Local-Regional News April 21

 The amendments to the vacant building ordinance in Durand were passed last week by the Durand City Council.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren Says there were two changes to the original ordinance.  That accelerated fee schedule would charge $1000 per year and increase $1000 each year until reaching a maximum of $5000 by year 6.  

Representative Ron Kind recently introduced the bipartisan Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act. The legislation will help address veterinarian shortages by lifting overly burdensome taxes on programs that encourage veterinarians to practice in rural communities. The Wisconsin Democrat says access to veterinarians in rural areas is critical.  The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program is subject to a burdensome 37 percent federal withholding tax, which Kind says limits the number of awards for qualifying veterinarians.

If you have any expired or unwanted medications in your home, you can safely get rid of them on Saturday with Drug Take-Back Day.   That's the statewide program to get unused and unwanted medications out of people's homes and safely disposed of.  Do not dispose of unwanted drugs in the trash or down the drain as that will allow those chemicals to pollute the groundwater, where traces of medications are already being found.  There will be drop-off locations at the Buffalo, Dunn, Pepin, and Pierce County Sheriff's Departments, the Mondovi Police Department, the Village of Pepin Hall, and at Heike Pharmacy in Durand. 

The sentence is five-and-a-half years in prison for a Chippewa Falls woman who hired someone to kill the father of her child.  Melanie Schrader pleaded guilty to solicitation of first-degree intentional homicide last month.  Authorities say Schrader met with an undercover officer and paid a 200-dollar down payment and agreed to give the alleged hitman ten-thousand dollars to kill her daughter's father.  She was given credit for 587 days already served.

An Eau Claire County judge has found probable cause to move forward with a human trafficking case.  A total of 34 charges have been filed against 57-year-old Mark Scoville Senior from Humbird and 45-year-old Catherine Ottinger from Eau Claire.  Investigators say Ottinger tried to sell a child under the age of 13 for sexual activity.  The two were arrested earlier this month.  Scoville was taken into custody at the tent where the two were living.  He’s being held in the Eau Claire County Jail on a 25-thousand-dollar cash bond.  Ottinger was released on a smaller bond.

The Mayo Clinic is part of a nationwide campaign encouraging Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine.   Sixty hospitals and health care providers are involved in the effort to reassure the public that vaccines are safe, effective, and necessary to achieve herd immunity and return to normal activities.  Mayo Clinic president and C-E-O Gianrico Farrugia said, "the vaccine is our strongest asset to end the pandemic."  The campaign will target adults who are hesitant to get vaccinated.

The Evers' administration had announced details, of the state's renegotiated contract with Foxconn.  Foxconn could qualify for 80 million dollars in state assistance if it creates 1,454 jobs and invests 672 million dollars in its Mount Pleasant facility by 2026.  The original deal, negotiated by the Walker administration, called for Foxconn to get up to three billion from the state in return for creating 13,000 jobs and investing 10 billion. Governor Tony Evers' office also said the new contract will not include specific requirements as to what Foxconn produces. The company's frequently revised that, with critics noting its thus far manufactured nothing. 

Wisconsin officials are saying they hope some good can come out of the guilty verdict for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.  He was convicted Tuesday of one manslaughter and two murder charges.  Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes says he hopes the verdict means the community can heal and grow together.  Other state officials say the decision can become the first step toward the dismantling of systemic racism.  Chief Barnes says, “Justice has prevailed,” – adding, “This moment matters.”  The death of George Floyd last May started a nationwide examination of racism and policing in America.

The two-year Wisconsin budget proposed by Governor Tony Evers would reportedly increase property taxes at a slower rate than current law would.  The Legislative Fiscal Bureau released its report Monday.  Under the governor’s plan, the owner of a median-valued home would see his property taxes go up 22 dollars the first year and 63 dollars the second year.  Under the current law, those taxes would rise by an additional 12 dollars.  The effect of the budget was included in a report issued as the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee considers the governor’s proposed spending plan.

Wisconsin is getting more than 175-million dollars from the U-S Department of Health and Human Services to develop a COVID testing program for schools.  Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake said "this funding will allow D-H-S to implement a COVID testing program for schools that support the safety and well-being of teachers, staff members and students throughout the state."  Timberlake says testing has been and will continue to be a critical part of Wisconsin's COVID response.

 A worker at ConAgra Foods in Walworth County says his employer didn’t enforce its own COVID-19 policy.  Rigoberto Ruiz is suing, saying he contracted the virus at work and infected his wife – who died.  Ruiz says supervisors at the Darien food plant didn’t take corrective action when employees failed to wear masks on the job.  Martha Amador De Ruiz died of COVID-19 complications last May.  ConAgra says it has taken many preventive measures to keep its workers safe at the plant.

Fewer people in Wisconsin got vaccinated against the coronavirus last week.   The Department of Health Services reports a little more than 325-thousand doses were administered last week. That’s more than 93-thousand fewer than the week before. State health officials say demand for vaccines has plateaued. About 40-percent of Wisconsinites 16 and older have had one dose of the vaccine; A little more than 27-percent have had both doses.

A warden with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has entered a not guilty plea to charges he obstructed an investigation into illegal sturgeon caviar bartering.  Thirty-six-year-old Ryan Koenigs made Monday’s court appearance virtually because the charge is a misdemeanor.  He returns to court next month.  Koenigs has entered another not guilty plea to a more serious theft charge in Winnebago County.  He’s accused of taking eggs from storage and giving them to a processor.  He’s scheduled to go on trial in that case in mid-June.  Koenigs was accused of being one of several D-N-R employees who collected eggs from sturgeon spearers, saying they were for research projects, then having them processed for sale.  He is accused of accepting about 20-thousand dollars’ worth of caviar by illegal bartering.

