On Saturday, three people were injured in a two-vehicle accident at the Hwy 25-35 intersection in Nelson Township. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, 28yr old Kylie Barningham of Pepin was traveling eastbound on Hwy 35 and attempting to turn north onto Hwy 25 when she failed to yield and was struck by a westbound vehicle driven by 43yr old Christina Gbejewoh of Woodbury, MN. Barningham, Gbejewoh, and a minor child were all taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion on the Main Street Bounce Back Program, approval of CBS Squared to administer the CDBG Grant for the North Eau Claire Street project for a fee of $20,000, and discussion of Airbnb rentals in the city. Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.
Business owners have a new grant program from the state of Wisconsin. The Main Street Bounceback grant will provide up to $10,000 to new or existing businesses and non-profit organizations moving into vacant properties in the downtown or commercial corridors. The fund can be sued to pay leases or mortgages, operational expenses, and other business costs related to the newly opened location. Grant funds are part of the American Recovery Plan Act and will be distributed by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation's regional partners. For more information visit the WEDC website.
A local bank is expanding. Security Financial Bank announced yesterday it has completed its merger with Jackson County Bank. The combined entity, which will operate as Security Financial Bank, now has about $850 million in assets and 150 employees. “We are pleased to announce the completion of our merger with Jackson County Bank,” said Paul Rudersdorf, SFB president and CEO. “We welcome our new employees and clients to Security Financial Bank and look forward to being part of the local community.” Established in 1934 in Durand, Security Financial Bank is a locally-owned financial institution now with offices in Alma Center, Black River Falls, Bloomer, Durand, Eau Claire, Ladysmith, and River Falls.
The extreme drought conditions in the Upper Midwest are putting honey production at risk in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Beekeeper Eske Bennetsen at River Road Honey Farm in Prescott, Wisconsin says the three-point-six million bees on his farm usually produce 85 pounds of honey per hive. This year, Bennetsen says the average is only 50 pounds per hive and he blames the dry conditions. Wildflowers aren’t blooming when it is so dry. The drought is causing plants to produce fewer flowers, which means less nectar and pollen for the bees. The dropoff comes on the heels of a record-setting year in 2020. Minnesota and Wisconsin are two of the top-producing states for honey.
A Facebook post from Fort McCoy reports the first Afghan refugees started arriving over the weekend. Special immigrant visa applicants, their families, and other individuals at risk are included in the group arriving at the military facility near Tomah. Afghan citizens have been flying into Volk Field Air National Guard base, then being transported to Fort McCoy. The Pentagon had approved a request from the Army to house and support the refugees at the base. About one thousand service members from the U-S Army and U-S Army Reserve will provide support to Operations Allies Refuge.
Cardinal Raymond Burke has been taken off the ventilator and returned to a regular hospital room in Wisconsin. Burke was hospitalized after he tested positive for COVID-19 while visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse. The 73-year-old Burke is one of the Roman Catholic Church’s most outspoken conservatives and a vaccine skeptic. He served as bishop in the Diocese of La Crosse before becoming archbishop in St. Louis. He left Missouri in 2008 to oversee the Vatican Supreme Court, becoming the first American to hold that position. Burke was moved out of the court in 2014 and he has been a critic of the Pope since returning to the U-S.
The State of Wisconsin offers a 100-dollar payout to anyone who gets their first COVID-19 shot between now and Labor Day. The money comes in the form of a VISA gift card. The incentive offer was announced the same day one of the three available shots received the stamp of approval from the F-D-A. Neighboring Minnesota just wrapped up a similar program after nearly 80-thousand people applied for the reward.
A conservative group wants the state Supreme Court to take jurisdiction over redistricting in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is suing to have the court step in, if Governor Evers and Legislature fail to agree on new congressional district maps. WILL is also asking the justices to redistrict "making the least number of changes to the existing maps as are necessary." The existing maps were drawn by Republican lawmakers in 2011. The lawsuit comes after Democrats sued in federal court, asking a three-judge panel to redraw Wisconsin's political maps.
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A Missouri man who rescued two children Sunday afternoon has died after he was pulled out of the water. The incident happened in Lake Michigan at about 3:00 p-m. The man jumped into the water to help two children who were in distress near the North Pier. After helped them to safety, he never emerged from the water. The man was found about an hour later and he was taken to a hospital, but doctors weren’t able to save him. His name hasn’t been released.
The executive committee of the Wisconsin Republican Party has elected a new state leader. Paul Farrow will replace Andrew Hitt as party chairman. Hitt recently gave up the position after two years. As state party chairman, Farrow will oversee party strategy and fundraising in preparation for the 2022 election cycle. Hitt will continue his role on the executive committee as immediate past chairman. Farrow plans to continue his work as Waukesha County executive. He previously served terms in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate.
More than two dozen people have died so far this year in ATV/UTV crashes in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says most of those 26 crash victims were not wearing helmets or seatbelts, which are two things the agency recommends for the safe operation of offroad vehicles. Alcohol was also a factor in a number of fatal crashes. Lieutenant Martin Stone, DNR Off-Highway Vehicle Administrator, said nearly half of this year's fatalities were due to rollover crashes, and that monitoring speed and using caution on rough terrain is critical. He said some terrain in Wisconsin is too steep for ATVs and UTVs.
Two months after former President Donald Trump harshly criticized Wisconsin’s Assembly Speaker over election fraud, the two politicians rode a private plane to a rally in Alabama Saturday. Republican State Representative Robin Vos says he spent the day explaining his plans to restore integrity and trust in Wisconsin elections. Vos says Republicans have doubled down on their top-to-bottom investigation led by special counsel Michael Gableman. Trump had accused Vos in June of working to help cover up the fraud that he insists did happen during the 2020 presidential election. Vos says he will keep the former president updated on the investigation.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is trying to put a halt to a lawsuit in tribal court over the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project. The D-N-R filed its legal action in federal court last week. The White Earth Band of Ojibwe had sued the D-N-R claimed the state agency had taken actions on the pipeline that threatened the protection of tribal land. The replacement pipeline runs from Alberta, Canada to the Enbridge terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. In its federal suit, the state agency claims no part of Line 3 crosses any part of the White Earth Reservation – meaning the tribal court doesn’t have jurisdiction.
Late summer is the time to "fight the bite" of illness-bearing mosquitoes in Wisconsin. On average, 44 human cases of illnesses spread by mosquitoes - Eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile Virus - are reported to public health agencies in Wisconsin each year, with many more mild infections going undiagnosed. Eastern equine encephalitis is spread through the bite of a mosquito carrying the virus, which mosquitoes can get after biting an infected bird. It can cause severe symptoms up to and including death. The state Department of Health Services recommends eliminating mosquito breeding habitat on your property, and wearing repellent and protective clothing when outdoors.
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