Local-Regional News March 31

A Menomonie man, convicted of multiple sex crimes has completed his sentence and is now back in Menomonie.  According to the Dunn County Sheriff's Department, Brian Thibado was released Tuesday and is living on 463rd Street in Menomonie.  He will be under supervision and is under GPS monitoring.  Thibado was convicted in Dunn County of multiple sex offenses against children between 2010 and 2018, including second-degree sexual assault of a child. 

At a special board meeting Tuesday night, the Plainview-Elgin-Millville School Board voted to select the district’s next superintendent.   The board voted and selected Darrin Strosahl, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Operating Officer at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, Minnesota, to be the superintendent.  Stroshal is taking over for Bill Ihrke who will retire at the end of the school year.  Strosahl is expected to start on July 1st.

Residents of Pepin and Pierce County will have the opportunity to get rid of unwanted hazardous waste items in April.  The 2022 Spring Clean Sweep will be on April 23rd at the Pierce County Recycling Center in Ellsworth.  Unwanted household chemicals like cleaners, solvents, paints will be accepted free of charge.   Unused prescription drugs will also be accepted.   For more information on the Clean Sweep, contact Pepin or Pierce County Solid Waste Departments.

The City of La Crosse has canceled an offer to purchase a motel that would have served as housing homeless residents.   The City Council previously approved the use of one-and-a-half million dollars in American Rescue Plan funds to purchase the Maple Grove Motel. It would have served as a temporary place for homeless people to live while they looked for permanent housing and a location for treatment services for mental health and addiction. In a statement, La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds said that the purchase cancelation was due to “a failure to cure defects” at the property, following an inspection that found structural and electrical issues.

A Dane County judge is holding Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and members of the Wisconsin Assembly in contempt of court for failing to provide documents after they were ordered to do so.  W-B-A-Y / T-V reports the records were part of a lawsuit over Michael Gableman’s election investigation.  Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn had given Vos until November 19th to turn over the records and the response didn’t satisfy the judge.  Wednesday's ruling stated, “the court concludes Robin Vos and the Assembly … have chosen to willfully violate a court order.”  They have 14 days to submit sworn affidavits then the parties will face fines of a thousand dollars a day.

The 2022 tribal fishing season gets underway soon.   Ojibwe tribal members have treaty-protected rights to fish in certain Wisconsin waterways, and anyone who interferes with that could face legal consequences. Department of Natural Resources Secretary Preston Cole said the agency has “zero-tolerance” for harassment of tribal members exercising their rights to harvest fish using various methods, including spearing and netting. Attorney General Josh Kaul said any attempt to interfere with treaty fishing is illegal and should be reported to local law enforcement and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC).

Naval ships worth millions of dollars are headed to dry dock.  The U-S Navy is reportedly looking to shelve nine Littoral Combat Ships built in Wisconsin, including the U-S-S Milwaukee.  The move is part of a larger plan to cut back on costs over the next five years.  The L-C-S fleet never performed the way the Navy wanted and many of the ships are still not being used.  The Department of Defense is looking to the future with a new class of missile frigates that could replace the fleet.  Those ships will also be built in Wisconsin.

SMART Toyota in Madison says its new and used parking lot is normally filled with about 200 vehicles for sale.  Right now, there are only 80 available.  Wisconsin car dealerships simply can’t keep up with the demand for new or used vehicles.  Before the pandemic, General Sales Manager Justin Jackson tells W-M-T-V cars would sit on the dealership lot for at least 45 days before they were sold – now, they’re gone in 12 days.  Jackson says some customers might end up waiting a year to get the car they want.  He says no one knows when the demand will subside.

Two months after he was charged with possession of child pornography, the head of the Wisconsin veterans policy board has resigned.  Curtis Schmitt Junior sent a short resignation letter to Governor Evers Monday.  Schmitt was charged with three felony counts of possession in January.  He pleaded not guilty and the case is still pending.  Evers asked him to step down the day after the charges were filed.  The governor’s office said that request was ignored and Schmitt hadn’t responded to communication efforts.

“Quit sitting on the budget surplus” – that’s the message from the Education Minnesota teachers’ union to Senate Republicans, whose top priority is permanent tax cuts. Union president Denise Specht (SPECK) says she doesn’t know how we could even be talking about tax cuts “when we have school districts that have been starved for resources for decades.” Republicans respond the state has thrown money at public schools, but student test scores are static at best and the achievement gap hasn’t closed.  They’re pushing “back to basics” and what they term school choice options for parents -- which opponents label as school vouchers.

Local officials say at least 62 voters in Kenosha County received the wrong ballots for the April 5th election.  Test ballots were accidentally sent to voters in two wards in Somers.  Those ballots come from the county and are used to test the voting machines.  The Wisconsin Elections Commission says this kind of mistake happens a couple of times for each election and there are ways for local officials to fix the problem.  The voters have been asked to destroy the bad ballots and the correct ones have already been sent to replace them.

Legislation co-sponsored by Minnesota Congressman Pete Stauber would ban imports of uranium from Russia. The Energy Information Administration says the U-S purchased more than 34 million pounds of uranium from 2016 through 2020. The Eighth District Republican says banning uranium imports from Russia can “stop funding for Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine, create jobs for American workers, and secure our national defense.” The U-S has already banned imports of Russian oil, natural gas, and coal.

Another report says too many people in Wisconsin drink too much.   The report from the Wisconsin Council on Alcohol and other Drug Abuse says drinking and binge-drinking rates in Wisconsin are much higher than the national average.   The report says 64-percent of people in Wisconsin have had a drink in the past month, and 21 percent have had four or more in one sitting. The report concludes higher taxes and higher prices could help lessen binge drinking. The group also says no more selling alcohol at gas stations might help.

A major soccer matchup could be taking place in Green Bay.   A number of reports say Manchester City will play an exhibition game against German team Bayern Munich at Lambeau Field in July. The Packers hadn’t confirmed the reports as of Wednesday morning, but the team has said it will host a major event this year. It would be a bit of an informal exchange. The Packers will play their first regular-season game in London this fall. 

Local-Regional News March 30

 The Durand Fire Department has announced the date of their spring dinner and dance fundraiser.  The event will be May 14th from Noon-10pm.  Music from 40 Fingers from 1=5pm and the Whitesidewalls from 6:30-9:30pm.  Chicken dinners will be served from Noon-7pm and new this year will be a 5k run-walk.  To register for the walk call Jen King at Durand City Hall.

 

One person is dead after a house fire in Wanamingo on Monday.  According to the Goodhue County Sheriffs Department, firefighters responded to the fire Monday night after the occupants of the home smelled something burning.  Monica Siegle ran to a neighbor's house to call 911 and thought her husband was behind her, but he was still inside.  The neighbor tried to enter the home but was met by black smoke.  Jay Siegle was found in the home by firefighters who attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful.  The fire is not considered suspicious and is under investigation by the Minnesota Fire Marshall's Office.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls will receive $260,215 in support from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin this year to enhance its water-related academic programs.  The funding is part of a statewide initiative, backed by the Wisconsin State Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers, to tackle 10 groundwater challenges and support curriculum development, undergraduate research opportunities, career development, and field training experiences for students interested in studying water-related fields at the 13 UW System schools.

Eau Claire’s school's superintendent says someone is making violent threats over the district’s gender identity policy.   Eau Claire's school district policy states that parents are not entitled to know if their children are changing gender identities at school. That knowledge must be earned, and the district’s priority is to support the student. Superintendent Michael Johnson sent a note to parents Monday to say that School Board President Tim Nordin got an email last week threatening him, his family, and the school board with violence. Johnson defends the policy, saying it’s a safety issue.

A grass fire in the median on I-94 closed the eastbound lanes and the left westbound lane of the interstate for about 90 minutes from Northfied to Osseo on Tuesday.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, the fire burned about 4 acres and backed up traffic for over a mile as fire crews worked the blaze.  There was also a semi vs car accident that blocked the interstate.  Fire danger in Wisconsin is still listed as high in many areas.

La Crosse County Circuit Judge Ramona Gonzalez set a half-million-dollar cash bond for a homicide suspect during a Monday hearing.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports 35-year-old Karvel Freeman of Madison is one of two suspects in a fatal shooting that happened last January.  Freeman had been on the run until he was finally arrested in Tennessee three weeks ago.  He faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety.  Freeman and 25-year-old Nelson Brown of Rockford, Illinois are accused of killing Ernest Knox.  Brown is still at large.

A Monroe County jury has been seated and the homicide trial for a Tomah man accused of killing a three-year-old child is underway.  W-K-B-T / T-V reports 37-year-old Marcus Anderson is accused of abusing the boy so badly he died in May 2019.  Assistant District Attorney Sarah Skiles told the court Kyson Rice had 200 bruises on his body and he had been hit in the head almost 30 times.  The prosecutor says an autopsy showed the boy was beaten to death.  Investigators say Anderson changed his story about what had happened several times.

 A Southwest Airlines flight returned to Mitchell International Airport just 24 minutes after it took off early Tuesday morning.  The pilot reported a problem with one of the engines on the Boeing 737.  A passenger told W-I-S-N / T-V she heard two pops and saw something that looked like a spark or flame from the right-wing.  The plane landed safely.  The flight to Baltimore originally took off at 6:00 a-m.  The 138 passengers were loaded on another plane and it departed at about 9:00 a-m.  Mechanics were inspecting the original plane at the gate after the passengers got off.

