The City of Durand interviewed the four finalists for the city administrator position yesterday. During a special council meeting yesterday the four candidates met with the council, and city employees and took a tour of the city. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says they are in contract negotiations with the finalist and hope to announce the new administrator in the next few days. Current Administrator Scott Rassmuesson is retiring at the end of the month.
Weather permitting today, the City of Durand will be seal-coating Washington Street, 9th Avenue East and 10th Avenue East. Crews will seal coat the roads one half at a time so the streets do not need to be closed. Residents are advised there will be no parking on all three streets today. If crews are unable to do the project today, they will try again later in the week.
There is a warning from the police about people selling fake jewelry. Police in Menomonie say they've gotten a few calls from people who were offered, or who bought what they thought was gold jewelry, only for it to turn out to be fake.. Police say some of the offers came from people at grocery stores and gas stations. Officers say it's probably best to not buy jewelry from someone in a parking lot. Jewelers say there are some things to look for when buying jewelry like color, stamps, and quality.
There are questions to answer about a decades-old pickup truck that crews pulled out of a lake in Menomonie. Police say the truck was in Lake Menomin for a while. The truck is from the 1980s, but it's little more than a rusted hulk. Investigators say there's no VIN number and no license plate. They don't believe the truck is tied to any crime. They are, however, looking for any information about the truck, its former owner, or how it ended up in the lake.
The Chippewa County Courthouse is expanding security measures following a Board of Supervisors vote. The board voted twenty-to-one to reduce the number of usable entrances to the courthouse. That will limit the number of spaces the newly hired security officer will have to monitor. Security became a concern when threats were made to the courthouse last May.
Add this to the list of problems after the closing of HSHS' hospitals in the Chippewa Valley. Chippewa County says it needs a new morgue after St. Joe's Hospital closed this spring. Chippewa County Administrator Randy Scholz says the county is looking for a new spot to build a morgue, but he says it will cost at least 750 thousand-dollars to renovate a building. It would likely cost more to build a new morgue from scratch. For now, the county says it's using space at the Stokes, Prock, and Mundt Funeral Chapel in Altoona.
The suspect in a child sexual assault case in Trempealeau County has been deported.Ulises Granados, from Arcadia, was charged in April with sexually assaulting a girl in 2015 and 2016 when she was between ages 7 and 9. On Tuesday in Trempealeau County Court, Granados was informed he was being deported, and the judge ordered his $10,000 cash bond be forfeited. If Granados returns to the United States, a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
A Winona County judge is granting a request to move the murder trial of Adam Fravel. The judge ruled yesterday that the trial should be held in another county. Fravel's attorney had asked for the change of venue, saying his client could not receive a fair trial in Winona County due to media coverage of the disappearance and death of Madeline Kingsbury. The new location for the trial will be announced after consultation with Minnesota court system administrators.
A mixed ruling on early voting from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The court’s liberal majority ruled Wednesday that municipalities may not use mobile voting vehicles to collect early ballots ahead of the November general election. But the justices ruled local elections officials can choose wherever they want to place temporary voting sites for the duration of early voting if locations don’t favor a particular party. That upholds a rule that's been in place since 2016. The court’s majority said upsetting the placement of voting sites just days before papers were due on placement would disrupt the process.
There is now a state of emergency in Whitefish Bay because of the sinkhole in Buckley Park. The hole opened up last Sunday, and the village declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. The emergency declaration allows Whitefish Bay to move quickly to repair the hole, by fast-tracking the work. Still, crews in the village say it will take some time to clear the sinkhole, and then fill and repair it.
Water guns aren’t allowed at the RNC, but real guns are. That’s the story within the soft security perimeter footprint for Milwaukee’s Republican National Convention next month. Tuesday, the Milwaukee Common Council approved banning a long list of items that could possibly be used as a weapon, and guns aren’t one of them. Common Council President José Pérez says that the council must adhere to a Wisconsin statute that says a municipality can’t put constraints on firearms and ammunition that are more restrictive than the state. The ordinance next goes to Mayor Cavalier Johnson for his signature.
Another potentially expensive Wisconsin Supreme Court election is in the works. Seats on the state’s seven-member high court are officially non-partisan, but a conservative versus liberal narrative has driven up campaign spending. It totaled $45 million in last year’s race in which liberal Janet Protasiewicz defeated conservative Daniel Kelly, handing liberals a 4-3 majority. Liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford is now in the race to succeed retiring liberal Justice Anne Walsh Bradley. Crawford’s resume includes a stint as an attorney for Planned Parenthood and she said her candidacy can maintain the liberal majority. Conservative former state Attorney General and current Waukesha County Court Judge Brad Schimel is already in the race. In a statement shared with WisPolitics, Schimel said Crawford was “handpicked by the leftist majority on the Supreme Court.” Voters go to the polls next April.
A new U-S Navy combat ship named after a Wisconsin city will soon become active. The USS Beloit commissioning committee tells 27 News says all that's left is a commissioning ceremony, which will feature the ship's first crew. A date isn't available for the commission date yet, but updates will be made available on U-S-S-Beloit-dot-org.
The Insurance Federation of Minnesota is discussing how severe weather is causing losses in the insurance industry and higher premiums for homeowners. As insurance companies pay out more for losses, a recent New York Times investigation found severe weather is hurting the home insurance market here in Minnesota as insurers have to regain those losses by raising premiums for everyone. Reports showed Minnesota was the only state to see losses in the industry in six out of the last seven years. Higher premium rates mean fewer people can afford to own a home.
A group of German officials is spending some time in Minnesota this week. The group paid a visit to Rochester yesterday, meeting with Olmsted County leaders. They plan to travel to St. Paul today before returning to the German embassy in Washington, D.C. A member of the group said the U.S. and Germany share common problems and visits to other states give them a better idea of how to solve those problems. It's the group's first visit to Minnesota.
Like a lot of people on summer break, a black bear in Shawano made its way to the local library. Workers at the Shawano County Library said a black bear wandered by on Monday. The workers were both excited and a little scared. Shawano Police say it's not uncommon to see bears wandering around this time of year. They are likely looking for something to eat. If you see a bear, leave it alone, and police say it should wander away.
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