The City of Durand is beginning discussions with the Durand Rural Fire Department to replace a 30yr old fire truck for the City and Rural Fire Departments. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the discussion is on how to pay for a possible new ladder truck. One of the biggest issues will be the spitting of costs for the new truck between the city and the rural fire departments.
Isolated severe storms moved through parts of Western Wisconsin yesterday. A tornado was reported near Bruce that caused damage to a shed, home, and other tree damage. Meanwhile in Chippewa County 2" hail fell from Bloomer to Eagleton causing tree and crop damage. There are more chances for showers and storms this weekend.
A Menomonie man thinks his dog died of toxins in Lake Menomin earlier this month. Cody Christianson brought his pet, Bing, to Wakanda Park, which is on the lake. He says he and the dog had been there many times before. Because it was a hot day, Bing ran into the water to cool down. A few minutes later he was foaming from the mouth and having seizures. Bing died at a veterinarian’s office. The vet said his dog’s liver toxicity levels were “off the charts.” That suggests the dog was killed by blue-green algae blooms in the lake.
A federal judge has denied a motion by the City of Eau Claire to keep a civil trial there. Tyler Holte was shot twice by an Eau Claire police officer after a pursuit five years ago. He was in a stolen vehicle at the time. The city argued the likely witnesses live in Eau Claire and a change of venue would be inconvenient. Holte’s attorney objected. U-S District Judge James D. Peterson said in his ruling that courts usually defer to the plaintiff’s choice of location for such a trial.
Authorities in northwest Wisconsin say two men are dead after a crash involving a dump truck near Cumberland. The Barron County Sheriff's Office says a car driven by 19-year-old Damien Weiss of Turtle Lake crossed the centerline on Highway 48 and collided with the truck. Weiss and his passenger - 21-year-old Dallas McDowell of Amery - died at the scene. The dump truck driver from Chippewa Falls suffered minor injuries. The crash closed Highway 48 for about eight hours Wednesday afternoon.
State health officials report ten of Minnesota's 87 counties have reached the 70-percent vaccination rate for COVID-19. Six of the counties are in the Twin Cities and the four in Greater Minnesota are Cook, Olmsted, Houston, and Carlton. Seven more counties have vaccination rates of at least 65 percent. The list includes Fillmore, Wabasha, and Goodhue. Governor Walz had hoped that 70 percent of eligible residents statewide would be vaccinated by July 1st. The current statewide rate is 66-and-a-half percent.
The USDA said more help is on the way for agricultural producers and dairy farmers. The Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative will help farmers who have been struggling. For dairy farmers, a new program will provide $400 million to address food insecurity and waste and $580 million will be made available to support the dairy margin coverage program. There will also be up to $20 million available for organic farms or producers transitioning to organic farming, and $700 million available in grants for protection measures like PPE for those in agriculture to protect themselves against COVID-19.
Minnesota is set to test a pilot program to offer same-day printing of driver's licenses. The more than two million dollars for the program comes out of a provision in the state transportation bill. The program will be tested in Moorhead and Lakeville. Same-day service will only be available for standard licenses, not enhanced or REAL I-D. Currently, temporary cards are provided after application for a license until the traditional card is delivered by mail.
Governor Tony Evers says the state will use 140-million dollars in federal relief funding to award grants for tourist and entertainment-related businesses. The program will invest in live event venues, movie theaters, summer camps, minor league sports, and the lodging industry. Department of Tourism interim Secretary Anne Sayers said, "from leisure travelers looking to reconnect with friends and family to business travelers attending meetings and conventions, these dollars will be crucial to help our industry bounce back." The Wisconsin Departments of Administration and Revenue will award the grants with American Rescue Plan funding.
This weekend marks Christmas in June for HAM Radio enthusiasts. They'll be out testing and fine-tuning their equipment while attempting to make contact with others from around the globe. Gary Harrison with the Wisconsin Valley Radio Amateurs says the event helps them practice for worst-case, emergency scenarios. This weekend's annual amateur radio activity was first organized in 1933.
Leave your money at home when you attend this year’s Wisconsin State Fair. Just bring your plastic – or buy tickets in advance. The 170th annual fair is scheduled to kick off on August 5th and run through August 15th. There was no fair last year during the coronavirus pandemic. Fair organizers are adopting a cashless model for parking and admissions and people are being encouraged to buy their tickets in advance. As a safety measure, vendors won’t be offering reusable souvenir cups and this year’s events won’t include any eating competitions.
Wisconsin’s meat and dairy labeling legislation is a step closer to becoming law. Three bills passed the State Assembly Tuesday that would require food labels not to use terms like milk, cheese, and yogurt for non-dairy products. Representative Travis Tranel . Another bill would stop cultured or plant-based meat substitutes from using the term “meat.”
Leaders of the School District of Flambeau have been criminally charged over grade fixing accusations. Superintendent Erica Schley and School Board President Julie Hauser are accused of failing to hold a meeting to hear a teacher’s official complaint. The teacher reported that Schley’s husband, Jeff, threatened him if the teacher didn’t change his daughter’s grade. The threat was allegedly made in January. Jeff Schley is charged with disorderly conduct and his wife is charged with misconduct in office and disorderly conduct. Hauser is charged with two counts of misconduct in office. The teacher involved says state law requires a public hearing when an official complaint is filed.
Republicans on the state budget committee have included 202 million dollars to cover the cost of ending a tax that Wisconsin businesses pay on the property. The tax has long been on the chopping block. Democratic Governor Tony Evers hasn’t said whether he will sign or veto the bill that has bipartisan support. The measure made it through two committees Wednesday. One of them was the Joint Finance Committee. A vote by the full Legislature is expected to come next week.
The Assembly has passed legislation that would use federal coronavirus relief money to save two closed paper mills. The bill would make a 50-million-dollar loan available to a cooperative wanting to buy the Verso paper mill in Wisconsin Rapids. It would also loan 15 million dollars to a second cooperative to buy the mill in Park Falls formerly known as Flambeau River Papers. The Verso mill operated in Wisconsin Rapids for more than a century and had 900 employees when it ceased operations last summer. Governor Tony Evers is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his office.
An overwhelming majority of Wisconsin businesses say they can’t find workers. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce says its latest Wisconsin Employer Survey shows 86-percent of business owners say they struggled to hire people this year. W-M-C’s Kurt Bauer says he wants Governor Evers to immediately end the extra 300 dollars a week in federal unemployment benefits that W-M-C says is keeping people from returning to work. He also wants lawmakers to look at worker training and retention programs.
A new study says very few Wisconsin jail inmates voted in the last election. About half of the 13-thousand people in jail in Wisconsin are eligible to vote, but a new study says just 50 of them did in the last election. The League of Women Voters cites a report by the group All Voting is Local. The report says that while sheriffs and jailers have improved access to voting, there’s more that can be done. Wisconsin law says anyone who is behind bars and has not been convicted of a felony can vote. Many people in jail are waiting for trial, and have not been convicted yet.
State Lawmakers want to declare Wisconsin a Second Amendment sanctuary. The State Senate has passed a bill that would put Wisconsin on the record as being against a federal gun registry, federal gun seizures, and as being against certain federal gun laws. The State Assembly approved the same bill earlier this month. The proposal is highly unlikely to become law. Governor Evers has promised to veto the bill.
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