Monday, January 2, 2023

Local-Regional News Jan 2

Durand and the Chippewa Valley could see some of the worst of the next round of winter weather. There is a Winter Weather Advisory posted for the area starting at 9 p.m. tonight and running til midnight tomorrow night. Forecasters expect as much as five inches of snow and a glaze of ice. The worst of the storm is expected tomorrow morning into tomorrow afternoon. The National Weather Service is urging people not to head out during that time.


One person received minor injuries after a one-vehicle accident in the town of Maxville on Thursday.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to a vehicle that had struck a utility pole near S102 Hwy FF Thursday night.    The driver of the vehicle, 34yr old Gina Hurlburt of Durand was back at her residence and where she had called to report the accident.  Hurlburt was taken by private vehicle to the hospital for evaluation.  Speed and slick road conditions were factors in the accident.


A man is dead after rear-ending an SUV in Wabasha County.  According to the Wabasha County Sheriff's Department, the three-vehicle crash happened on Highway 42 in Kellogg on Friday.  22-year-old Bernard Christensen of Kellogg died as a result of the incident.  Another driver was taken to a Rochester hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the driver of the SUV that was rear-ended was not hurt.


One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident on Hwy 35 in Trenton Township on Thursday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 42yr old Travis Rowan of Red Wing was traveling northbound on Hwy 35 when he struck a northbound semi stopped and waiting to turn onto 830th street driven by 80yr old Conrad Funk of Bay City.   Rowan was taken to Mayo Hospital in Red Wing.


A Georgia man has been arrested after a high-speed chase in St. Croix and Dunn Counties on Friday.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, troopers attempted to pull over a stolen vehicle driven by Martise Craig of Lithia Springs, GA on I-94 near milepost 28.  Craig refused to pull over and a chase ensued eastbound on I-94 into Dunn County and the city of Menomonie.  Dunn County Sheriff's Deputies were able to use spike strips to deflate the tires of the vehicle, and Craig stopped at milepost 43 and fled on foot, and was captured a short time later.  


A new minimum wage is now in effect for Minnesota.  The state's Department of Labor made adjustments for inflation, which began on Sunday.  This changes the hourly minimum wage offered by large employers to 10 dollars and 59 cents.  For employers who make less than 500 thousand dollars in annual gross revenue, the hourly wage will be 8 dollars and 63 cents.


Mega Millions is living up to its name with a 785 million-dollar jackpot. No one won Friday's drawing, which means tomorrow night's drawing will be worth about three-quarters of a billion dollars. Lotto managers say the lump sum on a 785 million-dollar jackpot will be worth 395 million, before taxes. Tomorrow's jackpot is expected to be the fourth-largest in Mega Millions history.


There's a new opportunity for Wisconsin students to save on a college education, but they'll have to move to South Dakota to take advantage of it. Regents in South Dakota last month voted to officer Wisconsin high school graduates in-state tuition to South Dakota schools. The agreement means Wisconsin students can enroll in South Dakota's largest schools, the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University, for about half what they'd pay at UW-Madison. South Dakota offers in-state rates to eight different states, but not Minnesota because there are already enough students from Minnesota in South Dakota schools.


The new year officially begins tomorrow for Wisconsin lawmakers and elected leaders. Tomorrow is the inauguration at the statehouse. The governor will take his oath of office at 11 a.m. Lawmakers will take their oaths at 2 p.m. Tomorrow is mostly a day for pomp and circumstance. Lawmakers aren't scheduled to get to work on a new state budget for a few more weeks.


Wisconsinites are no longer limited to selling only baked goods from home.  Dane County Circuit Court Judge Rhonda Lanford ruled this week that other nonhazardous food items can be made and sold from home without a commercial license or kitchen.  That includes things like candy, cocoa bombs, fried donuts, and roasted coffee beans.  The judge's ruling against the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection specified that sales have to be made in Wisconsin, person to person.


Two people are dead after a shooting in Juneau County.  The sheriff's office says deputies were called to a home in Plymouth Township Wednesday night where they found a man and woman dead.  The sheriff's office says the woman was killed by the man and afterward the man killed himself.  The sheriff's office calls this an isolated shooting and there's no threat to the public.


2023 could be the year Minnesota legalizes recreational cannabis.  Advocates and opponents of recreational cannabis legalization are getting ready to plead their case when Democrats take control of the state capitol in the new year.  The leader of the MN is Ready campaign, Leili Fatehi, told KARE 11 that the House, Senate, and governor are all pro-legalization.  However, the Minnesotans Against Marijuana Legalization coalition is prepared to fight back with concerns over road and workplace safety. 


Warmer temperatures arriving in much of the state has led to the call for greater caution when heading out on the ice of lakes and rivers.  Rock County Sheriff’s Office Captain Mark Thompson says station the warmer temperatures won’t only melt the current ice, but the water that’ll accumulate and re-freeze won’t be as strong as it would be if the ice didn’t thaw.


A safe ending to a situation that could have turned tragic in Clark County. Duane Smith of Thorp got his vehicle stuck in a snowbank Wednesday evening. Friends and family said he told them he left the vehicle to go on foot through a wooded area but got lost, then his cell phone died, forcing his family to report him missing at about 6:30. Multiple search and rescue teams were called out, and Smith was found at around 3 AM. Sheriff's officials say he was in good spirits. Crews involved in the search included the sheriff's office, DNR, and Clark County Drone and mounted search teams.


Governor Tony Evers says he’s considering banning the popular Chinese social media app on state government-issued devices. Meanwhile, TikTok has been banned from all U.S. House of Representatives devices ahead of a government-wide ban that was included in the omnibus spending bill. Wisconsin congressman Mike Gallagher has proposed a nationwide ban of TikTok, citing security concerns over parent company Bytdance and the Chinese Communist Party.


Get ready for lacrosse, the sport not the city, at high schools in Wisconsin. The WIAA, the people who oversee high school sports in the state this week approved lacrosse as an official spring sport for high schools. Schools have been playing lacrosse as a 'club' sport for almost 20 years in Wisconsin. The WIAA says there are 42 boys' programs and 35 girls' programs across the state. Lacrosse will begin as an official sport in the spring of 2024. 

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