Veterans Day is tomorrow and area school districts will be honoring veterans today. The Durand-Arkansas School District will be holding a Veterans Day Ceremony at Durand-Arkansaw High School starting at 2:45 this afternoon. Veterans are also invited to the Veterans Chili and Ice Cream Social tomorrow from 1-3pm at the Red House of Hope's Retreat Center on Hwy O in Mondovi. Durand City Hall is Closed today for Veteran's Day.
A former city employee in Red Wing is being accused of stealing more than 30-thousand dollars from the city. Investigators say Kaleen Gustafson used her position in the city's financial department to forge signatures and manipulate vendor accounts to pay money to her photography business. Gustafson would later tell investigators that she didn't know why she stole the money from the city. She's due in court on November 22nd.
The Environmental Protection Agency wants Minnesota to take action to address nitrate contamination in drinking water in the southeastern part of the state. The E-P-A says more than nine-thousand residents are at risk in the Southeast Karst Region, which includes Dodge, Fillmore, Olmsted, Goodhue, Wabasha and three other counties. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the area's geology makes it vulnerable to contamination by agricultural runoff, wastewater, and faulty septic systems. The E-P-A has given the state a month to develop a plan to identify areas affected by the contaminated water and provide alternatives to those impacted.
There are charges for an Onalaska man who police say was peeping in the bathroom of the local JCPenney. Deputies arrested Todd Erickson on October 25th after getting a tip that someone was using a phone to record over the wall in a bathroom stall. Investigators say they found a similar video from the Blain's Farm and Fleet in Onalaska. Erickson is now facing two counts of Invasion of Privacy in La Crosse County.
A Tomah man is headed to federal prison for pretending to be a disabled veteran. A judge yesterday sentenced 46-year-old Jonathan Walker to up to 15 months in prison for claiming to be a disabled veteran to land contracts with the Department of Defense for his heating and air conditioning business. That includes a pair of contracts at Fort McCoy worth two million-dollars. Prosecutors say Walker claimed to be a service-disabled veteran despite never serving in the military.
Another successful Drug Take Back Day in Wisconsin. Wisconsin ranked number one throughout the nation for the most prescription medications collected during the fall drug takeback. According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, more than 53 thousand pounds of unwanted medications were collected. Wisconsin has collected more than 1 point 2 million pounds of unwanted medications since drug takeback began in 2010 under the leadership of the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA holds two drug take-back days a year, one in the spring and one in the fall.
Lawmakers in Wisconsin are introducing a bill to allow residents with terminal illnesses to request medication that would end their lives. People over 18 and of sound mind with less than six months to live would be eligible to voluntarily end their life through the Death With Dignity law. State Senator Dianne Hesselbein, says death in dignity laws have been passed in other states and Washington DC, and believes they are working well. She says the co-sponsorship period is still open for the bill.
Wisconsin's governor says he will sign at least one of the election reforms okayed by Republican lawmakers yesterday. Governor Evers yesterday said he will sign the plan that allows local election clerks to count absentee ballots on the Monday before Election Day. The plan is one of several election proposals that Republicans in the State Assembly approved. The others include new rules for indefinitely confined voters, a plan to send text messages to people who vote with absentee ballots, and three election-related constitutional amendments. The governor doesn't have to sign those, voters will decide on two of those amendments next year.
A missing Minnesota man has been found dead in Wascott, Wisconsin. Earlier today, police announced the body of 26-year-old Ryan Busch was pulled from a lake in Douglas County. He and another Minnesota resident were both reported missing after family members found their canoe capsized over Halloween weekend. Crews are still looking for any sign of 27-year-old Andrew DeRock.
There is a search in far northern Wisconsin for a Tennessee man who's been missing for weeks. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is looking for 37-year-old Philip Johnson. He's been missing since October 18th, and deputies fear he may be in the Brule River State Forest. The sheriff's office says they found Johnson's car abandoned not far from the park, which is near Lake Superior. Both the sheriff's office and the DNR have used dog teams to search through the woods.
The Department of Natural Resources wants hunters and hikers to report bear dens. The effort is part of the Department's annual bear population survey. Biologists are pairing the locations of those dens to go along with reports of bears feeding on human food and leftovers. They're hoping to find out if that has any connection with survival rates on bear cubs. All you have to do is record where that den is, take a picture if you can, and submit it online. Visit the Wisconsin DNR website for more information.
Xcel Energy is planning layoffs that will affect dozens of employees in Minnesota. The utility announced yesterday that it plans to lay off two-percent of its non-bargaining workforce, which will affect a total of 150 employees. Sixty of those employees are based in Minnesota, though the utility did not specify which locations in the state will be affected. Xcel blamed the layoffs on financial issues including inflation and supply chain problems.
A former employee of the City of Rochester is facing charges after a camera was found inside a staff bathroom last month. Sixty-six-year-old Todd Lund was a part-time employee at the Rochester Public Library when the camera was found on October 6th. Investigators say Lund put the camera in the staff bathroom about two hours before it was found. Lund has been charged with interfering with privacy and has been terminated from his position with the library.
At the Capitol, a bill to have the Department of Natural Resources set a wolf population number had a committee hearing on Wednesday. The state's wolf population is estimated at 1,000 by the agency, a number state Senator Rob Stafsholt of New Richmond called debatable. The wolf management plan adopted last month by the Natural Resources Board over the objections of hunting and agriculture groups does not include a population goal. The legislation from Republican lawmakers also doesn't include a specific number of wolves, but would leave that up to the DNR.
Minnesota's attorney general has reached a settlement with a California company accused of misrepresenting its student debt relief services. A-G Keith Ellison announced the agreement with Network 46 yesterday. Ellison had accused the company of illegally collecting fees to enroll people in free debt relief programs and telling clients it could forgive federal student loans. The company will be required to make refunds to clients in Minnesota.
After being open for only three days last year, an annual Wisconsin wintertime attraction looks to outlast Mother Nature. The popular Ice Castles will be returning to Lake Geneva this year, but with a new, more weather-resistant winter experience called Winter Realms. The creators of the attraction say they’re looking to use innovation to keep their display of unique ice and snow creations intact in the face of changing climate patterns. The exhibit is projected to open in late December at the Geneva National Resort, depending on the weather. Tickets will go on sale December 6th.
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