The Minnesota Senate has sent a bill to the governor requiring state holdings in Russia and Belarus to be divested.  Tuesday’s vote was unanimous.  Backers say it was prompted by Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine.  The legislation also prohibits Minnesota state agencies from entering contracts with companies in Russia and Belarus.  That move codifies an executive order previously issued by Governor Tim Walz.  

The Minnesota state Senate could vote Thursday on a drought relief package that includes emergency assistance on the avian flu outbreak that’s threatening Minnesota poultry operations. The House already passed its bill, but Republican Senator Torrey Westrom from Elbow Lake says a D-N-R funding measure in it “is going to be like a boat anchor and slow it down.” He's calling for the emergency response for farming and drought relief to be separate. Representative Mike Sundin (sun-DEEN') from Esko responds the D-N-R provision is to restore tree seedling supplies damaged by drought -- but Sundin also says he’s “very, very appreciative” of cooperation to include avian flu provisions.

A good crowd gathered Monday morning as the City of Eau Claire re-opened the historic High Bridge.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports the 140-year-old structure was closed last June after the pavement was seen buckling and cracking on the bridge.  Restoration of the bridge piers was a factor in driving the cost of the repairs up to three-point-four-million dollars.  The 900-foot-long span crosses the Chippewa River near Eau Claire’s Cannery District.  City officials say the completed project means the bridge could be good for another 30-to-50 years.

Wisconsin lawmakers may be stepping-in to help county fair winners across the state.  The state Department of Agriculture, which helps pay for county fairs across Wisconsin, wants to change the rules so the state will only pay winners to win once. County fairs would have to cover the prize money for people who win at more than one county fair. State Senator Howard Marklein says that would be too tough and too expensive for most county fairs in Wisconsin. Marklein on Friday said lawmakers are looking to overturn the new rule and help county fairs, and fair winners.

Now that the first cases of bird flu have been confirmed in poultry flocks in Meeker, Mower, and Stearns counties, Doctor Dale Lauer of the Board of Animal Health is reminding all poultry producers to remain vigilant. He says they need to exercise or have their bio-security measures in place, which means no visitors, clean boots, and clean clothes. He also says to keep your birds indoors as much as possible and avoid contact with wild birds and waterfowl. And finally, if they do see something they need to say something. A U-S-D-A emergency response team will arrive in Minnesota today to support the state’s disease control and containment efforts of H-5-N-1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Schools around the state are getting another big financial boost to help keep students safe. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is providing more than eight-point-two million dollars in grants from the Safe Routes to School program, which will go to nearly 180 schools around Minnesota. M-N-DOT’s Dave Cowan says the money aims to reduce traffic congestion around schools by making it safer and easier for students to walk and bicycle to school. Since 2005, M-N-DOT has awarded more than 50 million dollars in federal and state funds to communities to support Safe Routes to School.

The La Crosse Area Habitat for Humanity office is going to receive a two-million-dollar donation.  Habitat Board President Jim Szymalak says discussions are already underway on how to use the significant financial boost from author MacKenzie Scott, a nationally-known philanthropist.  W-K-B-T / T-V reports Scott is donating a total of 436-million dollars to Habitat for Humanity International.  The money is called La “transformational.”  It could be used for more home building projects, but it could also help seniors looking to stay in their homes by replacing water heaters, installing wheelchair ramps, making doorways wider, and other projects.

A bar in Oshkosh is cleaning up after some unruly behavior by an unusual intruder.   Security footage shows a herd of deer running past Dublin's Irish Pub. The bar posted a video on Facebook of one of the deer crashing through the bar’s main window. It's not clear if the deer was hurt. Dublin’s says it’s still open for business.

Local-Regional News March 29

 Two people were injured in a one-vehicle accident in Trimbelle Township on Sunday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 27yr old Francisco Rivera of Red Wing was traveling eastbound on Hwy K when he lost control and entered the north ditch, and overturned.  Both Rivera and passenger 36yr old Cassy Hoven of Ellsworth were trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated.  Both were taken to Red Wing Mayo Hospital.

Parents of teenagers are invited to attend the Buffalo County Partnership Council's Wake Up Call presentation tonight from 5-8pm at Cochran-Fountain City School.  Parents will tour a mock-up bedroom that will show ways teens conceal alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs or items that may indicate drug use.  The goal of the presentation is to educate parents and other adults about seemingly innocent items that may indicate substance abuse.

The Lake City Yard Compost and Brush Chipping Site will open this Friday for Lake City Residents.  Grass clippings, garden debris, and leaves will be accepted at the Yard Compost Area.  Residents are reminded not to rake those items into the street as city crews will not pick them up.  The site will be open Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 10am-6pm and Saturday from 9-5.   A permit sticker is required and for more information visit residents should visit City Hall.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reports human remains were found inside a burning building Monday morning.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports the remains were discovered as firefighters worked inside the apartment building in Milltown shortly after 4:30 a-m.  The name of the victim hasn’t been released.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.  The first crews arriving on the scene reported the roof was “gone” and the building was fully engulfed.  No other injuries were reported.

If you use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers on your computer or smartphone, you will want to update it as soon as possible.  Google announced that there is a security flaw and users should update their browsers.  Users of either browser can click on the three dots menu in the upper right-hand corner, click “Help” and then “About” Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. That will show whether there is an update available.

A late January court date has been set for the man accused of killing a Clark County woman.  Jesus Contreras Perez is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, stalking, and hiding a corpse.  The body of the victim, 28-year-old Cassandra Ayon, has never been found.  Ayon reportedly told her friends she and Contreras Perez had an abusive relationship and she felt threatened after she broke it off.  Contreras Perez is being held on a one-million-dollar bond.  Ayon’s family says there has been no traceable activity on her accounts and there is no evidence she ever left the country.

A plan by Oshkosh Defense to keep production of new electric US Postal Service trucks in Wisconsin was reportedly scuttled by Foxconn.   The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that a request from Oshkosh Defense to rent or lease a building on the Foxconn campus in Mount Pleasant to build those new vehicles was turned down. That reportedly contributed to a decision to build the trucks at an Oshkosh Defense facility in South Carolina. A statement from Oshkosh Defense said that Wisconsin did not have any available buildings of the dimensions required to meet the postal service contract.

The State Supreme Court will not give Senator Ron Johnson special permission to speak at oral arguments over the use of absentee ballot drop boxes.   Attorneys for Senator Johnson filed a brief in that case but also asked the Supreme Court for equal time in oral arguments alongside the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the plaintiffs in the case. The Court accepted those briefs but denied Johnson the right to speak at arguments. Justices said that the parties involved may cede some of their time to the Senator, but that no extra time will be granted to either side.

Wisconsin agriculture officials are warning people with backyard chickens about bird flu. The Department of Agriculture says people thinking adding chickens to their backyard flocks this spring should not get them from Jefferson County. A bird flu outbreak there has led to quarantine and the destruction of more than two-and-a-half million chickens. Ag officials are is also recommending people to keep their chickens safe by keeping their surroundings clean and sanitary. 

Disability rights groups say new rules on Wisconsin absentee ballots are going to disenfranchise some voters.  Marilee Adamski-Smith tells W-K-O-W’s Capital City Sunday she won’t be allowed to cast a ballot.  Adamski-Smith was born without arms and legs.  A Wisconsin Supreme Court order means people aren’t allowed to have assistance getting absentee ballots into mailboxes – even if they do get help filling out the ballots.  The only exceptions are for people on jury duty and those who are hospitalized.  Conservatives say allowing people to collect and mail ballots for other voters will lead to “ballot harvesting” and will compromise election security.

A man wanted for a domestic incident in Monroe County last summer has been arrested in Vermont.  W-C-A-X / T-V reports 32-year-old Christopher Herricks was taken into custody Saturday night in Sharon, Vermont.  Herricks is accused of threatening a family member with a knife.  There was an arrest warrant in his name for the Wisconsin incident that happened in 2020.  A Monroe County judge ordered that Herrick be committed after he was found not competent to stand trial on multiple charges, including strangulation and suffocation, battery, and disorderly conduct.

Minnesota U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar is calling on Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any future lawsuits filed over the 2020 presidential race. It comes in the wake of revelations that his wife, Ginni Thomas, sent numerous text messages to then-Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging him to find ways to keep Donald Trump in office prior to the January sixth riot. During appearances on A-B-C’s “This Week,” Klobuchar called it “unbelievable” that the wife of a U-S Supreme Court justice would “advocate for an insurrection…for overturning a legal election to the president’s chief of staff.” Ginni Thomas has denied having any role in the events of January sixth.

 Despite the long controversy over counting votes in Wisconsin very few people showed up Saturday morning when the Madison City Clerk’s Office tested 92 voting machines.  W-M-T-V reports they turned the machines on, checked the system, and ran test ballots through the voting process.  One city official says the biggest challenge is making adjustments for court-ordered ward changes after redistricting.  The Wisconsin Elections Commission suggests people check MyVote.WI.Gov to find their polling places for the April 5th spring election.

Minnesota Poison Control is encouraging Minnesotans to add the Poison Control number to their phones in case of emergency. Spokeswoman Samantha Lee says, “whether you have a child who got into a cleaner, whether it’s your parents or grandparents that made a medication error,” they can help. The number to call is 1-800-222-1222, to their phones so they can be prepared in a poison emergency – Lee says all calls are free and confidential. Poison prevention tips can be found at w-w-w-dot-M-N-poison-dot-org.

