Recently, Dunn County has tested nearly 1000 water wells for water quality. According to a report from the county 14 town hall water wells tested positive for Pfas while 128 private wells had arsenic, 113 showed nitrate concentrations at or above the limits considered safe and 50 wells had unhealthy levels of manganese. Everyone whose wells were tested received information on the testing and those whose wells were flagged for having unhealthy water received information on the Wisconsin DNR's water conservation program, which provides financial assistance to those with contaminated wells.
Pepin County is once again partnering with the Salvation Army to raise money through the Red Kettle program. Pepin County Chief Deputy Matt Roesler says that 80 percent of the money raised stays in Pepin County. Red Kettles are usually set up at Durand Fresh Market along with other locations in Pepin and during special events in the county. This year Roesler is hoping to have kettles set up during the Durand Holidazzle Parade.
Xcel Energy is blaming a squirrel for yesterday's power outage on Eau Claire's south side. It happened yesterday morning. Crews say the squirrel 'came into contact' with equipment at a substation. The outage left about 43-hundred people in the dark, but also knocked out the lights to some major stores like Target, Walmart, and the Oak Wood Mall.
Xcel Energy says an equipment issue has shut down the Prairie Island nuclear plant near Red Wing. The Star Tribune reports the outage hasn't affect electric service, but it could drive up fuel costs on customers' monthly bills. Xcel spokesman Kevin Coss says one of two units at the plant shut itself off on October 19th. That happened shortly after the second unit was powered down for refueling and maintenance. Coss said "all power plants experience outages from time to time, and Prairie Island is no different." The electricity-generating units are expected to be back up and running by January.
A search involving agencies from Minnesota and Wisconsin continues to look for a missing Goodhue County man. Brad Nagel has not been seen since last Wednesday. The 57-year-old Nagel's truck was found Sunday near a boat landing on the Wisconsin Channel. His cell phone record shows Nagel was pinged close to the landing Wednesday night. Water and drone patrols have been conducted on the Mississippi River in the area, but these have turned up no clues. The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is joining in the search for Nagel this weekend. Anyone with information on Nagel's whereabouts should contact the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office at 651-385-3155.
Olmsted County is renewing an effort to create more affordable housing. The county's Housing and Redevelopment Authority approved new guidelines for the Growing Affordable Inclusive Neighborhoods program Tuesday. The program was launched in 2021, using American Rescue Plan Act funding to offer down-payment assistance loans. The idea only generated one project, so now it's being retooled. The program will focus more on builders and developers, in hopes of creating more homes that cost less than 350-thousand dollars.
A Winona County dairy farm will not be allowed to expand after a decision by a county judge earlier this week. The judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by members of the Daley family, which has operated the farm near Lewiston for more than 150 years. The family filed a lawsuit against the county after it denied a variance to expand the farm to support around 45-hundred cows. An attorney for the family says they are disappointed with the decision and plan to appeal.
The latest challenge to Wisconsin's wolf management plan accuses the Department of Natural Resources of giving hunters, trappers, and farmers too much say. The animal rights group, The Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance, filed a lawsuit this week. The suit accuses the DNR of having private meetings with hunting groups and farmers, and giving too much emphasis to their wants and wishes with the new wolf plan. They are also claiming open meetings act violations. Wisconsin's new wolf plan all but eliminates wolf hunting in the state, but the Wildlife Alliance says it overplays the dangers of a restored wolf population in the state.
Minnesota is one of several Canadian Border States preparing for border crossings by wild pigs. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is taking public comment on its website through November 28th, and is working with other state agencies to develop a plan to stop the spread of the feral pigs into Minnesota. The University of Saskatewan says wild pig distribution in Canada has reached the invasive species range.
A couple firearm incidents from gun deer hunting activity in Wisconsin led to injuries. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reports that a 53-year-old man was adjusting his rifle sling while walking to his tree stand when he accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself in the foot Saturday morning in the Forest County town of Argonne. The man was sent to a nearby hospital and treated for his gunshot wound. The following morning in the Adams County town of Big Flatts, a 62-year-old man shot at a dog he believed was an antlerless deer on private property. The man’s bullet hit a 47-year-old woman who was walking the dog in the abdomen. The wounded woman was transported by way of Med Flight to a hospital. The DNR is still investigating that incident.
A proposal giving more leeway to prosecutors seeking sexual assault charges has been resurrected. Republican Senator Andre Jacque introduced the bill, extending the statute of limitations from ten years to 20. The lawmaker says the 20-year-limit has been enacted in other states and was approved in the Wisconsin Senate last year - but stalled in the Assembly.
Cantaloupes sold in Wisconsin are linked to salmonella infections. The Wisconsin Department of Health says four people in four counties at minimum have gotten salmonella. Two of them had to be hospitalized. Some whole fresh cantaloupes sold between October 16 and 23, and ALDI cantaloupe and pineapple spears with best buy dates between October 27 and 31 are recalled. The department of health says any of the fruit, including any frozen for future use, should be thrown out.
Victims of the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack were remembered Tuesday. The city dedicated a memorial on Main Street to remember the six people killed and dozens hurt when an SUV was driven into the parade route two years earlier. A fundraiser to help pay for the memorial is selling customized clay tiles that will be incorporated into a larger parade memorial to be dedicated next November.
The Minnesota State Patrol will be increasing patrols to help catch drunk and impaired drivers during the holiday season. The agency announced an increased enforcement effort yesterday that will last through New Year's Eve. More than 300 law enforcement agencies around the state will be part of the effort. Officials are asking Minnesotans to avoid driving and arrange for rides home if they plan to drink or use cannabis during the holiday season.
An Eau Claire bride-to-be will never forget her proposal, and she has some police body cam footage to remember it by. Eau Claire Police helped with a proposal yesterday. Officers pulled Troy Goldschmidt over near the Pablo Center. As they were getting to handcuff him, he dropped to a knee and pulled out a ring. He asked his fiance, Moriah Prichard, to marry him. Goldschmidt says he got the idea after Moriah lost her phone in Eau Claire a few months ago, and one of the officers involved in the proposal helped her track it down. You can watch the whole thing on the Eau Claire PD's social media pages.
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