Pepin County Economic Development has created a Facebook group for Pepin County Business Owners. The purpose of the group is to allow the Economic Development Team to communicate with Business Owners about opportunities the team is working on or to alert business owners of future opportunities. Currently, the Economic Development team is working on a $15 million dollar grant that was announced to try and create more marketing for employment in Pepin County and increase tourism. Business owners should watch their social media accounts for an invitation to join the group.
The City of Mondovi is preparing for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new wastewater treatment plant. Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says they hope to have the ceremony in mid-September. Construction is expected to last over the winter and it's hoped the new plant will be operational sometime in late 2022.
Xcel Energy customers can expect to pay more on their electric bills. Xcel Energy is requesting raises over the next two years. The proposed rate increase would result in an average monthly electric bill increase by $5.50 in 2022 and then an additional $4.25 per month in 2023. Natural gas rates would rise by $4.65 in 2022 and $1.20 in 2023. The rate increase is subject to approval by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.
Five months after an English teacher in the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District was placed on administrative leave it has been determined her comments weren’t racist after all. The district had previously said the teacher used language that was offensive and inappropriate. The incident had been recorded by a student during class two years ago. It just went public in April. Interviews of the teacher and students who were in the classroom at the time showed the teacher had made statements as part of an anti-racism lesson while studying the book, To Kill a Mockingbird. The video took the comments out of context. The teacher’s name hasn’t been released.
Roman Catholic Cardinal Raymond Burke says he will begin rehabilitation after contracting COVID-19. Burke tweeted three weeks ago that he had tested positive. One of the church’s most outspoken conservatives was sedated and placed on a ventilator. His staff tweeted the tube had been removed last week and he had been moved out of intensive care and into a hospital room. Burke tweeted Saturday thanking God for his healing and saying he is about to begin what he called “intensive rehabilitation.” After that, he said he will go through an extended convalescence and that means he won’t be able to respond to those who wish him well.
The sentence is life in prison without parole for the man convicted of a deadly April 2020 shooting in South St. Paul. A Dakota County judge found 20-year-old Marcelino Santiago Lopez guilty of the first-degree murder of 20-year-old Brandon Nieves and the second-degree attempted murder of a 16-year-old boy. Prosecutors say Lopez arranged a fight with Nieves because he was in a romantic relationship with his ex-girlfriend. The criminal complaint says he fired his shotgun at people getting out and struck Nieves and the other victim. Nieves died at the scene and the teen was hospitalized in critical condition.
A member of Wisconsin Natural Resources Board whose term has expired continues to maintain he can stay on. In a recent court filing, attorneys for Fred Prehn of Wausau argue state law and past Supreme Court rulings support his contention that he can continue serving until a successor is confirmed by the state Senate. Prehn is asking a Dane County court to declare he can remain until that occurs, and that he's legally in the post. Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul has filed a lawsuit seeking to force out the appointee of former Governor Scott Walker - either through court order or a declaration that Governor Tony Evers has authority to remove him for his own appointee.
A federal panel of judges has granted a Republican request to let lawmakers intervene in a suit over redistricting. A second request to intervene by voting advocacy groups is still pending. The court wants to consolidate the suits and has given all parties until next Tuesday to show reasons why that shouldn’t happen. The lawsuit over redistricting was brought by Democrats last month. They want the federal court to draw the next set of political maps for Wisconsin. They argue state lawmakers and Governor Tony Evers aren’t likely to reach a timely consensus.
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Republican legislators have approved former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to oversee an election investigation. There was no public hearing prior to Monday's 5-3 vote in committee. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has ordered the review, and Gableman is authorized to spend some 680-thousand dollars to assist the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections. He can also hire private investigators and other staff, if necessary. Governor Tony Evers called the probe "outrageous" and a waste of money on Monday. In a weekend newsletter, Vos stated that "a cyber forensic audit is necessary to ensure issues did not happen in 2020."
The wife of Wisconsin State Senator Andre Jacque is asking people who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to “please consider placing their trust in the medical professionals who recommend it.” Her husband is hospitalized and on a ventilator just days after being diagnosed with the virus. A Republican colleague went public on August 20th saying Jacque was in “serious need of your prayers.” He went on the ventilator on August 23rd and his condition was listed as stable. Jacque has been a strong opponent of face mask mandates and the conservative was criticized for not wearing one while speaking at a hearing in a packed conference room at the Capitol a few weeks ago.
A Wisconsin man pleads guilty to being inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. David Mish becomes the latest January 6th defendant to plead guilty to a misdemeanor. Mish faces up to six months in prison when sentenced in November - although those who’ve pleaded guilty to the same charge have been getting no prison time. The West Allis man acknowledged calling DC police on January 7 to report that he had information about the shooting of Ashli Babbitt. Federal prosecutors alleged Mish was in close proximity to where Babbitt was shot, while unlawfully in Capitol.
The Red Cross continues to deal with a blood shortage, even as public drives at the UW-Systems restart. Spokeswoman Laura McGuire says that continued disasters around the country, combined with COVID have shortened the blood supply. Log on to Red Cross Blood dot Org to find a local blood center or blood drive near you.
If you're planning to make a charitable donation for victims of Hurricane Ida, Susan Bach with the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin suggests doing some research. Bach says donating money is the quickest way to help and provides charities the flexibility to channel resources to impacted areas.
A new survey shows the summer tourism season was strong across Minnesota. Explore Minnesota interim director Leann Kispert says the majority of Minnesota businesses reported growing or stable financial health. But Kispert says that story is mixed as only about 34-percent of businesses reported to be at pre-pandemic levels. Kispert says they are also projecting a strong fall tourism season.
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