The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on the potential use of ARPA funds for employee retention bonuses, Police Department use of grant funds and reports from the mayor and city department heads. Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall.
The Durand-Arkansaw School Board is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on the space availability cap for the 23-24 open enrollment, a resolution to approve the Pepin County All-Hazards Mitigation plan, and a public hearing on the safe-to-return school plan. Tonight's meeting begins at 6pm in the board room at the High School.
The Department of Public Instruction won't be taking action against the Chippewa Falls School district for claims of harassment of students despite an appeal of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU of Wisconsin. DPI says that while Chippewa Falls officials failed to investigate those claims properly, the students involved no longer attend school in the district. ACLU attorney Elizabeth Lambert says there are serious issues that need to be addressed. Lambert says she can't discuss the next steps they'll be taking in the case, but that more students are being affected by harassment. Officials from the Chippewa Falls School District did not respond to a request for comment.
A Turtle Lake man is dead after a house fire Monday night. According to the Barron County Sheriffs' Department firefighters responded to a call for the fire on 2nd Street just before 6 p.m. Monday and were told there may be someone still in the house. When fire crews arrived, there was heavy smoke and heat. About an hour after they began to attack the fire, they found the 56-year-old male homeowner deceased. The man's wife was able to escape the fire and was treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of that fire is under investigation.
School leaders in Altoona are looking to ask taxpayers for money this spring. The city's school board will vote tomorrow night on whether to put a 26 million-dollar tax hike on the April ballot. Superintendent Heidi Eliopoulos says they want to buy the National Business Institute and turn it into an elementary school. Eliopoulos says Altoona is growing, and that means the city's schools need to grow as well.
There's new talk of a merger between Eau Claire and Altoona's fire departments. Eau Claire Deputy Chief Matt Jagger says the city already provides EMS service for Altoona, and there have been talks about a full-fire merger in the past. He says the new talks are not yet final. The biggest sticking point will be the cost. Both cities say they will need to add new equipment, and Altoona may have to hire more full-time firefighters. No one is guessing at a timetable for a possible merger agreement.
The Mega-Millions jackpot is growing again. No one won last night's drawing, so Friday night's drawing will now be worth one-point-three billion dollars. The lump sum cash payout on that would be 708 million dollars. One-point-three billion will be the second largest Mega-Millions jackpot ever. It's been three months since someone won the big prize. Your chances of winning the prize this time are about one in 300 million.
Wisconsin's bail reform amendment continues its fast track for the spring ballot. Lawmakers in Madison had a hearing on the plan yesterday. Advocates and activists continue to criticize the proposal, saying making it easier for judges to keep dangerous suspects in jail isn't the solution that Wisconsin needs. Republicans at the Capitol say there have been too many cases where a suspect is released on little to no bail, and then commits a new crime. The amendment started after the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack. The hope is for lawmakers to approve the amendment and get it on the ballot in April.
It appears to be smooth sailing for the spring elections, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Elections specialist Riley Willman tells commissioners that staff didn't see any major issues with the circulation of elections petitions for the spring elections. However, several of those forms appeared to be prefilled by the person circulating the paper. State regulations require other candidates in an election to file complaints about the petition process. 72 candidates filed for the election in 53 judges seats that will be open in the spring.
One Wisconsin congressman wants ESPN to cut ties with TikTok. Congressman Mike Gallagher sent a letter to ESPN's president this week, asking the company about its relationship with TikTok. Gallagher specifically asked what kind of vetting ESPN did of TikTok, and asked if ESPN knew that TikTok's owner is 'effectively controlled by the CCP.' Gallagher has been pushing for a TikTok ban in the U.S., he says the app gives Chinese communist leaders an opportunity to spy on American users, as well as edit the news they see. Gallagher also wants ESPN to stop letting TikTok sponsor shows or events on the network.
The employment future of the head of the Wisconsin Elections Commission is unclear. The Journal Sentinel reports that state Senate Majority Leader Devin Lemahieu said he had “no idea” whether Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe will be confirmed for another term. The bipartisan commission provides election guidance to hundreds of clerks across the state. The commission and Wolfe were targets of criticism by supporters of former President Donald Trump following his 2020 election loss. The agency was also criticized by Republican leaders over changes to voting procedures put in place during the coronavirus pandemic. Wolfe is a nonpartisan appointee who’s held the job since 2018.
A Minnesota House committee is considering a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license. This isn't the first time local lawmakers have advocated for such a bill, but the state's DFL-controlled Legislature might actually be able to pass it this time. The executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota told MPR News that "We have so many immigrants who are our neighbors, who are our friends" and this law would empower "those families to be able to thrive more in our communities." Undocumented immigrants can legally drive in 18 other states.
Damage could be in the millions following a Sunday night fire at a Whitewater disposal facility. Fire crews arrived at John’s Disposal Services to find a sorting and recycling building fully engulfed in flames. Officials say the fire went past five alarms due to the cold conditions and a lack of water at the site. Whitewater Assistant Fire Chief Joe Uselding said during a Monday afternoon press conference the bulk of the fire has been put out, but hotspots around the property, as well as building structure issues, will keep firefighters busy. The cause of the fire is currently undetermined.
Waukesha Christmas parade attacker Darrell Brooks may be heading back to court in the new year. Brooks, who was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him on all 76 charges tied to the parade attack, represented himself during his trial last fall. Brooks has since filed a handwritten notice seeking post-conviction relief and has asked for representation from the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office for an appeal. On Friday, the public defender’s office appointed Michael Covey to represent Brooks during the appeal. Court documents show the office requested all transcripts for Covey to review. Brooks has an April restitution hearing scheduled in Waukesha County. If he does appeal, he’ll be back in court.
Governor Tony Evers has picked a new head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and he has an auspicious name. Current D V A deputy secretary James Bond has been named to take over the position of his former boss Mary Kolar who stepped down last week. Bond is a disabled veteran, having served in the Marines as a clerk before being injured. Governor Evers says Bond will bring a wealth of experience to the position.
Not only are the Vikings-Giants playoff tickets in short supply but they are not cheap. The average resale price is 324 dollars on SeatGeek. In comparison, the average ticket price for the Viking's 2018 NFC divisional round against the Saints was 290 dollars on SeatGeek. Experts advise fans to avoid tickets on Craigslist and instead buy from a ticket seller that has a brick-and-mortar presence.
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