Promotions Committee is encouraging business owners to decorate their windows to promote “June Dairy Month”. Email a photo of your window to kollermarissa@gmail.com. These photos will be posted on the Committee's Facebook page. The 3 photos with the most likes will win a dairy prize. The deadline to submit photos is Monday June 15th at midnight. Pictures of your windows will be posted to the Pepin County Dairy Promotion Facebook page on Tuesday morning.
The Sawyer County Sheriffs department is reporting that 38-year-old Jason Desecki has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to the memorial of a deputy. Sheriffs officials say the investigation shows Desecki intentionally set fire to the memorial of Deputy Michael Villiard. Desecki is currently being held in the Sawyer County Jail and there are future plans to take the memorial down to restore it to the original condition.
A U-S District Judge in Madison says he will move a case involving changes to voting laws quickly so it will be resolved before the fall elections. Judge William Conley declined a Republican request for dismissal of the suit with a Wednesday ruling. He has set the next hearing on the question for June 29th. Democrats are seeking changes in the law to make it easier to vote in the August state primary and the November presidential elections. Republicans argued what the Democrats want will undercut existing laws that protect voters and the candidates.
The Dane County Board of Supervisors says it is looking to dismantle racism in the county’s criminal justice system. That could result in fewer people residing in the county jail. County Supervisor Shelia Stubbs says the approach could switch to a more of a restorative system with new court alternatives. Stubbs says Madison and Dane County will stand up to police brutality as a community.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is calling a special legislative session this Friday to pass police reform, a bonding bill and assist businesses impacted by COVID-19. Walz said, "Minnesota is at a turning point. This is our chance to take strong action to combat persistent structural inequities, pass substantive police reform and build a stronger economy." Walz supports recommendations including proposals support use of force reform; funding for alternatives to policing; greater police oversight; voting restoration; community healing; and prosecutorial, investigatory, and training reform. Walz says he will also extend the COVID-19 peacetime emergency by 30 days.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo is withdrawing from the contract negotiations with the Minneapolis Police Federation union to help rebuild the department following the death of George Floyd. Chief Arradondo reassured citizens of Minneapolis today that they will not be abandoned by the police. He told reporters, "I've heard from families and individuals who are concerned that if they were in need of a police response that they would not get one, and I'm here to also tell you that we will be here for you." He says there will be expanded use of technology and data moving forward to follow officers' and managers' career paths --to better track who has had problematic interactions with the public.
A North Mankato woman is accused of slapping a Menards employee over the company's mandatory face mask policy. Thirty-five-year-old Heidi Muller is charged with fifth-degree assault and disorderly conduct in connection with the May 17th incident. Surveillance video shows Mueller trying to walk into the store without a mask and the employee telling her she needed to wear one. The complaint says the two argued before Mueller slapped the employee, ripped off their face mask and threw it in the garbage. Mueller fled the scene and was later charged.
Two thousand students and faculty members have signed a letter to the Board of Regents demanding a second search for a U-W System president be conducted. They say they are upset that they didn’t play a role in the search and the lone finalist isn’t from within the University of Wisconsin System. University of Alaska System President Jim Johnson spent Tuesday being interviewed. All of the other finalists bowed out of the process due to the coronavirus pandemic. Johnson has said he hopes to work on relationship building if he is hired.
Wisconsin Republicans have asked a federal judge to let them intervene in a lawsuit over voting changes. The Republican National Committee, the Wisconsin Republican Party and the Legislature say if successful, the effort to change laws and make it easier to vote in November will undercut existing laws that protect voters and candidates. Democratic-friendly groups are seeking to make it easier to vote in the presidential election in November. The Republicans also argue the Wisconsin Elections Commission doesn’t adequately represent their interests.
Federal charges have been filed against a 38-year-old Milwaukee man who is accused of pointing a laser at law enforcement aircraft. The F-B-I and Wisconsin National Guard aircraft were tracking protests last week. Investigators say Jeremiah Belen had committed the same crime on multiple occasions. He faces a large fine and up to five years in prison if he is convicted. The U-S Attorney’s Office says the laser “illuminated the cockpit” of the aircraft, making the pilots concerned for their safety.
The Madison house fire that took two lives last week has been ruled accidental. Investigators say the fire started in a screened-in porch and could have been caused by an electrical issue or improperly discarded smoking materials. Two of the four people in the home at the time managed to get to safety, but Keani Braxton of Janesville and Brent Broge of Madison suffered fatal injuries.
The U-S Chamber of Commerce is honoring Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson with the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship. Peterson received the award Tuesday during the U-S Chamber's Governing with Distinction Ceremony. It recognizes the top ten scoring senators and top 20 scoring members of the U-S House. The rating is based on the number of bills a member co-sponsors introduced by a member of the opposing party. Peterson earned a 99-percent rating. The House Agriculture committee chair said, "unless both parties are willing to work together and compromise, it is impossible to enact meaningful legislation in our country today."
Catch a flick, pick up a spare, pump some iron – phase-three of Governor Tim Walz’s plan to reopen Minnesota goes into effect today (Wednesday). The easing of restrictions means movie theaters, bowling alleys, gyms and swimming pools are open to the public. Restrictions for bars and restaurants are also being loosened. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says most of the venues are limited to 50 percent of their capacity and outdoor spaces still can’t exceed 250 people. The state still recommends everyone wear a mask – at least when they are not in the water.
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