Good news for farmers and manufacturers as the first barges are moving through the Upper Mississippi River. US Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Patrick Moes says ice on the upper rivers and Lake Pepin in Minnesota cooperated this year. Moes says any time you can transport goods by water, it's cheaper and more efficient.
The fate of an elementary school in the School District of the Menomonie Area is up in the air. The district is considering whether to close Downsville Elementary School due to a decrease in enrollment over the last ten years. The school board will vote on the matter at a meeting on April 15th.
The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on the Clearstart Water Amended Contract for Services at the new Wastewater Treatment Plant, reports from the mayor and department heads, and the council will go into closed session to meet with legal council on possible litigation the city may become involved in. Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.
Pepin County has a new Finance Director. The County Administrative Committee decided to hire Karen Amsrud as the new Finance/Administrative Coordinator. The committee had decided to hire Amsrud as the group of candidates that were found by Public Administrators Associates didn’t meet the committee’s needs. Amsrud takes over for Pamela Hansen who resigned from the position last year.
SwiftCurrent, the internet subsidiary of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services announced a milestone last week. The company announced the completion of its 4,000th fiber broadband connection. The expansion of fiber internet services in the Pierce Pepin Cooperative Service are4a was made possible in party from funding from the Wisconsin Broadband Capital Projects Fund to help expand broadband internet into rural areas.
Nelson Telephone Cooperative is holding their annual meeting tonight. Agenda items include reports from the board of directors, voting for board members and vote on proposed bylaw amendments. Tonights meeting begins at 7pm at the Durand-Arkansaw High School Gym. The meeting will also be live-streamed on the WRDN Website.
The annual winter moratorium on utility disconnections is almost over. The moratorium ends April15th, and the Wisconsin Public Service Commission urges electric and natural gas customers with outstanding bills to make payment arrangements or apply for financial assistance now. The annual moratorium prohibits utilities from disconnecting residential heating services due to nonpayment, but customers who are behind may be at risk of disconnection if arrangements aren't made by that April 15th deadline. Contact your utility to set up a payment plan or see if you're eligible for the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program.
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is naming Kara Metzger the new director of athletic bands at the university. Metzger is an alumna and former member of the Blugold Marching Band. She most recently served as director of bands at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. Metzger is replacing Randy Dickerson, who will step down July 1st.
Minnesota officials say that bird flu has been detected in a Stearns County dairy herd. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health quarantined the herd until they meet testing requirements showing it's no longer infected. The MDA also said there is no concern regarding the safety of the milk supply, as all milk sold in stores is pasteurized to kill bacteria and viruses. This is the first bird flu detection in a dairy herd since last summer, and the first since the state began it's milk surveillance program.
Despite reports that younger generations are drinking less, an estimated one in six adults are still binge drinkers. That's according to the latest County Health Rankings and Roadmaps report from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. It also shows that in certain states and counties an even larger portion of adults are drinking excessively. Binge drinking is defined by the CDC as four or five drinks in one occasion depending on sex, and heavy drinking as eight or more drinks for women in one week or fifteen for men. Drinking while pregnant or underage is also qualified as excessive drinking.
State lawmakers are considering a measure aimed at increasing the safety of parking garages across Wisconsin. A bipartisan bill that has been introduced in Madison would require the structures to undergo inspections every five years. The push comes after a garage at the Bayshore Mall in Glendale partially collapsed in 2023, stranding several cars. Back in 2010, a section of concrete fell from a parking structure in Milwaukee County, killing a teenager and leaving two other people hurt.
Wisconsin postal workers are speaking out against suggestions from President Trump that the post office should be privatized. Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers held rallies in Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and across the country over the weekend, saying broad changes to the U.S. Postal Service would negatively impact mail delivery that essentially all Americans rely on. Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has reportedly called for ten-thousand job cuts to the postal service and Trump has suggested moving U.S.P.S. under the Department of Commerce, taking away the autonomy of the U.S. Mail.
A landmark at a Wisconsin State Park will soon reopen. The Department of Natural Resources expects the observation tower at Potawatomi State Park to open sometime next month. Originally built in 1931, the tower has been closed since 2017 when an inspection found it was decaying and unsafe. The historic tower has since received renovations and safety upgrades. Governor Tony Evers included an emergency order and $500,000 in funding in his last capital budget. An additional $500,000 was approved to complete the work.
Minnesota DNR officials say black bears in the state are waking up and coming out of their winter dens his time of year. The Department of Natural Resources is warning residents to bring in their bird feeders or risk finding them broken or gone. After hibernating for six months, the bears eat lightly on plants and leftover acorns and fruit before their digestive system gets going. The DNR estimates that 13 thousand to 18 thousand black bears live in the state. They have been expanding south and west and have wandered near St. Cloud, the Twin Cities, and the Rochester area in the past. Sightings in these areas can be reported to the DNR.
Dairy Queen is inviting fans to join them for the company's 85th birthday celebration over the next couple of weeks. They are offering guests a small Blizzard ice cream treat for only 85 cents today through April sixth. In order to get the deal, customers need to redeem the offer in the DQ app and make a purchase of a dollar or more. Dairy Queen is also bringing back their Confetti Cake Blizzard and introducing some other new Blizzard flavors as part of the promotion.
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