The Pepin County Sheriffs Department held a presentation on the proposed K-9 program for the Durand -Arkansaw School District last week. The board has come out in support of the program and superintendent Greg Doverspike says the K-9 unit is important for more than just drug searches. The board will discuss a possible donation for the program at next month's meeting. The Sheriff's Department is looking to raise about $65,000 for the new K-9 unit.
Durand along with other smaller communities are now trying to figure out how to spend the incoming federal funding from the American Recovery Act. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city is hoping to use that money to cover expenses related to the pandemic. Wisconsin is expected to receive about $5.7 Billion in funding from the Federal Government.
Menomonie police say they were worried their suspect would do something dangerous while they were taking him into custody Thursday, so they evacuated all the people living in an apartment building. Michael Polzin is facing pending charges of fleeing an officer, bail jumping, and obstructing an officer – two of those charges felonies. The anonymous tipster told authorities Polzin had returned home to his apartment. The Eau Claire County Regional SWAT team was called in and Polzin was arrested without incident.
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has announced a second round of broadband expansion grants. The PSC has 28-point-4 million dollars to 58 projects for expanding high-speed broadband internet access in the state. The grants are part of the Broadband Expansion Grant Program. It is the second round of funding from money approved in the 2019-21 state budget. The WMC Foundation, an arm of the state business lobby, identified rural broadband as a key challenge in a December report. Here in Western Wisconsin, 24-7 Telcom received $1.9 million for 5 different projects in the Menonomine-Eau Claire Area, while Pierce Pepin Co-op received $316000 for projects in the towns of OakGrove, Trenton, and Trimble.
The Department of Natural Resources is listing the fire danger for all Wisconsin counties except for one as “high,” or “very high.” As of last weekend, Vilas County was the only one not on the list – it has a “moderate” fire danger. The D-N-R is reporting warm temperatures, low humidity and high winds are combining to create conditions that allow fires to spread quickly. Below normal winter snowfall and little or no snowpack to melt are additional factors. People are being advised to avoid burning and to use caution if grilling or using equipment that can spark. Over the weekend firefighters responded to a brush fire in Mondovi Township on Canton Road.
The state's public land grant program is up for renewal, and one Northwoods lawmaker wants to see some changes. The program is called the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, and funding from the program pays for the upkeep and purchase of lands for the state. But Irma Republican Representative Maty Felzkowski tells WJFW TV she wants to end the purchase of Northwoods land through the program. Felzkowski would rather see that money spent on buying public lands in southern Wisconsin or to upkeep the land that's already been purchased.
A major retailer is coming to downtown Madison. Target has announced that it will open a 15,000-square-foot store in a vacant space on State Street. The Minneapolis-based retailer has increasingly been placing stores into urban business districts and neighborhoods. No word on when the State Street store will open, but it comes with a built-in customer base from nearby, large student apartment complexes, and downtown workers.
Federal regulators suspended a permit to allow PolyMet Mining to dredge parts of Northern Minnesota wetlands to make way for the state's first copper mine. The ruling is a win for environmental advocates and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa who claimed the dredging would violate their rights under the Clean Water Act. This is the fifth major permit for the project that is now stayed or under review.
Governor Tony Evers will be shutting down the state's COVID-19 field hospital at State Fair Park in West Allis. The Alternate Care Facility was built last year in anticipation of a possible need for mass hospitalizations connected to COVID-19. It never saw widespread use -- even during the worst of last fall's surge in virus cases. A total of 170 people were treated for the coronavirus at the facility last year. The hospital will be closed by April.
Wisconsin’s moratorium on disconnecting electrical service ends next month. The Public Service Commission voted unanimously to end the policy at its Thursday meeting. It had been put in place to help people financially struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. The P-S-C says Wisconsin has emerged as a leader in getting its population vaccinated. There are several options available for residents struggling to pay utility bills. The P-S-C says more assistance programs are on the way. The moratorium went into effect March 24th of last year – and it ends April 15th.
Authorities in Polk County report an explosion and fire Wednesday afternoon destroyed two mobile homes and caused exterior damage to a third. Emergency responders say the first mobile home was fully engulfed in flames as they drove up. The fire was contained quickly and a body was found inside the first home. That person hasn’t been identified pending the notification of next of kin. No other injuries were reported. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the blast at the mobile home park in the Village of Dresser.
The Juneau County Sheriff’s Office has released the names of the two people found dead in a home Monday afternoon. Deputies found the bodies of 42-year-old Tina Decorah and 33-year-old Duane Mallory when they made a requested welfare check. Authorities haven’t said how the two died. As part of Thursday’s announcement, the sheriff’s office said two other people who lived in the Town of Lyndon home are considered to be persons of interest - 24-year-old Felix Rivera-Medina and 23-year-old Makaela Decorah. Investigators say charges are expected to be filed against the two “in the near future.” Rivera-Medina and Decorah were arrested earlier this week on unrelated charges.
Animal rights advocates are hoping to end what they call “coyote killing competitions. Activist Julie Dybevik says seven states have banned wildlife killing contests and Wisconsin should be next. People taking part call them coyote hunting competitions and point out that they are legal. Dybevik is hoping to get the attention of Wisconsin lawmakers so legislation will be introduced to ban the practice. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says you need a small game license, but there are very few regulations on hunting coyotes. They can be hunted year-round, day or night.
First, Target announced it was suspending operations at its City Center located at the end of the current lease. Now, Angel Food Bakery is leaving its downtown location to St. Louis Park. Commercial real estate experts say they are concerned about the future for offices and businesses in downtown Minneapolis. Many are expressing concerns about safety as they consider a move. To this point, the first quarter of 2021 has seen one-and-a-half-million square feet of office space returning to the market by tenants deciding not to renew their leases. Target represents most of that.
The Pewaukee Historical Society says a 12-pound cannonball donated three years ago may be live. The Milwaukee County Bomb Squad was called this week, saying the cannonball was in immaculate condition with a time fuse, presumed to be live. It says the cannonball will be rendered safe, if possible, or it might have to be destroyed. It had been in storage since it was donated. Village of Pewaukee police were called to the society’s office Tuesday after the donor had called. A person restoring a similar cannonball had been killed while trying to restore it. That led to the volunteer who took the call to searching and finding the one in Pewaukee, then called authorities.
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