Local-Regional News Nov 6

Voter turnout was heavy yesterday in Wisconsin.  In the City of Durand and town of Durand nearly 90% voter turnout was reported.  Dunn County reported at 96% voter turnout.  Wisconsin is on the list of states to get Election Day bomb threats. The FBI yesterday said it got threats in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and other battleground states. Agents say it looks like the threats came from Russian email accounts. Wisconsin's Elections Commission said the threats were deemed to be not credible. None of the state's polling places closed because of the threats. 

Trig Pronschinske has been re-elected to the state assembly to serve the new district 29.  He is the current representative for District 92 and District 29 now serves Trempealeau, Buffalo, Pepin, and Pierce counties after new maps were put in place.   In other assembly races, Rob Kriebich defeated Danielle Johnson in District 28, in District 67, David Armstrong was elected defeating Jeff Foster, while in District 92, Clint Moses defeated Joe Plouff and in the 93rd District, Christian Phelps won over James Robiecki.

Pepin and Buffalo Counties have a new State Senator.  As part of the redistricting, Senate District 10 encompasses all of Buffalo, Pepin, Pierce, and St. Croix Counties, along with most of Trempealeau and parts of western Dunn County.    Rob Stafsholt of River Falls was elected to the seat defeating Paul Hambleton.  Stafsholt was first elected to the State Assembly in November of 2016 and then to the State Senate in 2020.

Plum City School District voters have passed a referendum to exceed the revenue limit.  Voters approved the ballot question 563-484 yesterday.  The district will have permission to exceed the revenue limit by $1.75 million in 25-26, $1.9 million in 26-27, $2 million in 27-28 and $2.2 million in 28-29.  The funds will be used to stabilize the district's financial condition over the next four years.

In the one contested race in Pepin County, Lisa Traun defeated Debra Fisher to be elected  Register of Deeds. Meanwhile, the District Attorney, County Clerk, and Treasurer offices all had one candidate running unopposed.

The Dunn County Sheriff's Department, Menomonie, Boyceville, Colfax, and Elk Mound Police Departments have received an $18,000 grant from the WI Bureau of Traffic Safety.  The money will be used to conduct high-visibility patrols to prevent and apprehend impaired drivers.  The grant will be used to cover overtime costs for the additional officers.  The grant runs until Sept 30, 2025.

Only citizens are going to be able to vote in Wisconsin elections. Voters last night overwhelmingly approved the constitutional amendment that would ban non-citizens from voting in the state, over 70 percent of voters voted Yes on the question. Republican lawmakers pushed the question on the ballot this fall in response to questions about non-citizens voting in other states. Democrats in Wisconsin said the amendment was unnecessary and discriminatory. 

Three people were injured in a two-vehicle accident in Spring Lake Township on Sunday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 42yr old Gregory Schrag of Elmwood was traveling eastbound on 650th Avenue when he hit a vehicle traveling northbound on Hwy CC driven by 35yr old Laura Larson of Elmwood.  Larson along with passengers 25yr old Nikolas Hofacker and a one-year-old both from Elmwood were taken to Western Wisconsin Health, while Schrag was not injured.

Two suspects in Eau Claire are under arrest and accused of chronically neglecting four children. The Eau Claire Area School District reported the pair after the children, ages twelve, ten, seven, and five, started showing signs of malnourishment. District employees reported the children were always hungry, and said they never felt full at home. Prosecutors say one of the victims reported only getting one Gatorade bottle full of water to share every day, and also reported physical abuse. Both suspects are due back in court in December.

A Battalion Chief is injured after his vehicle was hit by a semi-truck in Wauwatosa while responding to the scene of another crash. The Fire Department says it was called to Interstate-41 and North Avenue at about eleven P-M yesterday for the first crash. While responders were at the scene, the semi-truck lost control and hit the Battalion Five vehicle while the chief was inside. The car was in a blocking position for firefighters helping the people in the first crash. All of them are okay. The chief was treated for his injuries, and released 

A reminder to properly sort your recyclables after dirty diapers gum up the works in Northeast Wisconsin.   The Outagamie County Solid Waste Department posted a photo to their social media on Friday showing a massive clog of diapers in their paper shredding machine. Officials say the mixups not only force shutdowns on the line, they also contaminate all the other paper that is being recycled. Be sure to keep trash in the trash on its way to the landfill.

