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.
No comments:
Post a Comment