No one was injured in a house fire in Chippewa Falls on Wednesday. Firefighters responded to the fire at 12 West Birch Street and when they arrived everyone was out of the two-story home. Crews quickly extinguished the fire in an upstairs corner wall and damage was estimated at $7500.
As part of the changes in the winter parking rules in Durand, the city has started a new Nixel notification service to notify residents of a snow emergency. Durand Police Chief Stan Ridgeway says a simple text will get you signed up. Ridgeway says residents can also call the Tarrant Park Pool for updates on snow emergencies and the police department will also be posting snow emergencies on their Facebook page.
With the upcoming holidays, expect enhanced patrols from law enforcement to enforce seat belt use and drunk driving laws. As the harvest wraps up, motorists are also reminded that it is illegal to pass farm equipment in a no-passing zone.
In collaboration with Vivent Health, the Pepin County Health Department offers the Lifepoint program, including free sharps disposal for used syringes and other supplies. This disposal can now be done in Durand at the Tarrant Park Dump Station and in Pepin at 3rd and Locust Street. The large, red, metal sharps containers are located at low traffic but common areas in a community. Residents can dispose of their sharps in the designated containers which will help keep used sharps out of the general trash, recycling centers, roadways, and ditches.
Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ is viewed favorably by 42 percent of respondents, a drop of four percentage points from the August Marquette poll. Republican U-S Senator Ron Johnson was viewed favorably by 36 percent of respondents, up one point from August. Evers' approval rating dropped by 5 points, from 50 percent in August to 45 percent in the new poll. Thirty-eight percent approved of how the Wisconsin Legislature is handling its job; 48 percent disapproved. The poll interviewed 805 registered Wisconsin voters from Oct. 26-31. The margin of error is 3.9 percent.
Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling is recommending that five Wisconsin Elections Commissioners be criminally charged. Schmaling says so-called “special voting deputies” should have been sent to eight nursing homes last year to help residents who didn’t have the mental capacity to vote. The commission says no crimes were committed when poll workers were sent to oversee the voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans have already called for Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe to resign, but she refuses. Attorney General Josh Kaul has echoed Governor Tony Evers’ response that county officials should file charges if they believe election laws were broken.
A convicted killer won’t be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea, but Jeffrey Wickman will get a new sentencing hearing. Wickman is serving 36 years in prison for the killing of Daniel Kuehl in 2013. Investigators say he broke into Kuehl’s home to steal guns that he planned to trade for cash or drugs. While inside, he strangled the victim. The Wisconsin Appeals Court left his conviction intact in the ruling issued Tuesday. At question in the upcoming hearing will be how long Wickman will remain under extended supervision after serving his prison term.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections announced Wednesday it is contracting with the mail management service TextBehind to begin photocopying the personal mail of all adult inmates. DOC says that’s due to a growing problem of dangerous drugs, including K2 and other synthetic cannabinoids, being sent through the mail. DOC had 182 drug incidents in the month of September, 16 of those requiring inmates to receive emergency medical treatment. The new practice begins on December 6th. More information is at the DOC website.
The 27-year-old pedestrian fatally injured in what Taylor County authorities think was a weekend hit-and-run has been identified. An autopsy discovered Titus Kottke of Athens had injuries consistent with being hit by a vehicle. He was found lying in the roadway in the Township of Holway Sunday at 6:08 a-m. Emergency responders administered C-P-R, but Kottke died before he could be taken to a hospital. Investigators have been told he was last seen alive at about 3:30 a-m, walking on the road where he was found.
The Forest County Sheriff’s Office is trying to find out who put what is basically a bio-hazard in a trick-or-treater’s bag last Friday. A vial of synthetic blood was found and turned in. Deputies were told it was discovered in an eight-year-old student’s bag at Wabeno Elementary School. The student got into during the Trunk or Treat event at the school on October 29th. The vial remained unsealed. Investigators say it was identified by markings on the outside of the vial.
Essentia Health reports the dismissals of nearly 50 employees who chose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine or seek an exemption. The Duluth-based health care system announced in August that November 1st would be the deadline for workers to get vaccinated. Essentia said in a statement Tuesday that more than 99 percent of its workforce had complied, but 49 failed to do so. Officials said, "while we’re sad to see them leave, we respect their decisions. We appreciate their good work, wish them well and these individuals are eligible for rehire at Essentia Health if they change their mind."
Four Mequon-Theinsville school board members survive a recall attempt. In fact, each targeted incumbent got at least 58-percent of the vote. Petitioners say they were unhappy about the school district’s coronavirus policies and academic standards. A recall organizer says she’s proud of the fight, and that she’ll continue to fight for kids.
Minnesota is launching a new webpage to help Minnesota parents and guardians find five- to 11-year-old children a COVID-19 vaccine and answer questions they may have about it. Governor Tim Walz says Minnesota providers have ordered as many doses as possible from the federal government. Doses will arrive in waves this week, with most providers receiving their vaccines by this weekend. More than 500-thousand children across Minnesota are now eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and 94-percent of Minnesota’s population is now eligible to be vaccinated.
The Wisconsin Historical Society says an ancient canoe pulled from the waters of Lake Mendota had been submerged for 12 hundred years. The fishing canoe was recovered after five hours of excavation Tuesday. A diver testing scuba equipment found the canoe dating back approximately to the year 850 a few months ago. It was in about 30 feet of water. It is believed the canoe belonged to the ancestors of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Officials say it may take a couple of years to save the canoe, then it is hoped it can become a featured display in the society’s new museum.
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