The Chippewa Valley Technical College Board has approved the tax levy for 2024-2025. The board approved keeping the rate at 66 cents per $1000 of valuations. This means a person with a $150,000 home will pay $99 in property taxes for the year to support the technical college. While the tax rate stayed the same, the tax levy was increased by just over $2 million for the year. CVTC says new construction in the district increased by 1.69 percent while property values increased by 8.12 percent over the last year. The levy will be certified on November 1.
With colder weather on the way, energy assistance is now available from the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program. The Buffalo County Human Services Department says the program is to help prevent the disconnection of utilities or help get utilities reconnected before winter sets in. There are income guidelines and for more information, contact Buffalo, Pepin, Pierce, or Dunn County Human Services Departments.
The ADRC of Buffalo and Pepin Counties will apply for a transportation grant to provide transportation services to seniors and individuals with disabilities in Buffalo and Pepin Counties. The grant is from the Specialized Transportation Assistance Program for Counties. A public hearing on the proposal will be on October 29 from 11-Noon at the Mondovi Public Library and from 1-2 at Riverside Grill in Durand.
Eau Claire County is looking to mow its parks a lot less. Parks managers say they are considering a plan to turn more green spaces in the county park system into 'pollination zones.' Parks manager Steve Plaza says county crews spend a lot of time mowing parks, bike baths, and boulevards. He said the county can save both time and money by mowing less. Plaza said allowing more parks to grow wild will be a win-win. He said it will save the county money, and give birds, bees, bugs, and other wildlife a chance to thrive in a new habitat.
A pair of roommates in Chippewa Falls are both facing charges after police say they fought each other with gas and a machete. Robert Lybert is accused of pouring gasoline on Matthew Blake earlier this month at their home in Chippewa Falls. Police say Blake then hit Lybert with a 15-inch machete to stop him from lighting the house on fire. Police say Lybert is also accused of throwing a woman and a baby across the room. Lybert had to be flown to the hospital in Minnesota because of his machete wounds. Both are facing charges in Chippewa County court.
It costs at least six figures to fire UW-La Crosse's former chancellor. The Foundation for Independent Rights and Expression, which defended former chancellor Joe Gow, says an invoice shows the university spent at least 130-thousand-dollars to remove Gow as a professor. FIRE says spending even one -dollar would have been too much. University regents voted this month to fire Gow as a professor after his porn career came to light last year.
A man from Rice Lake is being federally charged in connection with a sex trafficking case connected to the former CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch. James Jacobsen and two others are accused of recruiting and paying men to perform sex acts for the former CEO, Mike Jeffries, who was also arrested this morning on criminal charges. Prosecutors say Jacobsen made the victims believe the sex acts would help them in their careers. He faces between fifteen years and life in prison if convicted.
Wisconsin's election managers say so many people turned out to vote yesterday that their system developed a lag. The Wisconsin Elections Commission yesterday said there were problems with the online My Vote system. Some clerks in some communities had to keep a tally of voters by hand until the system was back up to full speed. Election Commission managers say the lag was caused by an overwhelming number of people who turned out to vote early. The Commission also says it fixed the problem with the My Vote lag, and says voters' ballots should be counted and accounted for.
Before you go out and drop a bunch of money on Halloween, make sure you're not breaking your budget. Lisa Schiller with the Better Business Bureau says everything's more expensive this year, from candy to costumes. Consider thrifting your outfit this year at second-hand stores, and see if you don't have something in the house that can work for your party. Schiller says you might also need to hold back a little on candy this year because that's seen the same price increases as other food items.
Drug Take Back Day is this weekend in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Justice says more than 150 events are planned across the state this coming Saturday. People will be able to safely get rid of unwanted or unused medications. The DOJ says trace amounts of pharmaceutical drugs are showing up in waterways, most likely due to people flushing unwanted drugs, or pouring them down the drain. Wisconsin State Patrol and the Department of Health Services will assist during Drug Take Back Day events.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services wants to prevent childhood lead poisoning. It’s National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, and DHS is highlighting methods to prevent and detect childhood lead exposure. Earlier this year, DHS issued updated lead testing recommendations, calling for all children to be tested for exposure at ages 1 and 2. Children between 3 and 5 years old who have not been previously tested should also undergo screening for lead poisoning. In 2023, only 40% of 1- and 2-year-olds in Wisconsin received a blood lead test. Over the past decade, nearly 27,000 Wisconsin children under the age of 6 have been poisoned by lead. Visit the DHS website for more information.
3M officials are moving into a hybrid work policy for their employees. The Maplewood-based company has been operating out of a fully remote policy much longer than other businesses. Starting in November, senior leaders will be required to work on-location at 3M headquarters on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Other employees are urged but not required to come to the office for those same days.
One of Wisconsin's Republican state senators is accusing the state's attorney general of abusing his power in Wausau's ballot drop box investigation. Senator Cory Tomczyk yesterday accused A-G Josh Kaul of turning the Wisconsin Department of Justice loose on Wausau Mayor Doug Diny. Tomczyk says DOJ agents raided Diny's house last week. Tomczyk says it was an abuse of power, and a political decision. Kaul's office is investigating Diny for moving Wausau's ballot drop box earlier this month. Tomczyk said Kaul is using his office as an arm of the Democrat party, and called the raid B.S.
North America's largest wood-fired kiln is cooling off after being lit for ten days. The kiln at St. John's University in Collegeville is so large that it is only lit every two years. Tenders fed the kiln about eight tons of wood before allowing the kiln to start cooling on Sunday. More than ten-thousand objects were loaded into the kiln before it was fired, including items created by artists from around the world. The kiln will be allowed to cool until next month, when it will be unsealed and the items will be removed.
During a September hunting trip in Siren, Owen Beierman shot a black bear, which ran off into the woods but returned to attack his father. Owen then shot and killed the bear with his rifle. His father received several stitches for wounds and bite marks from the bear. Over the weekend, the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office presented Owen with their Hero Award for his calm, swift action, stating that most people would freeze or panic in such a situation.
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