The Durand City Council has approved Next Level Excavating for the reconstruction project of 6th Avenue East. The Contract approved last night is for just over $192,000 and will include resurfacing of the street and improvements to the sidewalks on the school side of the street. That project will begin when the school year ends for Durand-Arkansaw Schools.
The Durand-Arkansaw School Board will be holding a special meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include a discussion with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards on the search for a new superintendent, the appointment of an individual to make statements regarding school complaints, and then the board will go into closed session to discuss the procedure regarding an employee complaint filed with the district. Tonight's meeting begins at 6pm in the board room at Durand-Arkansaw High School.
Changes are coming to Alcivia Co-Op. In a press release yesterday the co-op announced that it would be selling its HVAC Divisions in Durand and Cottage Grove. The Durand Division has been sold to Hurlburt Heating, AC, and Plumbing, while the Cottage Grove location was sold to Action Plumbing, Air Conditioning, and Electric. Alcivia officials say the sale of the HVAC Divisions will allow Alcivia to continue its focused growth in the core areas of agronomy, animal nutrition, energy, grain, information technology, and input financing.
Calling it a historic day, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak was at Great River Organic Milling in Fountain City, WI to announce the first ever commercially available product as a result of the USDA Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities. Columbia Grain International, owner of the Great River Facility along with AgriCapture joined forces to introduce a long grain rice grown using climate-smart practices. Vilsak says this is exactly what the Partnership is designed to do. The rice is grown on 30,000 acres in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and uses a combination of flooding fields and then letting them dry out, thus reducing methane and water usage by 50% along with increasing carbon capture. The rice is available through Enrich Foods via Amazon. The company is planning on having the rice available at grocery stores by the end of the year.
A man from Menomonie accused of making threats at his workplace that resulted in a lockdown will get probation. Garett Kinser was accused of trying to get his coworkers to help him make bombs to burn down their workplace, Phillips Medsize. He was also accused of threatening to throw a coworker into a meat grinder. Kinser was accused of terroristic threats but took a plea deal for two lesser charges. He will be on probation for a year and a half and will have to pay court costs.
Another local prosecutor says he will not file charges in connection to a campaign finance case tied to Robin Vos' 2022 opponent. St. Croix County's District Attorney Karl Anderson yesterday said he will not move ahead with charges against two locals for how they allegedly redirected money to the Adam Steen campaign. Wisconsin's Ethics Commission suggested charges in the case. Investigators claim state Representative Janel Brandtjen, Steen, and others conspired to move money around Wisconsin's campaign donation limits to benefit Steen when he ran against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos back in 2022. Prosecutors in Chippewa and Florence County have also passed on filing charges. The Ethics Commission has said Wisconsin's attorney general can take the case if local prosecutors opt not to file charges.
Bagged milk is on its way out at Kwik Trip. The company yesterday said it will stop selling milk in bags in May. Kwik Trip's John McHugh says customers prefer their milk in jugs. Kwik Trip has sold milk in bags for about 40 years, and McHugh says they will offer bagged milk customers a special deal while supplies last.
The Upper Mississippi Waterway Association (UMWA) has tabbed Gary Williams to lead the organization. Williams comes to UMWA with 35 years of experience in transportation, business development, and merchandising of commodities. In addition to Williams, UMWA is requesting ideas for strategic planning from its membership. The board is looking for member input, including a request for member profiles. UMWA is the association of waterway operators, shippers, and other waterway interests working together to promote the economic and environmental benefits of water transportation in the Upper Midwest.
With the April primary less than a week away, Governor Tony Evers has signed a measure to give more protection to election workers and clerks. It gives election officials whistleblower protection if they lawfully report cases of election irregularities or fraud. The bill also prohibits the disclosure of election officials' personally identifiable information and makes the intentional harming of any election worker a felony. The bipartisan legislation had passed the state Senate 31-1 after the Assembly unanimously approved it earlier.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that a group of Amazon delivery drivers are employees, not independent contractors. Amazon had appealed a lower court ruling that drivers in its Amazon Flex program are employees and eligible for unemployment benefits when fired. The justices rejected the appeal in a unanimous ruling released Tuesday. The case stems from a 2018 decision by the Department of Workforce Development that Amazon owed over 200 thousand dollars in back unemployment payments. The ruling could have effects on other gig economy jobs.
Worker's compensation will increase in Wisconsin. Governor Tony Evers approved the bill, which increases the weekly permanent partial disability rate from 430 dollars to 438 for any injuries for this year. In 2025, it will increase by another eight dollars. Other alterations include extending the statute of limitations and gender-neutral language in marriage-related statutes. The bill was initially approved by the Worker's Compensation Advisory Council, which is made up of both employee and employer representatives and insurer reps.
The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council is dedicating millions of dollars to fight invasive carp in the Mississippi River. The council, which is a state-formed group of citizens and legislators, is allocating twelve million dollars towards developing a deterrent to reduce the carp in the river near Winona. The carp compete with native fish for food and if nothing is done, they are expected to travel further up the river. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say they are working together on a plan and will release details of that plan soon.
A new coronavirus has been discovered in Walleye fish in Wisconsin. Professor of Epidemiology Tony Goldberg at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine says it shouldn't be a big concern for people. He says this particular virus has likely been in Walleye for a very long time and is only now being discovered.
Rochester Community and Technical College will be offering a new degree in cybersecurity this fall. The college announced the new associate of applied science program yesterday. The degree is designed to help those looking for immediate employment in the cybersecurity industry as well as those looking to transfer to a four-year college for additional study.
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