Monday, February 27, 2023

Local-Regional News Feb 27

Two people are dead after a fire in Dunn County. The fire happened early Sunday morning at a Duplex at E4576 410th Ave in the township of  Menomonie. Firefighters say neighbors tried to get the two out of the home, but they couldn't.   The two were found inside the home and pronounced dead at the scene by the Dunn County Medical Examiner's office.  No one else was hurt in the fire. Fire investigators are now looking for the cause of the fire.


One person was injured after a two-vehicle accident in the Villag of Maiden Rock last Wednesday.   According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, a semi-truck traveling southbound on Hwy 35 was struck by an SUV that was also traveling southbound on Hwy 35.  The driver of the SUV was taken to Mayo Hospital in Red Wing.


The late February updated outlook for spring flooding in the upper Mississippi, Minnesota, and Chippewa River basins has been upgraded to above normal.  According to the national weather service, the addition of another 1-2 inches of water into the snowpack (from rain, then heavy snow) has increased the threat in just two weeks.   Though we have an ample snowpack, drier soils, and little frost depth will help alleviate at least some of the snowmelt threat. The threat of seeing major flooding will still depend on what kind of rainfall/temperature patterns we get during the snowmelt.  


The restaurant at Eau Claire's airport wants to sell drinks in the terminal. The folks who own the Hangar 54 Grill are asking for a new liquor license to sell drinks and maybe sandwiches from a mobile bar in the terminal. Co-owner Ryan Anderson says the new Sun Country flights mean a lot more people are flying, particularly on the weekend trips to Fort Myers. He says a lot of people want to grab something before their flight. There's no word when airport managers will make their decision.


One person is dead after being hit by a snowplow in Rochester.  It's unclear what led up to the deadly crash.  Police said 69yr old Linda Rud of Rochester was walking when she was struck by the plow around nine this morning.  Investigators are looking into the incident. 


US Senator Tammy Baldwin wants companies to help their employees, and not their investors, by discouraging stock buybacks. The Wisconsin Democrat says the proposed Stock Buyback Accountability Act would raise the tax on those buybacks from 1 percent to 4 percent. Baldwin's office says investors and companies bought back over a trillion dollars worth of stock in 2022, money that she says should be going back to the workers.


The plan to require judges in Wisconsin to send felons with guns to prison gets its first hearing at the Wisconsin Capitol this week. An Assembly committee will hear from law enforcement and maybe advocates on the plan that would create a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for felons who are caught illegally possessing guns. Felons are not allowed to have any guns, but many still do. Wisconsin currently doesn't have a mandatory sentence for felony weapons possession, this plan would change that.


The National Weather Service says the drought in Minnesota is easing.  Meteorologists confirm drought conditions in the state have been improving all winter.  The drought began nearly two years ago, and still covers about a third of the state.  Parts of southeastern Minnesota that include all of Cottonwood County are still in the category of a severe drought. 


The Wisconsin State Patrol stayed busy during the two days of winter weather last week.  The State Patrol says it responded to nearly 200 crashes and motorist assists during the storms, seven of which involved injuries.  Those statistics were taken between 6:00 a.m. Wednesday and 4:00 p.m. Thursday.


A former state Senator is headed to prison.  A federal judge in Madison sentenced 61-year-old Kevin Shibilski of Merrill to 33 months in prison. Shibilski, a Democrat who represented central Wisconsin in the Senate from 1995 to 2002, pled guilty in April to willfully not paying federal employment taxes for two companies linked to 5R Processors. That Ladysmith-based firm illegally stored and disposed of broken and crushed glass from lead-tainted cathode ray tubes at facilities in Wisconsin and Tennessee. Shibilksi ran the operation a decade ago and was indicted in 2020.   


The road to the Republican presidential nomination will begin and end in Milwaukee.  Republican National Committee planners yesterday said Milwaukee will host the first presidential primary debate later this year.  That debate is now scheduled for August, to coincide with RNC meetings in the city. Milwaukee, of course, will also host the Republican National Convention next summer.  Wisconsin Republican Party boss Brian Schimming says he's looking forward to showing off 'our exceptional city.'


One of Wisconsin's Republican congressmen and the man in charge of the House's select committee on China is back after a trip to Taiwan.  Congressman Mike Gallagher made the under-the-radar trip two weeks ago.  He says he met with Taiwanese officials who talked about a "wake-up call" over China's posturing toward their island.  Gallagher says leaders in Taiwan say they are still waiting for promised American-made weapons which he says are necessary to defend the island if China attacks.


The University of Minnesota is asking lawmakers for 950 million dollars to buy and operate its own healthcare facilities.  UofM wants to take control of its East and West Bank facilities, Masonic Children's Hospital, and the Clinics and Surgery Center facilities before a Fairview/Sanford merger takes place. In a letter to the state, the university said it doesn't want an out-of-state entity to control Minnesota's academic healthcare systems.  The preliminary request states 300 million would go toward acquiring the facilities, while 650 million would be used for operations and investments. 


The Wisconsin Historical Society will be moving to temporary quarters while a new history center is under construction.  The State Historical Society closed its doors in November to prepare for a move to a new state-of-the-art building that will go up on the site of the current museum.  Society staff announced on Thursday that they'll move to the main level of the U.S. Bank Plaza on South Pinckney Street.  Construction of the new center is expected to be completed by 2026.


The recent winter storm plays an assist in the arrest of an alleged drug dealer.  A 27-year-old Milwaukee man called 911 after driving into a ditch along snow-covered Highway 45 near Richfield Wednesday night.  Once deputies got to the scene, Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulties tells Fox 6 Milwaukee a strong odor of burnt marijuana wasn’t the only thing a deputy found coming from the man’s vehicle.  The deputy also found a pound and a half of marijuana, cash, and some cocaine.   The driver involved in that wreck is now in the Washington County Jail.

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