Republican Tyler Kistner plans to challenge 2nd District Congresswoman Angie Craig again in 2022.  Kistner lost the November election by two percentage points to D-F-L incumbent Craig.  The Marine veteran from Burnsville called the 2020 race one of the closest in the country.  Kistner accused Craig and President Biden of increased government spending and proposing massive tax increases on the middle class and American families.

Local-Regional News April 20

 One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident in Trenton Township on Saturday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriffs Department, 24yr old Dillon Schuler of Cannon Falls, MN was traveling southbound on Hwy 63 when he lost control of the vehicle, crossed the centerline, and struck a northbound vehicle driven by 51yr old Michael Quiding of Hager City.  Quiding was taken to the hospital by personal vehicle with undetermined injuries.

Some changes coming to the Plum City School District.  During last night's school board meeting it was announced that Superintendent Amy Vesperman and Principle Jeremy Kerg were both leaving the district at the end of the school year on June 30th.  The district will begin a search to fill both positions immediately.  

ATV Riders in Buffalo County are reminded that ATV use on County roads is prohibited unless the county road has been signed that it's open for ATV/UTV use.   While the County Board of Supervisors has passed an ordinance to allow the operation of ATV/UTV’s on county roads, they are not open until the roads are properly signed.   The Buffalo County Trail Riders are responsible for the cost of the signs and will be working with the Buffalo County Highway Department on the installation.   Town roads are under the jurisdiction of each Town and you should direct questions regarding usage on town roads with your local board.

University of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson today announced five finalists for the position of chancellor at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls.  The 5 candidates are Constance Foser the current UWRF interim Chancellor, Maria Gallo of Delaware Valley University, Satasha Green-Stephen, Vice-Chancellor Student Affairs at Minnesota State College and University System,  Michael Laliberte President State University of New York, Delhi, and Al S. Thompson, Jr, Vice-Chancellor at UW Stevens Point.  Next week, the candidates will participate in separate public forums, offering opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to interact directly with them.

The State of Wisconsin has approved a $400,000 grant to 24-7 Telcom and Tri-County Communications Cooperative to expand fiber to the home broadband internet to 278 locations in the town of Drammen in Eau Claire County.  The Board of Commissioners approved the funds yesterday and both 24-7 and Tri-County hope to have the new network online in late 2022 or 2023.

Despite gasoline demand mostly increasing this month, the national gas price average has seen little movement, fluctuating up or down by only a penny to $2.86 or $2.87.  Here in Western Wisconsin gas prices ranged from $2.63 to 2.75 last week.  Compared to a year ago, prices are nearly $1.53 higer, but that was during the quarantine.  Gas prices are similar to the prices paid in April of 2019, before the pandemic.

A college student has been arrested and charged with arson for allegedly starting a residence hall fire at Viterbo University in La Crosse.  School officials say everyone was able to get out of Marian Hall safely when alarms began to sound shortly after 2:00 a-m Sunday.  The fire had been started in a trash container in a lounge on the second floor.  Fire department investigators, police, and Viterbo officials used surveillance video to identify the suspect.  No names have been released.  A university spokesperson says they’re checking to determine if the incident is connected to a series of racial incidents on the campus recently.

 The passenger in the car driven by Colten Treu when it hit and killed three Girl Scouts and a mother has pleaded no contest to a charge connected to the case.  Treu is serving 54 years.  A Chippewa County Judge found John Stender Junior guilty of harboring or aiding a felon after the plea was entered Monday.  The Girl Scouts and the adult supervisor were picking up trash along a county road in Lake Hallie almost three years ago when they were killed.  Stender told investigators he and Treu were huffing a can of air duster when the car went into the ditch where the girls were working.  Stender will be sentenced in July.

It’s a dry and dangerous spring for much of Wisconsin.  The Department of Natural Resources over the weekend said the fire danger for all of Wisconsin remains high. DNR says 161 fires this year have burned over one thousand acres across the state so far this spring. Forecasters say dry brush and grass, paired with strong winds make for perfect fire conditions in many counties across Wisconsin. 

Family, friends, and the state of Minnesota are mourning the loss of former Vice President Walter Mondale.   His family said Mondale died Monday at age 93.   Mondale served as vice president under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981.  The Ceylon, Minnesota native ran for president in 1984 and named Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro his running mate,  the first female V-P candidate in U-S history.  Mondale lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan, winning only his home state and Washington, D-C.   Senator Amy Klobuchar said Mondale was a tireless public servant for the people of Minnesota and our country.  The Minnesota Democrat said, "Our world would be a better place if all followed his example, and he will be sorely, sorely missed.”

Everyone age 16 and up is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and eventually, younger children will be vaccinated as well. In the meantime, Dr. Jim Conway, professor of pediatrics at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, says mitigation remains essential  Pfizer and Moderna are both undertaking pediatric clinical trials of their COVID-19 vaccines.

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Wisconsin and Foxconn are on the brink of a new agreement.   Governor Evers Monday announced an agreement with the Taiwanese firm. Evers did not provide details on the deal, which the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors is expected to approve. Foxconn has failed to produce anything at its Racine County facility, built under a three billion deal struck with former Republican Governor Scott Walker and the company four years ago. 

