The year 2020 will go out with a bang in the Upper Midwest. National Weather Service meteorologists are warning of the arrival of a major winter storm in Wisconsin starting late Tuesday afternoon and lasting through Wednesday night. Most of the bad weather will be in southern Wisconsin, Western Wisconsin could see 4-6" of snow, and winter weather advisories are posted for the area Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Heavy snow could be seen along a line from northeastern Iowa to central Wisconsin, with Madison possibly seeing up to six inches.
One person is dead after a two-vehicle accident in the Town of Arcadia on Saturday. According to the Trempealeau County Sheriffs Department, the vehicle was traveling southbound on Hwy 93 near Lewi Valley Road and went left of center, and struck a northbound truck. The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the truck was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries. That accident remains under investigation.
No one was hurt after three people fell into the Eau Claire River on Sunday. According to police officers and firefighters arrived at Phoenix Park Sunday afternoon around 3:30 on a report of a child falling through the ice and another child and adult had followed in an attempt to help. All three were not hurt and thin, unstable ice contributed to the accident.
A Republican state senator says lawmakers should allow early in-person voting to be done on voting machines. State Senator Cathy Bernier says a bill to allow that was offered in the last legislative session. However, Bernier, a former Chippewa County clerk, told WISN's "UpFront" she does not want to allow counting of absentee ballots prior to Election Day. She said municipal clerks lack sufficient resources for that and believes vote tallies would get leaked to the media.
Governor Tony Evers says he'll extend a statewide mask mandate, veto stricter rules for absentee voting, and decide later whether to run again. An interview published in the Sunday Journal Sentinel, the Democratic governor also said he's considering asking the Republican-controlled state legislature to legalize recreational marijuana as a way to increase state revenue. Evers also said he's convinced his administration will clear a backlog of thousands of unresolved, coronavirus related unemployment claims by January 1st - that's this Friday. He blamed Republicans for increasing "hoops to move through," to collect benefits, while acknowledging the delays have been unacceptable.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has given its approval to Xcel Energy’s 750-million-dollar wind farm project. The Minnesota Department of Commerce is opposed. Xcel officials say the plan to retool existing wind farms could save customers of the state’s largest utility 160-million dollars by improving efficiency. Xcel’s plan involved rebuilding wind-power plants with new technology and bigger blades that will extend their lifespans by 10 years.
The chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is expressing concern about alleged threats aimed at members of the state's high court. Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack said in a statement Friday that the public has a right to speak in criticism of public servants, "however, no justice should be threatened or intimidated based on his or her religious beliefs." Roggensack’s response comes in the wake of misogynistic, anti-Semitic comments directed towards Justices Jill Karofsky and Rebecca Dallet. The liberal justices were joined by conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn in rejecting President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn Wisconsin's election results.
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A three-judge panel from the Seventh U-S Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a federal judge’s ruling against a suit filed by the Trump campaign seeking to have him declared the winner in Wisconsin. Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump by fewer than 22-thousand votes in the state, but the campaign had asked U-S District Judge Brett Ludwig to order the Republican-controlled Legislature to name Trump the winner. Ludwig was a Trump appointee, but he rejected the campaign’s arguments, saying they failed “as a matter of law and fact.” The appeals panel made its ruling Thursday afternoon. It said the campaign should have challenged Wisconsin’s election laws before the election was held.
Officials at the University of Wisconsin System say a report on its lack of diversity doesn’t exist. Former System President Ray Cross was supposed to deliver the report. U-W Regents President Andrew Petersen says Cross delivered the report in person, but nothing was written down. Petersen says the system created a diversity scholarship based on the recommendations from Cross – but it was delivered verbally and there is nothing for others to examine.
State funding will help Wisconsin seniors with transportation Three-point-eight-million dollars in state funding will go to public and nonprofit agencies that provide specialized transportation to seniors and people with disabilities. Governor Tony Evers announced the state and federal grants Wednesday. Fifty-seven state agencies will use the money to increase their capacity, coordinate transit services, and connect seniors and the disabled with transportation services that are available in their area.
The online store Printify is no longer selling “Free Kyle” merchandise. It tweeted it has terminated the Rittenhouse family’s account, saying it doesn’t want to be associated with such a contentious case. Kyle Rittenhouse is accused of shooting two men to death and wounding a third during riots in Kenosha last August that followed a police shooting. His family said it was raising money for his criminal defense by selling hats, shirts, cell phone covers, and other items labeled “Free Kyle.” Rittenhouse has said he opened fire in self-defense. An attorney for the surviving victim called selling the merchandise that way “disgusting.”
The chairman of Weston’s Ad Hoc Building Committee says replacing the city’s 75-year-old municipal building could cost the average taxpayer 130-dollars-a-year. That’s based on a home assessed at 150-thousand dollars. The overall cost of the project is estimated at between 13-point-seven and 15-point-six-million dollars. The current building is said to be inefficient for city workers and isn’t A-D-A compliant. The committee is seeking Village approval so construction could start next year.
The state Department of Agriculture is asking Minnesotans to properly dispose of their Christmas trees and holiday greens. M-D-A warns that invasive species and diseases can be found on Frasier furs and some wreaths and centerpieces. State ag officials say the best option to curbside tree collection or taking it to a designated city or county drop-off site. You should not toss trees and wreaths into the backyard woods which will allow the pests to escape and threaten other vegetation. Most wreaths and greens can be thrown in the trash.
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