Two Wisconsin counties have reached "critically high" levels of COVID-19 disease activity. That category had been eliminated from the state Department of Health Services dashboard back in January, but Forest and Buffalo counties have both hit critically high levels, meaning they have a case burden of over 1,000 cases per 100,000 people. The statewide case burden is also very high. DHS confirmed 3,426 cases on Wednesday, the first time since early January that Wisconsin topped 3,400 cases. DHS also reported 20 COVID-related deaths on Wednesday.
The Durand Police Department is working on a grant to purchase some portable stop signs that would be used near the school. The signs would be placed at the crosswalks when children are present in the morning and afternoon and would also be used at the crosswalk across Hwy 85 at the Bauer Built Sports Complex during sporting events.
Area residents will have a chance to experience the daily operations of law enforcement as the Durand Police Department has announced it will be holding a citizens academy in April. The program will offer participants hands-on activities covering a variety of topics including traffic stops, use of force, and law enforcement scenarios. For more information contact the Durand Police Department.
A local electric co-op is warning its members of a phone scam. Eau Claire Energy Co-Op says over 100 of its members received a phone call from scammers saying the member has an overdue bill and if it's not paid within 10 minutes the power will be disconnected. The scammers have spoofed the Co-Op's phone number so it appears the Co-Op is actually making the call. Co-Op leaders say while they do make calls to remind people of overdue bills they do not threaten disconnection and do not ask for payment over the phone.
Authorities are identifying the two people killed when their car rear-ended a semi on Interstate 90 in Monroe County. The Wisconsin State Patrol says a vehicle driven by 24-year-old Jace Scholler of La Crosse struck the rear end of the truck, went under the trailer, and caught fire. His passenger - 27-year-old Hannah Hood from Tomah - also died in the crash. State troopers say the semi was disabled on the shoulder Monday night and Scholler's car didn't have its headlights on at the time. The 30-year-old man driving the semi wasn't injured.
The state has reached a settlement with an online ticket company. Wisconsin is part of a multi-state settlement with StubHub for its refusal to give refunds to people who bought tickets to concerts, sports, and other events that were canceled due to COVID-19. StubHub told customers they would receive account credits equal to 120 percent of their purchases to be used for future events, but denied refund requests. Customers who purchased tickets before the March 25, 2020 policy change and had their events canceled can receive a full refund of the amount they paid for tickets, or they can choose to keep their account credits.
Port Washington police say an officer may have saved a man’s life last weekend by pulling him out of a burning condominium. Officer Tony Becker was the first emergency responder to arrive on the scene at about 5:30 p-m Sunday. Port Washington police headquarters is just a few blocks from the location of the burning building. A woman was already out, but she told Becker her husband was inside. Bodycam video shows Becker entering the condo as he looked for the man. He yelled at him to crawl, then grabbed him and helped him escape the flames and smoke.
Minnesota is celebrating the agricultural education profession today and trying to raise awareness about the growing demand for teachers. Governor Tim Walz declared September 16th as "Teach Ag Day in Minnesota." More than 35-thousand students receive school-based agricultural, food, and natural resource (AFNR) education in grades 7-12. The state has nearly 300 ag teachers in over 200 programs. Twenty-seven school districts have added ag education programs since 2007 which required 75 more teaching positions.
The Minnesota Supreme Court Wednesday overturned the third-degree murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor in the 2017 shooting of Justine Damond. Noor's attorneys challenged the third-degree murder charge saying it did not fit the crime. During his trial, Noor testified he feared an ambush when Damond walked up to the squad car and shot across his partner, killing the 40-year-old Australian woman. A jury convicted Noor of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and he was sentenced to over 12 years in prison. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says he is “disappointed” in the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the third-degree murder conviction of Mohamed Noor. The manslaughter case has been remanded to the trial court for re-sentencing and Freeman says he will seek the maximum sentence possible.
A Dane County man faces up to six months in federal prison for his role in the January 6th riot at the U-S Capitol. Twenty-nine-year-old Brandon Nelson pleaded guilty during a video hearing today (Wednesday) to a misdemeanor charge of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. Nelson traveled to Washington D-C with Abram Markofski of La Crosse to attend a Trump rally challenging the election results. Prosecutors say Nelson entered the Capitol through a door in the Senate wing and was inside the building for 90 minutes. Markofski pleaded guilty to the same charges as Nelson on September 1st. Both will be sentenced on December 10th.
The Minnesota Supreme Court is now hearing the case involving the wording of the proposed ballot question on replacing the Minneapolis Police Department. Backers of the measure appealed after a Hennepin County judge late Tuesday rejected the third version that city officials proposed, saying the wording is misleading and "does not ensure that voters are able to understand the essential purpose of the proposed amendment." Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea (GIL-day) asked attorneys for informal memoranda by close of business Wednesday. The high court is under pressure for a quick ruling, as ballots have already been printed and early voting begins Friday.
Conditions are reportedly improving for Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy. The Department of Homeland Security confirms reports of past food shortages but says the problem has since been fixed. D-H-S says some refugees are still waiting for new clean clothes. There are about 13-thousand refugees at the western Wisconsin military base. So far, there’s no word on when they will be allowed to leave, or where they will go.
A 52-year-old Brockway woman is being held in the Jackson County Jail for the killing of a man last week. The sheriff’s office is recommending first-degree intentional homicide charges be filed against Kellie Schmidt. A 9-1-1 caller told authorities last Thursday that a man needed emergency medical attention. Fifty-three-year-old Thomas Boetcher was airlifted to Marshfield Hospital where he died. Authorities say Schmidt and Boetcher lived together. They took her into custody based on information from a forensic autopsy and evidence collected at the scene.
A woman has told Marshfield police she stabbed a man Monday night after he attacked her. No names have been released. Police say officers responded to a call and when they arrived they found a man with a stab wound to his face. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. Based on the information from the woman, the man was transferred to the Wood County Jail. Authorities are asking that charges of domestic abuse-related battery, strangulation and bail jumping be filed by the Wood County District Attorney’s Office.
Cross one name off the list of potential Republican candidates for governor in 2022. WisPolitics.com reports that longtime lobbyist Bill McCoshen has indicated he doesn't plan to run, according to multiple sources. McCoshen, who served in Governor Tommy Thompson's cabinet, recently completed the sale of his lobbying firm, something viewed as a preliminary to a campaign launch. So far, former Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch is the only high-profile Republican who's running to oppose Governor Tony Evers. Others considering that include state Representative John Macco and former U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is reporting a 31-percent decrease in D-W-I arrests during the end of summer extra patrols. Officers, deputies, and state troopers arrested one-thousand-147 impaired drivers from August 20th through Labor Day. That compares with one-thousand-649 D-W-I arrests during the same period in 2020. More than 300 law enforcement agencies across Minnesota participated in the D-W-I campaign. There were also 130 citations for drivers not complying with the Ted Foss Move Over Law.
Two zebras that were briefly on the loose in the Fox Valley are home again. The zebras’ owner lives in the Seymour area. The Outagamie County sheriff's office got a tip Tuesday afternoon that the animals were loose. The sheriff’s Facebook page says it didn't take long for deputies to corral them. The incident was referred to the Department of Natural Resources, to make sure their owner is properly licensed.
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