Local-Regional News Aug 31

 Owners of vacant properties in the city of Durand will be receiving a letter from the city detailing the fee that would be required to be paid as part of the vacant property ordinance.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the letters should be going out to those property owners soon.  Vacant property owners will have a chance to appeal to the city about paying the fee later this fall.

A Mondovi man has been accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a business.  WEAU-TV reports that 45yr old Ryan Popham is facing charges of theft in a business setting.  According to authorities, the owner of Erickson Auto Repair contacted authorities over the embezzlement of the money by the former shop manager.  An investigation revealed that Popham had been pocketing cash and checks from jobs he had done at the shop.  Popham's next court appearance is in September.

One man is in custody after a stand-off with Menomonie Police yesterday.  According to authorities, officers from Menomonie Polie and Eau Claire Regional SWAT Team attempted to serve a search warrant at the residence of Michael  Polzin at 1802 5th St West.  Following a lengthy standoff, Polzin was taken into custody.

A Rochester man is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in January, but a second suspect the victim identified to law enforcement has not yet been charged. Investigators say the girl ran away from a foster care home in Farmington, and 41-year-old Mohammed Omer picked her up from a gas station and brought her to a Rochester residence, where she reported that Omer and another man sexually assaulted her. Prosecutors say the other man then dropped the victim at a gas station, where she met a friend who drove her to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

Wisconsin public schools will receive another 90 million dollars from the state’s share of American Rescue Plan Act funding.  Governor Tony Evers made the official announcement Tuesday.  The money will be distributed on a per-pupil basis – meaning districts will get an additional 91 dollars for each pupil attending classes.  Republicans aren’t impressed with Evers’ announcement.  State Representative Mark Born says it’s an election year gimmick.  He is co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee.

 U-S Senator Ron Johnson defends his comments on Social Security and government benefits, saying he never said he wanted to put programs like Medicare on the chopping block.  The Wisconsin Republican says no cuts are imminent.  He spoke to members of the American Legion in Milwaukee Tuesday.  Johnson had been quoted as saying he wants to make social safety programs go through the budget process like other federal spending.  Now, he says he’s being unfairly attacked.

Minnesota-based Polaris issued a “stop riding and stop selling” order affecting over a quarter-million of its snowmobiles. Officials say they’re cooperating with federal officials on a likely recall and will provide free repairs once the fix is fully tested. The company warns of a fire hazard from degraded fuel in gas tanks, particularly after extended storage. Polaris says the problem has resulted in 30 gas tank ruptures, 16 fires, and one reported injury. Affected are some Matryx models from 2021 to 2023, Axys from 2015 to 2022, and Select Trail Performance from 2013 and ‘14.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources urges operators of recreational vehicles to play it safe this Labor Day weekend   ATVs and UTVs are growing in popularity, and the DNR is urging operators to use safety equipment and smart skills. Trails and routes are expected to be busy over the holiday weekend. So far this year, 11 people have died in ATV UTV crashes. Several were not wearing helmets or seatbelts. When riding, wearing a helmet and seatbelt, monitoring speed, using caution on hills and uneven terrain, and not consuming alcohol or drugs before or during your ride could save your life.

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Authorities say a structure fire in Rice Lake has left one firefighter injured.  The extent of the injury hasn’t been revealed.  Emergency responders were called to the scene Sunday at about 6:40 p-m.  Fire crews say they encountered heavy smoke and visible flames coming from a garage as they arrived.  They tell W-E-A-U/T-V that the roof had already collapsed and they worked to keep the fire from spreading to a nearby building.  The garage was a total loss.

Scammers are taking advantage of students trying to navigate updates after the Biden Administration’s recent decision to cancel up to 20 thousand dollars of federal student loans per eligible person. The Better Business Bureau’s Bao Vang says it’s best to get to know the terms of your loan before sharing any personal information. She also says to never pay money for a free government program, as scammers often trick victims into paying for a free program or claim you can get additional benefits like faster results for a fee. Vang says scams like this are typical with any big government initiative, including the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, eviction moratorium, and pandemic relief programs.

A federal judge has ruled a woman failed to prove Wauwatosa police used excessive force while they were enforcing an emergency curfew almost two years ago.  Paige Radke was with a group protesting the fatal shooting of Alvin Cole by former police officer Joseph Mensah.  W-D-J-T/T-V reports the protests came after the Milwaukee County district attorney didn’t charge Mensah.  Radke’s attorney argued her First Amendment rights were violated.  She had sued the city of Wauwatosa.  The judge threw out the lawsuit last week.

 A lawsuit contesting the subpoenas issued by the Office of Special Counsel has been dismissed in Waukesha County.  The legal action officially ends the Republican investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin.  The subpoenas had targeted several mayors and members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.  Former special counsel Michael Gableman had tried to compel the targeted officials to testify about the election, but Gableman has already been fired.  The total cost of the failed investigation topped one million dollars.

Almost all of the rescue beagles sent to Wisconsin in July have new homes.   As of Monday, the Wisconsin Humane Society says all but three of the 62 dogs have found their forever homes. The beagles came from a massive rescue in Virginia. The adoptions come as the Humane Society just picked up another 30 dogs. They’re with foster families now and will be available for adoption in the coming weeks.

Minnesotans should be prepared to “shake, shiver, and shovel” this winter. That’s the official prediction from the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Spokesman Peter Geiger says Minnesota is being designated a hibernation zone, meaning a very snowy, very cold winter that will probably start a little early. Geiger says the Farmers’ Almanac is predicting snow in the middle of October, with more significant snow at the end of November and an artic blast with subzero temperatures in January.

Local-Regional News Aug 30

 Four people were injured in a two-vehicle accident in Oak Grove Township on Sunday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriffs Department, 47yr old Renee Hendrickson of Ellsworth was traveling eastbound on Hwy 10 when she drove left of center and entered the westbound lane.  A westbound vehicle driven by 29yr old Kayla Wennberg of Burnsville, MN attempted an evasive maneuver but the two vehicles hit head-on.  Wennberg and her two children were taken to River Falls Area Hospital, while Hendrickson was med-flighted to Regions Hospital.  That accident remains under investigation.

Representatives from Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services and Dairyland power debuted a new EV charging station at Vino in the Valley on Saturday.    With this installation, PPCS is partnering with Vino in the Valley to encourage tourism in Pierce County by electric vehicle drivers.    PPCS is a founding member of CHARGE EV, LLC, whose mission is to build an EV charging network across the nation in rural cooperative territories. CHARGE has grown from 31 electric cooperatives to nearly 100 spread across the upper Midwest, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oregon.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirm that an unvaccinated yearling Standardbred gelding in Trempealeau County has tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV). It is the state’s first confirmed case of WNV in a horse this year.  While humans can be infected by WNV, the virus does not pass directly between people and horses. The only route of transmission is from a mosquito bite. Mosquitoes transmit the virus from birds, which serve as natural reservoirs for WNV. Since humans and equines acquire WNV from mosquitoes, the threat of WNV normally occurs when mosquitoes are most active, from mid-to-late summer until the first killing frost.  DATCP encourages equine owners to speak with their veterinarians about vaccinating their horses for WNV. 

 A woman is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the killing of her fiancé in New Richmond in far western Wisconsin. Fifty-three-year-old Marian Kaitlyn Smith of New Richmond is also charged with two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer. Her fiancé, 48-year-old Shaun Lewis, was found in a home Saturday with multiple wounds and was pronounced dead after first responders failed to revive him. New Richmond is about 40 miles east of Saint Paul and is part of the Greater Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Whitehall Police and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections have announced that a registered sex offender will be living in that city.  54yr old Brian Roach will be released on September 6th and will be living in the city.  As a condition of his release, Roach must follow all sex offender registry requirements, have a GPS monitor register as a sex offender for 15yrs, and have no internet access or any unsupervised contact with any children or his victims.  He pleaded no contest in 2019 to exposing himself to a child and causing mental harm to a child.  He was sentenced to 3 1/2 yrs in prison and 5yrs of extended supervision.

Opening statements have been given in the Monroe County trial for a man accused of using an axe to kill his grandfather last year.  Prosecutors played 9-1-1 audio from the day of the attack in court Monday.  Eighty-seven-year-old Bernard Waite was killed and two relatives were seriously injured inside a home in Sparta.  W-K-B-T/T-V reports 37-year-old Thomas Aspseter is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of aggravated battery.  The defense isn’t challenging the fact that Aspseter used an axe while committing the crime.

A new poll finds close top-of-ticket races in Wisconsin’s November elections.   Polling from Atlanta-based Trafalgar Group indicates tight races for both governor and US Senate. Trafalgar found 48 percent of likely voters surveyed backing Democratic governor Tony Evers, 47 and-a-half percent supported construction executive Tim Michaels, the Republican candidate. In the Senate race, just under 49 and-a-half percent back Democratic Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes. Just over 47 percent supported US Senator Ron Johnson. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Republican members of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee say they should have a final version of a plan to spend the state’s opioid settlement money soon.  Co-chair Mark Born appeared on W-K-O-W/T-V’s “Capitol City Sunday.”  Born says lawmakers are working on the plan right now.  He expects it will be finalized “in the next couple of weeks.”  The budget committee didn’t approve the plan submitted by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, but members also didn’t specify what they objected to.  Democrats have pushed for the release of six-million dollars to cover things like Narcan and fentanyl test strips.

