Local-Regional News Oct 6

 

The Elk Mound Village Board has voted to disband it’s police department and contract with
Dunn County for Law Enforcement Services. The board voted 6-1 to move forward with the proposal that would save approximately $7300 a year and the village could receive a state grant totaling nearly $160,000. The new agreement would provide a Dunn County Sheriff’s Deputy 40hr a week on weekdays. The Dunn County Board will now need to approve the contract.

The Wabasha City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include approval of the hiring of a part-time police officer, discussion of possible improvements to Izaak Walton Park, and reports from the mayor and department heads. Tonights meeting begins at 6pm at the Wabasha City Hall.

Expect parking restrictions in Mondovi this weekend for the upcoming Oktoberfest events on Saturday. No parking along West Hudson Street between South Franklin Street and South State Street as there will be a large number of cars for the car show at Central Lutheran Church. The parking restrictions will be from 9am-3pm.

A St. Croix County man is facing accusations that he sexually assaulted two teenagers in Minnesota. Investigators say that 42-year-old Derrick Pfeffer assaulted two students while working as a teacher in St. Paul Park, Minnesota. Pfeffer has been charged with 10 felonies in the case.

A man is dead after a Sunday hit-and-run in St. Croix County. The victim was found lying in the roadway on County Highway N. Twenty-year-old suspect Angelica Altena was later located and taken into custody.

Charges are being filed against a 16-year-old suspect in connection with a recent fatal shooting in La Crosse. Fifteen-year-old Rashied Schuelke was shot this past Thursday afternoon near 7th and Hood streets. The victim later died at a local hospital. Antonio Johnson has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide.

Governor Tony Evers has announced that counties and municipalities across the state received more than 152-million dollars in fourth quarter payments. The money goes towards 2026 General Transportation, Connecting Highway, and Expressway Policing Aids to repair, maintain and improve local roads and connecting highways. The funding was provided by the 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed into law by Evers last year. In a statement, the governor said "today, with the help of these historic investments, our roads, highways, bridges, and infrastructure all across our state" are in a better place "than they were eight years ago."

A major connection between Wisconsin and Iowa will reopen years ahead of schedule. The new Lansing bridge over the Mississippi River is set to open to traffic on November 6th, ending a three-year construction project that originally wasn't expected to finish until 2027. The bridge connects Highway 82 in Wisconsin with Highway 9 in Iowa and replaces the former Black Hawk Bridge, which was demolished over safety concerns. Officials say favorable weather and steady construction progress helped accelerate the timeline. A free ferry service that's operated during construction will continue through November 7th.

Nine wolves were killed by federal officials in northern Wisconsin in late August and early September. In a statement released to Wisconsin Public Radio on Friday, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said the wolves were euthanized following “a series of verified threats to human health and safety,” in rural Price County between July 2025 through August 2026. Prior to pursuing euthanasia, the DNR recommended “numerous non-lethal measures,” that were not successful. In late August and early September, the wolves were “trapped and humanely euthanized” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services division.

A rowdy Oktoberfest in La Crosse. La Crosse Police arrested 45 people over the weekend event, issued hundreds of citations and handled over 11-hundred calls for service. Several serious incidents included an unrelated stabbing and someone tossing a handgun while fleeing from police. Police chief Shawn Kudron praised his officers, and said they handled crowd management in the best way possible.

The Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor enjoys a massive fundraising advantage over his Democratic opponent. The bulk of Congressman Tom Tiffany’s $26 million in fundraising for the most recent reporting period came through the Republican Party of Wisconsin. The RPW received a combined $22 million from Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, owners of the business supply company Uline, and $5.6 million from ABC Supply Company owner Diane Hendricks. State campaign finance reports for July 1 through September 23 show Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley raised some $10.2 million, with about $4 million transferred from the state Democratic party. Donations to DPW included one million-dollars each from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Lynde Uihlein, a cousin of Richard and Elizabeth and $565,000 from the campaign fund of Governor Tony Evers, who’s not seeking reelection. The latest Marquette Poll found the race a virtual dead heat among registered voters, with Crowley’s 46% to Tiffany’s 45%, with 9% undecided but a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 points.

Central Wisconsin Airport is getting federal help to restore service to an eastern destination: Travelers starting out at the Mosinee facility had the option of flying direct to Detroit until late 20-22, when Delta scrapped the route due to a pilot shortage. Now the Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program fund is committing just under one million dollars to help bring the route back. Airport Director Brian Grefe (GREE-fee) says bringing the route back has been a "crucial step" in expanding service at the facility.

Fillmore County officials are reporting three confirmed cases of measles in southeastern Minnesota. The county says all three people were unvaccinated and that the cases are connected. Health officials warn the case count may grow in the coming days or weeks. Measles spreads through the air and can cause fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Residents who are uninsured or underinsured can contact Fillmore County Public Health for a measles vaccination.

Madison area students will be getting free vision care this school year. The Madison school board on Monday signed a partnership with the Vision Van program, which travels to schools to help with vision screening, eyeglass prescriptions and eye care. Board members said they want to ensure that all students have proper vision to help improve their lives and enable better learning. The services are expected to start this month and will eventually reach all students in the district.