A group of about 50 Wisconsin National Guard soldiers were ejected from the Saint Paul Labor Center last week.  They had been invited by one union head to use the facility while staging for their next operation.  Several other unions that also control the building decided they weren’t comfortable with an armed military presence there.  The head of the Minnesota A-F-L-C-I-O, Bill McCarthy, says he was disappointed in the way the guard members were treated.  Protesters were at the door of the center, chanting things like, “Go home, never come back,” as the soldiers were escorted out.  Governor Tim Walz called the behavior of the protesters “unacceptable.”

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he backs a ban on transgender athletes taking part in girls’ and women’s sports.  The Republican leader says a hearing will be held on the legislation.  Vos says he thinks it’s something that is supported by the public.  His comments were made during a Sunday appearance on the "UPFRONT" program on W-I-S-N Television.  Vos says people should have a right to compete, but they shouldn’t “have an unfair advantage because of a choice they’re making.”  Governor Tony Evers would be expected to veto the measure if it passes.

The 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard has awarded the first construction contract as it gets ready for F-35 fighter jets to be hosted in Madison.  A 19-thousand square-foot simulator facility will be built at Truax Field by a Madison construction company.  The 18-month project is to start next month.  The first F-35s are to arrive at Truax in 2023.  There will be 19 contracts to be awarded and completed before the planes arrive.  Those deals are expected to be worth about 100-million dollars.

A U-W Madison political science professor is running for state attorney general.   Ryan Owens is the second Republican to oppose Democratic incumbent Josh Kaul. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney announced earlier this month. In an interview with the Journal Sentinel, Owens said state government's response to the coronavirus pandemic and destruction during protests last year prompted him to run. He said Wisconsin has "a leadership deficit" that has turned into "a freedom deficit."

 A federal judge has issued a restraining order barring the arrest or use of force against reporters covering protests in Minnesota.  Some reporters say police fired rubber bullets at them even though they were exempt from the curfew that was in effect.  The restraining order was filed against Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington and Minnesota State Patrol Colonel Matthew Langer.  It’s focused mostly on the treatment of reporters during the protests over the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by a Brooklyn Center police officer.

You can’t get high-quality, old-growth mahogany wood anymore.  It has protected international conservation status.  That’s why the three-thousand-pound stack of wood sent from the U-S Department of Agriculture’s Forest Products Laboratory in Madison is considered to be priceless.  It’s been stored there for more than a century.  Now, it will be used to repair the damage caused at the U-S Capitol during the rioting and destruction on January 6th.  The 78 mahogany boards one-foot-by-12-feet were shipped by truck in February.  It will be installed in the Capitol building in June.

Local-Regional News April 19

 Lifeguards were still needed for the summer swimming season at the Tarrant Park Pool.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren Says that because of the pool being closed last year due to the pandemic, the city is facing a gap in lifeguards.  As of last week, only 2 lifeguards had been hired when 7 are needed for full operation of the pool.  

Rural Hospitals and clinics could be receiving some assistance after the house and senate passed the Rural and Underserves Small Protections Act.  Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind says the act will fix some language in last year's CARES act.  That bill is now headed to President Biden.

Planning for the Independence Day celebrations continues in Mondovi.  At last week's city council meeting, the council was told the Past in the Park will be held on July 3rd and will feature a celebration on the 76th anniversary of the end of World War 2.  The community band will be playing music from the era.  On the 4th the Parade will be at 1pm and all Mondovi World War 2 Vets will be the grand marshals of the parade.  Fireworks will follow that night.

Health officials continue to watch the spread of new variants of Covid 19.  Pepin County Health Officer Heidi Stewart says the variants of the virus can make it easier to spread.  Health officials continue to urge people eligible for the vaccine to receive it along with continued social distancing, washing of hands, and wearing of masks.

The sentence is ten years in prison for a western Wisconsin man charged with providing the drugs in two fatal overdoses. Shane Johnson of Chippewa Falls pleaded no contest to selling the meth and heroin that led to the 2017 deaths of Samuel Ott and Nicholas Buck. Johnson is already serving a 20-year sentence for what authorities called the biggest drug bust in Chippewa Falls history.

The Wabasha County Board is meeting tomorrow.  Items on the agenda include presentations from the Sheriff's Department on the 2020 recap, and from the South Country Health Alliance.  The board is also expected to approve an MOA with the University of Minnesota Extension.  The board will also go into a closed session to discuss the pending zoning and highway lawsuits with the county attorney.  Tomorrow's meeting begins at 9am at the Wabasha County Government Center.

While firefighters from New London were setting up their equipment and calling for backup help from seven other departments, the explosions started.  A propane tank exploded, then several others went up Friday afternoon.  Four campers, two sheds, and a pickup truck were damaged or destroyed and the heat from the flames damaged two more campers.  No injuries were reported.  The first call from the Huckleberry Acres Campground six miles south of New London was received at about 12:30 p-m.  The New London Fire Department is investigating to determine how the fire started.  Crews from Bear Creek, Dale, Fremont, Hortonville, Manawa, and Weyauwega offered mutual aid.

A driver on Interstate 90 says he was near mile marker 146 when the windows on his car were “shot out.”  Two more drivers reported their cars has been damaged by bullets Saturday at about 2:15 p-m.  Deputies canvassed the area and tracked down three men who had been shooting at targets – but apparently missed more than once.  The interstate highway was a few hundred yards directly behind those targets.  Bryan Spangler of Cottage Grove, John Zimmerman of Oak Creek, and Jeffery Zimmerman of Wabasha was taken into custody.  The men will be charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety.