A Monday afternoon high-speed chase that forced the lockdown of Rhinelander High School may have been the result of a road rage incident.   The caller said they were struck by another vehicle that was attempting to pass in a no-passing zone, then struck again as they pulled over. They added that they felt the driver of the second vehicle was attempting to start "an altercation." The suspect fled when officers arrived, leading to a chase in and out of Rhinelander that reached speeds of 100 miles per hour and featured "numerous" traffic violations by the suspect. The chase eventually terminated on a logging road outside of the city, and the suspect was arrested without further incident.

A southern Minnesota man is facing a possible life sentence after being found guilty of killing a woman in Rochester in 2022.  An Olmsted County jury found Mustafa Bush guilty of first and second-degree murder yesterday.  Bush was accused of killing Kimberly Ann Robinson and then leaving her body in a ditch.  Jurors acquitted him of the charge of premeditated murder but found him guilty of first-degree murder involving domestic abuse and second-degree murder with intent.  His sentencing is set for next month.

UnitedHealthcare is coming from a loss in its legal fight against a new Minnesota law that blocks for-profit HMOs from winning contracts to serve the state Medicaid program.  First in late August and then again in October, the Minnetonka-based insurer failed to convince a judge to impose a temporary injunction that could have preserved the health insurance giant's position as a Medicaid vendor in Minnesota in 2025.  UnitedHealthcare executives are not about to give up on the underlying lawsuit.  The litigation continued a 50-year debate in Minnesota over whether profit motives should disqualify health plans from competing as HMOs in the state's health insurance market.

 A famous pair of shoes with ties to Minnesota has been placed on the auction block.  The pair of ruby slippers once worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" is being sold in an auction that will end next month.  The shoes were once displayed at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids until they were stolen in 2005.  The shoes were recovered and returned to their owner and the northern Minnesota museum has been raising money in hopes of getting them back.  The slippers have an estimated value of over three-million dollars. 

Local-Regional News Nov 5

 More than a million-and-a-half people have already voted in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Elections Commission yesterday said the early vote total includes 950 thousand people who voted in-person this year. Wisconsin's early vote numbers are far below 2020's numbers, but that early vote was skewed by COVID. The Elections Commission says this year's numbers are better than 2012 and 2016. The Commission says mail-in votes are still coming-in, so that total likely won't be finalized until after all of the ballots are counted. Voting resumes today. The polls are open from 7 a.m. til 8 p.m. 

Its election day today. Along with the Presidential Election, voters will be choosing members of Congress, the US Senate, and Wisconsin State Assembly and State Senate Seats.  Locally Plum City voters will be voting on an operating referendum for the Plum City School District, and the Eau Claire School District also has an operating referendum on the ballot.  The polls are open until 8pm tonight. 

One person is dead after a two-vehicle accident in the Town of Otter Creek on Friday.  According to the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Department, 18yr old Ryan Julson of Osseo was traveling on Hwy D when a vehicle crossed the center line and hit his vehicle.  Julson died of his injuries at the hospital while the other driver suffered minor injuries.  

Eau Claire is once again asking about garbage and parking. The city's latest survey asks about the cost of garbage pickups, what people want in terms of downtown parking, as well as other things like Eau Claire's fireworks show and the city's parks. There are eight policy questions in all. You can add your feedback to the survey over at the city's website. 

An Oronoco man has been arrested after driving over 100mph on Friday.  According to the Olmsted County Sheriff's Department, deputies clocked 20yr old Daniel Outcalt doing 108 in a 55 mph zone.  Outcalt showed signs of impairment when deputies stopped him and he is now facing third-degree DWI, speeding over 100mph, and reckless driving charges.

Price County authorities are investigating a death after a body was found along Hwy 13 on Sunday Night.  According to the Sheriff's Department, the body was found near Whitby Road, but Sheriff's Brian Schmidt said there is no known threat to the community.  The investigation into the death is ongoing.

