No one was injured after a house fire east of Durand at W4088 Hwy B in the Town of Lima yesterday. According to Durand Fire, firefighters were called to the home at 10am and found the home had already collapsed. No one was in the home when the fire broke out and the cause of that blaze is under investigation.
The City of Durand Poll workers will be getting a raise this year. During last night's city council meeting, the council approved a $2 per hour raise to bring poll workers in the city to the average other poll workers in Pepin County receive. A look at poll worker wages shows a low of $9 per hour in Stockholm to a high of $16 an hour in the Town of Frankfort. Durand's poll workers will now be at $12.10 per hour.
Authorities in Wabasha County are investigating a threat made against a school building in Plainview. Police went to the PEM 7-8 building yesterday after the threat was posted on a Snapchat account. Students and staff were searched before they were allowed to enter the building while officers also looked for any suspicious items or people on the school grounds. The threat is being investigated by Plainview police and the FBI.
The co-owner of Midwest Gratus Southridge Assisted Living in Menomonie has settled charges of failing to report the sexual assault of a resident. Marilyn Matula pleaded no contest to report abuse of an adult at risk and negligent abuse or neglect of a patient as part of a plea agreement after a female resident told the facility's case manager in 2021 that another resident had sexually assaulted her. Matula believed the contact was consensual, but employees disputed that. Skyler Edquist is a suspect in the assault and had been admitted to the facility even though he was a registered sex offender. The charges against Matula will be dismissed in three years if Matula doesn't break any more laws and does not own or manage any company that works with vulnerable adults.
Police in Eau Claire say yesterday's threat at North High School wasn't credible. Officers say North was one of several high schools across the country, and in Wisconsin to get a report about a 'threat of violence' on social media yesterday. The school district sent a note home to parents that said officers quickly realized there was no real danger, and the school carried on with the day. No one is saying just who is responsible for the threat, or if they are even inside the U.S.
SkyWest is coming back to the Chippewa Valley Airport. The federal government yesterday chose SkyWest to fly out of the airport in Eau Claire for at least the next two years. SkyWest used to serve the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, but left back in 2022. They are promising daily flights to Chicago, starting in December. Anyone with tickets for Sun Country flights should check with their airline, but Sun Country is promising to continue its flights to Florida from January through April of next year.
Bloomer police are warning residents after two vehicles were stolen overnight Tuesday. According to Bloomer Police, both vehicles had their keys left in the vehicle when they were stolen. The police is asking any residents with outdoor cameras to check them for any suspicious activity during the overnight hours on Tuesday and if they have any information to contact the Chippewa County Sheriff's Department.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is offering grants to help increase the number of trees in urban and community areas. The agency is offering up to 100-thousand dollars to eligible nonprofits through the grant program. No matching funds are required, and applications must be turned in by October 28th. The DNR will hold an information session in Rochester to discuss the grants. More information is available on the agency's website.
Wisconsin's Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case against the state's election chief and decide whether she can continue to keep her job. Yesterday, the liberal-majority court agreed to hear the case from the legislature that challenged Megan Wolfe's lack of appointment with the Elections Commission. Commissioners refused to formally re-appoint Wolfe last year as a way to avoid a doomed confirmation vote in the State Senate. A Dane County judge said that means Wolfe can continue to serve as election administrator. The legislature immediately asked the Supreme Court to take-up the case, and yesterday the court agreed. The justices, however, did not set a hearing date. That means it's likely they won't decide the case til sometime next year, after both the November election and the chance for a power shift in the Wisconsin legislature.
One state lawmaker is questioning why the UW has added thousands of administrators over the past 30 years. State Representative David Steffen yesterday said the University of Wisconsin has added over six thousand administrators since the 1992-1993 school year, all while enrollment has remained essentially the same. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau released the numbers as part of its look into the UW System. Steffen said UW leaders are asking for nearly a billion-dollars more in the next state budget, but have so far refused to answer questions about how and where they are spending their current money. Steffen said only in government can you add employees without adding any more customers.
A visit to a northern Wisconsin high school by Governor Tony Evers is cancelled Tuesday. A release from the Hurley School District said as Governor Evers was on the way to Hurley High School for a visit, an administrator learned of what was called a “concerning social media post”. After the governor’s security team and the Wisconsin State Patrol reviewed the post, it was decided to cancel the school stop out of an abundance of caution. Local law enforcement verified there was no threat to the school, staff, students, or the governor. The district added the school was never placed in a lockdown, as several police officers were there anticipating the governor’s arrival.
State schools Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly is running for re-election. Underly taught high school social studies in Indiana for several years before coming to Wisconsin. She previously worked with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as an education consultant and assistant director from 2009 to 2014. Underly was named principal of Pecatonica Elementary School in 2014, and was appointed as School District Administrator of the Pecatonica Area School District in 2015, a role she held until her election as State Superintendent in 2021. Underly will be on the ballot in next April's election.
September is Hunger Action Month in Wisconsin. Governor Tony Evers signed that proclamation Tuesday to endorse the efforts of the six Feeding Wisconsin member food banks serving the state. The goal of Feeding Wisconsin is to help their partners fight hunger, improve health and strengthen local communities to provide Wisconsinites food and benefits they need. The organization says over 600,000 people in the state don’t have enough nutritious food to eat and don’t where their next meal is coming from. There’s more information at “Feeding W-I dot org.”
The Mayo Clinic is getting a 50-million-dollar donation to help enhance cancer care. The healthcare organization announced the donation from Stephen and Barbara Slaggie yesterday. The money will be used to expand the Mayo Clinic's Cancer Beyond Walls program to Wisconsin, Minnesota and other areas. Cancer Beyond Walls helps deliver chemotherapy infusions to patients' homes while funding national clinical trials to determine the safety and effectiveness of that type of treatment.
A small business in Wisconsin is recognized as one of the best in the nation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Sky High Marketing in Waukesha is among 100 small businesses that the Chamber considers the "best and brightest in America." More than half of those businesses generated over one-million dollars in revenue last year. The businesses were recognized for excellence in categories, such as innovative growth, commitment to community, and customer service, among others.
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