Western Wisconsin's congressman is accusing Madison's congressman of playing politics with yesterday's school shooting in Madison. Congressman Derrick Van Orden took exception to Congressman Mark Pocan focusing on the lack of a farm bill early on Monday instead of the shooting at a Christian school in Madison. Pocan fired back that thoughts and prayers are 'useless.' Van Orden said the Twitter-tif was low, even for Pocan. The two have a history of arguing on Twitter and other social media platforms, often personally attacking each other.
The Ellsworth Police Department and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office received multiple reports of vehicles being struck by an object, causing damage over the weekend. According to the Ellsworth Police Department, officers arrested Jeffrey Baker in connection with the incidents. They continue to investigate the incident and ask any residents who may be victims to contact the department.
Public health managers in Eau Claire say local whooping cough cases have skyrocketed this year. The city/county health department yesterday said there have been 26 cases of the whooping cough so far this year. That's compared to one case all of last year. The health department is not saying why the whooping cough has been so prevalent this year, or just who is getting sick. It's not just an Eau Claire problem, though, statewide public health managers say there've been over two thousand cases of the whooping cough so far this year.
Water bills in Eau Claire are going-up next year. The city yesterday said it's raising the price of water by about four percent. That means the current 74 dollar bill for three months of water will jump to about 77 dollars. Community Services Director Lane Berg says part of the increase will be used to cover the cost of Eau Claire's new PFAS treatment facility. That's the 120 million-dollar project that the city began just a few weeks ago. The new rates are set to hit people's bills in February.
Chippewa Falls is set to finalize its new hospital tonight. The city council is being asked to okay the local for the new Aspirus Health hospital. Aspirus wants to build on Chippewa Crossing Boulevard, west of Highway 178. The city currently owns the land. The hospital is being seen as one of the replacements for St. Joes, which closed earlier this year. The hope is to finalize the site tonight, begin work next year, and open the hospital by the summer of 2026.
Members of Minnesota's congressional delegation are praising the passage of a bill naming the bald eagle as the national bird of the United States. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Representatives Brad Finstad and Angie Craig worked together on the bill, which now goes to the President for his signature. Klobuchar noted that Minnesota has one of the largest bald eagle populations in the U.S. and is home to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha. The bald eagle has been part of the Great Seal of the United States since 1782 but has never been declared the country's national bird.
Barron County deputies have identified two people found dead at a home over the weekend. The sheriff's department says deputies found 53-year-old Michel Turnipseed and 51-year-old Michelle Turnipseed dead at their home in Chetek just before 1 pm on Sunday. Michelle was found outside the home, while Michael was found inside. Court records show Michael was facing domestic abuse charges, and that a divorce was proceeding between the pair.
There's a warning about some of the Connie's frozen pizzas that may be in your freezer. Palermo's yesterday announced a recall of about 12 hundred Connie's Thin Crust Cheese frozen pizzas sold here in Wisconsin. The company says there's a worry that the pizzas may have 'potential plastic contamination.' The pizzas have all been pulled from store shelves, but the FDA says some people may still have them in their freezers. If you do, simply toss it out, or bring it back to the store. Palemro's says the pizzas were sold here in Wisconsin, as well as in Illinois and Minnesota.
Oshkosh Corporation’s production of new delivery vehicles for the U-S Postal Service is off to a rocky start. In an investigative story, the Washington Post reports Oshkosh has delivered just 93 of the 3,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles that were expected by the end of November. The story cites internal documents and communications from the company blaming the delays on an inability to calibrate the vehicles’ airbags, leaking chassis, and problems securing bodies from Challenge Manufacturing in Michigan. Those issues were reportedly kept from the Postal Service by Oshkosh executives. The report also claims the Oshkosh plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina is producing just one NGDV a day–instead of the 80 that were expected by this point. The story quotes an Oshkosh employee as saying “This is the bottom line: We don’t know how to make a damn truck.” Oshkosh Corporation has not issued any statements regarding the Washington Post story. The value of the Postal Service contract could reach $10-billion.
One of Wisconsin's tribes is looking to block northern Wisconsin's pipeline expansion. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa filed two legal challenges to the proposed Line 5 reroute. Band Chairman Robert Blanchard says the Wisconsin DNR failed to consider his tribe and failed to consider Enbridge's troubles in Minnesota when agreeing to give the company permits to expand the pipeline around tribal lands. The tribe is both suing the DNR, and contesting the wetland and waterway permit that the state gave to Enbridge. Enbridge wants to reroute the pipeline away from most of the Bad River Band's land, and bring oil and gas from Canada into the United States.
Minnesota's two U.S. senators are asking the head of the U.S. Postal Service about mail delivery problems in Rochester. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy last week. They asked why some areas did not receive mail and package delivery for four days or more, despite promises from the local post office. They called the lack of delivery during the height of the holiday season a "source of stress and frustration for Minnesotans." Smith and Klobuchar asked DeJoy for a response to their letter by Thursday.
A pair of Republican lawmakers want school districts and other local governments to let voters know the true cost of local referendums going forward. State Rep Scott Allen and state Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara on Friday introduced a plan that would give voters more information about the monthly cost of local tax increases. Allen said voters are only given the big-picture price tag, and left to guess what it will mean for their taxes. Cabral-Guevara said voters need all the information so they can make the right decision. The move comes after a wave of local tax increase questions passed this year, leading the largest property tax increase in Wisconsin in nearly two decades.
Welcoming visitors to Wisconsin during April’s NFL Draft in Green Bay. The Packers, Travel Wisconsin and Discover Green Bay met up with businesses and organizations in Neenah Wednesday to pass along tips on meeting and greeting out-of-town visitors. Organizers of the event expect the draft to attract five times the number of visitors Milwaukee saw for the Republican National Convention. Discover Green Bay say as many as 240,000 visitors from around the country and world could provide a statewide economic impact of $94 million. The NFL Draft will be in Green Bay from April 24th thru the 26th.
Record holiday travel numbers are projected for Wisconsin. According to Triple-A, nearly 2.4 million Wisconsinites will travel 50 miles or more from home between December 21st and New Year’s Day, breaking the previous all-time high set last year by over 76-thousand. Nearly 90% of those travelers will drive to their destinations. Nationally, Triple-A forecasts that 107 million people will take a holiday road trip of 50 miles-plus, just missing the all-time mark set in 2019. They also expect air travel to set a new record this holiday season.
No comments:
Post a Comment