The fighter jets will once again be taking-off from Madison's airport. The 115th Fighter Wing says its F-35 jets will be running night flight training exercises this week. That means neighbors will hear the jets until about 9:15 each night. The Air National Guard says it understands that some people are bothered by the noise, but the guard says the training flights are essential. The night flights begin tonight, and will continue through Thursday. 

Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicle locations will be open late today, until 6 p.m. The Department of Transportation says expanded hours are meant to help people who still need to get photo IDs in order to vote. Voters will need a birth certificate and proof of residency to get a Wisconsin ID card. U-S citizens can get their card at the DMV for free.

Wisconsin communities are getting more than 273-million dollars for clean drinking water. The Department of Natural Resources says more than eighty communities will split the money through the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program. Milwaukee and Watertown will both get millions to replace lead service lines. Other communities will get money for additional clean water infrastructure projects.  

Sixty emergency responders have been hit by cars and injured while working on the side of Wisconsin roads in the past five years. The Wisconsin State Patrol says November's state law of the month is the Move Over Law. It requires drivers to move out of the lane closest to stopped police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and utility or maintenance vehicles to avoid hitting a responder. 

A homicide arrest after an alleged drunk driving crash killed a construction worker in Western Wisconsin. Monroe County deputies say a 25-year-old Sparta man was westbound on I 90 near Oakdale around 9:30 Friday night when he struck the back of a semi, spun out, and hit a piece of construction equipment. The equipment operator, 35-year-old Andrew Skupniewitz, died at the scene. The driver is being held on charges of drunk driving homicide, driving after revocation causing death and 2nd offense OWI. He's expected to make a court appearance today.

Olmsted County will be honoring veterans with a special light display this week.  The Olmsted County Government Center in Rochester will be lit up in green beginning today.  Operation Green Light will continue through November 11th.  Rochester City Hall will also be lit in green today.  A free Veterans Day breakfast will also be held next Monday at the Rochester International Event Center on Airport View Drive.

Local-Regional News Nov 4

 The Dunn County Sheriff's Department is reporting a rash of scam calls to residents in the county.  An individual identifying as a Dunn County Sheriff's Deputy has been calling residents asking them to come to the Judicial Center for various reasons.  If anyone receives a call like this do not provide any identifying information and the department is asking those receiving these calls to note the number the call came from and let the department know.  

The Pepin County Sheriff's Department has partnered up with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation to help with mental health.  The Department as agreed to promote the Farm Neighbors Care Program.  Pepin County Sheriff Joel Wener says deputies will have stickers with QR codes on them to direct those in need to mental health resources.  Along with Pepin County Sheriff Deputies, the department is giving out stickers to highway department members and the public.

An engineering firm has been chosen to start planning the new Eau Claire to Twin Cities Amtrak train route.  The proposed new route would connect to an expanded Hiawatha line from Chicago to the Twin Cities, connecting to Eau Claire, Menomonie, and Hudson on the way.  Other lines on the new Hiawatha route would include Madison and Green Bay.  The Chippewa St. Croix Rail Commission has chosen HDR Engineering to create the scope, schedule, and budget for the new passenger line.  Funding for this planning stage of the project is from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act.

 A wanted man out of Minnesota is now behind bars in western Wisconsin. The sheriff in Polk County says his Emergency Response Team arrested 32-year-old Jack Guy on Saturday. Guy is wanted by authorities in Hennepin County, Minnesota on second-degree murder charges. The sheriff's office says they were able to arrest Guy without an incident. He's in the Polk County jail and waiting to be taken back to Minnesota. 

The jury in the Adam Fravel murder trial is getting the next few days off due to the election.  Closing arguments in the case were originally scheduled to begin today, but have been pushed back to Wednesday to give the jurors time to vote.  The defense rested its case Friday after Fravel decided not to testify.  Fravel was arrested and charged with murder following the discovery of Madeline Kingsbury's body in Fillmore County last year.

