Local-Regional News March 7

 

City of Durand Residents will be getting a notice that their water bills will be on the increase. The City is having a full study done with the WI Public Service Commission to raise the water rates. The rates need to be increased to help pay for the new water filtration plant and daily operations. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the rates could be raised by 60%, but reminds residents that just the water portion of their bill.  If the Wisconsin PSC agrees to the rate increase they could take effect later this year.

The Buffalo County Highway Department has begun Seasonal Weight Restrictions.  The restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.  Single Axle Vehicles are restricted to no more than 10 tons, Tandem Axle Vehicle are restricted to no more than 22 tons and Combination Vehicles are restricted to no more than 30 tons. These restrictions are for County Highways, Town Roads may have their own restrictions which will be determined by the respective Town. Contact the applicable Town Chairperson for Town Road restrictions.  

The replacement of the Bridge on HWY KK in Buffalo County is underway. Hwy KK is now closed between Hwy 37 and Rockwell Road. The bridge replacement is expected to be completed on April 25 and HWY KK will remain closed between Hwy 37 and Rockwell Road during the construction.

The Executive Director of the Northern Wisconsin State Fair is retiring. Rusty Volk has served as executive director for 17yrs and says it has been an absolute pleasure to serve the Northern Wisconsin State Fair Association. Volk was instrumental in the development of the Agriculture Campus on the fairgrounds with the building of new livestock barns and a new arena. His retirement is set for Jan 1, 2026. The Fair Association will now begin the process of searching for a new Executive Director.

Buffalo County is again offering an Ag & Household Hazardous Clean Sweep collection program to residents, businesses and farms. Funds for collecting hazardous waste are provided by Buffalo County and Grants from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.  Residents and farmers may bring their materials to the Clean Sweep collection site at no cost.  The Clean Sweep will be March 13 at the Mondovi Recycling Center.

Authorities are searching for a suspect involved in a theft in Prescott, Wis. According to the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network, the suspect entered a vehicle and stole a backpack that contained the victim’s wallet. Before the theft was reported; the suspect used the credit card at three business in the City of Prescott. The suspect was seen driving a white in color Ford pickup truck. The security camera was not able to read the license plate. Anyone with information is to contact the Prescott Police Department.

An Eau Claire man is sentenced to 18 years in prison for child sexual assault. The sentence for Jonathan Rowan came down yesterday afternoon in an Eau Claire courtroom. Rowan faced 32 felonies including multiple charges of repeated sexual assault of a child. According to court documents, the children were eight and nine years old at the time of the assault. Rowan will be put on the sex offender registry, and once his 18 years are up, he will have 20-years of extended supervision.

The UW-Stout Police Department has a new therapy dog on staff. The department welcomes Harvey, who was named after several rounds of voting from community members over the past few weeks. Harvey will support victims of crimes, students and community members all year round. He will be out and about on campus putting smiles on people's faces.

A U-W-L student accused of sexually assaulting teen girls in his dorm room is pleading not guilty. Caden Atkinson is charged with two felony counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 16. Back in February, Atkinson signed a five-thousand-dollar bond and is not to have contact with any female under the age of 18. He will be back in court later this month.

The three finalists for superintendent of the Onalaska School District fielded questions from residents. Dr. Rainey Briggs, Lalisha Olson, and Ben Barton took questions from community members last night that the district had put together. The questions covered many topics. Community members were able to submit notes on a feedback form that district members will go through. The board would like to decide by the end of the month with the new superintendent starting July 1st.

Several children were left alone in a Madison apartment while their mom was out of state. Madison Police executed a welfare check last Friday and found seven young children between the ages of 2 and 13 living in "deplorable conditions". Officers learned that the mother had been in Illinois for a week. No reason was given on why she left the kids alone. Child Protective Services placed them in the care of a family friend. Their mother is back in Wisconsin and has contacted police as they investigate the situation.

Three people are charged in connection with a car sale odometer scam in Waukesha County. The Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation alleges the three from Brookfield bought high-mileage vehicles from private sellers across the Midwest through Facebook Marketplace. The suspects own an auto body shop and are accused of rolling back vehicle odometers and falsifying titles. 70 vehicles with an estimated 4.5 million miles taken off their odometers were allegedly sold at inflated prices between 2022 and last month. The three face multiple theft charges and have an April court date scheduled.

