Severe Weather moved through Western Wisconsin yesterday. The National Weather Services says there were possibly 3 tornados in Pierce and St. Croix Counties. Wind damage was reported in Pierce, Dunn, Buffalo, Eau Claire, and Chippewa Counties. The Weather Service will be sending survey teams to review the tornado damage. Quiet weather is expected over the next week.
Construction of the Tarrant Park Pool continues to move forward. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says things are starting to pick up on construction. Because of rain and permit delays, the project is about 7 weeks behind schedule.
The City of Mondovi is hoping to explore some parking alternatives around the school. During this week's council meeting, the issue of parking on Jackson Street near the school was discussed. Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says the city is looking to work with the school on the parking issues. During the discussion, one council member admitted not attending an event at the school because of the lack of parking.
The lawsuit against Eau Claire's long-troubled Regency Inn is no more. The city dropped the case this week. Eau Claire originally sued the Regency's owners, calling the motel 'a well-known den of illegal activity,' and the 'worst hotel' in the city. The lawsuit was intended to force the Regency's former owners to close or sell. They sold the motel earlier this year, and the new owners are renovating it with plans to make it into a better place to stay.
Only two of the suspects in the Barland Street apartment home invasion case are going to spend any real time behind bars. A judge this week sentenced Caleb Bertrang to probation in the stabbing, but to a year in jail in another case. Brandon Pember was sentenced last week to five years in prison. The two other suspects either got probation or just over a month in jail. Eau Claire Police say the four burst into the apartment on Barland, and stabbed two people who were inside fighting over drugs.
The former library director in Altoona continues to deny years-old charges of sexual abuse. Arin Wilken was in court in Eau Claire yesterday, and entered a not guilty plea. He's accused of abusing a child years ago. He was arrested back in March at the library, but library managers say none of the alleged crimes happened at the library. Wilken says the claims against him are 'absurd.'
A former Olmsted County deputy is pleading guilty to federal child pornography charges. Court documents filed yesterday show Mathew Richard Adamson has entered a guilty plea to one count of producing and attempting to produce child pornography. Adamson reportedly admitted to contacting a 12-year-old girl and persuading her to send sexually explicit photos. Adamson could face up to 24 years in prison when he is sentenced.
Wisconsin lawmakers want to make sure the state's hunting and fishing money is being spent on hunting and fishing. Yesterday, the Legislative Audit Committee approved an audit of the Department of Natural Resources' Fish and Wildlife Fund. Hunters and fishermen pay into the fee each year when they get or renew their licenses, and there is some worry that the DNR is using that money to pay for other projects. State Senator Rob Stafsholt says the DNR has tens-of-millions of dollars in the fund, and all of it should be earmarked for hunting, fishing, and natural resources conservation.
There are new protest rules at UW-Madison. The university announced new rules for the new school year yesterday. The biggest change is that protesters are now banned from within 25 feet of any building entrance. The rules also allow campus police to extend that distance if they feel it's necessary. There's also a ban on protesters blocking the Abraham Lincoln Statue on Bascom Hill during the week before classes start each fall, as well as during graduation week at the end of each semester.
An audit is ordered to analyze the Department of Public Instruction's monitoring of school district finances. The Joint Legislative Audit Committee ordered the audit following financial issues at Milwaukee Public Schools. The audit also comes as the Wauwatosa School District faces a $4 million shortfall due to miscalculations and the Monona Grove School District has had a deficit for the last three years. The audit includes an evaluation of how much time DPI staff spent reviewing and following up on school district financial info, the timeliness by which school districts reported info to DPI, and DPI policies and procedures to guide staff on reviewing financial info. Gov. Tony Evers is already moving forward with plans to audit MPS’ operations and instructional practices after the district failed to submit key financial data to the state.
Authorities are investigating a possible murder-suicide in Dakota County. The county sheriff's office says the bodies of a man and a woman were found in a field in Empire on Sunday. Investigators believe 65-year-old Smith Coop Brown shot and killed his wife, 27-year-old Payao Vang, before taking his own life. The sheriff's office says Brown's son asked for help after his father and stepmother didn't return to their home in Oakdale.
The state Department of Health Services confirms two Wisconsin residents have died due to West Nile Virus. DHS Disease Epidemiologist Rebecca Osborn says they're the first deaths related to the disease in the state this year. One other resident has been hospitalized due to the illness. Osborn says the cases originated out of Outagamie, Fond Du Lac, and Brown counties.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation releases its construction and travel forecast for the holiday weekend. WisDOT says that to help travelers reach their destinations over Labor Day weekend, work on most highway construction across the state will be temporarily paused. According to AAA, peak travel times are expected between 1 and 7:30pm Thursday/today, 2 to 6pm on Friday, and 11am to 8pm Monday. Drivers are being asked to pay attention and expect slower traffic, especially in work zones and along major travel corridors. WisDOT says major construction projects in Columbia, Jefferson, and Monroe counties may still impact weekend travel.
The Minnesota State Patrol is telling drivers to slow down, pay attention and stay sober ahead of the holiday weekend. The agency says more troopers will be on the road during the Labor Day weekend to try to catch those who are impaired, distracted or driving recklessly. Troopers will also be watching out for drivers who fail to move over for vehicles stopped on the side of the highway and will issue tickets for not obeying the state's Move Over law. Monday marks the end of the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day commonly known as the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer.
Public school test scores in Minnesota are largely unchanged from last year. The state Department of Education has released the scores from the 2024 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests. The numbers show that just under 50 percent of Minnesota students meet or exceed the grade-level standards for reading. Just over 45-percent of students statewide met or beat the math standard. This year's scores are identical to last year's but are well below the numbers posted by Minnesota students before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beer sales and warm turf are the biggest changes for Camp Randall this football season. Wisconsin kicks-off the football season tomorrow night with a game against Western Michigan. It will be the first game for Wisconsin's new field turf. Crews tore-up the old turf after last season, and replaced it with turf that can be heated for cold weather games. Tomorrow will also be the first game at Camp Randall where the university sells beer. UW officials expect a lot of fans to be happy with that.
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