A pro-life group is readying a different strategy to try to ban abortion in Minnesota. Retiring state Representative Tim Miller from Prinsburg, who now works for Pro Life Action Ministries, says the plan is to go community-by-community. Miller says they’re going to be attempting to pass pro-life ordinances in communities, saying ‘no abortions in this town -- which he’s calling a “grassroots effort.” Hamline University analyst David Schultz says such local ordinances would be unconstitutional under the Minnesota Supreme Court decision in the Doe-V-Gomez case.

There’s hope that the price of gas may be coming down even further in southeast Wisconsin. Winter blend gasoline can now be sold in southeast Wisconsin, thanks to a fire that knocked a refinery offline in Indiana making summer-blend fuels. The Environmental Protection Agency waiver for four Midwestern states means gas stations can sell winter-blend gas for now. Winter-grade fuels are easier to make and historically cheaper. Gas Buddy says there’s no telling how this new development may change the price at the pump.

A piece of the future USS Wisconsin is now on display in Madison.   The piece of the new nuclear submarine USS Wisconsin made its way to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum this weekend. It's part of a display celebrating the new submarine currently under construction in Virginia. The Columbia Class submarine will be the first vessel to bear Wisconsin's name since the retirement of the Battleship USS Wisconsin which served in three different wars since its construction during World War II. The new sub is set for completion in 2030.

More than 40 thousand Minnesota veterans are eligible for a post-Nine-Eleven service bonus through the state. Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Larry Herke says the legislature approved grants this year for those who have served in the military over the last 20 years. He confirms the bonus itself is between 600 and two-thousand dollars, depending on the level of participation. To apply for it you have to have served during that time, started your service in Minnesota, and just prove that you are currently a Minnesota resident. Around 16 thousand veterans have already applied for a post-Nine-Eleven service bonus through their county veterans service officer or online at m-n-veteran-dot-org.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has identified what caused a recent fish kill in the Fox River and low Green Bay area.  State scientists say the fish were diagnosed with severe cases of the bacterial disease columnaris.  W-L-U-K/T-V reports the D-N-R estimates 99 percent of the dead fish found were adult channel catfish.  The state agency started its investigation in mid-June after receiving multiple reports about the dead fish.  Most were found downstream from the De Pere Dam and in lower Green Bay.

 While many visitors to the Minnesota State Fair say this year feels like a return to normal, some have expressed concerns about safety in the wake of reported crime increases statewide. Chief of the State Fair Police Department Ron Knafla  is encouraging the public to “come out and enjoy the fair” and leave the safety and security to them. Knafla says more than 50 agencies are working for the State Fair police department to ensure fairgoers’ safety this year.

Local-Regional News Aug 29

 The City of Durand is exploring ways to reduce the costs for the Tarrant Park Pool project.  One area the city is exploring is reducing or eliminating any liquidated damages if the project is not done on time.   The project bids came in at approximately $4.3 million, well over the $3 million budget.  The city is considering rejecting all the current bids and rebidding the project out in January or February of 2023.

A high-speed chase through three counties on Thursday led to the arrest of a Milwaukee man.  The chase started in St. Croix County, where Baldwin and Hudson Police were called to assist in a high-speed chase of two vehicles.  Once in Dunn County, one of the vehicles went into Menomonie where it was stopped but the other continued on I-94 into Eau Claire County.  The suspect crashed in the go-kart area of the Metropolis Resort and fled.  A K-9 unit found the man, 22yr old Me Lar Htoo of Milwaukee and he was taken into custody.

 

A former Altoona financial advisor has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for defrauding his clients.  Michael Shillin entered guilty pleas to wire fraud and bank fraud charges in May.  Eight other counts were dismissed as part of that plea deal.  Investigators say Shillin faked documents and lied to at least 100 clients when he took their money to make non-existent investments.  He was also accused of taking out more than 450 thousand dollars in loans using one of his clients’ banking information.  He had told the victims he bought shares of high-profile companies like Space-X and Palantir for them.

New Richmond police were called to a home on Saturday and found a man dead.  According to authorities, officers found the 48yr old male with multiple wounds, and was pronounced dead at the scene.  A suspect is in custody and is being held at the St. Croix County Jail. Authorities believe the incident was isolated and there is no danger to the public. 

 Charges could be filed today (Monday) against a man accused of abducting a woman in the Twin Cities and crashing into a Cannon Falls squad car during a chase. Police were called to the Cannon Falls Casey’s General Store Saturday after the woman reported she had been abducted and escaped. Officers spotted the suspect vehicle, but the driver refused to pull over and crashed into the patrol car. The pursuit continued later in Northfield and the suspect was arrested in Faribault. Investigators believe the 25-year-old Minneapolis man abducted the woman in the Maple Grove area.

A potentially destructive exotic pest is headed Wisconsin’s way.  The Spotted lanternfly is a native of China that's been found in 12 US states. The US Department of Agriculture says the lanternfly could seriously impact us grape orchard and logging industries if it continues to spread. P.J. Liesch, the manager of UW Madison's insect diagnostic lab recently told Wisconsin Public Radio it's a matter of when not if the bug arrives here in Wisconsin. He said it's definitely a challenging pest to deal with, and one that could cause problems for operators of Wisconsin orchards and wineries.

Two Wisconsin mayors are no longer expected to testify, in a now-ended partisan probe of Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election.  On Friday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he'd rescind a standing subpoena against Madison mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Green Bay mayor Eric Genrich after they refused to come and answer questions behind closed doors for Mike Gableman. Gableman himself was fired earlier this month after backing Vos's primary opponent, leading to the closure of the Office of Special Counsel.

The Madison College dean of access and student success says the president’s executive order erasing student loan debt will be life-changing for some.  Keyimani Alford says some borrowers were never able to catch up, financially, while burdened with those loan payments.  Millions of Americans will have up to 10 thousand dollars of debt eliminated by this week’s order.  Alford says the students have had bad credit ratings due to loan defaults in some cases.  This will give them a fresh start.  Seven-and-a-half million borrowers nationwide actually have loans that are in default presently.

A judge has dropped some charges against the man accused of committing the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack.  On Thursday a Waukesha County judge dropped six charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle from the long list of charges that Darrell Brooks faces in the attack. There are still 77 charges on the case, including six of first-degree homicide. There were also arguments over what evidence will be allowed at trial. The court has set a 20-day trial for the case, which will get underway in October.

Minnesota is the first state to receive federal funding for its “Local Food for Schools” program.  That effort focuses on finding Minnesota products that are healthy, with the goal of improving child nutrition and building relationships between schools and local farmers.  A spokesperson for the U-S Department of Agriculture says there is a big emphasis on ensuring the food comes from historically underserved producers while building more economic opportunities for producers across the state.  Minnesota is receiving three-point-four-million dollars for the effort.

The average farmland rent in Wisconsin is now 145 dollars an acre. The U-S-D-A's National Agricultural Statistics Service says this is 12 dollars higher than last year. The highest cash rents are in the southwestern part of the state, with the average in Lafayette County at 235 dollars an acre. The lowest average is in Forest County, at 19 dollars and 50 cents ($19.50) per acre.

 Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison this week announced that the state is getting around 66 million dollars this year from the largest of Minnesota's opioid settlements--with around 300 million due to the state down the road. U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar says the money will be used to help with prevention and treatment. More than five-thousand Minnesotans have died from opioid overdoses.

 A former Two Rivers teacher has entered a not guilty plea to three charges of sexual assault of a student during a court hearing Thursday.  Rebecca Kilps appeared in Manitowoc County Court for arraignment and was bound of for trial.  Kilps is free on bond.  A detective was contacted by a school social worker last May about being informed of a student having a relationship with a teacher.  Kilps husband contacted the same detective the next day saying he had found incriminating messages on his wife’s cell phone when he checked while she was sleeping.  The 17-year-old victim told authorities the two had sex twice.

The Packers are one of the most well-run franchises in the N-F-L. Forbes magazine reports the team’s overall value increased from three-and-a-half to four-point-three billion dollars over the last year. St. Norbert College economics professor Kevin Quinn says that’s a testament to Green Bay's balanced approach to management. The on-the-field success helps. The numbers show that the publicly-owned franchise has rebounded well from the pandemic. Even though they play in the smallest market in professional sports the Packers are listed in the top half of N-F-L franchises when it comes to their overall value.

Local-Regional News Aug 26

 The Durand City Council has learned that a proposal to remove trees from the OC Hanson Park to make room for a dog park may not work.  It was hoped that the city would earn some money from the removal of the trees, but according to Mayor Milliren, the best the city could hope for is breaking even.  The next city council meeting is September 13th.

The Durand-Arkansaw School Board has approved eliminating the salary structure for professional and support staff of the district.  Durand-Arkansaw Superintendent Greg Doverspike says the elimination of the salary structure will give the administration more flexibility.  The district is giving all employees a 3% raise on all salaries for the upcoming year.

The City of Mondovi has approved a $30 driveway permit fee.  The permit would be needed when a new driveway is installed, or an existing driving is modified from the original driveway.  Residents that are repairing an existing driveway are exempt from the permit fee.

A man who went to prison in connection with a crash that killed three Girl Scouts and their troop leader near Chippewa Falls – is getting out early.  John Stender was a passenger in the truck that day in 2018. Last year, he pleaded no contest to aiding a felon and other charges, for staying silent afterward. He was sentenced to three years in prison. Wednesday, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections told a Chippewa County judge that Stender has just been released from prison. Meanwhile, Colten Treu is serving a 54-year prison sentence for causing the crash. He was behind the wheel of that truck. Treu and Stender were huffing a can of air duster before the crash.

