Thursday, July 7, 2022

Local-Regional News July 7

 Governor Tony Evers has approved over $768000 for a culvert replacement project in Dunn County.  According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the project will replace the Hwy 25 culvert at the south fork of Lower Pine Creek just south of Ridgeland.  The project will replace the old pipe with a twin-cell box culver.  Hwy 25 will remain open during construction which will begin next Tuesday and is expected to be completed in October.


Area law enforcement agencies, including the Durand Police Department, will be hosting local National Night Out events on August 2nd from 5-8pm.  In Durand, the event will be held at Tarrant Park and will include a K9 demonstration, displays from the police fire and ems, free food and then the movie Sing 2 will be shown at the Bauer Built Sports Complex.  Admission is free.


Motorists traveling on Hwy 10 between Durand and Mondovi are reminded there may be traffic delays as crews replace the Holmes Creek Bridge just west of Mondovi.  The Bridge, built-in 1936 was at the end of its useful life.  While Hwy 10 remains open, a temporary one-lane bypass that is controlled by traffic lights is in use.  That project is expected to be completed by October.


Olmsted County -- home of Rochester’s Mayo Clinic -- is the number-one county in the nation for “access to care and population health” ... Carver County in the southwest metro is number five in “overall health” ... and Lake County in northeast Minnesota is number-five nationally for “food and nutrition.” That’s all according to a recently released survey by U-S News in conjunction with C-V-S Health. In overall health ratings, 52 of Minnesota’s 87 counties rank in the top 500 nationally. Nine Minnesota counties are in the top 100. Only neighboring Iowa does better, with eleven of its 99 counties in top 100 on health-related measures.


The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will again be offering free well water testing for nitrate at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. Just bring one cup of well water in any clean container to Lot #485 on 4th Street east of University Avenue. DNR staff will do an on-the-spot screening and the results will be available in just a few minutes.  Wisconsin Farm Technology Days will be July 12, 13 & 14 just south of Loyal in Clark County. Show hours are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm all three days.


A Stratford man is facing multiple charges after a pair of high-speed chases and a standoff Sunday.  Forty-one-year-old John Strasser is accused of setting fire to his home.  When police tried to pull him over he refused to stop and led authorities on a chase reaching speeds of 100 miles an hour.  W-S-A-W/T-V reports that after his car was disabled by tired deflation devices he refused to surrender for several hours, then drove the vehicle into a field.  Police say he pointed both a pistol and a rifle at them during the incident.  He finally gave up and was booked into the Marathon County Jail.  Strasser has a hearing scheduled for July 13th.


As many as 50 people were inside the O-A-W Sports Complex in New Berlin Tuesday night when part of its roof gave way.  No injuries were reported.  Heavy rain was falling shortly after 7:45 p-m when the New Berlin Fire Department received the emergency call.  New Berlin Mayor Dave Ament tells W-I-S-N/T-V rain water got trapped on the roof and may have caused the collapse. For now, no one is allowed to go inside the building because it is “very unsafe.”  City inspectors are working with structural engineers to determine why it collapsed.


The State supreme court has ruled that a sex trafficking victim who killed her abuser can argue self-defense in her murder trial.   State laws say that sex trafficking victims can be shielded from prosecution for "any offense committed as a direct result" due to their trafficking. The court ruled 4 to 3 on Wednesday that Chrystul Kizer can use that as a defense for the killing of Nelson Volar III. Kizer was only 17 when she shot Volar in Kenosha in 2018, set his house on fire, and stole his car and some cash. Kizer allegedly suffered years of abuse from Volar. The ruling doesn't clear Kizer from the crime itself, her attorneys will still have to make that argument at trial.


Wisconsin businesses are expecting a full recession within the next year.  A new poll from Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce shows that 71 percent of businesses expect there to be a full recession in Wisconsin within 12 months, with 40 percent saying it will happen by the end of the year. 55 percent of respondents say they believe the state's economy will remain flat or shrink within the next 6 months.


Milwaukee may have just moved into the driver’s seat to host the 2024 Republican National Convention.   It’s down to Milwaukee and Nashville, where city council leaders took the city’s offer to the Republican National Committee off the agenda for its regular meeting Tuesday. There’s been pushback to the convention in Nashville from all over the political spectrum. Some don’t like the cost; others fear violence in the streets. Milwaukee has already approved its pitch. The Republican National Committee says it plans to make a decision soon.


The Midwest Environmental Advocates are petitioning the Department of Natural Resources to list so-called “forever chemicals” as irritants under Wisconsin’s Groundwater Law.  PFAS (PEE foss) are long-lasting chemicals that have been linked to health problems for people and animals by the E-P-A.  They have been detected in the state’s groundwater.  An M-E-A spokesperson says almost one-million Wisconsin households with private wells depend on groundwater as the main source of drinking water.  W-M-T-V reports that since there is no federal law protecting groundwater, the groups say “it is the state’s responsibility to act.”


 Members of a Stevens Point garage band say they were in Highland Park ready to perform at a Fourth of July festival when it was canceled.  The festival was called off when a lone gunman opened fire on people watching a holiday parade, killing seven and wounding at least 30.  A man traveling with the band “Scorched Wave” tells W-A-O-W/T-V parade officials quickly moved people under a set of bleachers and did an excellent job of keeping everyone informed.  Everyone in the Wisconsin traveling party made it back to their hotel safely.


Supporters of legal cannabis are hoping to make it a major issue in the upcoming November election in Minnesota. Some Republican lawmakers appear to have been caught by surprise when a new law took effect July First that allows those 21 and older to buy edibles and beverages with a limited amount of T-H-C, the ingredient in marijuana that makes some people high. During a press conference Tuesday at a Minneapolis brewery, Democratic Representative Heather Edelson said the new law clearly defines what is and is not legal in Minnesota, while D-F-L House Leader Ryan Winkler said, “Minnesota favors this change.” GOP leaders in the Minnesota House and Senate oppose it, though some Republicans support legalizing recreational marijuana.


Happy birthday, SPAM! Minnesota-based Hormel is celebrating 85 years of the canned meat product. Here are some fun facts about SPAM. Over eight billion cans of SPAM products have been sold. It’s sold in 44 different countries around the world. Every second there are 12-point-eight cans of SPAM products eaten. And over 100 million pounds of SPAM were shipped abroad to feed troops during World War Two. SPAM is also known for its popularity in Hawaii.

No comments:

Post a Comment