With the announcement of the closing of HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital, there have been concerns about what that means for Advent Health Durand. Advent Health Durand CEO Doug Peterson says things will continue even after the closing of Sacred Heart. Peterson says all the same services will also continue at both Durand Clinics.
Lawmakers in western Wisconsin are worried about what comes next after two hospitals in the Chippewa Valley announced that they are closing. Hospital Sisters Health System and Prevea announced this week that they will close their hospitals and clinics by April. State Senator Jesse James of Altoona says that will leave a gap in care, particularly for people who need mental health or substance abuse care. James said the closing will be devastating. Eau Claire state Representative Jodi Emerson says the state needs to take a look at what it can do. She says it's not right to leave so many people with fewer choices for care.
The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include updates from the Mayor, City Administrator, and department heads, along with updates on the Madison Street and 6th Avenue East Projects along with an update on Blues on the Chippewa. Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall and will be livestreamed on our website.
One person was injured in a one-vehicle accident in Oak Grove Township on Sunday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 47yr old Damien Haas of Ellsworth was traveling westbound on Hwy 10 near Hwy QQ when he lost control and entered the ditch. Haas was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
One person was injured in a single-vehicle accident in Gilman Township on Monday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 43yr old Brian Rud of Elmwood was traveling northbound on Hwy CC when he lost control and entered the ditch. Rud was transported to Western Wisconsin Health.
There is an investigation into the head of HR at Chippewa Falls Schools. The district yesterday said Tim Johnson, the district's executive director of human resources and public relations, has been placed on leave. Chippewa Falls Schools aren't saying much else, but a report says investigators are looking into claims that Johnson billed his former school district for thousands of dollars in continuing education classes he never took. That report says Johnson was paid over 80 thousand-dollars by Glenwood City Schools for graduate school classes. A former substitute teacher in Glenwood City first started asking questions about Johnson's pay two years ago. Johnson resigned as Glenwood City superintendent back in May.
Eau Claire's city council is officially on the record for the plan to resettle 75 refugees in the Chippewa Valley this year. The city council last night unanimously voted for a resolution that supports World Relief Wisconsin's effort to bring the refugees to the area. Some people in town, and some Chippewa County leaders, disagree with the move. They worry about where the refugees will come from, and what they will do once they get here. Eau Claire city council member Josh Miller says he wants the refugees to know that they are welcome. Miller was quick to point out, however, that the city of Eau Claire has nothing to do with the resettlement or the support of the refugees once they arrive.
The Department of Natural Resources is putting out a warning about shifting ice conditions. Warmer temperatures hovering around the freezing mark are expected for Wisconsin over the next week, and that could make river and lake ice unstable and spotty. Wardens remind you that no ice is safe ice, so be sure to bring safety equipment with you before you head out to fish or do other recreation.
Wisconsin's governor is once again asking lawmakers to spend more on schools and the UW, as well as expand the state's healthcare program. Governor Tony Evers delivered his State of the State speech last night. He once again asked to send more money to Wisconsin's public schools and to spend more at the University of Wisconsin. He also, once again, pitched a Medicaid expansion. The governor specifically said he wants to use BadgerCare, the state's Medicaid program, to provide free birth control and Plan B pills to women in the state. The governor also pitched a plan to focus on workforce development throughout Wisconsin. Republican lawmakers say the speech was the "same-old same-old," and once again pitched more spending and a bigger government.
A pair of Wisconsin congressmen want to make sure fishermen can keep on spearing sturgeon in the state. Congressmen Mike Gallagher and Glenn Grothman have introduced new legislation that would protect the annual sturgeon spearing on the Lake Winnebago system. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is studying whether to add the sturgeon to the Endangered Species Act. The congressmen say that would wreck the population management benefits of fishing, and would 'ignore the cultural importance and economic impact of lake sturgeon and sturgeon spearing to Northeast Wisconsin.' Fish and Wildlife managers are not expected to make their decision til later this summer.
UW-Whitewater campus police are investigating an incident of anti-Semitism. The episode happened outside Knilans (NYE-linz) Residence Hall Sunday night. There, authorities say a group of four people shouted racist chants and displayed anti-Semitic symbols. By the time campus police arrived at the scene, the group of four had left. UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King says that the actions of the four are consistent with a group that has been visiting other campuses. The police presence on campus has been increased in response to the incident.
President Joe Biden will be in Wisconsin on Thursday. The White House Press Secretary says Biden will be speaking in Superior about Bidenomics and growing infrastructure. The visit comes days after Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced more than one-billion federal dollars was approved by Biden to go toward replacing the John A. Blatnik Bridge. That money will go to both the Wisconsin and Minnesota Departments of Transportation, who are splitting the costs for the bridge that connects Superior and Duluth. Biden also visited Superior in 2022, one day after announcing the trillion-dollar bridge and road infrastructure law providing the funds.
Six Wisconsin construction companies are being honored by the state Department of Transportation for work done in 2023. The Excellence in Construction Awards are given annually to companies that work on Wisconsin infrastructure projects. This year's award for Excellence in Concrete Paving went to Trierweiler Construction out of Marshfield for reconstructing some of Blair Street in Madison. Others went to construction companies for work in Lafayette, Outagamie, Milwaukee, Polk, and Racine counties. The Wisconsin DOT Secretary says in the past five years, seven-thousand four-hundred miles of roadway and more than one-thousand seven-hundred bridges in the state have been improved.
Authorities make a startling discovery in Minneapolis. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office says deputies found a rocket-propelled grenade while performing a search warrant at an undisclosed location yesterday. They also discovered two handguns and what's believed to be fentanyl powder. Two men were arrested at the scene.
Representatives of the Minnesota agriculture industry are in Morocco this week to discuss trade opportunities. State Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen is leading a delegation of state officials and agriculture leaders on a six-day to the African country. The group will tour Moroccan food and agriculture businesses and explore ways to expand Minnesota's exports to that country. The state exported over 13-million dollars in agricultural products to Morocco in 2022.
The Wisconsin State Fair continues to take shape. Fair managers yesterday announced that the Happy Together Tour will close out this year's Fair. The Happy Together Tour includes bands from the 60s like The Turtles, Jay & the Americans, The Association, Badfinger, The Vogues, and The Cowsills. Tickets go on sale Friday. The State Fair runs August 1st through the 11th this year.
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