The Pepin County Board has approved using $125,000 in ARPA money for improvements at Holden Park. The money will go toward installing new restrooms and drinking water for the campground. Land Conservations is working on securing a Wisconsin DNR Grant to cover the rest of the cost of the project. Last year saw an increase in camping at the park with a $10,000 increase in revenue generated.
A River Falls man is facing prison time after he allegedly abused a woman for years. According to the US Department of Justice, 29yr old Austin Koeckeritz used threats of force and coercion to cause a woman to engage in forced labor for nearly two years. According to Pierce County Authorities, Koeckeritz forced the woman to make sexually explicit videos and imprisoned the woman in a room, and took all the money from the videos. If convicted he faces 20yrs in prison. His next court appearance is next week.
There's an investigation into a jail death in La Crosse County. Guards found a 28-year-old man unresponsive in his cell early yesterday morning. The inmate was rushed to the hospital but later died. La Crosse County's sheriff has tapped the sheriff in Trempealeau County to handle the investigation.
Eau Claire Schools say their nearly 100 million-dollar tax hike won't be as expensive as first thought. The city's school district yesterday said homeowners in Eau Claire will save about 200 bucks off the original expectation. Eau Claire Schools sold the tax hike for school improvements with a price tag of an extra 80 dollars in property taxes for the next 20 years. Yesterday, the district said that price tag will actually be an extra 70 dollars over the next 19 years.
The top Republican in the Wisconsin Senate says switching to a flat tax will likely mean Wisconsin won't have to raise other taxes. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu yesterday said eliminating Wisconsin's personal income tax altogether would likely mean a tax increase somewhere else. LeMahieu said moving the state to a flat tax, however, would likely mean that lawmakers could keep the state's sales and other taxes where they are. LeMahieu this week introduced his plan to move Wisconsin to a flat three-and-a-quarter percent personal income tax by 2026. He says Wisconsin has plenty of money in its six-point-six billion-dollars surplus to afford that kind of a tax cut.
Wisconsin's largest business group says most companies are expecting a recession this year. Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce released its latest Employer Survey yesterday. The survey says 39 percent of employers rated the Wisconsin economy as strong or very strong. That is a five-point drop from the summer, and well below the 53 percent who said the economy was strong just a year ago. WMC's Kurt Bauer says just 25 percent of bosses in Wisconsin expect the economy in this country to grow over the next year. Bauer says high prices and a worker shortage remain the biggest problems for Wisconsin companies.
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association announces its policy priorities for the year ahead. The industry group wants the Legislature to increase state funding for an ag exports program and grants for dairy processors. A press release notes lawmakers in the previous budget cycle allocated $400,000 for the Dairy Processor Grant program. The Association is seeking an annual allocation of up to $1 million per year. The producers also want more for the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports, a five-year, $5 million effort launched in 2021.
Wisconsin’s Attorney General announces a new statewide, multi-agency task force to support survivors of human trafficking. Josh Kaul was in Milwaukee Wednesday to introduce the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and Project Respect. Kaul says the collaboration will bring law enforcement and victim service providers together to investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases at the federal and local levels. The effort is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime.
Voters will decide if they want to change how bail works in Wisconsin. The State Assembly yesterday approved the constitutional amendment that will allow judges to consider more things, specifically a suspect's criminal history when deciding whether to let them out of jail. Republican lawmakers say the idea is to protect communities and keep dangerous people behind bars. Democrats say the plan would criminalize being poor. Voters will have their say in April.
Wisconsin is opening the lakes and rivers to anyone with a fishing pole this weekend. This is a free fishing weekend from the Department of Natural Resources. Fishermen can head out tomorrow and Sunday without a license or stamps for trout and salmon. The DNR says the idea is to allow people a chance to experience the joy of fishing. There is a warning though, the DNR says this winter's warm weather has left the ice on many of the state's lakes and ponds thin. They say to be careful if you plan to ice fish this weekend.
The Minnesota House is advancing a bill that would secure abortion rights as part of state law. The House approved the Protect Reproductive Options Act last night, with one DFLer and all Republicans voting against it. The bill would bind the right to abortion into state law and provide access to other reproductive services. The legislation was introduced in response to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade last year. The bill must still be approved by the state Senate and may be signed by Governor Walz within a week.
Minnesota's COVID-19 trends are staying stable even with the presence of new variants. The state's pandemic update released yesterday showed under 400 inpatient cases for the first time since mid-October. Health officials say the state didn't experience an expected surge in cases over the holidays. The state's flu numbers are declining.
Wisconsin's largest business group is not surprised the state is in the bottom tier when it comes to starting a new business. WalletHub released a new survey this week that ranks Wisconsin 37th in the nation for starting a new business. Scott Manley with Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce says that should be expected. He says small businesses don't pay corporate tax rates, they pay personal income tax rates, and he says Wisconsin has the 10th highest personal income tax in the country. Manley says Wisconsin's other costs and the state's worker shortage doesn't help either. Utah, Florida, and Texas are the top three states to start a new business according to the WalletHub list. While West Virginia, Connecticut, and Alaska are the bottom three states.
Harley-Davidson is putting together a big celebration for its 120th anniversary. The motorcycle maker announces Homecoming Festival events to happen July 13th through the 16th to celebrate the company’s anniversary. Those events will happen at venues across the Milwaukee area, including the Harley-Davidson Museum, and Veterans Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront, with family-friendly activities and music from headliners Foo Fighters and Green Day on the 14th and 15th. Harley-Davidson Museum Vice-President Bill Davidson tells Fox 6 Milwaukee the event is going to be spectacular.
The FBI is now offering a 25-thousand dollar reward for information that leads to an arrest in last year's arson at a Madison pro-life organization. The Wisconsin Family Action building caught on fire and was vandalized last May, and the FBI determined Molotov cocktails were thrown into the building. The FBI says a person that brings forward information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the suspects will qualify for the reward. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI Office in Milwaukee.
Governor Tim Walz [[ walls ]] is unveiling his spending plan for Minnesota's workforce. The Democrat has been releasing his two-year overall budget in stages. Today's announcement includes a more than four-billion-dollar economic proposal and a 100-million-dollar agriculture budget. Some of the initiatives include establishing a Paid Family and Medical Leave program, funding small business programs, and supporting the preservation of land and water resources. This comes a few days after Walz introduced a 12-billion-dollar proposal to boost education and end child poverty in the state.
Officials say they offered help to people living in one of Minneapolis' largest homeless encampments before clearing it out. The Minnesota Department of Transportation cleared the encampment near Currie Park in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood yesterday. The move came a week after a 27-year-old was shot and killed in the area. MnDOT officials said it wasn't "a safe place for human beings to live." They claim to have offered residents contact information for organizations that can help them and offered to store their personal belongings.
Wisconsin is middle of the pack when it comes to states where unemployment claims are decreasing the most. WalletHub ranks Wisconsin 18th this week compared to last week's unemployment claims. WalletHub says Wisconsin has 42 unemployment claims per 100-thousand workers.
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