Wabasha City Council will hold a public hearing on its 2026 budget and tax levy on Tuesday, at 6PM at City Hall. The detailed budget, summary, and powerpoint presentation that will be presented to Council and the public. After the presentation, there will be a chance for the public to ask questions about the budget and for Council to have a discussion and approve the final budget and final tax levy.
The Wabasha County Board is meeting tomorrow. Items on the agenda include appointment and approval of members to Planning Commission, approval of the salaries for the County Attorney and County Sheriff, and reports from committee and department heads. Tomorrows meeting begins at 4pm at the old courthouse annex in Wabasha.
The last tow of the 2025 Upper Mississippi River navigation season departed from St. Paul, Minnesota, on Tuesday, November 25, 2025. The Motor Vessel Sierra Dawn departed late in the afternoon with 12 barges. Traditionally, the last tow to depart St. Paul and head south of Lock and Dam 2 marks the unofficial end of the navigation season. The St. Paul District’s acting locks and dams chief said it’s a “bittersweet milestone” when the last tow of the season departs. “It’s the end of the season, but the work isn’t done,” said Mitch Serjogins. “Maintenance becomes our priority over the winter to ensure we continue providing a reliable navigation channel for the movement of commodities up and down the Mississippi River.” The St. Paul District staff are working on maintenance projects scheduled at Lock and Dam 7, near La Crescent, Minnesota, and Lock and Dam 9, near Lynxville, Wisconsin.
Cranberry production is forecast right at the five-year average. From coast to coast, cranberries are harvested ahead of the holiday season and are widely available from October to December. The remainder of the crop is processed into products sold year-round. Production of the fruit is measured by the barrel, with one barrel equivalent to 100 pounds. In 2025, the U.S. cranberry crop is forecast at 8.13 million barrels, a decrease of nine percent from last year but close to the five-year average of 7.95 million barrels. Wisconsin, the top-producing state in the U.S., typically harvests around 60 percent of the total crop. For 2025, Wisconsin’s production is forecast at 5.3 million barrels, a decrease of three percent from 2024 but four percent above the average of the previous three years due to dry growing conditions. Massachusetts, the second-largest producer, saw production drop 22 percent.
The Fair Maps Wisconsin Coalition will be holding an informational meeting on the proposal to create an Independent Redistricting Commission in Wisconsin in Nelson on December 6th. The group is spearheading a plan to establish the commission with the goal of ending gerrymandering in Wisconsin when new voting district maps are redrawn every 10 yrs. The meeting will be held at the Nelson Community Hall starting at 12:30pm on December 6th.
A St. Paul woman was arrested Thursday evening for an OWI with three children under 16 in the vehicle. According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, troopers pulled over 33yr old Samantha Hakala on Hwy 53 for failure to stop at a stop sign. During the stop, troopers noticed possible impairment and conducted field sobriety tests. Hakala was arrested for operating a motor vehicle under the influence, 1st offense, with three children in the vehicle under 16.
A motion hearing has been rescheduled for former Minnesota State Patrol trooper 33yr old Shane Roper, accused of a May 2024 fatal crash that killed 18-year-old Owatonna native Olivia Flores. Roper,is charged with one count of second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide related to Flores’s death, along with five charges of criminal vehicular operation, one charge of reckless driving and one charge of careless driving related to the other victims. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The new hearing set for February 5.
Morgan Geyser is in the Waukesha County Jail. The assailant in the 2014 Slender Man stabbing was returned to Wisconsin from Cook County Illinois Wednesday. Geyser was arrested south of Chicago last weekend after allegedly cutting off her electronic monitoring bracelet and leaving the Madison group home where she was living. A December 22nd hearing is scheduled in Waukesha County Court as the Wisconsin Department of Corrections seeks to revoke Geyser’s conditional release. She’s also expected to face charges in Dane County related to the escape. Geyser, who was 12 years old at the time of the stabbing, was moved to the group home in September after being sentenced to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in 2018.
Foxconn promises new jobs and investments in Racine County. The Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation has approved a contract amendment providing up to $16 million in additional performance-based tax incentives to Foxconn in support of the company’s investment of an additional $569 million to expand operations in Mount Pleasant and create 1,374 new jobs over the next four years. Foxconn is eligible to earn up to a total of $96 million in tax credits through December 31, 2029. According to WEDC, the amended contract will have Foxconn create a total of 2,616 jobs and make $1.2 billion in capital investments during that period. In a statement, Mount Pleasant Village President Dave DeGroot said the village couldn’t comment on the specifics of Foxconn’s plans, but looks forward to working with the company.
Madison Starbucks baristas have joined a national strike against the company's unfair labor practices. The strike began November 13th on Red Cup day and expanded to November 20th to protest what workers call union busting and the company's failure to finalize a union contract. Union stores in 22 cities joined the strike Friday, including locations in Wisconsin, Virginia, Utah, Pennsylvania, Oregon, North Carolina, New York, Missouri. Michigan, Massachusetts, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia and California. Workers United, the union representing the baristas said over 125-thousand people have signed a pledge to not buy Starbucks while baristas are on strike. Workers United said the National Labor Relations Board and its Administrative Law Judges have found Starbucks has committed over 400 labor law violations.
Trial is scheduled to begin next month for the judge accused of helping an undocumented man evade federal agents inside the Milwaukee County Courthouse. During a hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman told prosecutors and attorneys representing Judge Hannah Dugan to assume the trial will begin as planned on December 11 with jury selection. Prosecutors plan to call witnesses including federal agents and others who were inside the courthouse and courtroom when Dugan allegedly helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz avoid being taken into custody in April of this year. Agents arrested Flores-Ruiz outside the courthouse after a brief foot chase and the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Judge Dugan not long after. The case has drawn national attention amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
As we enter the holiday shopping season, you should be careful with what you buy online even on major shopping sites. Wisconsin Consumer Protection director Michelle Reinen says criminals are able to put phony and fake products on websites like Walmart and Amazon. Always check the reviews to make sure actual people are responding and it isn't simply a bunch of automated 5 star reviews. One tactic scammers use is to place ads in search engines, hoping to catch people with too good to be good deals on major sites. Often those products are simply pulled from the store once people buy them, leaving you on the hook to get a refund if you can.
A milk recall affects several stores in Wisconsin. Prairie Farms announced the recall Wednesday of select Prairie Farms Gallon Fat Free Milk produced at its Dubuque, Iowa facility and distributed to Woodman’s stores in Wisconsin and Illinois. A news release says some of the products may contain food-grade cleaning agents which could cause illness if consumed. The affected milk has a code date of DEC08, a plant code of PLT19-145, and was produced between the times of 17:51 and 21:23. Those who purchased the product with that coding should safely dispose of it or return it to the store for a refund.
Time is running out for hunters to apply for the 2026 black bear and turkey spring hunting seasons. Hunters might be in the middle of the deer firearm season, but the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reminding you to apply for the upcoming spring black bear and turkey hunting seasons. The drawing for black bear authorizations will be done in February and for turkeys it will be done in December. Applicants will be notified via email if they've been selected, or they can check their Go Wild account. The deadline to apply for either is midnight on December 10th. More info can be found on the DNR's website.
No comments:
Post a Comment