A 31yr old Durand man is dead after a one-vehicle accident on Hwy 25 in the Town of Nelson on Monday. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, the man was traveling northbound on Hwy 25 near the intersection of Thibodeau Road, when he crossed the centerline, went into the opposite ditch, and struck a driveway embankment causing the vehicle to roll over. The driver was ejected from the vehicle and the driver died at the scene. Investigators believe alcohol and speed were factors in the accident. The name of the man has not been released pending notification of family members.
A western Wisconsin man spent New Year's Day in the hospital after authorities say he was shot while breaking into someone's home. It happened yesterday morning in Blair, Wisconsin. Police say a woman called 911 to say her husband shot the man after he kicked in the door. Investigators say the suspect also broke into another, nearby home. Police in Blair are not identifying the suspect or the homeowners.
The Goodhue County Sheriff's office has released a photo of a man who has displayed what residents are calling suspicious behavior in their Cannon Falls-area neighborhood. The man has allegedly been telling different stories as to why he has been going door-to-door asking questions. He has told some people he is taking medical surveys and to others he claims to be selling insurance. Anyone who recognizes him is asked to contact the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office.
An Eau Claire County town is calling for public support of a state bill that would provide more protections for Wisconsin towns facing annexation. Earlier this week, the Town of Washington published the call to action on its website urging people to contact their legislators in support of the law, which would allow certain towns to identify as urban towns. This would limit the zoning authority of more populated cities over smaller villages or towns within three miles. The bill was introduced in both the State Senate and the State Assembly.
2023 will go down as the eighth warmest year on record in Eau Claire. Forecasters say the city saw its first 100 degree day since 2011, and saw a feels-like temperature of 110 last year. Eau Claire's coldest day was last January 31st, when the thermometer fell to 19 below. Forecasters also say it was a dry year for Eau Claire. 2023 appears to be the 54th driest year on record.
The UW's president is pushing back on former Chancellor Joe Gow's free speech porno claims. University President Jay Rothman on Friday said Gow 'served at the pleasure' of the Board of Regents, and was not 'entitled' to a public hearing before he was fired for starring in and producing a series of porn movies with his wife. Gow has said since he was fired last week that he was shocked that he was let go. Gow also has said the porn movies are as much an exercise in free speech as anything else. Rothman said 'good judgment requires that there are and must be limits on what is said or done.'
Drought conditions in the state of Minnesota are getting better thanks to recent rainfall. The U.S. Drought Monitor map released yesterday shows that nearly 15 percent of Minnesota is now free from drought. That's a big improvement from last week when just under two percent of the state was drought-free. A very small portion of southeastern Minnesota along the Iowa border is still listed as being in extreme drought, while about 12 percent of the state is classified as being in severe drought. Meanwhile, here in Western Wisconsin, the latest drought monitor shows only parts of Southern Pepin, Pierce, and the Northern two-thirds of Dunn County abnormally dry.
The sheriff in Monroe County says a suspect was drunk when he led deputies on a three-mile chase that topped 100 miles-per-hour. Deputies arrested 39-year-old Steven Pierce of Tomah Friday night. The sheriff's office says the whole thing started with a traffic stop near Tomah, but they say Pierce sped away. Court records show this is Pierces' fourth OWI arrest.
No one was injured in a shed fire north of Sparta on Saturday. According to the Sparta Fire Department, firefighters were called to the fire just north of Sparta Saturday afternoon and found the shed fully engulfed. A tractor, ATV, boat, and trailer were all destroyed in the blaze, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Republican lawmakers are asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider its redistricting ruling. Attorneys for the legislature on Friday asked the new liberal-majority court to take a second look at their decision to toss out Wisconsin's political maps. The Republicans are specifically challenging the tight timeline to draw new maps, those maps are due to the court by the end of next week. Republicans are also arguing that the Supreme Court pre-decided the case, again pointing to when Justice Janet Protasiewicz called the maps 'rigged' during last spring's election. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos last week said he intends to take the appeal to the United States Supreme Court if need be.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission has dismissed the 14th Amendment challenge to Donald Trump's candidacy here in Wisconsin. Commissioners yesterday tossed progressive activist Kirk Bangstad's challenge without comment. Bangstad expected the dismissal, and in fact welcomed it. Bangstad said his hope is to take the challenge to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This week saw Michigan's Supreme Court reject a 14th Amendment challenge to the former president and saw Maine's top election manager accept a 14th Amendment challenge there.
Six solar energy projects are now complete in Wisconsin. Alliant Energy says their capacity for solar energy has tripled now that they're finished. The sites are in Green, Grant, Sheboygan, Rock, Dodge, and Waushara counties, with the Onion River project in Sheboygan producing the most solar energy. The utility says the panels will be able to handle severe weather and track the movements of the sun to make the most energy. There are still three more panel projects being built, and they'll be finished mid-2024.
One Republican state senator wants more answers from the University of Wisconsin about the porn-producing former chancellor at La Crosse. Steve Nass, who represents Whitewater, yesterday suggested that the legislature can find out just what the UW knew about Joe Gow's porn videos, and when they found out. Nass says he specifically wants to know if the university knew about Gow's porn career before university regents agreed to a deal to pause some diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in exchange for 800 million-dollars from the state. Nass says the university has a long history of deviancy, dysfunction, and indoctrination.
More than 120 anglers who had been ice fishing were rescued Friday evening from an ice floe that broke away from the main ice on a lake in northern Minnesota. They became stranded on the floe on Upper Red Lake when it broke loose about 30 feet from shore. The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office got the first call around 5 p.m. and some people on shore tried to use a canoe to rescue some of the stranded fishermen. Four people fell into the water during the rescue attempt but they were quickly pulled out, according to the sheriff's office. Emergency responders rescued the first four fishermen around 6:40 p.m. and by shortly after 7:30, all 122 anglers who'd been stranded were safely back on shore. No one was injured.
Wisconsin organizations, companies, and institutions are working to secure funding for the tech hub. The Economic Development Administration designated the state as a Tech Hub at the end of October which means the state's biohealth industry can grow between 50 and 75 million dollars. Leaders of the tech hub have their eyes on a bill in the state Legislature that would allocate 7-point-5 million dollars to a series of economic development projects. They say if the bill passes, it would help support a new BIOLABS location in Milwaukee and expand Forward BIOLABS in Madison.
Many Minnesotans will see their paychecks go up in the new year. Starting on January 1st, the state's minimum wage increases to ten-85 for large employers and eight-85 for others. The increase is meant to help ease inflation. It won't apply to workers in Minneapolis and St. Paul because both cities already have higher rates. Across the country, more than 20 states will raise their minimum wages in 2024. This is expected to impact nearly ten-million people.
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