Expect traffic delays on Hwy 10 west of Durand for the next week or so. Crews are installing a new shoulder and guard rails by Thompson Lake and Hwy 10 is down to one lane with traffic control signals. Crews are also replacing guard rails near Arkansaw and Hwy 10 is also down to one lane. The two replacements are part of the Hwy 10 improvement project.
The Pepin County Board will begin the search for a new Finance and Personnel Administrator after Pamala Hansen submitted her resignation in July. The Administrative committee is looking at hiring the same firm the city of Durand used to find a replacement. It is hoped a replacement would be on the job by November. Hanson has agreed to help the county with the annual audit and other items during the transition. Her last day is August 16th.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will host a public meeting with the Pierce County Deer Advisory Council to provide information on chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wisconsin, local testing efforts, and disease surveillance options being considered. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in Spring Valley. In April, the DNR confirmed the first positive test result for CWD in a wild deer in Pierce County. The deer was located in the town of Spring Lake and is within 10 miles of the Dunn and St. Croix county borders.
There's a plea deal for the woman who stole 75-thousand dollars from The Corner Store in Eau Claire. Prosecutors yesterday said 34-year-old Devin Becker pleaded guilty to felony theft charges in exchange for a deferred sentence. Becker told police she took the money to pay for her cocaine and drinking habit. As part of the deal, she will avoid prison if she doesn't commit any new crimes for the next 16 years. She will also have to repay 111-thousand dollars to The Corner Store.
A western Wisconsin man will spend the rest of his life in Florida for a murder that he hoped would fund his fight against the Venezuelan government. A judge in Fort Myers sentenced Alex Zwiefelhofer from Bloomer, Wisconsin to life behind bars on Tuesday. A jury convicted him of killing a Florida couple during a robbery back in 2018. Prosecutors say Zwiefelhofer wanted to use the money to go to Venezuela and fight the government there. He'd recently fought in Ukraine and had served in the U.S. Army until he went AWOL back in 2017.
Eau Claire saw the candidates and the crowds yesterday. Both Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate made stops in the city. They held rallies at almost the exact same time. Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, hit the now-familiar talking points of abortion, gun control, and of course some attacks on Donald Trump. Vance's speech was much the same. He spent his time trashing Walz for his time as Minnesota governor, and again called the Democratic ticket the most radical ticket ever. The dueling visits once again highlight just how important Wisconsin is to both sides in the November election.
The president of the University of Wisconsin is going to speak today about the future of the UW System. President Jay Rothman is the featured witness at today's meeting of the Legislative Council Study Committee on the Future of the University of Wisconsin System. Rothman is not yet saying just what he plans to say, but the committee is tasked with finding a way for the UW to deal with changing demographics and changing finances. This is the Study Committee's second meeting so far. The hope is to have suggestions for lawmakers by sometime next year.
There could be four other names on the ballot for president in Wisconsin this fall. The Wisconsin Elections Commission this week said four independent candidates have filed paperwork to make the November ballot. Cornel West, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as well as lesser-known candidates Shiva Ayyadurai and Claudia De la Cruz all turned in their paperwork this week. WEC says it will now review their applications and signatures, and decide if they qualify for the ballot. Tomorrow is the last day for anyone to apply to be in the race, and on the ballot in November.
Half of Wisconsin’s fire chiefs say they don’t have the financial resources to cover their department’s budgets. New research from the Whitburn Center for Governance and Policy Research at UW-Oshkosh also shows that over 10% of the state’s fire departments had at least one instance last year of not responding to a service call. The survey of nearly 200 fire chiefs found a rise in service calls, staffing shortages, and inadequate budgets among the top concerns facing fire departments. One option is consolidating resources with other departments, but such action would require a change in state law.
The former warden at the prison in Waupun has pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from an inmate's death. Randall Hepp was in court in Dodge County yesterday to face a single felony charge of misconduct in office. He's looking at charges, along with eight other former employees at the prison, for the death of an inmate who died in his cell from dehydration. That death is one of five recent deaths at the prison in Waupun, but it is the only one that has been ruled a homicide.
Olmsted County commissioners are moving to limit the number of retail cannabis businesses that can open in the county. Commissioners voted unanimously yesterday to cap the number of businesses that can be registered in the county at 14. The vote came after no one spoke at a public hearing on the ordinance. The chair of the county board of commissioners said the cap balances public safety and community needs and could expand in the future.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is offering info on how to obtain an ID to use at the polls. US citizens who will be 18 by the next election, who don't currently have a valid state driver’s license or ID, can check the Wisconsin Elections Commission website for info on what forms of ID are acceptable at the polls. Prospective voters can start the process of getting a license by visiting the DMV website. Documents including a birth certificate, proof of identity and Wisconsin residency will be required to obtain an official ID. If documentation isn't available, DMV does have a process that may be used to obtain a receipt valid for voting while the remaining documents or verifications are obtained.
The Minnesota Supreme Court is upholding the year-old law restoring the right to vote to felons upon their release from prison. This was a measure pushed by Governor Tim Walz. The high court rejected a challenge to the 2023 law by the Minnesota Voters Alliance. The courts said the alliance did not have the right to sue because taxpayer money was used to implement the law. The timing of the ruling is critical because early voting has already started and this year's primary is next week. An estimated 57 thousand Minnesota felons are newly eligible to vote.
The USDA has completed an investigation into the death of an owl at the Minnesota Zoo. A recently released report indicates the Eurasian eagle owl was being trained for a bird show in April when it flew away from a handler and landed in the zoo's tiger enclosure. The owl was eaten by one of the tigers. The USDA is requiring the zoo to develop flight training that emphasizes the health and safety of the animals involved.
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