Local-Regional News March 28

 Firefighters responded to three vehicles on fire at the Park and Ride lot at Hwy 12 and I-94 near Elk Mound on Thursday morning.  According to the Dunn County Sheriff's Department, firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to other vehicles in the lot.  A vehicle was seen leaving the lot after the fire was started and was pulled over in St. Croix County.  Two individuals were taken into custody on unrelated charges.  The cause of the fire is suspicious and remains under investigation by the Wisconsin Fire Marshall and Dunn County Sheriff's Department.

Incumbent 31st State Senator Jeff Smith has announced he will run for re-election this fall.  Smith made the announcement on Saturday.  Smith said his priorities during a second term would include more support for public schools, campaign finance reform, and fair legislative maps.  

Winona native Tyler Jacob was released by Russian officials who detained him in Crimea about two weeks ago. Jacob had been living in Ukraine. U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar says U-S Ambassador John Sullivan brought up Tyler's case in discussions with Moscow. Klobuchar says she's "grateful that we were able to help bring him to safety."

A coalition of Wisconsin dairy farmers wants to chart a new course for the industry.  Instead of limiting milk production, the Dairy Revitalization Plan focuses on reducing the negative impacts of uncontrolled expansion. The Dairy Together group worked with researchers at UW-Madison to create models for what a mandatory management program could look like and how it would affect farm and consumers prices. The group which includes members of both the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and the Wisconsin Farmers Union has held a recent series of meetings, hoping to include the proposal in the next farm bill.

A La Crosse man is dead after a one-vehicle accident on I-94 in Jackson County on Friday.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, 42yr old Jamall Amir Cox-Bey was traveling westbound on I-94 near mile marker 111 when he lost control and his vehicle rolled over.  Cox-Bey was transported to Regions Hospital but died from his injuries.  That accident remains under investigation.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health confirmed the state’s first cases of bird flu. Flocks in Meeker and Mower counties tested positive Friday. State Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen says they have staff and equipment to handle an outbreak. Peterson also stressed the risk to the public is very low and there are no food safety concerns as the birds produced are all tested before going to market. Impacted flocks are depopulated to prevent the virus from spreading and barns must be cleaned and disinfected before they can be used again.

The Wisconsin unemployment rate fell to two-point-nine percent in February, tying a record low mark for the state according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The number represents the lowest mark since before the spring of 2020. The private sector added more than 20-thousand jobs to help push the unemployment rate down. Workforce participation remained unchanged from January.

Increased penalties for harming health care workers are now the law in Wisconsin.   Assaults or threats against health care workers or their families is now a Class H felony, which means up to six years in prison, and up to ten thousand dollars in fines. Governor Evers signed the bill into law Thursday. Wisconsin Hospital Association President and CEO Eric Borgerding say threats are pushing people to choose between caring for patients or leaving the profession. The hospital association’s most recent annual workforce report finds vacancies went up last year for many hospital jobs.

The chair of the state veterans board has not resigned, despite a request from the governor’s office. Thirty-eight-year-old Curtis L. Schmitt Junior chairs the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs. Schmitt pleaded not guilty in January to three felony counts of possession of child pornography. He’s due back in court in Milwaukee on Tuesday. Governor Tony Evers appointed Schmitt in 2019 and he was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate. Evers’ requested that Schmitt resigns from the board, but the governor’s office said that has not happened. Schmitt remains listed as chair on the board’s website.

The U-S Postal Service has placed its first order for the next generation of mail vehicles with Oshkosh Defense.  Even though the company is based in Wisconsin those vehicles will be manufactured at a plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  Oshkosh Corporation workers had lobbied the company to build them here.  Production is scheduled to start next year.  The first order is for 50-thousand vehicles, with a minimum of 10-thousand to be zero-emission battery electric vehicles.  The total federal contract is worth almost three billion dollars.  Oshkosh defense won the contract last February.

The lawyer for the former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice heading the elections probe says decertifying the 2020 president results is impossible.  Attorney James Bopp appeared in front of the Assembly Elections Committee Thursday.  He told lawmakers the only way to remove President Biden “is by his death, resignation, impeachment, or disability under the 25th Amendment.”  Just weeks ago, special investigator Michael Gableman told the same committee the Wisconsin Legislature should look seriously into decertifying the election results.  Bopp said Thursday that trying to do that would be “pointless.”

Members of the Minnesota Ukrainian community were in the gallery as the Minnesota House unanimously passed a bill requiring the state to divest its holdings in entities in Russia and Belarus. The Minnesota Senate is expected to approve it early this week. State Representative Sydney Jordan of Minneapolis said, “our screens have been filled with images of bombed maternity hospitals, slain families, and frantic refugees lined up to enter other countries.” The legislation also prohibits state agencies from having contracts with companies in Russia and Belarus -- codifying a similar executive order by Governor Tim Walz.

The federal government has taken custody of a Missouri man who is accused of killing two Wisconsin brothers.  K-S-H-B / T-V reports Garland Nelson will face fraud charges in federal court during a trial scheduled for early May.  He will be prosecuted there while he waits for a state murder trial on the Missouri court calendar for next February.  State prosecutors say Nelson killed Shawano County brothers Nick and Justin Diemel when they tried to collect on a 216-thousand-dollar bad check.  He faces two counts of first-degree murder.  Prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are reporting many non-prescription C-B-D products are mislabeled.  A published study finds those products often don’t contain what the labels claim they do.  W-M-T-V reports the researchers from the U-W School of Pharmacy found only 15-percent of the products examined were accurately labeled.  Products like C-B-D-infused beverages, oils, and other miscellaneous items were checked.  Seventy-eight percent of the products were over-labeled, meaning they contained less than 90-percent of the C-B-D they were supposed to contain.  The scientists found some products had detectable levels of T-H-C.

 After U-S officials announced the plan to accept 100-thousand refugees from Ukraine, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar says she thinks Minnesota will get a "higher percentage" of those 100-thousand people. Klobuchar cited the size of the Ukrainian-American population in Minnesota as a reason for her estimate. At the federal level officials indicated 100-thousand was just the first announcement when it comes to refugees from Ukraine being brought to the U-S.

Local-Regional News March 22

 Over a dozen fire departments from Buffalo, Dunn, Pepin, Trempealeau, and Wabasha Counties responded to a barn fire Sunday morning in rural Buffalo County.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, firefighters were called to the barn fire on Hwy N in the Town of Lincoln early Sunday morning.  When firefighters arrived they found the barn fully engulfed.    Crews were on the scene for nearly five hours, but the barn and nearby buildings could not be saved.  Over 100 head of cattle were killed in the blaze.  The cause of that fire is still under investigation.

The 2022 shipping season is now officially underway on the Upper Mississippi River. Melanie Peterson with the Army Corps of Engineers says the motor vessel “W-Red Harris” broke through the ice Monday at Lake Pepin. She says it’s the very first sign of spring and they’re excited to see ships and barges and tows going through our locks and dams. The Red Harris came from St. Louis and was pushing nine barges carrying fertilizer. The average opening date of the Upper Mississippi navigation season is March 20th.

Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig is co-sponsoring a bill aimed at replacing Russian oil with American biofuels. The Home Front Energy Independence Act would expand production, make E-15 available year-round, establish an E-15 tax credit, and help retailers get equipment to offer renewable fuels. Craig says in a statement, “as we work to lessen our dependence on foreign energy producers and hold Russia accountable for its unjustified invasion of Ukraine, our bipartisan legislation to prioritize home-grown domestic biofuels should be taken up without delay.” The bill would also codify into law full restrictions on U-S purchases of Russian oil.

Democrat Mark Lindquist of Moorhead says he’s suspending his campaign for U-S House in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District so he can do humanitarian work at Poland’s border with Ukraine. Lindquist says, “if they eventually let me in the Territorial Defense, that’s where I’ll take my orders from.” The Air Force veteran says he’s also raising money for a vehicle to shuttle Ukrainian refugees to Poland. Lindquist says he feels like this is where he’s needed most and hasn’t decided whether he’ll eventually resume his campaign for Congress. He planned to challenge freshman Republican Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach in November.

Another mining group from Canada wants to take a shot at opening sulfide mining operations in northern and central Wisconsin. Green Light Metals says it’s ready to explore a pair of metal mining deposits near Wausau and the Chequomaegon Nicolet National Forest. The company bought out those rights last year from Aquila Resources of Toronto for seven million dollars. Republicans led an effort to change Wisconsin laws to allow for metal mining in 2017, but Aquila never actually went through with the plan to open up either mining site. The Department of Natural Resources says Green Light will have to go through the entire permitting process all over again.

The city of Rhinelander will use more than one-point-five million dollars in federal funds to help clean up PFAS contamination in municipal water wells. City Administration Zach Vruwink tells W-A-O-W T-V the money arrives at just the right time. Rhinelander has been dealing with PFAS contamination for the last two years and is one of dozens of areas statewide looking to remove the so-called "forever chemicals" from their water.