The first of nearly three-thousand drought relief checks are going out this week to livestock farmers and specialty crop producers in Minnesota. State Agriculture Commissioner Thom (TOM) Petersen says requests totaled nearly 19 million dollars, over double what the legislature appropriated, so payments will be pro-rated. He says the average check should be “somewhere north of 25-hundred dollars.” Producers in all counties except Goodhue, Rice, Wabasha, and Winona were eligible for drought-relief grants. The legislature also appropriated an additional two-point-five million dollars for zero-interest loans, and Peterson says there’s still money available.

 A Racine County man who falsely requested absentee ballots says he has been subpoenaed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.  Harry Wait leads a group calling itself H-O-T Government.  The group continues to claim there was voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.  Wait has been ordered to make a court appearance September 9th.  He admits to illegally seeking absentee ballots.  Wait says he did that to show the state’s election system is insecure.   Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling has declined to file charges.

Minnesota state revenue officials say without legislative action student loan forgiveness will be taxable.  The Legislature never passed its 2022 tax bill to confirm with federal changes.  President Joe Biden announced Wednesday a wide-ranging debt cancellation program where many student loan holders could get 10-thousand dollars of their debt forgiven.  That forgiveness would increase a person’s tax liability and potentially reduce tax credits or deductions a person would otherwise be eligible to receive.

A big drop in public sector employment in Wisconsin.   A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found more than 17,000 state residents left public sector employment last year. That marks a 20 year high, and a second straight year of a net decline in public sector workers, which includes K-12 teachers and higher ed instructors, law enforcement and public officials. The report attributes this to both Wisconsin's aging population and strain on state institutions due to the COVID 19 pandemic 2021 saw the largest increase of non-retirement, “other separations” in any single year.

 Wisconsin families will have to apply for their children to get free meals at school again.  During the pandemic the government allowed any child to get a free lunch but that program has ended.  U-W-Madison nutritional sciences professor Beth Olson says the calories from a meal can help a child’s brain handle new information better and keep them alert in class.  Olson says parents should be making sure their kids are getting good protein, vitamins, and carbs in their meals every day.  She says low-income families should also remember to sign up for those free or reduced school meals this fall.

A Boscobel man will spend the next seven-and-a-half years in prison for his role in a drive-by shooting.  Thirty-one-year-old Wesley Dollar was found guilty of first-degree recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon.  He was sentenced in La Crosse County Court Wednesday for his actions last December.  Prosecutors say Dollar was free on bond when he drove through a neighborhood in Holmen and fired a shot into a house using a high-powered rifle.  One person was injured.

Everybody in Fond du Lac County seems to think they can outrun the authorities.  The sheriff’s office says its deputies have found themselves in more pursuits this year than ever before.  Sunday morning deputies say they were wrapping up an operating while intoxicated stop when another vehicle failed to follow the “Slow Down Move Over” law.  W-B-A-Y/T-V reports that when that driver was pulled over, they were drunk, too.  Then, just a few hours later, deputies were involved in another high-speed pursuit.  Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says his department has been involved in 27 pursuits.  That compares to 25 for all of last year.  Video from Sunday’s chase shows the driver crossing the median and traveling at 100 miles an hour into oncoming traffic.  That reckless driver is in jail.

 Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is now in federal custody. He was moved Wednesday from the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Oak Park Heights to the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona. The transfer was part of an agreement when he pleaded guilty to federal charges of denying George Floyd his civil rights. Chauvin’s federal sentence will run concurrently with his state sentence for murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd in 2020.

Hundreds of nurses in Madison say they’re ready to go on strike to get their union recognized.   99-percent of nurses at UW Health just voted in favor of walking off the job for three days, starting September 13th. The nurses and the hospital have been talking about union recognition and a new contract for more than two-and-a-half years. The union says recognition would give nurses a say in workplace policy. U-W Health says it encourages nurses to make their voices heard through its shared governance system.

 You need to know the rules before you go out hunting your first deer.  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is offering free webinars for new hunters again next week.  The second of several educational hunting webinars is scheduled for 7:00 p-m next Wednesday.  People can learn about hunting, fishing, and trapping.  Each episode features guest speaker sharing their experiences about getting started.  The videos can be found on the Wisconsin D-N-R YouTube channel.  Hunting season dates, rules, and regulations, harvest quotas, and more can be found on the agency’s website.

Local-Regional News Aug 25

 The City of Durand will apply for an urban forestry grant to help property owners remove dying ash trees from the city boulevards.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says if the grant is approved, the city would put together a program that would help residents pay half of the cost of tree removal.  The city hopes to know if the grant has been approved by this fall.

The Durand-Arksansaw school board has approved a loyalty stipend for staff.  The district would give staff who reach milestone years, 5-10-15 yrs ect a loyalty payment.  Durand Arkansaw School Superintendent Greg Doverspike says the payment would be made the next year following the milestone year.  The loyalty program is available to all employees of the district.

The Mondovi City Council has approved some changes to the Board of Review policies for the upcoming appeal of re-assessment valuations.  The council approved a resolution that would allow residents to request to submit testimony to the board of review via the phone or in writing if they are unable to attend the open book.  The council also approved an ordinance that would establish the confidentially of information and income and expense request during the board of review process.

A Menomonie City Council member has been charged with OWI.  According to Menomonie police, Lucas Chase was pulled over on August 14 for a brake light being out.  Officers smelled alcohol on him and conducted a field sobriety test which showed a blood alcohol level of .162, twice the legal limit.  Chase was arrested and refused a blood draw.  He will have a court appearance in September.

A federal judge has indicated he will allow voters with disabilities to get help returning their ballots for the November election.  U-S District Judge James Peterson says he expects to issue an order in the next week addressing the differences in state and federal laws.  The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an order in July suggesting helping a person return their ballot isn’t allowed.  Peterson says he wants his order to be in place ahead of Election Day.

Attorneys for Republican leaders of the Wisconsin Legislature are moving to block a lawsuit that challenges the state’s 173-year-old abortion ban.  Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a suit against the ban last month.  He argues it is obsolete and conflicts with a 1985 law that prohibits abortions after about 20 weeks.  Republican leaders say Kaul’s arguments lack merit.  They also say the Wisconsin Department of Justice doesn’t have the standing needed to sue since state agencies can’t have abortions.  That means they can’t be harmed by the 1849 law.

Elected officials have been told they are no longer welcome to march in a Middleton parade Sunday.  The move comes in response to criticism from candidates taking on those incumbents.  The Good Neighbor Festival runs this weekend in the Madison suburb.  W-K-O-W/T-V reports Festival President Nancy Vickery says it was decided to ban all political figures after seeing posts on social media calling for protesters to openly carry guns at the parade.  Vickery says the event is strictly non-partisan.  Democrats had been the only ones marching in the parade because they were the only ones holding public office in Middleton.

 A charter bus driver is facing charges after allegedly driving drunk with 35 students aboard.  Authorities say 49-year-old Patrick Bullard of Cannon Falls is charged with two counts of D-W-I, along with possessing and drinking from an open bottle.  Minnesota State troopers responded Sunday morning to complaints that the bus was driving erratically and performed a traffic stop.  Bullard's blood alcohol was later found to be more than six times the legal limit to drive a bus in the state.  The students ranged in age from 11 to 14, and two adult chaperones were onboard with them.  The group was headed to a camp in northern Minnesota as part of a Y-M-C-A group.

Wisconsin leads 42 states suing the makers of a drug used to treat opioid dependence.  Tuesday’s announcement comes after a ruling from a federal court in Pennsylvania saying the lawsuit can proceed.  W-M-T-V reports that Indivior Incorporated is accused of making an illegal market shift to preserve its monopoly of the drug.  Indivior’s motion for a summary judgment was denied by the federal judge in Philadelphia.  Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul says he expects the trial to be held next year.

Organizers expect about eight-thousand people to attend the American Legion national convention this weekend.  The 103rd annual gathering gets underway today (Wednesday).  With the Republican National Convention coming to Cream City in two years, Milwaukee is becoming something of a convention hot spot.  The American Legion is holding its convention here for the fourth time.  The first one was in 1941 – the most recent in 2010.  Most of the events will be held in the Wisconsin Center although next Monday night at American Family Field will be designated American Legion Family Baseball Night.

The last hold-out homeowners near Wisconsin’s Foxconn campus have reached a deal to sell their property.   All their neighbors had sold their homes to make room for Foxconn, but Jim and Kim Mahoney, have been holding out for what they consider a fair price for five years. Tuesday night, the Mount Pleasant village board approved a final sale price of 950-thousand dollars. That’s 750-thousand dollars for the property itself, and nearly 200-thousand dollars to cover the cost of moving the house about five miles away. A village spokesperson says the Mahoneys got what all landowners in that part of Racine County got – 140-percent of the market value.

Milwaukee city officials say the vacant Northridge Mall still isn’t secure after the owners took some preliminary steps.  U-S Black Spruce had until last Friday to secure the property or deal with a fine of two-thousand dollars a day.  So far, “No Trespassing” signs and some new fencing has gone up in a preliminary effort to comply with the court order.  W-T-M-J/T-V reports the city increased the pressure after firefighters responded to four suspected arson fires in less than a month.  The mall has been vacant since it closed in 2003.  The City of Milwaukee issued a demolition order three years ago but the China-based owners have been fighting that in court.

