The Pepin County Board has approved a budget modification to increase the Veterans Service Officer Hours. Sherri Peterson, VSO for Pepin County will now be allowed to work additional hours to accommodate increased claims that are more complicated, and move recordkeeping to a digital format. Currently, there are approximately 450 Veterans in Pepin County.
An Osseo man has been sentenced to 18yrs in prison for producing child pornography. WQOW reports 41yr old Levi Robb pled guilty in January to the charges in federal court. In 2020, a girl said Robb assaulted her on multiple occasions when she was between the ages of 5 and 7, and that he took photos of the assaults. Robb is facing six felony charges including 1st-degree sexual assault of a child under 13 in Eau Claire County and possession of child pornography charges in Trempealeau County.
This week’s Imagine Summit has introduced more than two dozen young women to the STEM fields. Hosted at WIN Technology headquarters in Eau Claire, Tuesday included a discussion of STEM career pathways, robotics and coding, cybersecurity, and a panel on Women in Tech. Organizer Lisa Yohnk says it is important to let women know there are opportunities for them in science, technology, and math. W-E-A-U / T-V reports this was the first year for the Imagine Summit but Yohnk and other organizers hope to keep it going.
The bald eagle that was found injured in the Township of Cooks Valley near Colfax is doing better, according to Raptor Education Group, Inc.d The group says the Eagle is now flying and exercising. In early April, the eagle was shot over 20 times and had lead poisoning. The group is continuing to monitor the eagle's blood and recovery in Antigo.
Governor Tony Evers appoints three new members to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. Evers on Tuesday announced UW-Parkside student Jennifer Staton, Angela Adams with Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, and Eau Claire attorney and former Democratic state Representative Dana Wachs to the Board of Regents. Wachs and Adams have been appointed to seven-year terms for seats previously held by appointees of former Republican Governor Scott Walker. Staton replaces an Evers-appointed student for a two-year term. The 18-member board oversees policies and rules for the UW System campuses. The appoints are effective immediately but are subject to confirmation in the state Senate, where Republican leaders have not confirmed several other Evers’ appointees who are serving as Regents
A California man accused of making a death threat is scheduled to return to court next month. Investigators say 33-year-old Jeremy Hanson sent an email to the Eau Claire Area School District Board of Education President Tim Nordin saying he was going to kill Nordin and shoot up the next meeting. Hanson said he was angry at school officials for promoting the radical transgender agenda. W-E-A-U / T-V reports the email came from an account named “Kill All Marxist Teachers.” It was received in March and traced back to Hanson.
U-S District Court Judge Paul Magnuson has accepted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s guilty plea to civil rights violations connected to the death of George Floyd. K-S-T-P / T-V reports the judge made that ruling Wednesday. No sentencing date has been set. Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Chauvin to between 20 and 25 years in federal prison. He had been facing a potential life sentence. Chauvin is already serving more than 22 years in state prison after his murder conviction last year. He filed an appeal in that case last week.
An accused killer in Missouri has pleaded not guilty to federal fraud charges in his dealings with two Wisconsin brothers. W-L-U-K / T-V reports Garland Nelson also faces murder charges in state court. Local prosecutors say he killed Nick and Justin Diemel of Shawano County in 2019 and tried to hide their bodies. During his Tuesday federal court appearance, he was responding to charges he defrauded the Diemel brothers before killing them. His federal trial is set to start in September. The murder case goes to trial the following February.
The Democratic majority in the Minnesota House has blocked Republicans’ push to ban state family planning dollars going to abortion clinics, voting the measure “not germane” and triggering an extended fight over a fine point of parliamentary procedure. House Republican Minority Leader Kurt Daudt (DOWT) called the D-F-L majority “brazen,” saying “they can’t scrounge up the votes on their side, so they actually rule that a motion that failed, passed? Are you kidding me?!” Reports that the U-S Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe-V-Wade puts the spotlight on the abortion issue at the Minnesota Legislature as well.
A repeat drunk driving offender is charged in the death of his mother. Madison police say the death of an 84-year-old woman in a crash on Madison’s west side last week was caused by her son’s alleged intoxicated driving. Fifty-seven-year-old Thomas Munson crashed into a tree early last Thursday morning. His mother Bonnie was a passenger in the car and died of her injuries. Court records show Thomas Munson has seven drunk driving convictions.
Many ag economists believe the farm economy to be shrouded in uncertainty. One of them is Pauline Van Nurden with the University of Minnesota. She says while crop prices are good, she questions “how much have farms prepaid,” and points out that feed prices “aren’t going to go down for our livestock producers.” Van Nurden says marketing will be key to profitability this year, as corn and soybean prices are above last year’s average prices -- and there are currently “pretty strong” prices for hogs, beef, and milk. She also says a major factor for the ag economy right now is the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Plymouth-based Sargento Foods has announced it has reached an agreement to buy Baker Cheese Factory in Fond du Lac County. Sargento officials say in a news release that they are always looking for ways to build value. Baker Cheese was founded in 1816 and is known for its mozzarella string cheese that is sold in all 50 states. The company is based in St. Cloud. None of the 250 Baker Cheese workers will be affected.
The World’s Largest Brat Fest is looking for volunteers. Organizer Tim “Brat Man” Metcalfe says he has two-thousand shifts that need to be filled for Memorial Day weekend. W-M-T-V reports the event only has about 60-percent of the needed volunteers to make things run smoothly at Willow Island. If those volunteers can’t be found, some parts of the weekend event will have to be canceled. You don’t have to be a grill master to help. Metcalfe says volunteers can wrap the brats, set up condiments, clean tables, and even direct traffic. Record crowds are expected for the 40th annual Brat Fest – the first one back on Willow Island in two years.
No comments:
Post a Comment