Local-Regional News Nov 11

 

The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on a building site agreement with Ancom Communications, approval of the 2026 non-union wage increases and reports from the mayor and department heads. Tonights meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is receiving a financial lift. The nonprofit is receiving a 250-thousand-dollar grant from the Eau Claire Community Foundation. Those funds are intended to help cover the cost of the cooperative's interim healthcare facility at the former St. Joseph's Hospital.

Eau Claire County will be testing outdoor sirens in Eau Claire and Altoona tomorrow. The sirens are part of the community's outdoor system to alert folks of severe weather and other possible emergencies. The sirens will be tested on Wednesday at around 1 p.m. but may be tested once more before 4 p.m.

The city of Elgin is issuing a drinking water warning due to reported high levels of nitrates. Water samples collected on November 3rd showed nitrate levels of 12 mg/L, which exceeds the nitrate standard of 10 mg/L,. The city is warning residents not to give the water to infants under six months old or use water to make infant formula. The city also says boiling, freezing, filtering, or letting water stand does not reduce the nitrate level either. The City says  its exploring methods to reduce the levels of nitrate, which could include alternate water sources or water treatment.

The Department of Natural Resources is asking Wisconsin deer hunters to step up and test their harvests for chronic wasting disease. Deer specialist Erin Larson says they're especially looking for deer in areas where C W D was recently detected. Those zones are in central and northern Wisconsin and Larson says the agency is trying to track any potential spread of the fatal deer illness. If your deer does test positive for C W D, the DNR will issue you a fresh deer permit that can be used in any season this year. You can find out more online at D N R dot W I dot Gov.

It was a split vote from Wisconsin's US Senators on passing a bill to fund and reopen the government. Democrat Tammy Baldwin was a no and Republican Ron Johnson a yes as seven Democrats broke ranks on a budget deal. The bill would fund the government through the end of January and extend the current Farm Bill by another year. The bill does not include extensions of Affordable Care Act tax cuts and subsidies. The bill was passed by the Senate will have to go back to the House for a vote, where Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will not reconvene until the Senate passes the House version of the budget that the Senate has been deadlocked on for over two months.

Another shift in the continuing fight over federal food assistance funding. A federal court on Monday blocked an effort by President Donald Trump to prevent states like Wisconsin from using their own funding to fully pay for SNAP. The Trump Administration said there was only enough money to pay half of the month's food benefits after a pair of courts ordered payment of benefits. Governor Tony Evers and a number of other states fully paid their benefits in between rulings. Now the US Treasury is declining to reimburse retailers for sales made through SNAP programs. It's unclear where any of these rulings will land, or if they will start making their way to the US Supreme Court as challenges continue.

Authorities in Vernon County are continuing to investigate a recent accident at State Highway 82 and County Road P. Sixty-three-year-old Stephen Hynek was driving a Ford truck filled with shelled corn on Friday when he said his brakes malfunctioned. Hynek was injured when his truck went off the roadway and hit an embankment before coming to a final stop across both lanes of 82.

Democratic state lawmakers want to cap utility rates in Wisconsin. They’ll unveil legislation at the Capitol Tuesday. Milwaukee Representative Darrin Madison is lead author on the bill which would cap the percentage of income Wisconsin households pay for heat and electricity. According to Census Bureau data, 24% of Americans couldn't pay their utility bills last year. Democrats say that crisis will be made even worse by the Trump administration's dismantling of the Income Home Energy Assistance program, which helps fund Wisconsin's home energy assistance program.

Waterfowl hunters need to double check their targets this season. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reminding hunters that all wild swans are protected in Wisconsin. Other large white birds like American white pelicans and whooping cranes are also illegal to hunt. Trumpeter swans are between 4.5 to 5 feet long and have a wingspan over 7 feet, tundra swans are a little smaller but are best distinguished by their high pitch call. Both are white with black bills. The population of the once-endangered trumpeter swan now exceeds 15,000 since their successful reintroduction by the DNR.

A farm in Door County is seeking a special permit from the Wisconsin DNR to expand its operation by nearly 1000 cows. There were mostly comments against expansion of Gilbert Farms in Sevastopol at a Wednesday public hearing. Many in the community worry air and water quality will be impacted by increased waste and manure runoff. The Wisconsin DNR will make a decision on the permit once the public notice period has closed and they have reviewed all feedback.

As deer season begins, cases of chronic wasting disease continue to climb in Minnesota. Last year, there were nearly 100 cases, the highest on record, but so far this year there only six confirmed cases but more are expected. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal degenerative disease that affects deer and other hoofed mammals like elk, causing lethargy and weight loss. Data shows CWD has mostly been found in Minnesota's southeastern counties, although it has jumped to northern counties in small numbers. Meanwhile, Wisconsin cases in Iowa County have tallied over 45-hundred since 2002.

Minnesota's largest financial aid program is at risk of cutting funds to thousands of low- and middle -income college students. The Minnesota State Grant program faces a 102-million-dollar deficit. The program has been in the red for the last three years. Office of Higher Education official Nicole Whelan says the deficit was after four thousand more students enrolled in Minnesota colleges and universities this school year, and 22 hundred more qualified for the State Grant.

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue announced that its free, secure, electronic filing option WisTax, will be available for filing 2025 income taxes. The service will begin in February with expanded feature for those who claim the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Credit or need to amend their return. The announcement follows the IRS announcing of it discontinuing its free, secure income tax filing system, Direct File. The shutdown of the IRS tax filing system is effective as of this month and no future launch date has been set. Taxpayers can learn more about WisTax on DOR's website or by contacting DOR Customer Service for assistance.