Local-Regional News July 1

Two People were injured in a two vehicle accident Monday in Hagar City. According to the Pierce County Sheriffs Department, 36yr old Steven Vititoe of Bay City was stopped on the east shoulder of Hwy 63 and attempted a U-Turn and was struck by a southbound vehicle driven by 65yr old Leon Amorelli of River Falls. Both vehicles came to rest in the west ditch. Both drivers were taken to Mayo Red Wing Hospital with undetermined injuries.

Somebody is going to great lengths to slow down Eau Claire drivers on some city streets.  Police say they want to know who has been putting homemade spike strips on those streets.  The illegal objects are basically two-by-fours with a couple of dozen nails sticking out.  Police have found them at three different intersections so far.  They are asking the public to help them find the people doing this.

A Colfax man is facing up to 260yrs in prison after he was charged with five felonies including first degree sexual assault. Tuesday, 44yr old Jeffry McCulloch was charged after a woman came forward earlier this month and told authorities that McCulloch sexually assaulted her dozens of times during her childhood. McCulloch will make an appearance in Dunn County Court later today.

Business owners, communities and organizations affected by the covid-19 pandemic are encouraged to visit the Wisconsin Rural Partners Website and click on the Road to Rural Recovery Link. Steve Peterson with Wisconsin Rural Partners says the link was developed as a one stop shop for businesses and others looking for information on covid-19 recovery efforts.  Visit the Wisconsin Rural Partners Website for more information.

 State Senator Tim Carpenter calls his Tuesday surgery “successful” after he was attacked near the Capitol last week.  The Milwaukee Democrat says he was attacked while taking a photo of demonstrators tearing down two statues.  Carpenter says eight-or-10 people punched and kicked him in the head, neck and ribs.  He says he is confident he will make a full recovery after his surgery at St. Francis Hospital.

There will no longer be police officers inside the four main high schools in Madison.  The Madison Metropolitan School Board voted unanimously Monday to terminate the district's contract with the Madison Police Department for school resource officers.  Board member Ananda Mirilli said the action sends the message that "the bodies of black and brown students will no longer be criminalized."  Police and supporters say S-R-Os have specific training that makes them better suited to dealing with issues that arise at schools.  Acting Police Chief Vic Wahl said in a statement that S-R-Os "have played an instrumental role in maintaining a safe learning environment" in the high schools.  Security plans for the district’s high schools have yet to be determined.  The board spends more than 370-thousand dollars a year on school resource officers.

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty supports mask wearing in public.  Pawlenty tweeted today that "wearing masks indoors/close quarters clearly helps prevent virus spread. In our sadly divided country, let’s at least show we care enough about each other to wear our masks in crowded places."  Governor Tim Walz said a statewide mask wearing mandate was "on the table" amid COVID-19.

 A tentative March 8th trial date is set for the four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd.  Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tau Thao appeared in Hennepin County Circuit Court Monday.  Attorneys for Kueng and Lane, both rookie officers, say their clients tried to get Chauvin to stop kneeling on Floyd’s neck.  Although Judge Peter Cahill ruled against cameras in the courtroom for the pre-trial proceedings, he said Monday televising or streaming of the trial could still happen.  Cahill does expect comments by public officials about the case will force it to be tried somewhere outside Hennepin County.  A motions hearing is scheduled for September.

 Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes says face masks should be mandatory as the state fights the coronavirus pandemic.  It’s not likely to happen.  Wisconsin lawmakers would have to agree and Republican Senator Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has already said he doesn’t support the idea.  States like California and North Carolina have already made wearing face masks in public mandatory.  The 33-year-old Barnes is urging his fellow millennials to mask up, warning they might not get sick – but they could infect others.

An Outagamie County will determine the competency of a man accused of killing his grandparents before he goes to trial.  Eighteen-year-old Alexander Kraus has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.  Kraus had been living with his grandparents in Grand Chute last year when he called 9-1-1 and told a dispatcher he had killed them.  A police officer found who responded found a red folder containing the teenager’s plan to kill Dennis and Letha Kraus using a shotgun.

The Minnesota Medical Association is encouraging families to practice good health through routine vaccinations.  M-M-A President Doctor Keith Stelter says 70 to 80 percent of Minnesota’s children have delayed physician visits and important vaccinations due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Stelter says particularly in vaccines like the M-M-R - or the measles, mumps, rubella - which is a very contagious disease.  Stelter says providers and clinics are trying to ensure a safe environment and some administer the vaccine in a special room away from other patients.

A Stillwater woman says she and her four-year-old daughter were eating a meal Saturday night when members of a biker gang came in and intimidated her.  Sophia Rashid says she is Muslim and was wearing a hijab when men wearing motorcycle vests with the words “Aryan Cowboys” on them locked eyes with her, made gestures and intimidating comments.  Three teenager servers in the restaurant scooped up the child and accompanied Rashid across the street to a hotel where police were called.  She filed a harassment complaint.