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 The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District says a high school teacher has been placed on administrative leave over a video that has gone public.  The teacher’s name hasn’t been released.  A news statement from the district describes the comments on the video as including language that was racist at times, and offensive, “and inappropriate throughout.”  The video was recorded two years ago but just came to the attention of the district Thursday.  A formal investigation has been launched.

The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office is mourning the loss of one of its deputies.  Sheriff Kevin Torgerson says Deputy Mark Anderson was found unresponsive in the staff locker room Thursday at the Adult Detention Center.  Life-saving measures were performed at the scene before Anderson was taken to St. Mary's Hospital where he died.  The sheriff said it appears 52-year-old Anderson died of a medical issue.  He had been a detention deputy since March 2010.  Anderson was the first Olmsted County sheriff's deputy to die on duty since Deputy Jack Werner was fatally shot in May of 1977.

Two Wisconsin Republicans in the U-S House voted "no" this week on a plan to create a study committee on reparations.  Congressmen Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald voted with the Republican minority on the House Judiciary Committee to oppose a decades-long effort to consider reparations for descendants of slaves.  Their offices did not issue any statements regarding the votes.  It's the first time the committee has acted on the measure, first introduced by Michigan Congressman John Conyers in 1989.  The bill advanced to the House floor on a 25-to-17 vote.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett are among several mayors backing an Amtrak plan for expanded passenger rail service.  The mayors of the two Wisconsin cities plus Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Paul wrote a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg Thursday saying there’s a potential for passenger rail to bring opportunity to the Midwest region, connecting cities nationwide “in a more sustainable manner.”  Amtrak first revealed plans earlier this month about what it would do if the Biden administration’s two-point-three-trillion-dollar infrastructure package is passed.  The Amtrak plan includes a new route extending from Duluth, Minnesota to Milwaukee, joining the busy Hiawatha service to Chicago.

The Minnesota Department of Health is sounding the alarm after four Minnesotans who traveled to Mexico tested positive for a COVID-19 variant. Officials say the cases of the Brazilian strain were confirmed in different families that stayed at the Grand Moon Palace in Cancun between March 12th and 23rd. State deputy epidemiologist Doctor Richard Danilla says anyone who has traveled internationally should get tested three to five days after returning home to Minnesota.

Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin Lemahieu says there is a real learning curve associated with the political position and he got off to what he calls “maybe a rocky start.”  The Republican leader was interviewed by WisPolitics-dot-com President Jeff Mayers Thursday.  LeMahieu told Mayers he worked with Democratic Governor Tony Evers on a COVID-19 relief bill because he thought it was important to get something done.  Assembly Republicans advanced their own bill and the Wisconsin Senate eventually approved that version – only to have Evers veto it.

Local-Regional News April 16

 Five people have been arrested in Durand and are facing multiple drug charges.  Durand Police, Pepin County Sheriffs Deputies, and the West Central Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at 516 7th Avenue West on April 13th and recovered methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and a stolen bicycle.  Arrested were Tricia L. Pawlowski, Dustin T Pawlowski, Eric W Soreson, Adam T Hays, and Katie E Bundie.  Tricia Pawlowski and Eric Soreson were each charged with 2 counts of manufacture/deliver amphetamine, possession with intent to deliver amphetamines, and maintaining a drug trafficking place.  The charges for the other three are pending at this time.

The Durand City Council Finance Committee and City Council have upheld an invoice to the Durand Swim Club.  The invoice was originally for $4800 but according to Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren, a donation came in to help offset most of that amount.  The invoice was for reimbursement for swimming lessons that the club had provided vouchers for back in 2019.

Advent Health of Durand will be receiving 200 doses of the Moderna Vaccine next week.  Angela Jacobson, Director of Emergency Preparedness for Advent Health says those wanting the vaccine should call either clinic to set up an appointment.  Anyone over the age of 18 is eligible for the Moderna Vaccine.  When you receive your first dose, an appointment will be automatically made for the second dose.

The Mondovi City Council is looking at the possibility of developing a pickleball court.  A group of citizens presented a possible proposal during this week's city council meeting.  The group is asking the city to design the court near Farrington Field.  Pickleball is a game similar to tennis but uses a smaller court and lower net and is popular with senior citizens.  The council will discuss the request at a future city council meeting.

Officials at Viterbo University in La Crosse say they have installed additional security cameras, added security personnel, held campus listening sessions, and undertaken additional initiatives.  The moves come in response to the discovery of threatening and racist messages written on the door of a women’s restroom.  A student reported finding the messages early Monday morning inside a residence hall.  The university says it is working with La Crosse police and a forensic handwriting expert to figure out who did it.

A Barron County judge has sentenced a Chetek man to four years in prison for sexual assault.  Cazz Johnson had pleaded guilty to the charge last December and the sentence was handed down Monday.  The victim told police she was getting a ride home from Johnson after drinking when he pulled over to urinate.  When he returned to the pickup, she says he pulled off her pants and shoes and sexually assaulted her.  The attack happened in 2019.  Johnson will have to register as a sex offender when he gets out of prison.

No change in Wisconsin's three-point-eight percent unemployment rate for a second straight month.  The Department of Workforce Development says total non-farm jobs increased by 12-thousand-900 in March and private sector jobs were up 11-thousand-100.  Neighboring Minnesota had an unemployment rate of four-two-point percent in March and the national rate was six percent last month.

 Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu says not enough members of his Republican party support the legalization of marijuana.  That means it won’t happen in Wisconsin any time soon.  LeMahieu points out that marijuana is still illegal under federal law.  Governor Tony Evers had indicated he would include a plan for legalizing the drug for recreational or medicinal use in his upcoming biennial budget plan.  Evers says his plan would be similar to laws in border states Illinois and Michigan.  He estimates taxes on marijuana could generate about 165-million dollars a year.  The Senate leader reportedly told WisPolitics-dot-com discussions about legalization should happen on the federal level.

