The Durand City Council has lent its support to a group wanting to have a dog park in Durand. At last night's council meeting, members approved a resolution supporting the Durand Dog Park group's effort to apply for grants and other fundraising for the park. The proposed park would be located on 2 acres of the O.C. Hansen park, which is land off of Marilyn Avenue that was donated to the city by the Hansen family for the construction of a city park.
The Durand Police Department is reminding residents to keep their vehicles locked. Chief Stan Ridgeway reported that there was a vehicle theft earlier this month in the city. The chief also reported a second theft of a catalytic converter. The Buffalo County Sheriff's Department reported that a catalytic converter was stolen during the daytime from a vehicle that was parked on Hwy 25 between Nelson and Wabasha. The owner of the vehicle was ice fishing at the time of the theft and discovered the theft when they returned to their vehicle and started it.
The U-S Army Corps of Engineers will begin its annual ice measurements on Lake Pepin next week. Hydrographic survey chief Al VanGuilder says what they find will signal when shipping might begin on the Upper Mississippi River this spring. He says the towing industry has used the first tow of the season to break through the ice and they want to do that with the least amount of ice possible. VanGuilder says the tows want around 12 to 14 inches and that’s typically the ice thickness in the middle of March time frame. Crews will measure the ice weekly as conditions can change rapidly this time of year.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has approved a plan by Xcel Energy to close all of its coal plants in the next eight years. Tuesday’s vote was unanimous. The utility giant proposed its “alternative plan” last summer calling for the addition of more than 46 hundred megawatts of renewable energy sources over the next decade. Two transmission lines would be built connecting western Wisconsin to the existing grid. Carbon-free resources would be used for 81 percent of the electricity Xcel generates by 2032. At that point, the utility’s carbon emissions would be reduced by 86 percent compared to 2005 levels.
The Wisconsin Department is reporting one Wisconsin resident has died from listeria that was traced back to packaged salads from Dole. The department is urging anyone that may still have the packaged salads with a best if used by date from 11/30/21-1/9/22 with the product lot codes beginning with the letter 'B', 'N', 'W', or 'Y'. to not eat them and return them to where they were purchased. The products were also sold under the names Ahold, Dole, HEB, Kroger, Lidl, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, Naturally Better, Nature's Promise, President's Choice, and Simply Nature.
The state legislature's joint finance committee has approved spending nearly 200 million dollars on child care in Wisconsin. Committee Cochair Representative Mark Born says those federal funds were already earmarked, but they needed to sign off on the plan from the Department of Children and Families. Other items that got approved on Wednesday include funding for state agriculture grants and boosts to nursing training.
Two thousand employees of American Family Insurance will be getting a substantial raise next summer. W-I-S-C reports the Madison-based company announced Wednesday it will be raising its minimum wage to 23 dollars an hour in July. Workers in the call center and claims area will be getting the boost. Company officials say this is part of their effort to draw in talent, then retain them. American Family had announced in January 2020 that it was raising its minimum wage to 20 dollars an hour.
A Minnesota man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly aiming a laser beam at an aircraft last October. Forty-two-year-old Nicholas James Link’s first federal court appearance hasn’t been scheduled yet. The indictment was unsealed Tuesday. The U-S Attorney for Wisconsin’s Western District accuses Link of aiming the beam of a laser pointer at a Delta Airlines jet and a Minnesota State Patrol aircraft October 29th, 2021. He was in Wisconsin at the time. If convicted he could be sentenced to five years in federal prison.
A plan to hire more campus police officers is one of the new safety measures coming to Marquette University. President Michael R. Lovell noted that Milwaukee is experiencing “higher than usual” rates of crime – leading to the decision to enhance security. T-M-J-4 reports several recent incidents affecting the campus were cited. Lovell calls a “safe campus community” paramount. Four officers will be added, then deployed to the areas where most crime takes place. A President’s Task Force on Community Safety is being launched.
There’s more money available for local communities to look for so-called “forever chemicals” in their water. Governor Evers’ office says Wisconsin will use 600- thousand dollars in federal money to pay for local water testing. PFAS testing has been a priority of the Evers administration. It’s not known yet which communities will share the money.
Prosecutors would need a judge’s permission to dismiss some gun charges under a proposal from a Republican state legislator. Republican state Senator Van Wanggaard says he doesn’t want prosecutors tossing out weapons charges as part of plea deals, or to avoid lengthy trials. Wanggaard says too many felons are getting away with carrying guns in Wisconsin. Democrat Lena Taylor counters Wisconsin cannot, quote, “mass-incarcerate” its way out of violent crime. She warns that putting limits on prosecutors will mean more people in jail, and longer waits for trials.
The University of Minnesota will not extend its temporary COVID-19 vaccine mandate or proof of negative test requirement. The order issued on January 6th expired Wednesday. The policy was put in place as the omicron variant was spreading rapidly. There is still a face mask requirement for all indoor Gopher athletics events on campus.
Wauwatosa police are releasing more details about the incident at a George Webb restaurant last month that resulted in a server being shot in the face. W-I-S-N reports twin sisters Breanta and Bryanna Johnson have been charged with one count each of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. Investigators say the sisters were part of a group of four women who argued with two servers because they didn’t feel they were getting the food they ordered fast enough. The 26-year-old victim is expected to survive.
A driver who was going 112 miles an hour on a freeway in Eau Claire County is going to lose his license for 15 days. The Wisconsin State Patrol issued a citation earlier this month. When he was stopped, the driver told troopers he was “running late for a party” – according to a post on the Patrol’s Facebook page. The speed limit where he was going so fast was 70 miles an hour. The driver’s name hasn’t been released. The social media post says, “The party will always be there. Please slow down and arrive alive.”
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