The Cities of Wabasha and Kellogg, Wabasha County, and Greenfield Township have formed the River Trail Joint Powers Board to work on a project for a future bridge over the Zumbro River and a bike trail link connecting the cities. The Board has received a $1.5 million grant from the Transportation Alternatives Program. The money will be used to construct a multi-use trail and trail bridge from Winona Ave near Kellogg over the Zumbro River connecting to 645th Street. The Board hopes to start construction in the next few years.
Buffalo and Pepin County Senior Nutrition Program needs volunteers to deliver home-delivered meals in the Nelson-Alma areas. Schedules are flexible and mileage reimbursement is offered if you drive your own vehicle. Those interested in volunteering are to contact Matthew Bertelson at 715-672-8914 ext 163. The Senior Nutrition Program also has meal sites in Durand, Pepin, Nelson, Buffalo City, Gilmanton, and Mondovi.
A principal in the Eau Claire Area School District has been dismissed over charges of alleged misconduct and failure to follow district policies. District officials say Pete Riley was fired as principal at McKinley Charter School over charges of disrespecting students and staff and making derogatory comments about Black students. Riley says charges of derogatory comments have been misinterpreted and that vulgar language was sometimes used to defuse tense situations.
Following some route changes, the Dunn County Public Bus Transit System is seeing its ridership increase. The system carried 126-thousand riders last year. Ridership from Monday through Friday jumped by 62 percent and Saturday ridership increased by 81 percent. Transit system officials say they shortened the community route to an hour and eliminated a few stops. Meanwhile, an evening stop at the University of Wisconsin in Stout was added.
Congressman Derrick Van Orden has announced that ten-million dollars in federal funding has been secured for the County Road T construction project. County Road T connects Eau Claire and Chippewa Counties and will be converted from a two-lane to a four-lane highway. Van Orden says about 30 percent of the project is already designed. No timeline has been announced for the project.
Hunters and anglers will be able to comment on proposed changes to hunting and fishing rules in Wisconsin at the DNR's annual spring hearings next month. Hearings will be held in every county, including Ppein, Pierce, Buffalo, and Dunn, on April eighth. Proposed fishing changes include holding trout season open on the first Saturday in April instead of the middle of May and opening the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan to commercial fishing for lake trout.
Buffalo County is looking for an assistant for the County Board Of Canvassing for the upcoming spring election. The County Board of Canvassing reviews election materials and ensures votes were counted correctly. The Board of Canvassing will meet on April 4 starting at 8:30. Contact Roxanne Halverson for more information or to apply.
First responders in Eau Claire say they've seen ambulance turnaround times increase due to the recent closures of hospitals in the Chippewa Valley. Eau Claire fire officials say ambulance turnaround times have increased from ten minutes to 15 and 20 minutes. The increase means it's taking longer to transfer ambulance patients into hospital beds. They say the best solution is for another provider to come into the market and set up another emergency service department for first responders to use.
Wisconsin is monitoring reports of avian influenza in dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas. Wisconsin State Veterinarian Dr. Darlene Konkle notes that pasteurization kills viruses or bacteria in milk, so it's safe to drink. Cattle infected with bird flu typically recover, and the herd does not have to be de-populated. Wisconsin has not had a positive bird flu case in dairy cattle. Dr. Konkle is reminding Wisconsin dairy producers to report any illnesses in cattle.
Major utility companies in Wisconsin and the state's building trade unions are announcing plans to further develop clean energy infrastructure. Alliant Energy, Madison Gas & Electric, WEC Energy Group, and Xcel Energy say they will be building more solar farms, wind turbines, and battery storage facilities with the help of local union construction workers. Dean Miller with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers says they are excited to be a part of what he calls a "historic agreement". The Wisconsin Public Service Commission estimates that the planned projects will create close to 19-thousand construction jobs.
Two recently passed congressional spending bills include millions of dollars to support research at the University of Wisconsin. The measures are setting aside a total of 56-million dollars toward projects at UW-Madison. The largest chunk of the money, nearly 28-million, is going toward work at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Center. Some of the other supported research focuses on biomedicine, the dairy industry, and rural development.
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The Department of Natural Resources is taking public comment on a new elk management plan. Biologist Joshua Spiegel says they've been working closely on the plan with farmers in the central region of the state. Elk have been doing damage to cranberry farms, so the D N R worked together with the U S D A and ag groups to minimize contact between elk and humans. You can enter your input online at D N R dot W I dot Gov, just search for "Elk".
A conservative group opposed to equal opportunity programs in colleges has filed a complaint against UW-Madison over access to grants for minority students. The Equal Protection Project says those grants for minority groups unfairly block out white students from funding, and are a violation of civil rights and anti-racism laws. They want the US Department of Education to investigate the program and open it up for all students. UW-Madison is among several colleges and universities that E P P is targeting with complaints. UW officials say they will cooperate with any official investigations.
Some elected Wisconsin Democrats say they won’t support Joe Biden in next week’s presidential primary. WisPolitics reports a total of 24 have signed a letter, vowing to vote “uninstructed” in the April 2 Democratic primary. It’s part of a campaign urging voters to vote uninstructed in protest of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. State Representative Francesca Hong of Madison drafted the letter. Representative Kristina Shelton of Green Bay has signed it, as have Democratic Socialists Representatives Ryan Clancy and Darrin Madison of Milwaukee, Milwaukee state Senator Chris Larson, and local officials. Biden has already secured the Democratic nomination for president.
A Wisconsin first responder comes to the rescue in mid-flight. Lake Country Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief Matthew Haerter was on a Southwest flight from Milwaukee to Arizona last week when a passenger lost consciousness. Haerter came to the man’s aid, giving him an IV that Southwest had on board. He stayed with the man for two more hours until they landed in Arizona, where emergency crews were waiting. Soon after, Haerter said he found an email on his phone congratulating him on 30 years as a paramedic.
Next week’s Milwaukee Brewers home opener will be the debut for a bright new addition to American Family Field. At over 12-thousand square feet, a new center field scoreboard at AmFam Field is twice the size of the previous scoreboard, and the LED display will provide higher resolution for fans. Brewers’ President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger says in addition to the increase in the scoreboard’s size, “…the visual experience will be really impactful and allows us to do creative things." The enhanced scoreboard is part of a new LED display system throughout the ballpark costing around $14 million. The Brewers begin their home schedule April 2nd against the Minnesota Twins.
Plans to build a water park at Mall of America is resurfacing. The Bloomington City Council will get an update and look at the concepts for the 143-thousand-square-foot Mystery Cove Waterpark during a joint meeting on Thursday with the city's Port Authority. The proposal includes a wave pool, lazy river, 30 slides and a retractable roof. Construction could begin in 2025 and could open in late 2027.
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