Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Local-Regional News Sept 13

 Motorists in Buffalo County that use Hwy O from Belivider Ridge Road to Hwy 35 will need to find an alternate route.  How O is closed from 6am-6pm through Thursday as crews do construction work on the road.  That work should be completed by Thursday.


Menomonie Police have updated the address of a convicted sex offender from homeless to an address in Menomonie.  Michael Jaenke was released from prison in July and because temporary housing was not available he was listed as homeless.  Yesterday the police department said Jaenke is now living at 643 Broadway Street in Menomonie.  As part of his release, Jaenke is on extended supervision for 10yrs and is required to be monitored via GPS, and is required to register with the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry Program for life.


The Pepin County Land Conservation Department is again offering native trees for sale to area landowners to plant.  The trees come in bundles of 25 trees and are expected to arrive in April or early May of 2023.    The Land Department says the native trees are important for the area ecosystem and help provide a natural habitat for wildlife and help pollinators.   For more information on the tree sale or if you have any questions, Call the Pepin County Land Conservation Office.


The state is not stopping the Cobban Bridge replacement even though it may kill some threatened turtles. The state's Department of Natural Resources yesterday said the bridge replacement may result in the incidental taking of the threatened wood turtle. WIS-DOT is replacing the Cobban Bridge on the Chippewa River because the old one was too dangerous. DNR says it hopes crews will minimize the damage to the turtle's habitat during the construction. 


The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include a discussion on the procurement, equipment management and records retention policies, a discussion on the updated city of Mondovi Municipal Code, and reports from the Mayor and Department heads.  Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.


Some city council members say they want more information before supporting plans to buy a building on the north side of La Crosse.  Backers of the idea say the former Marine Credit Union building could be renovated into about 30 affordable housing units.  W-K-B-T/T-V reports the city would use a little over two-and-a-half-million dollars of American Rescue Plan Act funds to make the purchase.  The Community Development Committee will review the idea at a meeting on Tuesday.


It's life in prison without parole for the man accused of killing a missing Clark County woman.  A judge yesterday sentenced Jesus Perez to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Cassandra Ayon's death.  Investigators say he killed her in October of 2020.  She's never been seen since and her body hasn't been found.  A jury convicted Perez of her death back in June. 


Democrat Attorney General Josh Kaul says he'll be changing his tactics on challenging the state's abortion ban.   Kaul filed suit against Republican legislative leaders in June, following the US Supreme Court’s action that voided Roe v Wade. He claimed Wisconsin’s 170-year-old abortion law is obsolete and unenforceable. Lawmakers argued they don't enforce the law. Kaul, noting they’ve intervened on matters of state law in the past, is giving them until Thursday to rescind that argument. The AG will instead sue district attorneys in the counties where abortions are performed, and ask courts to disallow legislative interference in the future.


Chippewa County leaders are looking to maybe give some county employees a half-day on Fridays. The county board will vote tonight on a plan to close the courthouse at 11:30 on Fridays as a way to make county workers happy. County administrator Randy Scholz says they can't afford to give workers raises, so a half-day off is the next best idea. If approved, the new schedule will go into effect in January. 

 

A new COVID-19 booster shot will be available for people 12 and older later this month.  U-W-Madison health sciences professor Ajay Sethi says the new shots are designed for the current variants of the virus.  Sethi says the shots will boost antibodies that you already have from the previous doses of the vaccine.  Doctors say the boosters will become a yearly immunization like the flu vaccine.


Heavy rainfall that set some records has caused some big problems for southeastern Wisconsin.  Just over nine-and-three-quarters inches of rain was measured in Racine County Sunday.  Officials say some people living in Waukesha woke up Monday morning to nearly a foot of water in their casements after a seven-inch downpour overnight.  No injuries or deaths have been reported but at least eight families were forced out of their homes.


After failed weekend negotiations, 15 thousand Minnesota nurses are on strike.  Two health care facilities in Duluth and several in the Twin Cities failed to reach an agreement with the Minnesota Nurses Association, leading nurses to move forward with a planned strike this morning.  It's said to be the largest private-sector nurses strike in U.S. history.  This weekend's negotiations were the latest in a back and forth between seven hospital groups and the MNA.  Nurses are asking for pay and benefit increases and better working conditions.


The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says it is seeking volunteers with a passion for teaching hunting or shooting and a desire to pass on safe hunting skills.  The D-N-R is looking for persons who can become certified hunter education instructors.  Since the state’s hunter education program was created in 1967 more than 20 thousand volunteers have helped certify more than a million hunters.  More information about the program can be found on the D-N-R website.


The Washington County Board of Supervisors plans to spend 840 thousand dollars to buy a small farm to expand its public service campus.  The nine-acre parcel of land is just east of the county’s environmental center.  County officials say the sale should be finalized next month.  The money realized from the sale of eight acres of county-owned land to Xcel Energy three years ago covers much of the cost.


The most powerful Republican in the Wisconsin Legislature will be challenged from the left – and the right – in the November election.   He just won a close primary race, and now Assembly Speaker Robin Vos will face two opponents in the November general election. Democrat Joel Jacobsen announced last week he’ll become the second write-in candidate on the ballot for the deeply-red 63rd District Assembly seat. Adam Steen, who lost the Republican primary to Vos by just 260 votes, is the other write-in candidate.


The University of Wisconsin is one of the top schools in the Midwest.  That's according to U.S. News and World Report, which ranks UW-Madison as the 38th-best university in the country.  The University of Minnesota is ranked 62nd and Marquette is ranked 83rd.


Enrollment in the Chippewa County 4-H program is open. The program is open to all students, starting with kindergarten up through those who are one year out of high school. The new 4-H year begins October 1st. The program offers activities like archery, horseback riding, and even sleepaway camp. There are also virtual activities as well for students and families that want to participate remotely.

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