A western Wisconsin sex offender will not go to trial for having videos of him having sex with children. Stephen Jenkins, who lives in Trempealeau, pleaded guilty to child pornography charges back in July, but a federal judge this week found Jenkins unfit for trial. That means he won't face any new punishment. Instead, the court will monitor his status, and prosecutors could file charges again. Jenkins has two sex crime convictions on his record from both 2005 and 2006 in Utah.
A Minnesota woman is being accused of stealing millions of dollars from her employer and sending it to an online scammer. Sharon Schmalzriedt of Wabasha was charged with felony theft last week. The 61-year-old told investigators that she began an online relationship in 2019 with a man who claimed to need money to access funds he was owed for work overseas. She was fired earlier this year after an audit by her employer found that just under four-million dollars had been stolen. She also admitted to taking thousands of dollars from a vulnerable adult and giving it to the scammer.
The Christmas Day fire on Eau Claire's west side was the first of the holiday season this year. The city's fire department yesterday said the holiday season is usually one of its busiest times of the year. That's why the fire department started the Keep the Wreath Green campaign, to remind people about fire safety. Firefighters add a red light to the wreath for each fire between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. Yesterday, firefighters added the first red light to that wreath. Fire Lieutenant Jeff Dahl says the warm weather may be one reason for a slow fire season. The wreath will hang outside the city's main fire station through next week.
A 17-year-old is in custody after police say they started a fire at the Walmart in Sparta. Video shows a stream of flames shooting up to the ceiling from the store's fabric section yesterday. The fire sent customers running out of the store, and did about seven million-dollars in damage. Sparta Police are not yet naming the 17-year-old, but say they're being held in the Monroe County Jail on arson charges. No one was hurt in the fire, and there is no information on when the Walmart in Sparta will reopen.
The end of the year is a good time to dispose of unwanted medications. Keeping unused and expired medications around the home can be dangerous, so make it a habit to safely dispose of medications you no longer need. It’s never a good idea to flush them or place them in household trash. Permanent drug drop boxes are open year-round in communities all over Wisconsin. In Buffalo County Drop Boxes are available at Mondovi Police Department and at Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, in Pepin County drop boxes are at Heike Pharmacy, Pepin Police and the Pepin County Sheriffs Department, there are also drop boxes at the Dunn and Pierce County Sheriff Departments.
One person is dead and another is fighting for their life after a wreck near Auburndale in Wood County. The sheriff's office says an SUV smashed into another car, head-on, while driving the wrong way down Highway 10. The driver of the car died on the scene, deputies say the driver of the SUV was rushed to the hospital in Marshfield in critical condition.
Wisconsin's governor is ending the year with a victory lap. Governor Tony Evers yesterday released a long list of everything he says he accomplished this year, and during his time in office. Evers says he once again delivered for public schools and taxpayers across the state. The governor also took credit for Wisconsin's near-record seven billion-dollar budget surplus. He also patted himself on the back for signing the deal that will keep the Brewers in Milwaukee. Republican lawmakers say they are the ones who should get credit for the state's financial success, and say the governor is standing in the way of giving that record budget surplus back to the people.
The New Year will bring scrutiny of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within state government. That’s the stated goal of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who wants the legislature's Joint Audit Committee to have an audit of every DEI program in the state. The Republican leader, who succeeded in getting DEI programs dialed back in the UW System, said more needs to be learned. Vos expects the process by the Legislature’s audit committee to take about a year.
A southern Minnesota police department is encouraging drivers to check their lug nuts. Police in Fairmont say they've heard a lot of loose lugnuts on wheels in the area. The department says they don't suspect criminal activity, but consider the amount of loose lugs to be unusual. They are encouraging drivers to check their tires ahead of any holiday trips.
There's no downtime in the effort to redraw Wisconsin's political maps. The state Supreme Court on Friday tossed out the old maps, and ordered new ones drawn. Yesterday, experts started talking to Republicans, Democrats, and advocates about just what information they need to create new maps. The legislature is supposed to have new maps for the state's senators and representatives drawn by January 12th. The liberal-majority Supreme Court said Wisconsin's old maps favor Republicans too much, and found pieces of those maps unacceptable.
Tis the season for gift returns, but before you head to the store, be sure you've got your documentation in order. Wisconsin Division of Consumer Protection administrator Michelle Reinen says you should make sure you know the store's return policies before you head out. That helpline is at (800) 422-7128. Reinen reminds everyone to be patient in line at the gift return and take it easy this week while in the store.
Records requests have been filed in six Wisconsin school districts that have restricted student access to books. The Wisconsin ACLU's Legal Director, Tim Muth [ MOOTH ], tells WKOW News they hope to find out who is submitting requests to certain titles out of school libraries and classrooms. Muth also says they want to see how districts decide which books are removed from school shelves once they get a complaint. The ACLU has filed requests in Menomonee Falls, Elkhorn Area, Waukesha, and three other school districts.
The Wisconsin Legislature plans to try to limit abortion again once state lawmakers return to the State Capitol from their holiday break. A new bill will look at reducing the limit on abortions in Wisconsin from 20 weeks to twelve or 14-weeks. The bill would be put on the April ballot for the voters to give approval. Lawmakers say they will also try for a limited medical marijuana bill, along with tax cut proposals.
A magnet created by a professor at the University of Minnesota has been named one of Time magazine's best inventions of 2023. The Clean Earth Magnet is made at Niron Magnetics, the company the professor founded in 2014 after developing the magnet at the university. The professor says the magnet is better for the Earth because it's made from two common elements, iron, and nitrogen. He hopes it will become widely used in products like electric vehicles and electronic components, reducing the need for rare earth minerals used in most other magnets.
Christmas break for the kids in Pulaski High School's marching band will be a bit different this year. The Red Raider Marching Band is spending the week in California, preparing for the Rose Parade. The band is one of just 15 high school bands across the county to be tapped to march in the parade on New Year's Day. It's the fourth time in the past 20 years that Pulaski High has been to the Rose Parade. Band director Tom Busch says they were told last year that they would be in the 2024 parade.
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