The Pepin County Board is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include the appointment of a county board supervisor for District 6, a discussion of expenditure of ARPA funds for the Pierce-Pepin Broadband grant, the Holden Park Drinking water and restroom projects, the Arkansaw Creek Park update, Durand Swimming Pool Accessibility and Programmable Message Boards. Tonight's meeting begins at 7pm at the Government Center in Durand.
The Dunn County Board is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include a presentation by the Chippewa-St. Croix Rail Commission on proposed passenger rail services between Eau Claire and the Twin Cities, discussion of the proposed Tainter Lake Rehabilitation District Order, and reports from department heads. Tonight's meeting begins at 7pm at the Dunn County Government Center in Menomonie.
Forecasters say the Chippewa Valley could see as much as eight inches of snow before this next round of winter weather is over. The National Weather Service has a Winter Storm Warning for the WRDN Listing area from tonight through tomorrow afternoon. Forecasters expect heavy, wet snow to fall overnight and into tomorrow. The Weather Service says the drive to work and school tomorrow could be tricky.
The woman accused of running a house of prostitution out of her Eau Claire massage parlors won't be spending any time behind bars. A judge yesterday sentenced Dongmei Greer to two years probation yesterday. Police arrested Greer back in 2019 after they say her employees at the Angel Massage and Lucky Massage parlors were performing sex acts for money. Greer pleaded no contest in the case.
A Kentucky truck driver will be sentenced in April in a St. Croix County crash that killed a child. Michael Duvick, from Kentucky, reached a deal with prosecutors Tuesday in the case of the 2019 crash on I-94 near Roberts. The nearly four-year-old girl who died was a passenger in a van. The driver said Duvick came into her lane while passing, forcing her into the guardrail. She said she had honked at him, and one of her kids said he displayed his middle finger and mouthed the words "eff you." Other drivers say Duvick was speeding and switching lanes back and forth to pass other vehicles. Tuesday he pleaded guilty to homicide by negligent driving in return for the dismissal of six other charges. He faces up to ten years in prison at sentencing.
We Energies receiving numerous reports from customers in northwestern Wisconsin of damage to natural gas equipment caused by falling ice and snow. Melting snow and ice can slide off your roof and damage your natural gas meter, which can cause a loss of service or a gas leak. Use recommended tools, such as a roof rake, to remove snow buildup on your roof to help prevent this damage from happening. To avoid problems, Remove snow from areas above natural gas equipment, remove icicles that may drip water onto the meter, Don’t kick or hit the meter to break away built-up snow or ice, and use a broom to gently brush snow and melted ice off the meter. If you smell a natural gas odor, leave the house immediately and call our natural gas emergency number at 800-261-5325.
Voters in Eau Claire will see a question about changing the state's abortion law on their ballot this spring. The county board last night approved a non-binding referendum on Wisconsin's 1849 abortion law. Voters in Eau Claire won't change anything with their vote in April, the question is advisory only. Critics say the abortion vote is simply a way to get more Democratic voters to the polls. Supporters say they want to send a message to state lawmakers.
Voters in Wisconsin will almost certainly see a question about bail reform and welfare-to-work on the spring ballot, but they won't see anything about abortion from the State Capitol. Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate yesterday approved a proposed constitutional amendment that will change how bail works in the state. They also okayed an advisory question that asks if people on welfare should have to work in order to keep their benefits. The Senate ignored Governor Evers' request to add a referendum on abortion to the spring ballot. Democrats accused Republicans of playing political games.
There's now a proposal to send voters a text when their local clerk gets their absentee ballot. The plan from Republicans David Steffen and Rachael Cabral-Guevara would create a notification system for people who vote absentee in the state. Steffen says some voters don't trust their ballot in the mail, he says adding an extra layer of security could calm those fears. The two want to roll the notification system into the state's MyVote system. They say they can set up a text message service for just about 25 thousand dollars a year.
There's a lawsuit over open records and Madison Metropolitan Schools. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit yesterday. WILL's lawyers say Madison Metropolitan Schools have ignored their request for information about small instructional groups for nearly a year. Wisconsin law says governments need to respond to open records requests 'without delay.' WILL says the small instructional groups discriminate against some students, and lawyers want to see Madison's full policy for the groups. The city's school district says there was never a policy for small instructional groups, and says the piece that WILL objected to was changed long ago.
Minnesota school districts are phasing out options for online school attendance. Virtual education at the pre-K through 12th-grade levels has been offered by a number of schools since the COVID-19 lockdowns began. Options for parents who want their children to continue learning online are being severely limited as the pandemic wanes. Online education options nearly doubled in Minnesota between the fall of 2020 and this year.
Minnesota Lawmakers are considering a funding bill for the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. Attorney General Keith Ellison asked legislators at a House committee hearing yesterday for an additional four-million dollars over the next two years. The money would be used to hire just over a half-dozen attorneys and two paralegals to assist counties with prosecuting serious crimes. Ellison says many counties don't have the staff or expertise to handle a major case. Two dozen of the state's county attorney offices have two or fewer attorneys on staff.
The Sheriff’s Office in Marathon County points out an increase in citations issued for motorists not obeying bus laws. A Facebook post from the department says they’ve spoken with a few local bus companies which say roughly 20 violations occur in Marathon County each week. The sheriff’s office estimates if that volume holds true for other bus companies across the county, “the number of violations each week would increase exponentially.” The department states in the post the laws are in place for everyone’s safety and to prevent a child from being struck, and they add a reminder that most school buses are equipped with cameras that help to capture license plate information of vehicles that commit violations.
Richland County residents plead to keep the University of Wisconsin's Richland campus open. The UW System President announced in November that the campus would cease all in-person instruction by this summer, citing low enrollment. Critics have repeatedly fought back, claiming that the issue is more about a lack of funding and staffing. On Monday, State Senator Howard Marklein of Spring Green and State Representative Tony Kurtz of Wonewoc heard from dozens of Richland Center residents about the impact the closure will have on the community.
Wisconsin Democrats want an advisory referendum on ballots this April that will ask people if they think Wisconsin's abortion ban should be lifted. Governor Tony Evers held a press conference with party leaders this morning to make the announcement. Evers says recent polling shows a majority of people in Wisconsin support abortion rights. However, because it's an advisory question the law wouldn't change even if it makes it to ballots and passes.
The University of St. Thomas has just received the largest single donation to a Minnesota college or university. Lee and Penny Anderson of Naples, Florida, donated 75 million dollars to the school. Officials say they'll use the funds to build a multi-use arena on their St. Paul campus. It'll be named The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is unveiling a twelve-million-dollar spending plan to boost education and end child poverty in Minnesota. The Democrat is releasing his two-year overall budget in stages, starting today with his plans for children, families, and education. The proposal includes the state's largest-ever investment in public education and thousands of dollars in tax breaks for childcare costs. In a statement, Walz said the budget will allow every student access to a world-class education.
Country music fans in Wisconsin may want to watch the latest Dustin Lynch video, because they may be in it. Lynch's video for his song Stars Like Confetti was shot at Country Jam in Eau Claire. There are a number of crowd shots, and fans can be seen in the video. Lynch dropped the video last week. Country Jam is one of the largest country music festivals in the state. It is coming back to Eau Claire this July.
No comments:
Post a Comment