A Civil War Re-enactment will be coming to Durand in May. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the group putting on the re-enactment will be at the old courthouse square on May 17. The event is being sponsored in part by the non-profit 2nd Minnesota Battery of Light Artillery.
The Durand-Arkansaw School Board approved the replacement of the main boiler at the High School and Middle School. Durand -Arkansaw Superintendent Greg Doverspike says the new boiler will help the district save on energy costs. Certified Plumbing of Altoona was the lowest bid at just under $470,000. Doverspike says the money for the project had been set aside in fund 46. That project will be completed this summer.
Pepin County Sheriff Joel Wener has announced he will run for re-election this fall. According to a press release, Wener says his number one goal will be to continue to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of the citizens of Pepin County. Wener began his law enforcement career in 1991 in Trempealeau County and was first elected as Pepin County Sherrif in 2014.
The Wabasha County Board is meeting tomorrow. Items on the agenda include the redistricting maps for board supervisors, authorizing additional seal coating on Hwy 26, and advertising for bids for the Hwy 86 project. Tomorrow's meeting begins at 9am at the Wabasha County Government Center.
Police haven’t named an 80-year-old man from western Wisconsin whose body was found in Rockford Illinois last week. Altoona police Kelly Bakken said her department was notified after Rockford police determined the body found in the Rock River last Tuesday was that of an Altoona resident. Investigators deemed the death suspicious due to the nature of the injuries. Bakken said Friday that several “persons of interest” were in custody, but didn’t say if that was in Altoona or Rockford.
A La Crosse firefighter is expected to recover from the injuries suffered Saturday morning at the Valley View Mall. W-K-B-T / T-V reports crews were called to the mall about a fire on the roof shortly before 7:00 a-m. The flames were spotted on top of the building going up as the new home for a Hy-Vee grocery store. Investigators say the fire was caused by welding materials. The injured firefighter was taken to the Mayo Clinic Health System for treatment. No names have been released. That fire is not considered to be suspicious.
On Friday the Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted the legislative boundaries proposed by Republicans, setting the political maps for the next ten years. The adoption is a reversal from a previous decision and came after the U-S Supreme Court rejected Democrat Governor Tony Evers' proposal. The decision was 4-3 to adopt the Republican plan, deeming it "race-neutral." Evers had favored a map that would increase the number of Assembly districts with a majority black population from six to seven. The Republican plan adopted by the courts reduced the number to five.
You might have some valuables just waiting for you to claim. Each year, the Minnesota Department of Commerce receives millions of dollars in unclaimed property from businesses and organizations that have lost contact with the owners. The department is responsible for holding any funds or property until the rightful owners or heirs claim it. The property could include dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance claim checks, and more. Through this program, nearly 625-million dollars has been returned to Minnesotans. More information is available online at Minnesota.findyourunclaimedproperty.com
The state Department of Natural Resources announced new regulations for northern Wisconsin walleye fishing on Wednesday. Starting this May, anglers on a number of lakes in Price, Iron, and Vilas Counties can keep a daily bag limit of three walleye. But the fish must be between 15 and 20 inches long. DNR Fisheries Research Team Leader Greg Sass tells WXPR that climate change has been putting pressure on cold-water fish like walleyes. The change in rules should help protect older, larger walleyes which are usually reproducing female fish. You can find the new regulations online at D N R dot W I dot Gov.
You might need a scorecard with names and pictures to keep track of the roster of Wisconsin state senators and Assembly members next session. Twenty-eight Wisconsin lawmakers have decided they won’t run for reelection and that number could go up before the fall vote. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point political science professional John Blakeman tells W-S-A-W / T-V that many of them find out it takes a lot more effort to get their agenda pushed through than they expected. Blakeman says, “They just give up after a while.” He says lawmakers who are centrist are usually the most successful at getting laws passed, but in today’s climate they spend a lot more of the time battling people on the fringes – and that may add to their discouragement.
Wisconsin is changing how it reports coronavirus information. The biggest change is that the Department of Health Services will track vaccinations on a monthly basis now, instead of every week. The D-H-S says it’s making the changes to stay in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The C-D-C breaks down COVID-19 levels into high, medium, and low tiers, taking into account both local disease spread, and hospital capacity. The new levels replace the COVID-19 activity levels that the state used to feature on its website by region and county.
Reuters reports there is an offer from the owners of the Vitamin Shoppe to buy Kohls. The company is offering about 69 dollars a share, which comes to nearly nine billion dollars. Kohl's rejected an offer of 64 dollars a share in January. Company leaders said that offer was too low.
A report from the Wisconsin Department of Justice finds that the state’s crime labs took longer to deliver test results last year than they did in 2020. Developing a D-N-A profile increased from taking three months to four. It took 61 days to analyze evidence for the presence of an illegal drug after taking 44 days last year. Turnaround times did improve in ballistics, tool mark, and footwear analysis. Attorney General Josh Kaul is taking some heat after criticizing his predecessor during the last campaign. He blames Republican legislators for refusing to fund all the lab positions he requested in the last two budgets.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (D-H-S) needs more than 80 volunteers for citizen panels in Chisago, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Winona counties to help shape child welfare policy. Human Services Assistant Commissioner Tikki Brown says they’re looking for anyone who has “perhaps been part of the system,” has observed the system, or is simply looking for a way to contribute. She says serving on Citizen Review Panels for the state’s child protection system brings a “crucial” community voice to county and statewide child welfare policies and procedures. Panel members serve four-year terms, devoting an average of five hours a month to panel meetings and activities. For more information check with your local county offices, or contact the D-H-S.
Governor Tony Evers has issued a number of vetoes to Republican bills that made it out of the Legislature before recess. On Friday, Governor Tony Evers vetoed 28 bills. Among those bills were measures that would have made it easier to kick people off of unemployment and medical assistance, a bill that would have dissolved the Milwaukee School District, a massive expansion of the school voucher program, and a "Parental Bill of Rights" that would have required schools to tell parents their children wanted to change their gender identities and given parents broader leeway on pulling their children from lessons that they viewed as objectionable.
So, do you feel lucky? Several Wisconsin election races have been decided in creative ways. In Wauwatosa, a common council election ended with a win for Sean Lowe when a provisional ballot was opened, giving him a one-vote edge on Rob Gustafson. Lowe becomes Wauwatosa’s first Black council member. Sheboygan Common Council challenger Joseph Heidemann ousted incumbent Andre Walton when he drew the higher card. Timothy Shaw’s name was drawn from a hat, meaning he’s going to serve on the Kronewetter Village Board. And Collette Sorgel won a coin toss and a seat on the Oneida County Board after she tied her opponent in the number of votes received.
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