Officials say they have plans in place to keep this year’s Minnesota State Fair safe from Thursday’s opening through the final day. State Fair Police Chief Ron Knafla says they’ve implemented some new safety procedures, including some that won’t be obvious to fairgoers. They’ll have more officers in trouble spots, plus perimeter patrols to keep people from evading security measures at the gates -- which will also have metal detectors.  Guns are banned at the State Fair, and vendors will NOT be selling T-H-C edibles -- at least not this year.

Students at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will have 15 food-delivering robots to serve them this fall.  A spokesperson says the students will download the “Everyday” app onto their phones.  W-E-A-U/T-V reports menu will pop up letting them order, then they will pick a location on campus, the food is prepared, then placed inside the robots – and it is delivered.  A company called Sodexo is the food service vendor for the university.  A spokesperson says the robots will actually help cover staffing shortages and could lead some students to choose U-W-Eau Claire for the service.  The so-called Kiwibots go to work September 6th.

Local-Regional News Aug 24

 The Durand City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include the discussion of the 2023 budget process and meeting dates, discussion on applying for an urban forestry grant, and discussion and possible action on approving the bids on the Tarrant Park Pool project.  Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall and will be live-streamed on our YouTube Channel at Durand Broadcasting WRDN.

The Mondovi City Council has approved a goose hunt on three parcels of land that are inside of the city limits.  At last night's council meeting, members approved the resolution that would allow goose hunting inside city limits during the DNR early waterfowl season from Sept 1-15 and the regular season in the fall.  Hunters would have to receive permission from private landowners to hunt and would also have to follow all DNR waterfowl hunting regulations.  Hunters would also have to get a permit from the city and show their state hunting license.

A suspect arrested in Chippewa Falls is accused of grabbing children at a park.  Police say the incident was reported Friday at about 4:00 p-m at Irvine Park.  Officers say they spoke to the man after he had been pointed out and he told them the children on the playground were misbehaving and were not being watched by their parents.  W-E-A-U/T-V reports four children between the ages of eight and 10 years old showed officers red marks where they had been grabbed.  The man denied touching any of the children.  He was taken into custody on suspicion of recklessly causing bodily harm to a child and disorderly conduct.  The man’s name hasn’t been released.  Police say they don’t think he was trying to abduct or assault the children.

A southeastern Minnesota man is accused of firing about 20 rounds at law enforcement during a standoff in Pine Island. Olmsted County prosecutors charged 37-year-old Michael Molitor with using deadly force against police, assault with a weapon, making terroristic threats, and wearing a bulletproof vest while committing a crime. A Goodhue County deputy did a welfare check Saturday after Molitor threatened “suicide by cop” and said he was holding a woman hostage. SWAT teams deployed less than lethal rounds into the home and Molitor returned fire, hitting an armored vehicle. He eventually came outside and surrendered peacefully.

Motorists using the Hwy 43 Bridge from Buffalo County into Winona could experience some delays over the next few days.  The Minnesota Department of Transportation says crews will be conducting crack sealing today and tomorrow resulting in lane closures of the bridges.  The work will be done during the daytime hours and delays are expected during the commute times.

A Tomah man, convicted of sexually assaulting a female inmate at the Jackson County Jail has been sentenced.  Bret Noltner of Tomah was sentenced to one year in jail and must register as a sex offender for 15yrs.    Authorities say Noltner had sexual contact with the female inmate while he was on duty.  He took her out of her jail cell and into areas of the jail that were out of view of security cameras.  

The 10-month-old baby found by airport police at MSP airport on Sunday has been identified.  Law enforcement says the mother has also been located and is safe.  According to the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the child arrived at the airport with a "person in crisis" around 9pm via the light rail line.  The adult female that was with the child was not believed to be a relative or guardian of the child.  The Minneapolis Police Department is now taking over the investigation into the incident.

The minimum wage is going up by two-and-a-half percent in Minnesota next year. The state Department of Industry and Labor says the minimum wage for large employers will jump from ten-dollars-and-33 cents an hour to ten-59 -- while it will rise from eight-dollars-and 42 cents to eight-63 for small employers. Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach says the increase is designed to help minimum wage workers keep up with inflation to better provide for themselves and their families. Companies making annual revenues of more than a half million dollars are considered large employers.

A 30-year-old massage therapist in Sparta is facing a felony charge of sexual assault for the way he touched his female clients.  If he is convicted, Ethan Karls could be sentenced to 40 years in prison.  W-K-B-T/T-V reports that after a woman reported Karls to police two years ago, four more women came forward.  His license was suspended in March but the charge against Karls wasn’t filed until four months later.  Karls is free on bond until he is formally charged later this month.

Home foreclosures are on the rise across the country, nearly double where we were last year at this time. Joe Mahon (Man) of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis says high energy prices are playing a role. He says while gas prices have been trending downward, they’re still higher than they were a year ago. And homeowners might also be reeling from other energy price hikes, including natural gas and the cost of heating their homes. As for foreclosure filings, Minnesota is in the middle pack among states for the first half of 2022. More than 21-hundred properties around the state were in foreclosure during that period.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a California man suspected of defrauding elderly victims.  Authorities think 27-year-old William Comfort of Los Angeles and several other people were working together on the scam.  Starting in May, multiple county and city law enforcement agencies started getting reports of an aggressive spin on the “grandparent scam.”  W-S-A-W/T-V reports a Taylor County woman lost 95-hundred dollars, but she was able to provide a vehicle description and a phone number for the scammer.  The suspect vehicle proved to be a rental car from Appleton that was registered in Comfort’s name.  G-P-S data show it had been stopped at the victim’s address.  Comfort is charged with false representation.

Wausau police have arrested a 55-year-old suspect for allegedly damaging fiber-optic cables owned by Spectrum.  George Wood was taken into custody after a widespread outage Saturday morning.  W-F-R-V/T-V reports police were told the cables were intentionally damaged in the downtown Wausau area.  Surveillance video and a tip helped identify Wood as a suspect.  He was taken into custody at 4:40 p-m and booked into the Marathon County Jail.  Investigators haven’t said why he damaged the fiber optic cables.  He’s charged with damage to a utility service.

As college students head back to campus, the Better Business Bureau (B-B-B) is reminding Minnesotans to be on guard of some common scams including fake credit cards. Spokeswoman Bao Vang says some offers might be phony and designed to get access to your personal information. Another top scam is too-good-to-be-true apartment listings that offer affordable rent but demand money upfront before showing you the unit. Vang says this also applies to Craigslist and social media ads appearing to be from other students looking for roommates. She reminds people that if it sounds too good to be true, it often is and, in many cases, linked to a scam.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (D-P-S) is giving away ten-thousand gun locks at the State Fair this year in an effort to stop unintentional shootings and stop an increase in rates of guns getting into the “wrong hands.” D-P-S Commissioner John Harrington calls the giveaway an important first step. He says they want to stop unintentional shootings of children by children and help prevent people who shouldn’t have guns from getting them. The locks will be available at the D-N-R and D-P-S booths at the fairgrounds during the run of the fair. Or you can visit the D-P-S website.

Local-Regional News Aug 23

 The Dunn County Health Department (DCHD) and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Monday confirmed the first case of orthopox virus presumed to be monkeypox in a Dunn County resident. The individual is doing well and isolating at home. The DCHD is working with the individual to identify people with whom they may have had direct, close contact while infectious.    As of August 19, there were 53 confirmed cases of orthopox virus presumed to be monkeypox in Wisconsin. 

The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include a resolution to establish the 2022 goose hunting season inside city limits, a discussion of an ordinance to establish the confidentiality of information about income and expenses requested by the assessor in property assessments in the city and reports from the Mayor and department heads.  Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at the Martin Center.

One person was injured in a one-vehicle accident in Naples Township on Saturday.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, 17yr old Rebecca Cleasby of Eleva was traveling westbound on Hwy HH when she lost control of the vehicle, entered the South ditch, and rolled over.  Cleasby was taken to Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, while her passenger, 18yr old Richard Bailey of Eleva was not injured.

One person was injured in a single-vehicle accident in Glencoe Township on Saturday.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, 20yr old Wilfrido Sandoval of Arcadia was traveling on Hwy 95 and failed to negotiate a turn, causing him to leave the highway and the vehicle rolled several times.  His passenger, 19yr old Irving Ortiz was injured and taken to the hospital.  Sandoval was arrested for driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test.  

A Spring Valley man was arrested on Sunday for suspicion of driving while intoxicated.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, troopers responded to a report of an individual driving through a road-closed barricade during the El Paso Parade.  Troopers pulled over 83yr old Robert Broderson and as a result of a field sobriety test arrested Broderson for OWI first offense.  He was taken to the Pierce County Jail.

The UW Board of Regents has approved a plan to renovate UW-Stout's, Heritage Hall.  The $120 million project includes new classrooms and labs, windows for more natural lighting, a new sprinkler system, new roof and will have a new entrance on the north side of the building.    The project is set to begin in 2025 and will be completed by 2027.  Heritage Hall was built in 1975 and this will be the first renovation of the building.

 Last Friday’s court-ordered deadline passed with no security changes mail at Milwaukee’s vacant Northridge Mall.  W-D-J-T/T-V reports building inspectors, Milwaukee fire and police, and a representative of the owners met outside the old mall at 3:00 p-m Friday.  A judge has ruled the owners would face a two-thousand-dollar daily fine if they fail to comply with a 2019 agreement that the property would be secured.  There have been four suspected cases of arson at the mall in the last month.  Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski says the conditions are unacceptably dangerous for his crews when they respond.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is sending out nearly 19 million dollars in drought relief checks this week to livestock farmers and specialty crop producers. More than 29 hundred of the three thousand received applications were approved for the 2021 program. M-D-A officials say because the legislation required that all qualifying applicants receive a payment, the checks will be pro-rated to 41-point-nine percent of the amount farmers were eligible to receive. The maximum payment will be three-thousand-143 dollars this year. State Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen says this amount “should help people pay a few bills and that’s important this time of year.”

