The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include consideration of a proposal from Oakridge Engineering for the 2024 Dam Inspection, discussion and possible action on repealing and recreating the ordinance on remote meetings a and reports from the Mayor and Department heads. Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services has received a $7.96 million grant from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission to fund three projects across Pepin, Pierce, and St. Croix Counties. The money will be used to install high speed fiber optic services in the Towns of Pleasant Valley, Frankfort, Pepin, Stockholm, Maiden Rock, Villages of Elmwood, and Pepin. Fiber construction will begin over the next several months. Work is currently being done to prepare the infrastructure to support fiber. Construction will continue throughout 2024 and into 2025, with home installations beginning at the end of 2024. Over the next six months, information will be provided to homeowners and businesses through a series of meetings and events.
A Mondovi man charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, 1st degree recklessly endangering safety, and use of a dangerous weapon in connection with a crash that killed 56yr old Tammy Jarecki in May of 2023 has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 41yr old Kenneth Van Meter made the plea in court yesterday and his next court date is May 10th. Authorities say witnesses say Van Meter Driving at a high rate of speed on Clairmont Avenue when he hit Jarecki's vehicle which was stopped at a stoplight.
The city manager in Eau Claire wants the state to look into the Chippewa Valley's hospitals sooner-than-expected closing. HSHS yesterday said Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire will close next Friday, instead of the original closing date in April. Eau Claire City Manager Stephanie Hirsch says she wants the state to look into the 'circumstances of the closure.' She says she is shocked by the 'lack of corporate responsibility.' HSHS announced that its closing Sacred Heart, as well as St. Joseph's Hospital in Chippewa Falls because of costs and industry pressures. HSHS yesterday said it is closing Sacred Heart early to maintain 'safe and quality care.'
Police say an Eau Claire man accidentally shot himself outside a downtown bar over the weekend. It happened in the early morning hours of Sunday. Police say the man was outside of the bar, showing off his new gun, when he accidentally pulled the trigger. The man was hit in the arm. He's expected to survive.
Eau Claire's Democratic state representative is running for re-election. State Representative Jodi Emerson yesterday said she's running against his fall. She's been at the statehouse since 2018, and won in 2022 with 65 percent of the vote. While Emerson will continue to represent Eau Claire, her district will change a bit. Wisconsin's new political maps shift most districts in the state. The new maps also make the state more friendly to Democrats.
A house fire caused about 20-thousand dollars in damage in Sparta. Fire Chief Christopher Reese says responders got a call about the fire just before eight P-M on Saturday. The fire was contained to one bathroom. Reese says the homeowner closed the door to the bathroom when the fire was first seen, which probably reduced spreading flames and rising temperatures. No injuries were reported.
Meat manufacturer Johnsonville is recalling more than 35-thousand pounds of meat after multiple reports of black rubber. The Wisconsin-based company recalled its ready-to-eat Polish kielbasa turkey sausage after at least two consumers reported the material. That's according to the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The product was produced from October 30th and 31st and was shipped to retail distribution centers in several states throughout the country.
Walleyes are spawning early in northern Wisconsin, which means Chippewa tribal members are spearing for them. Jonathan Gilbert with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission says this is the earliest he can remember the spearing start. Gilbert says the tribes are taking a careful count of the number and sex of the walleyes they're harvesting and will supply that data to the Department of Natural Resources. The DNR will then determine walleye bag limits for the general fishing season. The tribes are asking for room to work and be safe while members are out on the water.
Wisconsin's governor made his case for more PFAS money in one of the communities hit hardest by the so-called forever chemicals. Governor Tony Evers was in Marinette yesterday to demand that lawmakers give him 125 million-dollars to start a PFAS grant program. Republican lawmakers want to use the money to clean-up drinking water across the state, but the governor says he will not sign the new law to do that. The governor says he wants to hold polluters accountable, while Republicans say the governor is targeting anyone who finds PFAS chemicals on their land or in their water.
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More than 500-thousand dollars in grants is available for Wisconsin school districts to support technical education training. The money will be used for manufacturing tools and equipment training through the Expanded Wisconsin Fast Forward program. School districts will use the money as reimbursement for purchasing and installing training materials and software. Awards will range from five-thousand to 50-thousand. Applications will be due on April 1
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is adjusting a lawsuit against the Fleet Farm retail chain to include allegations that the retailer violated the state's gun control law. The business is accused of repeatedly selling firearms to straw purchasers who moved the guns to felons who are barred from owning the weapons. Minnesota is now seeking civil penalties for each violation of the Gun Control Act and the state's public nuisance statute. Penalties can range as high as 25 thousand dollars per violation.
The Dollar General in Mineral Point is closed after all the workers quit over the weekend. Shoppers arrived to find the doors locked and a note explaining what happened. Staffers say they walked out because they're overworked, underpaid and tired. Former store manager Trina Tribolet told reporters the store was throwing away perfectly good items and wouldn't allow her to send anything expired to local charities. There's no word when a new staff will be hired or when the store will reopen.
It's a sign of the return of spring as peregrine falcons return to Wisconsin. WE Energies spokesperson Alison Troui says four nesting pairs are residing at We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service facilities. The falcons have been nesting at Wisconsin plants for over 30 years after being released in 1992. Troui says the falcons love living at the power plants, because they're high up and near rivers and bodies of water, which replicates their natural habitat.
Four Wisconsin cities were ranked among the top 100 most attractive places in the U.S. for a career change. A recent survey by Careerminds.com asked 3,000 professionals to come up with the cities with the most appeal for a career switch. The survey had Eau Claire coming in tenth, while Appleton ranked 18th, Oshkosh placed 29th, and La Crosse came in at number 32. The top three cities in the survey were Asheville, North Carolina; Pasadena, California; and Oviedo, Florida, near Orlando.
A lizard from Marathon County is in the running to be the next Cadbury Bunny. Apollo the bearded dragon was rescued by the Marathon County Humane Society back in 2022. He now lives with Michael Straub in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and is among the 32 finalists in the Cadbury Easter Bunny contest. Fans can vote, starting today, on which non-bunny should get the honor this year. Staub says Apollo is just like any other pet, and cuddles just like a dog or a cat. You can vote for Apollo at Cadbury's Instagram page.
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