One person was injured in a motorcycle accident in Trenton Township on Friday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 52yr old Ronald Berensten of Red Wing was traveling southbound on825th Street when he lost control and struck a tree. Berensten was med-flighted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
It should be a nice night for National Night Out. Police departments across the Chippewa Valley will be out tomorrow night as part of the national movement to get neighbors to meet with neighbors. National Night Out happens every year and is a chance for police officers to connect with people without a traffic stop or some kind of emergency. In Durand, National Night Out will start at 5 at the Bauer Built Sports Complex, and Buffalo County Sheriff's Department will have an event at Gilmanton High School starting at 5.
Vice President Kamal Harris is set to visit Eau Claire this week and local law enforcement is preparing on how to keep the event and community safe. The Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office and the Eau Claire Police Department said planning is underway for the vice president's campaign stop in Eau Claire and public safety is the top priority. Harris will be holding a campaign rally in Eau Claire on Wednesday, August 7th. The time and location of the event are still unknown, but Eau Claire County Sheriff said they are already working with the Secret Service, and federal and local agencies to have a clear security plan.
There's another lawsuit against an Eau Claire police officer for racial profiling. Timothy Coleman claims in a lawsuit that Officer Sam Sperry racially profiled him and used excessive force when Coleman was arrested back in 2019. That's the same officer, and the same arrest that was at the heart of Sidney Coleman's lawsuit against Eau Claire. Sidney and Timothy are brothers. Sidney Coleman successfully sued Eau Claire and won more than a half-million dollars. Timothy Coleman's lawsuit asks for 12 million.
The sheriff in St. Croix County, Wisconsin is worried about his community's reputation. Sheriff Scott Knudson says he doesn't want people to get the wrong idea following the end of the Apple River murder trial. A judge last week sentenced Nicolae Miu to 20 years in prison for killing one teen and stabbing four others on the river back in 2022. Knudson says he wants people to associate the river with summer fun and relaxation, not a murder trial. But the sheriff says that stigma doesn't just disappear. Miu claimed self defense, and said he slashed the teens after they attacked him. The jury disagreed and convicted him of reckless homicide.
Wisconsin lawmakers are turning their attention to the state's youth prisons this week. The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety will hold a hearing tomorrow in Merrill to get answers about the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools. Wisconsin's Corrections Secretary Jared Hoy is scheduled to be the first witness. Lincoln Hills is back under scrutiny after an inmate there attacked and killed a teacher in late June. Both Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake have a troubled history, and some lawmakers have been pushing to close them both for years.
A group of nearly 150 healthcare workers from around the state are asking for the expansion of Medicaid. Doctor Ann Helms is the state lead for the Committee to Protect Healthcare. Helms says by refusing to expand Medicaid, politicians are letting Wisconsinites fall behind compared to other Americans including those in Michigan Illinois and Minnesota. Governor Tony Evers has proposed expanding BadgerCare in his state budgets. That’s been consistently opposed by Republican legislators, and Wisconsin remains one of 10 states that have rejected federal funding to expand Medicaid.
Police in Rochester are investigating after the home of a state lawmaker was vandalized over the weekend. State Representative Kim Hicks posted photos of Nazi symbols and racist graffiti that was discovered on her home early Saturday. Hicks said the vandalism was a "hate crime against a biracial family." The DFL lawmaker's husband is Black and the couple has six children. The vandalism was condemned by groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
A new grant is reviving the Universities of Wisconsin's Tuition Promise program in 2025. Students whose families earn $55,000 or less will be able to attend one of 11 system schools without having to pay tuition or fees. The Tuition Promise is a "last dollar" program, meaning it pays for tuition and fees remaining after a student's financial aid is exhausted. The program was last funded in the fall of 2023, but a $5 million grant from the Ascendium Education Group is covering the costs. In December UW System President Jay Rothman said any future rounds would need philanthropic support, as the system's $24.5 million request for it in the most recent budget was denied by the state Legislature. An estimated 1,300 students starting in fall 2025 are expected to qualify for the Tuition Promise.
The second earthquake of the year was recorded in Wisconsin. A 2.9 magnitude earthquake was recorded Friday morning in Lake Michigan, about 24 miles away from Sturgeon Bay, according to the United States Geological Survey. The USGS estimates the earthquake depth at around 6.7 miles. The quake was felt in locations including Oshkosh, Appleton, Fish Creek, Sturgeon Bay, and De Pere. Friday's quake marks the second recorded in Wisconsin this year. A 2.5 magnitude earthquake was recorded near Crandon in January.
Two legal firms are threatening to sue the Rochester Public Schools over its recently approved policies for transgender students. The policy says teachers are not required to share information about a student's gender identity unless parents specifically request it. Students can also change their preferred name and gender pronouns without parental consent. The two legal firms announced yesterday that they will sue if the school district acts in a way that interferes with parental rights.
Making Wisconsin homes more energy efficient. That’s the goal of the Home Energy Rebates program that the state launched Friday. Households that take part in the program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy can save up to $14,000 for upgrades. The program, which is providing $8.8 billion nationally to pay for the improvements, is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s intended to save people $1 billion each year in energy and support 50,000 jobs. The Department of Energy requires at least half the rebates to be allocated to low-income households.
A judge is not stopping the push to email ballots to disabled voters this year. Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell on Thursday refused to put his ruling allowing disabled people in the state to be emailed ballots on hold. Mitchell says doing so would inflict significant harm on both the disability rights advocates and the public interest. It will now be up to the state appeals court to decide whether to pause the ruling that opens up a new way for an unknown number of disabled voters to cast their ballots in swing state Wisconsin before the November 5th election.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants to get rid of some excess hunting and fishing equipment seized by investigators. The DNR is planning two online auctions to sell off shotguns, rifles, handguns, bows and other items confiscated due to hunting and fishing violations. The first auction is scheduled for August 26th and the second will be held on October 7th. Money raised through the auctions will go to the state's Game and Fish Fund.
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