New numbers suggest the COVID pandemic may have fueled an increase in deaths from alcohol use in Minnesota.  Preliminary data show 992 Minnesotans died from fully alcohol-attributable causes in 2020 - compared with 821 in 2019.   The number of alcohol-related deaths started to accelerate in June.  State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said, "sadly, the pandemic has amplified some of the root causes of substance use and substance use disorders, such as social isolation, job loss and lack of access to treatment."  The report does not include "partially" alcohol-attributable causes of death which suggest the numbers are even higher.

State Representative Alex Dallman of Green Lake is a co-sponsor of legislation that proponents claim could decrease incidents of harassment, aimed towards high school sports officials.  Assembly Judiciary Committee member, Shae Sortwell of Manitiwoc, expressed some reservations about making such harassment a misdemeanor.  According to the WIAA, harassment has made it difficult to recruit and retain high school referees and umpires. 

A new tracking system will let Wisconsin sexual assault victims get information about the evidence kits associated with their cases.  The Wisconsin Department of Justice will use a 327-thousand-dollar federal grant to pay for the system.  It will be set up to monitor how long those kits spend at different points as they are processed.  The Wisconsin Senate passed a bill last month requiring the state agency to create a database allowing victims to track their kits.  That bill hasn'y had an Assembly hearing yet.

Paper-making giant Kimberly-Clark has announced plans to move 250 of its jobs from Neenah To Chicago.  The company’s manufacturing sites won’t be affected by the change.  Positions in sales, marketing, executive management, and other commercial functions are going.  The company says the positions will be relocated during the first quarter of 2022.  At the same time as Wednesday’s announcement, there was a switchover at the top of the company.  Kim Underhill is the group president of Kimberly-Clark’s North American business.  She is leaving the company after 33 years.

The U-S Department of Labor reports Wisconsin is one of seven states chosen to participate in a new initiative aimed at improving employment outcomes for people with mental health conditions.  The initiative provides Wisconsin with tailored and targeted assistance like expertise to help create and implement a plan encompassing multiple systems – like mental and behavioral health, Medicaid, vocal rehabilitation, workforce, and education.  The federal Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment goes by the acronym ASPIRE.  Minnesota is also participating in the initiative.

 Legislation that will allow motor racetracks in Wisconsin to sell alcohol led a couple of state Senators to address our state's drinking culture on Wednesday. This is Ashland Democrat Janet Bewley. Milwaukee Democrat Lena Taylor said she supports the bill, but that the state also needs additional AODA resources. The measure passed on a voice vote and is now ready for Assembly consideration.

Changes are coming to Kohl’s, but maybe not as many as first thought.   The company is announcing a deal with a group of investors who were pushing for a takeover. The investor’s group will add two of its people to Kohl’s board of directors. The agreement ends the takeover bid that would have seen Kohl’s change many of its business strategies and could have resulted in closing more stores.

The state of Minnesota says more than 605-thousand vehicles are running on state roads with expired registration.  There’s no way to determine if all the vehicles are still operating.  This list includes passenger cars, trailers, off-road vehicles, R-Vs, trucks, and others.  The number could include a vehicle with a Minnesota title with a lien, but the owner has moved to another state and registered his vehicle there.  Twenty-year-old Daunte Wright was pulled over for expired tabs when he was shot last weekend.

Local-Regional News April 15

 Firefighters from Durand, Plum City, and Menomonie responded to an apartment fire above the Flying Dutchman store in Downtown Durand Wednesday.  The call came in at about 10:30 Wednesday morning.  When firefighters arrived they found smoke coming from an apartment and what appeared to be the roof of the building.  Residents and employees of Sundstrom and Company and the Courrier Wedge were evacuated.  No injuries were reported.  Damages are estimated at $100,000 and 6 residents of the building are working with the American Red Cross for living arrangements while repairs are made.  The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical and is still under investigation.

The Durand City Council has approved changes to the Vacant Building Ordinance.  At last night's council meeting, members approved changing section 4 of the ordinance to increase the fees for commercial properties to $2000 for year two, and then increase an additional $1000 per year up to a maximum of $5000 per year.  Section 5 was changed to allow for an exemption to the fees if the vacant building is being used for storage to support a business located within the city of Durand.  Those changes take effect upon publication of the ordinance.

While area health departments have put on hold the use of the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, the Pepin County Health Department will be having multiple clinics this week using the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.  Pepin County Health Officer Heidi Stewart says that here in Pepin County 34.6% or just over 2500 people have been vaccinated for Covid-19.  over 72% of the 65 and older residents in the county have been vaccinated.

Congressman Ron Kind is joining with over 20 other lawmakers to put PFAS chemical regulations and standards into the Clean Water Act. Kind says it should be obvious that the chemical needs regulation, but that at this point it's been up to individual states to handle things.  The designation would not only allow the government to regulate the substances but also provide funding to clean up places that have been contaminated by repeated use. 

 The latest strategy used by scientists in Minnesota and Wisconsin to capture and remove invasive carp involves using huge nets in the Mississippi River.  Underwater sonar and electricity are being used to drive the carp into those nets near La Crosse.  The Departments of Natural Resources in both states are working with the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service and the U-S Geological Survey on the project that started last week.  The work is being done on a section of the river where the carp have been increasing in numbers.

