Chippewa County is looking for a new administrator. Administrator Randy Scholz yesterday announced his retirement. Scholz says his last day with the county will be in March of next year. He's not saying why he is retiring, or where he may be going. Scholz has been with Chippewa County since 2018, and says it was an honor to work in the county's administrative office.
One person was injured in a car vs deer accident in Spring Lake Township on Monday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department 34yr old Vanessa Moreno of Elmwood was traveling southbound on Hwy 128 when she struck a deer. She was transported to Western Wisconsin Health in Baldwin.
Two residents of Goodhue County Minnesota have been identified as the people killed this week in an accident on the Kansas Turnpike. The accident happened early Monday morning near Wichita and involved a total of three vehicles. In the crash, an SUV with the Minnesota residents inside rear-ended a semi-truck. Seventy-eight-year-old Thomas Reller and 27-year-old Octavia Reller, both of Zumbrota, were killed.
Eau Claire Police say no one was hurt when a driver went through the fence at the sports field at Memorial High School. It happened yesterday. Police say it looks like the driver had some kind of medical emergency, and drove through the fence. The crash destroyed about 40 feet of the fence near soccer fields off the Fairfax Avenue side of the school. The school says they're going to have to replace the fence.
The first electric charging stations are going online at Kwik Trip. The company announced Wednesday that a set of chargers has been installed in West Salem, and that the system will run off a new app called Kwik Charge. The stations will offer plugs for both major vehicle standards, and can charge at 150 kilowatts. The effort matches a push for expanded electric vehicle service in Wisconsin, which has seen fewer charging installations than other states. That makes it hard to travel to rural parts of the state.
Now is the time to vaccinate against respiratory illnesses. Tom Haupt with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services says 22% of Wisconsinites have received the flu shot, while 11% of the state residents have been vaccinated against COVID 19. The numbers for the flu vaccine are a little higher than last year. According to Haupt about 1.2 9 million Wisconsinites are vaccinated against the flu this season, compared to 1.2 5 million last year. Haupt would like to see flu vaccination rates as high as they were in the 2020-21 season, when 44% received a flu shot. If you get it now you can protect yourself through the New Year.
Wisconsin's chief justice wants to find a way to get more lawyers for the rest of the state. Chief Justice Annette Ziegler yesterday challenged lawyers in the state to work with lawmakers to come up with a way to handle the state's lawyer shortage. Ziegler said there are not enough private attorneys in Wisconsin to handle all of the cases. She says seven counties in northern Wisconsin don't have a single attorney to take criminal cases when the public defender isn't available. She says that means people are being denied justice. Ziegler isn't saying just what she wants done, but she says something must be done to help communities outside of the Milwaukee and Madison areas.
Wisconsin's governor says the latest round of teacher education grants could help with the state's teacher shortage. Governor Tony Evers yesterday announced a million-dollars in grant money for non-profits across the state. The governor says the idea is to help local groups find, train, and license teachers. Evers says too many schools in Wisconsin need teachers. Wisconsin is not the only state seeing a teacher shortage. Reports show that the turnover numbers for teachers in the state spiked after the COVID years when many older teachers retired, and many young teachers left their classrooms for other jobs.
The federal government and four states are suing to block UnitedHealth Group's proposed three-point-three billion dollar purchase of the home health company Amedisys. The complaint is the second time in less than three years that the U.S. Justice Department has tried to stop the Minnetonka-based health insurance business from completing deals. The feds allege the recent acquisition of Amedisys would harm competition because UnitedHealth previously completed the multi-billion dollar purchase of LHC Group, which is another home care and hospice company. The government unsuccessfully sued to block UnitedHealth's Optum division from acquiring Change Healthcare in 2022.
Eric Hovde is questioning Milwaukee's election operation as he continues to refuse to concede Wisconsin's U.S. Senate race. Hovde released an eight minute video on Twitter yesterday that explains why he has not yet admitted defeat in the race against Tammy Baldwin. He questioned both Milwaukee's decision to recount over 30-thousand absentee ballots, and the large number of Election Day registrations in Oak Creek. Hovde said he wants to wait til all the votes are counted, and he explores all of his options before he decides what to do. Milwaukee's election managers say Hovde has it wrong, and says last week's election was fair, honest, and transparent.
It doesn't look like the leadership in the Wisconsin legislature will be changing next year. Republicans in the Assembly yesterday re-elected Speaker Robin Vos, and Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate re-elected Dianne Hesselbein as minority leader as well. Senate Republicans last week re-elected Senator Devin LeMahieu as majority leader. Democrats in the Assembly are the only ones who have not yet voted for their leader, that vote is set for next Tuesday. The re-elections signal that next year won't be that much different from the past two years at the Capitol in Madison. A new legislature takes office in early January.
Minnesota officials are reporting widespread bomb threats directed toward election offices. Secretary of State Steve Simon says the offices in more than half of Minnesota's counties have gotten threatening emails since Friday. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies have been asked to help track down those who are responsible. A recently-adopted Minnesota law has increased penalties for individuals who threaten or harass election administrators.
The Department of Natural Resources is asking for input on moving Northwoods deer hunting zones back to habitat models. Deer specialist Jeff Pritzel says many hunters are dissatisfied with how a county based model works, and that it doesn't closely match the needs of the deer or the hunters. The first of four public hearings on the proposed changes is set for Thursday night at 5 at the Woodruff Town Hall. You can find out more and sign up for one of the virtual hearings online at D N R dot W I dot Gov.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is asking local libraries to take part in an annual program. The Check Out Wisconsin State Parks at Your Library program gives library cardholders the opportunity to check out a daily pass to state parks, forests, and recreation areas. The program is entering its fourth year, and the DNR is expanding it to include public, university, and technical college libraries. In its first year in 2022, 20 public libraries took part in the program, and in its most recent year in 2024 160 libraries took advantage of the program. Along with the day pass, library cardholders may receive an informational kit of state park system materials and maps, stickers, accessibility information and more. More information on the program is available on the DNR's website.
They're off to a good start with the Christmas Village in Irvine Park. Crews started work on the village way back in September. Chippewa Falls' parks Director John Jimenez says they're on track to be ready to open the Christmas Village by Thanksgiving. Jimenez says it's now 'crunch time.' They need to hang 200 thousand lights, as well as get the rest of the village put up. Irvine Park's Christmas Village opens for walkers on Thanksgiving night, and will remain open til New Year's Day
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