The man who threatened to bring his rifle to the Mayo Clinic in Menomonie is getting off with a fine. A judge this week gave Maurice Knutson a 463 dollar fine for threatening to bring his AK to the clinic back in 2022. He was angry with a doctor who was treating him. Knutson pleaded no contest to threatening bodily harm to a health care worker. He told police after his arrest that he never meant to harm anyone. The judge also gave Knudson probation for his unrelated fifth OWI.
The sheriff in Trempealeau County says a missing teenager from Green Bay could be in western Wisconsin. The sheriff's office yesterday asked for help in finding 17-year-old Braelynn Mueller. Her friends and family last saw her in Green Bay back in July. The sheriff's office says she's been spotted in the county several times. They are asking anyone with any information about her whereabouts to please come forward.
The Village of Eleva is looking for a new police chief. The search comes eight months after its former chief was cited for intoxicated driving, while on duty. Chief Patrick McKillip was charged with operating while intoxicated after an accident in January and was convicted of the charges in April. The city posted the open position on its social media page yesterday.
Goodhue County recently approved new rates for the five communities contracting law enforcement through the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office after facing push-back over the original price hike. Originally the county wanted to charge $87 an hour for policing services, but after months of negotiations, the Goodhue County Board of Commissioners and the contracting cities were able to come to an agreement of $71 an hour, with increases spread out over three years to ease the burden on taxpayers. The cities now need to approve the new contracts to start in 2025. If a city chooses not to renew, it will receive law enforcement services for emergencies, but regular community patrols will no longer be part of the deal. Pine Island, Wanamingo, Goodhue, Bellechester and Dennison all contract with the sheriff's department for policing services.
A former Minnesota State Trooper is now charged with manslaughter. Shane Roper has been terminated after an investigation into a deadly crash in Rochester that claimed the life of an 18-year-old woman back in May. Authorities cited Roper's alleged "reckless" driving and failure to follow protocol, including not using emergency lights and not wearing a seatbelt. The internal investigation revealed Roper's excessive speeding and poor judgment.
Police are investigating a threat made against a southern Minnesota school yesterday. The threat to Kasson-Mantorville Middle School was sent to a student through Snapchat. Police were notified around 2 p.m. and officers were dispatched to provide additional security. Investigators believe the threat may be related to a wave of school threats reported around the U.S. this week.
Wisconsin's Elections Commission wants to create an Office of Election Transparency. Commissioners approved the plan this week. The idea is to open-up an office inside the Elections Commission to deal exclusively with election complaints, open records requests, and to restore some faith in Wisconsin's electoral system. Commissioners say Wisconsin continues to deal with election doubts after the 2020 election. The new office would cost about two million-dollars, and Republican lawmakers would have to agree to include it in next year's new state budget.
Department of Health Services Epidemiologist Tom Haupt says the Centers for Disease Control forecasts a milder season than last year, but that could vary depending on how many people get vaccinated. Immunization Program Manager Stephanie Schauer says DHS hopes to improve on last year's numbers, when about 35% of Wisconsinites got the influenza vaccine and 19% got the COVID vaccine. Visit vaccines.gov for more information on how and where you can get vaccinated.
It is time to once again pick the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin. The annual contest from the state's largest business group, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, looks to find the coolest thing built or created in the state. There are over 130 different things to vote on this year, including string cheese, a lithium power pack, and an autonomous forklift. You can find the full list, and cast your vote at WMC's website.
The latest Marquette Law School Poll gives Vice President Kamala Harris a bigger lead. The new poll which came out yesterday gives Vice President Kamala Harris a 52-48 lead over former President Donald Trump. That's higher than the one point lead she had last month. Voters in Wisconsin continue to say the economy is their number one issue, though the poll says Democrats in the state continue to say abortion is their top issue for the November election. The Marquette Poll showed either a tied race, or a slight Trump lead before President Biden dropped-out of the race in July.
Wisconsin's race for U.S. Senate is a four-point contest. The latest Marquette Law School Poll gives Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin a 52-48 lead over Republican challenger Eric Hovde. The poll says less than half of Wisconsin voters have a favorable opinion of Baldwin, but barely a third of voters have a favorable opinion of Hovde. Just over 20 percent of voters say they still don't know enough about him.
There is another warning about another trend from TikTok. Police in Franklin yesterday warned people not to kick people's door's in the middle of the night. The trend has teenagers, often in masks, aggressively kick people's doors in the middle of the night, scaring the people inside. Franklin police officer Gary Wallace says it happened a couple of times over the summer, and has happened at least once this month. He says kicking someone's door in the middle of the night could end with serious consequences.
It's going to be a summer-like start to the deer season in Wisconsin this weekend. Saturday is the first day of archery season in the state. The Department of Natural Resources yesterday said the warm weather could mean more bugs, and could mean fewer deer if it gets too hot. The DNR says deer tend to move less when it's over 80 degrees, and that could mean fewer deer out and about at dusk.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce wants the public to vote for the "Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota." The organization announced Monday that 32 products have made it through the first round of the bracket-style competition. Votes for the second round of the competition will be accepted through Sunday. Products making it to the second round include SPAM Classic, Red Wing Shoes' Beckman Boot and 3M's Scotch-brand Magic Tape. More information on the contest is available on the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce website.
Who has Wisconsin’s best tasting tap water? Utilities from across the state decided that during the fall conference of the Wisconsin American Water Works Association in Madison. The winner was Appleton, which sources its water from Lake Winnebago. Judging Criteria included the water’s taste, odor, and texture. The Appleton Water Utility’s winning water will represent the state at the association’s national tap water competition next summer in Denver.
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