The Wisconsin Senate has approved four significant Republican-sponsored changes to state election rules.  Four bills passed Wednesday would allow the Wisconsin Elections Commission to order city clerks to follow state law, would let observers watch recount workers from three feet away, would determine where election law violators go to trial and would prohibit election officials or local governments from getting private grants to pay for administering an election.  Republicans have said there were issues with the 2020 general election that need to be corrected.

The official who ran Wisconsin’s Department of Health and Human Services for almost two years is now up for a position with the Biden administration.  The U-S Senate Finance Committee is considering Andrea Palm as the next Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Services.  Palm was nominated by President Joe Biden in January.  She has already served in three capacities for the federal agency between 2011 and 2017.  The Senate committee will discuss her candidacy this week.

A Cheteck man charged with felony making terrorist threats has reached a plea settlement.  In March, Chad Boese was arrested after threatening to kill Marshfield Hospital-Eau Claire employees and threatening to drive his truck into the building and start shooting after the Hospital would not allow him to visit his wife who was a patient in the hospital because of the Covid-19 protocols.  The felony charges were dropped and Boese pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was fined $443.

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A proposal from Republican legislators will require the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to work with the state Department of Agriculture to increase agricultural exports by 2026. The bill requires WEDC to spend five million dollars on increasing the value of dairy, meat, and crop exports. A similar but more limited program was included in Governor Evers’ budget proposal. 

Officials with WE Energies say the natural gas odor people in Cudahy were smelling Tuesday night came from a food processing plant.  Workers were evacuated from the Smithfield Foods Patrick Cudahy plant shortly after 8:00 p-m.  Emergency crews responded to several businesses and a couple of homes when the calls first started coming in.  The plant was evacuated and the workers were eventually sent home for the night.  The Cudahy Fire Department says there were seven reports of gas leaks starting at about 6:30 p-m.  No injuries were reported.  Crews from several area fire departments joined hazmat teams in the effort.  WE Energies said the situation wasn’t a public safety issue after the source was determined.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says he does not expect to re-tighten COVID restrictions anytime soon, despite the increase in cases and hospitalizations in Minnesota.  But the governor is also extending his emergency powers another 30 days -- certain to create more friction with Republicans as lawmakers try to agree on a new state budget before the mid-May deadline.  Some Democrats are also pushing Republicans for additional police reforms in the wake of the officer killing of Daunte Wright.  Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka responds the budget is a huge priority and warned Democrats, "don't threaten that we can't get our budgets done if we don't get police accountability."

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress spring hearings are letting the public vote on things like fishing adjustments, bag limits, and size limits.  For the second straight year, the hearings are virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.  There are 57 advisory questions on the agenda and people have 72 hours to make their wishes known online.  New walleye regulations are being considered.  The virtual hearings have been surprisingly popular with record numbers of overall participation.  The Conservation Congress will go over the voting results, then send its recommendations to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board for approval.  The virtual meeting runs through 7:00 p-m Thursday.

State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski (god-LOO-ski) is the latest Democrat to announce a run for U.S. Senate.  Godlewski joins Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry, and Marshfield radiologist Gillian Battino as candidates for 2022. The winner of a Democratic primary may face incumbent Ron Johnson, although the Oshkosh Republican has yet to make up his mind about seeking a third term. Godlewski was elected treasurer in 2018. She worked for Hillary Clinton's 2008 and 2016 presidential campaigns.

It’s mostly back to normal at Wisconsin’s state parks.  The Department of Natural Resources says all outdoor spaces in state parks can return to 100-percent capacity. Indoor spaces, like concession stands, are still limited to 50-percent capacity for now. The D-N-R saw record crowds last year because of the coronavirus, and expects large crowds once again this year. 

Local-Regional News April 14

 The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Vacant Building Ordinance, and the council will also vote on the ordinance after the public meeting.  Other items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on an outstanding invoice to the Durand Swim Club for swimming lessons in 2019, and an update on the Tarrant Park Pool.  Tonight's meeting is at 6:30 at Durand City Hall and will be live-streamed on our YouTube Channel at Durand Broadcasting WRDN.

Those interested in purchasing land in the Pesso Creek development in Mondovi to take advantage of the tax abatement program have until July 1st.  At last night's Mondovi City Council meeting, the council approved ending the program on July 1st.    Also at last night's meeting, Mayor Weiss told members of an issue with the storm drain on Riverside Drive that could be causing some flooding.  The Mayor said that the city engineering is looking at the issue to come up with a solution.  

The Pepin and Dunn County Health Departments have put on hold vaccination clinics due to the hold on using the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.    If you received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine from the health department or another provider and are experiencing severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within 21 days of vaccination, you are to contact your healthcare provider or seek medical care.

Wisconsin's sixth community-based COVID vaccination clinic opens next week in Barron County.  The site at the UW-Eau Claire Rice Lake campus will begin giving shots Tuesday, April 20th.  The goal is to administer at least 200 doses a day with the ability to give up to 500 shots per day.  Anyone age 16 and older can schedule an appointment on the Wisconsin COVID-19 Vaccine Registry.  Governor Tony Evers say these clinics are aimed to optimize local vaccination efforts by closing the gaps in vaccine access across the state.

Less than a week after the April election a member of the Eau Claire City Council has submitted her resignation.  Mai Xiong wasn’t running for reelection this time.  She is leaving to serve as vice-chair of the Governor’s Equity and Inclusion Council – an appointment she received late last month.  She says she is excited about her new responsibilities but sad that she must resign.  Xiong says the new position gives her the opportunity to serve the community in the most impactful way she can.  Her resignation is effective immediately.

