Winter weather can be expected for the next few days across the WRDN listening area. The National Weather Service is extending the winter storm warning warning til 3 a.m. tomorrow. Forecasters say the Chippewa Valley will see as much as another eight inches of snow today. That will once again make for a tricky drive to and from work or school. The Weather Service says 25-mile-per-hour wind gusts will only make the drive tougher. Forecasters say after the snow, it will remain cold til at least Christmas Day when the high is expected to be above freezing.
The Pepin County Sheriff’s Office is urging residents to stay vigilant against a surge in scams targeting individuals and families across Wisconsin. Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using technology, fake identities, and emotional manipulation to steal money and personal information. The Sheriff's Department is reminding people that government agencies will never call you demanding payment or threaten arrest, tech companies will not initiate unsolicited contact to fix your computer and have questions ready that only your grandchild or family member would know if you receive a call saying a relative is in trouble and needs money. If you receive a suspicious call never give out any personal information and just hang up.
Another tel-com in Western Wisconsin has received a grant and loan from the USDA to expand broadband internet access. The Bloomer Telephone Company received a $4.6 million grant and a $4.6 million low-interest loan from the USDA ReConnect Program. The money will be used to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to provide high-speed internet to 1,278 people, 32 businesses and 73 farms in Chippewa and Dunn Counties.
The weekly City of Mondovi garbage and recycling pickup will be delayed due to Christmas Day and New Years Day. Mondovi residents that normally have a Wednesday garbage pickup, it will be on Thursday. The Thursday recycling pickup will on Friday. If you have any questions, please feel free to call City Hall with any questions.
The plan to bring a battery plant to Chippewa Falls is back on the table. KYMA Battery Technologies originally pitched Chippewa Falls on a plant to rehab old batteries, but decided to take that idea to Michigan instead. Now the company is back with plans for a plant to make brand new batteries. They're again talking about building at the old EOG Sand Plant property. Chippewa Falls Mayor Greg Hoffman says there are new leaders at KYMA this time, and a slightly different plan that's a lot less worrisome for the city. The hope is to start some work at the new plant by the spring.
Wisconsin's Assembly speaker wants to borrow an idea from the new Trump Administration. Speaker Robin Vos yesterday suggested a state-based government efficiency effort similar to the DOGE office that President-elect Trump is planning. Vos said he wants to call his the GOAT: Governmental Oversight, Accountability and Transparency Committee. Vos said the idea is to reform state government, and look for ways to save taxpayers money. Vos isn't saying specifically what that means, but he's been clear for months that his top priority for the next two years is figuring out how to give Wisconsin's four billion-dollar surplus back to the taxpayers of the state.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has detected the first presumptive positive human case of H5N1 infection. The human case follows an infected flock of commercial poultry identified in Barron County, Wisconsin, where this person was exposed to the infected flock. The case was identified through testing at the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene and is pending confirmation at the CDC. Wisconsin health officials are monitoring farm workers who may have been exposed to the virus and have provided them with information to protect their health. The risk to the general public in Wisconsin remains low. People who work directly with infected birds or animals are at higher risk. The H5N1 virus has continued to circulate in wild and domestic birds in North America since December 2021. The virus is highly contagious and often fatal to domestic poultry. The disease varies in severity depending on the strain and the species infected.
The end of Act-10 will have to wait. A Dane County judge yesterday placed a temporary hold on his declaration that Act-10 is unconstitutional. Judge Jacob Frost is the same judge who struck down most of Act-10 earlier this month. He says he's ordering the pause to give lawmakers and others a chance to challenge his ruling. Frost said Act-10 cannot stand because it separates public employees into two categories, and applies Act-10's collective bargaining limitations to just one group. Republicans are appealing that decision, pointing to other courts that tossed out the very same argument years ago. The pause means unions, like Madison's teachers' union, cannot move ahead with new contract demands just yet.
Someone 'jackpotted' some ATMs in Marshfield, and walked aways with as much as 100 thousand-dollars. Police say it happened over the weekend. They say someone installed something on an ATM at the Simplicity Credit Union. That something allowed the thieves to essentially hack the ATM, and take out huge sums of money. Marshfield Police say the thieves took anywhere between 60-thousand and 100-thousand-dollars. There's no word about suspects or a vehicle description, but police are asking anyone who may have seen something to please speak-up.
Make sure you're getting your lottery credit on your property tax bill. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue reminds you to closely check your bill this year to ensure your lottery credit is being applied. This year's credit should be around 213 dollars per household. You can only claim the credit once each year on your primary residence. If you think you're not getting the credit, check the state tax portal online at Revenue dot W I dot Gov.
Add Waukesha to the list of places with a verified drone sighting. A Waukesha County deputy reported last Friday that they saw a drone flying over the county courthouse. There's no indication that the drone was doing anything suspicious, but being over the courthouse meant the drone was flying too close to the Waukesha County Airport. It is illegal to fly a drone within five miles of an airport, and the sheriff's office says the Waukesha airport is a half-mile from the courthouse. No one is sure who was flying the drone, or what they were doing. The Waukesha drone sighting comes as people up and down the east coast are reporting drone flights almost every night.
The Milwaukee Brewers will stay at American Family Field until at least 2050. The Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District approved a new lease agreement today. It's been more than a year since Governor Tony Evers signed a state law with bipartisan support to keep the team in Milwaukee. The ballpark has generated two-point-five billion dollars since it opened 23 years ago.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is investigating last month's oil pipeline leak in Jefferson County. The DNR yesterday said it has officially opened a case on the leak from last month that spilled 70 thousand gallons of oil in the town of Oakland. The DNR was first notified of the leak on November 11th, but initially said the leak was limited to just two gallons of oil. That number has gone-up steadily since. Enbridge, the company that owns the leaky pipeline, has blamed a leaky valve for the problem. The DNR says it is continuing to monitor the pipeline, and has not yet decided what kind of 'enforcement action' may be necessary.
School threats increased following Monday’s fatal school shooting in Madison. The Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of School Safety says over 80 tips about a possible school threat were reported over the last two days. That more than doubles the number received during the same period last year. The justice department began its ‘Speak Up, Speak Out’ confidential tip line four years ago allowing individuals to report concerns about student safety. DOJ says 114 people contacted the 24/7 resource last school year to convey information about a possible school attack.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing 3M and DuPont. The suit accuses the companies of deceptively marketing products containing the toxic chemical PFAS. It has been used for decades as a nonstick, waterproof, and stain-resistant coating in products like 3M's Scotchgard and DuPont's Teflon. 3M is phasing out the use of PFAS in products by the end of 2025. It hasn't used PFAS in Scotchgard for years.
Nominees are selected based on exceptional moral actions and character while out in the field. Examples can include helping other hunters find lost game, assisting new hunters, or protecting natural resources. Any hunter or non-hunter can be nominated for their actions during the 2024 calendar year. Established in 1997, the award recognizes a person whose action is symbolic of Wisconsin’s hunting heritage. Nominations will be reviewed by a five-person committee and can be submitted by mail or email by January 31st.
No comments:
Post a Comment