Wisconsin voters go to the polls April 1st to select a new state Supreme Court Justice and state Superintendent of Public Instruction. Marquette Law School Poll Director Charles Franklin said on Wednesday that not many are paying attention. The poll found 39% of respondents say they've heard or read a lot about the Supreme Court race, 42% say some, and 19 admit they've heard nothing at all. On the superintendent's race it's half that - only 18% have heard a lot, 47 a little and 35 nothing. The Supreme Court candidates are Waukesha County Court Judge Brad Schimel and Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. In the Superintendent’s race, incumbent Democrat Jill Underly is opposed by challenger Brittany Kinser, an education consultant backed by conservatives. The new Marquette Poll was released Wednesday.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Republican state lawmakers are at odds over tax cuts and the state budget. Republican leaders want to use a portion of the state’s projected $4.3 billion surplus on a tax cut – before tackling the next state budget. Evers has concerns. During a WisPolitics luncheon in Madison this week, the Democratic Governor said that doesn't make sense in light of the current uncertainty in Washington, D.C. Evers said he’d be likely such a tax cut if it reaches his desk prior to a completed two-year state budget.

Minnesota's projected budget surplus for the next two years has shrunk. State budget officials announced today the latest economic forecast. They say Minnesota now has a projected surplus of 456 million dollars for the next two-year budget cycle. It is 160 million lower than previous estimates. Meanwhile, the future projected deficit in the 2028-2029 biennium has increased from the last five-point-one billion dollar estimate released in December. The Legislature must work with Governor Tim Walz to pass a new two-year state budget by May 19th.

The U-W-L police have a new member of their staff. A ten-week-old puppy will now serve as the emotional support dog on the force. The police have named the puppy "Officer Bear". Officer Bear's job will be to reduce stress and provide emotional support for students on campus. Officer Bear will go into training for a year before he can fully be an emotional support dog.

Local-Regional News March 6

 

The City of Durand will hold an economic development planning session on April 2^nd. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the meeting will focus on how the city, county and school district can work together to advance economic development.  That meeting will be held at 5:30 on April 2^nd at city hall and is open to the public.

Dunn County is starting to update its 20-year comprehensive plan and taking input from the public. The plan covers housing, transportation, land use, economic development, utilities, community facilities, and natural and cultural resources. Dunn County has launched a webpage where residents can find updates on the process and ways to submit their input. Starting Monday, residents will have a survey to fill out and share their priorities.

 A detached garage and its contents are a total loss after a large fire on a property on Sherwood Trail near near Zumbrota Wednesday night. According to the Zumbrota Fire Department, crews arrived to find the garage engulfed in flames. The fire was successfully knocked down but a home had minor damage. No one was injured in the fire.

The Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley has received a $1000 grant from the Pierce Pepin Cooperative’s Federated Youth Foundation. The money will be used to support special events and multiple plan and learn series in Pierce County. The funding will allow the Family Resource Center to provide programming to over 100 families. The Federated Youth Foundation is funded by abandoned capital credits from Pierce Pepin Cooperative.

A local bowling alley is being featured in a historic bowling lanes tour. Club 10 was recognized as a featured destination in the Bowling Centers of America Vintage Alley Tour. The tour will be held on April 5^th and will visit three historic bowling centers including Leakers Place in Glenwood City, Gale’s Lanes in Galesville, and Club 10. The alleys in Club 10 were first installed back in 1954.

Police are investigating the death of a woman and classifying it as a homicide. Police officials were called out to the 1600 block of Namekagon Street for a welfare check yesterday afternoon. Police officers got a call from a man inside the house that someone was in danger. When police arrived, they asked him to come outside, but he ignored police calls, and a standoff began. After a few hours, the man surrendered, and police entered the house to find a dead female.

Now's the time to get your kids ready for the time change to Daylight Savings this weekend. University of Wisconsin assistant professor of pediatrics Dr. Casy Freymiller says one thing to try is something called bedtime fading, where parents adjust kid's bedtime in 15 minutes increments the next few days. Freymiller says kids and teens are especially prone to the health impacts of getting less sleep, and CDC data shows only 23% of high schoolers got at least eight hours of sleep in 2023. Freymiller says parents should start prepping kids now so the time change isn't so sudden come Sunday morning.

