The City of Durand is going to have to replace a pump at lift station number 1. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city council decided to just have an updated pump installed instead of trying to repair the current pump. There should be no reduction in service while the pump is being replaced and that should be done in the coming weeks.
Like other small communities, Mondovi is struggling to find and maintain full-time police officers. Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says maybe Mondovi and other communities along Hwy 10 could share an officer. Weiss says he has not reached out to other communities to see if there would be interest in his idea.
Drivers in Dunn County may be allowed to use Hwy B north of the Badger Drive intersection soon. Currently, crews are working on Hwy B from Hwy 12 to I-94 and from I-94 to Packer Drive. Portions of Hwy B had been open but traffic issues because of the construction caused the county to close the road. It is hoped to re-open Hwy B north of the Badger Drive intersection in two weeks. The construction projects are expected to be completed in the fall.
Two teenagers were injured in a UTV accident Sunday in the town of Pigeon. According to the Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department, the two teenage males were in a UTV traveling northbound on Thompson Coulee Road when the UTV ran off the roadway, into a steep embankment, struck a tree and overturned. The driver was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries while the passenger was treated at the scene and released to his parents. Inattentive driving is suspected to have played a role in the accident.
New windows in Eau Claire could look a little different going forward. The city is considering a bird-friendly glass ordinance. The idea, city planning manager Ned Noel said, is to try everything the city can to stop birds from flying into windows. The focus would be on office buildings and large commercial buildings, as opposed to homes. Though Noel said Eau Claire is ready with its Navigator Program that looks to upgrade windows, insulation, and air conditioning units in older homes and older apartments.
There are charges for an elderly lady in Hawkins who police say tried to use 67 thousand-dollars in library money to buy gold. Prosecutors yesterday announced charges against 79-year-old Marcia Lyons. Investigators say she originally tried to wire transfer 95 thousand-dollars from the village library's account to buy gold, but the bank said there wasn't that much money in the account. She's accused of then sending 67 thousand-dollars from the library, and 33 thousand-dollars from a family member. Lyons is charged with theft in a business setting and misconduct in office. She is due in court next month.
Wisconsin's Supreme Court is going to hear the challenge to Governor Evers' 400-year school funding increase. The high court yesterday said it will accept the case from the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Litigation Center. The case revolves around Governor Evers' line-item veto that struck a few numbers and dashes to give Wisconsin's schools a per-pupil funding boost for the next four centuries. Wisconsin's governor has tremendous veto powers, but the courts have limited the governor's ability to strike single words or letters in the past. No one is saying just when the court will hear arguments in the case.
There's a good supply of electric power to handle the hotter-than-normal weather this summer in Wisconsin. Rob Allerman, Senior Director of Power Analytics at Enverus, says MISO [[ MY-soh ]], the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, will have the most to bear. The company distributes power across much of the Midwest, including Wisconsin. Allerman says MISO has more supply of power than there is demand. That keeps electric prices lower and means there's less of a chance of brown-outs on the hottest days this summer.
A Flood Watch is in effect for most of Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin. The National Weather Service says heavy and persistent rain is expected over the next two days. Some areas of could get more than six inches of rain before the weekend. The Flood Watch covers most of Northwest Wisconsin and the northern half of Minnesota.
The life journey of a soldier from Kenosha who died during World War II found closure yesterday. Though U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Casimir Lobacz died in France in September of 1944, his remains weren’t identified until two years ago. Lobacz, who earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his service, was buried with full military honors Monday at Arlington National Cemetery. He was the son of Polish immigrants who moved to Kenosha in 1916.
A union that represents about 16-hundred workers at the Mayo Clinic wants to pause direct negotiations over a new contract. The SEIU Healthcare union announced Friday that over 99-percent of its membership rejected the latest contract offer from Mayo and decided to take the matter to arbitration. The contract expired on April 22nd but is still in effect for the time being. The Mayo Clinic released a statement saying it remains committed to reaching a mutually beneficial agreement as soon as possible.
In Wisconsin, differing perspectives on the US Supreme Court’s bump stock ruling. The court ruled Friday that the federal government overstepped in banning the accessory that allows automatic fire from semi-auto rifles. NRA affiliate Wisconsin Firearm Owners President Rob Kovach says the court’s conservatives made the correct call. Kovach said it’s up to Congress - not unelected bureaucrats - to regulate bump stocks. Tyler Kelly is a communications fellow with the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Educational Fund. He said that there have been 47 mass shootings since 2020 while bump stocks have been banned and that ending the restriction will make Wisconsin communities less safe. Kelly called on the Wisconsin Legislature to ban the accessories here. While bump stocks were used in the 2017 Las Vegas concert massacre which killed 60 people and injured hundreds more, in Wisconsin and elsewhere around the country, the majority of gun violence victims are killed and wounded by handguns.
The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee is less than a month away, and it seems no one is happy with the designated protest zone. That includes Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson. On WISN’s “UpFront” Johnson said it’s “way too close” to Fiserv Forum. The Republican said he’s not worried about Wisconsinites, but about “outside agitators being bussed in.” A group representing protesters claims the 1st Amendment zone at Pere Marquette Park - about a 10 minute walk from Fiserv, is too far away from the convention. A U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said the security zone is still in development. The host city has the final say.
A group that helps research Minnesota bumble bees is looking for some additional volunteers. The Minnesota Bumble Bee Atlas is a joint project by the University of Minnesota and the Xerces Society, a non-profit dedicated to helping preserve pollinators like bumble bees. Volunteers working on the atlas have documented about two-dozen bumble bee species in the state. The project needs help covering the 87 grids that need to be surveyed around Minnesota. More information about volunteering is available on the group's website.
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