Firefighters from Durand and Nelson along with assistance from Alma and Lund battled a barn fire yesterday at S433 Hwy 25, south of Durand. Firefighters were called to the scene after a passerby noticed the fire and called 911. By the time firefighters arrived, the barn was fully engulfed. Some horses and a bull that was in the barn were rescued by the passerby and not injured. The barn is a total loss. No other injuries were reported.
School Districts in Wisconsin and around the country are facing shortages of substitutes. Durand Arkansas School Superintendent Greg Doverspike says while there are companies districts can hire to share substitute teachers, it's something the Durand-Arkansaw School District does not do. Last week the district did approve pay raises for the teaching and support staff.
The Durand Ambulance Service is looking for additional EMT's to join the service. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the service has some new EMT's coming on board, and the city and service is looking for ways to find more people. Anyone interested in becoming an EMT or EMR should contact the Durand Ambulance Service.
The man that was injured in an accident at the Lake Wissota Dam earlier this month has died. Xcel Energy said that Jon Grunseth from Gilman was injured when he was unloading some equipment at the Dam. OSHA is still investigating the incident.
Both political parties agree on this one – bail reform is needed in Wisconsin. The move comes because Darrell Brooks Junior had been released on a low, one-thousand-dollar bond just days before he killed six people and injured dozens by driving an S-U-V through the crowd watching the Waukesha Christmas Parade. Democrats and Republicans agree there should be an easier process for judges to deny bail to certain defendants when those defendants offer a greater risk to public safety. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has admitted the court system made a mistake when bail was set for Brooks last month. State Senator Van Wanggaard is the sponsor of the measure that appears to have bipartisan support in the next legislative session.
The Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations has approved two-percent pay raises for all state employees – except for one. Tuesday’s vote was unanimous. The exception will be the winner of the 2024 election for Milwaukee County district attorney. All other D-As in the state will get the raise. Committee co-chair Chris Kapenga, the Republican Senate president, says the pay raise for the Milwaukee County district attorney was withheld due to the low bail recommended by the office for a violent offender who killed six and injured more than 60 at the Waukesha Christmas Parade. Darrell Brooks Junior was free on a one-thousand-dollar bail at the time.
The Third District Wisconsin Court of Appeals is asking the State Supreme Court to take a case. If the justices agree, they would decide whether a constitutional amendment approved by voters last year was worded properly. Marsy’s Law expands crime victims’ rights. Dane County Judge Frank Remington ruled the ballot question failed to adequately warn voters that the amendment would diminish the rights for defendants. Remington decided not to kill the amendment while the Wisconsin Elections Commission appealed.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says he and his wife and their ninth-grade son all tested positive for COVID-19. Information is not available on whether it's the omicron variant. The governor said his son got a positive result Monday and he and Gwen had a positive test last night. Walz says thankfully his son has mild symptoms, and he and Gwen have no symptoms -- but the family is isolating. The governor says his son is vaccinated, and he and his wife are vaccinated and have received their booster shots.
People trying to get the Verso paper mill in Wisconsin Rapids operating are keeping a close eye on a major international transaction. A Swedish paper company is buying Verso for 825 million dollars in a stock purchase action. A news release mentions the plans for two paper mills in Michigan, but it doesn’t mention the Wisconsin plant that has been shut down since the middle of last year. Efforts to get the state of Wisconsin to intercede haven’t worked yet. Hundreds of people worked at the plant when it was operating. Now, a skeleton crew is performing light maintenance on the machines so it will be ready to restart – if needed
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the Dane County mask mandate brought by two county residents and a business. The high court’s calendar doesn’t list a specific date for arguments yet. The suit was filed against the county, Public Health Madison and Dane County, and public health director Janel Heinrich. The parties suing argue that local health officers like Heinrich can’t “unilaterally issue orders that restrict daily life.” They say moves like that require approval from the Legislature. The court was first requested to take the case in August. It agreed to hear arguments Monday – the same day the county’s mask mandate was extended to February 1st.
Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly have chosen a new minority leader. State Representative Greta Neubauer of Racine was the only party member to run for the position Monday. She takes over for State Representatives Gordon Hintz of Oshkosh who leaves the job January 10th. Neubauer told party members she will work to build the relationships, strategy, and infrastructure to move their shared values and priorities forward. She won a special election three years ago. The Democratic caucus holds just 38 of the 99 seats in the Wisconsin Assembly.
Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association say they're at the breaking point due to long-term staff shortages in hospitals -- and are calling on C-E-Os and public officials to take action. Kelley Anaas, I-C-U nurse at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis said, "just because we aren't selling raffle tickets to see who gets a ventilator doesn't mean that we aren't rationing care. A patient boarding in an emergency department in rural Minnesota for days, waiting for a staffed I-C-U bed at my hospital, is rationing care." Officials at the Minnesota Hospital Association weren't immediately available to respond -- but earlier acknowledged the state's health systems are experiencing a workforce crisis.
The U.S. Navy is sending a medical team to Green Bay to help at Bellin Hospital. FEMA approved a team of 20 people last week. In addition to doctors and nurses, the Navy is also sending respiratory therapists to the hospital. The hope is that the Navy team can support, and give a break to, local doctors and nurses who are overwhelmed by the coronavirus and the flu. The combination stretched resources at Bellin, much like it has in other healthcare systems around the state. Wisconsin is not alone in getting military assistance. Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Colorado, New Mexico, and Montana are also getting support from either the Army or the Navy as the nation braces for a continuing spike in COVID and flu.
Family members, co-workers, and law enforcement authorities are calling a 15-year-old worker at a McDonald’s restaurant in Edina a hero. Sydney Raley was working her Saturday shift at the drive-thru window when she noticed a customer coughing. The teen had taken first-aid training so she jumped through the window, got the distressed woman out of her car, and told her daughter to call 9-1-1. When the Heimlich maneuver didn’t work, Raley got a bystander to help because he was stronger. A chicken nugget was quickly dislodged and the woman was able to breathe. Tom and Stephanie Raley call their daughter “Sydney Sunshine” and they say they are proud of her. Two police officers gave her 100 dollars from a holiday fund for her quick actions.
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