Electioneering is not allowed near or inside polling places in Wisconsin. Elections Administrator Meagan Wolfe explained that wearing or making some sort of display that advocates for a candidate, a contest, a referenda, something that's on or related to what's on the ballot. Voters, observers, and poll workers should not be wearing or displaying anything that falls into that electioneering category inside of the polling place. Voters or observers making partisan displays or wearing campaign garb may be asked to leave, although Wolfe said elections inspectors have discretion in such instances. Polls open at 7:00 AM tomorrow and anyone in line before 8:00 PM will be able to cast a ballot. You can find your polling place at myvote-dot-wi-dot-gov.

The federal government is going to be watching the polls in two small western Wisconsin communities tomorrow. Over the weekend, the Department of Justice said it would have people watching the polls on Lawrence and Thornapple in Rusk County. The DOJ will also be monitoring the polls in Milwaukee and Wausau. Lawrence and Thornapple made headlines because local election managers initially refused to use electronic voting machines. Wausau made headlines earlier this fall when the mayor there removed the city's ballot drop box.  The DOJ says it's not uncommon for them to keep an eye on Milwaukee's voting operation. The DOJ says they are monitoring those specific communities to make sure there 'aren't violations of federal voting rights laws.'

 A new poll says a lot of swing state voters aren't voting for Kamala Harris because of the war in Gaza. The group Listen to Wisconsin is out with a new poll of pro-Palestinian voters that says voters in seven swing states, including Wisconsin, may vote for Harris if she changes her position on the war in Gaza. The poll says 60 percent of pro-Palestinian voters are more likely to vote for Harris if she supports a total, unconditional cease-fire in Gaza, stops sending weapons to Israel, and condemns Israel for the war in Gaza. The poll talked to voters in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona, Michigan, and Nevada. Listen to Wisconsin says Harris needs to listen to their voters before it's too late. 

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office says a construction worker is dead following a crash in a construction zone on Interstate 90.  It happened Thursday night around 9:30 p.m. near the 46-mile marker in the Village of Oakdale area.  The Sheriff's Office says an eastbound vehicle rear-ended another vehicle, which collided with a road surface machine.  The construction machine was being operated by 35-year-old Andrew Skupniewitz.  The driver and passenger in the first vehicle were taken to the hospital for undisclosed injuries.  I-90 East was shut down for about six hours.

Dane County will send out text messages on Election Day to alert voters of any schedule or location changes at polling places.  The county launched the Election Awareness Text Message Campaign this past Wednesday.  Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell says this will allow election officials to contact voters in a ward directly "instead of just relying on a press conference" in case there are any changes regarding a polling place.  McDonnell added that text messaging can combat disinformation.

A Wisconsin pilot who helped deliver drugs gets 12 years in federal prison.  36-year-old Larry Williamson helped deliver the most illegal drugs ever seized by law enforcement in southern Wisconsin. Williamson and his attorney claimed a series of unsuccessful business ventures led him to work with another man and transfer more than 65 pounds of fentanyl and meth from Arizona to Middleton via plane earlier this year. He pleaded guilty in June to possessing a large quantity of meth with intent to deliver and had faced a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

An off-duty deputy from Washington County is accused of drunk driving. Campbell Johnston Blair allegedly caused a head-on collision on Highway 95 in Afton, injuring five children and two adults on October 27th.  His blood alcohol level was reportedly above the legal limit.  Blair faces charges of criminal vehicular operation and carrying a pistol while intoxicated and has been placed on administrative leave from the Sheriff's office.

 If anyone in Wisconsin sees a rare black bear den, the Department of Natural Resources wants to hear about it. The department says it's studying black bear diets and litters, and public reporting is essential to the research project. Useful information would include GPS coordinates, any information about the bears nearby, and photos of the den from a safe distance. The DNR says it'll continue to keep track of the dens for the next four to five years. 

Local-Regional News Nov 1

 Motorists and homeowners in Southern Pepin County along Hwy 35 that use a railroad crossing will have to deal with the reconstruction of the crossings starting on Monday.  The BNSF is replacing the tracks and ties as part of routine maintenance.  Pepin County Sheriff Joel Wener says the railroad has assured him that there will be a system in place to cross the tracks in case of an emergency.  The construction and closure of the crossings will happen from 7am-5pm.

