There are new charges for a registered sex offender in Dunn County. Prosecutors yesterday filed the charges against 40-year-old Nicholas Titus. Investigators say he invited a 14-year-old neighbor girl over to help him move. Then, they say, he pushed her on to a bed, pulled down her pants, started taking pictures of her, and touched her. Titus is a registered sex offender with past convictions in Minnesota. A judge set his bond at five-thousand-dollars.
Public managers say they found a rabid bat crawling last week in Eau Claire. The City-County Health Department says the bat was found near La Salle and Peterson Streets. It couldn't fly. The health department is now asking anyone who may have come into contact with the bat to get to the doctor immediately. There are no reports that the bat bit or scratched anyone, but the health department says rabid animals always pose some risk.
ATV/UTV owners can now drive them on some city streets in Menomonie. ATV/UTV's can only be used from the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m on approved streets. They must be ridden in a single file line and obey posted speed limits. All UTVs must have headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals. Operators also need to have a valid driver's license and carry proof of insurance. The new rules took effect yesterday and for a map of approved streets, contact Menomonie City Hall.
Threats received by Menomonie Schools on Monday and Tuesday were deemed not credible. According to Menomonie police, the department received multiple reports of a snapchat message indicating a possible threat of a school shooting at the Menomonie Middle School on Monday. Authorities investigated and the threat was deemed not credible. Then on Tuesday, authorities received a report of an additional, unrelated, threat to a different school. That threat was also determined to not be credible. Police are encouraging parents to talk with their children about responsible device use, internet safety, and the importance of protecting login credentials.
We don't have many answers about the massive fire at a railroad tie plant in La Crosse County. The fire at the Omaha Track plant on French Island burned almost all day yesterday. It took crews from a half-dozen fire departments to contain, then put-out the blaze. Police told neighbors yesterday that there were no worries about toxic smoke from the fire. The same plant saw a similar fire back in 2015, that fire did prompt warnings about toxic smoke. No one is saying how yesterday's fire began, or just how much was burned.
Eau Claire is getting 400-thousand dollars to fund healthy trees in lower income neighborhoods. The urban forestry grant is coming from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Through the program, residents will be reimbursed for planting new trees or replacing dead, dying, and diseased trees. This includes trees dying due to Emerald Ash Borers. Applications will be available early next year.
Deaf inmates in Wisconsin prison are going to get hearing aids and some other accommodations. The state's Department of Corrections yesterday announced a settlement with the Justice Department that will have Wisconsin pay for hearing aids for deaf and hard-of-hearing inmates. Deaf inmates will also be allowed to use their hands for sign language, even when they are shackled. The settlement comes after three deaf inmates sued the state for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. The three inmates will also get 15 thousand-dollars each as part of the settlement.
The Internal Revenue Service is giving Minnesota farmers and ranchers some additional help to recover from the most recent stretch of drought. The agency has agreed to extend the normal window farmers have to replace livestock sold or exchanged due to drought conditions. Farmers normally have two years to replace livestock before they have to declare capital gains on their taxes. The extension will give farmers and ranchers an additional two years.
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Wausau's ballot drop box is back in front of city hall. The city's clerk yesterday had the box reinstalled, and bolted to the ground. Wausau Mayor Doug Diny removed the ballot drop box two weeks ago, he says to protect voter integrity. The whole thing remains under investigation. The Marathon County Sheriff's Office has an open investigation, and Wausau's clerk has asked the state's Department of Justice to look into the mayor as well. Diny continues to claim he did nothing wrong. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered ballot drop boxes be allowed for this November's election, but there is no state law that covers their use, security, or even possible removal. Wausau's clerk says voters can use the drop box to cast their early votes as they see fit.
Add Wisconsin's best first responders to the list of people on the ground in the hurricane zone. The state's Task Force One is working in Western North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene did some of its worst damage. The task force, which is made up of first responders from across the state, left Saturday. Task Force One is trained in both search and recovery, and team leaders say they are doing both in North Carolina this week. More than 100 people are dead, and thousands are missing after Helene caused widespread flash flooding in the mountains. Some towns are essentially cut-off, while others are all but wiped away.
The City of Rochester is looking for some help collecting unpaid parking tickets. Officials say the city is owed about 870-thousand dollars in unpaid tickets dating back to 2018. Rochester is working with its parking system vendor to give those with unpaid fines a chance to pay up. Fines still unpaid by January 1st will be sent to collections.
A southern Minnesota woman arrested after a crash involving a horse-drawn buggy plans to plead not guilty to the charges against her. Brittany Edgar was in court in Fillmore County yesterday for an omnibus hearing on charges including a felony count of criminal vehicular operation. Investigators say she was driving near Spring Valley on February 16th when she hit the buggy, injuring six people. She allegedly left the scene of the crash and later told investigators that she hit a deer before admitting she hit the buggy. Her lawyer told the judge yesterday that he has been unable to reach an agreement with prosecutors to resolve the case. Another hearing is scheduled for November 5th.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will restart the process to change PFAS regulations for drinking water. The Natural Resources Board approved a request for public hearings on the subject at its meeting last week. The D N R wants to set regulations to meet federal guidelines, but the change must go through a full round of hearings and meetings. If the change goes through, DNR staff say 90 water systems will have to be remediated statewide. Legislative Republicans prevented a previous alteration of the standards after the agency used emergency rulings to push for remediation in several parts of the state.
The Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota competition is down to its final week. The contest's four remaining products were announced yesterday, with online voting open until Friday at 4 p.m. The finalists include 3M Scotch-brand Magic Tape, the Red Wing Shoe Company's Beckman Boot, Action Manufacturing's Action Trackchair and Midwest Floating Island's Innovative National Aquarium Wetland. The winner of the competition will be announced next week at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Manufacturer's Summit.
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