Another drug bust in Western Wisconsin. A Wednesday traffic stop resulted in a drug bust for law enforcement in Buffalo County. In the Town of Buffalo, an officer pulled over a vehicle for speeding and an equipment violation on Highway 35-54. During the stop, a sheriff's department K9 detected narcotics, and the officer went on to find suspected fentanyl and Xanax. Geremy Phillips of Winona was arrested on charges including suspicion of possession with intent to deliver.
The City of Durand received a report from Dahlby Conservation Services on a possible forest management plan for the city. The report showed the city has a variety of trees including elm, oak, and maple that could be harvested. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the company will develop a plan to harvest some of the trees and sell the lumber. It is hoped to have that harvest of trees done next year.
A local real estate developer has offered to build a replacement for Klein Hall at no cost to the state. The center which helped homeless veterans closed in September after funding to keep the location open was not approved in the current state budget. During an interview with WRDN this summer, Joey Hoey from the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs said the original $1.9 million dollars to keep Klien hall open was needed to start that project. Jerry Green, the developer who has offered to build the new facility is hopeful that a bill currently in the legislature that would restore the $1.9 million will pass and the project could move forward and possibly open next year.
Congressman Derrick Van Orden says his office remains available to constituents despite the ongoing shutdown of the federal government. The Republican lawmaker has offices in Eau Claire and La Crosse and says that both are open with folks available to speak with residents. Van Orden says that as it relates to the shutdown and Democrats' voiced concerns about the expiration of Obamacare subsidies, that the Dems voted to have these Obamacare subsidies sunset -- saying they did this to themselves.
Eau Claire is now the location of the world headquarters of a nonprofit whose work includes research into congenital heart disease. HeartWorks opened their new HQ Thursday on Sky Park Boulevard. HeartWorks has been in operation since its founding five years ago in Minnesota.
The family of a Dakota County Jail inmate is suing after his death. Kingsley Fifi Bimpong died of a stroke while being booked by police on suspicion of DUI. Officers and staff took over five hours to respond to his seizure-like symptoms and he was transfered to United Hospital were he later died. The wrongful-death suit lists the defendants as three Eagan police officers, eight correctional officers and Dakota County. The family is seeking 120-million dollars in compensatory and punitive damages.
At the Capitol, Democratic lawmakers introduce legislation they say will improve college access and affordability. Appleton state Senator Kristin Dassler-Alfheim says one bill would cover the remaining cost of tuition once federal aid and scholarships have been applied for students coming from households that make $71,000 or less. Another would invest $40 million in the Universities of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Technical College Systems to increase student retention through different programs. Neither bill is likely to advance in the Republican controlled Legislature.
Poultry
shows and exhibitions across Wisconsin are suspended due to bird flu
concerns. The Wisconsin Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer
Protection has suspended events in Jefferson, Waukesha, Walworth and
Rock Counties through the end of the year. Those include poultry
shows, exhibitions, swap meets and the movement of poultry to other
events. DATCP encourages poultry owners and people working with
poultry to continue practicing strict biosecurity to protect their
flocks. More info on the bird flu in Wisconsin can be found on
DATCP's website.
The Department of Public Instruction secured temporary funding after federal support was cut. This funding will ensure essential services for deafblind children and young adults statewide. The U.S. Department of Education ended the state's Deafblind Technical Assistance Project grant mid-cycle, citing policy changes. In response, DPI obtained a subgrant from the National Center for Deafblindness to continue services for one year. The program serves 170 students statewide, providing assistive technology, coaching, family support, and training.
A free car ferry won't be ready when a bridge crossing the Mississippi River south of La Crosse closes. The ferry will allow commuters to cross the river between Wisconsin and Iowa at Lansing, but not until roughly two weeks after the Black Hawk Bridge closes on October 20th. The only option for commuters will be a more than hour drive to bridges in either Prairie du Chien or La Crosse. Ferry landings are still under construction on either side of the river, and the ferry will also shut down in mid-December during the bridge's demolition phase. Once operational, the ferry will run 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, and cross the river every 15 minutes.
A Wisconsin congressman says Democrats will continue to oppose a short term funding bill for the federal government unless Republicans agree to extend health care subsidies. During a Wednesday press conference at the Capitol in Madison, 2nd District Democrat Mark Pocan said Republicans are on a mission to kick people off the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid to pay for Trump Administration tax cuts. He says that will raise the costs for already struggling rural hospitals. Pocan blames White House budget director Russ Vought and presidential adviser Stephen Miller for refusing to extend the subsidies. Thursday was the 9th day of the federal government shutdown.
Prison time for a Madison man accused of smuggling lab equipment to Russia. 68-year-old Andrew Pogosyan will spend a year and a day in federal prison and pay a $10,000 fine. Pogosyan was charged in June with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and smuggling. Prosecutors accuse Pogosyan of using his company to ship lab equipment to Russian companies in violation of Department of Commerce-imposed sanctions on exports to Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Pogosyan was sentenced this week after pleading guilty in July to all charges against him
Democrats propose legislation that would require health insurance plans to cover infertility treatments in Wisconsin. State Senator and candidate for governor Kelda Roys of Madison said Tuesday that IVF is the only way for some people to build a family, but is at risk "because of the very extreme elements that are in charge of the Republican Party that are pushing bans and trying to regulate not just IVF but also forms of contraception as abortion.” Assembly Minority Leader Robin Vos says Republicans weren’t aware the proposal was coming "but of course I support IVF, whether they're doing it for political reasons, like they do almost everything else." The bill’s provisions include coverage of diagnosis and treatment for infertility and fertility preservation services like egg retrievals and embryo transfers.
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