The city of Durand has approved sending out a request for proposals for a consultant to apply for a special grant program from the federal government and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the grant if approved would be used for the reconstruction of Main Street. The grant would pay for 80% of the road work, curb, and gutter of the project. The water and sewer portion of the project would not be covered by the grant, but Milliren says the city will also apply for upcoming grants for that part of the project.
The Pepin County Health Department has free carbon monoxide detectors available for area residents. Pepin County Public Health Specialist Alex Strand says the department as part of an education program on the signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poising, the department has the detectors available. The detectors were made possible by the Western Wisconsin Public Health Readiness Coalition. Those in Pepin in Stockholm can contact the health department and the department will have the detectors available for pickup at the Pepin Village Hall.
A Colfax man has been found guilty of sexual assault of a child and repeated sexual assault of a child in Dunn County Court. Jeffrey McCulloch was found guilty of 5 charges after a woman came forward in 2020 reporting that McCulloch had repeatedly assaulted her starting when she was 7. McCulloch will be sentenced in May.
A judge has imposed a sentence well below state guidelines for a Minnesota woman who helped her son dispose of her husband’s body. With credit for time served, 63-year-old Connie L. Herbst will spend another three months in prison. Twenty-seven-year-old Austin Herbst pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder and he has seven years remaining on his sentence. Defense attorneys said Connie Herbst and her son were physically and emotionally abused for years before the son killed Gary Herbst in July 2013. His body was dumped in Barron County, Wisconsin, and was dug up by a dog four years later.
The Wisconsin National Guard confirmed Thursday that its troops have not received orders directing them to mobilize in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Approximately 150 of soldiers from the 107th Maintenance Company, however, remain in eastern Europe as part of a deployment that left for the region last summer. The 107th left for Europe at the end of May last year as part of Operation Atlantic Reserve. At the time, the Wisconsin National Guard described it as a “planned multinational joint exercise, Defender-Europe 2021.” The company is based in Sparta, with detachments in Viroqua and in Camp Ripley, Minnesota.
The Monroe County district attorney has apologized for a hit-and-run crash last December. Kevin Croninger admits he hit an unoccupied car in Sparta then didn’t stop. W-K-B-T Television reports Croninger told investigators he was on his way home after a night out with friends. He said he drank that night but didn’t feel he was impaired. His sobriety couldn’t be checked because he didn’t report the crash until the next day. He was given a non-criminal citation.
A bill is moving forward in the Minnesota House that aims to require ethnic studies in Minnesota classrooms. Republican Steve Drazkowski voted “no” on the bill in a House committee. He says he’s concerned about “legitimizing” approaches to multi-culturalism, and that to move forward as a country they have to stop spreading “the idea that different groups are victimized.” D-F-L Representative Hodan Hassan from Minneapolis says not wanting to talk about multi-culturalism is insulting and equates it to “dismissing people’s existence.” The bill would incorporate ethnic studies into social studies graduation requirements and would establish a task force to advise a commissioner on ethnic studies standards and curriculum.
Guilty on all counts. Those are the verdicts in the federal civil rights trial stemming from George Floyd's death. It took an all-white Minnesota jury two days to find three former Minneapolis police officers guilty of five counts of violating Floyd's rights during his May 2020 death. Former Minneapolis officers Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng were convicted of failing to intervene and failing to render medical aid, while Thomas Lane was guilty of failing to render medical aid to Floyd. Ex-officer Derek Chauvin already pleaded guilty to federal charges in Floyd's death. No sentencing hearing has been scheduled.
A Minnesota man has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide in the fatal crash that killed Winona State University student Hannah Goman. Thirty-five-year-old Adam S. Anderson has an initial appearance in Winona County Court set for next week. Goman was a passenger in the car Anderson hit just after midnight Saturday as he was driving the wrong way on U-S Highway 61. The Stevens Point woman died of the injuries she suffered in the wreck. Two other people in the vehicle with her were also injured.
Members of the Natural Resources Board have lessened proposed restrictions on PFAS contamination in the state's groundwater. On Wednesday, the board voted in favor of setting acceptable contaminations levels at 70 parts per trillion for drinking water. That's more than triple the amount that the Department of Health Services had recommended as part of the 3-year long process of setting those levels. Members of the board cited the costs required to remediate PFAS contamination to the levels that D H S wanted. Numerous communities across the state are dealing with those chemicals in their water supply, including Marinette, Wausau, Madison, and La Crosse.
A cybersecurity expert at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh says big industries are likely to be targeted by more online attacks. Michael Patton says it just takes some foresight to keep themselves safe. Patton says, “Oshkosh Corporation is potentially the target of a nation-state.” He reminds people to remain alert for hackers and crooks trying to access their personal data. Patton says if you are breathing you have a digital footprint and you could be targeted.
The estate of a man shot to death at the Brown County Jail is asking a federal appeals court to allow its lawsuit to continue. Fox-11 reports 26-year-old Jonathan Tubby was fatally wounded by a Green Bay police officer at the jail in October 2018. Officer Erik O’Brien’s actions were ruled justified. A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed by Tubby’s family, but it was dismissed. Attorneys for the estate argued the dismissal by summary judgment was in error and the case should resume. No ruling has been issued yet.
The Slumberland American Birkebeiner cross country ski race is this weekend in Hayward. More than ten thousand skiers will compete in the Slumberland American Birkebeiner ski races this week. Birke executive director Ben Popp says there are many great athletes to watch. Tens of thousands of spectators watch the main races on Saturday with the first wave of elite skiers crossing the finish line around 10:30 a.m. in downtown Hayward.
Specialized agricultural license plates are now available to Minnesotans. Minnesota F-F-A Foundation executive director Val Aarsvold says it took four legislative sessions to make it happen -- but during those four years the number of people wanting to purchase an Ag specialty plate grew. The winning design depicts a rising sun and two sets of hands, which is a nod to both 4-H and the Future Farmers of America. One set of hands is smaller than the other, which Aarsvold says represents a difference in age and the mentoring that takes place. The cost is 15 dollars and 50 cents for the plate itself, and a minimum annual 20-dollar contribution to be divided equally between the state F-F-A and 4-H.
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