Firefighters from the City of Durand, the city of Eau Claire, and Plum City responded to a house fire in the city overnight. When firefighters arrived they found heavy smoke coming from the building and there were reports of 4 people injured. No other information was available early this morning.
It is another day of bone-chilling cold for western Wisconsin. The National Weather Service says the Wind Chill Advisory for folks in the Chippewa Valley continues today. Temperatures will hang around 4 above today, and the wind chill is expected to be as cold as 30 below. That's cold enough to cause frostbite in under a half-an-hour. Forecasters say overnight tonight and tomorrow morning will be almost as cold.
Add refereeing high school sports as another area for more people. Durand-Arkansaw School Superintendent Greg Doverspike, who is also on the WIAA Board of Control says the reason people are leaving refereeing is because they don't feel safe. Doverspike is concerned that if the referee shortage spreads the kids may lose chances to compete. Doverspike is asking fans and parents to remember the referees are doing this as a service to give back to the game. Anyone interested in becoming a referee is encouraged to contact the Durand-Arkansaw School District.
The Durand Fire Department is looking to replace the generator at the fire hall. During last week's council meeting fire chief King told the council that the current generator is no longer operational. During the discussion King also told the council that he would like to get a bigger generator to run more parts of the building. The council is asking King to give them options on the costs of replacing the generator.
A River Falls man is charged in a sex trafficking case. The Wisconsin Department of Justice says a nine-count indictment brought down Thursday charges Austin Koeckeritz with forced labor and sex trafficking, production of child pornography, and money laundering. The indictment alleges that Koeckeritz forced adults to engage in ‘commercial sex acts’ between August 2020 and August 2022. Koeckeritz is also accused of recruiting a minor to engage in commercial sex acts and transporting them across the Wisconsin-Minnesota state line to engage in the acts. The indictment also alleges Koeckeritz of using the minor to produce child porn. Koeckeritz is in federal custody pending his May trial.
The principal at North High School says Friday's gun scare was a 'concealed carry issue.' Principal Kim Koller sent a note home to parents after police were called to North last week. The note explains that a food delivery driver had a gun, but never walked into the school, and never threatened anyone. Koller told parents that there was never 'any known intent to harm students or staff at North.'
La Crosse Police are investigating a weekend north side shooting that left one person injured. Officers were called to the 1800 Block of George Street Saturday night and found shell casings in the area. Police were then notified of a person at the hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The investigation into the incident is continuing and the name of the victim was not released.
Hundreds of workers at Marshfield Clinic locations across the state are being furloughed. The health system made the announcement yesterday. Three percent of Marshfield's nearly 12 thousand workers are being furloughed. Marshfield says the furloughs will be in 'largely non-patient-seeing departments, including leadership roles.' The furloughs come after a wave of belt-tightening back in November, and after talks about a merger with Essentia Health fell through last week.
Wisconsin's LGBTQ+ lawmakers are furious with a plan that would let parents decide what name kids can be called at school. The plan cleared an Assembly Committee last week. It would spell out that parents get to decide the name their children use at school, not teachers or the state government. The plan also spells out other rights for parents, like medical decisions, the right to see school records, and the right to opt kids out of certain classes. Democratic state Rep. Melissa Ratcliff says the plan isn't about 'rights, it's about wrongs.' Governor Evers has promised to veto the plan once it reaches his desk.
A new Minnesota law makes hospitals screen patients before registering them in payment plans or applying them to collections. The bill has been in effect since last year in November and is designed to help with medical debt. Health systems will offer programs such as "charity care" to help patients with low income pay for medical expenses. Hospitals have 30 days to figure out if patients are eligible.
Even though we've gotten some snow and bitterly cold temperatures, many outdoor activities are on hold in the Northwoods because there's not enough snow. National Weather Service Meteorologist Cory Rothstein says parts of northern Wisconsin are short one or two feet of snow. That means many snowmobile trails aren't ready to go just yet. Rothstein says we'll be seeing warmer temperatures next week, with a chance for more rain and snow.
The ice on some Wisconsin waterways was still hit or miss over the weekend. In Columbia County late Sunday morning, 2 snowmobiles went through the ice on Lake Wisconsin at Sunset Bay. They were about 100 feet from shore. One person made it to shore on their own, but rescue crews had to throw a ski rope to the second person who was still in the water. Luckily, he was wearing a floatation device for snowmobilers that authorities say greatly helped in his rescue.
Fire broke out at a commercial facility that stores propane and pesticides in Iowa County on Sunday. Residents near the small community of Cobb were under a shelter-in-place advisory for a time on Sunday. The fire broke out just after 8 on Sunday morning at the facility on Highway 18. The fire was contained by the afternoon but air quality is of concern. The Wisconsin National Guard's 54th Civil Support Team was called to the site to monitor air quality. No word yet on the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported.
A bill in the Wisconsin legislature would make 17-year-olds licensed EMS first responders. Three northwest Wisconsin Republicans backing the proposal say it would aid rural communities in the state in having adequate staffing for an ambulance response. Currently, candidates must be 18 years old to be officially registered as an EMS responder. The bill would not require organizations to hire 17-year-olds, but they would be allowed to evaluate the teen's maturity level before deciding to bring one on board. An amendment to the bill would also require any 17-year-old responder to be accompanied by an experienced EMS practitioner.
Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar is continuing her push for a federal investigation into lead-tainted applesauce that has made several children ill statewide. She joined a mother yesterday whose young daughter became sick after eating applesauce from the tainted pouches. The pouches to look out for are from three different brands, Wanabana, Schnucks, and Weis. They have been removed from store shelves, but the public is urged to throw them away if they have any.
Ticket prices are staying the same as last year for the Minnesota State Fair. It will be 18 dollars for adults and 16 dollars for children and seniors. Anybody under four years or younger can walk in for free. Ten point two million dollars were approved by the fair's board of managers to help with upgrades for this year's event.
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