Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Local-Regional News Sept 6

The Pepin County Health Department is looking for nonprofit partners in the county to help improve the quality of life.  The department has initiated the Pepin County Community Together Grant Program.  According to Pepin County Health Officer Heidi Stewart, the program will give grants of up to $20,000 to nonprofit groups focusing on three areas.  Stewart encourages all nonprofit groups, and municipalities to submit grant applications at the Pepin County Website.  Application Deadline is October 1st.


One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident in Clifton Township on Saturday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 57yr old Linnea Dewitt of Cottage Grove was traveling southbound on Hwy F  and while making a left-hand turn, struck a vehicle driven by 73yr old Michael Sass of Hudson.  Dewitt was transpoted to Hudson Hospital.


Motorists on Hwy 25 between Nelson and Wabasha may experience delays over the next 8 weeks as The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is addressing deteriorating pavement and other issues.  Crews will be replacing existing damaged pavement, adding centerline and shoulder rumble strips, and other road work.  During construction, WIS 25 will remain open to traffic, but motorists might encounter single-lane closures controlled by flagging.  That project is expected to be completed by late October.


 Eau Claire County's administrator will keep her job, for now. The county board met behind closed doors for three hours last night to talk about Administrator Kathryn Schauf's future. She faced criticism for how she handled the investigation into the county's Human Services department, specifically the claim in the sheriff's report that she told county employees not to speak with investigators. County supervisors voted after that closed-door meeting to 'take no further action' on Schauf's future at this point. 


It's prison time for an Eau Claire drug dealer who sold the fentanyl that killed another man. A judge yesterday sentenced Trenton Wik to 20 years in prison. Investigators say Wik sold a man what he claimed to be heroin. That man sold the drugs to a third man, who then overdosed. The victim was found dead in a car in Eau Claire in December of 2020. Wik will spend 10 years on parole once he has served his time. 


 Republican lawmakers at the Wisconsin Capitol are taking their first step toward another multi-billion dollar tax cut today. An Assembly Committee will hear testimony about the three billion-dollar tax cut that lawmakers proposed last week. The package would lower taxes for most taxpayers in the state and would end the state's tax on 150 thousand dollars worth of retirement income. Republicans say that would make Wisconsin essentially tax-free for most retirees. Governor Evers vetoed the Republicans' last tax cut plan. He's not said yet just what he plans to do with this one. 


 Residents of Minnesota should be on the lookout for any mail from Montana.  It may have your income tax rebate check.  Minnesota rebate checks are being mailed from a vendor called Submittable Holdings, which is based in Missoula, Montana.  The Department of Revenue is using the vendor because it is currently busy with property tax refunds.  Minnesota Department of Revenue spokesperson Ryan Brown says the department doesn't have enough resources to distribute both payments at the same time. 


 Organizers of the Minnesota State Fair are blaming hot temperatures over the Labor Day weekend for a drop in overall attendance.  Numbers released yesterday showed that just over one point-eight million visitors came to the fair during its 12-day run.  Attendance on Saturday, Sunday, and Labor Day Monday was down more than 25 percent compared to last year.  That left the fair about six thousand people short of last year's overall attendance figure.  The numbers were still good enough to give this year's event the sixth-highest overall attendance in state fair history.


People, as opposed to businesses, would pay the most under the pricing plan from We Energies. The utility is asking state regulators for an across-the-board rate hike for next year. The plan would hike residential rates by over 14 percent, increase the price for small businesses by just over 11 percent, and charge manufacturers and other large businesses nearly 10 percent more. We Energies says the rate hikes are necessary to keep up with costs and to pay for the transition to greener energies. Advocates say people in Wisconsin shouldn't be asked to subsidize the state's big businesses. 


The first of Wisconsin's fall hunting seasons begins today. The state's Department of Natural Resources says bear hunting season is now underway. There are three zones where hunters are allowed to use dogs to help in the hunt and three zones in the state where they are not. Bear hunting season runs until October 10th. The DNR says this should be a 'quality hunting season' this fall. 


There are questions about the pier at the UW Student Union that collapsed and spilled dozens of people into Lake Monona. UW-Madison Police say 25 students were hurt, though none of them seriously. Witnesses say the pier was packed with people enjoying yesterday's sun when all of a sudden it gave way. The university says there weren't any lifeguards at the pier at the time. Many of the people who went into the water either swam to shore or climbed back up on the remaining pieces of the pier. The university is looking into the collapse. 


A drone caught two teens allegedly throwing rocks onto a highway in Fitchburg.  Police there say during the late night hours of August 15th, 16th, and 19th, they received reports of rocks being thrown and dropped from a railroad bridge down onto State Highway 14.  Monday, the department dispatched a drone to the area of the incidents and located two boys on the bridge, with one allegedly throwing rocks onto the highway.  Officers arrived at the scene and arrested the 15-year-old boy, while another 15-year-old boy at the scene tried to run away and hide but was found nearby and arrested. Police say at least 18 vehicles were damaged during three rock-throwing incidents, with two people suffering minor injuries from them as well. 


The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating after multiple cases of illness were linked to milk produced at a Morrison County farm.  Officials say the raw milk from Health Harvest Farm and Kitchen in Hillman has sickened multiple people, including four children under ten-years-old.  The milk is not pasteurized and may be labeled as natural A-2 milk.  The agency is encouraging anyone who recently purchased milk from the farm to discard it.  Health officials are also asking anyone who became sick after drinking the milk to contact the state health department.


A reward for information about a northern Iowa news anchor who went missing nearly three decades ago is being increased.  Private investigator Steve Ridge announced Monday that the reward being offered in the case of Jodi Huisentruit has been upped to 50-thousand dollars.  Huisentruit was on her way to work at a Mason City TV station in 1995 when she disappeared.  Ridge says tips about the news anchor increased when a 25-thousand-dollar reward was announced in February, and he hopes the new amount will generate even more leads.


The Governor of Minnesota is calling a special session to clarify a controversial new law on student restraints.  Some law enforcement officials say the law change is causing confusion and it prevents techniques that can improve safety. Tim Walz says he's open to anything that provides a solution to the problems. His comments come after the state's largest school district, Anoka-Hennepin, removed most of its school resource officers over concerns about the law. 

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is seeking volunteers to join its corps of certified hunter education instructors.  For more information about becoming a volunteer instructor or applying, visit the DNR website.   

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