The Buffalo and Dunn County Highway Departments are announcing that season weight restrictuons on County Highways will be lifted on Thursday. Crews will start removing all weight limit signs starting on Thursday. Restrictions will remain in place until the signs are removed and some town and villages may still have weight restrictions in place.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is seeking public input on a proposed pavement improvement project on WIS 85 from just west of County O west of Rock Falls to 2,100 feet west of 1010th Street in Dunn County. The project would include removal replacement of the pavement, widing the shoulders to 5 feet, and replace drainage structures. During construction, WIS 85 will be closed, with through traffic will be detoured via US 10 and WIS 37. That project is scheduled for 2026.
The Pepin County Emergency Management Department is looking for youth leaders to apply for the Youth Preparedness Council with FEMA. The council is open to kids in 8th through 11th grades, who have served in a leadership role, participate in community activities, and want to represent the community on the council. The deadline to apply is this Friday and for more information, contact Pepin County Emergency Management.
The plan to replace the Chippewa Valley's to-be-closed hospitals is coming together. The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative yesterday said it is ready to help transition to new options once St. Joe's in Chippewa Falls and Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire close. The Co-Op will partner with the OakLeaf Medical Network to take the next step forward. That could include a new community hospital. St. Joe's is set to close March 22nd, and Sacred Heart is set to close April 21st.
The first group of World Relief refugees are already in the Chippewa Valley. Gail Cornelius with World Relief says 21 refugees arrived back on February 4th. They are from the Congo, and are the first of what will ultimately be 75 refugees to resettle in the area. Cornelius says the 21 are members of four families. No one told anyone in Eau Claire until now, but Cornelius didn't say why. No one knows where the remaining refugees will come from, or where they will go once they arrive here. Cornelius says World Relief doesn't know that until the refugees have been cleared and vetted.
It is a sad day for Tomah Police. The city's police department says one of its K9 officers, Raiden, died earlier this week after being hit by a car. Raiden was hit late Monday night. Police say the dog had just finished relieving itself when it ran into the road and was hit. Tomah Police rushed Raiden to a nearby vet, but he did not survive. There's no word about a public memorial for Raiden yet.
Cybersecurity experts say UnitedHealth may have paid 22-million dollars to a hacker group to stop a ransomware attack. The Minnetonka-based healthcare group reported the attack on one of its subsidiary companies last week. UnitedHealth has not confirmed any ransom payment, but analysts point to a 22-million dollar Bitcoin transaction from the company as evidence that a ransom was paid to the hackers. UnitedHealth says it remains focused on the ongoing investigation into the attack.
The head of Wisconsin's technical colleges is stepping down. Technical College System President Morna Foy yesterday said she will retire later this year. Foy has spent the last 26 years with the state's technical college system, which she says has seen a boom in growth over the past few years. Foy led the charge to add more dual-credit classes in Wisconsin high schools and to find ways to work with companies and bosses across the state to prepare technical college students for the job market. The Technical College System board says it will start the search for a new president soon.
Wisconsin lawmakers want to make sure high school students know what they are getting into before they go to college. A Senate committee today will hold a hearing on a plan that would require the University of Wisconsin to post information about not only the cost of tuition but the return on that tuition. The plan would require UW schools to tell high schoolers the average salary for graduates, the average debt for students, and the campus graduation rate ranked by major. Supporters say high school students need to know the true costs of a college degree.
Wisconsin lawmakers are looking to tweak the law and help more veterans qualify for free tuition at UW schools. State Senators will hear a plan today that will cut the time needed to qualify for the veterans' remission program from five years to three. Currently, vets in Wisconsin have to have lived in the state for five years to qualify for tuition reimbursement. Lawmakers say by trimming that down to three, it will help more veterans qualify for the program and may keep more people in the state. Veterans, their spouses, and their children can qualify for up to eight free semesters at UW schools or the state's technical colleges.
The two frontrunners for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations have been declared the winners of the Minnesota Super Tuesday primary. Unofficial results posted last night show President Joe Biden winning over 70-percent of the vote in the Democratic primary. A protest vote by supporters of a permanent cease-fire in Gaza exceeded expectations, picking up nearly 20-percent of the Democratic vote. Former President Donald Trump easily outpaced challenger Nikki Haley in the Republican primary, getting just under 70-percent support from voters.
A second candidate has stepped up to run for a Northeast Wisconsin Congressional seat. DePere Republican state senator Andre Jacque announced Monday that he’s running for the spot being vacated by Mike Gallagher in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District. Jacque is the second declared candidate to get into the race for that seat. Former state senator Roger Roth of Appleton announced his candidacy for the seat on the same day Gallagher made his surprise announcement last month that he’d not seek another term in Congress. Gallagher’s decision came soon after his decision not to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, for which he got heat from several of his fellow Republicans in Congress.
Close to one thousand Twin Cities nursing home workers are on strike. The one-day walkout is being staged by 12 senior facilities. The union's contract expired six months ago and they are currently seeking a minimum wage of 25 dollars an hour. They are also demanding better staffing at the facilities. The protesting nursing home workers plan to join four thousand office janitors this afternoon on the State Capitol steps.
Wisconsin’s wildfire season is off to an early start. Lack of snowfall across the state means conditions are primed for fires. Already this year, the Department of Natural Resources has responded to 138 wildfires, burning nearly 300 acres. The 10-year average is four fires for two acres. The agency anticipates a long fire season ahead. You can view updated maps showing fire danger and burning restrictions at the DNR website.
Court records reveal the depth of Wisconsin Republicans' fake electors effort. Pro-Trump attorneys James Troupis and Kenneth Chesbro, key players in the fake electors scheme by Wisconsin Republicans, have settled a lawsuit and released more than 1,400 pages of documents regarding their work on the 2020 election here. That includes a video of the fake electors meeting at the Capitol. As part of the agreement Chesebro and Troupis said they would not participate in similar efforts in the future. But did not admit to any wrongdoing or liability.
Minnesota lawmakers want to crack down on employers who deliberately misclassify workers as independent contractors. A bill announced yesterday would create a partnership between state government agencies to reduce employer misclassification fraud. Employees classified as independent contractors have to pay their own payroll taxes, have access to fewer benefits, and are denied labor protections provided by state and federal employee laws. The bill is supported by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, which formed a task force last year to look into the matter.
From Chippewa Falls to Los Angeles, Wisconsin's American Idol contestant is moving ahead. CJ Rislove got his golden ticket on Sunday's show. He's from Chippewa Falls, but now lives in a converted school bus and travels the country working on his music. Rislove will be heading to Los Angeles to battle it out with the other contestants to see who moves on to the next round.
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