The Durand Fire Department responded to a grass fire just north of the Sportsmans Club on Hwy 25 yesterday morning. The fire was about 20 acres in size and the department was able to put the blaze out quickly. The strong winds should be lighter today, but there is still plenty of dry grass that could cause a fire risk.
A Menomonie man has been charged in Eau Claire County Court with stalking, and 2nd-degree sexual assault after an incident on St. Patricks Day. According to court records, authorities alleged that 28yr old Larry Young drove up to the victim on Water Street and told her that her friends had called him to pick her up. She got into the car and Young drove her to a storage unit where he attempted to assault her. The woman got away and police were able to arrest Young on Friday when they found him driving downtown and he tried to lure an undercover female officer into his vehicle. If convicted he faces over 39yrs in prison.
An area farm group is looking for farmers to participate in conservation programs on their farms. The group Farmers for Health has grant money available from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture to help with the programs in the Bear Creek and Chippewa River Watersheds. Farmers for Health Co-Chairman Don Weiss says the group has incentive programs from cover crops to no-till programs. For more information, contact Mike Travis at Pepin County Ag Extension.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says the three proposed State Veterans Homes in Minnesota are getting more than 80-million dollars in federal grant funding. Construction could begin as soon as this fall on the projects including a veterans home in Preston. The Minnesota Legislature invested 33-million dollars in state money for the new veterans' homes in 2018. The U-S Department of Veterans Affairs is covering 65 percent of the costs. Minnesota V-A Commissioner Larry Herke (HUR'-kee) said the planning and design process is nearly complete and this grant will allow the final touches to be made.
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development says its new user interface should be easier to use than the old one. The new unemployment claims portal went online Tuesday night. It offers a way to securely upload documents and a message center where applicants can talk directly with claims specialists and adjudicators. The new design will be easier to use on cell phones and applicants can sign up for notifications by text. D-W-D Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek calls the upgrades “critical,” saying they will make the process easier. It has been a year of frustration as the Wisconsin unemployment system was overwhelmed by the rush of claims during the coronavirus pandemic.
Assembly Republicans are giving Governor Tony Evers’ plans for more than three-billion dollars in federal COVID relief mixed reviews. They held a news conference at the Resch Expo Center Tuesday explaining what they liked and didn’t like. State Representative David Steffen agrees with Evers' plans to invest in broadband for rural areas but says 200-million dollars isn’t enough. Steffen thinks a half-billion dollars should be spent to get everyone online. Republicans also like investing in tourism and small businesses, but Republican Representative Kevin Petersen says relief for homeowners and investment in long-term care facilities doesn’t go far enough. Even though Evers vetoed a bill giving the Legislature control of the money, the lawmakers say they think they can work with the governor and help him prioritize how it should be spent.
Governor Tony Evers says all Wisconsin residents age 16 and over will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine next Monday. The eligibility date was moved up four weeks due to increased vaccine supply and an accelerated pace in vaccinations. Evers said in a statement, "this marks a major milestone in our state’s fight against this virus and gets us closer to overcoming this pandemic and bouncing back together." Not everyone will be able to get the shot April 5th as some areas of Wisconsin have higher demand and may have waitlists. May 1st was the initial deadline to have the general public eligible for the vaccine. State health officials also announced Tuesday that seven more pharmacies will begin receiving COVID vaccines this week.
Wisconsin 3rd District Congressman Ron Kind has announced the annual Congressional Art Competition is now open for all high school students in the 3rd District. The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 as an opportunity for Members of Congress to recognize and encourage students’ artistic talent. Since then, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. The first-place entry will hang for a year in the U.S. Capitol along with the works of other student artists from across the country. The second-place entry will be displayed in Rep. Kind’s Washington, D.C. office, and the third and fourth place pieces will be displayed in Rep. Kind’s La Crosse and Eau Claire offices. The submission deadline is April 16, 2021, and only one entry is allowed per student. For more information, contact Kinds office in Eau Claire or La Crosse.
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The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is working with local and national organizations in an effort to have the Bay of Green Bay recognized as a national reserve. For 30 years, the university and local officials have been working to clean up, restore and protect the bay, which is the world’s largest freshwater estuary. If the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grants the designation it would mean more than one million dollars in federal and state funding each year for water research, education, stewardship, and training. The funding would start in 2024. A virtual public kick-off event is set for April 12th – with U-S Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Mike Gallagher featured.
Rochester police say a man from Owatonna was found passed out behind the wheel at an intersection with a child in his vehicle. Thirty-seven-year-old Wyatt Jackson was found in the left turn lane Saturday night and stayed at the light through three cycles before people started knocking on his window. Officers say Jackson failed a sobriety test and an open beer can and a small amount of cocaine were found in the car. His five-year-old daughter was in the backseat. Jackson told police they had been at a birthday party.
National Guard troops based in Waukesha are heading to the Middle East. 50 members of the 135th Medical Company will help with the medical mission for U-S and coalition forces. Many of these soldiers spent much of the past year administering Wisconsin's coronavirus testing effort.
A Stevens Point firefighter who has been on leave without pay since last September won’t be coming back to the job. Casey Bielen was the focus of a series of investigations and hearings by the city’s Police and Fire Commission. Bielen had been accused of failing to report to work on time, trying to report to work while under the influence of alcohol, and misconduct over his alleged social media activity. The Commission's decision to terminate his employment was announced Monday. Bielen was reportedly given a “last chance” letter in January of last year. At least two women have said they received lewd and unwanted messages from the former firefighter, while he was both on-duty and off-duty. No criminal charges have been filed against him.
Now that snowmobile trails are closed for the season, it's time to find a good, reliable place to store your sled. State consumer protection administrator Lara Sutherlin says that if you don't have your own storage, you should find a facility that's registered and properly insured. You can find out more about Public Warehouse Keepers and find a list of nearby locations online at D A T C P dot W I dot Gov.
With more space at the Kalahari Resort, organizers of the Sportsman’s Expo say they were able to attract crowds comparable to 2019 while maintaining social distancing. Outdoor Season moves its annual event to the resort from Madison’s Alliant Energy Center last weekend. The convention had been canceled last year. This time the expo included more than 200 vendors selling products for all outdoor activities, including deer hunting equipment, fishing boats, and even turkey calls.
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