Starting next year, Wabasha County will drop from 9 mail-in voting precincts to 7. This is a result of grassroots efforts made by residents who petitioned to abolish mail-in voting and return to in-person. 79 percent of people who voted in the last election in Elgin township signed petitions to return to in-person voting, and 63 percent in Hyde Park township. To save money, Hyde Park Township will now join with Zumbro Township and share a polling location and the election costs, while Elgin Township will share polling with the city of Elgin.
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout) are partnering on a first-of-its-kind program in Wisconsin to combine instruction at a four-year college with a Registered Apprenticeship program. The new Workforce Development Specialist Certificate program, also known as the Train the Trainer apprenticeship, started this fall to teach students about employment and training solutions that meet the needs of businesses and workers. UW-Stout is the first four-year university collaborating with Wisconsin Apprenticeship since apprenticeship began in 1911 to offer classes that fulfill instruction requirements for a Registered Apprenticeship and could be credited toward an undergraduate or graduate degree program.
Over 680 UW Eau Claire students are celebrating a milestone in their lives and a key accomplishment in their education. Two commencement ceremonies were held over the weekend for the fall graduating class. Several Eau Claire alumni were also recognized for their accomplishments after graduation.
Eau Claire's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will meet this evening. The group is set to inform the City Council about practices that are relevant to the city. Today's meeting will begin at 6 p.m.
The competency evaluation ordered for accused murderer Shane Helmbrecht might not be ready this week as previously ordered. The doctor has requested a 30-day extension to complete the evaluation. Helmbrecht returned to Eau Claire County after being arrested in Mexico last month. He is accused of killing his neighbor Jenn Ward in 2016. He was found not competent at that time, but recently prosecutors have been seeking to try him on the homicide charge.
Currently, over a third of Minnesota's workers are not granted any paid sick time. However, starting next year, a new law will change that. The new statewide earned sick and safe time law will mandate employers to give paid sick time to nearly a million workers in the state. Employees will get one hour of sick time for every 30 hours put in. People can utilize their sick time to recover themselves or to help sick family members.
Kwik Trip announces a 150-million-dollar expansion project. The company announced on Monday it will be making improvements at its central bakery and dairy in La Crosse, building a new facility in Onalaska, and creating a new satellite distribution center. Company president Scott Zeitlow says expansion for Kwik Trip is good for the communities it serves. Kwik Trip will be getting 15 million dollars in grants from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation as part of the expansion.
One person is dead after a UTV accident in the town of Amery Sunday. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Department, deputies were called on a report of a missing man. After a search, deputies found the man dead and say it appears he lost control of the UTV, and struck some trees. That accident remains under investigation.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against the Universities of Wisconsin, UW-Eau Claire, its chancellor, and its Affirmative Action director. Rochelle Hoffman, a white woman, who is alleging racial discrimination in employment and retaliation claimed in the lawsuit that after she was appointed as interim director of the new Office of Multicultural Student Services in 2022 she was met with criticism from students and faculty on why a white woman was given the job. The federal complaint goes on to say UW-Eau Claire did nothing to help her retain her job and did not provide her a work environment free of racial harassment. In November 2022, WPR reports Hoffman filed a complaint with the State of Wisconsin Equal Rights Division after a university investigation did not find supporting evidence for her claims.
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue is encouraging homeowners to file for the lottery and gaming property tax credit. State residents who owned a home and used it as their primary place of residence on January 1 of this year can qualify. To receive the credit, a property owner must fill out an application and submit it to their county treasurer. Applications are available to download at revenue-dot-W-I-dot-gov.
More money will be paid out by a Wisconsin company after a fatal explosion. The U.S. Labor Department said Thursday Didion Milling agreed to pay another $1.8 million in penalties as a result of the 2017 corn dust explosion at their Cambria plant that killed five workers and injured several others. The company also agreed in a settlement to implement safety upgrades after an investigation by OSHA. In September, the company accepted a plea deal in federal court which required them to pay over ten million dollars to the families of victims of the blast, and a million dollar fine. Didion was indicted by a federal grand jury last year on nine counts, including falsifying records, fraud, and conspiracy.
Officials are providing more space at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for rideshare drivers. The pickup zone has been moved down one level to the Terminal 1 Ground Transportation Center. The new location for Uber and Lyft drivers will allow space for close to 50 vehicles, which is double the amount from the previous location. The Metropolitan Airports Commission, which runs and operates the airport, did not make any rideshare changes at Terminal 2, home of Sun Country Airlines.
Wisconsin will be getting more than five-million dollars in grant money for transportation accessibility improvements. Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation say they'll give the five-point-two million dollars to services for seniors and people with disabilities. Evers says these services help people find a way to get to work, the grocery store, or a doctor's appointment. He says the program has helped pay for more than 2,000 vehicles since the mid-70s
Johnson has joined 15 other GOP Senators who want to wait until the second week of 2024 to join White House and Senate Democrats to discuss making the southern border more secure. At a Friday event in Oshkosh, Johnson said the openness of the border has led to the increase of fentanyl in Wisconsin. President Biden has said he wants more money for the border as part of a larger package that also includes aid to Israel and Ukraine.
Over two dozen people are rescued from a huge ice floe [[ flow ]] in northwestern Minnesota. Authorities say the sheet of ice broke free from the shoreline of Upper Red Lake yesterday due to strong winds Twenty-seven anglers were stranded for three hours. There were no injuries and no one went into the water.
A state senator from Winona has given a group of wrestling fans a chance to see some of their favorite WWE stars up close. State Senator Jeremy Miller organized a weekend trip to Rochester so clients of Home and Community Options could see the WWE Live Holiday tour event at the Mayo Civic Center. Miller says he often sees wrestling posters when he tours the homes of those served by the organization, which provides support to those with developmental disabilities. About 40 people were part of yesterday's trip.
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