Monday, November 14, 2022

Local-Regional News Nov 14

 An Ellsworth Iraq War Veteran was presented with the Purple Heart during a Veterans Day Ceremony on Friday.  Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind says a change in the rules for the purple heart recipients. The award was presented at the Ellsworth Middle School Veterans Day Ceremony.


The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda incude a discussion and approval of the 2023 budget, and reports from the mayor and city department heads.  Tonights meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center.


An Eau Claire man has been charged with providing fentanyl to a man that led to his overdose death.  Police say 36-year-old Edward Wells has been charged with several offenses, including first-degree reckless homicide, possession of fentanyl, and bail jumping.  Wells is charged with the death this past August of a man who was found near Oakwood Mall.  He had no pulse and was not breathing.  Wells is due in court on December first.


A third man has been charged in a September gun homicide in Altoona. WEAU reports online court records show Eau Claire County Judge Emily Long filed a warrant Friday for 26-year-old Kemone Golden of Cadott on charges including 1st-degree intentional homicide. Eau Claire residents, 32-year-old Michael Purnell and 34-year-old Xavier Thompson are charged as co-defendants and remain in custody on $1 million cash bond. All three are charged in the fatal shooting of of 39-year-old Christopher Conner of Altoona on September 17.  


The case against the teen charged in the murder of Lily Peters in Chippewa Falls last spring is moving forward – if slowly.  The judge set a telephone scheduling conference for January 9th at 8:30 AM, meaning the next tangible action could come sooner than previously thought. Until now the next item on the docket for the case was a series of hearings next August. A 14 year old boy, who so far has only been identified by his initials, is accused of killing the girl as she was riding her bike home from her aunt's house last spring. Prosecutors say the slow pace of the case is delaying justice for Peters' family.


Eau Claire says a man has been charged with leading state troopers on a chase that crossed roads and yards and -- at times -- topped 100 miles an hour.  Police say the chase began early last Tuesday when a pickup truck passed a trooper's car at a high rate of speed.  The chase that followed crossed the backyards of at least two homes before the driver jumped out of the truck as it was moving and escaped into a nearby cornfield, where he was captured.  Charges that include reckless endangerment of safety and drug possession have been filed against 37-year-old Nicholas Fisher.  He's due back in court next month.


The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau is warning residents of an increase in scam attempts.  Officials with the service say they have been notified of individuals posing as Medicare or Health Insurance Marketplace representatives in order to gain access to personal information.  Some warning signs a call might be fraudulent are offers for large discounts on coverage or free gifts in exchange for signing up, according to the BBB.  Those who believe they may have been the victim of a scammer are encouraged to contact the Medicare hotline or the Health Insurance Marketplace call center.


Hospitals across the nation and in Wisconsin are overwhelmed with cases of both RSV and the flu. leading officials to sound the alarm in Wisconsin doctors say there have been 2000 cases of RSV and just the past week cases are also spiking in Madison. Officials at American Family Children's Hospital say they are dealing with a surge in RSV cases three to four times higher than a normal year and a lot earlier in Madison,


Nearly 57 percent of Wisconsin's eligible voters turned out for Tuesday's midterm election.  The Wisconsin Elections Commission said on Friday that unofficial numbers show 56-point-75 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.  That's higher than most previous midterms but not quite as high as turnout in 2018 when midterm turnout hit a record 59-point-43 percent. 


The University of Wisconsin System is making another attempt to survey students about free speech.  On Monday thousands of students will get an email directing them to a survey that asks how much they value free speech and whether they see problems with a lack of diverse viewpoints.  They'll also be asked whether they censor themselves and whether they've ever been sanctioned or punished for exercising their free speech rights.  The first attempt at a free speech survey last spring set off criticism about the possibility of politicizing results ahead of the November election, questions about the research protocol process, and worries about who was paying for the survey.


Federal investigators are moving against a Grant County industrial cleaning company that's accused of illegally employing children as young as 13 on dangerous overnight shifts at meat packing plants.  The Department of Labor requested a temporary injunction Wednesday against Packers Sanitation Services after investigators found at least 31 children employed to clean industrial equipment at meatpacking plants in Nebraska and Minnesota.  A Labor Department complaint said at least two child workers suffered caustic chemical burns and other injuries while working on the floor where cattle are butchered at a plant in Grand Island, Nebraska.  Investigators said they also found child workers at two plants in Minnesota.


Madison gas prices are down sharply compared to last week.  Triple-A says the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Madison is three dollars and 75 cents, down 19 cents from last Friday.  Madison gas prices are also down over 25 cents from a month ago.  Some of the cheapest gas in Wisconsin is in Eau Claire where the average is three-46 a gallon.


It's November, but the Wisconsin State Fair is already making plans for next summer.  The Fair yesterday announced a new 11-day pass that they are calling the Fair Fun Pass.  For 99 dollars, people can get into the fair each day.  There are also a few other perks like a limited edition Super Fan lanyard and Super Fan sticker.  The Fair is also offering discounted tickets through the holiday season.  You can find out more at the Fair's website.  The 2023 Wisconsin State Fair runs August 3rd through the 13th.


California is suing a Minnesota-based company over the use of toxic chemicals.  The Golden State's Attorney General Rob Bonta announced charges against 18 chemical companies yesterday, including the St. Paul-based 3M.  The lawsuit claims the companies knowingly used toxic chemicals for decades, which wound up in California's water, wildlife, and the bloodstream of nearly every person in the state.  Three M spokesperson Carolyn LaViolette said the company "acted responsibly" in using the chemicals and "will defend its record of environmental stewardship."


A Minnesota couple is celebrating after finding a nearly two-carat diamond in Arkansas.  Jessica and Seth Erickson of Chatfield were on a road trip for their tenth anniversary when they stopped at the country's only public diamond mine.  Officials with the Crater of Diamonds State Park announced that the couple found the diamond while wet sifting, which is pretty rare. 

No comments:

Post a Comment