Firefighters in Rice Lake are blaming a downed power line and a broken gas line for a fire that destroyed several downtown businesses yesterday. The fire started at the Agonic Brewery yesterday afternoon. Chief Mike Hover said the power line fell, then the gas line broke open, and he said high winds pushed the fire through the building. In addition to the brewery, the chief says the fire gutted Cheese Louise and Finewood, Inc. Chief Hover says a Rice Lake firefighter was hurt during the fire. They were taken to the hospital with a torn bicep.
A convicted sex offender was released from prison back to Dunn County on October 8. According to the Dunn County Sheriff's Department, 57yr old Michael Fodness is living at E5955 Hwy D in the Township of Tainter. Fondness is on intensive supervision, subject to GPS monitoring with geographic restrictions to Dunn County, and is subject to the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry Program for life.
The first of four men to be sentenced for a 2022 murder in Eau Claire will spend less than two years behind bars. A judge yesterday sentenced 29-year-old Kemone Golden to 22 months in prison. Golden pleaded no contest to murder charges back in July. Police say he's the one who shot and killed Christopher Conner back in September of 2022. Three others were in the car with Golden, they've all pleaded guilty as well. Golden was an out of state felon at the time of the shooting and then went on the run for almost seven months before he was arrested in Chicago.
The NOAA Climate Prediction Center has released its Winter Oulook for the upcoming winter season. The outlook predicts equal chances for above or below normal temperatures and a chance of above normal preceipitation. Even with the above normal precipition, the drought conditionas are expected to persist through the winter.
Wisconsin is seeing elevated fire risks this weekend. The Department of Natural Resources is asking you to avoid burning due to elevated fire danger across the state. The DNR is partnering with the National Weather Service to monitor the situation over the weekend. Current wildfire concerns are primarily due to a lack of precipitation statewide and gusty winds. You should avoid outdoor burning, operate equipment early in the morning to avoid sparks at peak burn hours, and hold off on having campfires until later in the evening. More information is available on the DNR’s website.
A Winona man was seriously injured after being shot on Thursday morning. According to the Winona Police Department, the shooting happened early Thursday morning at an apartment building on 10th Street. When officers arrived on the scene they found the man seriously injured and a second man was taken in for questioning. Authorities believe it was an isolated incident.
A new fall event is tomorrow in Durand. Beers on the Chippewa will be held at Veterans Memorial Park in Downtown Durand and will feature live music, food and different craft beers from local breweries including the Durand Brewery. Admission to the event is free and everything gets underway tomorrow afternoon at 1pm.
A substitute teacher at Woodbury High School is facing allegations. This is for re-enacting the police restraint used in the murder of George Floyd during a class. The teacher involved a student in the demonstration. The principal reported multiple inappropriate actions, including making racially harmful comments and discussing graphic details from his law enforcement career. The teacher, identified as Steve Williams, has been placed on administrative leave from his job as a patrol officer in Prescott, Wisconsin.
Voters will have to find a TV tonight if they want to watch Wisconsin's candidate for U.S. Senate answer questions. The only debate between Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Eric Hovde starts tonight at 7 p.m. The debate will be in Madison, but it will be broadcast across the state. Baldwin is leading in the race, but polls differ on just how big of a lead she has. Baldwin is looking for her third term in the Senate. Hovde is looking for his first.
The Libertarian Party in Wisconsin wants its chance to debate too. The party yesterday said they are being shut-out of tonight's U.S. Senate debate. That debate, which will air across the state at 7 p.m. tonight, will be the only chance that voters have to see Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Eriuc Hovde on the same stage, at the same time. Libertarian Senate candidate Phil Anderson says he's running too, and says he deserves to be on the stage as well. He says the Libertarian Party is tired of being deliberately excluded in Wisconsin.
A former Western Wisconsin treasurer is getting probation for stealing 67-thousand dollars from the local library. Village of Hawkins official Marcia Lyons was charged over the summer and accused of transferring money from the library's account to her personal bank account. Investigators say she told them she was borrowing the money for a few days to buy gold. She pleaded guilty earlier today to misconduct, and a theft charge was dismissed. Along with her eighteen month probation sentence, Lyons is ordered by a judge to write an apology letter.
Moderate and severe drought is increasing in Wisconsin, and most of the state has high fire danger. The U-S Drought Monitor shows the northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern corners of the state in severe drought. Forty-three-percent of the state is in moderate drought today, up from 26-percent last week. The Department of Natural Resources says all but eleven counties in north-central Wisconsin and the southwestern corner of the state are in high fire danger.
There are a lot fewer ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin this year. The Wisconsin Elections Commission said there are just 78 drop boxes in 42 communities across the state. That's down from more than 500 drop boxes in over 400 communities in the last presidential election. Wisconsin's Supreme Court said over the summer that while there is nothing in state law that specifically allows for ballot drop boxes, there's nothing that bans them either. A number of communities have banned ballot drop boxes this year, but cities like Madison and Milwaukee are using them. The Wisconsin Elections Commission isn't guessing as to why there are so few drop boxes in use this year.
High schools across Wisconsin are getting new automated external defibrillators. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association says the new initiative is aimed at enhancing the safety and well-being of student-athletes, coaches, and spectators across the state. 24 schools throughout Wisconsin are getting the AEDs, with 14 distributed randomly and 10 given out using Department of Public Instruction data. Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death among young athletes. AEDs, when used promptly, can significantly increase the chances of survival.
The founder of Feeding Our Future will remain free as she awaits trial on charges linked to a huge fraud case. Aimee Bock was summoned to federal court yesterday in Minneapolis after a probation officer said she violated the terms of her pretrial release. She allegedly got a new line of credit without prior approval. Bock's attorney told the court that his client got a loan consolidation and not a line of credit. Prosecutors decided to not seek to have Bock detained. A judge warned the defendant is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bribery. She is expected to go on trial early next year.
Pheasant hunting season starts in Wisconsin this weekend. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the season will start at nine A-M this Saturday and run until January fifth. Hunters will have a one-rooster bag limit during opening weekend. Starting on Monday, daily bag limits increase to two roosters per day. The DNR says it'll stock about 75-thousand birds on more than eighty properties across the state in the next few weeks.
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