A home improvement program is ending. During this week's Durand City Council meeting the council was informed that the Housing Revolving Loan Fund is ending. The fund would give qualified homeowners an interest-free loan for home improvements. The loan would be paid back when the home was sold. The statewide program was administered by local governments, but the state of Wisconsin has decided to end the program and administer a new program instead. The city of Durand had approximately $193,000 available which will now be returned to the state.
The Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call of a man with a gun in the Town of Pigeon. According to the department a female caller advised dispatch that her boyfriend had pepper sprayed her and that she had heard a gunshot outside of the home. Deputies arrived on the scene and were able to get two females out of the home and the home was cleared. After a search, Shawn M. Fort was arrested on a warrant out of Minnesota. No gun was found on the suspect.
Due to the dry and windy conditions, the Trempealeau County Fire District has issued a burning ban effective immediately. All currently issued buring permits have been canceled. Conditions should improve later tonight and into tomorrow as showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative has bought the vacant St. Joseph's Hospital building in Chippewa Falls. Hospital Sisters Health System considered selling the empty hospital, after closing it almost a year ago. The health cooperative says it'll use the hospital while working on a new facility in Lake Hallie. They say the new hospital will be open in the fall of 2027.
According to a release from the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Eau Claire yesterday, a money and staffing shortage may slash a homeless shelter in half. They are also considering taking operations from year-round to only six months. This change may leave people with nowhere to go during the hottest time of the year. Local leaders are talking with the diocese to see what they can do to help and keep it open year-round. Catholic Charities says more information will come out soon on how residents can help.
- Police say they've arrested three teenagers in connection with a shooting in north La Crosse this past Sunday. One person suffered an injury but is expected to recover. Two teens -- a 13 and a 16-year-old -- are in custody and a third -- identified as 19-year-old Jaysen Moran -- is also under arrest. They're charged with first degree attempted homicide
Last summer the Town of Washington collected over 600 signatures to incorporate into a village. The town chose to voluntarily dismiss its petition from Eau Claire County court. Town Chair Bob Solberg explained that this decision was made based on the advice of their legal counsel, who recommended making technical adjustments to improve the petition before re-filing it. Now they just need 50 town residents to sign the new petition, which they hope to get by early next week. The Town would then have to go through court proceedings to get it approved to become a village. Town of Washington residents can stop by the Town Hall from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday to review the new petition.
The Eau Claire City Council made a decision on the future of the city's fireworks show. Council members voted to accept a donation from Festival Foods to fund the next three years of fireworks displays. This resolution had been postponed in a previous meeting after not receiving enough votes due to a few members being away during the vote. Some council members initially voted against it, citing concerns about having everyone in attendance and raising issues related to environmental impact, pets, and trauma from loud noises.
Wisconsin labor officials are reporting a record number of nonfarm jobs across the state. The Department of Workforce Development recorded over three-million jobs outside of agriculture in January of this year based on numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wisconsin unemployment did go up slightly to three-point-two percent for the first month of the year, still better than the national average of four-percent. The state's labor force participation rate held steady at nearly 66 percent.
The Department of Natural Resources is urging you to check fire conditions before you burn According to the DNR nearly 170 wildfires have burned over 450 acres already this year, which is four times higher than usual this time of year. Dry weather and gusty winds are expected over the next couple of days and the DNR says that leads to the potential for increased wildfire activity. Areas become more vulnerable after the snow-cover melts and prior to vegetation greening up. The DNR says sparks from recreational equipment, campfires, and hot ashes from fireplaces are also contributing to fires. More information can be found on the DNR's website.
Record-breaking spending for ads in the state Supreme Court race. According to numbers tallied by WisPolitics, nearly $59 million has been spent for advertising in the race between Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel and Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. That tops the roughly $56 million spent during the 2023 Supreme Court campaign. Much of the spending comes from outside groups, including Elon Musk’s America PAC for Schimel and Democratic megadonor George Soros for Crawford. WisPolitics tracked more than $33.3 million in support of Schimel and $25.5 million on behalf of Crawford. Spending will continue to climb with three weeks to go until the election.
Sun Country Airlines flight attendants are getting a new contract after five years of negotiations. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union members ratified the five-year deal with the Minneapolis-based budget carrier. The flight attendant contract includes an immediate 21-percent pay increase and a higher company match for retirement plans.
Wisconsin
Attorney General Josh Kaul is joining a multistate lawsuit to prevent
the US Education Department from being shut down. Democrat Kaul,
along with 20 other attorneys general, are asking a federal judge to
prevent President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk from shuttering the
agency. Trump announced Tuesday that he would be firing 50 percent of
the Department, accusing its workers of not coming to the job. AG
Kaul says the lives and education of students should be preserved
over tax breaks for billionaires. The AGs argue that Trump's order
overrides Congress' control on the Education department's budget.
As the NFL Draft in Green Bay draws closer, scammers are looking to cash in on fan excitement. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is warning people to look out for lodging scams, fake ticket scams, and imposter websites. Avoid making payments with nontraditional, nontraceable, and nonreversible payment methods, such as cryptocurrency, pre-paid gift cards, wire transfer, cash, or banking apps. Also only make purchases from trusted, reliable sources. You can find more information and ways to stay safe from scams on the DATCP's website. The NFL Draft is April 24-26 at Lambeau Field.
Madison and Milwaukee are among the top ten US cities with the lowest credit card debt. A new report by WalletHub compares almost 200 cities based on TransUnion finance data. Madison ranks third with an average household debt of about 96-hundred. Milwaukee is ninth with an average of just more than 10-thousand. Lewiston, Maine, and Toledo, Ohio, have the least debt, while Santa Clarita and Chula Vista, two California cities, have the most.
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