The City of Durand met with members of the Durand Swim Club recently to get an update on the fundraising for the Tarrant Park Pool Project. The Swim Club continues to work toward its goal of raising an additional 100,000 before March 1st. If the goals are met, the city would move forward with the project with planning beginning in March, demolition of the old pool, and construction of the new pool beginning in August of this year with the new pool opening in June of 2023.
The Pepin County Sheriff's Department is asking businesses and property owners that have a security camera installed to contact the department. Authorities are asking to know where the cameras are and how to get ahold of the owner so that it would save them time in solving crimes. If you own a security camera you are asked to contact the Pepin County Sheriffs Department to answer a few questions. Your answers will remain private and will only be used by the Pepin County Sheriffs Department, Durand Police, Pepin Police, and Wisconsin State Patrol.
Drivers are hoping the High Bridge in downtown Eau Claire will be opened to traffic soon. WQOW-TV reports the contractor is scheduled to have all repairs completed by the end of the month. City engineers say that means the bridge that has been closed for more than six months could be opened up sometime in March. Structural damage in the form of a significant crack in the structure’s third limestone pier caused the shutdown last June. When it’s done the total cost of the project should approach three million dollars. Some design changes pushed the price higher.
Local officials say Valley View Mall in La Crosse will remain open as it goes through the foreclosure process. The mall has been open for more than 40 years. W-K-B-T reports the next step is a sale set for March 8th. Mall manager Jeff Odom has sent a letter to tenants telling them it will be business as usual as the sale moves forward. Construction on a Hy-Vee store is continuing with an opening expected in late summer or early fall.
A woman from southeast Minnesota has told members of Congress about the importance of high-speed internet access. Michelle Schroeder of rural Welch testified Wednesday during a U-S House committee hearing. Schroeder said she feels rural Minnesota has been left behind. She says failing to have a good internet connection can cause problems when meetings are held on ZOOM. She told lawmakers she hopes the new infrastructure law will bring faster broadband service to her part of Minnesota. She was invited to speak by Congresswoman Angie Craig.
California judge has placed gray wolves back on the federal Endangered Species List. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White Thursday reversed a November 2020 decision that removed the gray wolf from federal protections. White agreed with environmental groups, in ruling that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service improperly relied on inadequate and outdated state plans for wolf management when deciding to remove protections for wolves in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reviewing the ruling.
Wisconsin Democrat Senator Tammy Baldwin wants to move forward on reforming the filibuster. At the very least, Baldwin says that the Senate should do away with anonymous holds on bills and require anyone wanting to filibuster to come to the floor. This is the so-called "speaking filibuster" and Baldwin says it will give anyone who has issues with a bill a chance to speak their mind, answer questions and then allow the entire Senate to vote on the measure.
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Tony says his office is charging five people with voter fraud. WBAY-TV reports they are accused of illegally registering to vote by using a P-O Box for a residence address from a U-P-S store in Fond du Lac. Three of the five people voted in the November 2020 presidential election and at least one voted for former President Donald Trump. The five facing felony charges have been identified as Markeis Carter, Sam Wells, Jamie Marie Wells, Jeffrey Testroete, and Lawrence Klug.
A state legislator appears poised to enter the Republican primary for governor. State Representative Tim Ramthun has an event scheduled for Saturday in Kewaskum, where he’s expected to announce his campaign. A “Ramthun for Governor” website went live Wednesday night but was quickly taken down. Rebecca Kleefisch and Kevin Nicholson are already in the race. Ramthun was in the news recently for demanding an audit of Wisconsin’s voting machines, accusing Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of colluding with Hillary Clinton on ballot drop boxes, and losing his one capitol staffer as a result.
The driver accused in a fatal hit-and-run that left a La Follette High School student dead has entered a not guilty plea. W-I-S-C reports Sadarius Goodall is charged with two felonies in the January 15th incident. The not guilty plea was entered on his behalf Wednesday afternoon and he was bound over for trial. Fourteen-year-old student Jeremiah Broomfield was the victim. A woman who was in the car with Goodall originally said she was the driver, but she changed her story when inconsistencies were pointed out during an interview.
The Barron County Sheriff’s Department reports two people were arrested after a four-hour standoff in neighboring Polk County Monday morning. W-E-A-U reports 58-year-old Todd Hillman and 37-year-old Ruby Edwards were taken into custody. Deputies were responding to a domestic incident. They were told shots had been fired at a car and a home. Hillman finally came out after four hours of negotiations. He told deputies no one else was inside, but a police dog found Edwards hiding in an attic crawl space. She was named on an arrest warrant for failing to appear in court.
Months after Minnesota lawmakers reached a deal to pay the state’s frontline workers a bonus, those payments still haven’t gone out. The D-F-L got its latest proposal through a committee Wednesday. The bill would increase the 250 million dollars set aside to four times that amount. Supporters point to the state’s anticipated budget surplus of nearly eight billion dollars. Lawmakers admit the bonus checks are long overdue. Senate Republicans have indicated they don’t want to quadruple the original amount. The plan approved Wednesday would pay 667-thousand frontline workers 15-hundred dollars apiece.
The man who led Milwaukee authorities to the body of a three-year-old boy had been granted immunity by prosecutors. W-I-S-N reports 21-year-old Robert Williams was told he wouldn’t be prosecuted if he led investigators to Major Harris’ body. The boy had been the subject of an Amber Alert and a region-wide search for several days before he was found. His mother, Mallery Muezenberger, had been found dead and the man accused of killing her, Jaheem Clark, apparently committed suicide. Four days later police were led to the dead boy.
Minnesota’s tourism industry has been one of the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a nearly 12-billion dollar loss since January of 2020. But visitors are starting to return in greater numbers. Explore Minnesota Tourism Director Lauren Bennett-McGinty says auto travel is big, and as a result, they’re seeing a lot of cabins and resorts getting decent numbers. She added that outdoor recreation is also driving much of the comeback. Another promising sign -- venues are again booking conventions, sporting events, and concerts.
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