Dunn County Taxpayers are invited to a public hearing tomorrow night at 7pm to discuss the proposed 2025 county budget. The proposed 2025 tax (mill) rate would go from $4.83 for each $1,000 of equalized value to $4.53, a reduction of 6.2 percent. The 2024 budget reduced the tax rate by 14 percent as well. The tax rate was $7.10 in 2020, and the County Board has taken numerous steps to avoid increases, said County Manager Kris Korpela. The budget calls for total county spending of $111.2 million and borrowing $3 million for highway projects.
One person was injured in a vehicle vs deer accident in Gilman Township on Thursday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 64yr old Wanda Doughty of Elmwood was traveling westbound on Hwy 29 when she struck a deer. Doughty was taken to Western Wisconsin Health with undetermined injuries.
One person was injured in a vehicle vs deer accident near Arcadia Saturday night. According tot he Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department, 36yr old Jose Gonzalez was traveling on Hwy 93 when he struck a deer, and the vehicle left the roadway and hit a group of trees. Gonzales was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The sheriff in Monroe County says the driver responsible for last week's deadly crash was likely high at the time. The sheriff's office says 39-year-old Kristoffer Cattle of Tomah crashed his pickup truck into another car Thursday morning on Highway A. The driver in that other car died on the scene, a passenger in the other car was flown to the hospital in critical condition. Deputies say Cattle crossed the centerline, and hit the other car head-on. He'd been spotted just a few hours before in Tomah, driving erratically. Cattle is now facing reckless homicide and OWI charges.
It was an anniversary of service for Eau Claire's Family Resource Center. The FRC celebrated 25 years of service over the weekend. The new office in the Oakwood Mall is different from the FRC's first offices when it opened back in 1999. Director Jennifer Eddy says over the years the FRC has connected hundreds of families, not just with benefits and resources, but with each other. Eddy says they hope for another 25 years, but say funding continues to be an issue they need to solve.
The American Legion in Chippewa Falls is asking for help in finding the families of three Civil War veterans buried at Forest Hill. Post Commander Jim Campbell said they want to make sure the vets' families know where they are. Not only will that bring the families some piece of mind, Campbell said, but it will allow the Legion to help get new headstones made for the three men. The three who are buried in Forest Hill are from Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Canada. Campbell said it may be a longshot, but he's ready to try and give the Civil War veterans the recognition they deserve.
The fate of a new emergency services building in Elgin is up in the air after voters rejected a $4.5 million referendum last week. The referendum would have created the building to house the fire department, ambulance service and emergency management. The referendum failed on at 314-350 vote and the city of Elgin will now go back to the drawing board to find a way to have the new building built.
Minnesota's attorney general is warning veterans and their families about scams involving veterans benefit claims. Attorney General Keith Ellison says the scammers use false advertising claiming they can help veterans get through the benefit process faster or get a better disability rating from the VA. Ellison says the agreements signed by veterans often contain unreasonable fees or deceptive terms. The attorney general reminds veterans and their families that they are entitled to free assistance from attorneys, claim agents and veterans service organizations accredited by the VA.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Royce White plans to bounce back after Tuesday's loss to incumbent Amy Klobuchar. The former NBA player says he's looking forward to running against Senator Tina Smith in 2026. White's 16-point defeat is the closest a GOP candidate has gotten to Klobuchar in her four runs for U. S. Senate. Two years ago, he ran for Congresswoman's Ilhan Omar's 5th District seat but lost to Cicely Davis in the primary.
Police in Wisconsin arrested a 13-year-old who they say tried to bring a rifle into a elementary school. It happened yesterday morning at Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha. Officers say the teen tried to get in through several doors, but they were all locked. When he went in the front door, police say school staffers stopped the teen, and asked him what he was doing. Initially the teen was reported to have some 'suspicious bags,' but Kenosha Police later said he had a rifle. The teen was arrested, and no one was hurt. Superintendent Jeffrey Weiss says school staffers were heroic. Police say the situation could have ended with a tragedy.
A Republican legislator says the high number of referendums that passed that were related to school systems asking taxpayers for more money shows the state's system to pay for schools is working. Waukesha State Representative Scott Allen said yesterday there's nothing wrong with giving local taxpayers more control over their local schools. Nearly 100 local school districts asked voters for tax increases this fall, and about 70 percent of those passed. Wisconsin State Superintendent Jill Underly said the wave of local referendum questions is proof that Wisconsin's school funding system is broken.
Devin LeMahieu is set to return as the Republican majority leader of the Wisconsin Senate. In a press release, LeMahieu says the top issue for Republicans this upcoming legislative session will be returning the state's funding surplus to families. LeMahieu, of Oostburg, served as majority leader during both the 2021-22 and 2023-24 sessions and has been in the Legislature since 2015. The Republican caucus elected LeMahieu to the position during a Thursday meeting. The Republican majority in the Senate shrunk from 22-11 to 18-15 after Tuesday's election.
Several animals are safe after a large fire near a Walworth County pet kennel. The fire happened in a hay barn near Lollipup's Pet Resort in the town of Delavan Thursday morning. Firefighters contained the fire in the barn owned by the Dancing Horses Theater across the highway from the kennel and daycare. 22 dogs were safely moved from their kennels while the fire was being extinguished. The flames didn’t spread to the pet resort, and no people or animals were hurt. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
The Milwaukee County Board seeks to preserve a popular attraction. Supervisors Thursday approved $30 million of county funds toward a $134 million renovation at the landmark Mitchell Park Domes botanical gardens on Milwaukee’s south side. The group in charge of the "Domes Reimagined" plan, Friends of the Dome, seeks tax credits to fund the remaining costs. Last year, the county considered tearing the domes down if it couldn’t get funding for renovations. The project now goes to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley for his approval and could begin as early as 2027.
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