The National Weather Service is warning against burning today. The weather services say that very low humidity values along with winds between 10-20 today will result in elevated fire conditions. Those considering any burning are advised to check for any burning restrictions. Caution is also advised in using outdoor equipment that could create a spark and start a fire. The DNR says fire danger is high across the WRDN Listening area.
The demand for the Covid-19 vaccine continues to drop in Western Wisconsin. While the state average is 40% of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, only Buffalo County is above that average at 41%. Dunn County reports 32% of its residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, Pierce County is at 35% and Pepin County is at 36%. Some local health departments are concerned that they will not be able to fill available appointments for vaccination clinics. In Chippewa County, a clinic at Jacob's Well Church will allow walk-in visits without an appointment starting today.
The Durand Fire Department responded to a brush fire in the town of Peru yesterday. A controlled burn near 650th Street and 50th Avenue got out of control. Firefighters were called when the blaze reached over an acre in size. No buildings were involved and no injuries were reported.
A local event to celebrate June Dairy Month is returning but as a drive-through event. Organizers of the annual Breakfast in the Valley announced they will hold the event on June 11. Breakfast in the Valley boxes will be available by pre-order only and will contain food items from local farms. Orders must be paid in advance and to order, call the Eau Claire Chamber at 715-834-1204.
Eau Claire Firefighters responded to a fire at Oakridge Hall at UW-Eau Claire last night. The fire was located in the basement trash area. Firefighters extinguished the fire quickly and contained it to the trash chute. Smoke was throughout the building and after it was ventilated, students were allowed back inside. The cause of the fire is under investigation and damage is estimated at $1000. No injuries were reported.
Authorities in Minnesota are identifying the western Wisconsin man shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. The Hennepin County medical examiner says 30-year-old Bradley M. Olsen from Dresser died of gunshot wounds to the chest Sunday. Investigators say Olsen carjacked a woman in Burnsville and then fired at police and crashed the stolen vehicle. Olsen was taken to a hospital where he died. Four Burnsville police officers involved in the shootout are on leave.
A Wisconsin man charged with killing his daughter in southeastern Minnesota pleaded guilty to fatally shooting the girl's mother in Milwaukee. Thirty-seven-year-old Dariaz Higgins admitted to the March 2019 intentional homicide of Sierra Robinson. A few days later the body of two-year-old Noelani Robinson was found wrapped in a blanket in Steele County. Investigators say Higgins shot Noelani in an Austin motel room before dumping her body in a ditch. He will be sentenced on July 26th for the Milwaukee murder. He still faces a second-degree murder charge for his daughter's killing in Mower County, Minnesota.
Governor Tony Evers has issued an executive order on police policies. Evers' order requires state police agencies, including the State Patrol, Capitol Police, and Department of Natural Resources, to update use-of-force policies to bar chokeholds or blocking a person's airway except in situations where deadly force is allowed. The order also requires officers to take "reasonable action" to prevent another officer from using excessive force. Evers' order was issued Wednesday, the same day as a set of recommendations from a legislative task force on racial disparities.
A bill introduced in the U-S Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Wednesday would provide more benefits and relief to Wisconsin farmers. U-S Senator Tammy Baldwin was among the backers of the so-called “P-P-P Flexibility for Farmers, Ranchers, and the Self-Employed Act.” Badger State farmers can apply even if they already received a P-P-P loan and had it forgiven. The Wisconsin Democrat says she made a change to the existing law that gives farmers the opportunity to receive a bigger benefit with more generous loans.
A group of small Wisconsin newspapers has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against online giants Google and Facebook. The papers argue the monopoly the two have will have a negative effect on American democracy. They say the control held by Google and Facebook of digital advertising threatens the existence of the papers. An attorney representing the Wisconsin papers says about a dozen similar complaints have been filed in other states.
Wisconsin’s juvenile prisons have made a “vast improvement” in meeting court-ordered changes and the overall atmosphere since December. That was in the report filed Tuesday by monitor Teresa Abreau. She visited the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma last month. Her previous report in December included details of conditions that were getting worse. Abreau says continuing concerns include programming, use of force, restraints, and some other issues. The reports are filed as part of a 2018 federal lawsuit settlement.
A report from the Speakers' Task Force on Racial Disparities includes a recommendation on police use of chokeholds. The report includes 18 recommendations, developed by the panel's Subcommittee on Law Enforcement Policies and Standards. Those include a statewide prohibition against chokeholds, except in life-threatening situations or self-defense. The task force’s Republican co-chair is Representative Jim Steineke. He says he’s optimistic many recommendations will become law. Democrat Shelia Stubbs says this is just the beginning of police reform.
The U-S Department of Justice is opening a civil investigation to determine whether the Minneapolis Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing. Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement this morning (Wednesday). Garland said, "yesterday's verdict in the state criminal trial does not address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis." Garland says if wrongdoing is discovered it's likely to bring a civil suit and a potential order from the D-O-J for the Minneapolis P-D to change its policies in a variety of areas, including use of force.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wants to help you keep black bears away from your property. Black bears are most common in northern Wisconsin, but they’ve been slowly making their way south. Outdoor grilling, bird feeders, pet food left outside, and unsecured trash cans can all attract bears. D-N-R wildlife officials say to make sure all those things are inaccessible, especially in spring. That’s when bears' natural food sources are limited. If a bear finds food on your property, it will likely return.
University of Minnesota researchers have developed a new field test for chronic wasting disease. The team reported its findings in southeast Minnesota last month, making them the first-ever scientists to successfully deploy a C-W-D field test. Researchers say the test is cheaper and produces quicker results. The U of M scientists are investigating several new approaches with the hopes of obstructing the disease's spread to deer in the state.
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