Durand Police and the Pepin County Sheriffs' Department have announced the release of a sex offender back into the community. 67yr old Willam Hartung will be released from prison on August 8th and will be returned to Pepin County. Hartung will be homeless at the time of his release. His release will also require him to wear a GPS monitor to keep his whereabouts known. If Hartung is able to find housing, his address will be released by authorities.
There are now criminal charges against the Pepin County man who had dozens of dogs at his home. The D.A. in Durand filed charges against Bradley Richardson of Arkansaw. Deputies and animal rescuers took 87 dogs from his property back in June. The charges say Richardson didn't properly care for the dogs, including not giving them proper food, water, or kennels. Richardson is due in court next month to face the charges.
One person is in custody after a burglary and fire at a home in the Town of Arcadia. According to the Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department, on Monday, deputies responded to a burglary in progress at the home on Fox Street. Upon arrival, it was discovered the suspect, 23yr old Brandon Cruz had broken into the home, places combustible materials on a stovetop and caused a fire, and then entered a detached building and stole an all-terrain vehicle. Information was relayed to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, and they were able to locate the ATV and Cruz and take him into custody. He has been charged with burglary, arson, and damage to property.
One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident in River Falls Township on Tuesday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 28yr old Brady Schommer of River Falls was traveling westbound on 880th Avenue when he struck a motorcycle traveling northbound on 920th Street being driven by 73yr old Lawrence Waters of River Falls. Waters was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
On Tuesday, communities across the area celebrated National Night Out, a time for families to get to know the law enforcement officers, firefighters, and medical teams that are sworn to protect them every day. Here in Durand, people enjoyed a picnic, along with displays from Durand Police, Pepin County Sheriff, Wisconsin State Patrol, and DNR along with Pepin County Health and Durand Fire and Ambulance. National Night Out events were also held in Menomonie, Mondovi, Wabasha Elk Mound, and Osseo,
Eau Claire is looking at another school bus driver shortage. Eau Claire Student Transit yesterday said they are 13 drivers short. That's more than in recent years, and it means that some kids may face longer waits. Schools across Wisconsin have faced a driver shortage for years, and it is not getting better. Student Transit's David Myers says they will modify their routes this year. That could mean either a long wait time on the bus or a longer wait time for the bus. Eau Claire parents should get their kids' bus stop information in the next few weeks.
Madison's congressman wants the Capitol security video of western Wisconsin's congressman yelling at some Senate pages last week. Democratic Congressman Mark Pocan yesterday asked to see the video of Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden's outburst. Van Orden admitted that he yelled at the pages for taking pictures in the Capitol. He defended his actions as respecting the Capitol building. Pocan yesterday called Van Orden's behavior potential 'verbal harassment and physical intimidation.' Pocan's request actually went to another Wisconsin congressman, Bryan Steil, who oversees the House Committee on Administration.
Wisconsin's Supreme Court is now a liberal one. Justice Janet Protasiewicz took her oath yesterday and became the newest member of the court. She picked up where she left off when campaigning, telling a crowd at the Capitol that she wants a Wisconsin where freedoms are protected, and where everyone is afforded equal justice. Republicans criticized Protasiewicz for her overly-political campaign for the high court. She made abortion and LGBTQ rights a centerpiece of her campaign. Protasiewicz now shifts the court from a 4-3 conservative majority to a 4-3 liberal majority. It's the first time Wisconsin's court has leaned liberal in a decade.
Wolves would remain off-limits to hunters and trappers in Wisconsin unless and until the state's wolf population hits a healthy threshold. The Department of Natural Resources yesterday updated the state's wolf management plan by adding population ranges. The plan wants to keep the state's wolf numbers between 800 and one-thousand wolves. If the numbers dip below 800, the state wants more protections. If the wolf numbers top one thousand, the DNR would be open to hunting and trapping again.