A search led by the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force has resulted in a Saratoga woman’s arrest.  Wood County Sheriff’s deputies joined the task force in executing a search warrant last Thursday.  Agents seized what are being called “large quantities” of suspected meth, marijuana, and prescription medication.  W-E-A-U/T-V reports 32-year-old Casondra McCracken was taken into custody.  She’s being held at the Wood County Jail.  Drug and child neglect charges have been referred to the district attorney’s office.

A new report from the Wisconsin PFAS Action Council details the state’s efforts to address the problem.  It lists eight areas where the state has taken action in response to contamination from so-called “forever chemicals.”  The report cites a voluntary municipal drinking water system sampling program in which 125 systems have participated.  The state has also collected and analyzed more than 100 wastewater samples – and is sampling 450 private wells to assess the presence of PFAS in Wisconsin’s groundwater.

Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent Carlton Jenkins tells C-N-N that his office has been getting creative to fill vacant teaching positions.  The district is reportedly short about 135 teachers.  Jenkins says Madison schools have reached out to teachers around the world.  He says it has found educators from Mexico and Spain for its dual language immersion program positions.  He says, right now, we have a national crisis caused by so many fewer teachers graduating from college.  Today’s numbers are less than half of what they were in 1970.

After rising in recent weeks, there’s evidence that the coronavirus in Wisconsin is leveling off again.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only 17 Wisconsin counties have high coronavirus activity. They’re in mostly more remote parts of northern and western Wisconsin. The majority of Wisconsin counties are experiencing low-to-medium levels. The Wisconsin Hospital Association says there are 461 people in the hospital with COVID-19, including 65 in intensive care units. Both numbers are lower than at the start of last week. 

The 69th Princess Kay of the Milky Way coronation is set for Wednesday evening, the night before the opening of the Minnesota State Fair. The soon-departing Princess, Kay Anna Euerle (Early) of Litchfield, says she’s made a lot of memories in the last year -- visiting organic farms, farms with methane digesters, and farms that have their own creameries and make their own cheese. Wednesday’s pageant is set for Eight P-M at the Minnesota State Fair’s Leinie Lodge Stage.

A pair of Wisconsin boys have two of the best mullets in America.  Eight-year-old Emmitt Bailey of Menomonie won the children’s division in the U-S Mullet Championships over the weekend. Bailey rocks a blonde haircut that’s business in the front, and party in the back. He beat out 24 other kids. Kayden Kershaw from Wausau, won the teen’s division. Each champ wins 25-hundred dollars. 

Local-Regional News Aug 22

 Road work begins today on Hwy SS in Pepin County.  Motorists will need to find an alternate route as Hwy SS will be closed to traffic from the intersection of Hwy D(Ganoe Hill) to the bottom intersection of Hwy D in Porcupine.    Local traffic will be allowed, however, the road will be completely closed to all traffic at times.  

The Durand-Arkansaw School Board is looking for a new board member as Tammy Hoyt has resigned from her board seat representing the City and Town of Durand.    Those interested should contact the school district office by September 19.  Depending on the number of candidates, interviews would take place, and then the board would select a new member at the September 14th Board meeting.

A man is expected to be charged after an all-day standoff Saturday with law enforcement in southeast Minnesota near Pine Island. The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office reported the suspect threatened to shoot officers and said he was holding a hostage, but investigators learned no one else was inside. SWAT teams deployed less than lethal rounds into the home and the man returned fire, hitting patrol cars. Deputies say the suspect eventually surrendered Saturday night and was taken into custody. The incident prompted a shelter in place alert for people living in the area.

No one was injured in a house fire in the Town of Washington on Sunday.  According to Township Fire, crews responded to the fire on Shellamie Drive and found the flames coming from the roof of the home.  A woman and her dog were able to escape the fire and were not hurt.  The cause of that blaze in under investigation and the home is a total loss.

Construction begins today on Hwy 53 in Trempealeau County.  Crews will be replacing two box culverts carrying Reynolds Coulee Creek under Hwy 53 south of Blair.  Hwy 53 will be closed between Galesville and just to the north of Blair.  Motorists will need to use Hwy 93 and 95 through Arcadia.  That project is expected to be completed in November.

 Republican state Senator Kathy Bernier says trying to dispel misinformation about Wisconsin elections has been challenging.  She says she has explained the electoral system “numerous times” to people who just look at her and say they don’t believe her.  Bernier says we’re in a hyper-partisan environment where Democrats call all election bills voter suppression.  The Chippewa Falls politician says “that’s pretty pathetic.”  Bernier is not seeking reelection after serving 12 years.  She appeared on W-K-O-W/T-V’s Capitol City Sunday program.

A new report shows Minnesota has seen its employment numbers recover faster than any other state. WalletHub says Minnesota's unemployment picture improved by more than 44-point-six percent in the last year and nearly 78 percent since July 2020. The state's jobless rate of one-point-eight percent last month is the lowest in the nation.

A new program aims to donate soy-based Skechers shoes to frontline workers around the state. It's called "Stepping up from Farm to Frontline" and Minnesota Soybean Council CEO Tom Slunecka says they're making thousands of shoes available to first responders. Minnesota Soybean Council C-E-O Tom Slunecka says the shoes are just the latest local effort showing the versatility of soy products. You can find out more about soy products and about the "Stepping Up" program at "mnsoybean.org."

Authorities in southwestern Wisconsin say heavy fire damage was done to the Premier Co-op in Lancaster Saturday morning.  Firefighters from at least three departments, plus police and E-M-S, were called to the scene just after 4:30 a-m.  No injuries were reported.  W-I-S-C/T-V reports the building was said to be “fully involved” as fire crews arrived on the scene.  The fire was quickly contained and two adjacent buildings were protected.  Investigators are trying to determine what caused the fire that started in a storage building

A Medford company has announced plans to close its operation there by the end of next year.  Phillips-Medisize has 170 employees in Medford.  It says it will move all of that production to other facilities.  Phillips tells W-A-O-W/T-V that Medford employees will be able to apply for jobs at the company’s other Wisconsin locations.  Those who choose not to apply will receive a severance package and other employee assistance over the coming months.

 Sixty-nine percent of the people who responded to the latest Marquette Law School Poll support the legalization of marijuana in Wisconsin.  Twenty-three percent were opposed.  Poll director Charles Franklin notes that – for the first time – a majority of Republicans are in favor of the change.  The poll finds 81 percent support among Democrats and 75 percent of independents supporting the move.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is working on its messaging about monkeypox.  The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center is preparing to answer questions and ease any concerns students might have when they return for the fall semester.  Campus health officials say they want to be especially careful not to stigmatize marginalized students who could be most at risk.  Mental health support will likely be offered.  The Madison campus is the only one in the state to have its own supply of the monkeypox vaccine.

A man accused of killing his children has been found guilty of trying to escape from the Outagamie County Jail.  Thirty-eight-year-old Matthew Beyer still faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of five-year-old William and three-year-old Danielle Beyer.  They were found dead in their Kaukauna home in February of 2020.  W-L-U-K/T-V reports Beyer and a second man took a corrections officer hostage in June 2020 but they never managed to get out of the jail’s secure area.  Beyer pleaded no contest to the escape charge and will be sentenced in October.  His murder trial starts next month.

 Law enforcement agencies in Minnesota are stepping up D-W-I enforcement through Labor Day.  More than 16 thousand people have been arrested for driving while impaired through August 15th.  Officers will be looking for drivers who appear to be under the influence of alcohol or other substances.  State troopers say drugged driving incidents are on the rise and they are a growing concern.

Lawyers for the Waukesha Christmas parade attack suspect want the case against him thrown out on a technicality.   Lawyers for Darrell Brooks, Junior say authorities took privileged documents from his jail cell in July. Guards say they were looking for evidence Brooks was conspiring on an insanity defense with his mother and another inmate. Brooks’ lawyers say if the judge won’t dismiss the case, then the prosecutors should be replaced. Brooks is charged with killing six people and injuring more than 60 others with his mother’s S-U-V. Brooks has another court appearance in August. His trial is scheduled for later this fall.

Local-Regional News Aug 19

 No one was injured in a three-vehicle accident near Durand on Hwy 10 on Thursday.  According to the Pepin County Sheriff's Department, 16yr old Cadence Bauer of Durand was stopped on Hwy 10 waiting to make a left turn onto Hwy P, when her vehicle was rear-ended by a westbound truck driven by 45yr old Bradlee Holmstadt of Plum City.  Holmstadt's vehicle then struck a Wisconsin State Patrol Squad that was on the side of the road for a traffic stop.  

One person is dead after an ATV accident in the town of Ettrick on Thursday.   According to the Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department, the department had received a report of an elderly male who had not returned home or been heard from since Wednesday.   Deputies found the man while searching an area near Lindberg Lane and found the male pinned under an ATV.  It appears the ATV had struck an embankment and then overturned pinning the man underneath.  The victim's name has not been released.

A Dunn County man is headed to federal prison for trafficking meth.  According to the Department of Justice, 42yr old Adam Beliveau of Downing was living with his girlfriend and had a package with 4 pounds of meth inside shipped from California to the residence in September 2020.    Beliveau was arrested in November of 2020 and authorities also found over 1100 grams of meth and $30,000 in cash in his vehicle.    Beliveau was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison and is still facing additional charges in Eau Claire and St. Croix Counties.

