Voters in Chippewa Falls said 'Yes' to a tax hike for their local schools. The school district's three-year, seven-and-a-half million-dollar referendum passed yesterday with about 53 percent of the vote. In Boyceville, voters approved an $18 million referendum was approved to allow the district to complete high-priority projects. In Ellsworth, a $25 million referendum was approved that will allow the district to upgrade facilities across the district.
The Dunn County Board will have five new members after the spring election. In District 6, Dustin Shackleton defeated incumbent Jim Zons 57-43%, in District 10, Donald Gjeston was elected over incumbent Pilar Gerasimo 56-44%, in District 11 Michelle Bachand won over incumbent Korlee Witzel 52-48% and in District 28 Gordon Wolf defeated incumbent Tim Lienau 51-49%. For the open seat in District 18, Sheila Stori won over Jim Ujlir 66-34%.
The city of Eau Claire is ready to get its share of 3M's multi-billion dollar PFAS settlement. A federal judge yesterday signed-off on the settlement. 3M will pay up to 12-and-a-half billion-dollars to hundreds of communities who've found the so-called forever chemicals in their water. Eau Claire is one of those communities. City attorney Steve Nick says Eau Claire should see about 20 million-dollars which will be used to clean the city's water supply, and invest in new water technology.
Jurors awarded a Red Wing mother $1.5 million in her lawsuit against Zumbro Valley Health Center after the death of her son in 2021. Jurors found the Rochester Health Center to be negligent in its care and treatment of Caleb Malek. Malek tested positive for fentanyl, Percocet, and THC in his sober living home and went to Zumbro Valley Health Center for detox. The lawsuit alleged employees did not follow the policy of checking on Malek every 15 minutes, nor did they adequately check him for drugs on his admission.
The man who drove onto the tarmac in La Crosse and jumped on to a private jet will not be going to prison for what he did. A judge yesterday found 32-year-old Cody Anderson of Wallace, Idaho not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. That means he will be sent to a state hospital rather than a prison. Anderson rammed an SUV through the gate at the airport in La Crosse in November of last year. He then got into a standoff with the police where he claimed to have a bomb. Officers were able to get Anderson off the plane without anyone getting hurt.
Wisconsin's governor is asking the state supreme court to okay ballot drop boxes ahead of this November's election. Governor Tony Evers wrote a letter to the court yesterday, asking the new liberal-majority to overturn a ruling from 2022 that said ballot drop boxes are not allowed by state law. The governor says ballot drop boxes are allowed in clerks' offices, and a drop box somewhere else in the community is no different. The old conservative-majority court said ballot drop boxes are not allowed in Wisconsin because Wisconsin lawmakers have never okayed them. The liberal-majority court is looking at that decision with an eye towards having a ruling before November.
Wisconsin voters have approved two constitutional amendments to keep outside money out of elections in the state. The two amendments came from the 2020 election and the so-called Zuckerbucks grants from the Mark Zuckerberg-funded Center for Tech and Civic Life. That saw eight million-dollars spent on elections in Wisconsin, mostly in the state's largest Democratic cities. Critics say the grants essentially bought election operations in Green Bay and other communities. Grants like that will no longer be allowed in Wisconsin.
The closure of 24 independent pharmacies across Minnesota in 2023 has prompted lawmakers to take action to preserve healthcare. Proposed bills aim to allow pharmacists to continue providing vaccinations, increase reimbursement rates, and address staffing shortages. St. Paul Corner Drug's owner emphasizes the financial strain on pharmacy businesses, with some working excessive hours to stay afloat. Pharmacy benefit managers are identified as a key factor in driving up drug prices, leading to challenges in the industry.
Texas health officials are reporting a human case of the bird flu. The case was identified in a person who had direct exposure to dairy cattle presumed to be infected with avian influenza. The patient, who experienced eye inflammation as their only symptom, was tested for flu late last week with tests performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the weekend confirming it. Officials are monitoring others who may have been exposed, but say the risk for the general public remains low. According to the CDC, this is the second human case of H5N1 flu in the United States and the first linked to exposure to cattle.
Wisconsin's Republican budget architects are pushing Governor Evers to sign their PFAS clean-up plan. Joint Finance Committee chairs Mark Born and Howard Marklein yesterday said the governor shouldn't be 'the obstacle' in the way of a 125 million-dollar PFAS grant program. Republicans want to spend the money to help local communities clean the so-called forever chemicals out of their weather supplies. The governor has threatened to veto the plan because it doesn't allow the state to sue landowners who find PFAS contamination on their land, or in their water.
A hospital administrator from Wisconsin accused of using another man's identity for more than thirty years is pleading guilty. Matthew David Keirans from Hartford, just east of Pine Lake, is accused of stealing the identity of his coworker at a hot dog cart in New Mexico starting in the late eighties. The victim went to the bank when he noticed his accounts were being used and asked for them to be closed, but couldn't answer security questions. As a result, he went to prison for longer than a year and was sent to a mental hospital. Keirans is facing between two and 32 years in prison, and could have to pay more than a million dollars in fines.
Minnesota hunters will be allowed to use a new weapon when the turkey season begins in a few weeks. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says hunters can use crossbows for the first time when the wild turkey season begins on April 17th. Hunting suppliers say the change is already proving popular, with some stores already sold out of crossbows. Information on getting a turkey hunting license is available on the Minnesota DNR website.
A bill that would have restricted transgender students from playing on sports teams outside of their gender assigned at birth is vetoed by Wisconsin's governor. Governor Tony Evers has said he would veto the bill when it was introduced, along with any other bill that he believes will harm LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites. Republicans in the state don't have the votes to override the veto.
A woman gave birth in the parking lot of a Piggly Wiggly just before it was set to close Easter Sunday afternoon. Saukville Fire Department EMS rushed mom and baby to a hospital. Both are doing fine. The Fire Department says it was the third delivery the EMS team assisted with in the past year.
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