With the Madison Street reconstruction project on hold the City of Durand will now look at the 6th Avenue East project. The council approved advertising for bids for the project this summer, and Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says if the bids come in over budget, the council will have to discuss how future projects will move forward. The mayor is hopeful that the bids will come in at or under budget because its a smaller project and doesn't include the replacement of underground utilities.
One person was injured in a single vehicle accident in River Falls Township on Saturday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 32yr old Nicholas Olson of Ellsworth was traveling southbound on Hwy O, lost control and entered the ditch. Olson was transported to River Falls Area Hospital.
A shoe seller based in Wisconsin has been sold to a national chain of shoe stores. Rogan's Shoes has been purchased by Shoe Carnival for $45 million. Rogan's, which started as a family shoe store in Racine in 1971, grew to 28 locations across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. A Tuesday news release from Shoe Carnival said the acquisition of Rogan’s positions them “…as the market leader in Wisconsin, and it establishes a store base in Minnesota, creating additional expansion opportunities." Shoe Carnival's website says the company operates 429 stores in 36 states and Puerto Rico.
Representative Clint Moses of Menomonie is reacting to the Crisis Urgent Care and Observation Centers Bill unanimously passing the Assembly. This bill establishes five regional facilities across Wisconsin to ensure individuals have nearby resources. The facilities will be designed to be a “one-stop shop” for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and will accept both voluntary and involuntary individuals for short-term stays (5 days or less). Individuals can be dropped off by a friend, family member, EMS, or law enforcement. There will not be a medical clearance requirement before admission, which will allow law enforcement to leave the facility upon drop-off. “This is a step in the right direction to help people in a crisis. These centers will be located closer to home, especially for residents in Western Wisconsin who need support and services during a mental health crisis,” Moses said.
Three more healthcare providers in western Wisconsin are expanding their operations. Pivotal Health, the NorthLakes Community Clinics, and Remedy Mental Health announced that they will expand their services once HSHS and Prevea close their doors later this spring. All three have been planning to move into the Chippewa Valley for a while, and say they sped-up those expansion plans once the two hospitals announced their closing. Remedy says it's already hired 95 percent of the people who work at Prevea's mental health clinics.
Feed My People food bank in Eau Claire is warning residents of a scam email being circulated pretending to be them. They claim to be from the organization saying they're looking for food trucks for the upcoming Empty Bowls event, and requesting advanced payment to reserve a spot. While Feed My People is looking for food trucks for the event, they are not requiring payment in advance. It is suggested to just delete the email and call Feed My People food bank directly.
Country Signer Lee Brice will perform at this year's Northern Wisconsin State Fair. The fair announced that Brice will be performing on Thursday, July 11 and tickets are going on sale today. Brice is one of four acts for this year's Northern Wisconsin State Fair which will be July 10-14 in Chippewa Falls.
The Salvation Army didn't hit the mark with its Red Kettles in the Chippewa Valley last year. The Salvation Army yesterday said it fell 15-thousand-dollars short of its 90-thousand-dollar goal. The Salvation Army's Karen Frederick says this is the sixth year they've fallen short. She says this means less help for the 400 families that rely on the Salvation Army each month.
A Minnesota man out on bond for allegedly threatening to shoot up the Chippewa County Courthouse is accused of making more threats. Prosecutors this week filed new charges against Harley Alcala, saying he threatened to kill the lawyer working on his case. He was arrested last year after police said he made threats on social media the night before a hearing. He was released on 20 thousand-dollars bond and now lives in Texas. It's unclear when he will be brought back to Wisconsin to face the new charges.
Wisconsin's race for the U.S. Senate is about to get more crowded and competitive. Republican Eric Hovde is reportedly going to announce his campaign next week. Hovde has been on the short list of possible candidates and has been rumored for months to be getting in. Baldwin is looking for her third term in office. Hovde ran for U.S. Senate back in 2012, and finished second in the Republican primary. Democrats in the state are already jumping on him as an out of state millionaire looking to grab an office in Wisconsin.
Medical marijuana is not happening in the current session of the Wisconsin Legislature. Speaker Robin Vos says a bill from Assembly Republicans faces too much opposition. The Assembly bill calls for the establishment of five state-run medical cannabis dispensaries. Senate Republicans oppose that, with some in opposition to legalizing marijuana in any form.
A southeast Wisconsin university is facing financial hard times. Fox 6 Milwaukee reports Concordia University Wisconsin sent an email to its students this week stating that the school will face a significant reduction in operations and cutbacks at its Mequon campus, including staff reductions. The university told the Milwaukee TV station that a partner Concordia campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan will face greater cutbacks, including staff reductions and dispersal of property, facilities, and equipment. Following a meeting of Concordia's Board of Regents, a financial plan will be announced within the next few weeks. The situation has arisen despite growth in enrollment at the school.
American Girl is set to close its corporate offices in Wisconsin. W I S C reports the office in Middleton is set to close, with employees being let go as soon as Friday. 30 people are affected, though a source tells the TV station that some of the corporate work will be able to be completed remotely. The company's warehouse in DeForest will remain open. American Girl and Fisher-Price are owned by Mattel. An investment group recently requested the company to sell off the two brands to shore up stock prices.
Community organizations focused on addressing young people vaping will get 830-thousand dollars from a settlement. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says thirteen grants were given out, using money from a settlement with the vaping company JUUL. The state is getting 14-point-seven-million total within the next nine years. Some organizations getting part of the money include the American Lung Association, the Elkhorn Area School District, and several local health departments. DHS says it used data collected from statewide listening sessions to find ways to use settlement money.
If you haven't cashed your one-time rebate check from the state of Minnesota, you're getting another chance. Officials with the Department of Revenue announced that they are re-issuing more than 128-thousand of the checks that have yet to be cashed. The new checks will begin going out next week, and the process should be complete by mid-March. Each check is worth between 260 and 13-hundred dollars, depending on the number of dependents.
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