A woman who stabbed her friend years ago in an effort to summon the fictional Slenderman will face a hearing today over her potential release from a mental institution. Morgan Geyser was 12 when she and another friend lured fellow 12-year-old Payton Leutner into the woods in 2014, stabbing her 19 times in a case that shocked the community of Waukesha. Leutner survived and Geyser, now 22, is in the Winnebago Mental Health Institute under a 40-year commitment. Geyser has gained some support from staff and hoped to move into a transitional facility. But a sealed petition aims to keep her in the institute.

Wisconsin’s Attorney General is again asking for increased funding for the state’s crime labs. Josh Kaul hosted a tour for legislators of Milwaukee’s crime lab on Tuesday. Kaul is advocating to have $2.7 million of the state budget go towards staffing the labs, which he says is vital to ensure public safety and justice. Kaul says financing those positions “…helps ensure that we are able to remain on the cutting edge in the analysis that we do, and that we have the resources to ensure the cases are tested effectively and efficiently.” Wisconsin’s 72 counties rely on the state’s three crime labs for examination of forensic evidence, DNA testing, toxicology testing and other tasks.

At the Capitol, Democrats hope to fill gaps in case of a federal funding freeze. Legislation introduced Tuesday would require the State Legislature to convene in special session should President Donald Trump use an executive order to freeze previously approved federal funding for Wisconsin. The bill would use the state's rainy-day fund to provide what sponsors call a "safety net" to cover funding interruptions. The measure prioritizes funding for essential services. It would need to pass through the Republican-controlled Assembly and Senate before making it to Governor Tony Evers' desk.

Weight restrictions are starting today for most Wisconsin highways. The Department of Transportation says highways south of U.S. Eight could face damage from heavy trucks during the spring thaw period. Those restrictions will start at midnight. Similar rules will be put in place for highways in far Northern Wisconsin starting Monday. More information and a map is available on WisconsinDOT-dot-gov.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is looking for more information on black bear dens. The department says the Black Bear Litter and Diet Survey aims to generate new reproduction rate numbers for the species across the state. Anyone who sees or hears signs of a black bear den while spending time out in nature is asked to take a photo of it from a safe distance. Other information like GPS coordinates is also helpful. More information is available on DNR-dot-Wisconsin-dot-gov.

A Wisconsin inmate is missing from the Dodge County Jail. Alissa Leeman is accused of not returning to the jail from her workplace yesterday. Leeman has Huber privileges, which allow her to leave during the day for work. Investigators say she left her job, and was last seen at a Super Eight Hotel in the area yesterday afternoon. She was supposed to be back at the jail just before 5 p.m. Anyone with information about where she could be is asked to call the Dodge County Sheriff's Office.

The NFL announced that you can now register for tickets to go to the NFL Draft. The 2025 draft will be held outside Lambeau Field from April 24th to April 26th. Fans interested in getting tickets can download the NFL one pass app for Apple and android phones. The NFL, along with the city of Green Bay, are expecting 250-thousand fans to attend the three-day event. Along with registration, important information will be on the app that may be needed when attending the draft. 

Local-Regional News March 5

 

A winter storm warning has been issued for all of western Wisconsin until 3 p.m. today. Expect anywhere from six to nine inches of snow in the area. With strong winds, travel may be dangerous at times. Wind gusts are expected to be anywhere from 30 to 35 miles per hour.

A Minnesota man has died from his injuries after a one vehicle accident in Martell Township on Feb 12. According to the Pepin County Sheriff’s Department, 42yr old Andrew Thompson of St. Paul passed away yesterday due to his injuries. On Feb 12 Thompson lost control of his vehicle on Hwy 63 and struck a tree.

An Elk Mound business owner was sentenced to a year in federal prison for not paying federal employment taxes.  According to the Department of Justice, between 2017 and 2021, Deena Hintz, owner of Jade Excavation and Trucking, deducted nearly $400,000 in federal employment taxes but kept the money for herself. Along with the prison sentence, Hintz was ordered to pay $482,000 in restitution.

A New Richmond man has been arrested after his wife was found dead in rural Polk County. According to New Richmond Police, officers were sent to the home of Gordon and Mary Laasko for a possible domestic disturbance and welfare check for Mary Lasko. She wasn’t found at the home but found her dead in a rural area. Gordon Laasko was arrested and has been charged with first degree intentional homicide, strangulation and hiding a corpse.

