New principals for Durand Middle and High School. At last night's Durand-Arkansaw School Board meeting, the board approved the hiring of Sara Sabelko as the Middle School Principal and Building and Curriculum Coordinator and Steven Trudeau is the new High School Principal and Athletic Director. Trudeau replaces Nick Gillis as High School Principal after Gillis retired from education at the end of the school year.
Emergency responders say four teenagers were floating on tubes down the Eau Claire River Wednesday afternoon when the current pushed them into a tree hanging over the water. They had to be rescued from the river upstream from the Dewey Street Bridge. W-E-A-U/T-V reports the Eau Claire Fire Department gave the teens life vests, then pulled them out by using ropes. Some of them suffered minor injuries like bumps and bruises. A firefighter was hurt when a rock fell and hit him in the head, shoulders, and back. He’s expected to recover.
The Chippewa County Sheriff's Department has accepted a donation of $230,000 from the nonprofit group PESI, Inc for the purchase of body cameras for the department. Along with the sheriff's department, body cameras will be provided for 7 local police departments in Chippewa County over the next five years. The camera will automatically record without the officer needing to press a record button.
Minnesota and Wisconsin are in the midst of a heatwave, but Xcel Energy’s John Marshall assures the public that they can handle it. He says while excessive heat can strain their system, it was built and modeled for peak demand times of the year. Marshall also says they have crews “at the ready” in case there are any power outages. Marshall says if you do experience any kind of outage during the heatwave, contact your energy provider immediately.
Former Kronenwetter Administrator Richard Downey didn't stay unemployed long. Downey confirmed to WSAU News on Wednesday that he's accepted a position as the new Assistant Administrator for the City of Altoona. This comes about two weeks after he was placed on administrative leave by the village, for reasons that still have not been made public, and two months after the village first held a closed-session meeting regarding Downey. They've since contracted with Duane Gau of Public Administration Associates LLC to take the job on an interim basis. Downey declined to provide any further comment regarding the new position.
UW-La Crosse and Mayo Clinic have reached an agreement to provide UW-L students with health care services. Mayo doctors and nurses will provide the services at the Student Health Center on campus. Mayo will also pursue more research and educational opportunities at UW-L. Currently, Mayo provides sports medicine services for the athletic teams at UW-L.
The Wisconsin Legislature’s joint rules committee says local election clerks can’t help voters when they make a mistake on an absentee ballot envelope. State Representative Steve Nass is chair of that Republican-controlled committee. He says the Wisconsin Elections Commission is telling clerks to violate the law. Nass says clerks have two choices in that situation – send it back to the voter or set it aside and don’t count it. Clerks have been allowed to correct the ballots since the 2016 election. Democratic Representative Gary Hebl of Sun Prairie says the change will just cause trouble for voters and clerks and could lead to more lawsuits.
The state of Wisconsin has filed a lawsuit to recover the costs of cleaning up PFAs contamination. The suit seeks reimbursement of the nearly one billion dollars spent addressing "forever chemicals," including remediation of water and soil, and reimbursement for costs of providing bottled water and filters.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he's once again told former President Trump he cannot overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Speaking to W I S N on Tuesday, Vos said Trump called him last week to pressure him into decertifying the results. Trump claims that the State Supreme Court's ruling that clerks are no longer allowed to use absentee ballot drop boxes invalidates the election, which he lost to Joe Biden. He subsequently called Vos a RINO - or Republican In Name Only - on social media and said he expects Vos’ primary opponent to do well against Vos. Vos said (quote) "There's very little we can do to control or predict what he will do."
Almost 200 election officials from across the country are meeting in Madison to get ready for the mid-term vote. They are being urged to prepare for supply chain issues that could cause shortages of paper used for ballots, computer hardware, and many other purposes. Officials from 33 states are attending the summer meeting of the National Association of State Election Directors. They are hearing from experts in security, interest groups that work with elections, vendors, and others.
The Oneida Nation will spend the money from a 648-thousand dollar federal grant to develop sustainable energy on the reservation. The American Rescue Plan Act funding is being awarded through the U-S Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. W-L-U-K/T-V reports the Oneida Nation will use the money to develop a strategic energy transition plan. Tribe officials will investigate the potential for a solar farm and the purchase of electric vehicles for tribal operations. Federal officials say this will help the Oneida Nation diversify its economy and create green energy jobs.
Minnesota workers applying for the “frontline worker bonus check” can appeal if their application is denied. The deadline for applications is Friday at 5:00 p-m. The state reports more than a million people have applied for the bonuses – 330 thousand more than the state’s projections. Following the deadline, the applications will be processed and verified. All applicants will be notified of their status by August 16th.
U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar is applauding the official resumption of the Remote Area Border Crossing Program--which allows U-S travelers to enter Canada via water or ice, rather than land or ports of entry. Klobuchar, who is co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group eliminating barriers to cross-border travel is crucial to businesses and families across Minnesota and she calls it a "game changer" for Minnesotans and Canadians.
Wausau will celebrate its sesquicentennial with several celebrations and events this weekend. The State of Wisconsin granted the city charter in 1872. W-S-A-W/T-V reports early settlers called the area Big Bull Falls and Marathon County was organized in 1850. The name Wausau came from the Chippewa Indians who went on their yearly hunts in the area. The name means “far away place.” Organizers say there will be no charge for the music shows.
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