Three of the country's largest credit reporting agencies are removing nearly 70% of medical debt from consumer credit reports, the companies announced in a joint statement Friday. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion will eliminate billions of dollars from the accounts of consumers who faced unexpected medical bills that they were unable to pay.   The announcement follows research from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau showing that Americans had racked up $88 billion in medical debt on consumer credit records as of June 2021. It's the most common debt collection credit account on credit records, the CFPB said.  Starting July 1, paid medical collection debt will no longer be included on consumer credit reports. Millions of Americans had credit scores previously lowered because debts paid after being sent to collections could appear on credit reports for up to seven years.

Groups pushing discredited election fraud theories will be making their case at the State Capitol. The group “True the Vote” is scheduled to speak before the Wisconsin Assembly’s elections committee on Thursday -- and a group calling itself “Grandpa and Grandma” says it plans to block Madison traffic with recreational vehicles in May to protest alleged voter fraud. Last week, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos met with people who want to decertify Wisconsin’s 2020 electors -- something lawmakers and experts maintain can’t be done.

Authorities have arrested a 48-year-old man in Monroe County after allegedly fleeing from officers and driving at speeds of over 110 miles per hour. W-X-O-W Television reports that the suspect was spotted in La Crosse County driving a Black Chevy Equinox with the headlights turned off, which sparked the two-county chase on Highway 27. The chase ended when Monroe County deputies used spike strips to stop the driver, who then struck a guardrail. The suspect, Chad Raymond Weaver, is charged with Operating Under the Influence for the sixth time. He’s also charged with felony fleeing an officer, felony bail jumping, and second-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Milwaukee officials are scheduled to make their official bid tomorrow (Tuesday) to host the Republican National Convention in 2024. W-I-S-N Television reports that R-N-C chairwoman Ronna McDaniel spent last week visiting with city officials and confirmed that Milwaukee and Nashville are the final two contenders. A final decision is due sometime this summer. Milwaukee hosted a downsized Democratic National Convention in 2020 with several events held remotely and live-streamed due to the pandemic. The city has never hosted the G-O-P convention.

 A legislative auditor’s report finds the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is falling short on detecting fraud in Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance program, either by impostors or through identity theft. Republican Representative Rod Hamilton from Mountain Lake says the report’s very first recommendation was having the legislature “require DEED to report on a regular basis about fraud in the U-I program.” DEED officials say a drastic increase in U-I applications during the pandemic strained their ability to perform standard fraud prevention and detection processes. Hamilton says there needs to be “more transparency,” and that the department should have the necessary tools and resources to fight fraud.

A new report from the Wisconsin Hospital Association shows unprecedented vacancy rates in health care professions. Ann Zenk with the W-H-A notes it’s been a developing concern for years. She says their workforce can’t grow fast enough to keep up with the demands of an aging population, as more and more of Wisconsin’s population retires -- which took an even bigger jump during the pandemic. The combined factors resulted in an increase in vacancies in 13 of 17 professions tracked in W-H-A’s Health Care Workforce Report. Registered nurse vacancy rates were the highest they’ve been since 2005.

It’s pothole season in Minnesota. M-N-DOT’s Anne Meyer says people need to be mindful of where potholes may be forming and to not drive over them too fast, which can do some potential damage. She says crews are out patching potholes now until more permanent fixes can be applied in the summer and fall. If you see or hit, a pothole on a highway, you can report it at D-O-T-Dot-State-dot-M-N-dot-U-S, then look for the “Report a pothole” link on the home page.

Local-Regional News March 21

 Two Barron County Sheriff's Deputies fell through the ice rescuing a snowmobiler on Saturday.  According to the Barron County Sheriff's Department, deputies arrived on the scene early Saturday morning at Prairie Lake and made their way on the ice to find the man who had fallen into the water.  While attempting to rescue the man the ice gave way and the two deputies fell into the water.  One deputy held onto the snowmobiler while firefighters rescued all three.  One deputy and the snowmobiler were taken to the hospital, the other deputy suffered minor injures but remained on scene.

A woman who sued the Fall Creek School District over its COVID-19 policies has dismissed her lawsuit.  Gina Kildahl filed the lawsuit last year after she claimed her children contracted Covid-19 at the school and accused the district and school board of failure to implement reasonable safety measures.  Her attorney said they dropped the lawsuit as the issue is now moot given that the coronavirus level in the area is now low.

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig is officially announcing she will run for reelection this fall.  Craig issued a statement Sunday saying enthusiasm for her campaign is strong. Craig was first elected to Congress in 2018.  She represents Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes the Twin Cities’ far southeastern suburbs and rural parts of southeastern Minnesota including Wabasha and Goodhue Counties.  Republican Tyler Kistner is running for the seat. Craig narrowly defeated him in 2020.

Tommy Thompson’s time as University of Wisconsin System president is over.  Thompson stepped down Thursday. Wisconsin’s former long-time governor took over as interim system president in 2020, and announced plans to retire earlier this year. Milwaukee lawyer Jay Rothman will take over as System president on June 1st. Thompson might run for governor again. He served four terms in the 80s and 90s. He says he will make his decision in April. 

A Las Vegas man faces extradition back to Wisconsin for allegedly running from police in a stolen U-haul full of marijuana. Police are accusing 26-year-old Demandre Andrew-Tyshann Fraizer of fleeing from officers in a stolen U-Haul truck. The incident happened on Wednesday in Viroqua when police tried to talk to Fraizer about the stolen van. He fled from police and made it as far as Winona County in Minnesota before he was stopped by the police there. A large amount of marijuana was found inside the rental when police searched it. Frazier now faces several felonies including evading police and recklessly endangering safety.

Wisconsin Congressman Glenn Grothman is one of just a few lawmakers who voted against ending trade relations with Russia. Grothman joined 7 other lawmakers as the sole no votes on a bill that would curtail Russia's trade status. The bill allows the President to increase tariffs with Russia and neighboring Belarus. Grothman tells the Journal Sentinel that he opposes an expansion of the Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which allows the US and other countries to issue sanctions against individual people for contributing to human rights abuses. He claims it could be used against people who have Christian beliefs.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce Solar for Schools Program will award about seven-point-five-million dollars in grants for up to 80 schools in 45 school districts in Greater Minnesota. The Commerce Department's Mo Schriner says the program hopes to provide savings and learning opportunities. Grants will cover up to 95-percent of costs for the schools, based on their financial need, allowing schools to install solar panels on school rooftops or school grounds.

As mobile carriers phase out their 3-G networks to make room for more advanced services like 5-G, customers need to be aware the transition could impact devices other than phones. Madison College Professor Steve Noll says there are a lot of other devices that may still use older 3-G technology -- they include medical alert necklaces and bracelets, smartwatches, older tablets, and crash alert systems in cars. Some of those have already been turned off -- A-T-and-T has already shut down its 3-G network, and other carriers are set to do so later this year. Noll says if you’re unsure, check directly with your provider.

Sunday the Gloria De Lutheran Church in Duluth celebrated 80 years of broadcasting weekly services on the radio. Pastor David Carlson told K-D-A-L the church began the broadcasts in 1942 and is believed to be the longest continuing broadcast of church services in the country. He says the broadcast began with the straightforward purpose of giving more people a chance to participate in services each week.

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A Wisconsin man has been arrested for his part in the riot at the U-S Capitol last year. Twenty-three-year-old Riley Kasper of Pulaski faces felonies in the case, including assaulting police and civil disorder. Prosecutors say Kasper sprayed Capitol Police with pepper spray and forced his way into the Capitol building. They also say Kasper bragged about the attack on Facebook, saying “I pepper-sprayed three cops so bad they got undressed and went home,” and that the event was like “the most real version of paintball ever.”

 Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug LaFollette announces he’s seeking a 12th term in office. The Democrat says he opposes Republican proposals to give the partisan office oversight of elections. He says two years ago he might have made a different decision, “but now with the integrity of this office at risk,” many people have urged him to run for reelection. LaFollette says in his entire 44 years in office, the Secretary of State has never been involved in election supervision. There are four Republican candidates for secretary of state, including state Representative Amy Loudenbeck, and all have said the office should oversee elections.

Governor Tony Evers says he will not endorse a candidate in the Democratic primary for U-S Senate.   Evers says all the candidates in the crowded field are good people, and that as the highest-ranking elected Democrat in Wisconsin, it would be wrong to pick just one. That’s even though the widely-perceived frontrunner is his own lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes. Eleven Democrats are running in the August primary for a chance to unseat incumbent Republican Ron Johnson.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is continuing a push to lower prescription drug costs -- especially for seniors. Klobuchar is advocating for legislation that requires Medicare to negotiate for less expensive drugs from drug companies. She says people “would be shocked to know that Medicare is banned from negotiating right now, whereas the Veterans Administration DOES negotiate” with drug companies, resulting in lower costs for veterans. Klobuchar says U-S consumers pay the highest drug prices in the world. She and fellow Minnesota Senator Tina Smith today (Friday) join leaders of A-A-R-P to discuss progress being made in trying to lower costs.

More than half of rural Minnesota counties lack hospital-based birthing services. The Rural MOMS Act was co-sponsored by Minnesota Senator Tina Smith and has now been signed into law. Smith says the legislation will provide grants to connect patients to needed care, expand telehealth, and provide training for clinicians to practice in rural community-based settings. With shortages of health care providers and a challenging payer mix, rural hospitals are more likely to close their labor and delivery units in order to make ends meet. Smith says the point was driven home to her when she heard that some women were making 200-mile round trips to get to their doctors.

