The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on repealing and recreating the ATV/UTV ordinance, discussion of a possible trespassing ordinance and reports from the mayor and department heads. Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.
Dairy Farmers in Western Wisconsin have been dealing with constant rain that is affecting their ability to harvest the hay crop. Jerry Clark of UW Extension says some farmers are switching to using silage bags instead of hay bales so they can harvest the alfalfa. He says that poses challenges to other farmers who don't have the equipment or storage and rely on dry hay bales. Farmers may get a better chance to harvest the alfalfa next week as the extended forecast is calling for dryer weather next week.
UW-Eau Claire's chancellor is not among those getting a pay raise next year. University regents yesterday approved pay raises for eight of the school's 13 chancellors. Eau Claire Chancellor Jim Schmidt was not among them. Schmidt will continue to make 302 thousand dollars next year. UW-Stout Chancellor Katherine Frank, however, is in line for a raise. She's getting a two percent bump, which will take her salary up to 304 thousand-dollars next year.
There is a new challenge to Eau Claire Schools' gender policy. The Liberty Justice Center yesterday filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to weigh-in on the school's policy of keeping gender changes at school secret. The request comes after a federal judge dismissed the first challenge to the policy. The Liberty Justice Center says school districts like Eau Claire "are treating parents' constitutional rights as negotiable rather than essential." Eau Claire Schools have defended their gender policy as being inclusive, and looking out for kids who may not get LGBTQ support at home.
Chippewa Valley Airport managers are open to SkyWest's return. The airport is in the middle of choosing a new air carrier. Both SkyWest, which served the Chippewa Valley til 2022, and Sun Country, which currently serves the airport, are bidding for the job. SkyWest is promising daily flights to Chicago's O'Hare Airport, while Sun County is promising similar service to what they currently offer, which is three flights a week to the Minneapolis-St. Paul, and two flights a week to "seasonal destinations." While airport managers will have some say, the federal Department of Transportation will ultimately make the final decision.
More families in Wisconsin may qualify for free and reduced school lunches this year. The state's Department of Public Instruction yesterday released the new income guidelines for the coming school year. A family of four can make up to 40-thousand-560 dollars and qualify for free lunches. That's up about 15-hundred dollars from last year. Families can make up to 57-thousand-720 dollars and qualify for reduced-price lunches. That too is up, over two thousand-dollars, from last year. DPI is not saying why the income thresholds are higher this year.
Most of the protesters who turned-out for President Biden's visit to Madison are from his own party. A small group of protesters greeted the president on Friday. Some are progressives who want the president to stop supporting Israel, and to get out of Gaza. But some were Democratic voters who want the president to get out of the race. They say the president cannot beat Donald Trump in November. One protester held a sign that said it was time for Biden to 'pass the torch.'
A grade that was removed from report cards during the COVID-19 pandemic will be making a comeback in Rochester. Rochester Public Schools announced last week that failing grades will be marked as "Fs" this fall. The school system had been using the term "no credit" for any class where the student failed to complete necessary coursework or failed to master needed skills. Secondary teachers and administrators were surveyed and about two-thirds said they wanted to go back to using "Fs" on report cards.
Wisconsin's state superintendent is already looking for more money. A Dane County judge on Wednesday struck down parts of Act 10, the decade-old law that changed how teachers and other public employees can negotiate their contracts. State Superintendent Jill Undelry said striking down those contract changes will have a 'profound impact' on Wisconsin's schools and teachers. Act 10 supporters say the law has saved school districts and local taxpayers 14 billion-dollars over the past decade-plus. Underly said she hopes to see that money put back into public schools going forward.
Two former Wisconsin elected officials want to restore voter confidence in elections. Former Republican attorney general J.B. Van Hollen spoke to WISN’s ‘UpFront.’ Van Hollen said elections in Wisconsin are fair because local poll workers work extremely hard to make sure of that. Former Wisconsin lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes said our poll workers have been faced with threats that they should not have to be dealing with, and they’re volunteering and showing up because they believe in the cause of democracy. Barnes, a Democrat, has joined Van Hollen board members on "The Democracy Defense Project."
There wasn't a lot of air travel among Wisconsinites during the Fourth of July holiday this year. Triple-A says out of the one-point-six-million residents traveling for the holiday, about one-point-four went by car. One traveler told WKOW-TV the airports were quiet, with only about 57-thousand choosing to fly. The Dane County Sheriff's Office says there weren't any major incidents that disrupted road travelers' plans.
Minnesota is giving 150-million dollars in down payment assistance to first-generation homebuyers. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan made the announcement today along with several state lawmakers. The funds will be used to help 45-hundred residents statewide buy their first-ever homes. Flanagan said, quote, "all Minnesotans deserve a path to owning their own home."
Expect a lot of pointed questions about crimes, cover-ups, deaths, and the conditions inside Wisconsin's prisons this week. The Assembly Committee on Corrections has a hearing scheduled for tomorrow to press Department of Corrections leaders. The hearings come after nine people, including the former warden at the prison in Waupun were arrested for two inmates' deaths. Lawmakers are also expected to ask about the attack at Lincoln Hills that left a DOC teacher dead.
Target will soon stop accepting personal checks as payment. The retail giant says the policy takes effect starting July 15th and noted stores will still accept cash and digital wallet payments along with debit and credit cards. Target said the decision was due to "extremely low volumes" of checks being written, adding that it remains committed to creating an easy and convenient checkout experience.
The owner of the Stardust Drive-In in Chetek is looking to sell. Nick Meyer has owned the Stardust for four years, and says he's looking to hand it off to someone else. Meyer says it is not easy owning a drive-in, but says he will only sell if the new owners promise to keep it as a drive-in. Whoever buys the Stardust will get a lot, the sale includes two movie screens, games, a playground, and a private house. The property in Chetek is just under 20 acres, and it is listed for just under 750 thousand-dollars. Meyer says he's looking for a buyer, and says he will keep the drive-in open until he finds one.
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