Two people were injured in a two-vehicle accident in Martell Township on Friday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 19yr old Trevor Tuenge of Elmwood was traveling eastbound on Hwy 29 when he failed to stop for a stop sign at Hwy 63 and collided with a southbound vehicle driven by 53yr old Michele Goblirsch of Hudson. Both drivers were transported to Western Wisconsin Health Hospital in Baldwin.
The City of Durand is planning on applying for a 90-10 road grant from the state of Wisconsin. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city had two possible projects that would be suitable for the grant on Hardy Street and Madison Street from 2nd Avenue East to 8th Avenue West. After some discussion, Milliren says the council decided to apply for the Madison Street project. If the city is awarded the grant, it would have 4yrs to complete the project.
Sexual assault of child charges was dismissed against a Mondovi man. Eau Claire County prosecutors asked the court to dismiss the charges against 73yr old Roger Sahs. A woman told authorities that Sahs had sexually assaulted her multiple times when she was 7yrs old. Sahs was a teacher in the Eau Claire Schol District from 1973 to 2003 and a substitute teacher last year. The Eau Claire County District Attorneys Office says the charges could be re-filed in the future.
The search for a missing Wisconsin toddler is in its fifth day. Three-year-old Major Harris was last seen on Thursday, the same day his mother, Mallery Meuzenberger of Onalaska, was found dead on Milwaukee’s north side. Sunday afternoon, the boy’s father, Jaheem Clark, who was wanted for questioning, shot himself to death as Milwaukee police closed in on him. As of Tuesday morning, little Major was still the subject of a statewide Amber Alert. His pictures are online. Police are turning to the public for tips.
Wisconsin is ending the fiscal year with a massive surplus in revenue. A boost in tax collections spurred by pandemic stimulus funding has put the state's general fund balance to over two-point-five billion dollars. State Administration Secretary Joel Brennan says that also pushes the state's rainy day fund to over one-point-seven billion dollars. Brennan says tax collections were up 11 percent over estimates, helping spur that growth in the funds.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is launching a campaign to promote seat belt use and cut down on distracted driving. Wis-DOT is working to reduce the number of traffic deaths in the state. A spokesperson says unbuckled drivers and passengers made up 44 percent of last year’s traffic deaths. District driving was blamed for nine thousand crashes that left 31 people dead. This is the fifth year for the “Buckle Up, Phone Down” initiative which was originated in Missouri.
Racine police say officers were responding to reports of people being loud and driving recklessly Sunday night. When they arrived, they heard shots being fired and the officers jumped out of their squad cars and started administering first aid to six victims. All are expected to recover. Witnesses at the location say the people there were holding a vigil for a man shot and killed a year ago. People living nearby tell reporters for W-I-S-N Television they heard at least 30 gunshots and they called the area a “war zone.” The names and ages of Sunday’s shooting victims haven’t been released. No arrests have been announced.
Minnesota officials say 86 percent of Minnesota's public schools have applied for grants to set up COVID testing programs. In late September, fewer than half of schools had applied for the grants, and Governor Tim Walz extended the application deadline and embarked on a campaign to increase participation. Walz also asked the legislature to require COVID vaccination and testing for teachers and school staff. Senate Republican Majority Leader Jeremy Miller said in response "the growing list of requests from Governor Walz is not productive" toward the legislature approving COVID bonuses for front-line workers -- the initial objective of a planned special session
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Public schools in Wisconsin are losing students. The Department of Public Instruction’s enrollment figures released Friday, show a half-a-percent drop in the number of students. That’s far less than last year’s three-percent drop but larger than the decline in enrollment from before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Some of the decline is due to the fact that there are simply fewer school-aged kids in Wisconsin. But private and charter school enrollment in Wisconsin is climbing. Some school districts, like Milwaukee and Madison, have lost thousands of students over the past two years.
The Natural Resources Board is expected to vote on whether to hire outside attorneys to represent the board in a pair of lawsuits aimed at blocking next month’s wolf hunt. Several wildlife advocacy groups banded together to file the suit in state court two months ago, then six Native American tribes filed a federal lawsuit last month. The Wisconsin Justice Department represents the board in both suits, but board members are worried by a lack of communication.
The first F-16 every stationed at Truax Field in Madison has left as the Wisconsin National Guard preps for the next generation of fighters to be based there. A Facebook post showed the jet bearing number 252, saying it first touched down at Truax more than 28 years ago. The Guard is upgrading from the fourth-generation aircraft to the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II. The new jets should start arriving in 2023 and there will eventually be 18 at the base. Supporters say keeping the 115th Fighter Wing at Truax will mean 100 million dollars for the Madison-area economy. Opponents had argued the noise generated by the planes would have a negative effect on the community.
Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association say they want holiday pay and better benefits. Union members started a three-day strike outside Allina WestHealth in Plymouth Sunday. They say they stayed the course during the COVID-19 pandemic and now the company is “refusing to make the necessary movement toward a fair contract. The nurses say Allina admits it’s not about money and they accused the company of saying the current contract is “good enough.” The first strike in five years was authorized by a vote on October 6th.
Fitchburg’s new police chief has taken the oath of office. Alfonso Morales takes the Fitchburg position after his departure from Milwaukee. Morales was sworn in last Friday. He says he has a lot of work to get done – including connecting with the community. He formally takes over today (Monday). Morales reached a settlement with the Fire and Police Commission in Milwaukee after he was improperly demoted for the way he handled the protests following the death of George Floyd.
Sixteen of the 17 people who have died in accidents on Minnesota’s waterways weren’t wearing life jackets. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is saying 2021 is the deadliest boating season in 16 years for this state. Officials say the pandemic caused a spike in interest in outdoor activities, but, with more first-time boaters, accidents have also increased. The D-N-R says 30 percent of boating-related deaths happen during the cold water periods of spring and fall. Even though air temperatures have remained about normal in the first month of fall, the water temperatures have dropped below 70 degrees – and that’s the threshold for classifying water as cold.
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