During a special meeting of the Durand City Council last night, the council passed a motion to increase funding for the Tarrant Park Pool from $725,000 to $1 million. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says with the extra city money and a significant donation from Bauer Built there is now enough money to build a basic pool. Durand Builders had a low bid for the basic pool. The Durand Swim Club and the City are still hoping to raise an additional $400,000 to add all of the amenities for the pool. If the city signs the construction contract in December, construction of the new pool will begin in 2024 with an opening in 2025.
At the Capitol, the legislation would help establish regional mental health crisis centers. 29th Representative Clint Moses said putting people in crisis in a squad car for a drive to Winnebago Mental Health Institute near Oshkosh is not good. Ten million dollars has already been budgeted for the crisis centers, which would allow voluntary or emergency detention for up to five days without patients having to be transported to Winnebago.
A judge in Olmsted County is denying a request to lower the bond of a former Mayor Clinic doctor accused of murdering his wife. Connor Fitzgerald Bowman was arrested for second-degree murder last month after an investigation into the death of his wife Betty. Investigators believe Bowman poisoned his wife using a drug commonly used to treat gout. Bowman's lawyer asked for the bond to be lowered to 300-thousand dollars yesterday, but the judge overseeing the case refused citing concern for public safety and the possibility that Bowman could be a flight risk. His next court hearing is scheduled for January.
A 58-year-old western Wisconsin man trapped inside a grain bin died Tuesday. The Barron County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened just south of Barron. After the man was pulled from the bin, he died at the scene despite life-saving measures. The sheriff’s office didn’t release the victim’s name, nor did they say how the man became stuck in the grain bin.
The lawyer for the missing murder suspect from Eau Claire is leaving the case. Attorney Michael Cohen yesterday told the judge that he hasn't heard from Shane Helmbrecht, and said Helmbrecht has run out of money. Helmbrecht has been missing since he left a halfway house in Tomah back in September. He was last seen in New Mexico. A judge in Eau Claire has ordered Helmbrecht to come back to the state and issued a warrant for his arrest. When, or if he comes back, Helmbrecht will likely be assigned a court-appointed attorney.
Prosecutors in Chippewa Falls are moving ahead with charges against a man who they say tried to have sex with a 15-year-old. The DA's office says 39-year-old Brian Anderson reached out to someone online who he thought was a teenage girl and asked her for sex. Anderson says the whole thing was a scam aimed at extorting money from him. Prosecutors say Anderson told the person he was 'okay' with having sex with a 15-year-old. He's been charged with using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.
An elderly former teacher from Tomah is headed to prison for ten-years for the abuse of a teenage boy at a private school. A judge this week sentenced 74-year-old Anne Nelson-Koch to a decade behind bars. Investigators say she repeatedly sexually abused a 14-year-old boy in the basement of a Tomah private school during the 2016-2017 school year. Following her prison term, she will spend 15 years on probation.
If Wisconsin's deer harvest numbers are down this year, blame the snow. The DNR yesterday said deer numbers could be down for the 2023 hunting seasons. Deer specialist Jeff Pritzl says he'd be surprised if hunters had the same luck as they did last year. He says Wisconsin usually has snow on the ground for hunting season, and that makes it much easier to track them. Last year, hunters bagged 203 thousand deer. That's eight percent above the state's five-year average.
The State Assembly's elections committee had a hearing Thursday on a bill to protect poll workers. The measure would increase protections for election workers and polling places. Rock County Clerk Lisa Tollefson said she appreciates the offer of security. But Tollefson said other parts of the bill need work, including prohibiting the release of poll worker information. She said some of that information is public record and available in other ways.
Wisconsin could get 229-million dollars to help fund more than 319-thousand children in daycares. The funding is part of an emergency request to Congress by the Biden Administration after pandemic daycare funding ended. Biden is proposing 16-billion-dollars to help daycares pay staff and keep costs lower for parents. 80-percent of daycare centers in the U-S received the pandemic funding, which ended September 30th. The Wisconsin Legislature rejected a special session called by Governor Tony Evers in September. After that, Evers announced 170-million dollars in emergency funding to help lower childcare costs.
Wednesday marked the start of the statewide energy moratorium that ensures heat stays on for every home in Wisconsin. From now until April 15, state law prevents utility companies from disconnecting at homes that fall behind on their bills. Chris Ouellette with Xcel Energy encourages everyone to pay as much as they can but said bills tend to spike in the winter. Customers who are struggling should reach out to their utility to make payment arrangements. Ouellette also said to be extra vigilant about scam calls in the wintertime. Xcel will never call you and demand money to keep your power on.
Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol are trying to get a new abortion law in place ahead of the case heading to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Madison State Representative Francesca Hong and Madison State Senator Kelda Roys yesterday introduced what they are calling the Reproductive Freedom Act. It would roll back Wisconsin's near-total ban on abortions, as well as end the requirement that abortion providers be able to admit patients to hospitals if need be, and require that pregnancy resources centers in the state also tell women about abortions. Hong says the idea is to get politicians out of the way for women. None of the plans are expected to pass the Republican-controlled legislature. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will likely decide about Wisconsin's abortion law going forward.
Add this to the list of places Jimmy Hoffa is buried. A team of cold case experts is out with a report that says Hoffa is buried in the parking lot of the Milwaukee Brewers' ballpark. The group, The Case Breakers, says Hoffa's body is buried where third base used to be at County Stadium. That is currently under the parking lot at American Family Field. The theory is that Hoffa's body was dug-up, and moved to the parking lot when the new stadium was built in 1996. The Case Breakers say they used a tip written on an Ace of spades from a former corrupt cop to connect the dots. Hoffa has been missing since 1975, and there have been dozens of theories about what happened to his body.
Amtrak’s Hiawatha service between Milwaukee and Chicago has a new fare schedule, and new cars A variable ticket pricing system replaces the $25 ticket with a sliding $19 to $31 fare? based on demand and advance purchase. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, it provides lower-cost tickets during off-peak times while capping the maximum fare at $31 each way. Also according to DOT, in partnership with Illinois, Amtrak has added newly delivered railcars on Hiawatha trains with features including wider aisles, more accessibility, improved Wi-Fi, quieter interiors, and smoother rides.
Governor Tony Evers announces he’s investing $36 million in building projects around Wisconsin. The projects were excluded from the 2023-25 Capital Budget by Republican legislators. Evers said Thursday the projects will support over 400 jobs and nearly $68 million in economic activity, with funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. About $15 million will go toward the Janesville Sports and Convention Center. The governor said that will generate an estimated $13 million in community economic impact and provide a regional venue. The other projects are located in Milwaukee Green Bay and Door County
A study from UW-Madison says raking your autumn leaves for disposal might not be the best way to care for your yard. Professor Paul Koch says mowing those leaves in place as mulch could keep your yard greener in the spring. He says that leaving leaf piles on the curb could contribute to unnecessary runoff into the storm drains from rotting plant matter.
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