Area Schools are getting a passing grade from the state when it comes to reading and math. The Department of Public Instruction yesterday released its school and school district report cards. They track how schools across the state did on last year's standardized tests. Durand-Arkansaw, Mondovi, Pepin, and Plum City Schools all met expectations, while Alma and Elmwood exceeded expectations.
The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include a public hearing on the annual budget and the council will also approve that budget tonight, along with reports from the mayor and department heads. Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall.
The Durand-Arkansaw School Board is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include a discussion of the school report cards, a discussion of the school district library plan and reports from the district and building administrators. Tonight's meeting begins at 7pm in the board room at Durand-Arkansaw High School.
UW-Stout is offering automatic admission to most Menomonie High School graduates. The university yesterday said kids who graduate with at least a two-point-five GPA will be accepted, without having to apply. The idea is to get more local kids to choose Stout as their higher education option. The automatic admissions program starts with this year's seniors. In fact, students can start talking to their guidance counselors right now. Stout is the latest UW campus to look to automatic admissions as a way to boost enrollment.
Chippewa County District Attorney says he doesn't have enough facts to make a decision about possible charges for the county's sheriff. DA Wade Newell yesterday wrote to the county's administrator, explaining that he doesn't have enough evidence to make an official misconduct case against Sheriff Travis Hakes. Hakes has faced a wave of criticism for his behavior and his outside job selling guns since he took office earlier this year. The county sent an investigation to the DA for review, but the DA said it's not enough. Hakes continues to say he's done nothing wrong and said the criticism all comes from his political opponents.
A Chetek woman has agreed to plead guilty in an Eau Claire County murder case from last year. Vanessa Ketteman agreed to the plea yesterday. She will be sentenced for felony murder-false imprisonment for her role in the June 2022 shooting death of Eddie Banks. Investigators say Ketterman and two other people lured Banks to a meeting after he failed to deliver 500 dollars worth of drugs. Ketterman says Banks died when he grabbed for the gun and it went off. As part of her deal, Ketterman will have to testify against the other two suspects in the case.
The new overhaul of Wisconsin's liquor laws likely means an end to wedding barns. The legislature yesterday approved a rewrite of the state's depression-era liquor code. In addition to changing some of the rules for breweries, wineries, and liquor distributors, the plan all but puts an end to wedding barns by limiting them to six events per-year, or forcing them to get a liquor license. Supporters say the idea is to ensure safety at wedding barns that have been BYOB for years. Opponents say the Tavern League won, and is essentially erasing competition for local bars and taverns by regulating wedding barns out of business.
Wisconsin is a step closer to having a new baby box law. The State Assembly yesterday unanimously approved a plan that would allow parents to surrender a baby within the first three days. State Representative Ellen Schutt says the plan would allow cities to install a box at a fire station or other city building that is open and staffed 24/7, and allow parents to anonymously surrender a baby. Wisconsin allows parents to turn-over their babies in-person, but this would allow them to do it without having to see someone first. Fifteen other states currently have baby box laws on their books.
The Wisconsin Senate has approved taxpayer funding for American Family Field renovations. It passed on a 19-14 vote, as well as a companion bill to fund the improvements. The bill will return to the Assembly for concurrence, where Speaker Robin Vos says it will be approved. Afterward, the bill will be sent to Governor Tony Evers, who has expressed support for the bill. The bill asks for 375-point-four million dollars from the state, 67-point-5 million each from Milwaukee County and the city of Milwaukee and 150-point-seven million from the Brewers.
The state Department of Natural Resources says Minnesota's deer harvest has dropped this year. About 106-thousand deer have been harvested statewide as of Monday. That's down five-percent from last year and off about 16-percent from the five-year average. Northeastern Minnesota has seen a 17-percent decline in deer registrations from the same period last year, while the northwest region has seen a drop of about six-percent. State officials are blaming some of the decline on a reduction in the number of hunters, with license sales for firearms deer season down by three-percent from last year.
Add this to the worries for Kia and Hyundai drivers in Wisconsin. The car companies are asking owners to park their cars outside until they deal with a looming recall over a fire risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says some Kia and Hyundai models could have a leak in their brake systems, that leak could lead to an electrical short, and that could cause a fire. NHTSA says over three million cars will need to be checked. Hyundai says it's getting ready to send people back to their dealer to get their cars checked, Kia hasn't said just what its plans are.
Open enrollment for Medicare and Affordable Care Act Insurance plans brings scammers out in force. Wisconsin Division of Consumer Protection Director Michael Domke reminds people that Medicare will never call you to demand payment nor will they ask you for information they should already have like your social security number. If you're unsure of who you're talking to, hang up.
There's a recall on cantaloupes in at least 10 states including Wisconsin and Minnesota. The FDA says Sofia Produce is recalling the fruit with the Malichita labels sold between October 16th and October 23rd. Officials say there is the possibility of salmonella contamination. Anyone who has the fruit is being asked to throw it out or return it to the store where it was purchased.
There’ll be no restructuring of Wausau’s high schools in the near future. By a 5-4 vote, the Wausau School Board voted Monday night to stop the current restructuring plan, which involved merging Wausau East and West High Schools by the 2025-26 academic year. The board also chose to stick with keeping the Wausau district’s elementary, middle, and high school structures the same, but to re-evaluate its elementary school structure. That means elementary schools will continue to consist of grades K-through-5, middle schools will consist of grades 6-through-8, and high schools will be grades 9-through-12 for the time being. Some members of the board had favored pushing the original restructuring plans back one year.
Minnesota officials are encouraging everyone to visit a state park the day after Thanksgiving. The Department of Natural Resources has announced that all state parks and recreation areas will be free to enter on Black Friday. Some areas will offer naturalist programs and guided nature walks that day as well. The D-N-R says Minnesota state parks and recreation areas are the perfect places to enjoy the tranquility of nature during the busy holiday season.
The Minnesota man who set a world record earlier this year for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown is preserving the seeds for himself and others. Travis Gienger tells KARE-TV that he plans to keep seeds from the 27-hundred and 49-pound pumpkin for his own use and send some to pumpkin clubs that request them. The rest he plans to sell to other growers for 275-dollars each. Gienger says there's no telling if the seeds will produce another record-setter, but adds that one of the seeds could produce the world's first three-thousand-pound pumpkin
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