The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion of the 2026 Landfill Monitoring Proposal with Oakridge Engineering, discussion of the upcoming meeting with the WI DOT on the Hwy 37 project, and reports from the Mayor and Department heads. Tonights meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.
The Pepin County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public's help for tennis balls. K9 Officers Jack and Pasca use tennis balls as part of their training. Because both are such enthusiastic chewers, the department goes through tennis balls fairly quickly. The department is asking the community for donations of lightly used tennis balls in good condition. Donations can be dropped of at the sheriff’s department.
A Tremplealeau man has been sentenced to 20yrs in federal prison after being convicted on child porn and other sexual assault charges. Stephen Jenkins was sentenced last week in federal court in Madison. According to federal authorities, Jenkins sexually assaulted three children, videotaped the assaults and also had hundred of child porn images in his possession. Along with the prison sentence, Jenkins was fined $15,000.
The City of Menomonie is offering up to $20000 in funding for projects and programs to help improve the quality of life in the city. The city is currently accepting applications for the Nonprofit Financial Assistance Grant program. The grant will support non profit groups and the deadline to apply is February 19. Contact Menomonie City hall for more information.
An arrest warrant was issued Friday for an Appleton man accused in the sexual assault of a child. Michael Rouse allegedly assaulted the victim inside his Eau Claire home in 2003 when she was eleven-years-old and he was 25. Police say there are other victims.
A suspect wanted in connection with a Monday morning stabbing in Holmen is now in custody. Police received word early yesterday morning that a stabbing victim was receiving treatment at a local hospital and later arrested 24-year-old Dennis Hernandez on charges including substantial battery. The victim's injuries are described as non life-threatening.
A suspect accused of gunning down a man in Rochester and then breaking into a home is in custody. The crime happened yesterday. Officers responded to the scene in the 12-hundred block of Marion Road Southeast. They found a man on the ground with a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a hospital where he died later. Authorities say the suspect broke into a home only miles from the shooting scene. Charges are pending in the case. Police say in a preliminary report that the victim and the suspect were related.
A Medford woman is pleading guilty to charges stemming from robberies at a pair of Jackson County banks. Banks in Black River Falls and Alma Center were robbed in 2018 and 2019 and two people have been charged. Defendant Michaela Davis has pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit robbery of a financial institution. She has been sentenced to one year of conditional jail time and ten years of probation.
Measles is confirmed in Wisconsin. A Waukesha County case marks the first confirmed case of measles in Wisconsin this year. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says the case is related to international travel and is working to identify and notify people who may have been exposed. DHS encourages you to check your vaccination status to make sure you're protected from the virus. Symptoms include runny nose, high fever and a red rash with raised bumps that starts at the hairline and moves to the arms and legs. More info can be found on the DHS website.
There’s already a revision in the works for Wisconsin’s school cell phone law. Representative Lindee Brill of Sheboygan Falls chairs the Speakers Task Force on Protecting Kids. She says proposals include a change to Wisconsin’s newly enacted law which allows school districts to restrict student cell phone use during the school day. Brill says a "bell-to-bell" ban on student phone use has be adopted in other states and has bipartisan support. The task force has drafted ten bipartisan bills, including an ap store accountability act, warning labels on explicit content and mental health warnings for social media. The Task Force on Protecting Kids is one of several which have produced bills for legislative consideration during the rest of the current session.
The chancellor of UW-Madison is leaving the school for another job. Officials announced Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin has accepted a position as the next president of Columbia University. Mnookin is expected to remain in her current role through the spring commencement before moving on to her new job. An interim chancellor is expected to be named soon while the Board of Regents searches for a permanent replacement.
The NRA and Minnesota gun rights advocates are rejecting Trump officials blaming Alex Pretti for being armed. Rob Doar, senior vice president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, said he's confident that the gun taken from Pretti's waist is the same gun in the photo posted on social media by the DHS. Doar concluded, "If Mr. Pretti was disarmed, absent any other evidence of any risk to an officer, I don't see how deadly force would be justified." U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, posted on X, saying, "If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you." The National Rifle Association responded to his comments, saying responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.
A new survey shows Wisconsin employers don't think students are prepared for the workforce. The survey from Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce finds over half of responding employers say Wisconsin’s K-12 education system does not adequately prepare students for the workforce. Survey data shows 64 percent of employers indicated their employees struggle with reading, math, or both. 30 percent of respondents have had to resort to remedial education or tutoring for employees. According to the survey, only 10 percent of Wisconsin employers rate the quality of their local school district as excellent.
An author of Bradyn's Law, a new state statute that criminalizes sextortion, is already looking to expand upon it. Representative Brent Jacobson of Mosinee says victims of the crime, including their families if the victim dies by suicide, should be able to sue for damages and be compensated for their losses. Braydn’s Law is named is named in honor of Bradyn Bohn, a 15-year-old D.C. Everest Junior High School student who died by suicide in March 2025 after falling victim to a sextortion scheme. Jacobson’s proposal would clarify potential damages in state law, making it easier for civil lawsuits to stick. Jacobson says getting it through before the end of the session may be a stretch, but he's confident the measure can get bipartisan support and could be re-introduced next year if needed.
Wisconsinites can support conservation during tax season by donating to the DNR’s Endangered Resources Fund. Natural Heritage Conservation Director Drew Feldkirchner says the fund helps protect rare plants, animals, and the state’s natural areas. Donations are tax‑deductible and support efforts ranging from bat conservation to maintaining Wisconsin’s historic State Natural Areas. More details are available on the DNR website.
Governor Tony Evers is supporting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz following the death of a Wisconsin native. Evers announced Monday that Wisconsin is joining a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump Administration and ICE, and said federal agents are endangering Americans and having their rights violated. "It has to stop," said Evers. The lawsuit accuses ICE and other agencies of overstepping their authority and taking unlawful actions against legal residents. Quote "This has nothing to do with public safety." ICE agents on Saturday shot and killed Green Bay native Alex Pretti while he was being restrained on the ground, claiming he had a weapon, and killed Renee Good earlier this month while she was driving away from agents, claiming she was threatening them with her vehicle.
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