A barn and meat shop are a total loss following a fire in Bloomer. According to the Bloomer Fire Department, firefighters responded to the fire at 19533 Hwy 40 early Monday Morning. When crews arrived the found the barn and meat shop engulfed and both were a total loss. A home on the property was not damaged.

A Birchwood Clinic is closing, with plans to merge with a new Rice Lake facility. NorthLakes says the facility opened in January, and the Birchwood clinic will be fully moved in by June. The clinic says it will work with patients who are concerned about transportation to the new location. The Rice Lake facility will expand and offer services including behavioral health, dentistry, speech therapy, and pediatric physical therapy by early summer.

The La Crosse City Planning Commission Committee has taken the Monitor Street fire station off the surplus list. This means for the time being, the property will not be sold and the La Crosse Fire Department can use the station for storage. This will be a big resource for the department because station 3 is going to be under new renovations. Once station 3 is completed, the commission will declare the surplus on the Monitor Street location

Starting May 7th, anyone over the age of 18 who would like to travel will need to have a Real ID. Officials from the Wisconsin D-M-V and T-S-A held a news conference yesterday. Those officials said over 60 percent of residents already have updated to the Real ID. To know if you have a Real ID, look for a star at the top right-hand corner of your ID.

The legislation authored by Dodgeville Representative Todd Novak and Senate President Mary Felzkowski is named after Cole Schmidtknecht, who died from an asthma attack after he couldn't afford his inhaler when the out-of-pocket price increased nearly $500. Larry Crowley, a a pharmacist in south central Wisconsin, says he's witnessed patients facing exorbitant copays for medications they cannot afford and they're forced into impossible decisions about their health. Novak and Felzkowski say the legislation will lower drug costs, increase transparency, and increase pharmacy access and safety.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is proposing to manage spongy moth infestations this summer in Winona County Spongy moths are ranked among America’s most destructive tree pests and can cause significant environmental and economic impacts, MDA says. These leaf-eating insects have been attributed to millions of dollars in damage to forests across the nation.

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Many people have reported dead birds found on beaches from Racine all the way up to Green Bay. The Wisconsin Humane Society said they have admitted over 30 birds for bird flu. Birds that have been found with the disease have been humanely euthanized due to the extreme severity of their illness. The humane society urges people to call them if you run into dead birds near water or lake fronts.

After two hours of intense deliberation, a GOP backed bill banning transgender athletes from girls' sports failed in the Minnesota house. The bill passed in chambers with 67 members voted yes while 66 members voted no. However, when the bill came to the floor, 68 votes were needed to pass. A similar effort took place in the Senate, however, that was blocked earlier in the day. With a special election taking place next week for an open seat, it's likely that the members in the state house will be an equal 67 on both sides. The transgender athlete bill will be tabled for the rest of this session.

New Trump administration tariffs on Wisconsin’s largest trading partners. President Donald Trump on Tuesday imposed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and doubled the tariff on China to 20%. Wisconsin’s largest foreign market in 2024 was Canada. The $7.9 billion worth of goods exported there represented 29 percent of the state’s total exports, followed by $4.4 billion in exports to Mexico and $1.6 billion to China. Those figures are from the Office of the United States Trade Representative. China and Canada immediately announced retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.

A Canadian premier is threatening to cut off U.S. electricity exports over the current tariff war. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the U.S. needs to "feel the pain," adding he would cut the power with a smile on his face. A report shows Ontario powered one-and-a-half-million U.S. homes in 2023 mostly in New York, Michigan, and Minnesota. President Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China took effect today. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau announced an immediate 25-percent levy on 30-billion-dollars worth of U.S. imports.

A new report shows a need for more educators in Wisconsin. A new report from the Department of Public Instruction says 55-percent of first-time teachers stayed in the state for seven years, and half of those educators stay at the same school in that time. Those numbers are even lower in the special education sector. State Superintendent Jill Underly is asking for more financial investments into the education workforce to keep teachers in Wisconsin

The March for Meals campaign is back for another year. This is put on by the Eau Claire County Aging and Disability Resource Center. March for Meals supports Meals on Wheels, who receive their funding from the Older Americans Act and donations from participants who receive services. This campaign adds additional funds for the program. If you would like to make a donation for March for Meals you can call the Aging and Disability Resource Center.

