Local-Regional News Jan 14

 

The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on the purchase of a truck for the public works department, the 2026 Farmers Market Plan and an update on the comprehensive plan. There will also be reports from the Mayor and Department heads. Tonights meeting begins at 6pm at Durand City Hall.

The Durand-Arkansaw School Board is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include a discussion and possible action on the space availability cap for 2026-27, the 2024-25 audit report and reports from the district and building administrators. Tonights meeting begins at 6pm in the board room at Durand-Arkansaw High School.

Durand Police assisted state and federal narcotics officers in an arrest in the city on Tuesday. According to Durand Police officers assisted with the apprehension at 1101 Hardy Street. There was no reported injuries and there is no threat to the public. No other information on the arrest was made available.

The Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing person. According to the department, 18yr old Meghan Potts was last seen walking away from the H&R Block on Clairemont Ave on Monday Afternoon. She has not been seen since nor has she made any contact with family. If anyone has any information on Potts’ whereabouts they are to contact the Eau Claire County Sheriffs Department.

The case against an Eau Claire man accused of killing a neighbor is moving forward. Shane Helmbrecht is charged with intentional homicide in the fatal shooting of neighbor Jenn Ward in 2016. Helmbrecht had previously been found incompetent to stand trial, and was sent to a group home that he later walked away from -- only to later be found in Mexico. He has been appealing a September ruling that he is now competent to stand trial but that claim has now been denied by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

Bond is being set for the second of two men charged in connection with a deadly accidents on Lake Wissota. Two jet skis collided on the lake on the night of May 23rd 2025 resulting in the death of 24-year-old Elle Jo Kramschuster. Kramschuster had been a passenger on Bruce Sanborn's jet skis. Sanborn and Sean Irvine have each been charged with second-degree reckless homicide. Bond for Irvine was set Tuesday at ten-thousand dollars.

A Sparta man charged in the fatal shooting of an elderly man in Tomah is pleading guilty. Police arrested Ryan Goad a couple of hours after the New Year's Eve 2024 shooting. Goad pleaded guilty yesterday to charges including attempted first-degree intentional homicide and was committed to the Department of Health Services for a period of 40 years.

Winter is the best time to do home radon testing. Radon is a radioactive gas that can seep into homes through the foundation, and it's more likely to infiltrate a home in the winter when the furnaces are running. 1 in 10 Wisconsin homes have radon, and it's been shown to increase cancer chances. You can find a low cost testing kit from the Department of Health Services at D H S dot W I dot Gov.

At the Capitol, Democratic lawmakers say they'll work to reinstate Wisconsin's version of C-SPAN, WisconsinEye. Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer says transparency is an essential part of a functioning democracy and not having the service is a step in the wrong direction in trying to gain the public's trust. Neubauer says the current situation isn't sustainable and is calling on Republican lawmakers to join them in finding a way to get WisEye back online. WisEye needs to raise $250,000 in order to continue operations and is fundraising to do that.

SentryWorld in Stevens Point is set to host two future United States Golf Association Championships. USGA officials announced the course will host the 2028 U.S. Senior Women's Open and the 2034 U.S. Senior Open. The course most recently hosted the U.S. Senior Open in 2023. The events mark the fourth and fifth USGA championships held at SentryWorld.

The first state-funded child care program is being unveiled. Governor Evers says the Get Kids Ready program is designed for children who will be fours-years-old by September 1st 2026. The state will distribute around 65-million-dollars directly to child care providers through the 2025-27 biennial budget. Child care providers interested in participating must apply by February 1st. Families can learn more about eligibility and enrollment through the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families website.

Wisconsin’s governor weighs in on ICE activities in Minnesota. Governor Tony Evers said Monday that investigating last weeks fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis should not fall solely to the FBI. And the governor said immigration enforcement like what the Trump administration is undertaking in the Twin Cities would be bad for Wisconsin. Wisconsin agriculture is heavily dependent on the work of immigrants, many of them undocumented. Evers said forcing those workers to leave would be devastating to the industry.

The Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health releases its 2025 review. The report shows there's been a large increase in young adults suffering from mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. The number of kids with major depressive issues continues to increase, both in Wisconsin and across the country. The report found that kids who feel comfortable talking to family about their feelings can reduce negative childhood experiences. Last year the state allotted $4 million to child advocacy centers across the state.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is moving forward with its plan to lower the state's walleye bag limit. The agency is now looking for public comment on its proposal to change the limit from six walleye to four. The new limit is expected to take effect March 1st, 2027. There two ways for Minnesotans to connect with the DNR about the walleye recommendation. Send an email to fisheries-dot-rulemaking-dot-comments-dnr-at-state-dot-mn-dot-us or call 652-259-5235. The deadline for submitting is March 5th.

President Trump says he is terminating temporary protected status for Somali migrants living in Minnesota. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that TPS will end on March 17th. She says temporary means temporary and the country conditions in Somalia have improved to where it no longer meets the law requirement for TPS. Somalis on TPS will have to leave the country by that time or risk being arrested and deported.

The reward for a missing Eau Claire County puppy is now up to ten-thousand dollars. The Boxx family says they were unloading groceries on New Year's Eve at their Highway 27 home when the nearly five-month-old dog went missing. Footprints and tire tracks found in the snow have led the family to suspect someone may have taken the dog.