Two people were injured in a motorcycle accident in Pepin County on Monday. According to the Pepin County Sheriff's Department, 29yr old Alexander Page of rural Mondovi was traveling east on Hwy R when he lost control on a curve at the intersection of Hwy BB and left the roadway. Page along with 28yr old Megan Page of rural Mondovi were both ejected from the motorcycle and struck a utility pole and guy wire. Both suffered serious injuries as Megan was taken to an Eau Clarie hospital, while Alexander was med-flighted to Mayo Clinic. Alcohol and speed are believed to have played a factor in the accident.
Dunn Energy Cooperative has been approved for an $18 million Rural Development Electric Infrastructure Loan. Jesse Singerhouse, CEO of Dunn Energy says the loan will be used to upgrade services to 800 members in its service area. The Coop plans to use the money over the next 4yrs. USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Dr. Bazil Gooden was at the Coop yesterday to announce the approval of the loan.
Residents along North Eau Claire Street in Mondovi are still waiting for the snow fence to be replaced on the top of the retaining wall. While the Mondovi City Council approved a replacement fence, it still hasn't been installed due to a dispute between the city and the contractor. It was hoped that the new fence would have been installed by the end of July.
The man convicted of killing a young man on the Apple River in northwestern Wisconsin two years ago will learn his fate today. A judge will sentence Nicolae Miu for first-degree reckless homicide. A jury convicted Miu back in April of killing one person and slashing four others. Miu claimed self-defense at the time. The reckless homicide charge carries a 60 year sentence.
Kamala Harris is coming to western Wisconsin with her running mate next week. But we don't know where, we don't know when, and we still do not know who she will be bringing. Harris' campaign yesterday said Wisconsin will be part of her swing-state swing next week. There is speculation that Minnesota's governor could be her VP pick, but insiders continue to say it could also be Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, or Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
The drive-thru polling stations are back in Eau Claire. The city opened in-person voting for the August primary yesterday. That means people can begin voting in the Democratic race for Congress in western Wisconsin, as well as vote on the two constitutional amendments that are on the ballot. Eau Claire's drive-thru polls, which you can find in the city hall parking lot, are open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until August 9th.
Police departments across Wisconsin, including the State Patrol, are planning to be out in force for what they are calling a 'speed enforcement day.' That means a '24-hour, high-visibility enforcement effort' that includes state, county, and local law enforcement agencies. The State Patrol says the idea is to remind drivers of the need to be safe on the road. But troopers and officers will be out writing tickets today as well.
The US Senate passes landmark legislation to protect kids online. Support for the pair of bills was bipartisan and overwhelming, with Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin and Republican Ron Johnson joining 89 other senators in sending the measures to the House. The legislation would force online platforms to take “reasonable” steps to prevent harm to children such as bullying, drug addiction, and sexual exploitation, and would expand existing federal privacy protections to include those 16 years old and younger. Both bills have bipartisan support in the House.
The Packers say the space for Green Bay's NFL Draft will be twice the size of Detroit's. Team officials met with locals in Green Bay last night to talk about the plans for next year's draft. The Packers say the footprint for the draft will center in Lambeau, and will be larger than the footprint for Detroit's draft earlier this year in downtown Detroit. The Packers say they've set aside eight million-dollars for draft preparations, and say they don't expect to make much money off the draft. The city of Green Bay, on the other hand, is expecting a 20 million-dollar economic boost and a statewide impact of up to 94 million-dollars.
The deadline to apply for bobcat and fisher hunting and trapper permits is this week. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the trapping and hunting permit applications are due on Thursday the first. People who are interested can apply through the Wisconsin Go Wild license portal or in person at any license sales location. A random drawing will decide who gets the permits in mid-August. More information is on the Wisconsin DNR website.
Waterfowl populations in Wisconsin are stable. The state Department of Natural Resources says the breeding duck population is estimated at about 502-thousand birds. That's a nearly four-percent decrease from last year but is above the long-term average. Both wood duck and Canada goose populations are similar to last year's numbers and higher than the long-term average. More specific data is available on the Wisconsin Wildlife Reports website. Spring waterfowl breeding surveys have been conducted every year for more than two decades.
Wisconsin sales tax revenues have recorded one of their biggest year-to-year drops since the pandemic. According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum sales tax revenue dropped 2.3% in March compared to March of 2023. Slowing sales tax growth and even declines were seen in key sectors like retail, food service, wholesale trade, and manufacturing. Even though inflation has slowed, it’s still well above where it was throughout the 2010s, making the recent slowing of sales tax revenue more notable according to the report. WPF Policy Researcher Mark Sommerhauser says in some of Wisconsin’s bigger counties, the impact of remote work and generational pivots toward online shopping could be driving declines in sales tax revenue. Almost half of the sectors that report sales taxes saw a decline in the first half of this year.
The action plan for the Wisconsin Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence is finalized. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers says the task force's goal was to improve Wisconsin workers' AI skills and connect them with employers. The plan is to develop more flexible training and credentialing processes and to incentivize industry adoption of AI tools to create competitive, high-quality jobs. The task force was established in August of last year.
Wisconsin ranks 11th in the country when it comes to crop and meat exports. A progress report from the Wisconsin Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer shows the state has improved in the ranking, up from 13th in 2021. A bipartisan initiative led to the creation of The Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports in 2021 when state legislators learned of declining agricultural exports. State Senator Joan Ballweg says the initiative has done a great job of promoting Wisconsin and hopes the state can soon break into the top 10. Alongside DATCP and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, the export initiative works with businesses and state officials with a goal to increase ag exports by 25 percent by 2026.
The largest pickleball court in Wisconsin is now open in western Wisconsin. Leaders in Lake Hallie cut the ribbon on the new 12-court pickleball complex at Gower Park. The new court is also the second largest in the Midwest, coming-in behind a complex in the Minneapolis suburbs. The courts cost about 300-thousand dollars, and the Chippewa Valley Pickleball Club will now maintain them. There are plans to add bleachers and restrooms, but that likely won't come til after this year's pickleball season.
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