Patrick Milliren has been re-elected as Mayor of Durand. Unofficial results from yesterday’s election show Milliren defeating challenger Herb Schneider 331-221. Durand City Council members Hooker, Kavanaugh and Weisenbeck were all unopposed and re-elected to the council. The city had mailed 53 absentee ballots, and 44 of those were returned.
The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on amending Ordinance 535 which would allow ATV/UTV use of the Hwy 10 Bridge, repeal of the vacant building ordinance and approval of an agreement for timber sales with Dahlby Conservation Services. Tonights meeting begins at 6pm at Durand City Hall.
Among other races settled by voters on election day in Western Wisconsin was the contest for Eau Claire City Council president. Former District 3 representative Jeremy Gragert prevailed in that contest over Scott Rogers. In some of the other regional contests, voters in the Fall Creek School District and Eleva-Strum School District passed referendums. Matthew Crowe defeated incumbent Randy Knaack and will become Menomonie's next mayor.
Wisconsin voters on Tuesday selected Democratic-backed Chris Taylor to serve on the state Supreme Court. Unofficial results show Taylor beat her opponent Maria Lazar by 20 percentage points. In claiming victory, Taylor said that her win shows Wisconsin voters believe people should be at the center of government and the priority of the judiciary.
The Chippewa County Highway Department is notifying property owners and the public that agricultural activities and encroachments within county highway right-of-way areas are prohibited under Wisconsin law. Agricultural activities that were observed in the right of way in 2025 include plowing, cultivating, planting and the placement of crops, fences, equipment, or other materials. Those activities can obstruct drainage systems, hinder roadside visibility and compromise roadway safety. The highway department is asking for voluntary compliance to avoid the need for enforcement measures.
Wabasha County has announced a partnership with CredibleMind, expanding access to convenient and confidential mental wellbeing resources for community members. The partnership will offer digital content for county employees, health care providers and community organizations engagement and personalized mental health resources for all residents in Wabasha County. The resources will be available 24-7.
The Minnesota National Guard has been activated to provide emergency assistance in Winona County after a cyber attack . According to authorities, the attack happened on Monday and has impaired the county’s ability to deliver emergency and municipal services. The guard is providing cyber protection support to continue municipal operations. County officials have been working with with Minnesota Information Technology Services, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the League of Minnesota Cities, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and external cybersecurity experts.
Authorities are investigating after the recent discovery of a body in Rusk County. Stevens Point resident Jade Olson was found dead last Friday in a wooded area just north of Ladysmith. His vehicle was parked nearby. There has been no word on Olson's cause of death.
The president of Wisconsin's public university system is being expelled. The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted last night to fire Jay Rothman following roughly 20 minutes of private discussion. A press release said Rothman's tenure will end immediately, and vice president of university relations Chris Patton will take over in the interim. Rothman was hired to the role in 2022, and previously served as CEO for a Milwaukee law firm. Regents are now tasked with finding a permanent successor to lead Wisconsin's 13-university system.
New data tracks losses in the teaching profession in Wisconsin. A report from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction shows just fifty‑two percent of new teachers are still in K-12 public school classrooms by their eighth year. Retention is even lower among special education teachers, at just forty‑three percent. The report also finds nearly thirty percent of newly trained educators never enter Wisconsin classrooms. State Superintendent Jill Underly says pay remains a key issue, noting mid‑career teacher compensation is more than twenty percent lower than in 2010, after inflation. Underly warns without stronger state investment, Wisconsin’s educator shortage will continue to grow.
The number of those filing for unemployment for the first time are increasing across Wisconsin. That's according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Labor, which shows that for the week ending March 28th, there were more than 44-hundred first time filings in the state. That is more than 800-more filings compared to the week before. Nationally, the number of filings decreased compared to the week prior.
Hospital costs in Wisconsin are rising far faster than family paychecks, according to a new report. Analysis from the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy finds hospital service costs have climbed nearly three times faster than the state’s median household income. The report also shows Wisconsin hospitals charge the fourth‑highest prices in the nation for family health insurance premiums. Researchers say greater price transparency could play a key role in slowing the growth of healthcare costs for patients.
Former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is losing another fight in court. A motion to overturn her conviction for obstructing federal immigration agents was denied by a judge yesterday. Dugan's legal team tried to claim what happened could be considered "part of a judge's job," but the judge rejected that, adding he made the same note in a motion to dismiss the case. A jury convicted Dugan of felony obstruction in December for helping a man in her courtroom evade an immigration arrest. Jurors cleared her of a separate misdemeanor charge tied to concealing someone from discovery and arrest.
A judge is siding with the Trump administration and is allowing it to withhold Medicaid funds from Minnesota. The state was requesting a judge to prevent the administration from withholding a quarter-billion dollars in Medicaid funding. However, the judge ruled on Monday that Minnesota hasn't shown the administration broke the law. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison argues that this is part of President Trump's reckoning and retribution against the state. Vice President J.D. Vance said the funds will be reinstated once Minnesota complies with a corrective action plan.
Wisconsin ranks among the top states for remote work. That's according to a new report from Wallethub. Electricity costs and access to broadband internet are credited with making putting Wisconsin at the 28th best place to work remotely. The state ranked fifth in having the most cyber crime per capita. Iowa ranked at the bottom of all the states for working from home.
No comments:
Post a Comment