Friday, September 23, 2022

Local-Regional News Sept 23

 One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident Tuesday in Spring Valley.   According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 20yr old Aldo Tlatemohue-Anastacid of Woodville was traveling westbound on Hwy 29 near Park Drive, where he lost control of his vehicle, went left of center, and struck an eastbound vehicle driven by 24yr old Jacob Lathe of Hammond.  Tlatemohue-Anastacid was transported to Western Wisconsin Health in Baldwin.


Get ready for the 353. Folks in parts of south-central and southwestern Wisconsin including parts of Buffalo County will see that as their new area code starting next year. Wisconsin's Public Service Commission voted yesterday to add the new area code. Commissioners say the 608 area code is simply out of numbers. Anyone who currently has a 608 number will keep it, anyone in the 608 area who gets a number will be assigned something starting with 353. 


Lots of home and car owners in southern Wisconsin and parts of Western Wisconsin are dealing with hail damage from Tuesday’s storms. State Farm is recommending its customers file a claim if the storms left them without a windshield or worse. Some areas reported baseball-size hail Tuesday. Insurance adjusters recommend taking photos of any property damage to include with any claims filed.


There are more new students this fall at UW schools than at any time since 2018. But not every campus is seeing an increase. The university yesterday said UW-Madison, UW-Green Bay, UW-Superior, and UW-La Crosse all saw their enrollments go up this fall. The state's other campuses were either flat or saw fewer students. Total new student enrollment topped 26 thousand students for the first time since 2018. UW River Falls saw an increase in new students this year while total enrollment was down slightly.  UW System President Jay Rothman says new enrollment plans and the end of the coronavirus pandemic helped drive enrollment higher. 


The owner of a Rochester-area auction business is accused of failing to pay 800 thousand dollars in taxes.  Nicholas Graves has been charged with 26 counts alleging that he did not pay various business and personal taxes from 2018 to October 2021.  Prosecutors say the owner of Graves Online Auctions owes more than 796 thousand dollars


The latest Marquette Law School Poll finds a majority of Americans remain displeased with the U-S Supreme Court. Forty percent of respondents approved of the job the court is doing, while 60 percent disapproved. Results were similar in July, showing a large decline in approval levels from 2020 and early 2021. A majority of respondents said they don’t know enough to give favorable or unfavorable opinions about most justices. But Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett were all viewed more unfavorably by those who had an opinion.


A Mississippi official pleads guilty in a welfare scheme linked to former Packers quarterback Brett Favre   John Davis directed Mississippi's welfare agency while it distributed millions of dollars in federal welfare money to projects which Investigators now say were improper. Those included a new volleyball facility at the university attended by Favre’s daughter. Favre has denied any wrongdoing through his attorney, who acknowledged the former quarterback has been interviewed by the FBI. There is no indication Favre is a target of the investigation, and he says he did not know the state grants came from federal welfare money. 


 Early voting for the November Seventh election begins today in Minnesota. Registered voters may cast an absentee ballot either in person or by mail 46 days before Election Day. In-person voting can be done at a county or city elections office. You can find your local polling place and a sample ballot on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website at m-n-votes-dot-org.


The district administrator for Flambeau Schools is no longer facing misconduct in office charges. Prosecutors in Rusk County dropped the charges this week against Erica Schley.  She was originally charged in a case that began as a complaint from her husband to a Flambeau Schools p.e. Teacher about his daughter's grade. Charges against Flambeau's Board of Education president were dismissed last month. Prosecutors have not yet decided on charges against Schley's husband. 


A bar owner is charged with arson in connection with an explosion and fire that damaged a bar he owns in Lyndon Station. W-K-O-W/T-V reports that 43-year-old Heath Fjorden of Baraboo is charged with arson of a building with the intent to defraud, damage to property by means of explosives, and first-degree recklessly endangering safety. The explosion happened during the early morning hours of September First. A criminal complaint says a detective found two gas cans tipped over in the basement and gasoline-soaked rags on the floor. Investigators say Fjorden was later found with multiple burns on his body and is currently receiving inpatient care.

 

Some license plates in Wisconsin are more than ten years old, pealing, and in many cases almost unreadable. The state is preparing to replace three million plates over the next decade, thanks to a state law signed last year. Replacement plates will cost eight dollars, and the charge will automatically appear on your renewal form if your license plate is more than ten years old. D-M-V administrator Kristina Boardman says old, faded, and peeling license plates don’t reflect well on the state.


The scandal over “Feeding our Future” is creeping into Minnesota’s election cycle. Republican State Auditor candidate Ryan Wilson says Democratic incumbent Julie Blaha (BLAH-huh) didn’t raise red flags that could have prevented 250 million dollars of fraud in the government-funded program. Blaha responds that issues with “Feeding our Future” are a federal matter and  outside the jurisdiction of the state auditor. She says trying to do somebody else’s investigation just to get a headline is a waste (of) taxpayer money and time.  It can also jeopardize an investigation."


Target is planning to hire thousands of seasonal workers.  The company says it will bring on 100-thousand new people in stores and supply chain facilities nationwide this year.  It's in an effort to help strengthen customer service.  Along with the new hires, Target plans to offer its industry-leading holiday match guarantee from October 6th to December 24th. 


The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (B-C-A) is calling on school officials and students to be diligent in the wake of Wednesday's reports of several "swatting" calls claiming false emergencies at Minnesota schools. The B-C-A’s Drew Evans says their “See it, say it, send it app” is designed to disrupt threats to schools, and can be easily used to report suspicious information. Evans says if you're in an emergency situation, you should always call 9-1-1 first, then report the incident on the app.


For years and years, the village of Thiensville sounded an alarm every day at 12-noon. The long-standing tradition was recently canceled after someone complained about it. But several residents, including Thiensville village president Van Mobley, want to bring back the daily siren blasts. He says he’s open to possibly dialing it back a bit. No one on the village council could remember when or why the tradition began.

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