Recreational marijuana is now officially legal in Minnesota. State Governor Tim Walz signed the bill earlier this year, and it officially went into effect on Tuesday. While a state system for recreational cannabis dispensaries is still being established at this time, Minnesotans can now legally grow up to eight cannabis plants in their homes and can gift small amounts of the plant to others. With the exception of one dispensary at the Red Lake Reservation, officials say it will be a minimum of one year until dispensaries are operational.
The Mega Millions jackpot is growing again. No one won last night's one-billion-dollar jackpot. Lottery managers say that means Friday's jackpot will be worth one-point-two billion. The odds of winning are about one-in-303 million. A one-point-two billion-dollar jackpot would mean a 625 million-dollar lump sum, before taxes.
It's time again for food, rides, music, and more food. The Buffalo County Fair opens tomorrow in Mondovi and The Wisconsin State Fair opens at the State Fairgrounds in West Allis. State Fair managers say there are a few new wrinkles at the fair this year, but the big draws remain the same. Alabama, REO Speedwagon, and Ludacris are among the headliners at this year's fair. Tickets and a full State Fair concert schedule are both available online The State Fair runs through August 13th.
A Milwaukee County judge has tossed out a lawsuit challenging private funding of get-out-the-vote efforts. WisPolitics reports Judge Hannah Dugan ruled that the Republican-backed lawsuit failed to show what harm was caused by outside funding of voting initiatives, or if that funding unfairly influenced campaigns. Republicans argued the funding behind the Milwaukee Votes 2022 program was targeting cities that typically vote for Democrats. The judge rejected that claim and said that Republicans were complaining about people with different political views than theirs trying to vote. Dugan said that's democracy.
A one-time teacher in Tomah will be sentenced for sex crimes against a student. The Monroe County District Attorney’s office announced Monday a jury convicted Anne Nelson-Koch on charges stemming from repeated sexual assaults of a 14-year-old male student in the basement of a private school in Tomah during the 2016-2017 school year. Sentencing for the 74-year-old Nelson-Koch is scheduled for October. The charges carry over 600 years of prison time. Nelson-Koch was released to the community with GPS monitoring pending her sentencing.
A judge in Waukesha says Wisconsin's guidance for how to handle military ballots is lacking, but he also said a lawsuit against the state's election commission over military ballots cannot stand. Judge Michael Maxwell on Friday dismissed the lawsuit from state Rep. Janel Brandtjen over three military ballots mailed to her house. The judge says Brandtjen should have sued Milwaukee's election office, and not the Wisconsin Elections Commission. A now-former Milwaukee election manager sent Brandtjen three military ballots under three fake names to highlight a loophole in the state's military voter law. The judge says while there is a need for the Elections Commission to clarify how local clerks should handle military ballots, he said he cannot order the Elections Commission to do that.
Governor Tony Evers is condemning a Nazi group’s appearance at a Pride event over the weekend. The governor on Monday released a statement condemning Nazis who showed up at the annual “Pride in the Park” event in Watertown on Saturday. Evers cites the Watertown Daily Times which reported a dozen members of Neo-Nazi group The Blood Tribe waved swastika flags, gave the Nazi salute and yelled homophobic rhetoric. Evers called it “a disgusting and direct attack” on the LGBTQ community, communities of color, and Jewish Wisconsinites. The governor said such messages, symbols, or groups are unacceptable and unwelcome in Wisconsin.
Vice President Kamala Harris is headed to Wisconsin this week. The vice president has two Thursday appearances scheduled. Accompanied by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo (ra-MUNDO), Harris will talk up the Biden administration's broadband and affordable connectivity efforts during a stop in Pleasant Prairie. She's then due to be in Milwaukee where she'll deliver remarks at two campaign receptions, according to a White House official. The campaign stops in Wisconsin are the first for Harris in the 2024 election cycle.
There are literally millions more fish in Lake Michigan thanks to the state of Wisconsin. The Department of Natural Resources yesterday released the tally from its 2023 fish stocking. Wisconsin added over two-and-a-half million fish to the lake this year. That includes over a million Chinook salmon, and a half-million rainbow trout. Wisconsin also added over 370 thousand fish to Lake Superior. Most of those were brown trout and walleye.
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