Low-income Wisconsin families at risk of losing food assistance next month will continue to receive it.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture told the Evers administration Tuesday that an agreement will preserve about 70 million dollars a month in federal aid. That means about 400,000 households will continue to receive extra aid in May that they were at risk of losing because of a recent state Supreme Court decision. The agreement was announced shortly after Assembly Speaker Robin Vos offered a plan to restore the program, which was all but certain to fail because it included provisions opposed by Democrats.

Power companies in Wisconsin can start cutting people’s lights and heat starting Thursday.   The Wisconsin Public Service Commission says utility customers who owe money should make payment arrangements as soon as possible to avoid losing service. Wisconsin’s moratorium on gas and electricity disconnection ends Thursday. That’s when Wisconsin power companies will be allowed to turn off the lights and gas to customers who haven’t been paying their bills.

 Governor Tony Evers says the state will award 100-million dollars from the American Rescue Plan to small businesses and organizations working to eliminate disparities.  Fifty million will be used for Wisconsin Tomorrow - Main Street Bounceback grants.  The program will provide ten-thousand-dollar grants to new or existing businesses that move into vacant storefronts and commercial properties.  The other 50-million dollars will go to the Equitable Recovery Program for grants to community partners doing work to promote equity and inclusion.  The governor's office says racial disparities have persisted in COVID health outcomes and economic impacts.

The incoming state school superintendent says she won’t order Wisconsin schools to fully reopen in September.   Jill Underly tells Channel 12 in Milwaukee that individual school districts will have to make their own choices. That’s consistent with the current Department of Public Instruction policy. Almost every school district in Wisconsin has resumed at least some in-person learning this spring.

Assembly Republicans are engaging Governor Tony Evers in a tug-of-war over billions of dollars in federal stimulus funds.  The Assembly passed nearly a dozen bills Tuesday on how to spend the three-point-two-billion dollars.  Evers is expected to veto the bills if they reach his desk.  He’s already vetoed two bills that would have given lawmakers more control of that federal coronavirus stimulus money.  Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says instead of Evers, by himself, deciding how to spend taxpayer dollars, there should be a “robust debate” letting the public see where its dollars are going.  

A Rusk County father is in custody for allegedly shooting his 36-year-old son to death.  Deputies were called to a home in Sheldon shortly before 6:30 p-m Friday where they found the body of Jesse O’Brien. He had a single gunshot wound.  Fifty-nine-year-old Scott O’Brien was still at the location and was arrested.  He is being held on suspicion of homicide by intoxicated use of a firearm.  The Wisconsin State Patrol and the state Crime Lab have been working with the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office on the investigation.  Neighbors say the father and son lived together in that home in a rural area outside Sheldon.

Authorities in La Crosse say they are holding a suspect in an April 4th shooting.  Julius Lloyd was identified as a suspect last week.  When he was seen getting into a vehicle on La Crosse’s north side, a police officer conducted a traffic stop.  One officer was injured when Lloyd began to resist arrest.  Investigators say more than 700-dollars in cash and 22 bags containing a substance “consistent with cocaine” were found on his person.

U-W System president Tommy Thompson and U-W-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank say it wouldn’t be a good investment to spend 70-million dollars fixing Van Hise Hall.  A concrete slab fell off the Humanities Building last week.  The two university officials say 165-million dollars should be spent to replace Van Hise Hall and build a new Engineering Building on the Madison campus.  Thompson says it’s not just about spending money.  If approved by lawmakers, the projects would be finished by the end of 2025.  Thompson says the work would be “building for the future.”

 The attorney for convicted killer Steven Avery says a new witness came forward with information Sunday, leading her to file a motion with the state Appeals Court.  Kathleen Zellner claims Avery’s nephew, Bobby Dassey, planted the victim’s car at the Avery Salvage Yard in 2005.  Avery is serving time for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach.  Zellner says Thomas Sowinski told her he was delivering newspapers when he saw Dassey and another man pushing a dark blue RAV-4 down the road toward the junkyard.  Sowinski says Dassey tried to stop him from leaving.  He says he told the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office, but nobody interviewed him.  Dassey was one of the key prosecution witnesses against his uncle.

The State Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday in a case about how police are allowed to use cell phone data to catch suspects in crimes. At issue is the murder case against George Burch. Police caught Burch by connecting him to the case with the use of cell phone data from a previous and unrelated case. Attorney Ana Lyn Babcock says police wildly overstepped their bounds and should have deleted that data.   Attorneys for the state argue that Burch signed over a consent form at the time he originally offered up that data, and that gave police full consent to do whatever they wanted with the information on the phone. 

It's Severe Weather Awareness Week, and Andrew Beckett with Wisconsin Emergency Management says it's critical to know where to shelter when storms and tornados approach.   You can learn more about how to prepare your household for severe weather at Ready Wisconsin-dot-WI-dot gov.

Local-Regional News April 13

The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include a presentation on proposed improvements to the Farrington Field Pavillion, an update on the Independence Day Celebration and discussion, and possible action on an application for a Community Development Block Grant.  Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at the Marten Center.

New charges are filed against a Dunn County man in Eau Claire County Court in a second case of sexual assault in which the man pretended to be an Uber driver and offered to give a woman a ride.  According to authorities, 28yr old Larry Young of Menomonie pulled up to a woman walking back to her residence on the UW-Eau Claire Campus posing as an Uber Driver.  Once the woman got into the vehicle, Young locked the doors and attempted to sexually assault her. Young is free on a $2500 cash bond.  He was arrested in March and charged with a similar crime after picking up a woman outside an Eau Claire Bar.

