The highly contagious bird flu, also called avian flu or HPAI, has been identified in another Wisconsin flock— this time in Pierce County. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) identified the case. The news release did not specify where in the county the flock is, only that it was found in a backyard flock. DATCP officials said birds at this site will be killed to prevent the spread of the illness. Bird flu has been found now in 11 Wisconsin counties according to DATCP.
The teenager accused of killing 10-year-old Lily Peters made an appearance in Chippewa County Court Thursday. A status conference hearing was set for June 27th. W-M-T-V reports that’s when prosecutors, his defense attorney, and the court will establish future court dates. The 14-year-old suspect is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault resulting in great bodily harm, and several other counts. He is being charged as an adult. His name hasn’t been released. The girl’s dead body was found near the Duncan Creek Trail in Chippewa Falls on April 25th. The teen was taken into custody the next day.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking the public to stay vigilant as elevated fire danger is expected Friday and into the weekend, particularly in the northern part of the state. The increased fire danger is due to warmer temperatures, lower humidity, and dry vegetation which increases the potential risk for wildfires. With the state’s fishing season opener this Saturday, May 7, coupled with Mother’s Day, there tend to be more fires as more people are gathering with family, enjoying the outdoors, having shore lunches, cleaning up around seasonal homes, and choosing to burn their debris. The DNR has responded to 235 wildfires burning more than 426 acres so far this year. Nearly 100 wildfires this year alone have been caused by debris burning which is the No. 1 cause of wildfires in the state.
Xcel Energy and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are promoting safety and awareness near hydroelectric facilities in Wisconsin with the state’s fishing opener set for Saturday, May 7. The DNR says that according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, in the past 40 years, there have been ten times as many deaths due to accidents at dams than deaths due to dam failures. Over 400 deaths nationally have occurred in the past four decades due to accidents at or near dams, while 40 deaths have occurred as a result of dam failures, or one death per year on average.
Wisconsin will receive more than two million dollars as part of a multi-state settlement with the makers of the TurboTax tax filing program. The company had been accused of deceiving customers with misleading ads promising free tax services. On Wednesday, the New York attorney general’s office revealed the $141 million settlement between TurboTax maker Intuit and attorneys general from all 50 states, plus D.C. Over 76,000 Wisconsin residents used the Turbo Tax Program and will receive a refund from the settlement.
Teachers at Logan High School in La Crosse are among 73 petitioners asking the district to bring back school resource officers. Two years ago, the La Crosse School District cut back the S-R-Os from five to three. At the time the district said it would transition to “more proactive social services support for students.” At this week’s school board meeting teacher, Eric Martin said losing a full-time school resource officer hasn’t helped with teacher burnout or student behavior. Leaders of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association say school resource officers make the schools safer.
State officials are trying to determine areas in Wisconsin most in need of high-speed Internet. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation has put out a survey asking people to rate their local internet and to share their internet speeds. That's part of an effort to determine where funding should be going to expand broadband. Republican lawmakers and Governor Tony Evers disagree over where the greatest needs are, and how best to serve the people who live there. Republicans want that funding to go to only rural areas of the state and to codify required speeds.
A seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for an Orono man who pleaded guilty to driving drunk at nearly 100 miles an hour when he crashed on a Lake Minnetonka road, killing two passengers including the son of Gophers men's hockey coach Bob Motzko. Before sentencing, 52-year-old James Blue tearfully apologized to the families of 20-year-old Mack Motzko and 24-year-old Sam Schuneman. Investigators say witnesses at a party at Blue's home told officers he was taking shots of alcohol and had eaten T-H-C gummies, which hospital staff found in his pocket along with crushed-up white pills and green capsules. His blood alcohol content was over twice the legal limit.
A Mayo Clinic infectious disease expert says one of the latest COVID-19 variants is 30 percent more transmissible than the Omicron variant and initial lab tests show it evades current vaccines. Doctor Gregory Poland tells K-S-T-P/T-V new variant is likely playing a role in the recent increase of new cases across the country and in Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Health says state numbers rose from one-thousand new cases last week to roughly 25-hundred new cases this week.
Officials in Wood County are reporting a new approach to scamming. One county resident says they received a letter that appeared to be from Chase Bank saying more information was needed – including a Social Security number – to complete a credit application. The skeptical recipient checked the phone number and return address and found out the letter was a fake. The Wood County Sheriff’s Office posted a copy of the letter online and reminded residents to watch out for unsolicited requests for their Social Security number or other sensitive personal data.
Minnesota is setting up a website for front-line workers to keep track of their COVID “hero pay” bonuses. State officials say when the online application system is ready, eligible workers will have 45 days to apply for a bonus. Any worker whose application is denied will have 15 days to appeal, and state officials will determine a final list of those who are eligible. Those front-line workers will share equal-amount bonuses from the 500 million dollars appropriated by the legislature. The estimate for each bonus is around 750 dollars, but it could be higher than that if not all eligible workers apply.
It’s unlikely that Brendan Dassey will be released from prison. Governor Evers’ office Wednesday said he is not considering sentence commutations for the time being. Dassey’s lawyers maintain their client was coerced into confessing to being part of Theresa Halbach’s murder in 2005. The Evers announcement comes after a number of advertisements started showing up on Madison buses asking the governor to free Dassey.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection is urging people to make sure they find a trusted contractor before starting their next major home improvement project. Agency director Michael Domke says you should also be shopping around for the best deal. Domke says you should get at least two or three written estimates. That way you can make important comparisons of what you are being charged for. He says that will go a long way toward keeping you safe and making sure you’re not being fleeced.
The Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate is threatening to NOT give the University of Minnesota any funding from a supplemental higher education bill, unless the Board of Regents establishes a special commission to address students’ and parents’ concerns about some athletics programs being cut at the “U.” Republican Senator Jason Rarick from Pine City says he didn’t want to tie university funding to this, but the university failed to “respond to what the people of Minnesota” wanted them to do. Saint Cloud Democrat Aric Putnam says withholding funding would harm U-of-M instructors, public safety, and “everything that happens there.” The Board of Regents voted in 2020 to cut the men’s gymnastics, tennis, and indoor track programs because of a budget deficit and concerns over complying with Federal Title 9 requirements.
The Oshkosh Area Humane Society says it is dealing with an “unprecedented situation” involving stray dogs. Shelter officials say they have seen 33-percent more stray dogs in the first quarter of the year when that number is compared to the three-year average. They say typically about 80-percent of stray dogs get returned to their owners. This year that’s happened in only 63-percent of the cases. W-L-U-K / T-V reports this isn’t unique to Oshkosh. O-A-H-S Executive Director Jessica Miller says her office has been getting pleas from other shelters asking for help with an overflowing dog population. Miller says the pandemic may be part of the problem. She says they’re also seeing a lot more dogs coming in when their families are evicted.
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