A Democratic candidate in the Wisconsin Third Congressional District race says he is conceding. In a press release, Aaron Nytes says he won't be able to give his all to the role were he to be elected, and Wisconsinites deserve someone who can. Nytes says he believes the third district needs a different leader than Derrick Van Orden, its current representative. He has chosen to endorse Democrat Rebecca Cooke.
A dairy farm near Alma has been named the Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award Winner. Noll’s Dairy Farm of Alma is the 2023 Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award® recipient. Noll’s Dairy Farm was revealed as the award recipient at the November 16 meeting of the Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection in Madison. Mark, Curtis, and Scott Noll and their families receive $10,000 and a crystal award for being selected. A video celebrating the Buffalo County farm family’s conservation success was premiered during the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting on Sunday.
The two people who died in a crash north of Fall Creek have been identified. According to the Eau Claire County Sheriff's department, 33yr old Michael Rusch of Augusta was traveling at a high rate of speed on Hwy D between S140th and S150th avenues when hel lost control of the vehicle and it overturned. Rusch died in the accident along with passenger 4yr old Evangline Rusch. According to witnesses they had seen Rusch pass them minutes earlier on Hwy 12 going around 100mph.
A Wheeler man was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence for the 10th time. According to the Barron County Sheriff's Department, deputies received a call about a suspicious vehicle parked at the end of a driveway just south of Dallas. When deputies arrived, they found Levi Lauristen passed out behind the wheel. Lauristen was given a field sobriety test and then arrested and was being held on OWI 10 offense, operating while revoked, and a probation hold.
Minnesota is responding to the EPA's concerns about nitrates in groundwater in southeastern Minnesota. The Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency sent a letter to the EPA on Friday outlining steps that will be taken to help those affected by groundwater contamination. The state will conduct an outreach program to notify those with private wells, provide alternate sources of safe drinking water, and work to reduce nitrates in the aquifers that provide water to those wells. The state has some funding that will go to the plan but is asking the federal government for money to help implement the proposal.
Two 17-year-old females, from Eyota, were taken to the hospital after a rollover crash Friday evening just before 7:30 p.m. According to the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Department, the vehicle was driving at times of 100 miles per hour on 40th St. SE when the driver lost control and rolled a couple of times while hitting a mailbox, fencing, and eventually a powerline pole. Both were able to walk to a home to call 911. Both the driver and passenger were taken to Mayo Clinic St. Marys with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was cited for failure to use due care for the crash.
Wisconsin's outdoor recreation industry added a record-breaking nine-point-eight billion dollars to the state's gross domestic product in 2022. New data from the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation says this is a nearly seven-percent increase from 2021, which was also a record-breaking year. The Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account data shows the industry also supported more than 94-thousand jobs and gave out four-point-seven billion in employee compensation. Wisconsin's ATV and Motorcycle sector also contributed one billion, which is the most of any state in the US.
Wisconsin's latest bird flu case is once again in western Wisconsin. The state's Department of Agriculture on Friday confirmed a case of the flu in a commercial flock in Barron County. Over 114 thousand birds were destroyed in an effort to contain the flu. This is the fourth case of bird flu in western Wisconsin. The Department of Ag says there have been three confirmed cases in commercial bird flocks in Trempealeau County as well.
The Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of Transportation are jointly requesting over a billion dollars from the federal government to replace the aging Blatnik Bridge between Duluth and Superior. Governor Tony Evers says the bridge has reached the end of its service life and it's time to "replace this crucial connector with a safer, more efficient, and more reliable structure for the next generation."
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says the Blatnik is "a critical connection point for transportation and commerce between Minnesota and Wisconsin - and it needs an upgrade." The states have each committed 400 million dollars to the project. Officials expect major construction to begin in 2026 and continue for four to five years, with traffic detoured to the Highway 2 Bong Bridge for a significant portion of that time.
A Montello man faces several charges after allegedly abusing his stepson with a cattle prod. The Marquette County Sheriff’s Office says they received information last month about a man with scars and scabs on his torso. The victim claimed his stepfather had allegedly used a cattle prod on him, allowed him one meal per day, and occasionally forced him to sleep outside. The victim also told authorities that his stepfather, identified as Philip Rose, began to curb-stomp him after trying to go into his home to get gloves. The victim reportedly suffered broken ribs and other chest trauma from the incidents. Rose, who faces multiple domestic abuse charges and a count of possessing an electric weapon, is being held on a $100,000 cash bond.
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A Baraboo man will spend time in prison for trying to blow up a Lyndon Station bar last year. Heath Fjorden was sentenced to 13 years in Juneau County Court Friday. Authorities say in September of 2022, Fjorden allegedly set off an explosion in the basement of Beagle’s Bar and Grill. Fjorden was working at the bar and in the process of buying it at the time of the explosion. A criminal complaint says after the explosion, Fjorden was later found with considerable burns to his body but denied being involved in the explosion, telling authorities his injuries came from a grill fire at his home. The complaint adds that employees at the bar were concerned that Fjorden may do something to the bar, with fire authorities receiving a complaint about the possibility of Fjorden “burning the building down."
The top Democrat in the Wisconsin Senate will, once again, be from the Madison area. Democrats on Friday elected Senator Dianne Hesselbein from Middleton as their new Minority Leader. She replaces Madison's Melissa Agard who is now running for Dane County executive. Hesselbein says her goal as leader is to make sure that every Democrat in the State Capitol, and Democratic voters across the state, have a voice.
There is a plan at the Wisconsin Capitol to give big lottery winners some anonymity. The proposal from state Rep. William Penterman would allow anyone who winds over a million dollars to claim their prize without having to go public. Penterman says the idea is to protect lottery winners from the people who press them for money. If lawmakers okay the plan, and the governor signs it, Wisconsin would join 18 other states that allow lottery winners to claim prizes anonymously. Currently, anyone who wins more than 599 dollars has to file a lottery claim, and anyone who wins more than 50 thousand dollars has their name announced on the lottery's website.
There won't be a shortage of people defending Wisconsin's Act 10. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on Friday promised to defend the law both in the court of law and the court of public opinion. Several public sector unions want to roll back the law from 2011 that limited what public sector workers, particularly teachers, could negotiate for in their contracts. WILL says the end of Act 10 would be devastating to local schools and local governments. WILL's Rick Esenberg says Act 10 has saved over 16 billion dollars over the past decade.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been chosen to chair the Democratic Governors Association. Walz was picked for the position Saturday during the association's meeting in Phoenix. Taking the job means Walz will be the face of the organization during next year's national election cycle. He'll be expected to make appearances across the country to raise money as well as campaign for Democratic governor candidates in 11 states.
Eau Claire's new holiday tradition of putting Santa Claus on a bike may be catching on. The city's Santa Cycle Rampage rolled through downtown for the second year in a row on Saturday. Dozens of Santas rode their bikes through the downtown, but there were also elves, reindeer, and even a makeshift sleigh. Organizers say they had perfect weather, and are looking forward to next year.
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