Now that Winter’s over, be sure you trust where you’re storing your snowmobile or other winter equipment. State Consumer Protection director Michael Domke says that D-A-T-C-P has a list of trusted storage facilities. He says if something goes wrong or they find out they failed to fulfill their obligations or are operating a little bit outside the law -- there is protection for the consumer to potentially recoup some of their losses.” You can find that list online at D-A-T-C-P-dot-W-I-dot-U-S.

Local-Regional News March 18

 With nice weather expected this weekend, the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department is reminding residents that travel on designated roadways in Buffalo County for ATVs and UTVs are closed until April 1st. The department also is reminding residents that all ATVs and UTVs need to be registered before they can operate on the designated routes whether is for farm use or not.  For more information, contact the Buffalo County Sheriffs Department.

Rep. Ron Kind cosponsored and voted for bipartisan legislation to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus.  This legislation provides additional provisions to expand the United States’ trade tools to stop Russia’s unprovoked and unjust war on Ukraine and to hold Belarus accountable for its complicity.  If passed, the bill would allow the President time-limited authority to increase tariffs on products from Russia and Belarus until Jan 1st of 2024.

A bill prompted by the sex trafficking case of former Altoona Superintendent Dan Peggs was signed into law by Governor Tony Evers Thursday.  The bill, authored by local state Rep. Jesse James, allows one parent to petition a court to change the name of a child under 14, if the other parent has been convicted of certain homicide or sex crimes.  James wrote the bill due to the case of Peggs' ex-wife Ashley, who wants to change their children's last name, but learned that under state law, the court may require the consent of the other parent. Dan Peggs is serving an eight-year prison sentence for possessing child pornography.

The body of a missing UW-La Crosse Student has been found.  According to La Crosse Police, firefighters found the body of 25yr old Hamud Faal in the Mississippi River near the Division Street landing on Thursday.  Faal was last seen early in the morning on February 20th walking on Front Street.  He was found in 25ft of water and an investigation into the cause of death is underway.

A Minnesota native is believed to be one of the first U-S citizens to die in Russia’s war on Ukraine. The Ukrainian government confirms 67-year-old Jimmy Hill of Mahtomedi (mah-toe-MEE'-die) was killed Wednesday in Chernihiv, a city about 80 miles from Kyiv that has been suffering “heavy artillery” attacks. Cheryl Hill Gordon posted on Facebook that her brother was killed while “waiting in a bread line with several other people when they were gunned down by Russian military snipers. His body was found in the street by local police." Hill reportedly was gathering food for hospital patients. His longtime partner, a native of Ukraine, was hospitalized with multiple sclerosis and too sick to leave, as were the other remaining patients.

Congresswoman Angie Craig has introduced bipartisan legislation to stop improper payments to deceased Americans.  The Minnesota Democrat is teaming with Michigan Republican Congressman Peter Meijer.  The bill introduced this week would order the Social Security Administration to share its death data with the federal government’s “Do Not Pay” system.  The Government Accountability Office estimates improper payments throughout the federal government totaled an estimated 175-billion dollars in the most recent year the information is available – 2019.

Milwaukee is reportedly one of two finalist cities to host the Republican National Convention.  Two people close to the decision tell C-N-N the list of potential locations has been narrowed to Milwaukee and Nashville.  R-N-C Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was in Milwaukee Wednesday for an official site visit.  Wisconsin’s largest city was supposed to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention but almost all events went “virtual” during the coronavirus pandemic.  Picking Milwaukee would put the Republican nominating convention in a key swing state.  Donald Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 but lost it in 2020.

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Officials with Georgia-Pacific say they will close the Day Street Mill in Green Bay in stages over the next 18 months.  Parts of the mill are closing at different times.  The company says tissue manufacturing will end in mid-May while other products will be shut down in September.  The mill will continue to make napkins until the fall of 2023.  About 190 jobs are affected by the decision to close.  Those employees will be given the opportunity to apply for open positions at other Georgia-Pacific locations.  The company blames changing customer demand, bath tissue upgrades, and investments at other company facilities for the move.

  A Wisconsin state representative who is running for governor says he was kicked out of a Wednesday meeting at the Capitol by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.  Republican Timothy Ramthun was part of a heated discussion that went on during two meetings about election integrity.  Ramthun wants the results of the November 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin overturned.  Vos has repeatedly said such a move can’t be made legally by the Legislature.  Both Ramthun and Vos are Republicans.  Vos says he wants to focus on electing Republicans to be the state’s new governor and attorney general.  Ramthun says he wants further investigations and he says he plans to keep pushing for decertification of the election results.

 A Minnesota man living in Ukraine is unaccounted for after Russian soldiers took him off a bus headed for the Turkish border. Twenty-eight-year-old Tyler Jacob moved to Ukraine in January to live with his wife and teach English. His mother, Tina Hauser, told K-M-S-P Television that she hasn’t heard from her son since Saturday and doesn’t know if he’s alive, or if he’s eaten or slept. A video of him has surfaced showing him being interviewed on Russian T-V, but otherwise, she’s heard nothing about her son. The U-S Embassy in Moscow and Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office have both been in contact with Hauser, telling her that they’re trying to find Jacob.

The Kenosha police officer caught putting his knee on a student’s neck has left the school district.  The Kenosha school district says the officer resigned. The officer was caught on a cellphone video using his knee to control a 12-year-old girl after breaking-up a fight at school earlier this month. Her family says it wants a full investigation and wants the officer fired from the Kenosha police department. Kenosha police say they’re aware of the video, and are asking the public for patience during the internal investigation. 

Minnesota’s hospitality industry faces a years-long recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts project that the state’s hospitality and tourism industry lost over 15 billion dollars in revenue in a roughly two-year period. Hospitality Minnesota’s Ben Wogsland indicates times will likely remain tough – he says the industry is “facing inflation issues, supply chain challenges, and a workforce shortage like never before.” The hospitality field, which includes hotels and restaurants, has lost 32-thousand jobs since the pandemic began. Wogsland hopes lawmakers focus on workforce development and trying to find some relief -- either through direct assistance for those in need or through tax relief.

Local-Regional News March 16

 The Pepin County Sheriff's Department's K-9 unit assisted in finding a lost person last Friday.  According to the Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to a report of someone lost along Hwy P between Durand and Arkansaw.  K-9 Officer Jack was deployed to find the person and a short time later a female in distress was found.  The Sheriff's Department's drone was also used to help navigate the victim and responders back to safety.  At the time of the call, the temperatures were in the single digits.  The female was medically assessed by Durand Ambulance.

The City of River Falls is receiving $1.6 million in federal funding to improve the West Central Wisconsin Biosolids Facility.  The wastewater recycling facility serves 21 communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota.  The improvements to the facility would address end-product handling issues related to storage and improve product marketability, and upgrade infrastructure in need of repairs.  The money is coming from the Community Project Funding Request that was included in the recently approved Appropriations Package.

A 36-year-old Chippewa Falls man has been jailed for leading authorities on a chase through two counties.  Daniel Zelms faces multiple drug charges as well as reckless driving-endangering safety, and speeding.  W-E-A-U Television reports Lake Hallie police started the chase Sunday just before noon when officers say they saw Zelms speed through a red light.  He was finally stopped in Eau Claire but then refused to leave his vehicle.  After he was forcefully removed police found containers of meth and marijuana in the car.

An Eau Claire man who was involved in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, has received his sentence in federal court on Tuesday.   WQOW reports  Kevin Loftus was given three years probation, and he must pay $500 in restitution.   The sentence handed down by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich comes five months after Loftus pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. He was arrested a week after the Capitol riot occurred. 

 Neillsville police report they have taken four people into custody for stealing gas from cars at Gross Motors earlier this month.  W-E-A-U Television reports the suspects are 18-year-old Alexander Drinka of rural Neillsville and three juveniles.  The dealership posted a Facebook notice last week that someone had drilled holes into the gas tank of a used vehicle on its lot and drained about 20-dollars’ worth of fuel.  Another vehicle at a second location in Neillsville had also had its gas tank drained.  Police say the suspects admitted stealing the gas.  Drinka reportedly said he and a 15-year-old boy used a cordless drill to puncture the gas tanks, then put the stolen fuel into empty bottles.

Classes were held as usual on Tuesday in Chippewa Falls after a threat was received Monday evening.  According to a letter sent to district families, someone overheard a gun threat towards the middle school during the last class of the day on Tuesday.  That was reported to the school resource officer and an investigation was conducted and students interviewed students Monday night at their homes.  After the investigation, it was determined the threat was not credible and classes would be held as normal on Tuesday with an increased law enforcement presence.  One student has been suspended until further notice.

The bi-annual requirement to change clocks across much of the United States got one step closer to ending.   The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. If the bill becomes law, clocks wouldn't change for Spring Forward or Fall Back every year.    The U.S. House still has to approve the Sunshine Protection Act bill before it would go to President Joe Biden for his consideration.

The Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board is seeking staff to work at the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill and the Dairyland Shake Shop during the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, August 4 - 14, 2022.   The Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill is located in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion. Grilled cheese sandwiches are the featured item, but specialty cheese products such as fresh cheese curds, cheese sticks and cheese whips are also sold from the grill. Staff would be responsible for assisting with all aspects of making grilled cheese sandwiches and supporting sales of all cheese products.   The Dairyland Shake Shop is located adjacent to the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill. Staff will be responsible for assisting with all aspects of pouring and selling shakes.   Interested applicants must be at least 16 years old, able to lift 50 pounds and stand for extended periods. Two different shifts are available each day, and preference will be given to applicants that can commit to working a minimum of six shifts during the fair.  Visit the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotions Board for more information.

