More than $100 million is being funneled to local road projects across the state including here in Western Wisconsin. Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced approximately $174 million will help local communities across the state complete more than 1,000 local road improvement projects over the next five years. 1,003 projects were selected to receive funding through WisDOT’s Local Roads Improvement Program based on recommendations from county, municipal, and town officials. Here in Western Wisconsin, Buffalo County is receiving $94,000 for improvements to Hwy C, Dunn County $161,000 for Hwy D, Pepin County $62,000 for Hwy SS and Pierce County will receive $113 for improvements to Hwy V. The final 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Evers provided an increase of more than $4 million for the roads improvement program, providing a four percent increase each year of the biennium.
There are charges against a Bloomer man who deputies say shot a couple of rural Eau Claire County homes. Prosecutors filed charges yesterday against Brandon Flanary of Bloomer. The sheriff's office says he randomly fired shots back on July 14th along Town Hall Road, just west of Eau Claire. His bullets hit two homes in the area. The sheriff's office says he later admitted that he was driving around drunk, and firing his gun.
The man who broke into an Eau Claire home, stole a gun, and then went and beat a woman with that gun is headed to prison. A judge in Eau Claire yesterday sentenced Mitchell Henke to three years in prison. Police launched a week-long search for Henke, and eventually found him in Oshkosh. Prosecutors say Henke was armed and dangerous and beat the woman in front of her two-year-old child. Henke will serve three years of probation once he's released.
The Pepin County Historical Society is celebrating 150 years of The Old Pepin County Courthouse. A celebration will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2024, from 1pm to 4 p.m. The Pepin County Heritage Center (formerly known as The Old Pepin County Courthouse Museum) will be open at 1pm for walk-through tours and there will also be live music on the courthouse front lawn. Starting at 2pm, Pepin County historian Terry Mesch will share an interesting and enlightening history of the Old Pepin County Courthouse. The building was completed and first used in 1874 and used as a courthouse building until 1985.
A Western Wisconsin 4-H member is advancing to the state 4-H Dairy Judging Tournament. Tyler Quilling of Menomonie, is advancing to the 2024 State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest as an Individual after scoring well at the 2024 Area Animal Science Days dairy judging competition in Shawano County. The State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest will be held on August 18th in Madison.
The rules against homelessness in La Crosse are about to get tougher. The city council last night approved a ban on camping on city land. The idea is to move the homeless people in the city to new homes or programs, and out of the city's parks. No one in La Crosse, however, is saying when they will begin to enforce the new camping ban.
Republican lawmakers want to know what taxpayers are getting for the billion-dollars-plus that they are spending on the University of Wisconsin. State Rep. Amanda Nedweski led the grilling that UW President Jay Rothman got yesterday at a hearing on the future of the UW System. She pressed Rothman about why the university needs more money from the state when there are fewer students and fewer campuses. Nedweski also pushed-back on the idea that the jobs of the future will require a college degree.
There's a new alert system for missing kids in Wisconsin. The state launched the Missing Child Alert system yesterday. The idea is to have an alert that covers the situations when an Amber Alert isn't possible or appropriate. The new alert comes after both five-year-old Prince McCree went missing in Milwaukee, and 10-year-old Lily Peters went missing in Chippewa Falls. The new alert is quicker and more local than a statewide Amber Alert. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul says it is another way for law enforcement to act quickly to protect children.
The latest data shows Universities of Wisconsin struggles in public funding. Updated national numbers from the UW System show Wisconsin ranks 43rd out of 50 states in state funding for four-year education. President Jay Rothman says the latest numbers highlight the challenges facing the state's universities. The numbers also found the college-going rate of Wisconsin high school graduates is lower than the national average and most surrounding states. According to the data nearly four in ten degrees are in STEM or health care fields, and nearly seventy percent of new programs are in STEM fields. Finally, more than 600,000 Wisconsin adults under 65 have some college credit but no degree.
A man accused of killing four siblings in a December drunk driving crash in Waupaca County reaches a plea deal. Scott Farmer pleaded no contest to five felony counts including a 5th OWI and four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. He was found guilty by the judge, who then ordered a pre-sentence investigation. Fabian, Lilian, and Daniela Gonzalez died at the scene; their older brother Daniel died at a hospital the next day. The 48-year-old was driving with a blood alcohol content over point three five at the time of the crash, significantly higher than the legal limit of point oh eight and his personal limit of point oh two from his previous convictions. The judge ordered a pre-sentence investigation. Sentencing in the case is scheduled for November 22nd. He faces more than 100 years in prison on the vehicular homicide counts alone.
Wisconsin's Democratic U.S. senator continues to hold a lead in her re-election bid. The latest Marquette Law School Poll gives Senator Tammy Baldwin a seven point lead against Eric Hovde. Pollsters say she's leading 53-46 among registered voters. However, 14 percent of voters say they have not yet made-up their minds. Baldwin has led the race since the first polls came out earlier this year, and the margins haven't changed that much. Baldwin is running for her third term in the Senate, and Hovde is making his second bid for the seat.
Almost a thousand speeding tickets and warnings were given out in Wisconsin in 24-hours. Wisconsin State Patrol released its numbers today for Speed Awareness Day last Wednesday. The average speeding rate was twenty miles-per-hour over the speed limit. Almost a hundred law enforcement agencies participated statewide.
Parents and a Warroads High School girl's hockey coach are settling a defamation lawsuit. The agreement includes a 17 thousand dollar payment to coach David Martin, a five thousand dollar donation to a nonprofit supporting mental health, and acknowledgments from parents that accusations they made on social media were false. The coach's suit alleged that the parents, whose daughters played hockey for him, made false statements to get him fired.
A woman in Wisconsin sent her dad a scratch off for Father's Day, and he ended up 200-thousand dollars richer. Burton Chase, a Connecticut resident, opened up a card from his daughter to find the Wisconsin lottery ticket inside. It was a winner. He flew to Madison during global I-T outages in July to claim his prize. The Wisconsin Winnings game still has one 200-thousand dollar prize left.
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