The City of Mondovi will spend $32,000 to re-plant the reed bed that is part of the new wastewater treatment plant. During this week's council meeting, members discussed the options of just planting seeds or having a company come in and replant the bed with new plants. It was decided to have SGH come in and replant the bed using starter plants instead of seeding.
Durand residents could see an increase in water and sewer rates and property taxes because of the Madison Street reconstruction project. During this week's city council meeting, administrator Rassmuesson presented a scenario where homeowners could see an increase of $453 per year in increases in water and sewer rates and property taxes. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city is working on a few different ways to lower the cost of the project to city residents. The city hopes to have the Madison Street project completed in either 2025 or 2026.
Xcel Energy says it's starting work to make sure the riverbank at its dam in Dunn County doesn't erode like the dam in Minnesota. Crews are focusing on the Menomonie Dam's abutment. Xcel's Tony Witkowski says the plan is to cover the entire bank of the river, upstream of the dam on the left side of the river, with new concrete. The project has been in the works for years, but it's taken on a bit more urgency after the Rapidan Dam in Minnesota failed because of abutment erosion on Monday. Witkowski says the dam has been in Menomonie for 50 years, and he hopes to keep it for another 50.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down a ban against a western Wisconsin abortion protester. The liberal-majority court yesterday unanimously agreed that a Trempealeau County judge's ban that kept Brian Aish away from the abortion clinic in Blair is a violation of his First Amendment rights. The judge banned Aish after one of the women who works at the clinic accused him of making a threat. The high court said Aish never really threatened the woman. Lawyers for the Thomas More Society say the decision is a victory for free speech in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's DNR has set the deer quota for this year. The Department of Natural Resources yesterday said hunters will be able to take nearly 273 thousand deer, and another 245 thousand ' bonus antlerless' deer this year. The DNR says Wisconsin's County Deer Advisory Councils helped set the harvest numbers. Deer licenses are on sale through the state;s Go Wild app. Deer season begins in Wisconsin in September with archery season. Gun season in the state is set for November 23rd through December 1st.
There is a new lawsuit that accuses Milwaukee Tool of using Chinese prison labor to make some of its work gloves. The lawsuit comes from a Chinese inmate who says he was forced to make the gloves while working under deplorable conditions. Those conditions include 13 hour days, no heat or air conditioning, and dangerous amounts of dust and other pollutants. The suit accuses Milwaukee Tool of violating the U.S. Trafficking Victim Protection Act. The company has not responded to the lawsuit. Milwaukee Tool is owned by Techtronic Industries, which is based in Hong Kong, and is also named in the suit.
Minnesota State and local officials are welcoming a new veteran's home in Fillmore County. Governor Walz was among the dignitaries who traveled to Preston yesterday for the facility's dedication. It's one of three veteran's homes that have opened in the state this year. The home passed its federal certification earlier this week, which will allow it to house even more veterans and hire additional staff.
Nineteen independent Minnesota hospitals are joining forces to create their own healthcare network. The formation of the Headwaters High-Value Network was announced yesterday. The network also includes more than 50 clinics that will offer care to more than 750-thousand Minnesotans. Officials say the partnership will help control rising healthcare costs and promote best practices for all network members. The network includes a location in Winona.
Those attending the Northern Wisconsin state fair this year will see some security changes. Fair CEO Rusty Volk says the changes are for the main-stage events and will include bag checks. The Northern Wisconsin State Fair is July 10-14 in Chippewa Falls.
A recall effort against Speaker Robin Vos is rejected. On a 4-2 vote Thursday, the Wisconsin Elections Commission found that organizers failed to collect enough valid signatures on the recall petition. Democratic appointees Commissioner Mark Thomsen and Chair Ann Jacobs voted against a motion from Republican appointee Don Millis which found the petition to be insufficient. .
The latest Marquette Law School Poll shows there is room to change Wisconsin's race for the U.S. Senate between now and Election Day. The new poll gives Democratic U.S. senator Tammy Baldwin a five-point lead in the race against Republican Eric Hovde, 52-47. But pollsters say 17 percent of voters haven't made-up their minds yet. Baldwin is looking for a third term in the Senate, while Hovde is looking for his first victory. The undecided gap is enough to flip the race before November. The poll also shows that a lot of voters say they need to learn more about Hovde, and have yet to decide if they like him or not.
Wisconsin's attorney general is joining a coalition asking that TurboTax services not be advertised as free. Attorney General Josh Kaul is joining 21 other attorneys general to ask the U-S Court of Appeals to reject an appeal filed by Intuit, the maker of TurboTax. Intuit is appealing a settlement of 141-million dollars reached in 2022. The company was also ordered to stop advertising its services as free, unless they are free to all consumers, by the FTC in 2023. The attorneys general say these should be upheld.
There will be extra law enforcement on Wisconsin waters next week for Independence Day. The state Department of Natural Resources says wardens and law enforcement will participate in the national Operation Dry Water campaign. The DNR says crews will be looking for boat operators who are drinking, and educating people on proper life jacket use. Since Operation Dry Water began in 2009, almost seven-thousand impaired operators have been removed from waterways nationwide. The campaign runs from July fourth until the sixth.
Rochester-based Mayo Clinic plans to use drones to deliver prescription drugs to patient's homes. The hospital system recently signed a deal with Zipline, the world's largest commercial drone delivery company. Mayo's goal is to start same-day delivery of medications to patient's doorsteps beginning in 2025.
Two rare tiger cubs are born at the Minnesota Zoo. Officials at the Apple Valley-based zoo say the new additions were born on May 23. The Amur tiger cubs, a male, and a female, spent the last month under the care of the Zoo's Animal Care and Health team and are doing well. Amur tigers are considered endangered. The public won't see the cubs until late summer or early fall.
No comments:
Post a Comment