The City of Durand is finanizling the proposed budget for 2025.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city will look at pre-paying for a new squad car and purchase electronic voting books.  The total tax levy for 2025 is expected to be just over $772,000.  A public hearing on the budget will be held on November 20th.

Officials with Excel Energy say a fallen tree limb that fell on power lines was responsible for the Wednesday night outage that knocked out power to thousands.  The outage lasted about an hour and affected customers on the northeast side of the city and also parts of Altoona.  More than 39-hundred customers were affected by the outage.

Some numbers are in for Drug Take Back Day, Buffalo County collected over 80lbs of unwanted medications.  According to the Wisconsin DOJ, the state collected 54,949 lbs. of unused or expired meds during the Fall Drug Take Back Day.  In Spring 2024, there was 55,124 lbs. collected.  In Fall 2023, that number was 55,122 lbs.

Some deadlines for Wisconsin voters to be aware of.  In-person absentee voting in Wisconsin started October 22 and Sunday, November 3 is the last day municipal clerks can offer that option in the clerk’s office or satellite locations. Today by 5PM is the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail or online. Voters mailing their absentee ballots or using a drop box need to be aware that they must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

 Xcel Energy plans to invest billions to upgrade the poles in Minnesota. The upgrades should start by 2030. Over two-thirds of utility poles are more than 50-years-old. The aging poles have a rising failure rate, particularly during severe weather events. This has prompted Xcel to increase inspections and replacements. Xcel has already replaced 11 percent of the utility poles.  

 Daylight Saving Time is ending across Wisconsin and most of the U.S. this weekend.  Clocks will "fall back" one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, giving many people more time to sleep.  The current system used across the country was established with the Uniform Time Act of 1966.  There have been numerous efforts to end the practice at the federal level over the years but none of them have been adopted so far.

Wisconsin's Deer Gun Season is coming up later on this month.  The nine-day hunting period runs from November 23rd through December 1st.  Well over 400-thousand gun, bow, crossbow, sports, and patron licenses have been purchased across the state so far.  For more information on licenses, harvest registration, safety guidelines, and more go to D-N-R-dot-Wisconsin-dot-gov-slash-go-hunting.

Open enrollment for healthcare under the Affordable Care Act starts today in Wisconsin. Last year more than 254-thousand people signed up for health insurance on Healthcare-dot-gov in Wisconsin, setting a new state record. Wisconsinites will have until January 15 to enroll.  

A man from Western Wisconsin is going to prison for the rest of his life for sexually assaulting four young girls. Seventy-year-old Joseph Pierce Senior was found guilty for eight felonies in August. Three of his victims gave statements in court today, and one said the abuse started when she was five years old. Pierce had previously served 21 years in prison for another count of child sexual assault in Waupaca County. 

A man from Waukesha is accused of voting twice in both the 2018 and 2020 elections. The thirty-seven-year-old is facing two counts of election fraud after double voting in both Wisconsin and Florida. Prosecutors say he cast an absentee ballot in Florida in 2020, and also voted in person in Wisconsin in the same election. He'll appear in court next month.

Rich Minnesotans are spending plenty of money on the campaigns of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.  State donors have paid 24 million dollars to joint fundraising committees, PACs, and principal campaign committees for Harris and seven million dollars to Trump committees and PACs. The Pohlads, one of Minnesota's wealthiest families, had the largest impact on the Harris campaign with a donation of more than two million dollars.  Top GOP contributors include Coldspring Granite CEO Patrick Alexander and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is getting some unexpected use out of a snowplow following a crash in Rochester.  Mn-DOT says a truck trying to get onto Highway 52 overturned yesterday morning, spilling corn across the roadway.  The agency called in a snowplow to clear the lanes before allowing traffic to move again.  The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital for treatment after the crash and investigators say he wasn't wearing a seat belt.

Minneapolis will be featured in the next season of the popular Netflix reality show Love Is Blind.  The announcement was made last night in Washington, D.C. on the dating program's reunion episode.  Three Minneapolis singles were introduced on the television show.  The eighth season will air on Valentine's Day.