Congressman Mark Pocan is calling U-S Senator Ron Johnson a homophobe because the Republican has pulled his support from Pocan’s brother for a U-S District Court seat in Green Bay.  The Journal Sentinel reports Johnson initially supported Judge William Pocan – then blocked his nomination last month.  Both Pocan brothers are gay.  The senator’s office cited concerns over the low bail Pocan set in a case for a violent felon in Milwaukee County.  The Democratic congressman says he has been trying to get Johnson on the phone but the senator won’t take his calls.  Over the last year, Pocan has issued several dozen negative tweets about Johnson.

A former second-grade teacher in Green Bay has been ordered to stand trial for the alleged sexual assault of two students.  Investigators say the incidents happened in 2015 and 2016 at Baird Elementary.  W-L-U-K Television reports David Villareal is accused of touching the victims inappropriately.  Villareal has denied the accusations.  He is charged with two counts of first-degree child sex assault and one count of repeated sexual assault of the same child.  Villareal has resigned.

A warning for people on FoodShare in Wisconsin.  The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says it’s actively investigating reports of compromised FoodShare cards. The agency says anyone enrolled in the program needs to check their balances, check in with the agency that issues the cards, and change passwords and PINs. Health Services says people also need to report lost or stolen FoodShare cards immediately. 

Fewer and fewer people are in the hospital with the coronavirus in Wisconsin.  The Wisconsin Hospital Association says there were only 248 people with COVID-19 in Wisconsin hospitals late Monday. Only 53 were in intensive care units. Those numbers haven’t been that low since the end of last July.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding anglers that fish houses on lakes in northern Minnesota need to be off the ice by Monday, March 21st. With warmer temperatures in the forecast, conservation officers are urging people to begin the process of removing permanent shelters early and taking their fishing gear and trash with them. As the use of wheelhouses has increased, there also have been additional instances of people dumping their sewage atop the ice. If shelters aren’t removed by the deadline, owners can be prosecuted, and structures may be confiscated and removed by a conservation officer. The removal deadline for Minnesota/Canada border waters is March 31st.

 A Minnesota native has won this year’s Iditarod Dog Sled Race in Alaska. Brent Sass crossed the finish line in Nome at 5:38 this morning, Alaska Time, or 8:38 A-M here in Minnesota. It’s his first Iditarod win, after finishing in third place last year. He took the lead about halfway through the race and told Alaska Public Media last night that he was “a little shocked” to be in the lead. Sass, who now lives in Eureka, Alaska, was born in Excelsior and raised in the Twin Cities.

Local-Regional News March 15

 A man convicted of hiding a corpse, maintaining a drug trafficking house and delivery of narcotics in connection with the death of Gilmanton native Toby Cleasby has been sentenced.  Eau Claire County Judge John Manydeeds sentenced Roger Minck to 12yrs in prison plus 10yrs of supervised release yesterday.    In 2109, Cleasby went to Minck's house to buy drugs and died of a drug overdose.  Minck then hid Cleasby's body in his brother's house.

 Security Financial Bank is hosting three free shredding events this spring in Bloomer, Black River Falls, and Durand for all community members to attend. Securely disposing of your outdated and confidential documents is encouraged to reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft.  The event in Durand will be on May 7th from 9-11am.  Confidential Records will shred documents onsite at SFB during the event.   There is no cost to this event; however, there is a limit of three boxes or bags per person. Only paper items will be accepted. The following items cannot be shredded: black butterfly clips, hanging file folders, three-ring binders, hard drives, magnetic tapes, and any plastic items.

The investigation into Wisconsin's 2020 election made national news on 60 Minutes this Sunday.   60 Minutes covered the continued efforts to either investigate or overturn Wisconsin's 2020 elections. Reporter Bill Whitaker talked with Secretary of State Doug Laafollate, Republican State Senator Kathy Bernier and Wisconsin Elections Commission director Meghan Wolfe on the topics, and all three shared similar views that the Republican-led investigation needs to end. Neither Assembly Speaker Robin Vos who ordered the investigation nor Mike Gableman who heads the investigation agreed to speak with CBS.

A state Democratic lawmaker says Republicans are to blame for local city governments taking private money to help run their elections. Representative Jodi Emerson from Eau Claire tells Capital City Sunday that Republican lawmakers have continually resisted increasing local aid to cities and counties. Over 200 governments in Wisconsin took money from a group backed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

The Chippewa Valley Regional Airport is losing its lone airline.  Skywest announced last week that it had filed a notice with the US Department of Transportation that it would be ending service to 29 regional airports, including Chippewa Valley Regional.  No flights have been canceled and Skywest said it would continue service until a new carrier is found.  There is no timeline as to when a new carrier would be found.

Wisconsin Democrats are planning to hold their first in-person state convention since 2019 in La Crosse.  W-K-B-T Television reports the event will be held at the La Crosse Center on June 25th and 26th.  If there are battleground states, then Western Wisconsin is something of a battleground region.  Voters in the 3rd Congressional District voted for Democratic Congressman Ron Kind while also voting for Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2020.  Democrats like Governor Tony Evers and U-S Senator Tammy Baldwin also received majority support in that part of the state in 2018.

Wisconsin has its first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza since 2015.  The disease was found in a Jefferson County laying hen facility.  Labs are still working to narrow down which strain of the virus infected the Wisconsin flock. Commercial and backyard flock owners are being urged to do what they can to tighten biosecurity measures.

Starting this week, Wisconsin correctional officers and other state security officers are getting a pay increase of three dollars an hour.  W-B-A-Y reports the hike went into effect Sunday.  The state is pumping up the paycheck at a time the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and Department of Health Services are severely short-staffed.  State employees affected include correctional officers, sergeants, psychiatric care technicians, youth counselors, and supervisors.  More than five-thousand Wisconsin state employees will see bigger paychecks.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is suing two companies for failing to address PFAS contamination.  Kaul says the complaint against Johnson Controls and Tyco Fire Products alleges the elevated levels were first observed in 2013 but it was years before the companies notified the D-N-R.  Tyco has told WisPolitics-dot-com it plans to “vigorously defend this lawsuit.”  The Department of Justice acknowledges the companies have taken steps to resolve the issue by working with residents and communicating with state agencies.  The contamination comes from testing firefighting foam at a location near Marinette.

Global food giant Cargill is reducing its business in Russia as a response to the attack on Ukraine. The Minnesota-based company issued a statement saying that the people of Ukraine are living an unthinkable and horrifying reality since their country was invaded.  Cargill says it has a long history in Russia, but in a time like no other, is scaling back business activities there and has stopped investment.  It will continue to operate essential food and feed facilities in Russia, calling food " a basic human right"  that should never be used as a weapon.  Cargill says it is sending profits from its operations to Ukrainian humanitarian efforts and food programs.

U-S Senator Tina Smith says Minnesota will be getting 130-million dollars in federal funding to support several projects across the state. The include 500-thousand dollars for St. Paul College for a program aimed at supporting Native American student success. Smith says the federal money will help pay for more than 70 projects, including increasing access to workforce development, funding law enforcement training, and expanding broadband access.

For a limited time, the American Red Cross has resumed testing all blood, platelet, and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies.  Plasma from routine donations that have high levels of COVID-19 antibodies may be used as convalescent plasma to help meet the needs of COVID-19 patients with a weakened immune system. At the same time, the Red Cross blood supply remains vulnerable, and individuals are urged to schedule a blood or platelet donation. To make an appointment, use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Almost four months after three members and a volunteer with the Dancing Grannies were killed, the popular group made its comeback in Saturday’s Milwaukee St. Patrick’s Day parade.  The deaths came last November during the Waukesha Christmas Parade.  Darrell Books Junior is accused of killing six people and injuring 60 more by driving an S-U-V through the crowd.  The surviving members of the Dancing Grannies say they have brought on 20 new “Grannies in Training.”  They were met with plenty of support from the crowd.

Minnesota’s ethanol industry wants to help bring record-high fuel prices down. Tim Rudnicki of the Minnesota Biofuels Association says the state has incredible production capacity with 19 ethanol plants in the state. Minnesota’s ethanol production capacity as of 2021 is at just over one-point-two billion gallons. Rudnicki says the government could provide some regulatory relief to make 15-percent ethanol -- or E-15 -- more widely available. The ban on Russian oil represents about eight percent of U-S oil imports.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is now accepting artwork entries for the 2023 Wisconsin State Park and Forest vehicle admission sticker design contest. The annual DNR-sponsored contest is open to all high school-age students in Wisconsin. Artwork entries should focus on animals, plants, or outdoor activities in Wisconsin. Rules, submission guidelines, tips for a winning design, and past sticker design winners are available on the DNR's website.

Local-Regional News March 14

 A Durand Firefighter has been honored by the Wisconsin State Firefighters Association.  Durand  2nd Assistant Chief James Sedlmayr was named the 2021 Wisconsin State Firefighter's Association Firefighter of the Year during the association's annual convention this weekend.  Other Durand Firefighters to receive the Firefighter of the year award includes Pit Plumer, Roger Osegard, and Norm Smith.

