Last week, the Durand City Council approved a resolution supporting the Landmark Conservancy's proposed purchase of the Chippewa River Bike Trail from Xcel Energy. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the purchase would be good for the community. The Conservancy has received preliminary approval of a Knowles-Nelson Stewardship grant to purchase 90 acres of land that includes the bike trail in Pepin and Dunn Counties.
An Elmwood man is going to prison after being convicted of 10th offense OWI. 46-year-old Steven Bahr pleaded no contest to 10th offense OWI in Dunn County Court on Wednesday. As part of a plea agreement, Bahr was sentenced to 4yrs in prison and 5yrs extended supervision. He will also have to pay a fine of $3494 and his driver's license was revoked for three years. Menomonie police pulled Bahr over last October after he hit a curb and officers noticed signs of impairment.
Dunn County residents are invited to attend a meeting in early December to discuss the results of the 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment and help plan the next steps. The Dunn County Health Department will host a meeting to discuss health priorities including access to childcare, water pollution, access to health care, and affordable housing on December 6th from 11am-2pm at the Rassbach Museum in Menomonie. Those wanting to attend are encouraged to register by Wednesday. Call the Dunn County Health Department for more information.
Eau Claire has closed two caves used by local homeless people. The city barricaded the cave between Boyd Park and the S Bridge, and the cave near the Brewing Project. City leaders say they closed the caves both to protect the homeless people who were camping inside and to protect first responders who were called out to deal with the homeless. There's no word how long the closures will last. The city says it may reopen the caves in the future.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative says it's moving toward a new hospital. The co-op last week said it got its 501c3 nonprofit designation and is now looking toward a meeting next week to update people on the study that says there is a need for another full-service hospital in the Chippewa Valley. The co-op is not saying what Aspirus' decision to open a new hospital in Chippewa Falls means, but that hospital is going to take some time to open. The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative has been working toward a new hospital since HSHS Sacred Heart closed in Eau Claire earlier this year.
We are waiting to see what a mild fall will mean for Wisconsin deer hunters. The state's gun deer season began on Saturday, and so far, the DNR says there haven't been any reports of major problems. The season runs nine days, which means it wraps-up on Sunday. The DNR is planning a media briefing for tomorrow to give an update on how many hunters began the season, and how many deer they've bagged so far.
Be on the lookout for some common scams this holiday season. Wisconsin consumer protection director Michelle Reinen says one common trick is fake messages about failed package deliveries. Crooks with send you a text message or email with link to check that delivery, but then ask for money or personal information to "complete the delivery". Never click on random links in your text messages or emails, and always check with the supposed delivery company or the post office directly if you think you've missed a delivery.
Farmers from across Minnesota gathered this weekend in Minneapolis to discuss the challenges facing their industry and how they can address them. Leaders of the Minnesota Farmers Union say the high input prices for fuel and fertilizer are squeezing many members, who argue they are often unfairly blamed for high prices of groceries. They also expressed concern over President-elect Trump's call for tariffs of up to 60 percent on Chinese goods, which they say could hurt farmers and consumers.
Investigators are still looking for the cause of a fire at the Minnesota Equestrian Center in Winona. The fire was reported around noon and took several hours to contain. The state Fire Marshal's Office is currently looking into the cause of the fire. Fundraisers for two families affected by the fire are currently underway. No one was hurt but two horses and a cat died in the flames. The arena received very little damage, but the barn and residence building were a total loss.
Officials with Spirit Airlines say flights in and out of Minneapolis over the holidays will not be affected by the discount airline's pending bankruptcy. The nation's largest budget carrier announced this week it's seeking bankruptcy protection so it can reset after a series of quarterly losses and increasing debt. The airline says travelers can continue to book flights through Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport as they normally would and employees will continue to be paid.
Officials with Wisconsin Public Service are warning residents about phone scams that tend to get more frequent during the holiday season. They are working with WeEnergies and local law enforcement agencies to get the word out about criminals who are trying to take people's cash. WPS says one common tactic is calling up victims and threatening to disconnect their utility service if they don't make immediate payments through gift cards or payment apps. They say the best thing to do is to hang up on callers who seem suspicious and then call Wisconsin Public Service or your other utility providers directly if you believe there might be a legitimate problem with your bill.
Cooking a Thanksgiving dinner this year for friends and family will cost less than last year but is still more expensive than before COVID-19. The 39th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey shows the cost of this year’s classic holiday feast for ten people is $58.08 or about $5.80 per person. That’s a five percent decrease from 2023, which was 4.5 percent lower than 2022. Two years of declines don’t erase dramatic increases that led to a record high cost of $64.06 in 2022. Despite the encouraging momentum, a Thanksgiving meal is still 19 percent higher than it was in 2019. Turkey, the centerpiece on most tables, helped bring down the overall cost of the dinner. The average price for a 16-pound turkey is $25.67. That’s $1.68 per pound, which is down six percent from 2023. Items like dinner rolls and cubed stuffing both saw an eight percent increase, and cranberries were up 12 percent.
A 100-thousand-dollar lottery ticket was sold in Altoona. The Wisconsin Lottery says the All or Nothing ticket was sold at Woodman's Food Market on Woodman Drive. Players have to match all eleven numbers on the ticket to win the 100-thousand-dollar top prize in the All or Nothing game. It's the 15th time a Wisconsinite has won so far this year.
A classic Wisconsin B-movie prop is up for auction. One of the Giant Spider props from the titular 1975 sci-fi movie The Giant Spider Invasion is up for auction in December. That film was shot in Merrill and was notably covered by the comedy series Mystery Science Theater Three-Thousand. You can also own all the rights to the film and several of the original negatives. The auction is coming entirely from a collection of the independent filmmaker Bill Rebane, who set up shop in tiny Gleason, in Lincoln County.
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