Monday, September 18, 2023

Local-Regional News Sept 18

 One person was killed in an ATV accident in River Falls Township last Wednesday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 55-year-old Douglas Green was operating an ATV on Private Property when the ATV rolled down an embankment, trapping Greene underneath the machine.   Greene was pronounced dead at the scene by the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office.  


The Durand-Arkansaw School District will continue to explore the possibility of developing an early learning center.  The center would provide not only early learning services but also daycare services.  Duurand-Arkansaw School Superintendent Greg Doverspike says the project won't be happening anytime soon.  Another factor in the project will be community interest.  Doverspike says he expects the district to send out surveys to residents asking for their input and interest.


One person was arrested after returning to the scene of a hit-and-run accident in Independence on Saturday.  According to the Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department, deputies were called to the Welcome Bar in Independences after a male driver fled the scene of a hit and run.  While units were responding additional calls came in that the driver had returned and had a firearm.  He was arrested and no firearm was found.  Two people were injured in the incident and that case is still under investigation.


Dunn County has transferred a popular park to the town of Sand Creek.  The park has been in operation for nearly 50yrs and the town had been turned the park over to Dunn County in 1973 to have it developed into a serviceable park.  The park now includes more than 50 campsites and has been maintained since 2005 by the town of Sand Creek.    The resolution transferring the park back to Sand Creek includes a stipulation that it will remain a park.  The official name of the park is now Myron Park.


The conduct of a Chippewa County employee will be the subject of a county board meeting tomorrow night.  The Leader-Telegram reports officials will be in a closed session to go over personal or other histories of the employee and involves concerns brought forward "by a specific county employee."  Leaders noted it's unclear if an investigation into the matter will come to an end during the meeting.  The employee at the heart of tomorrow's meeting was also the subject of another meeting in June.  The newspaper also reported Chippewa County is using the same law firm Eau Claire County used for a recent investigation.


An Interstate 90 rest area in Olmsted County that was scheduled to reopen last Friday will be closed for another week.  The Minnesota Department of Transportation says exterior improvements at the Marion Rest Area are still being finished.  The rest area is about three miles west of the Highway 42 exit to Eyota.  Work should be finished by this Friday.


An escapee from a Wisconsin prison has been recaptured in Virginia. Alexandria police say 38-year-old Dustin Bone was taken into custody Friday while behind the wheel of a stolen car. Officers used License Plate Reader (LPR) Technology to locate the vehicle. Bone was serving a seven-year prison term for armed robbery when he broke out of the Sanger B. Powers Correctional Center in Oneida last Monday. He is being held, pending extradition.  The city of Mondovi is considering installing two cameras with License Plate Reader Technology.


 It's unclear if anybody was hurt after a tanker truck rolled over in Eau Claire County.  It happened yesterday north of Fairchild in the area of County Road H and Oak Road.  The Sheriff's Office says the tanker truck rolled onto its side, leading to a spill of diesel fuel.  Crews were called out to clean up the mess, while sheriff's officials noted the area would be closed for "an extended period of time."  A Facebook post didn't provide any indication of when the area would reopen.


State lawmakers are considering a measure aimed at increasing enrollment in driver's education courses.  A proposed bill would devote six million dollars to covering the course fees for students who get free and reduced lunch.  Officials say the costs of classes lead many young people to wait until they are 18 years old to get their licenses when they are no longer required to take formal training.  The legislation is co-sponsored by Republican State Representative Bob Donovan and some Democrat lawmakers.


Northern Lights may be visible in Minnesota tonight.  The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said on social media that a geomagnetic storm on Monday and Tuesday is increasing the possibility of Northern Lights.  The best time to watch will be from 10 p.m. today till 4 a.m. tomorrow.  

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A one-time nurse at a Janesville hospital was sentenced to prison Thursday.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Dawn Drum withdrew fentanyl from vials of the opioid in an automated dispensing system at the hospital where she worked.  Drum then replaced the fentanyl in those vials with saline before resealing the vial stopper with what appeared to be superglue and returning the tampered vials into the dispenser for use with other patients. The federal office adds that when the 54-year-old Drum was confronted by hospital management and asked to take a drug test, Drum resigned from her position.  Drum was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of product tampering. 


Minnesota utility regulators are standing by their earlier decision to approve a smaller electricity rate increase than Xcel Energy requested.  The state Public Utilities Commission voted five-0 against reconsidering the June decision, without allowing any comments by Xcel or other parties.  Xcel had been asking for a hike of 440 million dollars but regulators a proposing a 306 million dollar increase.  The next case for Xcel, if it chooses to continue to fight the PUC ruling, is to take its case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.


Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Thursday afternoon that the University of Wisconsin System “will never get another nickel out of the Legislature” unless it cuts diversity, equity, and inclusion programming. Vos responded in a statement to the Daily Cardinal after the paper reported that UW-Madison Vice Chancellor for student affairs Lori Reesor confirmed DEI positions would not be cut during a Wednesday meeting with student government.  Republicans on the Legislature’s budget committee cut $32 million from the UW System’s 2023-25 state budget and tied that to the elimination of 188 DEI positions. Democratic Governor Tony Evers used a partial veto to let UW officials absorb the cut as they see fit.


The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says two new invasive insect species have been spotted in Minnesota.  The agency announced yesterday that the elm seed bug and the Asiatic garden beetle were seen by homeowners in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area last month.  The elm seed bug is described as a nuisance insect much like the box elder bug.  The Asiatic garden beetle can be more damaging, as it is known to feed on more than 100 kinds of plants.  Anyone who spots the insects is asked to contact the Department of Agriculture so they can monitor the spread of the two species.


Waukesha’s switch from groundwater to Lake Michigan water has been delayed.   That transition, which was supposed to begin this week, has been delayed to October 9th.  The Waukesha Water Utility says the hold-up is due to a programming issue with new water pumps during startup testing.  The utility also chose to completely drain and re-fill their above-ground reservoirs to lessen the chance of having any strange colors or smells in the water after the switchover.  The city of Waukesha needed to move away from its groundwater-based water system due to its elevated levels of contaminants.


A sunken ship was recently found off the coast of Lake Michigan in northeast Wisconsin.   Back in July, researchers found the 19th century schooner, the Trinidad, about 250 feet below the surface of the lake about 10 miles off the coast of Algoma.  The 140-foot-long ship was built in 1867 to haul grain, coal, and iron between the Midwest and the Northeast. The boat sank in 1881, but the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association reports that shipwreck hunters found the ship "remarkably intact."  

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