The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on adopting the parking restrictions and placement and removal of refuse and recycling receptacles ordinance, discussion on park improvement project grants, and reports from the mayor and department heads. Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.
More charges have been filed against two suspects in a rash of smash-and-grab thefts last month. Demitrius Major and Kawan Robinson, both from Fort Lauderdale Florida, were arrested in November after attempting to flee officers after a series of thefts from vehicle break-ins. The two were accused of taking cash, credit cards, and other items. The two are currently facing charges in Eau Claire County, but now Chippewa County has also filed charges in connection with the thefts.
No one was injured in a house fire in Pine Island on Mondy night. According to the Goodhue County Sheriff's Department, Firefighters from Pine Island responded to the blaze at 10:25 Monday night and found the home fully engulfed in flames. The family made it out of the home safe and no one was injured. The cause of that fire remains under investigation.
A man with three outstanding arrest warrants is accused of rolling his vehicle while driving drunk. The Trempealeau County Sheriff's Office says they found his car in a ditch on Saturday with four passengers standing next to it. Officers say the driver left the accident on foot and was arrested later. One passenger was hurt but was treated on scene. Police say speed, alcohol, and icy conditions were factors in the crash.
It's prison time for a Rusk County man in a child molestation case. A judge yesterday sentenced 63-year-old Scott Read to 17 years in prison for sexually assaulting at least three young girls. Prosecutors say Read started molesting one young girl when she was five or six. The DA says he threatened to do the same to her sisters and cousin if she said anything. Read pleaded no contest to the charges earlier this year.
A 50-year-old La Crosse man is in custody for a stabbing death last week at a La Crosse apartment building. A criminal complaint from La Crosse County Police says Bryant Smith called county dispatch Tuesday night and admitted to stabbing a person who he said was "blackout drunk." When officers arrived, the victim of the alleged attack was found face down in a pool of blood with 45 stab wounds. The victim was pronounced dead after a brief investigation. Smith was arrested on a charge of first-degree intentional homicide. Online court records show that Smith had a prior misdemeanor battery conviction as well as harassment restraining orders filed in Jackson County.
Governor Evers says expanding the state's train service will bring Wisconsin's economy into the 21st century. The governor yesterday touted the two million-dollars the state will receive to expand Amtrak service as a way to move the state forward. The federal government is giving the state money to look at a train line that connects Madison and Eau Claire, connects Milwaukee and Green Bay, and increases the number of trains between both Milwaukee and Chicago, and Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
Wisconsin lawmakers are going to listen to the arguments for ranked-voting today. A Senate panel will hold a hearing on a plan that would change how primary elections in the state work. Currently. The top vote-getter for the Republicans and the top vote-getter for the Democrats win the primary and go on to face each other in the next election. Ranked voting would change that to the top five vote getting candidates from both parties would move on. The plan would also order an instant run-off for the U.S. Senate and Congress, and that would allow voters to rank their choices and could elect someone who doesn't have the most first-place votes. Critics say the plan is confusing and often leads to Election Night chaos.
Governor Evers says he will veto any attempt to get rid of the state's Elections Commission. The governor was a guest on UPFRONT on Milwaukee TV over the weekend. He said that 'under no circumstances would he agree to the Republican plan that would dismantle the elections commission and shift its powers to the secretary of state.' The governor says the Wisconsin Elections Commission is a good system and has a good leader. Republicans have been unhappy with the Elections Commission since the 2020 election, and have been trying to get rid of the Commission's administrator for the past three years.
Wisconsin's Republican Assembly Speaker says there won't be another deal over DEI with the University of Wisconsin. Speaker Robin Vos on Saturday said the offer that UW regents rejected was the 'last, best, and final offer' on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Vos has been pressuring the university to stop spending on DEI. He's holding on to millions of dollars in pay raise money, and is also refusing to green light an engineering building for UW-Madison because of it. Late last week, Vos agreed to release the money in exchange for some changes to DEI spending, but university regents rejected that agreement on Saturday. Vos says the regents' vote has cost thousands of university workers their raises, and has cost the university nearly one billion dollars in future investments.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is bringing charges against three people accused in a scheme to defraud the state's Medical Assistance program. He says the defendants bilked the state out of close to eleven million dollars. Ellison believes the offenders represented home health care agencies that billed the state for services not provided at all and services not documented in employee timesheets. Four other people were previously charged in the investigation and more charges are expected against other suspects.
The Ice Age Trail, which winds its way through much of Wisconsin, and the North Country National Scenic Trail, which cuts through three northern Wisconsin counties bordering Lake Superior, are now a part of the National Park Service's National Park System. Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin has been backing the change for nearly a decade. Baldwin says the new status for the trails will open up funding streams and bring in more visitors to the trails.
Before you head out to your holiday festivities this month, be sure you're ready to handle whatever garbage you're bringing with you. Wisconsin recycling coordinator Jennifer Semrau says it's important to know what the rules are for disposal at your rental or vacation location. Also, remember that you shouldn't be trying to recycle Christmas lights or plastic bags. Those items can get tangled up in recycling systems and force workers to fish out the snags.
A Minnesota blues band is looking to fund their trip to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Jimmi and the Band of Souls is competing against hundreds of bands from around the world. The Minnesota Blues Society is helping raise funds to cover the band's expenses. The Blues Challenge runs January 16th through the 20th.
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