One person was shot and another arrested after an incident in Buffalo Township on Saturday. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, deputies were called to George's Lounge on Bluff Siding Road early Saturday morning on a report of a shooting. First responders found a 33-year-old male in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The suspect, 39-year-old Damie Winn fled the scene and was located in the city of Winona and arrested. Winn is being held on charges of First-Degree Attempted Homicide. The name of the victim has not been released.
State Representative Clint Moses (R-Menomonie) is pleased that the Legislature has once again created and passed legislation improving healthcare for Wisconsinites. He is also satisfied that this time the governor has signed it in full. Act 249 creates Crisis Urgent Care and Observation Centers designed to provide immediate service to those experiencing mental health and substance abuse crises that may cause them harm to themselves or others. The first of these such facilities will be located in Western Wisconsin, an area where HSHS recently closed hospitals. Counties and healthcare groups have expressed interest in opening a regional facility. DHS will set up the regulations and issue certifications for new, 24/7 regional mental health facilities. The current closest facility is located in Oshkosh.
Riverland Energy Customers will see a rate increase starting in May. The Cooperative sent a letter to customers detailing the 2.5% increase in rates. Residential members will see an increase in the monthly base service charge to $1.38 a day up from the current $1.26 a day charge, while demand charges from 6am-9pm weekdays will also be raised to $1 a kilowatt. The rate increase is due to an increase in energy costs for the cooperative.
The Pepin County Administrative Committee has approved two projects using ARPA funds. The committee approved a $25000 project for improvements to Holden Park and a $15000 project with the Land Conservation Department for water testing of private wells in the County. Those projects are scheduled for this year.
Construction of the new Tarrant Park pool is moving forward. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren gave the council an update at last week's council meeting. Milliren says crews are now working on the underground infrastructure for the pool. The pool is scheduled to open in 2025.
A state council is supporting a project to block invasive carp from moving north on the Mississippi River. The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council voted last week to use 12 million dollars from the Outdoor Heritage Fund to build the barrier. It would be located on the river at Lock and Dam Number Five north of Winona. Details of the project are still being finalized, and the funding to build the barrier still must be approved by the state legislature.
Police in Dane County are warning people about a scam IRS call. This comes after a woman was tricked into giving away 30 thousand dollars. The scams are not uncommon and can happen anywhere. Officers recommend contacting your bank and asking questions before releasing any personal information or money to catch scam artists in the act.
Wisconsin is going to be the first state in the country to launch the new summer Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, program by the USDA. The summer EBT program would provide pre-loaded cards to families with school-aged children so that they can use it to buy groceries, and if they already have an EBT card, the services would be added to that card.
Wisconsin's Office of School Safety is getting another year of funding. Governor Evers on Friday signed a law that extends state support for the OSS through the spring of 2025. Wisconsin's attorney general opened the Office of School Safety in 2018, and they added a 24-hour tip line in 2020. The A-G originally used COVID money to pay for the tip line, but that money has since run out. Attorney General Josh Kaul has said without more money, he may have to close the tip line. The new funding agreement gets the Office of School Safety at least one more year.
Voters in Wisconsin could see another option this fall. The No Labels group yesterday said they have enough signatures to make the ballot in the state. No Labels would need 10 thousand signatures to be eligible for the Wisconsin ballot, including a thousand signatures from each of the state's congressional districts. No Labels this week turned in over 26 thousand signatures to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. No Labels does not yet have a candidate for president, but politicos say a third-party option could up-end the race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden this November.
Forty Wisconsin schools will be getting more federal aid to improve mental health services. The 12 million dollars in grants comes from the 2022 federal Safer Communities program. State schools superintendent Dr. Jill Underly says the districts will have the chance to make a tremendous difference in the mental health of students. She hopes students in the schools that were selected will be able to better overcome the growing challenges faced by children.
Governor Tony Evers vetoes a Republican-authored tax cut. Friday’s veto from the Democratic governor was no surprise. Evers had already promised to veto the bill that would have reduced the state’s third highest-tax bracket to 4.4% from 5.3%. It also would have expanded an existing break on retirement income. The tax cut would have reduced state revenues by $1.9 billion in the current fiscal year and $1.4 billion annually after that. Evers vetoed another, $2 billion Republican tax cut package earlier this month. Evers also vetoed 40 more bills on Friday. Those included lower requirements for persons hired as school district superintendents, exempting college students from vaccination requirements, and requiring the Department of Natural Resources to establish a statewide wolf population goal.
Initial filings for unemployment claims are on the decline in Minnesota. The U.S. Department of Labor has released its latest report, which says for the week ending on March 23rd, new unemployment claims fell to just over 35-hundred. That's down from nearly 36-hundred filings the week prior.
The owner of Mall of America is suing one of its restaurants for two million dollars in back rent. The plaintiff claims that the Sugar Factory and its franchise operator Lloyd Sugarman continue to operate at the mall, earning revenues from sales without paying rent. An eviction hearing is scheduled for April 9.
Minnesota law enforcement will start a month-long effort to crack down on distracted driving on Monday. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is leading the effort, which is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Distracted driving is blamed for 730 serious injuries and nearly 150 deaths in Minnesota between 2019 and 2023. The campaign will include extra personnel to help give citations and warnings to distracted drivers throughout the month of April.
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