It's a 100 thousand dollar bond for the man who allegedly made threats against a judge and the prosecutor in Chippewa County. Harley Alcala of Duluth was in court in Chippewa Falls yesterday for his first appearance on terroristic threat charges. The D.A. says Alcala threatened the court Tuesday morning. He was arrested on his way from Minnesota to the courthouse in Chippewa Falls. In fact, authorities had to call in a SWAT team and a hostage negotiator to get him out of his car. The judge in the case said he will notify the public if Alcala is able to post his bond.
Rural Wabasha County residents who have flood damage to their homes are to contact the Wabasha County Emergency Management. Emergency management will be asking for a rough estimate on damage costs if the homeowner has flood insurance and will provide flood clean-up kits if needed. Rural Wabahsa County residents should contact Brenda Tomlinson at 651-565-3069.
Rural Pepin County residents that have private water wells contaminated with nitrate, arsenic, fecal bacteria, or PFAS and have not begun work on the well may be eligible for a $16000 grant to replace, reconstruct, treat, or abandon your well. The grants are made available through the Wisconsin DNR. There are income guidelines. Contact the Wisconsin DNR or Pepin County Land Conservation for more information on the program.
A woman convicted of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle was sentenced in Pierce County Court yesterday. 25yr old McKenna Fell was sentenced to five years in prison and 7yrs of extended supervision after she plead guilty to the charges. In February of 2020, Fell was driving north on Hwy 63, when she crossed the centerline and crashed head-on into a southbound vehicle, killing two people from Ellsworth.
UW-Eau Claire is getting a big grant to look at the stars. Specifically, the school is getting a 526 thousand-dollar National Science Foundation grant to study white dwarf stars. Dr. William Wolf, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at UW-Eau Claire, will lead a team this summer to do the research. The idea is to help map stars and use computer models that can run for almost anyone. The team will begin its work this summer.
Expect some new things at the farmers market in Eau Claire this weekend. The market opens for its first weekend in Phoenix Park on Saturday. Organizers say they've worked hard over the past year to bring-in new vendors. There will be about 60 people selling this year, including a new pasta stall, a new cheese maker, and a new bakery. The first market of the season is this Saturday from 7:30 a.m. till 1 p.m.
The latest pitch for election reforms in Wisconsin has buy-in from both Republicans and Democrats. A group of lawmakers yesterday suggested new laws that would add security for poll workers, require military ID numbers for all military ballots in the state, stop local election managers from closing more than half of their polls, and would have the state cover the costs of special elections. Supporters say the idea is to make Wisconsin's elections safer and more secure. It's not clear, however, if Governor Evers will sign the reforms. He's opposed other election changes in the past.
Wisconsin's governor says he won't sign anything that'd send more money to local governments unless Republicans at the State Capitol add more money to the mix. Governor Tony Evers yesterday threatened to veto the Republicans' shared revenue plan because he says 'it's not enough.' The governor also wants Republican lawmakers to lift the spending restrictions and requirements that the plan would impose on local governments. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the plan at the statehouse is something that the voters of the state support, and says it's disappointing that the governor is threatening to stop it from becoming law.
The fight over Wisconsin's abortion law has begun, but it will be a while before there is a final answer. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul was in court in Madison yesterday for the first arguments in the case. He was arguing against a motion to dismiss his lawsuit against the state's 1849 law that bans almost all abortions. The judge didn't make a ruling, Kaul says that will come later. The case is expected to eventually end up before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Kaul said that's likely, but also said 'the legal process takes a while to play out,' and said it could be some time before the Supreme Court gets the case.
A new survey from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health shows drinking rates went up during the coronavirus pandemic. The study says the highest increase happened during the first few months of the pandemic and in people between 21 and 40 years old. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they drank more from May to June of 2020. The University of Wisconsin points to added stress and anxiety brought on by the pandemic as a possible reason.
A Texas-based health insurance company has been ordered to stop operating in Minnesota. That order is coming from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, which reports Salvasen Health has been selling unlicensed insurance policies in Minnesota. The DOC also fined the company and its owner, Barry Glenn 553 thousand dollars. Any consumers with concerns or complaints should contact the Minnesota Department of Commerce by calling 1-800-657-3602 or by email at consumer-dot-protection-at-state-dot-MN-dot-US.
The suspected driver in one of Madison's most recent high-speed, stolen car chases is a 13-year-old girl. The Dane County Sheriff's Office yesterday said the girl was one of five people who ran from a stolen Kia after they tried to speed away from police in Madison and Monona. The oldest of the people arrested is just 17 years old, the other four are younger. The sheriff says the chase started on the Beltline and ended with a crash near Buckeye Road.
The widow of a Ramsey County deputy no longer has to worry about her mortgage payment thanks to a New York-based non-profit. The Tunnel of Towers Foundation is paying off Jes Edeburn's mortgage. Her husband, Deputy Dallas Edeburn, passed away unexpectedly last August. He was on his way home from work but never arrived. His fellow deputies found him deceased inside of his car on the side of a road the next morning. An autopsy showed he died of myocarditis, which is inflammation in the heart. The couple's son was only five-months-old when Deputy Edeburn passed away.
A man from Bagley is dead after he fell out of a boat in the Mississippi River. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office says 68-year-old Michael Coon was pulled from the river when bystanders saw him struggling in the waters near River of Lakes Campground. Those bystanders undertook life-saving measures until emergency crews could arrive to take over. Coon was taken to a Prairie du Chien hospital where he was pronounced dead. The sheriff’s office says dispatch received a 911 call about a boat floating in the water with no one in it, with a later call saying someone had fallen out of the boat. Coon was not wearing a life preserver when he was discovered.
Republican state lawmakers want greater pricing transparency for hospitals. The bill would allow the Department of Health Services to fine hospitals up to $10,000 per day for failing to follow price transparency requirements. That mirrors federal requirements but would add penalties for non-compliance and require DHS to provide the public with a list of hospitals that violate the requirements. Hospitals would have to provide a list of standard charges for certain items and services. The Wisconsin Hospitals Association says the bill is unnecessary.
It's a chance to own a piece of Milwaukee history. Mears Auctions is selling three of the original County Stadium Racing Sausage costumes. Polish, Brat, and Hotdog are up for sale, for 25 thousand-dollars. The costumes are the ones first used by the Brewers when they debuted the Racing Sausages back in June of 1993. They are starting to show their age; Hotdog is missing one of his glasses and they could use a cleaning.
No comments:
Post a Comment