No one was injured in a train derailment in Wabasha County on Saturday.  According to Canadian Pacific, 10 cars all empty derailed around 6am Saturday near Minnesika.  CP said no one was injured in the derailment and there was no threat to public safety.  CP is still investigating the cause of the derailment.

One person was injured in a UTV accident in Trenton Township.  According to the Pierce County Sheriffs Department, 33yr old Jesse Cox of Red Wing was operating the UTV on private property when he lost control on ice and rolled the UTV on its side.  Cox was taken to Mayo Hospital in Red Wing.

The Wabasha County Board is meeting tomorrow.  Items on the agenda include approving the County Highway 5 agreement, authorizing the Sheriff's Department to purchase a new squad, and reports from the county commissioners.  Tomorrow's meeting begins at 9am at the Wabasha County Government Center.

Pepin County will now be allowed to post speed limits for ATVs and UTVs.  Last week, Governor Evers signed Wisconsin Act 164 that will allow counties, cities, towns, and villages to post speed limits that are applicable only to ATVs and UTVs for all roads under the local government's jurisdiction.    Act 164 fills a loophole in the DNR rules that didn't allow local governments to post speed limits for ATVs and UTVs.

An Eau Clarie man is in custody after firing multiple shots from a rifle near the 2600 Block of Boardwalk Circle.  According to Eau Claire Police, officers responded to shots being fired just after 10am on Saturday.  Officers arrested Aaron Jones and alleged Jones fired multiple shots into neighbors' homes.  No one was hurt.  Jones has been charged with felony first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Federal prosecutors accuse a La Crosse man of exploiting Children. He was arrested last week after a federal grand jury indicted him. Forty-five-year-old Harry L. Euler faces two counts of producing child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, and one count of distributing it. If he is convicted on all charges, Euler could face a sentence of 35-to-120 years in federal prison. He is being held in federal custody pending a trial set for July.

 A group of people struggling with homelessness in La Crosse will get to stay at a local motel for another month. The La Crosse city council agreed Thursday night to continue the city’s arrangement with the Econo Lodge in La Crosse. The plan was for the city to pay for three more months of rooms, but the council cut that back to a one-month extension. Supporters of the arrangement say they need some time to figure out what to do for the homeless motel guests after the end of April.

A Goodhue County Teenager was injured after the teen left an attempted traffic stop on Friday night.  According to the Goodhue County Sheriff's Department, deputies attempted to pull the teen over on Hwy 56 in Kenyon.  The teen left the stop southbound on Hwy 56 and hit an unoccupied squad car.  The driver was taken to Cannon Falls Hospital.

The state of Wisconsin is going to spend about 300-thousand dollars on making improvements to forest roads. W-M-T-V reports Governor Tony Evers made the announcement Thursday. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says the money will help two dozen counties maintain and improve public roads in forested areas. Juneau County officials will receive almost two thousand dollars to fix up five miles of road. Over the last three years, state officials say they have improved more than 17-hundred-70 miles of highways and more than 12-hundred-50 bridges.

 Election investigator Michael Gableman will have the money for some expenses deducted from future payments as he continues to look into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin.  W-K-O-W television reports the office of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos hasn’t released a total amount of money to be withheld.  Gabelman billed taxpayers for visits to observe a Republican-ordered audit in Arizona, to attend a symposium held by-election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, and to deliver a December speech to Chippewa County Republicans.  Expense reports obtained by the liberal group American Oversight included charges for dining and “groceries.”

The Juneau County Sheriff’s Office reports a juvenile has been arrested in Mauston.  The suspect is accused of making threats aimed at Mauston High School.  The report was received at 3:00 p-m Thursday and the juvenile was found at home in a rural area of the county.  The news release from the Sheriff’s Office says the arrest was made at about 3:35 p-m.  Authorities say the young suspect is being held in secure detention.  They didn’t confirm if the juvenile was a student at the high school – or if charges will be filed.

Mercury Marine joins a growing number of Wisconsin companies halting business with Russia. Mercury parent company Brunswick says it’s stopping shipments from all of its brands to Russia and Belarus. Many companies, including Starbucks and McDonald’s, are boycotting Russia for waging war against Ukraine. Other Wisconsin companies include Johnson Controls, S-C Johnson, and Harley-Davidson.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has heard arguments on a case that could set a precedent for whether people appointed to government boards can stay past the end of their terms.  W-I-S-C Television reports Dr. Fred Prehn refused to give up his seat on the Natural Resources Board when his term ended and the state Senate didn’t confirm his replacement.  Prehn has pointed to a 1964 state Supreme Court ruling that seems to support his stance.  His term expired nearly a year ago.

 Lower inventory and higher prices pushed closed home sales down in Minnesota last month. The key housing indicator was down nearly 13 percent from February 2021. Industry group Minnesota Realtors reports new listings were down eight-and-a-half percent compared to last year while the average home price climbed over 350-thousand, a more than ten percent jump from last year.

The Minnesota House has passed a drought-relief package for farmers and other ag producers with five million dollars to provide grants up to 10 thousand dollars -- plus five million dollars for loans. The sponsor, Esko Democrat Mike Sundin, says his bill will provide “a much-needed lifeline to those who provide our most basic need -- food.” But Starbuck Republican Paul Anderson pointed out neighboring Wisconsin’s drought-relief package is 100 million dollars -- ten times more -- and the bill passed last night “just isn’t enough.” The House and Senate will likely have to negotiate a compromise before any bill goes to the governor.

You can tell how fast the price of gas is rising.  W-E-A-U Television reports thieves in Neillsville have decided it's worth stealing.  The owner of Gross Auto Group, Mike Gross, says someone drilled holes into the fuel tank on a used Jeep Patriot in his downtown lot Tuesday night.  Gross tells reporters dealing with theft isn’t new to him – but this type of theft is new.  He says people have stolen wheels, cars, and catalytic converters.  This time the thief got away with about 20-dollars’ worth of gas, but they caused about 15-hundred dollars in damage.

Local-Regional News March 11

   La Crosse-based Dairyland Power Cooperative is considering the addition of nuclear energy back to its mix of power sources.  W-E-A-U T-V reports Dairyland is working with Oregon-based NuScale Power to use its smaller-scale nuclear generating technology.  The Wisconsin utility has more than a half-million customers in four states.  Xcel Energy entered into a similar arrangement with NuScale last year.  Dairyland has been investing in sources like wind and solar, but the utility says there are winter days when 50-to-75-percent of its energy still comes from coal or natural gas.

Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) is bringing a traveling exhibit from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum to Ellsworth. The exhibit Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name is a tribute to lost life and lost potential. The exhibit was created by Wisconsin Veterans Museum in conjunction with Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television and includes photos for each of the 1,161 Wisconsinites officially listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It also includes additional photos for names that are listed on The Highground Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Neillsville, WI.  PPCS members will be the first to see the exhibit as part of the PPCS 85th annual meeting on Tuesday, April 5. Following the annual meeting, the exhibit will be available to the public at the PPCS office located at the intersection of Highways 10 and 63 west of Ellsworth. The exhibit will be available for viewing from noon to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, April 6; 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Thursday, April 7; and 8:00 AM to noon on Friday, April 8.

Gov. Tony Evers today announced more than $17.2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Housing awards were provided to regional housing authorities across the state. These funds will help low- and moderate-income families in Wisconsin purchase a home or make critical repairs to their homes.   Awards were made across the state including $2.5 million in La Crosse County in the Southwest Housing Region; and  $2.5 million in Chippewa County in the West Central Housing Region.  Wisconsin receives CDBG funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and distributes the funds toward public facilities, housing, and economic development projects that benefit people with low to moderate incomes. 

 A Texas company says it plans to re-open a helicopter manufacturing plant in Menominee.  MidTex Aviation says it has reached an agreement to buy the assets of Enstrom Helicopter Corporation.  Enstrom announced it was closing in January.  MidTex says it is buying the buildings, aircraft, parts, tools, materials, intellectual property, drawings, and assuming the airport lease.  W-B-A-Y T-V reports former Enstrom President Matt Francour calls this “the best possible outcome.”  Most former employees are expected to get job offers from the new owner.

A 27-year-old Minnesota man has died after being hit by a vehicle in St. Croix County.  W-E-A-U Television reports the accident happened at 2:10 a-m last Sunday in Troy Township and Joshua Thesing of Ramsey, Minnesota died Wednesday.  Deputies responding to a 9-1-1 call say they found Thesing lying in the roadway on Highway 35 suffering serious injuries.  He was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.  Crash scene investigators say the weather, reduced visibility, and road conditions could also have been a factor.  No information was released on the driver or vehicle that was involved.

A wholesale fish dealer has been convicted in Wisconsin’s first-ever invasive carp case.  Ping Li, co-owner and sole operator of Li Fish Farm, LLC in rural Platteville, was convicted in Grant and Dane county circuit courts of two misdemeanors and 17 forfeiture violations under a plea deal. Li was ordered to pay more than 13-thousand dollars in penalties. The types of carp involved in this case  are highly invasive fish that can destroy habitats of native state fish

 The next Wisconsin legislative session will bring a lot of new faces to the state Capitol.  At least six state senators and 14 state representatives aren’t running for re-election.  Republican Senator Jerry Petrowski announced Thursday he will step aside after 24 years.  Democratic Senator Janis Ringhand of Evansville isn’t running again.  She was first elected in 2014 and has served as Assistant Minority Leader.  Republican Senator Dale Kooyenga has decided not to run for re-election if the district boundaries approved by the Wisconsin Supreme Court are allowed to stand.  He was moved into the district already represented by fellow Republican Alberta Darling for almost 30 years.

