Paul R. Miller, County Manager for Dunn County, announced Tuesday his intention to resign from his position. “I’ve worked for local government for 34 years,” said Miller. “At the start of this year, I did a lot of soul searching and had some long conversations with my wife. It just seems the right time to step away from my current position and assess what I want to do in the next phase of my life.” Miller has served as the County Manager for Dunn County since September of 2016. Miller’s last day as Dunn County Manager will be March 11, 2022.
A $500 private donation to American Legion Post 181 will help with the cost of the flag replacement at the veteran's memorial in Riverside Park this year. Durand Mayor Patrick says while the costs are covered this year, the council will look at adding $500 to the budget for flag replacement next year. The cost of the flags is approximately $1000 with the American Legion covering half of those costs.
A Barron County man on parole from a case in 2010 where he killed a man while driving drunk has been pulled over for OWI Eau Claire police say they arrested Lee Namtvedt and charged him with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated fifth offense after Namtvedt stopped his car in the middle of the road, leaving in drive and going into an alleyway to urinate. He is currently released on a $5000 signature bond and is due back in court in March.
One person is dead after an accident at Sustane Natural Fertilizer in Cannon Falls. According to authorities, Cannon Falls Police responded to a call at the company of an employee that was pulled into a machine and unresponsive. Officers arrived on the scene and confirmed a 37yr old male employee was dead. Further investigation of how the victim died will be conducted by the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office of Southern Minnesota and the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be conducting an investigation.
Security Financial Bank is warning customers of a software pop-up scam. According to SFB several customers were scammed after a pop-up window appeared on their computers advising them they had a problem with their computer and to call the number that appears on the screen. After calling the number, the supposed technician states there is a virus or malware on the computer and talks the victim into giving the technician access to their computer when then the technician is able to download all the victim's private information. If you receive a software pop-up alert with a phone number to call, please do not call the number on the screen. Instead, please contact a trusted IT technician
Richfield police say the two people taken into custody Tuesday are the only suspects in the fatal shooting at the South Education Center. W-C-C-O reports family members have identified the student who was shot to death as 15-year-old Jahmari Rice. A second shooting victim was listed in critical condition. The names of the suspects arrested while search warrants were being executed have not been released. One gun was recovered but police haven’t said if it was the weapon used. The South Education Center will be closed today (Wednesday). The case is being investigated by local, state, and federal agencies – including the A-T-F and the F-B-I.
Republican state legislators want to pass a constitutional amendment that would give the legislature, and not the Governor, control over how federal funds are allocated. The issue has come into the forefront following billions of dollars of stimulus funding that came to the states as part of the pandemic and infrastructure bills. State Representative Chuck Wichgers says the Governor's office shouldn't be the sole decision-maker in that process. The G-O-P's proposal would instead give the legislature's joint finance committee control over those funds. Republicans stripped a number of powers from the Governor's office and handed them to the J-F-C just before Evers took control in 2019.
State Elections Commission chair Ann Jacobs says she’s appalled by language from a candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch (CLAY-fish). The Republican is standing by her comment that voters should have “one throat to choke” when holding elected officials accountable. Kleefisch, who first made the comment on Monday, claimed on Tuesday that it’s a phrase used “in policy-making circles.” Jacobs says election workers need to be supported rather than targeted for doing their jobs correctly. Both Kleefisch and fellow Republican candidate Kevin Nicholson are calling for the Elections Commission to be dismantled.
Legislative Republicans are introducing a new set of changes for Wisconsin election laws. Plans introduced by State Senator Kathy Bernier Monday would build off the report from the audit bureau and the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. The package of bills would include new limits on who is considered to be indefinitely confined, a new requirement for social security numbers to be included on absentee ballots and a ban on the so-called Zuckerbucks partnerships. Bernier says the measures will address loopholes brought to the surface by the 2020 presidential election. Democratic Governor Tony Evers has already said he will veto anything that makes it harder to vote.
Wisconsin Republicans say education in Milwaukee Public Schools “just isn’t working.” W-I-S-N reports a sweeping set of education proposals to be introduced this week would include the dissolution of the district and expanding school choice statewide. Milwaukee School Board President Bob Peterson calls that “a recipe for chaos” and a disaster for students in the district. The proposal being considered would dissolve the district by 2024 and divide it into four to eight smaller districts. Backers of the idea say M-P-S is failing too many students.
A fatal shooting outside a high school basketball game in neighboring Beloit has Janesville police planning to increase their presence at school sporting events. A 19-year-old man was shot to death Saturday after the game between Beloit Memorial and La Follette High School of Madison. The new plan goes into effect tonight (Tuesday) at Craig High School when the Beloit Memorial girls’ basketball team visits for a game. Police say the new approach is being taken with the full cooperation of the Janesville School District – and it will be kept in place for the rest of the school year.
Results from a year-long study don’t say how many police officers Minneapolis should have on its force. K-A-R-E reports both city and police leaders have repeatedly said the study would be crucial in determining the department’s future. There were 889 cops assigned to the department in early 2020. It’s down to about 300 officers now. Several recommendations were made that call for more efficient use of resources – things like handling some complaints on the phone, switching from two- to one-person patrols, and giving more thought to assigning some non-violent emergencies to civil workers.
The presence of a new coronavirus variant is confirmed in Wisconsin. Public health officials in Madison say there’s only one case of the new omicron variant known as B-A-2 in Dane county, but more are likely coming. Doctors say the new strain appears to be more than 50-percent more contiguous than the original omicron variant. Early studies show the new variant does not cause more severe symptoms than the first strain of omicron, so another surge in cases appears unlikely. People who’ve had booster shots, and people who’ve had omicron before appear to be well-equipped to fight off the new variant. The B-A-2 omicron strain has been found in 40 counties.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has improved its winter road conditions report. The DOT has updated 511wi.gov to expand and improve those reports. More than 14,000 miles of roadway will now be updated at least twice an hour by devices pulling in data. Previously only 3,700 miles were covered by field observations, which could only be updated every several hours. According to a news release, the Maintenance Decision Support System, which counties use to schedule plowing and salting will provide data for the road conditions map. DOT recommends you check 511wi.gov as part of winter travel plans
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