The Durand-Arkansaw School Board is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include a reorganization of the board after the spring election, approval of board committee assignments, and the posting for a new IT manager. Tonight's meeting begins at 6pm at Durand High School.
The City of Durand decided not to change the curb that will be installed on Drier Street this summer as part of the 3rd Ave East reconstruction project. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city has always installed the traditional barrier curb in all of its street projects. Milliren admits there are some access issues for property owners because of the barrier curb, but the city will work with each individual owner to address those issues. Work has begun on the project and is expected to continue through the summer.
With the spring planting season underway, Pepin County Sheriff Joel Wener reminds motorists it is illegal to pass a farm implement of husbandry in a no-passing zone. Wener says even if the farmer waves you around, you are still not allowed to pass in the no-passing zone.
A southeast Minnesota teen is expected to plead guilty to killing his younger brother in Eyota. The Olmsted County Attorney's Office charged 18-year-old Kaleb Smith with second-degree murder and felony assault in juvenile court after the death of the five-year-old boy last June. Smith has since agreed to plead guilty to a first-degree manslaughter charge. The criminal complaint says Smith told investigators this brother had been sent to his room and was "kicking and hitting the bed and flopping like a fish." Smith said he went into his room and put his hand over his mouth for "one to two minutes" and pinched his nose until he became unresponsive. Their mother had left home for a short period and returned to find the boy and called 9-1-1. He died in the hospital.
A La Crosse police officer is recovering from injuries he suffered Monday night when a suspected drunk driver hit his squad car. Nineteen-year-old Jacob Schwalbach was arrested on several charges, including operating while under the influence causing injury. The officer’s name wasn’t released. He was treated and released from a local hospital. Investigators say Schwalbach failed to stop at a red light and slammed his vehicle into the squad car while going about 45 miles an hour. Schwalbach is scheduled to return to court next week.
Another sign of summer as state-funded ATV and UTV trails in Eau Claire County is set to open. The Eau Claire County Parks and Forestry Department announced that the trails will open this Friday. Trails are reported in good condition and trail riders are reminded to stay on the trails as off-trail riding is prohibited.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled against a man who argued his Second Amendment rights outweighed a state law barring people from using a gun while intoxicated. The court upheld Mitchell Christen’s conviction Tuesday. His attorney had argued the Wisconsin law was unconstitutional as it was applied to his case. On a six-to-one vote, the state’s high court upheld a state appeals court ruling rejecting his constitutional claim. Justice Rebecca Bradley was the lone vote. She said the courts’ rulings erode fundamental freedom.
The deadline for Wisconsin taxpayers is coming up in two weeks. The lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic led officials to extend the deadline by a month, but – like always – paying taxes is inevitable. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue is reminding people that this year’s tax day is May 17th. About two-and-a-half million people have already filed their taxes, so they won’t be affected. Wisconsin is home to about three million taxpayers. The state is encouraging people to file online and that’s a job that can be done at the Department of Revenue’s e-file website.
Minnesota Republicans are calling on Governor Tim Walz to set a clear date for ending his emergency powers. Walz is expected to announce a significant loosening of COVID restrictions Thursday. House Deputy Minority Leader Anne Neu (NOO) Brindley said, "the governor is saying we'll have a pretty close-to-normal State Fair. And if that's the case, my goodness, it's clear the emergency is over." The Minnesota State Fair is still three-and-a-half months away. The governor will likely keep a statewide mask mandate in place when he dials back COVID restrictions. It would be difficult for Walz to do that if he relinquished his emergency powers.
Two Wisconsin men have been released pending a virtual hearing in federal court next week. Brandon Nelson of Madison and Abram Markofski of La Crosse appeared in person Monday in the federal courtroom in Madison. Nelson and Markofski face four federal charges for entering the Capitol Building in Washington, D-C on January 6th. Federal prosecutors say they have found a photo that shows the two were present. Nelson told investigators Capitol police officers were guiding people inside, though Markofski didn’t confirm that version when he was interviewed.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit Wisconsin’s job market hard, but apparently not as hard as neighboring states. A report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum says Wisconsin experienced a total job loss of five-point-two percent over the last year. That is a smaller number than Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. It’s also better than the national average. Analysis shows most of the lost jobs in the U-S came in service sector areas like restaurants. Those jobs make up a smaller percentage of the Badger State economy than they do in neighboring states.
The Mid-America Business Conditions report for April shows an economy in Wisconsin and eight other Midwest and Plains states coming back to life as the COVID-19 pandemic eases. The monthly survey by Creighton University economist Ernie Goss puts the region’s overall index at its highest reading in almost three decades. More than half of the 106-thousand manufacturing jobs that were lost during the pandemic have been regained. April’s index was 73-point-nine. Any score above 50 suggests growth, while scores below 50 suggest recession.
Officials with Amtrak say a 53-million-dollar project of rail improvements would allow train service between Chicago and St. Paul to double. Tracks would be upgraded in Wisconsin and Minnesota along the Empire Builder route. Those trains make stops in Tomah and La Crosse. Amtrak says the work would allow it to expand its service from one to two daily roundtrip trains. A majority of the 53-million dollars would come from the federal government. Work is scheduled to begin in 2023.
Waukesha County investigators have been unable to discern motive, in a double-murder at the Roundy’s warehouse in Oconomowoc. The sheriff’s department is closing its investigation without a clear motive. Officers say Fraron Cornelius shot and killed Kevin Kloth and Kevin Schneider on March 16th, then fled from police before killing himself. Investigators say they combed through Cornelius' past, but could not find a possible reason for the killings.
The Minnesota State Fair is hosting a "Kickoff to Summer at the Fair" on Memorial Day weekend. Organizers say the walk-around event will be five days of food, live music, shopping and family fun at the State Fairgrounds. A lottery process will be used to randomly select people for an opportunity to purchase tickets. Tickets are 12-50 each and children four and under are free with a child ticket. Lottery registration is open now through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, May 6th. More information can be found at mnstatefair-dot-org.
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