Local-Regional News March 4

 

No injuries were reported from a house fire at W424 Pansy Pass in the town of Glencoe Saturday night. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, two off duty first responders were driving through the area when they noticed the house on fire. The off duty first responders went to the house, forced entry and found a 50yr old male resident asleep inside. The assisted the resident and his dog out of the house. Fire Crews were able to extinguish the fire and contain it to one corner of the home. The fire is believed to have started from the area of a chimney on the side of the home.

No one was injured when a BNSF train caught fire in the village of Nelson on Sunday night. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, BNSF notified authorities the train would be stopping along Hwy 25 and the fire was isolated to one locomotive and there were flammable materials were in cars 17 cars down from the fire. Fire crews extinguished the fire and the train continued under its own power. The railroad crossing in Nelson was closed for 45 minutes while fire crews extinguished the fire.

One person was injured in a truck fire at S725 Hwy BB on Sunday afternoon. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, 25yr old Brandon Fernholz of Mondovi and his father 45yr old Edmund Frenholz of Mondovi were on their way home when they noticed smoke in the cab of the truck. A short time later, they noticed flames coming from the dashboard. Both ment got out of the vehicle and went down an embankment and became fully engulfed in flames. The passengers suffered a minor injury.

Two people are injured and several people are displaced after a structure fire in Chippewa Falls. Fire crews were called to the scene shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday on North Herschel Street. Two people were treated on scene, with one going to a local hospital. Fire crews did rescue one cat from an upper unit in the building. Cause of the fire is still under investigation, however, estimates of the damage are around 150-thousand-dollars.

The Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office responded to a car versus train crash on the 22600 block of Krueger Road. The crash took place early Sunday morning. When law enforcement showed up, they found the driver of the car with no injuries. Officials also made contact with the train crew, with no one having injuries on the train. Preliminary reports by police say the car failed to yield to the train. The investigation into the crash is still ongoing.

Two kids are safe after their father was arrested for OWI in Eau Claire. A state patrol trooper pulled over David Em Young for speeding on Highway 312 at Jeffers Avenue Saturday, and determined he was driving under the influence. He also had drug paraphernalia on him. Two children, one who was four-years-old, the other, a one-year-old, were in the car. The kids were turned over to their mom, and Young was taken into custody.

A new audit shows no errors on Wisconsin voting machines during the 2024 general election. The Wisconsin Elections Commission says local election officials audited almost 330-thousand ballots by hand to validate voting equipment. Results show that there's no evidence of incorrectly counted or altered votes. Five errors with Wisconsin ballots were found to be human error and not related to electronic voting equipment.

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel Monday says he supports a president's right to pardon but disagrees with President Donald Trump's decision to pardon those who committed violent acts against police during the January 6th Capitol attacks. During a January visit to the State Capitol former U.S. Capitol police officer Harry Dunn said Schimel is playing both sides with his comments on Trump's pardons. Schimel faces Dane County judge Susan Crawford in the April election.

UW Health is taking issue with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. UW Health has been in talks for several months to renegotiate their agreement with the health insurance provider. The deal is set to expire on April 15th. The hospital says Anthem's current offer isn't fair to their members or their care teams. If an agreement isn't reached by April 15th, UW Health will no longer be in-network for patients with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Wisconsin insurance.

A MAGA aligned group says locations of some in-person early voting locations in Wisconsin are “unfair.” That assertion is made in letters from the America First Policy Institute to the Wisconsin Elections Commission and local elections officials in Madison, La Crosse and Oshkosh – all of which have significant numbers of college students who tend to vote Democrat. AFPI claims sites located near college campuses violate state law and amount to something called “early-voting poll-location gerrymandering.” The letters urge local officials to “remedy” the issue by providing early voting locations that don’t provide an advantage to either political party. Early voting begins March 18 for the April 1st election which includes a crucial seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Democrats are raising questions about the Wisconsin Legislature’s “GOAT” committee. It stands for Government Accountability and Transparency. The committee has yet to hold any hearings, but co-chair Representative Shae Sortwell is making records requests of all 72 counties and the state’s 50 largest cities regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. There’s nothing illegal about that, but committee member Representative Mike Bare says Sortwell is acting on his own. without any task before the committee and without the knowledge of other members. Sortwell’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who established the GOAT committee, said he's the subject of open records requests "at least weekly," and that responding to requests is part of what makes Wisconsin government open. Representative Bare said an initial meeting for the GOAT committee has yet to be scheduled.

