Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Local-Regional News May 23

 Boaters on the Mississippi River in Wabasha need to be aware the no-wake zone buoys have not been placed due to the high water.  The Wabasha County Sheriff's Department reported on social media that because of the high water, the buoys can float away and so Wabasha City Crews will be placing them as soon as they can.  The Sherrif's Department water patrol will be out this weekend and the department is urging a safe boating season.


An Alma man is in custody on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence -7th offense.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriffs Department,  on Saturday night, deputies on patrol saw  40yr old Chad Abramczk speeding.  The Deputies caught up to Abramczk as he turned into a driveway at 320 North hwy 35 in the city of Alma.  As the deputy got out of his vehicle he noticed  Abramczk exited the driver's seat and threw an open beer can to the ground and ran to the back of the home.  He was arrested and will be back in court on May 31st.  


Expect to see additional law enforcement out and about this weekend enforcing seat belt laws.  The national click or tick it program is designed to get voluntary compliance with wearing seat belts.  The Buffalo County Sheriff's Department announced they will have extra patrols on Saturday from 6pm-4am Sunday on Hwy 35 from Alma to the Trempealeau County Line and on Sunday from 4pm-Midnight on Hwy 10 from the Trempealeau County Line to the Pepin County Line.  


A western Wisconsin man is headed for a new trial after withdrawing his guilty plea in a 2017 double murder. An Eau Claire County judge yesterday allowed Wayne Price to change his plea. He initially pleaded guilty to killing his sister and her boyfriend six years ago, but he now says his lawyers didn't advise him of all of his options. Price is serving a 30-year sentence as part of that original plea deal. He will now be re-charged, and held on a million-dollars bond until prosecutors can set a trial date.


The decade-long search for a wanted suspect in Chippewa County has ended. Randy Cain appeared in court last Friday to answer charges that he sexually touched a 16-year-old boy back in 2013. Prosecutors charged him at the time, but Cain then fled to Puerto Rico. He was arrested this spring in the Dominican Republic. Prosecutors say he visited the US Embassy there. Cain is being held on 200 thousand dollars bond and is due back in court in Chippewa Falls next month.


Wisconsin's DNR says the state's elk population continues to grow. Wildlife managers say the elk herd in the state should top 500 by this summer. Wisconsin re-introduced elk to the state back in 1995 with 25 elk in. Wisconsin added 150 more in 2014, and the numbers have only grown since then. The DNR says the population is healthy enough to sustain an elk hunting season that began back in 2018.


Senator Tammy Baldwin visited New Richmond yesterday to talk with Saint Croix County-area veterans about veterans' benefits and the recently passed PACT Act.  The PACT Act greatly expands VA Healthcare coverage for veterans who were exposed to toxic waste from open-air burn pits.  Veterans gathered to share stories of their service with Baldwin — as well as their health issues and how the PACT Act changed their struggle to be treated. County Veterans Service Officers were also present to explain how the bill made efforts to connect veterans to much-deserved benefits easier and simpler.


The State Supreme Court is set to decide if one of Wisconsin's largest service organizations is exempt from paying unemployment tax.  Catholic Charities Bureau is challenging an appellate court ruling that it must pay into Wisconins's unemployment system rather than a separate program run by Catholic dioceses. The court agreed with a ruling from the Labor and Industry Review Commission that Catholic Charities provides mainly secular services and isn't a ministerial group despite being a branch of the church. Catholic Charites says the ruling violates long-standing religious exemptions for the Church. 


We should get a better sense of the split between Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol over shared revenue today. The State Senate is holding its first hearing on its proposal. Republicans in both the Senate and the Assembly want to use some of the state's sales tax dollars to send more money to local governments, but there's a disagreement over a proposed Milwaukee sales tax increase. Assembly Republicans want voters to have a say, while Senate Republicans want to allow Milwaukee and Milwaukee County leaders to vote instead. The split is threatening to derail the plan to share more than 500 million-dollars in state money with local governments across the state.


The NFL world is coming to Green Bay in the spring of 2025. The league yesterday announced that Green Bay will host the draft in two years. It's part of the NFL's new approach to move the Draft to different cities, and expand the celebration. Green Bay leaders are expecting hundreds of thousands of people to turn out for the Draft. Kansas City hosted the draft this year, and leaders there say over 300 thousand people turned-out over the Draft's three days. Green Bay only has 160 thousand people in-all. Green Bay can also see snow in April.


A  plane landed in a Cross Plains field Saturday.  The Dane County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the emergency landing in that field by a a single-engine Cessna 172 flying from Minnesota to Illinois.  The Federal Aviation Administration says the pilot described having engine trouble from a suspected oil leak, necessitating the landing. The pilot and passenger in the plane were uninjured.    The FAA said it is investigating the situation.


Two Central Wisconsin teens are dead following a Saturday car crash.  An email sent to parents from the D.C. Everest School District says said the Everest High School students, identified as senior Emily Lewerenz and junior Danny Johnson, died in the crash.  The school plans to have a formal announcement on Monday morning to make sure all students are made aware. The D.C. district says they will provide additional counseling resources in response to the deaths.  The district’s email provided no further details about the crash.


A substantial fish kill is reported in Shawano County.  The Wisconsin DNR says they have been taking samples of the waters from the North Branch of the Embarrass River after they first received reports about the dead fish in the river Tuesday evening, The agency has not confirmed what is killing off the fish as they continue to investigate what contaminated the water there.


The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is asking the public to assist turtles during their nesting season.   Wisconsin's 11 turtle species are active from May to late June as they emerge to lay eggs. Their nesting migration often puts them in danger by crossing roads and traveling through residential areas. According to the DNR, female turtles being hit by vehicles is a leading cause of the state's declining turtle population. In addition, turtle nests are highly susceptible to predators and some people steal eggs from them. The public can protect turtle nests on their property with nest cages, and by driving carefully near lakes, rivers, and wetlands.


The Minnesota Legislature has approved a huge bill that benefits those who fish and hunt.  The bill will send 308 million dollars to the Department of Natural Resources.  Funding will cover the cost of rebuilding the Waterville fish hatchery.  Thirty-five million dollars will be used for new gravel, docks, bathroom facilities, and other improvements to boat access infrastructure on lakes and rivers.  The measure also calls for a moratorium against establishing new deer farms to offset the spread of chronic wasting disease.


Minnesota has the worst pothole problem in the nation.  That's according to QuoteWizard.  The online insurance services platform analyzed Google searches for pothole-related complaints this year and found that the Land of Ten-Thousand Lakes ranked number-one, followed by California and Washington.  They also ranked U.S. cities, and Minneapolis came in second-place.  Duluth came in seventh.

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