Expect slow going on the roads throughout the day as the clean up continues from this weekends Winter Storm. Yesterday there were reports of trees and power lines down in parts of Dunn County due to the heavy wet snow and windy conditions. The Wisconsin State Patrol said there were over 70 accidents in Northwestern and Western Wisconsin yesterday afternoon due to the weather. Some areas here in the WRDN Listening area had up to 10 inches of snow due to the storm. Colder and quiet weather is expected for the rest of the week.
The Durand City Council is meeting today. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on writing off CDBG loans #24 and #48 on a foreclosed property in the amount of $15,136, confirmation of the sale of the Durand Fire Hall to the new Durand Fire District, and reports from the Mayor and Department heads. Today’s meeting begins at 4pm at Durand City Hall.
A number of Western Wisconsin organizations are on the receiving end of grant funding recently announced by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. Two million dollars in funding is being awarded statewide to 59 applicants for the purposes of aiding with housing assistance. Among those receiving grant awards are Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region, the Salvation Army of Barron County and Osseo Housing in Trempealeau County.
The City of Menomonie will offer curbside Christmas tree pickup on Thursday, January 8, 2026, to help residents responsibly dispose of their real Christmas trees after the holidays. To ensure collection, trees must be bare. Please remove all decorations, tinsel, ornaments, lights, tree bags, posts, and stands. Artificial trees and wreaths will not be collected. Place your tree at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on the scheduled pickup day. For more information contact Menomonie City Hall.
Firefighters from Goodview Fire and Rescue were on the scene of a basement fire on Sunday, despite the heavy snow and whiteout conditions. According to Goodview Fire and Rescue, crew members responded to a report of a basement fire in the 8100 block of 6th Street. The department said its team faced challenges due to snowy road conditions. The fire was contained to the basement, but smoke damage affected the entire house. The department said there were no injuries; however, it did not have information on a damage estimate.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of a mobile home fire in Onalaska. Crews dispatched to the scene at the Creekside Mobile Home Park shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday searched the home for occupants with reports that someone could be trapped inside. It turned out that the owner had already left the scene though they later returned. That individual refused a medical evaluation.
The Hastings American Legion is shutting down temporarily to come up with a strategic plan. The American Legion Post 47 dispelled rumors that they were closing their doors permanently when they shut down on Christmas Eve. Hastings Legion officials released a Facebook post that they decided to take a step back to evaluate their current situation and develop a plan to shape how the club does business moving forward. The post also says that more updates on the future of the club would follow.
A Sunday fire in Jackson County left a semi-truck destroyed. Taylor Fire and Rescue responded to the scene at around 1:30 p.m. and found the burning vehicle. The fire was determined to be electrical in nature. No injuries were reported.
Attorney General Josh Kaul says Wisconsin is joining a multistate lawsuit over federal limits on gender-affirming care for young people. The suit targets an HHS declaration that labels some care unsafe and aims to exclude providers from Medicare and Medicaid. Kaul and the coalition argue the declaration breaks federal law by bypassing notice and comment. They also claim the decision undermines states' authority to regulate medicine. The group is asking the court to block the HHS declaration nationwide.
State property owners are facing the highest school property tax increase in more than 30 years. The Wisconsin Policy Forum notes that gross K-through-12 school property taxes jumped nearly eight-percent this December. The month also saw the biggest jump in tax levies for all local governments since 2018. This increase stems from voter-approved referendums and the last two state budgets. Local officials are concerned that rising taxes may affect residents' ability to stay in or move to communities.
Governor Evers has announced that two million dollars in grants has been put toward housing efforts. The grants are in partnership with the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. Organizations across the state received the grants to help address emergency housing needs. This year's grant program helped providers in 27 counties create or improve over 15 hundred beds and housing units throughout Wisconsin.
The latest Wisconsin jobs data for 2025 is from September due to the government shutdown. It's expected that the state's job numbers for October and November will be released in early January. In September, employment was down by nearly 52-thousand jobs. A representative for Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development said the decline is due to older workers retiring.
Wisconsin will receive part of a 149 million settlement with Mercedes-Benz Group AG. The state will get over 630 thousand dollars to resolve claims that the automaker sold vehicles equipped with illegal emissions defeat devices. The Wisconsin Attorney General said the state had joined a coalition of 48 states and Puerto Rico that sued Mercedes. The coalition accused the company of using the devices to falsify emissions. Mercedes allegedly sold over 211-thousand diesel vehicles from 2008 to 2016 that contained the devices.
The Salvation Army in Olmsted County says it has exceeded its red kettle goal of 365 thousand dollars. The nonprofit also said it matched both a 50-thousand-dollar Mayo Clinic match and a 30-thousand-dollar match from an anonymous donor over the past week. The funds will be used to support the community of Olmsted County in need of health care, housing support, meals, youth programming, and other basic needs social services.
The Wisconsin State Patrol is continuing to encourage safe driving on the state's roadways this holiday season. The patrol is in the midst of its "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign -- an effort get impaired drivers off the roads. The patrol is stepping up education and enforcement of impaired driving laws through New Year's Day.
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