Authorities in Kansas arrest a juvenile wanted in a Wisconsin homicide investigation. Police in the city of WaKeeney in northwest Kansas stopped a vehicle stolen out of Wisconsin that ran a stop sign. The wanted youth was behind the wheel and was taken into custody after a Wisconsin sheriff's office informed Kansas law enforcement that he could be armed. Investigators found evidence in the vehicle that was "consistent with the information" received from Wisconsin. The youth is being held in a detention center awaiting extradition. It's not clear when he was taken into custody or where the homicides took place.

The Lac du Flambeau Tribe is backing off a threat to issue trespassing citations to people using contested roads on their reservation. Tribal elders said in January that anyone caught travelling on several disputed roads without authorization would be issued citations. This is after the tribe agreed not to block those roads while litigation over an easement dispute continues. A judge will hear arguments in the dispute on Monday. The Lac du Flambeau tribe says the easement for those roads expired over a decade ago, and has been seeking payment from the Town of Lac du Flambeau for repairs, upkeep, and continued access.

The Elk Season application is underway. Applicants are required to select either the Black River Elk Range or the Clam Lake Elk Range. Hunters can purchase an elk license application online through the Go Wild license portal or in person at a license sales agent. The application fee is $10 and is limited to one per person. Only Wisconsin residents can be issued an elk license, and only one authorization will be issued per person in their lifetime. Winners will be notified by early June. More information is available on the Department of Natural Resources website.

Local-Regional News March 3

 A Mondovi man has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of Possession of Child Pornography. 39Yr old Kyle Gillis made the plea in Buffalo County court after he was arrested after an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children group found evidence that Gillies had downloaded multiple images and videos of child porn. Gilles was sentenced to 3yrs in prison and 5yrs of extended supervision.

Four older buildings on the U-W Eau Claire campus have been approved for demolition. The State Building Commission along with Governor Evers approved this measure, along with others for public building projects. Zorn Arena, Brewer Hall, Campus School and Kjer Theater are the four buildings that will be set for demolition. All four were built in 1951 and will now be turned into green space.

The land purchase for a new western Wisconsin hospital is finalized. Aspirus Health Care bought the 22-acre plot of land yesterday and says ground will break on the new facility in the spring. It'll be built on Chippewa Crossing Boulevard near the Seymour Cray Sr. intersection. The hospital will offer primary and inpatient care, along with emergency and basic lab services. Aprirus says it's been dedicated to bringing health care to the Chippewa Valley since hospital and clinic closures last year.

The Wabasha County Board is meeting tomorrow. The agenda includes action on the purchase of two new Motorola radios, zoning requests, and reports from department heads and county committees. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Old Courthouse Annex in Wabasha.

A group of Red Wing High School students staged a walkout Friday morning. The action is in response to the school district canceling a Black History Month event featuring Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. The school's Black Student Union President Amarie Williams says she and some fellow students are upset with the leadership's decision. She says their concern is not so much that Ellison will not be in attendance but that the Black History event is canceled. Red Wing Superintendent Bob Jaszczak says he made the decision due to concerns over significant disruptions. He never detailed what those possible disruptions are.

A house fire in Onalaska leaves one person dead. Firefighters arrived on scene and immediately started an offensive attack on the flames. As crews searched the home, they pulled one person out, who later died of their injuries. The fire caused significant damage, but crews were able to bring it under control within 30 minutes. Thankfully, no other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Cody Anderson, who tried to steal an airplane from the La Crosse Airport in 2023, is being given a conditional release from a mental health facility. Anderson met the standards for his conditional release plan earlier this month. The court now ruled that Anderson was no longer a risk to himself or others. Back in 2023, he faced five felony counts, including making terrorist threats. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity last year.

Warrants are issued for a Western Wisconsin couple accused of child sex crimes. Prosecutors say Amanda Whiting had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old victim starting in May 2022. The teen says she would give him and his friends alcohol and marijuana. She's facing more than a dozen charges for the accusations. The victim says her husband, Joshua Whiting, was aware of the relationship. He's facing one charge.

A lawsuit against several Wisconsin T V stations by former US Senate candidate Eric Hovde has been dismissed. A Brown County judge ruled Thursday that Hovde's complaint that advertisements run by the stations were defamatory held no merit. The ads in question accused Hovde of rigging the system by taking government loans, and that he used offshore "shady" tax havens. Judge Donald Zuidmulder ruled that neither of those statements were defamatory, since the term "rigging the system" is well known as a matter of opinion, and that Hovde's investments in offshore accounts isn't illegal, so it cannot be defamatory.

