There aren't many details about the off-duty death of a Menomonie police officer. The city's police department on Friday said Officer Sam Miller unexpectedly passed away. Officer Miller started with the Menomonie Police Department in January of this year. Before that, he worked with the Pepin County Sheriff's Department, Durand Police Department, Boyceville Police Department, and the Dunn County Sheriff's Department. Menomonie's police chief says officers from other communities will step-in over the next few weeks to cover Miller's shifts. Menomonie Police say don't be surprised if you see squad cars from other communities for a little while.
The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on using ARPA funds for the creation of an Employee Assistance Program, approval of city bills, and the council will go into closed session to discuss EMS facility needs. Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at Durand City Hall.
Don't be surprised if you get an emergency text from the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office today. The sheriff's office says it's planning to test its new emergency alert system. That means a practice text for some people. The new system is supposed to be able to alert people in specific parts of the county. The idea is to make sure people know about potential threats, including severe weather. There's no word who will get the text, or when it will be sent out.
Western Wisconsin's Republican congressman is remembering Jimmy Carter with some kind words. Congressman Derrick Van Orden yesterday took to Twitter to say his mother was always a big Carter fan. He then said Carter 'served our nation as a Navy Man, President, and Humanitarian.' Van Orden wished Carter's family peace after his passing. Carter yesterday died at age 100.
Two teenagers are under arrest in Western Wisconsin, accused of lighting multiple mailboxes on fire. The Barron County Sheriff's Office says complaints about damaged mailboxes started coming in yesterday afternoon. Six total mailboxes that had been lit on fire and destroyed were found. Deputies pulled over a suspect car and said they found packages and other mail inside. One 17-year-old and one 15-year-old were arrested on arson-related charges. The case is still being investigated.
The Olmstead County Sheriff's Department is warning residents of scam callers impersonating deputies. The caller says there is an emergency and urges the person to call them back at a different number. Authorities believe this is an attempt to get financial information and if you receive a call like this you are advised to hang up. If any resident has questions or concerns they are to call Sheriff's Departments non-emergency number.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul shares thoughts on impaired driving. In a year end interview, the AG said intervention and treatment can play a role in reducing OWI cases. Kaul said for those struggling with addiction, having interventions happen early in the process, and following up to support those is likely to reduce the number of cases. The Democratic AG said the state has some good programs in place for addiction and substance use treatment. Law enforcement will be out on New Years Eve, traditionally one of the most dangerous times for crashes involving drunk drivers. Kaul says he knows Wisconsin’s district attorneys make appropriate charging decisions in OWI cases.
Taxpayers will have to pick-up the legal bill for the group that sued over the Gabelman investigation. An appeals court on Friday upheld a Dane County judge's order that the state pay the legal costs for American Oversight. That's the group that sued former judge Michael Gableman over public information involved in his investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin. Gableman lost the case, and in addition to providing his documents, the judge said he had to pay American Oversight's legal costs. The total legal bill is just over 240 thousand-dollars. But that is on top of the nearly one million-dollars that Gableman's investigation cost in all. That investigation, ultimately, didn't provide any new answers about the 2020 election.
The Minnesota Attorney General's Office says the state is experiencing historic lows of mortgage foreclosures. Meanwhile, there is a rise in scammers targeting homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages. Attorney General Keith Ellison recently released a statement warning property owners of the increase in complaints from property owners who have been duped. Most of the cons use unsolicited emails to prey on vulnerable homeowners.
A driver is miraculously uninjured after a rollover crash in Jamestown that destroyed his vehicle. The Grant County Sheriff's Office says it happened Friday afternoon around 3 p.m. on Highway 151 North. According to the Sheriff's Office, the vehicle had a mechanical failure and became airborne after veering into a ditch. The vehicle rolled numerous times before landing on its roof in a residential driveway and bursting in flames. Authorities say the driver safely got out of the vehicle and declined transport to a hospital after EMS crews examined him. The Sheriff's Office called the vehicle a total loss. The driver has not been publicly identified.
Prison time for a Price County man who admitted to killing a woman. Christopher Dyer will serve life in prison for killing Denise Schwarz on April 13th outside a Park Falls home, though a judge did grant the 50-year-old the ability to apply for parole after 30 years, according to court records. Dyer previously pled not guilty to the crime but changed his plea on Thursday after reaching a deal with the state last month. Schwarz was 57 at the time of her death. Investigators say the couple had been in a relationship but broke up sometime before the shooting. Dyer was taken into custody on April 15th and formally charged with the homicide in May.
Another bird flu outbreak in Wisconsin. The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said Thursday that birds at a commercial poultry farm in Burnett County, in northwest Wisconsin, were destroyed to prevent the spread of the H5N1 virus and that it will not enter the food system. Bird flu outbreaks have led to the destruction of commercial flocks in several Wisconsin counties and it’s also infected wild birds in the state. Earlier this month Wisconsin's first human H5N1 case was confirmed in a worker at a Barron County farm where an inflected flock was also destroyed. So far, there's been no evidence anywhere in the United States of human-to-human transmission of bird flu, which has also infected dairy cattle in several states.
Minnesota is getting 44 million dollars in federal grant money to help residents in rural communities access high-speed broadband internet. Senator Tina Smith is credited with helping to secure the funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The money is expected to help at least 139 businesses and 368 farms.
Two Minnesota bakeries have been placed on a new list of the best bakeries in America. The New York Times released the list of the 22 best bakeries in the U.S. on Tuesday. Diane's Place in Minneapolis and Flour & Flower in St. Joseph were both praised by the newspaper. Minnesota was one of four states with multiple bakeries honored by the Times.
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