A Cumberland man has been sentenced to five years in prison for causing a fatal Barron County crash two years ago while he was impaired.  Twenty-nine-year-old Cody Hase was charged with homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle.  Prosecutors say Hase was under the influence of a controlled substance when he tried to pass a car in a no-passing zone in the Town of Stanfold.  W-E-A-U/T-V reports the driver of an oncoming van was killed in the head-on crash that happened on September 30th, 2020.

Lawyers say a settlement is likely in a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed over a fatal school bus stop accident two years ago in Plainfield.  Six-year-old Maryana Kranz was killed just outside her home while she was waiting for the bus.  Seventy-six-year-old Carl Mullenix drove his pickup on the right side of the stopped bus, hitting the victim and her sister.  Criminal charges have been dropped in the case due to Mullenix’s mental condition.  A September 23rd hearing date has been set where the details of the settlement should be finalized.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is going to have to defeat his challenger a second time.  Vos won the Republican primary last week by just 260 votes over Adam Steen.  Now, Steen has announced he is launching a write-in campaign to represent Wisconsin’s 63rd Assembly District.  Former President Donald Trump endorsed him before the primary.  Steen says about 25 hundred people didn’t know about that endorsement when they voted on August 9th.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development reports the state added more than 19 thousand jobs during July.  Minnesota added new jobs at more than twice the national rate over the last two months.  Sixty-seven hundred of the new workers are in the hospitality field, with 45 hundred in government jobs and 39 hundred in professional and business services.  Job losses were seen in the financial sector.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development reports Wisconsin added 10,000 private-sector jobs and 9,900 total nonfarm jobs in July.  Wisconsin's unemployment rate remains at historic lows dropping .2% to 3% in July.   So far this year the state has added 40,000 private-sector jobs and 36,000 total nonfarm jobs.

Wisconsin Dells-based BlueStone safety is making customized bulletproof products that can be used by students.  With school shootings becoming more frequent, protection and safety are on the minds of parents these days as they get ready for the fall term.  W-M-T-V reports BlueStone’s main product is bulletproof vests for law enforcement.  You can now find bulletproof T-shirts and backpack inserts on the company’s website.  A spokesperson says the demand for the T-shirts and backpack inserts has spiked recently.  The company has offered those safety products for the last 10 years.

A Dane County judge on Wednesday ordered the Office of Special Counsel to pay fines, for the days it took attorney Michael Gableman to prove he’d done enough as part of an open records lawsuit, stemming from his review of the 2020 election in Wisconsin.   Judge Frank Remington found Gableman has now done enough to purge his contempt order, but he also revoked Gablemen's attorneys ability to participate in the case. That includes lead lawyer James Bopp of Indiana. Remington was critical of Gableman’s Office of Special Counsel, writing it “had accomplished nothing” between August 30 and December 4 of last year. The office’s legal team has already filed an appeal that Bopp said will seek to overturn Remington’s rulings, including the 24-thousand dollars in fines and attorneys fees awarded to American Oversight, which brought the suit.

 Early polling for the November election shows Democrats leading two major Wisconsin races.  The latest Marquette Law School Poll was released Wednesday.  It shows Democratic Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes with a seven-point lead over incumbent Republican U-S Senator Ron Johnson.  The governor’s race is a toss-up.  Incumbent Democratic Governor Tony Evers holds a two-point lead over his challenger, Republican businessman Tim Michels.  That lead was seven points in June when Michels was still involved in his party’s primary campaign.  Respondents were also asked about abortion.  Thirty-three percent of Republicans and 94 percent of Democrats say abortion should be legal in most or all cases.

A friend who was with George Floyd when he was killed has, for a second time, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying in the upcoming trial of two former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting. The Star-Tribune reports that Morries Lester Hall also took the Fifth at the trial of Derek Chauvin. Chauvin’s attorney said Hall’s testimony could have revealed that Floyd used drugs before the deadly encounter with Minneapolis police.

Construction of the U-S-S Constellation frigate is scheduled to begin at the end of this month.  The U-S Navy just awarded a 39-million dollar contract modification to Fincantieri Marinette Marine.  W-L-U-K/T-V reports that means the total value of the contract awarded two years ago for nine additional Constellation-class Frigates is about five-and-a-half-billion dollars.  The majority of the work on the project is to be done in Marinette.

Scientists are becoming concerned about increasing numbers of dangerous algae blooms on northern Wisconsin lakes where they usually aren’t found.  W-A-O-W/T-V reports blue-green algae was spotted on Mole Lake in Forest County last week.  U-W-Madison professor Emily Stanley says cooler lakes that are less nutrient-rich have not historically had the blooms.  The algae can make the lake water look like pea soup and it can produce toxins that can sicken or even kill human beings and their pets.

Local-Regional News August 12

 The Buffalo County Sheriffs Department has released additional information on the three-vehicle accident that killed one on Wednesday.  According to the department, 42yr old Errol Doerr was traveling northbound on Hwy 35 and slowing to make a left turn when his vehicle was rear-ended by a vehicle driven by 24yr old Kylee Tiffany of Cochrane when she looked at her cellphone.    Doerr's vehicle was pushed into the southbound lane and was struck by a vehicle driven by 18yr old Emma Allen of Fountain City.    Doerr was pronounced dead at the scene and two passengers in his vehicle were taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester.

A Fairchild woman has been charged in connection with a serious accident in Trempealeau County in December.  Ashley Heath has been charged with injury by use of a vehicle, OWI, and child neglect.   Authorities allege that Heath hit a man on Hwy 10 just east of Strum causing serious injuries.  An investigation found drug paraphernalia in Heath's vehicle and text messages on her phone saying she had smoked before the accident.  A one-year-old child was in the car at the time of the accident.  Heath has her next court appearance on Tuesday.

Sun Country Airlines has begun to book flights to Minneapolis from the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport.  The airline made the announcement yesterday as flights from Chippewa Valley will begin on December 1st.  The company also announced that they would have 4 round trip flights to Minneapolis per week instead of the two that were announced earlier this year.  Sun County also will begin service from Eau Clair to Fort Myers, Florida on December 18.  Sun Country replaced SkyWest Airlines after SkyWest dropped flights from Eau Claire due to a national pilot shortage. 

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office is investigating several catalytic converter thefts in Stewartville.  According to the department, seven large pick-trucks parked outside of a business had their catalytic converters removed and stolen.   The stolen catalytic converters were reported Tuesday morning and are estimated to cost around $25,500 total.  The business did have a security camera but it didn’t reach the area where the theft occurred.  

A charge of criminal damage to a religious property has been filed against a 32-year-old Black River Falls man.  Video surveillance showed a man using a metal baseball bat to break the glass in a church window and door last April.  W-E-A-U/T-V reports the suspect was identified as Samuel Bush.  A pastor at the church told investigators that Bush was seen drinking alcohol on the property during a church service the morning before the damage was done.  The pastor says he ran away when an off-duty officer attending the service approached Bush.  The next court hearing for the case is scheduled for August 29th in Jackson County Court.

About 15-thousand nurses across Minnesota are scheduled to vote Monday, August 15th, on whether to accept new contract offers from several hospitals across the state or go on strike. The Minnesota Nurses Association has been holding informational pickets in recent weeks showcasing what they’re asking for, which include pay increases and more time off. Nurses in the Twin Cities area have been working without a contract since the end of May, while nurses in the Twin Ports have been working without a contract since the end of June. If they do go on strike, it would be one of the largest strikes of registered nurses in U-S history.

The suspected shooter and his accomplice in last week’s shooting incident at the Mall of America have been arrested in Chicago. Authorities had earlier identified 21-year-old Shamar Lark as the suspected shooter and 23-year-old Rashad May as his accomplice. The two men were arrested Thursday afternoon after leaving a barbershop in Chicago and will be extradited back to Minnesota. No one was shot during last week’s incident, but a few people suffered minor injuries while fleeing the Mall.

 Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu calls it a “defiant and flagrant abuse of the law.”  The Legislature is joining a lawsuit aimed at blocking a Wisconsin Elections Commission guidance that lets clerks “cure” absentee ballot return envelopes.  W-I-S-C/T-V reports the commission voted to let those clerks enter missing information on a return envelope – like, for instance, the zip code on the witness address.  Legislative Republicans don’t want the clerks to be allowed to do that.  The original lawsuit was brought by the Republican Party of Waukesha County.

One of Waukesha’s Slender Man stabbing defendants is dropping her request to be released from a mental hospital.   After getting the results of a court-ordered mental health evaluation earlier this week, Morgan Geyser’s lawyers have decided to end her bid to go home early. Geyser is now 20 years old. She was 12 and in sixth grade, when she and Anissa Weier repeatedly stabbed a classmate to appease a fictional character they say they thought was real. The girls were 16 when they were committed. The victim survived the ordeal. Weier was released to her father last year.

Governor Evers says it’s time to end Michael Gableman’s review of the 2020 presidential election.  Evers says Gableman should be fired, and the special counsel’s office should end its work. Gableman's taxpayer-funded office has not turned up any evidence of election fraud, and the probe has become mired in expensive legal challenges. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says Republican state representatives will assess the situation when they caucus next week.

Former Minneapolis police officers J. Alexander Keung and Tou Thao are appealing the federal sentences handed down against them for violating George Floyd’s civil rights. Thao received three-and-a-half years and Kueng three years for failing to come to Floyd’s aid while former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nine-and-a-half minutes and suffocated him to death. On Wednesday, attorneys for Kueng and Thao filed their intentions to appeal the sentences. The two also face state charges and are scheduled to go on trial October 24th.

