A Durand man has been charged with four felony sex crimes. According to the Pepin County Sheriff's Department, on February 27th Durand School Resource Officer Bonnerup contacted the sheriff's department about two female students who had reported to Bonnerup that they had accepted a friend request from a Snapchat profile and had been sent unsolicited sexual images. After an investigation and execution of search warrants, it was determined the account belonged to 22yr old Zachry Weber. He has been charged with causing a child under the age of 13 to view or listen to sexual activity, and three counts of soliciting intimate representation from a minor. Weber was employed by the Durand-Arkansaw School District at the time of the incident but is no longer employed by the district. He will be in Pepin County Court on September 3.
Property values in the Durand-Arkansaw School District are on the rise. Durand-Arkansaw School Superintendent Ryan Nelson says the rise in values in the district exceeded the state average. Because of the rise in property values, Nelson says the property tax mill rate should drop for the upcoming school year.
A Western Wisconsin man is charged with homicide after a U-T-V crash that killed one passenger. Bradley Holz from Arkansaw is charged for the lethal crash from June of 2023. Holz is accused of driving one of five U-T-Vs that traveled down County Highway Z, which was closed off for construction at the time. Officials believe he hit a pile of gravel and the vehicle overturned, killing Jessica Bignell. Deputies say they could smell alcohol on his breath when they responded to the crash. Holz will be in court on August 26.
The Pepin County Sheriff's Department has announced the release of a convicted sex offender back into the community. 31yr old Zachary McDonnell is scheduled to be released from prison on September 3rd and live on Curtis Road in Arkansaw. He was found guilty in 2014 of 1st Degree Sexual Assault of a Child, Child Enticement and Possession of Methamphetamine in Pepin County. McDonnell's release requires him to wear a GPS location monitoring device, and have regular contact with his probation/parole agent.
The United Way in Dunn and St. Croix counties are merging. The two groups yesterday announced their plans to come together. Executive Director Steve McCarthy says together, the two will now serve six counties in northwestern Wisconsin. McCarthy says the goal of the United Way is the same as it always has been. The combined United Way effort will also have a new headquarters in Menomonie. McCarthy said the focus now is to raise money for their annual campaign.
Students at one UW school are getting a friendly reminder about the rules before they head-out this weekend. Police in Menomonie, where UW-Stout is located, are going door-to-door this week to talk with students about the laws for underage drinking, using a fake ID, noise, and other ordinance violations that could get them into trouble. Police even have a one-page piece of paper with the laws, the fines, and some helpful pictures to remind students of what to expect. The city's Kaitlin Ingle says the idea is to warn students ahead of time, and hopefully avoid some of the problems that come with back-to-school.
A Winona County judge has decided on the location and date for the murder trial of Adam Fravel. Fravel was arrested and charged with murder after Madeline Kingsbury was found dead in a field in Fillmore County last year. Court documents filed yesterday set the trial date for October 7th at the Blue Earth County Justice Center in Mankato. Fravel's lawyers were granted a venue change after claiming pre-trial publicity would keep Fravel from getting a fair trial in Winona County.
Some taxpayers in Wisconsin will be able to file their federal taxes for free next year. The Department of Revenue yesterday said Wisconsin is now a member of the IRS' Direct File program. That means people filing simple tax returns can do so for free. The offer comes with a lot of exemptions, including people who have gig jobs, alimony, or are living off their pensions. You can find out if you qualify at the IRS' website.
The Mayo Clinic is reporting an increase in quarterly revenue. An unaudited financial report posted Monday shows the healthcare organization took in just over five-billion dollars during the second quarter, an increase of 12-percent over the same quarter last year. Expenses grew by just over nine-percent to four-point-five-billion dollars. Quarterly operating income increased by nearly 50-percent to 449-million dollars. Officials credited the impressive revenue growth to the "sustained commitment of Mayo Clinic's exceptional staff."
First responders, school bus drivers and parents are all urging drivers to use extra caution as students start back to class over the next two weeks. One of the biggest threats to kids is drivers not paying attention to them crossing the streets and not observing the laws regarding stopping for school buses. In many school districts cameras have been installed in the stop-arms on the buses to catch those drivers who steer around a bus picking up or dropping off kids.
One person is in the hospital after an officer-involved shooting in central Wisconsin. Wisconsin Rapids Police say they responded to a call about domestic violence just after midnight yesterday. The suspect shot at officers after leading a chase from the scene and ran away when their car was disabled by police. The subject hid on a nearby roof and shot at police once they were found with a drone. Officers returned fire and hit them. The suspect is in the hospital, and responding officers are on leave while an investigation continues.
Sauk County is looking to pause refugee resettlements. The county board talked about a plan that would stop Jewish Social Services, and other groups, from moving people into the area. JSS says it's resettled hundreds of people this year, but only one family is living near Sauk County. The rest are in Dane County. Sauk County leaders say they want to make sure they don't get stuck with any costs from having immigrant families placed in their communities. The resolution that was up for a vote last night specifically cited the costs to schools and social service programs. Sauk County is one of a handful of communities that support a proposed state law that would require social service agencies to get the okay from everyone in a community before sending families there.
The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management has some work to do before issuing Minnesota's first recreational business licenses. Just over 18-hundred social equity applicants submitted their license applications by the August 12th deadline. According to the OCM, only 282 licenses will be issued from the first round of applicants. Some Minnesota residents have voiced concerns that over half of the remaining applications were filed by people living outside the state. An agency spokesperson says the focus on social equity applicants should help keep out-of-state companies from taking licenses away from deserving Minnesotans.
Officials at the Minnesota state fair are reminding fairgoers there are changes to some protocols regarding livestock. The fair announced last month that there would be no live calves being born at the Miracle of Birth Center. That's because of concerns about the H5N1 virus also known as bird flu. Proof that dairy cows coming onto the fairgrounds have been tested will be required. The State Fair veterinarian will be on-site to examine any dairy cattle showing symptoms.
A squad car collided with several other cars…on purpose. The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post they entered one of their old patrol cars in a demolition derby at last weekend’s Kenosha County Fair in Wilmot. The post says the deputy behind the wheel brought home the checkered flag, though he thought some of the hits to his vehicle felt personal. The smashed-up squad car has since been donated to Wilmot Union High School. Students there will repair it for future demolition derbies.
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