Local-Regional News November 26

 A Chippewa Falls man has been arrested in Dunn County on multiple charges. According to the Dunn County Sheriffs Department, iOn Monday, investigators with the department and the West Central Drug Task Force were tracking a large shipment of methamphetamine from Menomonie to the Village of Boyceville. Deputies pulled over 35yr old Justin Barnard and deputies detected signs of impairment believed due to narcotics. Barnard was arrested for OWI, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of cocaine, identity theft and resisting or obstructing an officer. Deputies seized 74 grams of methamphetamine, cocaine and other drug material. Barnard is being held in the Dunn County Jail.

Three people have been arrested in connection with a death in Dunn County. According to the Dunn County Sheriffs Department, On November 17^th, deputies conducted a welfare check at N2564 440^th Street in Dunn Township. They found 37yr old Bruce McGuigan of Hayward dead as the result of multiple blunt force injuries. Arrested were 37yr old Ryan L Steinhoff, 37yr old Chad D. Turgeson and 24yr old Ashley A. Gunder. All three have been charged with first degree intentional homicide, as a party to the crime. The incident remains under investigation by the Dunn County Sheriffs Department, Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin Crime Lab and WI State Patrol.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office is taking legal action against a Wabasha County gym for not following the governor's latest COVID order.  Ellison filed a temporary restraining order to prohibit Plainview Wellness Center from remaining open to the public during the four-week "pause" of activities to stop the spread of COVID.   The A-G's office says it reached out to Plainview Wellness and its management threatened to continue operating and stay open in violation of the order.

 A southeast Minnesota man is accused of stealing more than 15-thousand dollars from a Lakeville sports booster club.  The Dakota County Attorney's Office says 65-year-old Eric Heflin of Rosemount is charged with three felony counts of theft by swindle.  Prosecutors say Heflin was the varsity softball coach at Lakeville South High School when the alleged thefts occurred between December 2018 and this July. Heflin is expected to make his first court in the next several weeks.

 A 30-year-old conservation warden with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been taken into custody after a domestic incident.  Authorities say it wasn’t a case of domestic violence.  Warden Michael R. Weber is accused of being armed while intoxicated.  The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is handling the case after it was handed off by Juneau County due to a conflict of interest.  Authorities got involved after a 9-1-1 hangup call while a husband and wife were arguing.  A disorderly conduct complaint has been referred to the Monroe County District Attorney for possible charges.

 As the coronavirus pandemic overwhelms Wisconsin hospitals and the people who work there, the state is starting a campaign to recruit more health care workers.  The Department of Health Services has created several emergency training options so interested people can quickly join the effort.  Needed are health care, long-term care and residential staff care workers.  Information is available online.

 Nursing students in the University of Wisconsin System can help in the fight against COVID-19 while gaining hands-on experience and picking up a 500-dollar tuition credit.  System President Tommy Thompson made the announcement Tuesday.  The four-thousand nursing students eligible will get the credit for working in hospitals and other health care facilities over the winter break.  They could also earn the tuition credit by helping administer COVID-19 vaccines when they become available.  Thompson says the system continues to look for ways to help Wisconsin during the pandemic.

Democratic legislative leaders are calling for an extension of federal funding to support the work of the Wisconsin National Guard in the state's COVID-19 response.  Senate Democratic Leader Janet Bewley and Assembly Leader Gordon Hintz sent a letter to the Trump Administration Tuesday.  Bewley said,"the dedicated and highly-skilled members of the Wisconsin National Guard are working hard every day to save lives and help our communities battle this virus."  Hintz wrote, "the services the National Guard are providing in Wisconsin are key components in our efforts to the slow the spread of COVID-19. Testing and contact tracing are tried and true elements in any public health effort."

Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary-designee Sara Meaney is leaving the Evers Administration.  Governor Tony Evers appointed Secretary-designee Meaney in December 2018, among the first appointment to the Democratic governor's cabinet.  But Meaney is one of four members of the administration never confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate.  She's leaving the post later this month to take a career opportunity outside of state government.  Evers described Meaney as "a relentless advocate for the tourism industry even before the pandemic, but especially as it has faced unprecedented challenges this past year."  Deputy Secretary Anne Sayers will serve as interim Tourism secretary.

La Crosse residents will soon have to dig deeper in their pockets to pay for flood insurance.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency says La Crosse is no longer considered to be in compliance with its flood insurance program.  That means flood insurance rates could be jumping up by 10-percent.  FEMA says La Crosse city officials failed to remain up-to-date on some of their data, information and processes.  La Crosse had until the middle of next month to fix the problems, but it isn’t clear if that will keep the rates from going up.

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue accuses the owner of a Columbus construction company of withholding more than 103-thousand dollars of state income taxes out of his employees’ paychecks, but not passing the money on to the state.  Fifty-nine-year-old Norman D. Vick Junior is charged with one count of withholding tax theft.  The money was deducted from the checks of 57 employees over a nine-year time period.  If he is convicted, Vick could face seven-and-a-half years in prison, a 25-thousand-dollar fine and five years of extended supervision.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court decided not to block Dane County’s order on the size of gatherings before Thanksgiving.  The ruling was issued Tuesday, the day after the lawsuit was filed.  The county order bans indoor gatherings of any size other than those involving members of the household.  That means extended family and loved ones can’t get together for the holiday Thursday.  The restrictions also apply to meetings, conferences, movies, group exercises and sporting events.  The court has asked the county to respond to the motion for a temporary injunction by Friday.

There is extra law enforcement on Minnesota roads looking for impaired drivers.  Mike Hanson with the Department of Public Safety says the pandemic has stressed out of our hospitals and clinics like never before.  He said "our healthcare system is in critical condition and one motor vehicle crash eats up so much of that valuable P-P-E, but more importantly it takes away those medical personnel resources for people who are ill through no fault of their own fighting the COVID thing."  Hanson is urging drivers to plan ahead for a sober ride.  The campaign runs through December 31st.

A week-and-a-half after Minneapolis approved a half-million dollars in funding to bring on contract help from other law enforcement agencies – no help has arrived.  The city’s death toll from gunfire is approaching 80 and getting near the highest number of murders in Minneapolis history.  Police Chief Medaira Arradondo petitioned the City Council for the money two weeks ago.  The goal was to put additional officers from other agencies on the street starting November 15th.  So far, that hasn’t happened.  Minneapolis police say they have sent contracts to potential partner agencies and those contracts are being evaluated.  No response yet.

A central Wisconsin hunter got her doe Sunday just an hour after starting her hunt.  It was also less than a week after Hannah Bandura had given birth to her son, Daniel.  Bandura says she was jealous when she watched family members get ready to hunt as the season opened Saturday.  She was feeling pretty good the next day, so she left the newborn and his two-year-old sister with others – and she joined the fun.  Bandura says she’s always been lucky and she had just gone out when the doe walked right up to her.