Local-Regional News June 26

 

Severe weather moved through portions of Southeast Minnesota yesterday. Tornadoes were reported in Goodhue, Olmstead, Fillmore, and Houston Counties. No injuries were reported as the storms moved east into Western Wisconsin, and they decreased in intensity. More storms are expected today, some with heavy rain.

The City of Mondovi continues to work on reducing the phosphate levels from the new wastewater treatment plant. Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says the city is making some new adjustments to the wastewater treatment to reduce the levels. He says even with the higher phosphate levels, the plant is working well.  The city will monitor the new adjustments at the plant over the next few months to determine if the phosphate levels are declining.

The City of Durand is reminding residents of a public meeting on Monday to discuss the water utility rate increase. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission will be holding the meeting at 11am at Durand City Hall. The meeting will also be available via zoom and by phone. The Public Service Commission has determined the city could raise water utility rates by approximately 56%. If approved, the rate increase would go into effect later this year.

The Friends of the Durand Public Library is seeking crafters, artists, and others for their creative contest. The contest will take place throughout the entire month of July and will have two age groups: middle/high school and adult. Entries will be viewed and judged over July, and entries can be entered into a silent auction. Funds raised from the contest will go towards the digitization of the newspaper project. Entries are due by next Tuesday. Contact the Durand Public Library for more information.

Two Eau Claire men are facing charges for child sexual assault and are being held on bond. Prosecutors say 54-year-old James Barbey and 82-year-old Robert Karstensen are both accused of committing sex crimes against multiple victims for several years. The two men, who were neighbors, are both facing multiple charges including first-degree sexual assault of children under 13-years-old. Yesterday a judge determined Karstensen will be held on one-million dollars bond, and Barbey will be held on a 250-thousand-dollar bond. They'll be back in court July 8th. Anyone with information is asked to call the Eau Claire Police Department's non-emergency line.

Authorities in Western Wisconsin are putting out the warning against illegal fireworks as we approach the Fourth of July holiday. They say fireworks have caused problems for people with PTSD, dementia, and autism. No one is allowed to use fireworks in Wisconsin that explode or leave the ground without a permit. The department responded to about 200 calls for fireworks during the Independence Day holiday in 2024.

Governor Tony Evers took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Dr. Moon Memorial Library expansion project in Stanley. He announced a grant last October of over four-point-one-million-dollars for the library to expand. He says ADA accessibility will be expanded, dedicated spaces for kids and teens will be added, and the library will "serve more folks and families while preserving its beloved historic charm."

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is rejecting a bid to reconsider congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In Wednesday's ruling, the liberal-controlled court blocked an attempt to redraw the battleground state's congressional districts. This is the second time in two years a Democrat-led movement to change the maps has been rejected by the court. Republicans currently hold six of Wisconsin's eight House seats.

Legislation would allow Wisconsin schools to use virtual reality to teach math. Weston Republican Representative Pat Snyder says a pilot program would be launched where an urban, suburban-urban, and a rural school would all be selected by the Department of Public Instruction to use the VR goggles. Snyder says teachers would still be an important part of student learning and would be taught how to be interactive with students while they use the goggles. Snyder says the bill has a lot of interest on both sides of the aisle. The legislation is currently working its way through the committee.

The debate over the Wisconsin state budget continues. If legislators don't come to an agreement in time, the state will continue operating under the previous budget. Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly have been in budget negotiations with Democratic Governor Tony Evers, who will ultimately approve the budget once it passes through the legislature. A Joint Finance Committee executive session was canceled last Thursday, minutes before it was set to start. The deadline is next Monday.

A man is dead after a silo collapsed in Manitowoc County. Authorities say silos on a farm in the town of Meeme were being dismantled Tuesday morning as part of a scheduled project. One of the silos collapsed in the wrong direction and hit a nearby building on the farm. A farm employee who was inside the building became trapped underneath the debris before being pronounced dead at the scene.

A Green Lake County man admits to lying in an attempt to get into Wisconsin's deer hunting record books. 62-year-old Richard Waters of Markesan registered a 49-point antler rack with the state in 2024, saying he shot and killed it during the muzzleloader season. That would have easily broken the state record, but there were immediate questions about the legitimacy of Waters' claim. D N R wardens investigated, and found that the antlers instead came from a buck that died on a game farm several years ago. Waters admitted to buying the rack and trying to pass it off as legitimate. He had to turn over the rack and pay a fine, and his hunting privileges have been revoked for a year.

A unanimous state Supreme Court rejection of a controversial Tony Evers veto. The court’s liberals and conservatives found the legislature’s Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee acted appropriately last year in refusing to release nearly $50 million from the Department of Public Instruction, part of an overall package designed to improve reading by Wisconsin K-12 students. The court found Democratic Governor Tony Evers exceeded his authority by partially vetoing the bill even though it didn’t include an appropriation, that is, a source of funding. The committee declined to release the money, arguing Evers’ partial veto was improper. Governors can only veto legislation which includes an appropriation. In a statement, Evers urged lawmakers to now release the funding.

The Rochester International Airport is preparing for phase 5 of a seven-year reconstruction project. Executive Director of RST John Reed says the total cost of the construction is over 80 million dollars. He adds that the work will focus on replacing surfacing on Runway 3 and Taxiway B. Groundbreaking is set for late fall or the spring of 2025.

Wisconsin is one of the most independent states in the country. A new report from WalletHub compares all 50 states based on residents' credit scores, median household incomes, and unemployment rates. Wisconsin ranks ninth for being the most independent, with Utah and Colorado at the top of the list. Louisiana and Kentucky rank least independent.