The Pepin County Board passed the 2026 budget last night. The budget has a total tax levy of $5.7 million, an increase of $12,532. The mill rate for the new budget is $5.06 per $1000 of equalized value. Total Equalized value in Pepin County was just over $1.1 billion, an increase of $107 million.
The Dunn County Board approved the 2026 budget last night. The budget has a total tax levy of just over $25 million. The $111 million budget includes $11 million for Facilities Operations, $9 million for the sheriff’s department, just over $7 million for administration and $5 million in debt service.
Buffalo County has a new budget. The county board approved the 2026 budget last night with a tax levy of just over $6.5 million. The $7.9 million budget includes debt service of just over $1.2 million, along with $140,000 for the county library and $14,000 for aid for county bridges.
The Pierce County Budget has been approved. The new budget will have an operating tax levy of $17.5 million with a mill rate of $3.66 per $1000 of equalized value. Pierce County saw the equalized value jump by 6.7% in 2025 for a total of just over $6 billion.
Another candidate for the 3rd Congressional seat in Wisconsin. Rodney Rave from Black River Falls announced his campaign yesterday in Black River Falls. According to a press release, Rave will run as a Democrat and will be focusing on affordability with accountability, and fair treatment for rural communities. Rave is the latest in a crowed democrat field to enter the race to face incumbent Derrik Van Orden for the 3rd Congressional seat.
Residents in parts of Mondovi may be without water today. The city reported a water main break yesterday in the Milomere Drive, Jefferson and Oak Street vicinity. City Crews are expected to repair the water main today, and during the repairs water will be turned off. The main should be back in service by the end of the day today.
The 22nd annual Women's Business Conference drew hundreds to Eau Claire's Pablo Center yesterday. The conference provided more than 450 women with educational resources for entrepreneurs and business owners. Western Dairyland sponsored the conference and also offers year-round training and resources for business executives.
After two years under construction, the school district of Cadott has opened the doors on a new 29-thousand square foot technical education center. A ribbon-cutting formally opened the center yesterday. The school's construction was part of a ten-million dollar referendum last year. All other projects funded through the Cadott referendum have been completed.
University of Minnesota is looking to expand its Rochester campus. This comes as the Rochester campus saw an 80-percent enrollment spike in what is the campus' largest freshman class ever. It surpassed one-thousand students in 2024, and this surge has leaders both celebrating and scrambling. On Tuesday, Chancellor Lori Carrell, shared plans to accommodate up to 25-hundred students by building more academic space downtown. The university owns approximately five acres of land near Soldiers Memorial Field Park and hopes to turn it into a, "student residence and recreational district."
Governor Evers is calling on the federal Education Department under the Trump administration to release overdue funds for rural and Tribal-operated schools. Evers says the delay is harming around 20 school districts and more than 21-thousand students who rely on the funds for basic operations. The money was supposed to arrive last month but remains unpaid. Evers claims the department has provided no guidance on when it will be released. He is demanding immediate action from the DOE to ensure funds reach the districts immediately.
Trial dates are set for the man accused of stalking Chief Justice Jill Karofsky. Officials accuse 37-year-old Ryan Thornton of sending threatening emails and making multiple calls to Karofsky and the Office of Lawyer Regulation between August and October. This comes from Thornton's belief that the court improperly handled his grievance against a former attorney. Thornton was arrested last month and is charged with one felony count of stalking. His trial is scheduled to start at the end of January 2026.
Safety advocates and families of drunk driving victims are urging state lawmakers to strengthen ignition interlock laws. This follows a Senate Bill under consideration that aims to prevent repeat operating-while-intoxicated offenses. Between 2006 and 2023, ignition interlock devices prevented around three million drunk driving incidents in the state. More than 18-thousand OWI convictions were made in 2024, while nearly half of traffic fatalities involved alcohol or drugs.
Report cards for public school districts statewide are showing almost all of them meet expectations. The state's Department of Public Instruction notes that 94-percent of districts earned a rating of "Meets Expectations" or above. Evaluations are based on achievement, growth, target-group outcomes, and on-track graduation rates. DPI officials note that the ratings cannot be directly compared with previous years due to updated benchmarks.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is issuing an executive order to create a statewide Veteran Food Pantry Network for veterans and service members. The governor's office took action after mentioning that records from the government's Department of Veterans Affairs shows that 13 percent of vets on health care with the VA have food insecurity. Thousands of Minnesota vets also depend on SNAP, which has been challenged by the federal government shutdown. Veterans Affairs officials are expected to partner with nonprofits, government agencies and other entities in order to support the network. Minnesota is home to more than 280 thousand veterans.
A surprise over the weekend for a group of Wisconsin veterans. A post shared on the Badger Honor Flight Facebook page captures former President Barack Obama greeting the group of Korean and Vietnam War veterans and their families moments after their flight from Madison arrived at Washington National Airport. Obama thanked the veterans for their sacrifices as something that will always be honored, and noted the mild 70° day in DC. Veterans and their families thanked the former president, who also shook hands as the veterans exited the plane and presented each with a Presidential Challenge Coin to express his personal gratitude for their sacrifices.
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