The City of Durand recently held a public test of its voting equipment. Durand City Administrator Tracy Carleson says the machines all are working correctly. Carleson says while the city uses Badger Books electronic polling system, the machines are not connected to the internet. Polls will open on Tuesday morning at 7am and a phone ID is required to vote.
The Durand-Arkansaw School District is leaving an 8 school group that shared teacher and support staff training. Durand Arkansaw School Superintendent Ryan Nelson says the consortium didn’t fit the specific needs of district staff. With the change, the district will save approximately $7000.
An Alma woman has received a $5000 grant through the Florida Sea Grant Guy Harvey Fellowship. Jessica Keller is one of 8 recipients and will use the money to continue her research at the University of Florida on the movement ecology of fish using acoustic telementry and satellite tracking to study different fish species. She previously served as an assistant research scientist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commisison.
Ruby's Pantry is abruptly ending its food shelf operation in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The nonprofit announced on Tuesday night that it would be immediately ending operations at 85 sites throughout the Upper Midwest. It has been distributing surplus food for more than 20 years. Now, other food pantries across the both states fear that the absence of Ruby's Pantry will force them to fill in the gaps of demand.
Eau Claire postal carriers are beginning to hit the streets in new vehicles. The new trucks are five feet longer, two feet taller and 10 inches wider than the old trucks. In comparison to the older vehicles, they also have air conditioning, improved heating and a 360-degree camera.
Jail time for a Barron County man accused of sexually assaulting a child. Prosecutors say that Steven Markegard assaulted the girl in 2017 when she was just eight-years-old. Markegard pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of child enticement and has now been sentenced to a year in jail.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reminds drivers “Buckle Up, Phone Down.” April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and this year’s WisDOT campaign brings back public service announcements created in 2025 that feature the Schwartz family of Mayville. Casey Schwartz's wife, Casey Lynn, her son Gus and their unborn child were killed in a 2022 distracted driving crash. Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Kristina Boardman joined WisDOT staff and officials from West Bend this week to launch the anti-distracted driving campaign. According to WisDOT distracted driving is a factor in more than 9,000 crashes every year in Wisconsin. Boardman said stopping them is central to the agency’s safety mission of reaching zero preventable traffic deaths.
There were 13 fatalities in Wisconsin’s now concluded snowmobile season. That’s according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fatal Crash Summaries for this year and 2025. The crashes occurred between December 13 in Winnebago County and the most recent on February 25 in Bayfield County. Crash victims were all males between the ages of 15 and 76. Only two, from Minnesota and Illinois, had completed a recommended safety certification although four others were listed as “pending.” Two of operators were not wearing helmets, and alcohol was involved in at least three crashes, with results pending on eight others. All snowmobile trails in the state are now closed.
A journalist from southern Wisconsin has been kidnapped in Iraq. 49-year-old Shelly Kittleson is from Mount Horeb and graduated from Darlington High School. She was taken Tuesday night in central Baghdad. Iraq's interior ministry said in a statement that security forces pursued the kidnapper's vehicle, which overturned as they fled. One suspect is in custody. Kittleson is a veteran reporter who has spent years covering war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Her family still lives in southern Wisconsin. Her mother, Barbara, telling a Milwaukee TV station that Shelly had messaged and sent her photo on Monday and that she was fine at that time.
A Wisconsin three-judge panel has thrown out a Democratic lawsuit to redraw the state's congressional maps ahead of the November midterms. The panel said only the Wisconsin Supreme Court can decide the issue, but any ruling likely wouldn't come in time for Election Day. A similar case is slated for trial in 2027. The decision preserves Republicans' advantage -- six of Wisconsin's eight House seats -- for now. Democrats argue the maps unfairly favor Republicans.
A state Senate Oversight Committee is recommending major changes to how Wisconsin’s Department of Justice handles legal work. Following an investigation, the committee wants DOJ to terminate all current contracts with outside attorneys, arguing only state employees should prosecute Wisconsin citizens. Republicans say the practice opens the door to activist influence, while Democrats counter the hearings were used to score political points. The panel is also urging new legislation to make the restriction clear.
Layoffs at a Jefferson County egg supplier are taking place this week. Daybreak Foods announced more than 80 employees would be losing their jobs due to an avian flu outbreak that forced the company to depopulate its birds. The layoffs include more than 50 in Palmyra and 30-plus in Whitewater. The company noted that because of a decrease in the bird population, there won't be enough work for the people it employs. The layoffs are expected to last up to seven months.
A suspect is arrested in a nearly 50-year-old Kenosha cold case homicide. In 1977, 48-year-old Ralph Ambrose Gianoli was found dead in his Kenosha home from blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen. Investigators exhausted all leads in the case which went unsolved until Kenosha Police reopened it in 2021. Working with state and federal agencies, advanced evidence-processing methods were used to identify 68-year-old James Terry Fowler as a suspect in 2024. Fowler was interviewed and arrested in Memphis, Tennessee on Monday and is charged with first-degree homicide.
Help protect Wisconsin's endangered species. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is seeking volunteers to help monitor rare and endangered species across the state in 2026. Community scientists of all skill levels can take part—surveying plants and animals and helping track threats like habitat loss, disease and climate change. Last year, volunteers collected data in nearly every Wisconsin county. Training and coordination are supported by the state’s Endangered Resources Fund. More details are available on the DNR’s website.
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