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A meeting this week held by The Wisconsin Elections Commission will hopefully provide more answers to the uncounted ballots during last November's general election. Officials unanimously voted to investigate Madison Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl for the 193 missing absentee ballots. There are a few suspected contributing factors like incomplete log charting on ballots received and accounted for. The WEC Chair said "the second part of the story is what happened when they were discovered and the fact that it wasn't brought to the attention of the WEC."

Plans are underway in Madison to expand the Alliant Energy Center's Expo Hall and renovate the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Construction is set to begin as early as 2026. Officials want to attract more events to the center, and with the renovations, may be able to get bigger acts and shows. Dane County Executive Melissa Agard said, "the project will be financed through a public-private partnership where an outside organization could negotiate some degree of control over the Coliseum in exchange for building improvements."

Though Microsoft is canceling data center plans in other parts of the country, the company is still committed to its plans in Wisconsin. The tech giant tells Fox 6 Milwaukee it's planning on moving forward with a three-point-three billion dollar investment in the state. The company owns 19-hundred acres of land in Mount Pleasant, where it says it'll build a new data center. But, financial analysts say Microsoft is walking away from leases and renting from private data center operators in other states. The Village of Mount Pleasant says construction was temporarily paused so the company could incorporate new designs, but the scope of the project isn't expected to change.

Nissan's are the second-most stolen vehicle in Wisconsin thanks to a faulty key fob. Milwaukee police said that there is a reprogramming tool that allows it to connect to a signal pretty easily. The signal is strong enough to connect from outside your home to your key fob on the kitchen counter. Officials said nine cases have been reported so far in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa and Brown Deer. Drivers can protect themselves by putting the key fob inside a metal box or wrapped in tinfoil.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is hoping his plan to make health care more affordable for the state is implemented. He introduced the proposal yesterday in St. Paul. Walz's plan would shift the portion of the reinsurance the state is responsible for from taxpayers to insurers. It applies to the individual insurance market, which is for people who aren't covered by their employers or eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. The governor is also proposing to increase the surcharge levied on health maintenance organizations to one-point-25 percent of total premium revenue from zero-point-six percent. Walz says it's a way to make sure large health care corporations pay their fair share.

Ticket prices are released for the Packers 2025 season at Lambeau Field. A spokesperson said preseason tickets have increased up to 11-dollars per game and regular-season tickets are up to 21-dollars per game. Price differences are dependent on location. At the 7-hundred level it's now 69-dollars for preseason and in regular season it's 139. Season ticket holder's who sell 100-percent of their tickets will have their ticket privileges invalidated. For more details go to packers-dot-com.

Local-Regional News Feb 27

 

A 62yr old Alma man is dead. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, deputies responded to a call of a man who had a tree fall on him near Hwy N and Hwy T. On arrival, deputies found the man and he was deceased. The man’s name has not been released.

The City of Durand has passed a room tax ordinance. The room tax will be set at 8% for all short term room rentals including the hotel and any AirBNB rentals. 70% of the room tax must be used to promote tourism, and a tourism commission made up of representatives from the city and the hospitality industry will be formed to determine how the money will be used to promote tourism in Durand. The room tax will go into effect on April 1^st.

A new texting scam to be on the lookout for. WRDN Radio received a text message yesterday claiming we had an unpaid toll from January that had to be paid by February 27th with a link included to pay the toll. Since there are no toll roads in Wisconsin and no one from the station has traveled to a state with toll roads, this is nothing more than a scam. If you receive a text like this do not click the link, delete the message and block the phone number.

A Goodhue County teen is dead after a single vehicle accident on Tuesday morning. According to the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Department, a vehicle driven by a male teenager was traveling westbound on County Road 9 when he lost control, and the vehicle left the roadway and rolled into a farm field. The teen was transported to the hospital but later died from his injuries.

A Wisconsin city treasurer is arrested and accused of stealing almost 300-thousand dollars from a Monroe County town. Investigators say Kelly Schleusener, the Town of Adrian treasurer, has allegedly been stealing money from the township's account since 2022. She was arrested yesterday and is in the Monroe County Jail. An investigation is ongoing, and she'll have a bond hearing tomorrow afternoon.

