Durand first responders responded to a body found in the Chippewa River near the Veterans Memorial Monday afternoon. According to the Pepin County Sheriff's Department, a female had an apparent medical incident and fell into the water was deceased. No other information was available and the identity of the victim has been withheld pending notification of family members.
One person was injured in a one-vehicle accident in Union Township on Sunday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 33yr old Jake King of Plum City was traveling southbound on Hwy U when he crossed left of center in the opposite lane of traffic and down an embankment in the east ditch and overturned. King was taken to Mayo Hospital in Red Wing.
One person was injured in an ATV accident in Oak Grove Township on Sunday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, a 15yr old was operating an ATV near Hwy QQ and 570th Avenue, lost control, and rolled over. The juvenile was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
A 19yr old Menomonie man already charged with sexual assault is now facing new charges. Wyatt Holcomb is now accused of sexually assaulting a girl starting when she was 6 and lasting until she was 11. The girl told police of three different incidents involving Holcomb. He was recently charged with sexually assaulting a girl when she was 9 until she was 13. He could face up to 150 yrs in prison if convicted of both crimes.
An Eau Claire man has been sentenced to 10yrs in prison for distributing Methamphetamine. According to the US Attorneys' office for the Western District of Wisconsin, 33yr old Zachary Tepsa was handed the sentence from US District Judge James Peterson. Tepsa pleaded guilty to charges of distributing 5 grams or more of methamphetamine after being arrested in March of 2019 after selling 12.9 grams of meth to a confidential informant in Eau Claire.
After declining last week, the nation’s average gas prices have begun to climb again, rising 2.5 cents per gallon from a week ago to $3.09, according to GasBuddy. The national average now stands 4.7 cents higher than a month ago and 92.1 cents higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has risen 2.3 cents in the last week and stands at $3.24 per gallon. Gas Buddy’s Patrick De Haan states, “As we approach July 4, it appears the only way forward is for gas prices to continue to rise as Americans’ demand for gasoline continues to act as a catalyst.” Here in Western Wisconsin, average gas prices are approaching the $3 per gallon level.
Realtors say there simply is a lot of demand for homes right now. Wisconsin house prices are skyrocketing, but buyers are still willing to pay. One Realtor estimates there are 10-to-15 buyers for every house on the market. That means they have to be aggressive when making an offer. The Wisconsin Realtors Association is reporting prices in Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, and Wausau are starting to fall off a little bit, but demand is still strong in Marshfield and other locations. If interest rates start to rise, that could cool the market off – but realtors say they don’t think this is a “bubble” like in 2008.
Triple-A is citing a nationwide prediction that more than 47-million Americans will plan a vacation around the 4th of July holiday. Triple-A says that is near recovery levels from travel lows seen last year and could make 20-21 the busiest 4th of July for travel on record. The travel predictions for the upcoming holiday represent an increase of nearly 40-percent compared to last year.
The Commissioner of Agriculture for Minnesota is concerned about worsening drought conditions in the state and says dryness has been an issue in northwest Minnesota for quite a while. Commissioner Them Peterson says things have gotten progressively worse over the last month. Now more than 20 counties are classified in the D-2 severe drought stage and many crops are being affected.
A conservative law firm is taking another shot at getting the courts to ban the use of absentee ballot drop boxes. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a lawsuit in Waukesha County on Monday that challenges the use of drop boxes. Two previous challenges to drop boxes went unheard by the State Supreme Court over procedural issues, and WILL says a legal issue still needs to be resolved. Drop boxes are officially recognized by the state Elections Commission and are encouraged for use, but conservatives, bolstered by claims from former President Trump, say they violate state law on the collection of ballots.
The State Supreme Court will not hear a lawsuit about how ballot boxes were used during the 2020 presidential election. In a 4-3 decision on Friday, Justice Brian Hagedorn joined the court's liberal justices in deciding against hearing the challenge from conservative businessman Jere Fabick. Fabick had directly asked the court to stop absentee ballot boxes from being used in future elections and to stop clerks from helping people fix absentee ballot envelopes. The majority rejected the petition on procedural grounds. A package of bills that would address these concerns was sent to Governor Ever's desk last week. He's expected to veto them
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is expected to rule Tuesday on a convicted killer’s request for a new trial. George Burch was found guilty of the 2016 killing of Nicole Vanderheyden of Ledgeview. His attorney says Burch’s Fourth Amendment rights were violated by investigators with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office when they extracted data from his cell phone after it was originally seized by the Green Bay Police Department in an unrelated case. Arguments were offered in April. The case made national news because Fitbit and Google data were offered as evidence during the trial.
The Wisconsin legislature is scheduled to vote on a state budget this week. With a historic 4-point-4 billion dollar surplus to work with, the Republican majority on the budget committee has included more than three billion dollars in tax cuts. It includes the elimination of the personal property tax for businesses, as well as income tax reductions. Republicans also put more aid to K-12 education into the budget, in order to secure about 2-point-3 billion in federal education funding. If passed by the Assembly on Tuesday and the Senate Wednesday, the budget goes to Governor Tony Evers, who can use his extensive veto authority on portions of it, or veto it altogether.
Minnesota’s attorney general says the 22-year sentence given to former police officer Derek Chauvin was “fair.” A-G Keith Ellison says the death of George Floyd last year was particularly cruel – especially since it happened in front of some children. Ellison says he wants to see Congress pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. He adds he isn’t totally satisfied with the outcome because nothing will bring Floyd back. Chauvin still faces federal charges accusing him of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
Wisconsin’s coronavirus vaccine effort is the slowest it’s ever been. Wisconsin health professionals administered about 35-thousand doses last week. That number is sure to go up, but there’s a long way to go to reach the 73-thousand doses administered the week before. Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin has been steadily dropping since April.
Minnesota livestock producers say they are worried about the drought’s effect on the hay supply. Many dairy farmers depend on alfalfa hay to feed their herds. During the dry spell, there is nothing they can do but watch their fields dry up. One farmer says he normally can cut his alfalfa four times during a growing season. So far this year he’s only cut it once. The problem is widespread enough that it could lead to a Midwest hay shortage. They keep holding out hope saying it only takes one good rainfall to get things going. It was dry last year in Stearns County until July when the rains came.
The usual summer ending of Minnesota wildfire season may be missing this year. Minnesota authorities say they are bracing for an extended season. Wildfires in this state are usually the worst in spring and fall, but the problem easies when trees and plants are fully green and more rain starts to fall. Federal meteorologists are expecting dry conditions to last through the summer this time. More than half of Minnesota is experiencing drought conditions. The state had seen more wildfires by mid-June this year than it had in all of 2020. A normal season is about 12-hundred wildfires, but the state has had more than 14-hundred already.
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