The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include a public hearing on the CBDG Grant from the 3rd avenue East Project, discussion and approval of a payment to Skid Steer Guy for Laneville Road, along with reports from the Mayor and Department heads. Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall and will be live-streamed on our website.
The court has set a cash bond at one million dollars for an Eau Claire man accused of setting his home on fire. Investigators say 41-year-old Thomas Hicks has been accused of this behavior before. W-E-A-U reports Hicks is charged with seven counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, seven counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and one count of arson. There were four adults and three children sleeping in the home last Friday when authorities say Hicks started the fire. All made it out safely.
The Eau Claire Fire Department is taking steps to solve staffing issues after coming off what they say was one of their busiest years. The Fire Department to apply for the SAFER grant from the Department of Homeland Security. If awarded this grant, the Fire Department could hire six new firefighters at their station on Golf Road. The department will apply for the grant this week and they should know if its approved by this summer.
Governor Tony Evers is almost certain to veto a bill banning the teaching of critical race theory in Wisconsin public schools. The Senate sent the legislation on to the governor’s desk Tuesday. The Assembly passed it last September, but Republicans don’t have the needed votes to override the veto. The measure would prohibit the teaching of concepts like systemic racism and implicit bias. It isn’t thought that any public schools in the state are teaching the concept.
The U-S Department of Justice is awarding the Dakota County Sheriff's Office a 170-thousand-dollar grant for body-worn cameras. Congresswoman Angie Craig says she worked closely with Sheriff Tim Leslie and advocated for Dakota County's application. Craig said in a statement, “I will continue working to ensure that Minnesota law enforcement agencies receive the support they deserve to continue reducing crime and protecting public safety.” Sheriff Leslie says the new body-worn cameras will allow for safer and more secure communities.
Legislative Republicans seem to be backing away from efforts to regulate ballot drop boxes following complaints from Former President Donald Trump. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that a bill that would have created rules on how ballot drop boxes could be used is out of the picture after Trump complained that it would make those boxes legal at all. The bill's author, Senator Kathleen Bernier, says that she hadn't heard a single complaint about the bill until Trump's statement and that any changes to the bill should come through the committee process and not through statements from Trump. She added that the change in plans was "disgusting"
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau projects the state of Wisconsin will end the two-year budget with a balance of three-point-eight billion dollars. That's two-point-nine billion dollars more than earlier estimates. Governor Tony Evers said, "I’m proud of our efforts to make smart decisions with taxpayer dollars, get folks back to work, and keep more money in Wisconsinites’ pockets." Evers' statement also said, "Wisconsinites need help making ends meet and can’t wait until the next biennial budget—they need relief now." Joint Finance Committee co-chair, Representative Mark Born, largely credits Republican policies. Born said, "this is of course due to quality conservative budgeting for the last ten years, as well as the influx of massive amounts of federal money into our state in the last two years.”
Oshkosh Defense reports it has developed a hybrid electric light tactical vehicle for the military. The Pentagon hasn’t ordered any versions of the vehicle yet. The military contractor has built more than 15 thousand joint light tactical vehicles for U-S forces in its history. This one is an electric hybrid version. The so-called e-J-L-T-V doesn’t require a charging station. The battery charges itself while the vehicle is in use. Oshkosh believes the design and capabilities make this an option the U-S military will buy.
The new director of the Minnesota Farm Service Agency looks forward to working through pandemic-related challenges to effectively deliver programs that help farmers succeed. Whitney Place is a former assistant commissioner with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Place says she knows it's frustrating for some folks who can’t get into their F-S-A offices, "but says it’s a priority to keep all of our staff safe and our customers safe." She says they're working through all those issues to make sure officials are available via phone or email. Place says conservation and the environment will be focus areas, too.
Bipartisan love for Tommy Thompson on the floor of the state Senate on Tuesday, where lawmakers approved a resolution thanking the former governor for his service as acting UW System President. Senators, including Democrat Jon Erpenbach, also praised Thompson’s time as governor. Thompson, who served four terms as governor, will step aside from his role with the UW in March. Milwaukee attorney Jay Rothman has been picked as the new UW System President.
A coronavirus testing company accused of fraud has closed its locations around Wisconsin. It's not known if or when they’ll reopen. The Center for COVID Control had planned to reopen last week, but now says it will remain closed for a while longer. The C-C-C is facing serious questions, and at least five lawsuits, over whether it performed coronavirus tests. One Milwaukee-area man says he got a negative test result before he even showed up for a test. The C-C-C has closed all of its offices across the country. The FBI served search warrants on the company Monday. The state attorneys general in Illinois and Minnesota are investigating.
Investigators with the Wood County Sheriff’s Department are asking people in Port Edwards to check their home security systems for anything suspicious earlier this month. They are following up on a report received Monday after a January 15th shooting. A 19-year-old woman reportedly suffered a wound to her upper arm inside her home on that date. She was treated and released from Aspirus Riverview Hospital in Wisconsin Rapids. Her name hasn’t been released. Detectives think someone fired a shot at the home from the road.
Registration is now open for the latest round of the "Kids Deserve a Shot" program. Minnesota parents can sign up for a 200-dollar Visa gift card when their children between the ages of five and 11 receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Kids in that age group need to complete the two-dose series in January and February. Governor Tim Walz says getting children vaccinated is the best way to keep families safe from COVID-19. Registration opened Monday and ends on February 28th.
Interest from some potential buyers is driving the price of stock in the Wisconsin-based big-box retailer Kohl’s higher. There have been rumors of two groups showing interest. The Wall Street Journal reports its stock price jumped by almost 17 dollars Monday – more than 35 percent – to just under 64 dollars a share. Kohl’s has confirmed it got letters of interest from two entities, but officials say they haven’t made any decisions about the company’s future.
Local officials say the Packers' loss to San Francisco Saturday makes the team’s fans sad but the impact goes further than that. Another home game in Green Bay’s Lambeau Field would have been guaranteed with a victory. Hotel stays, food, and purchases at small businesses usually mean about 14-to-15 million dollars to the local economy for each home game. A spokesperson for Discover Green Bay says it has been a good N-F-L season with nine home games already.
Minnesota native Bob Dylan is selling his catalog of recorded music to Sony Music Entertainment, in deal that sources tell "Variety" is worth 150 to 200 million dollars. It includes classics like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Reuters reports the deal is the latest in Sony's relationship with Dylan that spans six decades. In December, 80-year-old Dylan sold his songwriting catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group for more than 300 million dollars. Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth and grew up in nearby Hibbing.
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