 

Attorneys for the Chippewa County Department of Human Services and three of its employees have filed a brief in federal court asking that the case against them be dismissed.  The workers were singled out for the death of a six-month-old boy in 2018.  The attorneys say the agency and its employees acted appropriately when a 10-year-old girl was placed in a foster home with Jaxon Hunter.  She assaulted the infant causing his death.  D-H-S attorneys say daycare operator Amber Sweeney was responsible.  She was outside doing yard work when the girl dropped Jaxon on the floor and stomped on his head.  Sweeney told investigators she hadn’t shown any aggression toward the other children.

A man in La Crosse has been charged with child sexual assault for the third time. The charges were filed against Vanin Dell McKinnon last week. Investigators say McKinnon sexually assaulted a girl between 2008 and 2012. They say the victim was four years old when the abuse began. McKinnon is already serving an 11-year sentence after being convicted in 2019 of repeatedly assaulting a young girl. His criminal record also includes a 2009 conviction for having sex with a 16-year-old girl. This latest alleged victim says McKinnon was supposed to be watching her while her mother was at work. She says he told her not to tell anyone what he had done.

 Minnesota House Democrats unveiled a nearly one-billion-dollar bonding bill for state public works projects Sunday. That is double what Governor Tim Walz proposed and on the heels of last year's record-breaking one-point-nine-billion-dollar bonding package. House Speaker Melissa Hortman says "needs are still great" across Minnesota and investments are important to get the state's post-COVID economy moving. Senator Tom Bakk (BOCK), who chairs the Senate Bonding Committee, says with federal monies headed to the state he wants to minimize the amount of borrowing done by the state.

A report from the federal government says Wisconsin hasn’t invested in its infrastructure in decades.  The White House report was issued Monday as the Biden administration tries to build support for a two-point-three-trillion dollar program to upgrade the nation’s roads and bridges.  Like most states, Wisconsin was given a grade of “C.”  Eight states were given grades of “D,” and eight more weren’t graded.  No state received an “A” or “B” – and no state failed.  Researchers estimate Wisconsin drivers pay an extra 500-dollars-a-year in car repairs due to road conditions.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin has recovered about forty percent of the more than two million dollars stolen by hackers last year.   That's according to a filing with the Federal Elections Commission. Just before the November 3 election, state party Chair Andrew Hitt said 2-point-3 million had been stolen from the party in a cyberattack. Hackers manipulated information in emails and invoices to vendors the party was using and obtained the funds that way. In an FEC filing late last month, the party noted it had recovered just over 943 thousand dollars through insurance and BMO Harris Bank's Fraud Department in coordination with law enforcement.

A Wisconsin man will be sentenced in July for fraudulently obtaining more than 600-thousand dollars in federal loans.  Forty-two-year-old Stephen Smith got the funding through the Paycheck Protection Program.  He has entered a guilty plea to one count of bank fraud.  Federal prosecutors say Smith made applications on behalf of three companies.  They told the court those loan applications included several false and misleading statements about payroll expenses.  Smith entered the guilty plea during a Monday appearance in Federal Court.

A Chippewa County judge has sentenced a man who led police on a long chase last November to two-and-a-half years in prison.  Andrew Premo had been charged with fleeing an officer.  The high-speed pursuit crossed through four communities.  Authorities used spike strips to deflate all of the tires on his S-U-V, but they say Premo kept driving on the rims until he crashed.  Authorities had to use non-lethal means to take him into custody after he refused to comply with their commands.

The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office reports it has one person of interest in custody as it investigates a fatal shooting that happened Friday.  Deputies were called about a fight near Sheldon at about 6:30 p-m.  When they arrived, they found the dead body of a man who had been shot.  The arrest was made shortly after deputies got there.  No names have been released and no charges have been announced yet.  The investigation is being shared by the sheriff’s office, the Rusk County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and the state crime lab.

 The Seventh U-S Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled Wisconsin’s Democratic governor can exclude members of a conservative think tank from his press conferences.  The federal appeals court upheld the ruling by a lower court that said Governor Tony Evers could keep the MacIver Institute for Public Policy off his email list.  The Institute had alleged the governor violated its staffers’ constitutional rights to free speech, freedom of the press, and equal access.  Federal Judge James Peterson ruled last year that MacIver can still report on Evers’ actions without being invited to his press conferences or getting emails from his office.

It’s not clear what last week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court’s ruling on the state’s eligible-voter list means for the next election.  The high court on Friday ruled local clerks, not the state, are responsible for removing more than 70-thousand voters who have either moved or not voted in years. The Elections Commission says it’s reviewing the ruling. Conservative groups say the ruling sets back efforts to make sure only eligible voters can cast ballots in Wisconsin. Liberal groups say such efforts are an attempt to disenfranchise voters. 

The entrance to the headquarters for the University of Wisconsin System is closed.  The front door to Van Hise Hall in Madison could stay closed for some time. A concrete slab fell off the building on Friday. Governor Evers has ordered all of the other slabs on the building to be removed as a precaution. The governor’s office ordered 50-thousand dollars for an emergency repair at the headquarters building. 

 U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar is working with a colleague from Maine to expand training and support services for families and caregivers of people with dementia.  The Minnesota Democrat is partnered with Republican Senator Susan Collins on the bipartisan Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Act.  It would authorize grant money for expanding training and support services.  The senators say more than six million people in America are living with Alzheimer’s disease and that number is expected to more than double to 13-million by 2050.