Minnesota's Mayo Clinic is rated the number one hospital by Newsweek in its annual ratings. C-E-O and President of the hospital, Gianrico Farrugia said in a statement "this is just another tribute to the dedicated staff who consistently deliver unparalleled, compassionate care to our patients." According to its methodology, the list, which includes hospitals from 30 nations, ranked hospitals based on many metrics. The Minnesota hospital ranked first or second among many of those metrics.

Next school year, the elementary public schools in Winona will have a different feel. Goodview Elementary will become a kindergarten center only. The other two schools in the district will be first through fourth graders. Depending on where you live in the area will be based on where you go to school. All students that went to Goodview will move to Jefferson Elementary. Superintendent Brad Berzinski said, "changes to attendance are the main reason behind the new system."

Police in Chippewa Falls are looking into multiple crimes committed in the area. Chief of Police Ryan Douglas said that multiple residents on the east side of town reported their mailboxes were damaged. Rural Street seems to be the center of all the damaged mailboxes. When police were looking into those crimes, they also found out that many cars were broken into and stolen. Douglas said that a man is in custody related to the crimes, however they are still figuring out additional suspects.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is proposing to increase fees for hunting and fishing licenses in his new budget proposal. Most of the licenses would go up by 10 to 20 dollars. This would include small game, deer, fishing and wild turkey licenses. Fees have not increased since 2005.

A Wisconsin health official says Trump administration actions are concerning, as bird flu continues to spread around the country. In a Newsmakers interview with WiscosinEye, State Public Health Veterinarian and Dr. Darlene Konkle said they are  concerned that there has been some communication pauses between CDC and their state and local partners. We are certainly concerned to see that people are being laid off in a time when there is a public health and animal health response needed to this virus. Konkle said public health veterinarians in the states continue to communicate, to maintain a national picture what’s going on with the bird flu.    

After the school shooting in Madison two months ago, it was time for officials to talk about what they are doing to keep students safe in schools. Kenosha Unified School District, along with State Attorney General Josh Kaul and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of School Safety, discussed what options are working best for schools. One of the ways KUSD is making schools safer is the controlled safety entrance where students can only enter and exit the building. This prevented a major shooting when an armed man attempted to enter a Kenosha school through a side door. This was the first of many meetings Kaul said. He hopes to get all schools on board with major safety plans.

A Wisconsin lawmaker is re-introducing legislation that would ban trans women and girls from playing in the sport that matches their gender. The bill from Oconomowoc Republican Representative Barb Dittrich follows the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association's announcement last week that it is changing policy on transgender athletes. WIAA will comply with President Donald Trump's executive order barring transgender women and girls from playing women’s and girls sports. Dittrich’s bill would require transgender women and girls in K-12 schools, Universities of Wisconsin schools and technical colleges to play the sport that aligns with their sex assigned at birth. Governor Tony Evers has criticized the legislation as discriminatory and has said he will veto any bill that makes Wisconsin less welcoming for LGBTQ people and kids.

Wisconsin state government is projected to finish the current fiscal year June 30 with a $4.3 billion surplus. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says the last state budget has a lot to do with that. Republican lawmakers have begun work on the upcoming two-year budget, and Vos says he won’t raise taxes for anyone, rejecting the Democratic governor’s proposal to raise the top state tax bracket to 9.8% on income of more than $1 million for married couples and single filers.

A man from Pewaukee who was lost in a tropical rainforest in Puerto Rico has been found safe. Police said 64-year-old Abdur Rahman was hiking with a group in the El Yunque National Forest on Sunday when he became separated and lost in the jungle. An extensive search using dogs and drones located Rahman alive and safe Tuesday. He was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest overseen by the U.S. Forest Service.

A Pardeeville man faces his 14th drunk driving charge. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office says the 69-year-old man was pulled over on Monday in the Town of Lowville for an equipment violation. After a deputy observed that the driver had possibly been impaired and under the influence, he learned that the man had been allegedly consuming alcohol and also didn’t have a valid driver’s license. The man was taken to the Columbia County Jail and faces several charges.

Applications for the 2026 DNR stamp contest are now open. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says local artists can apply for the wild turkey, pheasant, and waterfowl stamp designs. Winning artworks will appear on stamps next year. Hunters are required to buy the stamps in order to harvest each game bird legally. Entries must be sent to the DNR by August first.