 Members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation split along party lines Thursday when voting on a package of bills to keep the federal government operating.  The one-and-a-half-trillion-dollar package includes 14-billion in aid for Ukraine and other countries in eastern Europe.  House Armed Services Committee member Mike Gallagher, a Republican, praised funding for the Pentagon and for the U-S defense posture in Europe, but he criticized Democrats for failing to include provisions for increased domestic oil production.  Democrat Gwen Moore praised the bill for directing resources to things like health care, education, child hunger, and climate change – but she said some areas got less than they deserved.

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  A former Wausau babysitter has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing a two-month-old boy who was in her care.  W-S-A-W Television reports 31-year-old Marissa M. Tietsort was charged with child abuse for causing the boy’s death and the injuries to an 11-month-old girl.  Marathon County Judge LaMont Jacobson said the families of the two victims were justified if they considered Tietsort a monster, adding what she did to the families was “depraved.”  Prosecutors said she killed the boy named Benson, put him in his snowsuit and cap, and gave him back to his mother in 2018 without saying anything to her.

Minnesota's unemployment rate ticked down to two-point-nine percent in January from three in December.  Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove says the state economy brought in 10-thousand-200 new jobs when rates for COVID were quite high in the state. The leisure and hospitality sector continues to grow with 18-hundred new jobs last month.   The U-S unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a point to four percent.

 NATO countries would only get involved militarily in Ukraine if there was some sort of “unprecedented mistake” that led to a Russian response on NATO. That’s the assessment of Carleton College analyst Steven Schier. He says “Western powers are going to continue to bring arms and material support into the Ukrainian government as long as they can, in order to make the Russian invasion as lengthy and costly as possible for President Vladimir Putin. But Schier suggests that some sort of mistake or misunderstanding could occur as western governments provide aid, triggering a military strike by Russia against NATO.

The Wisconsin National Guard is stepping up to help staff health care facilities.  Governor Tony Evers and the state Department of Health Services have announced a total of 154 Wisconsin National Guard members have completed certified nursing assistant training since early January. It’s a collaborative effort intended to bring needed short-term staffing support to Wisconsin’s hospitals and nursing homes. The goal was to open 200 or more beds by the end of February. As of March 7, 226 beds have been opened at 17 nursing homes and more beds will open as 56 more Guard personnel are placed at six nursing homes across the state.

 The U-S Department of Education is signaling that federal student loan payments may not restart in May. Servicers were set to send out reminders at the end of this month but have been instructed not to do so. This may mean the Biden Administration is thinking of extending the payment pause for federal student loan borrowers again. It’s unclear how long the freeze would be extended. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago, federal student loan holders have been given the option to not pay their monthly bill and interest has been frozen in the meantime.

The state tournament isn’t over for the Saint Thomas More boys’ basketball team in Milwaukee.  A judge Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order, effectively overturning a forfeit ruling against the Cavaliers. It all started after a bench-clearing brawl after a game last Friday. The school sued, and the judge ruled the W-I-A-A and the game referees weren’t clear about which players should be suspended, or why. The W-I-A-A maintains its rules don’t allow for post-game appeals.

Local-Regional News March 10

 The City of Durand is moving forward with the Tarrant Park Pool Project.  At last night's city council meeting the council approved moving forward with the civil engineering of the project with Cedar Corporation.  Money raised by the Durand Swim Club will be used for civil engineering.  The total cost of the pool project is estimated at $2.8 million.

Eau Claire parents are speaking out against the school district’s gender policy.  W-E-A-U Television reports more than two dozen people spoke at a school board meeting earlier this week.  Many of the parents say they are angry about a training session that said parents have no right to know whether their children are changing genders at school.  Eau Claire school officials say they are standing by the policy to hide gender information.  Although some Eau Claire teachers spoke in favor of the policy, parents told board members they need to know critical information about their children – including what happens while they are at school.

 Amtrak officials say a train route connecting the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, and Chicago is coming by 2024.  W-K-B-T Television reports an announcement was made about the new service at the train station in La Crosse Wednesday.  The new route will carry both passengers and cargo – and it will be added to the Empire Builder which already serves western Wisconsin.  Thirty-two million dollars from the federal government will help speed up the process.  Among the anticipated stops along the route are cities like Winona, and Red Wing Minnesota, and Tomah.  Amtrak projects the route will carry more than 124-thousand passengers in its first year.

A La Crosse County sentencing hearing has been placed on the court calendar for June 3rd.  W-E-A-U Television reports 51-year-old Mathew Kinstler entered a no-contest plea to a charge of first-degree reckless homicide.  Kinstler had been accused of causing the death of an older man when they fought in the parking lot of a Menards store nearly two years ago.  Investigators told the court 79-year-old Russell Paulson died after the men fought over a parking dispute.  Paulson died several days after the fight.

The average per-gallon price for gas in Wisconsin is approaching four dollars.   A check of the Triple-A fuel gauge for Wednesday afternoon showed a statewide average of three-ninety-nine per gallon. But it’s already more than in parts of the state. Much of northern Wisconsin is averaging north of four dollars, with Florence County averaging four and a quarter per gallon. The average price in the Milwaukee and Madison metro areas is just over three-ninety-seven, and it’s just over four bucks a gallon in the Green Bay area.

Truckers in Minnesota are now paying one thousand dollars to fill their 200-gallon fuel tanks. Minnesota Trucking Association President John Hausladen says the price for diesel is an “incredibly high” five dollars a gallon. He says it’s a serious issue for trucking companies to manage because fuel at these new prices has become the number-one cost jumping over labor costs. Hausladen is calling on the Biden administration to help bring the prices down.

 Wisconsin residents won’t be getting checks for 150-dollars in the mail.  Republican lawmakers ignored the Democratic governor’s call to convene a special legislative session Tuesday to take up the expenditure. W-M-T-V reports the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly were gaveled into session, then quickly gaveled out with no action being taken.  Governor Tony Evers offered a plan for the tax rebates and for spending 750-million dollars on education in January.  He pointed to a projected three-point-eight-billion-dollar surplus.

Wausau City Council President Becky McElhaney says PFAS contamination of the city’s water supply is worrying many residents.  City leaders have approved spending up to 150 thousand dollars of American Rescue Plan Act money for a combination of bottled water and filtration systems for residents concerned about PFAS contamination.

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A report from a risk management company says Minneapolis city leaders didn’t follow emergency protocols during the George Floyd protests.  W-C-C-O Television reports the 86-page document from the study conducted by Hillard Heintze points at Mayor Jacob Frey’s failure to implement those protocols.  Frey has responded to the Tuesday release by asking city staff to create a plan that implements the recommendations.  One recommendation is to increase police training on some controversial crowd control tactics.

 A motion for a review of the Gableman investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin fell short Tuesday.  State Senator Tim Carpenter was calling for an audit.  Carpenter said he doesn’t think the investigation was a “great use of money” and he wanted auditors to look into the expenditures.  Despite support from three Republicans, Carpenter's motion was unsuccessful.  On the same day, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos reportedly extended the contract for Gableman’s work to continue.

A bipartisan group of Minnesota legislators is sponsoring a bill to plug what they warn is a dangerous loophole in state law. Senator Jim Abele from Anoka read names of Minnesotans murdered by people who, before those crimes, were judged incompetent to stand trial for earlier offenses, but were then released. Senator Karla Bigham from Cottage Grove says one reason people are being released is that there’s a shortage of mental health treatment beds in Minnesota. Lawmakers are talking about beefing up funding.

The U-S Senate approved the 107 billion dollar Postal Service Reform Act Tuesday. U-S-P-S leaders say the financial overhaul will provide needed relief for the agency, allowing it to modernize and invest in efficient service. The Senate vote was 79-to-19, with Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson among the no votes. Janesville Republican Brian Steil was the lone no vote from Wisconsin when the bill passed the House in February, 342-to-92. President Joe Biden has signaled his intent to sign the legislation.

 A group of five Democratic governors – including Tony Evers – is urging Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for the rest of the year.  W-M-T-V reports Evers and the others sent a letter to leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives.  The governor’s office says the Gas Prices Relief Act would help Americans struggling with pump prices of around four dollars a gallon.  Suspending the federal tax would knock the per-gallon price down by 18-point-four cents.  The Wisconsin pump price has jumped by 63 cents since last month.

Governor Tony Evers is expected to sign legislation to close the state’s youth prison in northern Wisconsin.  Tuesday’s state Senate vote is the latest step in what’s been a protracted process. The Legislature voted four years ago to close the Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake youth prisons in Lincoln County, but failed to provide state funding for a replacement facility. The bill approved by the Senate authorizes the state to borrow 42 million dollars for design and construction of a new youth prison in Milwaukee County, although a site would need approval by local governments. The current youth prisons would be converted to house adult prisoners.

A Minneapolis man who pleaded guilty to impersonating an F-B-I agent in 2017 will spend ten months in prison. Prosecutors say 67-year-old Bernard Holmes admitted to spoofing his phone number to make it look like he was calling his victim from the F-B-I's Minneapolis Field Office. Holmes claimed he was an agent investigating terrorism-related conduct at the victim’s home and said evidence originated from their computer.