The Mondovi School Board has announced the three finalists for the superintendent position. Joshua Isaacson, the superintendent at the Desoto School District, Mondovi High School Principal Jeffery Rykal, and Lori Whelan, superintendent of the Osseo-Fairchild School District were named the three finalists. Mondovi School District residents are encouraged to submit questions for the finalists by March 16. A recorded interview with each of the candidates will be aired on Buffalo TV and the school district website on March 24th or 25th. Mondovi School District residents are also encouraged to fill out the survey after the interviews. Current superintendent Greg Corning is retiring at the end of the school year.
One person was injured in a one-vehicle rollover accident in Gilman Township Friday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 24yr old Matthew Fesenmaier of Elmwood was traveling northbound on 410th street when his vehicle became uncontrollable, entered a ditch and rolled over. Fesenmaire was extricated from the vehicle and transported to Baldwin Hospital. A deficiency with the vehicle's rear suspension was located that may have been a contributing factor in the accident.
One person is dead after a car fire in Otter Creek Township. According to the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Department, deputies and firefighters were called to Hwy NN near Sieg Road Monday morning. When they arrived they found the car on fire and a 67yr old Osseo man dead in the driver's seat. Authorities believe the man had a medical emergency that caused him to leave the road and go into the ditch. The grass caught fire from the exhaust and the car started on fire.
A Dunn County man charged with second-degree sexual assault in 2018 has been sentenced. Edward Woodberry was accused of assaulting a woman at Riverside Park after picking her up outside a Menomonie Bar on October 7, 2018. Dunn County Judge James Patterson sentenced Woodberry to 16yrs in prison with 10yrs of extended supervision. He will also have to register as a sex offender.
Pierce County Residents are being asked to volunteer to join the National Weather Service Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network. The program helps the NWS gather information from observers of rain, snow, flooding, and other weather conditions and is used in the weather service maps and models. Joining the network requires no prior experience but does require the purchase of a standardized rain gauge. For more information, visit the national weather service website.
Two Trempealeau County police dogs sniffed out drugs and a gun, leading to five arrests last week over a two-day period. At a March 9th traffic stop in Arcadia, police dog Javy found cocaine, marijuana, and prescription drugs resulting in the arrest of Heidi Nelson of Eau Claire. Later the same day, Javy found a loaded firearm, heroin, and marijuana in a car stopped in Whitehall. Gage Lewallen of Augusta was arrested. Two days later police dog Luke alerted to the presence of meth in a car stopped in the Town of Gale. Thirty-eight-year-old Amanda Matheny of La Crosse was arrested. And, later the same day, Robert Boettiger of Bruce, Travis Trudeau of Conrath, and Dawn Malecki of Holcombe were all taken into custody when Luke found meth and drug paraphernalia in a vehicle.
A federal judge has given his approval to a request for a delay in the child porn trial for former Altoona superintendent Dan Peggs. Attorney Joe Bugni wrote a letter to Judge Stephen Crocker saying the defense is waiting to review new evidence coming from a seizure in North Carolina. Pre-trial motions are now due by June 4th and a hearing is on the court’s calendar for June 10th. Peggs was arrested last year and charged with child pornography and sex trafficking of a minor. The trial for the 33-year-old Peggs was initially scheduled to start last October.
Trial dates have been set for two murder defendants in Eau Claire County. Joe Moya and Juan Olivarez have entered not guilty pleas to a charge of first-degree intentional homicide. Moya and Olivarez are accused of shooting Edwin Garcia-Smith of Eau Claire to death last March. Moya’s trial is on the court calendar to start on December 13th and the trial for Olivarez will start on February 7th. A third suspect in the murder case, Ian Kerns, died before he could be brought to trial.
An effort to keep Wisconsin inmates from getting federal stimulus checks is back on track. Congressional Democrats stopped the idea in Washington last week when Republicans backed an amendment to the one-point-nine-trillion-dollar package signed by the president. Monday, Republican state Senator Julian Bradley and fellow Republican State Representative Joe Sanfelippo introduced legislation that would require any federal stimulus money received by a prisoner to go toward the restitution he or she owes.
Doctors and U-W Health are urging Wisconsin residents to consider a “staycation” rather than traveling for spring break. Although the end of the coronavirus pandemic seems to be in sight, they say it’s not here yet. Health professionals are worried about another large outbreak of COVID-19 cases like the nation saw after Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you have to travel, U-W Health says you should wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands – no matter what your vaccination status is. U-W Health chief quality officer Doctor Jeff Pothof says while things have improved, it is critical not to let our guard down when it comes to protecting against the virus.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine won't void your life insurance policy. Recent social media posts have falsely indicated that receiving a vaccine would void a policyholder’s life insurance coverage due to the rapid development of these vaccines. Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Mark Afable says "getting vaccinated is an important part of keeping our communities safe and every Wisconsinite can be confident that getting their shot will not impact their benefits.” Vaccine status is not currently considered by life insurers when determining coverage or rates for new applicants either.
A southwestern Wisconsin man will serve one year in federal prison for committing Social Security fraud. Christopher M. Hynek of Lone Rock also has to pay more than 98-thousand dollars in restitution. The U-S Attorney’s Office says Hynek filed for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits in 2003. While he was receiving those benefits, he was working at his parent’s printing business in Richland Center. Judge William Conley ruled Hynek hid his work activity and was paid “under the table.” Hynek was sentenced Friday.
Wisconsin families whose kids get free and reduced lunch at school are getting some help with their groceries. The Department of Health Services says it’s reached a deal with the federal government to provide food stamp benefits to families who may have missed school lunches during the coronavirus lockdown. The new benefits should arrive in late March, or early April. Families who already have benefit cards will see the new money added. Those who do not will need to get a new card. Eligibility rules are listed on the D-H-S website.
The American Civil Liberties Union and an East Coast law firm are suing the city of Minneapolis over the way its police handled last summer’s protests. Lawyers say tear gas, pepper spray, and hard foam bullets were used against peaceful protesters who were demonstrating after the killing of George Floyd. They say several protesters were injured and officers fired without giving warning multiple times. The suit was filed after a federal judge ruled last week that the case couldn’t be dismissed following a 27-million-dollar settlement with Floyd’s family over his death.
Two Democratic state lawmakers propose ending what they're calling the "sub-minimum wage" that waitstaff are paid at Wisconsin restaurants. Senator Chris Larson says the tipped minimum wage can be as little as two-dollars and 33-cents per hour. Larson says that is just not enough. Seven states, including Minnesota, have all eliminated the tip credit.
U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar is co-sponsor of a bill called the Seniors Fraud Prevention Act. It’s designed to stop scams targeting older Americans. The proposal authored by the Minnesota Democrat and Maine Senator Susan Collins would direct the Federal Trade Commission to create an office that would educate seniors about fraud. It would also increase the federal agency’s monitoring and response in cases of senior fraud. The proposal already has companion legislation making its way through the U-S House of Representatives.
The Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate has passed a bill making it easier to end Governor Tim Walz's COVID emergency power. Under the bill, instead of allowing the governor's emergency powers to continue until both the House and Senate voted to cancel them, those powers would automatically end after 30 days unless the House and Senate both agreed to continue them. The measure faces long odds in the Minnesota House.
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