The governors of Wisconsin and Minnesota are asking the federal government for 889-million dollars to rebuild a bridge connecting the states.  The Blatnik (BLOT-nick) Bridge joins Superior and Duluth.  Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says the money would come from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.  Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers calls the heavily-used connector “an absolutely critical piece of our economy and a vital route.”  It isn’t known when the federal government might inform the states that the funding has been approved.

The Wisconsin Secretary of State’s Office says provisional voters have until 4:00 p-m Friday to prove their identity to their local clerks.  In Wisconsin, voters who don’t have an I-D available can still cast a provisional ballot.  If they fail to turn in proper I-D by the deadline, their ballots won’t be counted.  In Madison, city election officials say 25 provisional ballots were submitted at polling locations.

The Mall of America is celebrating its 30th "birthday" today (Thursday). The mall first opened its doors on August 11th, 1992. Mall officials say more than one-point-three-billion people have visited the mall over the last three decades. It is still the largest mall in the country.  The mall’s executive vice president of business development, Jill Renslow, says the secret to success is “keeping it fresh.”  Renslow says there are always new tenants coming in.  She says the facility hosts more than 400 events a year.

Local-Regional News August 11

 The bids are in for the Tarrant Park Pool Project.  Due to increasing material and labor costs, and pool construction companies being very busy, the project came in 47% over budget at $4.4 million.   Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says increasing donations and reducing the expenses of the project is the only way to get the project to move forward.  The city has 60 days to either accept a bid or reject them all and put the project out for a rebid later this year.

One person is dead and three others were injured in a three-car accident near Merrik State Park yesterday.  WKBT-TV is reporting the crash occurred just before 5pm on Hwy 35, just south of the intersection with Hwy 88 in Buffalo County.  The names of the victims have not been released pending notification of family members and that accident caused the closure of Hwy 35 for nearly 4 hours.  That accident is still under investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol and Buffalo County Sheriff's Department.

The man convicted in the deaths of a Chippewa Falls Girl Scout leader, her daughter, and two other Scouts, is pressing forward with his appeal after The State Court of Appeals rejected it. Colten Treu, and now his attorneys want the state Supreme Court to hear the case. They're using the same arguments made before the appeals court,  claiming Treu’s defense attorneys failed to accurately explain the impact of his guilty and no contest pleas. Treu is serving a 54 year prison sentence for the November 2018 deaths of the victims. They were picking up roadside litter when they were struck by Treu’s pickup truck. Investigators determined he was huffing aerosol fumes moments before the crash.

Wisconsin election officials say the voter turnout for Tuesday’s primary was the highest for a non-presidential primary in 40 years.  Unofficial returns show almost 693-thousand Republicans and more than 501-thousand Democrats cast votes in the U-S Senate primary.  About 25-and-a-half percent of the state’s registered voters cast ballots this week.  Here in Durand, 284 people voted in the primary which is approximately 27% voter turnout.  In 2018 – the last non-presidential primary in the state – voter turnout was 23 percent.

A teenager is dead after a car vs semi truck accident in Goodhue County yesterday.  According to the Minnesota State Patrol, 18yr old Rachel Nesseth of Zumbrota was traveling southbound on County Road 1 and at the intersection with Hwy 60,  collided with a semi-truck that was traveling westbound on Hwy 60.  Nesseth was killed in the accident while the driver of the semi was not injured. 

The La Crosse County Health Department is reporting the first case of Monkeypox in that county.    On Wednesday, the department identified the first case and was working with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and other partners on an investigation follow-up.  

Authorities continue looking for a man they say fatally shot another man Tuesday at a home south of Albert Lea in far south-central Minnesota.  Thirty-two-year-old Ben Vidal Moreno is believed to be driving a 2004 white Ford F-150 pickup, Minnesota license EUZ-057.  Investigators say Moreno and the victim, 45-year-old Juan Vasquez Junior of Albert Lea, "had issues between themselves."  The suspect was on probation for stabbing a woman in the wrist at a motel in Albert Lea. 

 A Wausau woman faces federal charges for allegedly making so-called “straw purchases” of firearms.  Thirty-one-year-old Ashley Zastrow is charged with making a false statement while buying the guns last January.  Investigators say she indicated on the form that she was the buyer of the firearms.  They say she was purchasing them for someone else.  W-A-O-W/T-V reports Zastrow was arrested last Friday in Marshfield and was arraigned Monday in U-S District Court in Madison.  Her trial is scheduled for December 5th.

Authorities in Las Vegas say a man from Manitowoc has been killed in a triple shooting that happened at the Mirage hotel last week.  The Clark County, Nevada coroner identified the dead man as Acturius Dwayne Milner Senior.  Investigators with the Las Vegas police say the shooting happened on the eighth floor of the hotel at 8:30 a-m last Thursday.  K-C-L-V/T-V reports two women were critically wounded and Milner was dead by the time officers arrived.  Milner’s cousin, Billy Hemsley, has been arrested.  He reportedly ran from the scene after shooting the victims following an argument.

Canadian cheesemaker Saputo says it is restructuring its operations in Wisconsin.  About 200 people will lose their jobs when the company’s goat cheese facility in Belmont is shut down.  Saputo officials say its mozzarella cheese-making factory in Reedsburg will transition to producing goat cheese.  There is more capacity for that production in Reedsburg.  W-I-S-C/T-V reports workers in Belmont will reportedly get financial support, including severance pay.  It isn’t clear if they will have the opportunity to take positions at the remaining plant.  Saputo says converting the Reedsburg operation will cost about 35-million dollars.

Officials in Rhinelander find themselves looking for another city administrator just 18 months after hiring the last one.  Reports indicate the current job holder, Zach Vruwink, is leaving to take a position with the Wisconsin League of Municipalities.  Vruwink had been the mayor of Wisconsin Rapids before moving to Rhinelander.  That city has been in the center of several controversies over the last few years, with its former public works director being accused of misconduct and tensions between city council members leading to police officers being posted at closed session meetings.  Vruwink has been Rhinelander’s sixth city administrator in the last seven years.

Law enforcement from 300 agencies across Minnesota cited nearly 19-thousand drivers for speed violations in the month of July. Officers, deputies, and troopers participated in the statewide extra enforcement and awareness campaign resulting in the nearly 19-thousand citations (18,983) citations. During the campaign, Eagan police stopped two cars racing at 103 mph in a 50-mile-per-hour zone. One driver was arrested for D-W-I. A Foley police officer cited the same person twice just an hour apart for speeding. And troopers in the Golden Valley District pulled over a 16-year-old driving on a learner’s permit for going 110 miles per hour. His parents were called to the scene.

The Madison Metropolitan School District is fighting the calendar as the fall term approaches.  The district has three weeks to hire 140 teachers.  The pressure is on.  A spokesperson for the district says it had only 30 openings at this point in 2018.  Schools all around the country are dealing with teacher shortages.  Professionals say the problems are due to politics, violence, and the disrespect the teachers have to endure.

All signs are pointing to a strong deer hunting season across most of Minnesota this fall. The D-N-R’s Barb Keller says deer populations are faring pretty well throughout central, southern, and southwestern Minnesota. In northern Minnesota, deer populations are coming off of a pretty severe winter so bag limits have been reduced there. Keller says hunting helps to manage the state’s whitetail deer population and provides a “really healthy source of protein.” The archery deer season opens on September 17th. The firearms deer season kicks off on November Fifth.

Local Regional News August 10

 The Durand City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on the Tarrant Park Pool Project, Ash Tree Removal in city boulevards, and reports from the Mayor and Department Heads.  Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall.

State Senator Brad Pfaff has won the Democrat Primary for the 3rd Congressional District.  Pfaff won 40% of the vote over Rebecca Cooke, Deb McGrath, and Mark Neumann.  Pfaff will now face Republican Derrick Van Orden, who was unopposed in the Republican Primary.   Current 3rd District Congressman Ron Kind had decided not to run for reelection this year.   

State Assemblyman Jesse James won the Republican Primary for the 23rd District State Senate seat.  The district covers Chippewa and Clark Counties and parts of Dunn, Eau Claire Jackson, Wood, and Marathon Counties.  James will run against democrat write-in candidate Dan Hardy in November.

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Republican challenger Scott Jensen scored easy victories Tuesday in their primaries to set the stage for their fall matchup in Minnesota’s top race this fall, while business lawyer Jim Schultz won the GOP primary to take on Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Residents that live near or on Tainter Lake discussed the possible formation of a Lake District during a public hearing last night.  The Friends of the Red Cedar Basin collected over 500 signatures on a petition to create the lake district.  The district would be formed to help rehabilitate Tainter Lake.  Dunn County has six months to decide on the formation of the lake district and now the County Land Conservation Department and the Planning, Resources and Development committed will provide a report to the county board on the proposed district. 

 Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and the man he hired to review the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin aren’t in agreement anymore.  The Republican Vos now calls former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman “an embarrassment.”  Even though Vos signed him up to probe the election and paid him more than 11-thousand dollars a month, Gableman endorsed Vos’ primary challenger, Adam Steen in the District 63 race.  Despite the endorsements from Gableman and former President Donald Trump, Steen wasn’t able to oust Vos in Tuesday’s Republican primary.  The Assembly is going to meet soon to decide if Gableman continues with the investigation.

