In response to resident complaints about sidewalks not being shoveled in a timely manner, the city of Durand is changing how they notify property owners of their responsibility to shovel the sidewalks. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says instead of sending the property owner a letter, city workers will not leave behind a door hanger after receiving a complaint. The cost to have the city remove the snow could be as high as $140 per hour. If the property owner refused to pay, it would be added to their property taxes.
A Mondovi teen is in custody after police say he was involved in an armed robbery in Minnesota. According to Mondovi Police, 19yr old Logan Hurt was arrested Wednesday evening in Mondovi on an arrest warrant from Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Hurt is one of four suspects in an armed robbery that happened in a park in Brainerd, Minn. at about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Brainerd Police said a group of people was robbed and that two handguns were used in the robbery, although nobody was hurt. Brainerd Police thought the suspects might be in Mondovi, and contacted the Mondovi Police Department. Mondovi Police along with the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, Pepin County Sheriff’s Department, West Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force, and Wis. Department of Criminal Investigation, found Hurt at a house in Mondovi where he was arrested. Hurt is being charged in Minnesota is for 1st-degree aggravated robbery. Mondovi Police also believe the three remaining suspects are not in the Mondovi area and said there’s no reason to believe they are a threat to the Mondovi community.
A Chippewa Falls man has been arrested by the Wisconsin State Patrol for driving while intoxicated. According to the State Patrol, Troopers pulled over 37yr old Milton Pahl on Hwy 312, Wednesday evening for a vehicle equipment violation. During the stop, Troopers noticed signs of impairment and gave Pahl a field sobriety test before arresting him and taking him to the hospital for a blood test. Pahl is facing possible charges of OWI-5th offense, operating after revocation, and failure to install an ignition interlock device. He is being held in the Eau Claire County Jail awaiting formal charges.
The Lake City Police Department is notifying residents of the release of Theodore Leisen, a Level 3 Sex Offender. According to the department, Leisen was released from custody in August of this year after his sentence expired and will be moving to the 500 block of Marion Street in Lake City on January 1st. The Lake City Police Department has created an online form for the community to ask questions. For more information on the questionnaire, contact the Lake City Police Department.
A state lawmaker wants to compel action by the Wisconsin Elections Commission, regarding ballot drop boxes and errors on absentee ballot envelopes. Republican state Senator Steve Nass co-chairs the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules. He’s requested an executive session on the matters early next week. In a press release, Nass said many voters no longer trust the Elections Commission to act in a fair and impartial manner in carrying out election law. The commission voted unanimously several weeks ago to begin the process of developing rules. It issued guidance prior to the 2020 election. Many Republicans took issue with the expanded use of drop boxes, particularly in Madison, where clerk’s staff also collected absentee ballots in city parks.
A Dane County judge wants to hear more about records relating to the probe of Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn has set a January 24th hearing, to allow Assembly Speaker Robin Vos or his staff to explain why so few records have been turned over in an open records request. The Journal Sentinel reports that the judge expressed bafflement Thursday because the staff of the probe has only offered up a few documents from the months-long, taxpayer-funded review being overseen by former state Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman. Vos’ attorney said the Speaker’s team turned over everything it found in response to requests by the liberal group American Oversight, which has filed suit under the state’s open records law.
Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum is requiring masks for all events starting Friday. Masks will be required, except when eating or drinking, throughout the duration of any events. Masks will be available at the doors, and throughout the building. Fiserv Forum general manager Dennis Williams says the decision came after talking to the Milwaukee Health Department and looking at the fast-rising number of new COVID-19 cases. Williams says it remains to be seen how long the requirement will stay in place.
A Wausau man is a lot richer thanks to a national fantasy football game. Will Hsu beat out 180 thousand other players to win nearly one-point-two million dollars playing Draft Kings Millionaire Maker game- and he's already putting the money to good use. Hsu tweeted that he's donated to his church and other central Wisconsin non-profits along with his alma mater- the University of Wisconsin-Madison foundation. He also plans on taking a trip and paying off family expenses. Hsu is the owner of Wausau-based Hsu's Ginseng.
Afghan children at Fort McCoy in western Wisconsin are getting nearly 78-hundred dollars' worth of school supplies. The donations were raised through the "Operation Allies Welcome School Supply Drive." Officials say about two-thousand Afghans are attending class on the Monroe County military base. A spokeswoman for the Great Rivers United Way says the community stepped up and purchased all 673 items on the school supply list. She says their staff will keep in touch with personnel and teachers at Fort McCoy to help with any ongoing needs.
Crunching the numbers shows 2021 was a big year for Wisconsin solar projects. Utilities installed and placed into service more solar power than in any other year. Almost 300 megawatts of solar came online in Wisconsin, about half at the Badger Hollow Solar Farm in Iowa County. The Point Beach Solar project is capable of generating another 100 megawatts. The group RENEW Wisconsin says the Badger State will have about 25 hundred megawatts of solar-generated power in service by the end of 2023. However, solar still makes up only about one percent of electricity sales in Wisconsin.
Attorney General Josh Kaul says, pending approval by distributors and local government, Wisconsin could see some 420 million dollars from an opioid settlement next year. Kaul said, "and if that happens, Wisconsin will begin to start seeing resources next year. Some will go to the Department of Health Services, and others resources will go to local and county governments, for the purposes of abating the opioid epidemic.” In a year-end interview the Democratic A-G, who is running for re-election, said combating opioid addiction has been a priority of his time in office.
University of Minnesota infectious disease expert Doctor Michael Osterholm says three people are now testing positive for COVID-19 every second - and that's a big problem. Osterholm warns that over the next three to four weeks we are going to see the number of cases in this country rise so dramatically that we are going to have a hard time keeping everyday life operating. He says "we are already seeing it in our health care settings and could easily lose 10-to-20 percent of healthcare workers who are not available to work at all." The uptick in omicron cases comes as the C-D-C shortened the recommended isolation and quarantine times for people who test positive.
The state's frozen road law is now in effect for parts of northern Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is opening up roads and highways to larger vehicles. WisDOT officials say that's because the ground is sufficiently frozen north of Highway 8 to support more weight. The seasonal weight restrictions are there for road maintenance vehicles carrying salt, and for truckers hauling timber products. WisDOT and county highway personnel monitor temperature forecasts, along with frost tubes - liquid-filled devices under pavement - to help determine when roads are adequately frozen to accommodate heavier loads.
The forecast for New Year's Day is brutal cold, but Minnesotans are tough and plans are still on for "First Day Hikes" at five Minnesota state parks -- Itasca, Mille Lacs Kathio, Minneopa, Whitewater and William O'Brien. The D-N-R's Deborah Locke says those who participate are getting off on the right foot. She says they're putting one foot in front of the other, and everyone has the opportunity to see something they've never seen before, and to meet winter halfway. For details, and whether pre-registration is required, visit the Minnesota D-N-R website and type "First Day Hike" into the search box. And, as they say, bring warm clothes.
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