The Dunn County Sheriff's Department is asking for the public's help in identifying blood-stained items and the owners of the items found near the Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax on Sunday. The department was called after the suspicious items were found on Hwy 40. It is unknown at this time if the items were intentionally discarded on the roadway or if they fell off a vehicle. Anyone with information is to contact the Dunn County Sheriff's Department or Dunn County Crimestoppers.
With the closing of Sacred Heart in Eau Claire, there will be challenges for law enforcement in Western Wisconsin responding to those experiencing a mental health crisis. Pepin County Sheriff Joel Wener says here in Wisconsin, it could take up to 16 hours for someone to be admitted to a facility if they are experiencing a mental health crisis and law enforcement is called. Wener said with Sacred Heart closing, deputies will have to transport those suffering a mental health crisis across the state to facilities in Green Bay, Oshkosh, or even Madison.
The questions about Chippewa County's sheriff may have forced a plea deal in a police chase case. Prosecutors announced a plea deal yesterday with Mitchell Ludtke. He was arrested last April, after police claimed he tried to hit a Cornell police officer and smashed into a Cornell police car. His lawyer was expected to question the credibility of Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes if the case went to trial. He will be sentenced in April, he pleaded no contest to recklessly endangering safety, fleeing an officer, and drunk driving.
Hope continues to grow for Amtrak service to Eau Claire. The West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition met yesterday to talk about the plan. Representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Amtrak were both there. Eau Claire is on the shortlist for federal grants that could bring an Amtrak line to town. Local planners are optimistic but say there's still work to be done.
507 will no longer be the sole phone area code for southeast Minnesota, as 924 joins the region. With the new area code, you will need to type in all 10 numbers to make a call by July 30. Previously, when 507 was the only area code, you could make calls by only typing the last seven numbers. The new area code was added as new numbers for the 507 area code are expected to run out of numbers early next year.
Snow plows in Wisconsin could soon have the power to control stoplights. Lawmakers are considering a plan that would give state and local government plows the same kind of gear that police officers and firefighters have to control traffic lights. The idea is to allow plows to do their job without having to stop every other block or so.
More details on the hand grenade found by the volunteers at the Goodwill in Ashland. Ashland Police Lieutenant Brandon Marten says it was a Japanese grenade, and based on the explosion when the Marathon County bomb squad detonated it, they believe it was still live. Marten says they believe someone was cleaning-out an attic, placed it in a donation box, and never really checked to see what it was.
A judge says the state of Wisconsin can force large dairy farms to get environmental permits before they do anything with their manure. The judge in Calumet County yesterday ruled that state law allows the Department of Natural Resources to proactively protect Wisconsin's waterways, and said that gives the DNR the power to force dairy farms to prove their manure won't pollute the local water system. Dairy farmers fought the idea, saying federal law doesn't allow environmental regulators to force farmers to get permits before they release any manure. The judge says Wisconsin law has a carve-out.
Wisconsin's governor, as expected, has vetoed the political maps that he essentially drew. Governor Tony Evers yesterday vetoed the legislative maps that were 99 percent of the maps he drew and submitted to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Republican lawmakers approved the maps last week. The governor says he vetoed the maps because Republicans made a handful of changes that put sitting lawmakers back in their districts. The governor said he wants fair maps, not Republican or Democrat maps. The governor's decision means the Wisconsin Supreme Court's experts will likely have the final say on who voters will see on their ballots later this fall.
The Marathon County Health Department has identified an outbreak of whooping cough in the Athens area. There have been “several” cases of the disease in residents near Athens, meaning anyone traveling to or from that area should take precautions and monitor their symptoms. Signs of whooping cough can develop 7-10 days after exposure and include cold-like symptoms including a mild cough that progresses into coughing fits that can last for several months. Vomiting is also a symptom of the disease. Anyone who develops those symptoms should contact their doctor. Treatment will typically include antibiotics.
Madison's Schoep's Ice Cream is facing a fine of over 145 thousand dollars for ammonia exposure. Federal investigators say the ice cream plant on Madison's isthmus didn't have proper safety management procedures in place after workers were exposed to ammonia, which can cause respiratory injuries and burns. OSHA issued 12 citations and recommended the 145 thousand dollar fine. The company that operates Schoep's has 15 days to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings.
A group of Wisconsin Democrats are pitching a plan to have the state boost local journalism. State Rep. Jimmy Anderson, state Rep. Jodi Emerson, and state Senator Mark Spreitzer are asking the legislature to support a newspaper tax credit as well as a local journalism fellowship program, and what they are calling a Wisconsin Civic Information Consortium. The move comes after Democrats in Illinois suggested something similar to deal with the lack of local news coverage in their state. Local news coverage has shrunk in Wisconsin over the past decade, led by much smaller advertising budgets and dozens upon dozens of layoffs.
Wisconsin lawmakers are looking to clarify the law for sex offenders. Wisconsin's attorney general issued a ruling that sex offenders must register after two or more convictions, even if those convictions were for the same crime. The new law will likely mean more people will have to register as sex offenders going forward here in Wisconsin. The plan is up for a hearing at the statehouse later today.
Minnesota is now offering an online assessment of assisted living facilities in the state. The Assisted Living Report Card is based on a similar effort that assesses Minnesota nursing homes. The site includes ratings for each facility in categories like quality of life, health, safety and staffing. The state says that only about 20-percent of the assisted living facilities in Minnesota are currently part of the report card, but that more ratings will be added early next year.
Weigh in on the state’s new highway map. The next edition of the Official Wisconsin Highway Map will be published next year, and the state Department of Transportation wants to hear from you. A survey is available on the department’s website, and public comment is open through February 29. The use of geographic information system (GIS) data, will enable the new map to show current infrastructure and help travelers navigate roads throughout the state. Free printed copies of the map are available at locations including rest areas, welcome centers and travel information centers.
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