Durand Firefighters respoded to a garage fire in the city of Durand last night. The fire occured at 1211 Marylin Ave and when firefighters arrived they found black smoke coming from the garage. No one was hurt in that blaze and no other information was available this morning.
Cities like Durand and Mondovi will be eligible for a grant program from the Department of Transportation that would pay for 80 percent of the surface work of a road reconstruction project. The fund has nearly $1 billion and Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the money would be available through 2027. The city engineer is will be working on a possible grant proposal for upcoming projects.
With nearly one-third of university students nationally food insecure, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls recently opened Freddy’s Pantry in Rodli Hall to help provide grab-and-go foods for hungry students. The nearly 14-by-18 foot pantry will have insulated bags and currently has tables with breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack foods, and personal hygiene items students may need, Hunzer said. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. This is the 2nd food pantry to open on the UW-River Falls Campus.
Education students at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville could soon be helping local districts cover things during the substitute teacher shortage. University officials announced Thursday that those students will be granted associate degrees while they are pursuing their bachelor’s. State rules require substitute teachers to have an associate degree. W-M-T-V reports university officials to say this helps the local schools cover a classroom when the teacher is absent and it sends them a future teacher with an appropriate skillset and a passion for the work. The students benefit by applying what they have learned in their classwork.
A Nebraska-based voting machine company has told the Republican-hired attorney leading an investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin that it will not comply with subpoenas issued seeking a broad array of information. Attorneys for Election Systems & Software told former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman in a letter dated Jan. 21 that it would not comply, calling the subpoenas issued last month a “quintessential fishing expedition.” The letter was obtained Thursday by The Associated Press after it was first reported on by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gableman’s investigation into President Joe Biden’s win in Wisconsin is ongoing.
Governor Tony Evers wants to use some of the state's three-point-eight-billion-dollar budget surplus on 150-dollar refund checks for every Wisconsin resident. Evers says his one-point-seven-billion-dollar plan also includes more than 131-million dollars in targeted tax relief to caregivers and families and would invest almost 750 million in education. The Democratic governor said in a statement, "Wisconsinites can’t wait for relief from rising prices. So, I hope the Legislature joins me in returning the projected revenue surplus to the taxpayers while supporting our workforce and providing additional relief to folks who need it most.” Republican legislative leaders have said they want to use the budget surplus for tax cuts.
UW Health is nearing a blood crisis. The health system says that it is just a few emergencies away from the crisis risking both covid and no covid patients. UW health is blaming the lack of blood on a shortage of available donors due to the cold and covid and the labor force necessary to hold blood drives and transport blood is lower. To find a local blood drive visit red cross dot org.
There may be a change in the state’s policy for hunting wolves. Wisconsin’s wolf hunting policy might no longer include a specific number of wolves. A member of the DNR board (Greg Kazmierski) says the state should drop the idea of a population count and focus instead on whether the wolf population in Wisconsin should be allowed to grow or shrink. Wisconsin’s original hunting policy set a goal of 350 wolves in the state. The latest wolf estimate says there are over a thousand wolves in Wisconsin.
The Coalition for Greater Minnesota Cities (CGMC) is urging state lawmakers to address critical needs such as child care, water infrastructure and housing in the 2022 legislative session. C-G-M-C executive director Bradley Peterson says Local Government Aid (LGA) remains a top priority and almost every city leader will tell you it’s absolutely vital to their community. The group is asking for a 90-million-dollar increase this year to L-G-A appropriations. Peterson says state aid helps restrain property taxes, reduce inequities and ensure all cities are able to provide high-quality services.
Sun Prairie police say it was a “crazy situation” – incredibly dangerous, but also incredibly funny. Police had to block some lanes of traffic because several head of cattle were wandering around near U-S Highway 151. The trailer’s back door had opened, and the farmer didn’t realize it. While he was driving at about 55 miles an hour three cows fell out, hitting the road, and suffering injuries. Sun Prairie and Madison police, and Wisconsin State Patrol troopers used hay donated by a nearby farm to collect the cows, then corralled them. The owner didn’t violate any laws and he isn’t facing any charges. Other than the cows, no injuries were reported.
There will be a Republican primary for Wisconsin governor this year. Kevin Nicholson formally launched his campaign Thursday. That sets up what may be a contentious primary with Rebecca Kleefisch, who’s been running since last fall. In recent weeks, Nicholson has signaled he’ll run as an outsider. Nicholson is a former U-S Marine. He lost to Leah Vukmir in the 2018 G-O-P primary for U-S Senate. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat, incumbent Governor Tony Evers.
Video surveillance inside the Milwaukee Burger King where 16-year-old Niesha Harris-Brazell was shot to death now offers an alternative theory for what was going on. Milwaukee police detectives say it appears that the teen had refused to cooperate with the armed robber and even screamed for help before she was shot by a co-worker. The suspect told police the robbery had been staged. Antoine Edwards said Harris-Brazell was in on the plan. During a Wednesday hearing, investigators said the surveillance video shows the victim balk when Edwards leaned in through the drive-thru window and she was apparently calling for help.
People living in Juneau and Adams counties near the Castlerock and Petenwell dams are being reminded to take safety precautions starting next week. Wisconsin River Power Company will be starting drawdowns at the hydroelectric dams. This happens every winter in anticipation of higher spring river levels caused by melting snow upstream. Drawdowns will begin at the Castle Rock reservoir next Tuesday and at Petenwell by February 10th. Water levels will be reduced by five-to-six feet. Those moves can cause unstable ice conditions. W-R-P-C says snowmobiling or driving other vehicles on the ice should be avoided.
U-S Senator Ron Johnson is standing behind his comments on child care. The Wisconsin Republican told a La Crosse television station earlier this month that he doesn’t feel it is society’s responsibility to care for other people’s children. A massive subsidy for child care is a part of Democratic President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act. Johnson was asked about the comments during a Wednesday stop at St. Ignatius Catholic School in Kaukauna. He told W-B-A-Y he believes parents are responsible for their own children and he doesn’t want the government taking greater control of families. He was immediately attacked by the candidates opposing him in this year’s campaign for the U-S Senate.
Another round this year in a perennial battle at the Minnesota Legislature. G-O-P Majority Leader Jeremy Miller says "Senate Republicans will make it a priority to repeal the tax on Social Security income. No more taxes on Social Security income." Governor Tim Walz responds 60 percent of Minnesota recipients pay zero tax on their Social Security benefits and 80 percent pay on only a small portion -- "so Republicans he says want to remove a tax on millionaires." Miller says the G-O-P is going to focus on "very large" tax cuts in the 2022 session.
The State of Minnesota is providing two-point-one million KN-95 masks to community groups, public health agencies, and schools across the state. The governor's office says about 650-thousand masks will go to local health departments and schools will get 550-thousand. Other recipients include child care centers, clinics serving Medicaid enrollees, and tribal nations. Distribution of the masks begins this week and more shipments are expected. Organizations receiving the KN-95 masks will provide them directly to Minnesotans, and they will inform you how to get the masks. Officials are prioritizing getting these masks to people in higher-risk settings, higher-risk populations for COVID-19, and our state’s schools.
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