 The state of Wisconsin will receive about 31-million dollars for its fight against the raging opioid epidemic.  The first six-million-dollar payment from the settlement of the national prescription opioid litigation came in late last month.  The Department of Health Services says its plan on how the funds should be distributed has been submitted to the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee.  W-M-T-V reports the submitted plan has three phases – immediate needs, increased access to services statewide, and investments in long-term projects.  Three-million dollars would be spent to increase the availability of Narcan – the drug used to reverse opioid overdoses.

New college students should think twice before taking up a new credit card offer. State consumer protection administrator Lara Sutherlin says many businesses will offer cards to college kids, who aren't ready to handle having that sort of money available.  Sutherlin says if you do need a credit card, you should shop around at trusted banks that you or your parents have used in the past, and make sure to shred or rip up credit card junk mail.

A special prosecutor has been appointed to review accusations against the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office.  There have been allegations of altered reports that could impact court cases.  District Attorney Veronica Isherwood says her office has requested a public integrity investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.  That investigation will determine whether criminal charges should be filed. 

 Minocqua police and fire officials say a Monday morning car fire caused a chain reaction with the flames spreading to a nearby building and leading to an explosion.  The first emergency calls came in at about 4:00 a-m.  Emergency responders say people living in the apartments above a printing business got out safely before firefighters arrived.  W-S-A-W/T-V reports when the car exploded, the fire spread to the building.  Authorities say a portion of Highway 51 in Minocqua was closed for several hours.  So far, investigators say it doesn’t look like the fire was intentional.

A nationwide warrant has been issued for the man suspected of firing a gun in the Mall of America Thursday--and for another man suspected of fleeing with the shooter. Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges identifies the shooter as 21-year-old Shamar Lark and his accomplice as 23-year-old Rashad May. Hodges says the two should turn themselves in and adds “you cannot come shoot up a mall and think that you’re going to get away with it – we’re not going to allow that to happen.” Three others, including a Best Western employee who Hodges says lied to police, have already been charged with aiding Lark and May. No one was injured in the shooting.

Liberal activist groups are repeating their opposition of earlier this summer against the Republican National Convention coming to Milwaukee.  Voces de la Frontera, the S-E-I-U Wisconsin public employees’ union, and a number of other groups say the city shouldn’t have agreed to host the 2024 national convention.  Those groups say they oppose acts of racist violence and they fear Milwaukee will be turned into a militarized zone while 50-thousand visitors are in town for the convention.  Republican leaders chose Milwaukee for the giant event on a vote last Friday.

A survey says supply managers from nine midwestern states, including Minnesota, are very pessimistic about the economy. The Business Conditions survey shows continued growth but Ernie Goss, an economist with Creighton University in Omaha, says that growth is not very fast. He says the country is probably in a recession or skating along and moving into the recession in the next quarter or so. Goss says to listen carefully to what the Federal Reserve Governors say because when they see a recession ahead, they’re going to be raising interest rates. Goss says he expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in September.

The pain at the pump continues to ease for Minnesota drivers. The latest data from Triple-A shows the average price for regular-unleaded gas in Minnesota at three dollars, 95 cents a gallon -- that’s 18 cents a gallon cheaper than it was a week ago. The national average is currently four dollars, three cents a gallon. Pennington County in northwestern Minnesota has the cheapest average price in the state at three-50 a gallon, while Lake County in the northeast has the highest at four-15 a gallon.

Local-Regional News August 9

 Today is the day the City of Durand will be closing the bidding bids for the Tarrant Park Pool project.  Due to supply chain issues, construction had to be moved back to 2023.  With the delay that means the old pool will be used for one more year.  This year the main boiler for the pool was down to only one of 4 stages still working.  Durand Public Works Superintendent Matt Gills says that and other issues do have him concerned about using the pool next year.  The pool closed for the season this past Sunday.  The city has 60 days to approve a bid for the new pool.

Local officials say about 30 goats were killed in an overnight barn fire in Chippewa County.  The owners of the barn in the Town of Cleveland reported the fire at about 1:30 a-m Monday.  W-E-A-U/T-V reports when fire crews arrived they say the barn structure was fully engulfed in flames.  The fire had also spread to a nearby shed.  Authorities say 40 firefighters from several districts responded and had the flames under control by 2:30 a-m.  They were totally extinguished by 4:30 a-m.  No people were injured.  Cornell Fire Chief Matt Boulding says because there was a thunderstorm in the area it is possible a lightning strike caused the fire.  That hasn’t been determined.  The barn is considered a total loss.

A Wausau man has been sentenced for the bomb scare that caused the lockdown of Boyceville Middle School in April.  Authorities accused Alexander Tillou of using Snapchat to threaten to kill a student at the school and telling another student the school would be shot up or bombed.   Tillou pleaded no contest to making terrorist threats and bail jumping and was sentenced to three years probation, four months of conditional jail time, and is to have no contact with his victims.

 

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals has denied the argument from a Chippewa Falls man that he should get a new trial.  Prosecutors told the court Colton Treu had been huffing aerosol fumes moments before his vehicle veered off the road near Lake Hallie and killed a Girl Scout leader, her daughter, and two other Scouts in November 2018.  The four victims were pickup up roadside litter when they were hit by his pickup.  Treu claimed he should have been allowed to withdraw his guilty and no contest pleas.  He also claimed his lawyers provided ineffective defense.  The court disagreed and he will have to serve the 54-year sentence.

An Eau Claire man is dead after jumping off a cliff in Big Bay State Park over the weekend.  According to the La Pointe Police Department, rescue crews were called after 41yr old Curtis Wilmer had jumped off one of the cliffs into Lake Superior and had not resurfaced.  Authorities were able to recover his body on Monday and they believe weather and lake conditions are factors in Wilmer's death.

Two area county fairs are this week.  Today, the 160th Goodhue County Fair begins in Zumbro Falls.  The fair will feature a truck and tractor pull, livestock shows, and live entertainment. The Goodhue County Fair runs through Saturday.    On  Wednesday, the 139th Pierce County Fair begins and runs through Sunday.  The fair will also feature a carnival, truck and tractor pull, and livestock shows.  WRDN will live stream the Dairy, Beef, Swine Shows, and the Livestock Auction on our YouTube Channel, website, and Facebook Page.

Wisconsin voters have a way to check to make sure their ballot in today's primary election has been counted.  That check needs to be made before the polls close at 8:00 p-m.  If you cast an absentee ballot in the election you can go online to MyVote-dot-Wi-dot-Gov to make sure it was received.  Type in your name and birthday to check the status.  If you find it hasn’t been received at your local election office you would then have time to go to the polls and cast your vote.  Any ballots received after 8:00 p-m Tuesday won’t be counted.

A major brand has bought out a Wisconsin-based sink disposal company.   Whirlpool has purchased the InSinkErator brand for 3 billion dollars. InSinkErator is owned by Emerson and is based out of Pleasant Prairie and is the world's largest manufacturer of sink disposals and on-demand hot water dispensers. In a statement on Monday, Whirlpool says they'll be keeping production in Wisconsin. They're hoping to make 650 million dollars a year in sales.

Wisconsin health care administrators are hoping the development of an online employment portal helps ease the hiring process as they deal with staff shortages.  Officials at S-S-M Health St. Clare Meadows Care Center in Baraboo say they can’t take care of as many people as they would like to because they are short of certified nurse assistants.  W-M-T-V reports WisCaregiverCNA-dot-com is an online portal that connects long-term care facilities with potential employees.  The website covers C-N-A training costs and promises 500-dollar retention bonuses after new hires have stayed on the job for six months.

Former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman is endorsing his boss’ political opponent.  Gableman spoke for Adam Steen – who is running against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos – at the Trump campaign event Friday night.  Vos hired the former justice to review the 2020 presidential election and renewed his contract in May.  The probe has never revealed any evidence of election fraud and Gableman has been paid more than 125-thousand dollars for his work.  Trump was in Waukesha Friday at a rally to support Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor Tim Michels.

Wisconsin’s Republican race for governor is a pick-em heading into primary election day.  A new poll from Emerson College in Boston gives Rebecca Kleefisch a two-point lead over Tim Michels, 36-to-34, but that’s within the poll’s margin of error. 14-percent of Republican primary voters tell the poll they’re undecided, while support for Tim Ramthun is at eight-percent.

Milwaukee will host the 2024 Republican National Convention, and UW Milwaukee political scientist Thomas Holbrook says that’s likely to be beneficial to the city.  Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel announced the pick Friday during the RNC’s August meeting in Chicago. That came after officials in Nashville had rejected a preliminary contract to host the convention.    

The Minnesota Department of Revenue is reminding you to save those back-to-school shopping receipts for valuable tax credits. Spokesman Ryan Broman says most expenses for educational instruction or materials qualify -- things like pens, notebooks, papers, and textbooks. He says buying or renting educational equipment -- including computer hardware and software, even musical instruments for marching band -- also qualifies. Fees for internet services don’t qualify, however. Brown says the child must be attending kindergarten through 12th grade at a public, private, or home school and meet other qualifications.

They weren’t a band on the run – they were members of a band wanting to stop.  Pleasant Prairie police had to pull over a vintage fire truck with the members of that Illinois band stuck on top which it drove down State Highway 31 last Wednesday.  The Sinful Saints Band had just taken part in a Founders Day Parade when the driver took a wrong turn heading toward Wisconsin rather than the disassemble point for the parade.  When the truck was finally stopped its driver was taken to Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital for observation of a medical condition.  Band members hadn’t been able to get his attention while he was going in the wrong direction.