The Durand City Council passed the 2025 budget last night. Health insurance increased by 19% for 2025, but Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city was able to cut the budget in other areas to make up the difference. The city did fund the Durand Library at $85,000 and still provided $8500 to Durand Improvement group. The total tax levey for the budget was just over $783000.
A Red Wing man accused of killing his girlfriend in a Hastings hotel is found guilty. Kyle Williams was convicted of murder yesterday while committing domestic abuse, premeditated first-degree murder, intentional second-degree murder, and first-degree assault. The Dakota County Court jury deliberated for less than a day before reaching a verdict. Williams was also sentenced to a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors say the defendant strangled Kelly Jo Marie Kocurek in May 2021. She died at a hospital five days later from her injuries.
A move to cut the salary of the county attorney in Wabasha County may violate state law. County commissioners voted 3-2 to cut the salary of County Attorney Matt Stinson by 20-thousand dollars on Tuesday. The commissioners who supported the cut criticized Stinson's handling of criminal cases and lack of response to questions from county department heads. State law prohibits lowering a county attorney's salary during their term in office, giving Stinson grounds to appeal the commissioners' vote.
The snowfall last night caused multiple traffic hazards. The Wisconsin DOT is reporting multiple crashes throughout Western Wisconsin Wednesday night. The roads turned slippery during the evening commute as many parts of the area saw their first accumulating snowfall. Hwy 53 just north of Eau Claire was closed for over 2 hours while crews cleared a multiple-vehicle accident, while I-94 was closed near Hwy 37 after a semi was disabled after an accident.
Three seats are opening up on the Eau Claire School Board. The Eau Claire Area School District will host a spring election on April first of next year to fill the positions. Candidates can start circulating nomination papers on the first of December. The district is hosting an informational session tomorrow at 7 p.m for anyone interested in learning more about the job.
Authorities have confirmed the release of 57-year-old William Lane, a convicted sex offender, from the Department of Corrections on Thursday. Lane, convicted of third-degree sexual assault in 1986 and 1995, will temporarily live at 501 Summit Avenue in Chippewa Falls until permanent housing is arranged. He will remain under close supervision with conditions including no unsupervised contact with minors, electronic monitoring, and a ban on illegal narcotics.
State officials continue to see high numbers of pertussis, or whooping cough, cases this year. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has confirmed more than 17-hundred infections during this season so far. Roughly half of those illnesses have been in teens and kids, according to DHS. The Centers for Disease Control suggests limiting the spread of pertussis by keeping vaccines up to date and using good hygiene, including frequent handwashing, as with any other contagious respiratory infection.
Educators at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point are launching a new cannabis science program. Those behind the course say it explores the plant's usefulness beyond being taken as a recreational or therapeutic drug. The current graduate-level certificate program covers cannabis history, growing environments, and the unique chemistry of the plant. The course will be made available to undergrads next fall.
Governor Tony Evers visited a home construction site Wednesday as part of Western Dairyland's Fresh Start program. The initiative helps young adults, ages 18 to 25, overcome barriers to self-sufficiency by teaching job skills through building houses. Participants also receive educational support and career guidance, with the goal of full employment or postsecondary enrollment upon completion. Evers praised the program for providing valuable skills to youth while addressing affordable housing needs. The home under construction will be sold to an income-eligible family.
Investigators are identifying a woman killed in a weekend shooting in Red Wing. Darryl Nixon, Junior was arrested Sunday after a standoff with police at a home on Putnam Avenue. Police say Nixon shot 41-year-old Andrea Broyld ten times and would not let officers check on her during the three-hour standoff. Nixon was formally charged with second-degree murder yesterday in Goodhue County District Court.
A Price County man accused of killing a former girlfriend may have a plea deal with the state. Christopher Dyer is accused of shooting Denise Schwarz, who was found dead outside a Park Falls home in April. Investigators managed to recover a firearm from the scene and Dyer was arrested a few days later. Since then he's been held on a one million dollar bond but has yet to enter a plea for one count of homicide. Court records show he will do that during a plea and sentencing hearing on December 26th, where he would also face a mandatory life sentence for the count. No further court action has been scheduled between now and then.
Wisconsin's Office of Lawyer Regulation accuses former State Supreme Court justice Mike Gableman of ethical violations as part of his failed probe into the 2020 election. LawForward filed that complaint, and chief counsel Jeff Mandel says it's a reminder that no one is above the law. O L R accuses Gableman of making false statements, disrupting court proceedings, and leaking personal information of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos after their partnership in the investigation soured. The State Supreme Court will now have to decide whether any action will be taken against Gableman.
Greta Neubauer is re-elected as Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader. Neubauer was unanimously voted to keep her position as minority leader yesterday. She's been leading Assembly Democrats since 2021, and was first elected to the Assembly in 2018. Republicans will have a 54-seat majority when the state Legislature starts meeting again next year.
A man from Monroe County is under arrest and accused of having hundreds of images and videos of child pornography. James Ossinger of Tomah is charged with multiple counts of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13. He was arrested after a months-long investigation. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children made an initial report to the County Sheriff's Office.
Several Midwest cities have made a list of best places to spend your golden years. Green Bay was the highest ranking Midwest city on U.S. News & World Report's list of the 150 best places in the country to retire placing 11th. Omaha placed 25th; Des Moines 28th; Madison 37th; Davenport 63rd; and Chicago 71st. The survey looked at the happiness of local residents, housing affordability, tax rates and health care quality.
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