Firefighters from Durand, Rock Creek, Mondovi, and 5 other departments responded to a structure fire on Tuesday night. According to the Durand Fire Department, firefighters were called to a wood shed on fire at N1074 Hwy O in the town of Peru. By the time firefighters arrived, the house and two outbuildings were fully engulfed. The two outbuildings collapsed shortly after firefighters arrived and after a long battle, the house had to be torn down due to the structural integrity of the interior floors and walls. No one was injured in the fire and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
The Durand City Council made it official last night and delayed the Madison Street Reconstruction project. The low bid of $3.2 million came from McCabe Construction but that bid and two others were rejected at last night's council meeting. The council had been expecting the project to cost approximately $2.5 million so it was decided to reject the bids and delay the project for one year. The city will now review the project with Cedar Corporation to find ways to bring it back to the $2.5 million budget.
Aspirus Health says it's adding hospital beds to make-up for some of what western Wisconsin is losing with HSHS and Prevea. Aspirus yesterday said it is adding six beds at its hospital in Stanley, adding eight beds in Medford, working to expand its services in Wausau, and looking to hire more people. Aspirus also says it's working on an affiliation with St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. Aspirus CEO Matthew Heywood says they understand the need in the Chippewa Valley and are working to meet it.
Lawmakers are taking steps to try and provide for the Chippewa Valley when two of its hospitals close later this spring. Both the State Assembly and the State Senate held hearings yesterday on 15-million dollars that lawmakers want to send to Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls once HSHS and Prevea close their doors in April. State Senator Jesse James of Altoona says the closing will mean the loss of over 100 hospital beds, 28 ICU beds, and all of Prevea's urgent care clinics. The 15 million was originally earmarked for HSHS's hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, but will now be reallocated to other healthcare providers once those hospitals close.
Dunn County is looking to hire healthcare workers. The county yesterday said it will host a job fair next week, and another one in March. Both will welcome walk-in interviews. The county says it is looking to hire registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, licensed therapists, as well as social workers, and a number of other people as well. Both job fairs will be in the central building at the Neighbors of Dunn County.
A Wisconsin business owner accused of sexual assault will face additional charges after another two potential victims are discovered. Chris Delvin, the owner of a non-surgical cosmetic center in Eau Claire, is accused of touching patients inappropriately, taking non-consensual photos, and exposing himself during appointments. The first charges were filed after police spoke with four victims, but additional charges came after a fifth victim spoke with police. Officers also say there's photo evidence of a sixth victim. Delvin will be in court again in March.
The recently passed legislative maps would have some changes for Western Wisconsin. In the assembly, Pepin and Pierce Counties would move from the 93rd Assembly District represented by Warren Petryk and Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties would move from the 92nd District represented by Trig Pronschniske to the 29th District which will be moved from Dunn County, while in the state senate, Pepin and Pierce, and Buffalo Counties would move from the 31st State Senate District and become part of the 10th District represented by Senator Rob Stafsholt.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is investigating the death of hundreds of fish in the Mississippi River. The agency says dead fish were found in the river in Lake City on February 3rd and in Wabasha on February 8th. The DNR says about a thousand fish died in all. The agency says the die-offs were caused by thermal stress related to recent high temperatures and that analysts are still looking at data collected from both locations.
Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol want a massive expansion of paid family leave in the state. Wisconsin law currently gives people up to two weeks of paid leave to take care of a sick child, spouse, or parent. The pitch from state Rep. Francesca Hong and others would expand that to 14 weeks, and add all manner of other reasons for someone to take time off. Hong also wants to remove the exemption for small businesses in the state. She said the expansion gives working families in Wisconsin the support that they need.
More than 100 people will lose their jobs in Madison when a printing plant ceases operations. CJK Group, the parent company of Sheridan Wisconsin, formerly known as Webcrafters, sent a layoff notice to the state Department of Workforce Development and city officials, citing a “significant downturn in business” at the plant. The company said layoffs of 116 workers will begin in April and continue until the plant fully closes in late June. CJK, with operations in six countries, purchased the plant in 2017.
The USDA Census of Agriculture shows Wisconsin farms are still struggling to get Internet access. USDA statistician Greg Bussler says a higher percentage of farms had access to the Internet in 2022 compared to 2017. That’s compared to seventy-six percent of Wisconsin farms with Internet access in 2017. But, Bussler says the actual number of Wisconsin farms with Internet access fell by 3,221. 59% of Wisconsin farmers responding to the 2022 Census of Agriculture are getting their Internet from a mobile provider, while 53% have access to broadband.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has turned down a challenge to a state court decision that ended restrictions on abortion in 2022. The decision announced this week stops an attempt by an anti-abortion group to get a new hearing in the Doe v. Minnesota case. The case was originally filed in 2019 by groups that argued restrictions on abortion care harmed patients and clients. The court overseeing the case ruled several abortion restrictions were unconstitutional and permanently blocked their enforcement. Minnesota lawmakers repealed most of those anti-abortion laws last year.
The Green Bay Area Public School District Board of Education has placed district Superintendent Dr. Claude Tiller Jr. on paid administrative leave as it conducts a review of comments he made during a radio interview. The comments were allegedly made during a commercial break when a mic had been left on, and the show was still streaming on social media. Attorney Geoffrey Lacy released a statement from the school board Tuesday saying that while there is speculation about why the radio livestream is no longer available online, the Board did not request the broadcast be removed. As for the records request regarding the public release of the video, board counsel is working through the legal process required for such requests. Tiller was a guest Feb. 6 on WAOK-AM in Atlanta with the topic listed as "Navigating Educational Leadership: Insights from the First Black Superintendent of Green Bay Public Schools." It also promoted the segment as "Prepare to be inspired by his journey, insights, and how he's making a lasting impact in the education system."
A bill that would adjust a state law regarding the use of force in Minnesota schools is advancing in the state legislature. The bill passed its first test in the House Education Policy Committee on Monday and was approved by the Public Safety Policy and Finance Committee yesterday. The bill would offer modifications to last year's law to ease concerns that school resource officers could be held liable for using certain types of force against students. Lawmakers expect the bill to get to the House floor next week.
A Minnesota brewery worker has become a viral video star after his company posted some surveillance footage on social media. The video shows the worker getting blasted by a stream of beer from a fermentation tank and winding up on the ground. Back Channel Brewing Company says the video was recorded on January 23rd and that the employee was unhurt. The brewery also says the beer that shot from the tank was appropriate for the situation since it was named "Blow Back."
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