The head of the Durand Food Pantry has retired. Marcia Bauer has retired from the Director of the Durand Food Pantry. She has served as director since 2018. Jesse Pasek will become the new director of the pantry and has said that there will be no changes or interruptions of services with the pantry.
A school bus went off the road and onto its side in the town of Anson Tuesday afternoon. It happened on 205th Street, which is now closed off north of County Highway S. According to Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Holmes, the bus was carrying Jim Falls Elementary School students. He said it happened during the routine afternoon route. Holmes said there were four students and the driver on board at the time of the accident. Two of the students and the driver were taken to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment. The other two students received aid at the site before being released.
The man accused of killing his neighbor back in 2016 is headed for another competency exam. A judge yesterday ordered Shane Helmbrecht to be examined by doctors to see if he is fit enough to stand trial. Doctors originally said Helmbrecht was not, and he was sent to a mental hospital instead of prison. But he walked away from a halfway house in Tomah back in September and went on the run. He was arrested last month in Mexico. Prosecutors have not yet said if they plan to refile charges in the homicide case.
A Barron County man is back in jail after two arrests in four days for domestic incidents. Deputies first arrested 60-year-old Donald Springer last Wednesday after he holed up in a home in Chetek, and refused to come out. The sheriff says Springer then punched and choked one of the deputies' K9 dogs. He posted a signature bond on Friday. Deputies then re-arrested Springer on Saturday after he barricaded himself in the same house. The sheriff's office used a battering ram to bust into the house and take Springer to jail.
A train that raises awareness about food insecurity and collects donations for regional food banks is rolling into southern Minnesota this week. The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will be stopping in Wabasha, and Hastings on Saturday. The train features brightly decorated holiday-themed cars as well as performances by special musical guests at each stop.
The holiday season started this weekend at Lake Wissota Travel Shop on 17255 Cty Hwy X in Chippewa Falls. The Wisconsin retailer sold a winning $100,000 Powerball ticket for the Saturday, December 2 drawing. The winning ticket matched four of five numbers (28-35-41-47-60) plus the Powerball (3). The ticket included the $1 Power Play option turning a $50,000 win into a $100,000 win because of the 2X Power Play multiplier. The winner has 180 days to come forward.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources told Eau Claire County that the Altoona dam must be repaired before October 2024. The dam, separating the Eau Claire River and Lake Altoona, needs 105-thousand dollars-worth of concrete repairs. Money for repairs was not set aside in the budget, since the county was notified after the budget was decided. A proposed funding plan includes a grant which would split the costs between the city and the state.
A new bill introduced in the Wisconsin legislature would amend the state's Discrimination in Housing law. Wisconsin Senator Democrat Jeff Smith of Eau Claire is sponsoring the bill, which would bar landlords, property owners, or agents from asking potential tenants about evictions from more than five years prior -- or deny housing because of such evictions. Smith says the goal of the bill is to help fight a Wisconsin housing crisis, and he hopes Republican colleagues will allow it to move to public hearing.
Wisconsin's governor will deliver his update on the state a little early next year. The governor yesterday said he will deliver his State of the State speech on January 23rd. The speech is the governor's opportunity to set his agenda for the coming year at the State Capitol. There won't be a budget to write next year, so the governor is once again expected to ask for a Medicaid expansion, legal marijuana, and more money for schools. And, once again, Republican lawmakers are expected to ignore his requests.
The city of Wausau has filed a lawsuit against dozens of PFAS manufacturers and the insurance companies representing them. The city announced the action on Friday through a press release, saying they want to hold the companies that produced the Forever chemicals accountable for over 15 million dollars in expenses associated with removing them from the city's drinking water. Wausau discovered PFAS in all six municipal wells almost two years ago, leading the city's water utility to retrofit its new drinking water plant with a filter system. PFAS has been linked to various health issues such as cancer and high cholesterol. Wausau has retained a New York-based law firm to represent them in the process, Friday's release did not name the defendants- and further court action in the case is pending.
There is some disagreement, but no new movement at the State Capitol on pay raises for UW employees. The top Republican in the Wisconsin Senate yesterday said he disagrees with the top Republican in the State Assembly over withholding those pay raises in the on-going spat over DEI. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu says the decision not to move forward with the raises hurts a lot of people who have nothing to do with diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at UW campuses. Wisconsin's Assembly Speaker continues to hold on to the pay raise money, saying he won't budge until the university moves away from DEI.
There is another push at the Wisconsin Capitol to end the state's Elections Commission. The latest plan comes from Senate elections committee chairman Dan Knodl and 10 Assembly Republicans. They want to get rid of the Elections Commission and shift the power over election administration in Wisconsin to the Secretary of State. Republicans talked about a similar plan before last year's elections but dropped the proposal after Democrats won the Secretary of State's seat. Other Republicans say they need to see the final details before committing to the idea. Governor Evers' office yesterday made it clear he will veto any attempt to get rid of the Elections Commission.
While colder temperatures are here, it's not yet time to get on the ice. Department of Natural Resources warden Jacob Holsclaw says we haven't had enough consistently cold days to make the ice safe. Holsclaw says your best bet is to just stay off the ice if you're on an ATV, snowmobile or vehicle, and be very cautious if you're going out on foot. Be sure to bring a life preserver and other safety equipment if you're going to risk going in the water.
The results of an unofficial online vote to gauge support for new designs for the Minnesota state flag have been announced. FairVote Minnesota says more than 12-thousand votes were made during the voting period late last month. Design F-29, which features the Star of the North combined with a snowflake, was the favorite in the ranked-choice voting.
The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office has added a new K9 to the team. However, the Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in naming the new pup. The department put out the request for names on its Facebook page. He is a Shepard and Malinois mix and will begin 15 weeks of training before going on duty in Goodhue County.
The Blue Angels will be flying high over the Chippewa Valley once again. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels published their 2024 and 2025 schedule Tuesday, and on it they say they'll be in the Chippewa Valley on June 28 and 29 of 2025. In 2022 when the Blue Angles visited, nearly 60,000 watched the show. Visit the Blue Angels website for more information
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