A Menomonie elementary school will be closing after the current school year. The school board voted six to three to close Downsville Elementary School due to declining enrollment, district financing, and staffing challenges. No teachers or employees will lose their jobs as they will be placed in other schools.
An Alma man has been charged with burglary, concealing a stolen firearm, theft of movable property and other charges after an incident in Mondovi in March. According to the criminal complaint, Brandon Ottum broke into a residence, and took multiple firearms. A few days later an informant told Winona police about a stash of stolen firearms from Mondovi that were on the east side of Winona and Ottum had confessed to the informant that he had taken the weapons. Ottum was arrested a short time later and returned to Wisconsin to face the charges. He will be in Buffalo County Court on Wednesday.
A Buffalo County Couple has been recognized for saving a man’s life from a fire in March. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, Kevin and Leah Kubis were driving home when they saw a house on fire. The went to the home and realized a person was still inside and forced their way in and found Michael Helgeson who was sleeping an unaware the home was on fire. They got Helgeson out of the home and no one was injured in the fire. Buffalo County Sheriff Mike Osmond said the couples actions were nothing short of heroic.
No one was hurt in a tractor fire in Montana Township on Saturday. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, a 14yr old from a local farm was driving the tractor on Hwy X when he heard a popping sound. He pulled over to discover flames coming out of the front of the cab and tried to extinguish the fire but was unsuccessful. The tractor was a total loss.
The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight. Items of the agenda include discussion of setting up the Fire Truck Committee, a letter of intent from Elite Diesel Repair to purchase a lot in the industrial park and reports from the mayor and department heads. Tonights meeting begins at 5:30 at the Martin Center in Mondovi.
There's another candidate in the race for Wisconsin's Third Congressional District Seat. Democrat Emily Berge filed paperwork to run in the race on Friday. She's the Eau Claire City Council President. Another Democrat, Rebecca Cooke, announced last month that she'll also be running for the seat. It'll be her third attempt. Republican Derrick Van Orden currently represents Wisconsin's Third District.
La Crosse Democrat William Garcia announced that he will run to be the head of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin. Garcia co-chairs the democratic party in La Crosse along with leading the 3rd Congressional District Democrats of Wisconsin. Current leader Ben Wickler announced that he will not be running for re-election and leaving in June. State democrats will vote at their state convention on June 14th and 15th.
All of Western Wisconsin is at high risk of wildfires. The Department of Natural Resources fire map shows West and Central Wisconsin is at high risk. There have been numerous wildfires in Western Wisconsin so far this year. Right now, there are a dozen prescribed fires, which are controlled burns across the state. Some may be pushed back due to the high risk.
There are real concerns about how President Donald Trump’s tariffs will impact Wisconsin manufacturing Republican congressman Scott Fitzgearld says tariffs will make it more difficult for Wisconsin manufacturers to get raw materials like steel and timber. Trump announced last week that broader tariffs against dozens of countries will stay at a ten percent baseline for 90 days to allow time for negotiations.
Proposed legislation would require Wisconsin Medicaid recipients verify eligibility twice a year. The bill’s author, Republican Representative William Penterman of Columbus, claims that will help to “streamline the process” of allocating Medicaid services. During a public hearing last week, Penterman said the measure "makes sure that we're truly helping the most vulnerable individuals and really restore the integrity of the program." But Tamara Jackson, legislative policy representative for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, said state Medicaid staff rigorously monitors recipients’ eligibility, and that the state has "an almost zero error rate in terms of eligibility.” The current federal standard to review Medicaid eligibility is once a year. Penterman’s bill would cut eligibility for six months for those who don’t report a change, such as higher income, that would make them ineligible.
The turkey hunting season will open in tomorrow in Wisconsin. The Department of Natural Resources says spring turkey seasons will open periodically in all seven turkey management zones. Each zone will have a week-long hunting season, starting this Wednesday, April 16th. The season will wrap up on May 27th. The youth season took place over the weekend. More information about each zone's open season is available on DNR-dot-WISCONSIN-dot-gov.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly calls for an increase in special education reimbursement. Underly, reelected to a second four-year term earlier this month, also asking for expansion of mental health training available to Wisconsin schools as part of Governor Tony Evers' 2025-27 biennial budget. The current special education reimbursement rate is around 30%, and Evers has proposed increasing that to 60%. Underly says an increase would allow schools to invest more in hiring specialized staff, creating more inclusive learning environments, and provide more professional development for staff. Underly is also requesting $760,000 over the biennium to increase and improve support for existing mental health training programs.
Minnesota is joining several other states, including Wisconsin, in suing the Trump administration over canceled student visas. The White House has now canceled the visas of close to 530 students, faculty, and researchers from 88 colleges and universities. A University of Minnesota student detained by ICE is expected back in court tomorrow. A judge has yet to rule whether Dogukan Gunaydin can post bond. He is also suing President Trump and other officials, arguing his continued detainment is unlawful.
The Wisconsin Natural Resource Foundation's Great Wisconsin Bird-a-thon gets underway starting Tuesday. Donor Relations Coordinator Naomi Hadley says it's the state's largest fundraiser for bird conservation. Hadley says teams will log how many bird species they see and then they can collect donations and pledges from their community, either per bird species or in one lump sum. The foundation's goals this year is to raise $125,000. More information can be found on the Natural Resources Foundation website at https://www.wisconservation.org/.
No comments:
Post a Comment