The first Democrat is stepping forward to run for U-S House from western Wisconsin. State Senator Brad Pfaff was elected to the state Senate last year. Before that, he was Governor Evers’ acting Agriculture secretary, until state Senate Republicans fired him in 2019. Republican Derrick Van Orden announced his campaign in April. Incumbent Ron Kind announced in August that he won’t seek reelection to the seat he’s held for 25 years. The 3rd District is regarded as the most competitive in Wisconsin.
Chippewa County Authorities have identified the body found in a suitcase in the town of Wheaton in October of 2020. According to the Chippewa County Sheriff's Department, the body was 26yr old Rosaly Cindy Chavarria Rodriguez, a Peruvian national working in the Wisconsin Dells Area. She was reported missing in July of 2020 by the Reedsburg Police Department. The Chippewa County Sheriff's Department and Reedsburg Police are investigating Rodriguez's death, and a person of interest in the case has been identified by investigators.
He was pulled out of the water, but a 37-year-old swimmer still died at Big Falls County Park in Eau Claire Friday. The victim’s name hasn’t been released. Several agencies responded to 9-1-1 calls for help. The man was swimming at about 6:00 p-m when a sandbar gave way, he went under, and failed to resurface. Friends were able to get him out of the water and start administering life-saving measures, but he died before he could be rushed from the scene to a hospital.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has set the quota for next month’s wolf hunt at 130. The state’s Ojibwe tribes have claimed 56 wolves under the Ceded Treaty, leaving 74 for the other hunters. The take during February’s hunt was 218. The quota for that hunt had been set at 119 and it was almost doubled in four days. The D-N-R says it will issue 370 licenses to hunt wolves. Applicants who are successful will be notified on October 25th.
A Republican candidate for state Attorney General is dropping out of the race. UW-Madison law school professor Ryan Owens released a lengthy statement on Monday, in which he said that “wrongheaded and false claims” have taken a toll on his family. Owens’ decision to leave the race follows reports regarding podcasts that he hosted as director of UW-Madison's Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership. Four episodes were found to have been removed from the web. Owens’ departure leaves Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney to face Democratic incumbent AG Josh Kaul in 2022.
Restaurants across Wisconsin are seeing customers, but have fewer workers. A new Wisconsin Policy Forum report says restaurant sales are up almost seven percent compared to July of 2019, which was well before the coronavirus pandemic. But employment in bars and restaurants is down almost nine percent compared to the same summer. Restaurant managers say most customers are understanding, but that they’d love to hire more people.
A 35-year-old Rochester man was arrested Sunday evening after allegedly attacking another man with a tire iron during a dispute over parking. The 45-year-old victim told police the other man struck him in the arm with a tire iron when he confronted him about parking his vehicle in front of his home and partially blocking the driveway. The suspect, whom police located around the corner at his home, denied there was a confrontation or that he'd assaulted the man.
Minnesota's public and tribal schools have an additional week-and-a-half, until October 15th, to apply for grants to set up COVID testing programs for students and staff. Governor Tim Walz extended the October 1st deadline, stressing his priority is keeping students safe, healthy, and in the classroom -- and the governor says testing is key to that. The state previously designated 55-million dollars of federal American Rescue funds to support schools for COVID testing. Officials say a little less than two-thirds of Minnesota public and tribal schools have requested grants.
The director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Immigration Clinic and her students will help Afghan refugees living at Fort McCoy. Professor Erin Barbato says the job is a difficult one because there is a lot that isn’t known about a pathway to citizenship for the refugees. Barbato tells the television program “For the Record” many of the refugees would qualify for asylum, but that is a lengthy process to complete these days. Refugees will also be offered free legal aid and information on possible visa applications.
It’s flu season, and Wisconsin’s public health managers are talking about flu shots. The Department of Health Services says people should get their flu shot, regardless of COVID-19. Flu season typically starts in October and runs through the spring. The flu can be fatal for children and the very old.
D-N-A testing of an old sexual assault kit has resulted in charges being filed against a 30-year-old Verona man. Herman Gomez Garza is accused of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 16. The case dates back to 2008 when authorities were told Garza had sex with the underage victim. The D-N-A kit was tested as part of the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and the testing matched the D-N-A to Garza. The charges were filed against him on September 23rd.
Specifics of a deal to sell more ginseng to Taiwan are being worked out. State officials including Governor Tony Evers joined Bi-khim Hsiao at an event at a ginseng farm near Wausau Thursday to make the announcement. Ginseng Board of Wisconsin President Robert Kaldunski says he doesn’t know how much of the crop will be exported yet, but it won’t be small. The crop was generating more than 40 million dollars a year for Marathon County farmers even before the deal was announced. The Ginseng Board says 95 percent of the crop grown in the U-S is grown in Wisconsin.
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health is authorizing an experimental vaccine for a highly contagious and deadly disease of rabbits that was recently detected in Minnesota for the first time. State veterinarian Doctor Beth Thompson says the vaccine was developed by a South Dakota company and could start shipping to Minnesota veterinarians as soon as next week. Thompson says there have been minimal reactions for administration of the vaccine to rabbits - and added "it's an exciting vaccine to have out there and available on an experimental basis." The Hemorrhagic Disease virus affects wild and domesticated rabbits, kills 70 to 90 percent of them and can survive up to 15 weeks under certain conditions.
A Madison Metro Transit bus driver has rescued a toddler he spotted crossing a busy street alone. Darrell Gugel has driven buses for the city for 22 years. He stopped the bus, warned the passengers they might be staying there for a while, and called for help. Gugel says the child held his arms out when he leaned over, then gave him a hug and “wouldn’t let go.” A frantic person ran up to the bus looking for the child. The incident was captured on video. The child wasn’t harmed.
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