Thursday, September 14, 2023

Local-Regional News Sept 14

 6 people were hurt after a 5 vehicle accident just north of Fountain City on Wednesday.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, a vehicle traveling southbound on Hwy 35 just north of Fountain City, crossed the center line and struck a northbound vehicle head-on, causing three other vehicles to crash.  Two people had to be airlifted to area hospitals and the remaining injured were transported by ambulance.  Hwy 35 was closed in both directions for over 4 hours.  The cause of that accident remains under investigation.


The Durand-Arkansaw School Board has approved selling the OC Hansen Park land to a developer.  At last night's board meeting, the Durand FFA had a proposal to turn the vacant land into an orchard, but the board felt that the project would not be feasible.  The district will now sell the land to a developer and its hoped 4 multi-family homes can be built on the property.  The land was returned to the school district by the city of Durand after the proposed dog park was turned down and the city decided not to have any sort of park on the property.


Businesses and residents that live on Madison Street between 8th Avenue West to 2nd Avenue East are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on the reconstruction of Madison Street on October 2nd.  The informal meeting will answer questions and explain the general project and engineers will be available to talk with individuals.   That meeting will be from 4:30-6:30 at Durand City Hall on October 2nd.


Eau Claire Schools are once again looking for subs. The school district yesterday said it has a shortage of substitute teachers. This is nothing new, Eau Claire Schools have had the same shortage for years. Last year the district gave subs a raise, up to 160 dollars per-day to fill-in. Still, the district says there are not enough subs to cover all of their empty classrooms. 


A Minnesota city will return land that contains 11 burial mounds to a local indigenous community.  Lake City leaders voted earlier this week to return three acres of land inside the city limits to the Prairie Island Indian Community.  The effort began nearly a year ago and required approvals from the tribal council, the planning commission, and the city council.  The city attorney will now prepare a deed to transfer the land to the Prairie Island community.


With the upcoming bow deer season this weekend, the DNR is reminding residents and landowners in Pepin, Buffalo, Dunn, Trempealeau, and Eau Claire Counties that a feeding ban remains in place.   The bans are part of the DNR's attempt to slow and stop the spread of CWD in the state Deer Heard.   Meanwhile, the DNR did confirm deer in Washburn County tested positive for Chronic Waste Disease. This means there will be a baiting and feeding ban in Sawyer, Barron, and Rusk counties.  Visit the DNR website for a complete list of counties under a feeding ban.


Gas prices in Minnesota are expected to start dropping soon after an unexpected spike over the last week.  Gas price website GasBuddy says unexpected refinery shutdowns led to a jump of 30 to 40 cents per gallon around the state.  Regulations that allow the sale of winter-blend gasoline will go into effect this weekend.  Analysts say that will help push gas prices lower, as petroleum companies already have winter-blend gasoline in stock and ready to deliver.


Two people are dead and three others are recovering after a crash in Polk County. The State Patrol says the crash happened yesterday afternoon on Highway 8, near Turtle Lake. Troopers say three cars were involved. The dead are identified as a 92-year-old woman from Texas and a 66-year-old man from Deer Park. Troopers say the cause of the crash remains under investigation. 


 Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol say Republicans cannot be trusted to draw the state's new political maps.  Yesterday in Eau Claire, the top Democrat in the Wisconsin Senate, Melissa Agard, said Democrats in the state would welcome a commission to draw the next electoral map for the state, but she says that commission has to be fair.  Democrats oppose the part of the plan that would have republican legislators select the commission members and then any maps drawn would have to be approved by the legislature. Agard said Republicans cannot be trusted to be fair with the state's maps.  The top Republican in the Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday suggested a commission draw the next map, as a way to avoid a legal fight and possible impeachment of the state's newest Supreme Court justice. Republicans will vote on that commission plan later today. 


There are charges for a Burnett County teen accused of shooting and killing his step-brother. The D.A. in Meenon yesterday filed reckless homicide charges against Ashton Heier of Siren. Investigators say he shot his stepbrother in the chest earlier this month. Heier says he fired in self defense after his step-brother came after him with a baseball bat. A judge ordered Heier held on 50-thousand dollars cash bond. He's due back in court next month. 


An attorney from Reedsburg was sentenced to prison after stealing over a million dollars from a client.   The U.S. Attorney’s Office says their investigation showed in June of 2019, Kristin Lein allegedly began transferring money from accounts belonging to the client’s trust accounts to her own personal bank account.  The amount taken from the accounts was reported to total over $1.6 million.  Officials say Lein, who pleaded guilty in June to multiple charges including wire fraud and money laundering, used the funds to pay personal expenses.  The 61-year-old Lein was sentenced for 45 months in prison. 


State hunters can help the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources with a study on deer density.   The agency says the study will explore several processes for assessing small-scale deer density, using such data sources as trail cameras and GPS-collared deer.  DNR officials say that all licensed gun hunters can apply to participate in a two-day gun deer hunt connected to the study.  It’ll happen December 9th and 10th at the Sandhill Wildlife Area in Babcock.  The deadline for applications is October 13th.  More details on what the DNR calls a “unique gun deer hunting opportunity” can be found by clicking the “News” tab on the DNR website.


One of the women convicted in the 2014 Slender Man stabbing case will be losing her GPS monitor.   A Waukesha County Circuit Court judge Monday signed an order to have the device that Anissa Weier was required to wear since 2021 removed.  Weier joined Morgan Geyser in luring Payton Leutner to a Waukesha park where Leutner was stabbed 19 times by Geyser while Weier urged her on. Weier was sent to a psychiatric facility after pleading guilty for her participation in the incident but was granted conditional release to live with her father and ordered to wear a GPS monitor in 2021.   Geyser, who was sentenced to 40 years in a mental institution for her part in the stabbing, is expected to file a petition for conditional release next year.


Minnesota's attorney general is looking into medical billing practices after complaints that healthcare providers are putting profits ahead of patients.  Attorney General Keith Ellison was in Rochester yesterday as part of his investigation into the billing practices of Allina Health System and the Mayo Clinic.  Some speakers at yesterday's listening session criticized insurers and providers for denying treatment and services to lower-income patients.  Ellison said that there are costs associated with medical services, but that life-and-death treatment shouldn't depend on whether a patient owes money to a medical provider.


A non-partisan organization is filing a petition in the Minnesota Supreme Court to keep Former President Trump off the ballot. Massachusetts non-profit Free Speech for People is arguing that Trump is constitutionally ineligible under Section three of the Fourteenth Amendment. The amendment disqualifies from public office any individual who has taken an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution but then engages in insurrection or rebellion against the United States. The argument is being made based on the January 6th Capitol riot. 


 Falls are a leading cause of injury and death in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services finds emergency medical services responded to more than 130-thousand falls statewide last year--the top injury responded to. That's a 22-percent increase since 2019. The state health department says putting grab bars in the bathroom and clearing trip hazards in walkways are easy ways to reduce the chance of a fatal fall.

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