Authorities are sharing the name of the person found dead after a New Year's Eve fire in Trempealeau County. Crews responded that night to a garage fire in Independence. Thirty-nine-year-old Kyle Klimek was found dead at the scene. Foul play is not suspected in Klimek's death.
A defendant charged following a stabbing incident in Lake Hallie is pleading not guilty. Police responding to a 41st Avenue home on July 11th of last year found a man who was stabbed five times. Eighteen-year-old Orestes Kouris of Eau Claire was later located near the Lake Hallie Golf Course and arrested. Charges against Kouris include attempted 1st-degree intentional homicide. He entered his plea on Tuesday and remains in custody at the Chippewa County Jail on a 300-thousand dollar bond.
A Western Technical College instructor charged in connection with the death of a pregnant woman is pleading not guilty. The body of 27-year-old Alexis Pickett was found in November at the scene of a La Crosse house fire. Pickett's former romantic partner Matthew Sierra is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the case and entered his plea Monday in court.
A bill introduced by River Falls Representative Shannon Zimmerman would prevent companies that build data centers from passing on higher energy costs to consumers. The bill would require data centers to use closed-loop water systems for cooling, and require the center to report how much water they use. Zimmerman says the legislation would protect consumers while at the same time promote economic growth.
The Pepin County Board has passed a resolution to support a social worker in the Durand-Arkansaw School District. The county will use ARPA funds to contribute 60% of the costs for a school social worker at a cost of $135,000 through the third quarter of this year.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons says ICE is taking part in its largest operation ever. He says ICE agents are going door-to-door to companies in Minnesota suspected of hiring illegal immigrants. Lyons added that both his department and Homeland Security investigators are taking part in the operation. Ice agents have also been taking part in operations in Eau Claire County and in Red Wing. Local police say they have not been in communication with federal officials regarding the increased activity.
Proposed legislation would do away with the requirement to have a state issued license to carry a concealed firearm. Current Wisconsin law generally prohibits carrying a concealed weapon unless the owner has a license issued by the state Department of Justice or an identification card indicating the individual is a qualified current or former law enforcement officer. The bill from Republicans Representative Chanz Green and state Senator Andre Jacque eliminates permit requirements for firearm owners who want to carry concealed, known to supporters as constitutional carry. Under the bill which gets a public hearing today, "law-abiding adults" wouldn't need a license to carry. Governor Tony Evers would be likely to veto the bill, which is opposed by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association and others and supported by the NRA and gun owner groups. A second bill from Green and Jaques strengths language around the right to bear arms in the state constitution.
Medicaid expenses for Wisconsin are likely to be higher than originally budgeted for. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services projects Medicaid general program expenses to be $213 million higher than projected when the new two-year state budget was signed last summer. DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson cited several reasons for the projected shortfall in a letter to co-chairs of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. Those include unexpected higher costs for prescription drugs, Medicare buy-in programs, and fee-for-service mental health and substance use disorder services. DHS was projecting a $144 million shortfall in the Medicare program three months ago.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg [[ BOOT-edge-edge ]] is planning to visit La Crosse, Wisconsin for a town hall. The event is scheduled for January 16th and Buttigieg is expected to discuss the cost of housing, child care, health care and "the need for leadership that actually listens." The former transportation secretary said he's "looking forward to hitting the road next week." Buttigieg ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020 and has left the door open for a second attempt at the presidency.
A Waukesha-based generator producer is expanding its footprint in Wisconsin. Generac recently purchased a building in Sussex and announced yesterday the facility will be used to boost its manufacturing output for the data center market. A statement from the company noted the facility will help Generac better serve other large generator customers, as well, including those in health care, water utility, and others. Generac says the Sussex operation will create 100 new jobs, and hopes to open the building during the fourth quarter this year.
Former Wisconsin Republican Party Chair and Trump Chief of Staff Reince Preibus tells WISN's UpFront he expects President Donald Trump to be involved in the upcoming race for governor. Preibus says Trump likes to have his fingerprints on things and doesn't see him sitting out of the election. Preibus says he sees Republican candidate Tom Tiffany having a leg up and being the front runner in his race against Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann. Schoemann is the only other major Republican candidate for governor.
The man accused of stalking state Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky is sentenced to two years of probation. Court records show 37-year-old Ryan Thornton admitted to intimidating a victim and disorderly conduct in Dane County Court. Thornton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges, which dismissed a felony stalking charge. As probation, Thornton must have no contact with Justice Karofsky, wear GPS monitoring for 30 days, and stay out of Dane County without approval.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says he has no plans to resign before the end of his term. A day after announcing he's ending his bid for a third term, Walz said, "I'm not going anywhere" and added "over my dead body will that happen." Walz has come under scrutiny over allegations of fraud involving Somali daycares. The federal government has sent a surge of agents to Minnesota in response to the allegations. On Monday, Homeland Security said more than one-thousand arrests have been made since sending the agents to the state last week.
One Wisconsin city is being praised for keeping its New Year's resolutions. Finance website WalletHub ranked the best and worst cities for sticking to those resolutions based on several factors, which they said could be working against residents. Those include exercise opportunities, income growth, and more. Madison was the only city to make the cut and was ranked 23rd overall. Wisconsin's capital city also ranked in the top 20 in the financial and bad habit resolutions categories.
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