Local-Regional News April 4

 A new report by the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Career Services found that despite the economic impacts of COVID-19 the school’s graduates remained in very high demand.   The First Destination Report revealed that 98.4% of graduates from August 2020 through May 2021 advanced their career within six months of earning their diploma, the vast majority with full-time jobs.   That’s up sixth-tenths of a percent from the previous year and only slightly below the university’s pre-pandemic figures.

The Wabasha County Board is meeting tomorrow.  Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on a Grant Agreement for the Hwy 27 project, an extension of an agreement with La Crosse Solid Waste, and approval of the purchase of new servers and other computer parts for the IT Department.  Tomorrow's meeting begins at 9am in the board room at the Wabasha County Government Center.

A New Richmond man convicted by a jury in a fatal shooting was sentenced Friday. WQOW reports that  Sovereignty Sovereign, was sentenced in St. Croix County court to 27 years in prison for reckless homicide and six other crimes.  Sovereign and Joshua Cameron were convicted of the August 2020 shooting death of Richard Rose. Cameron is serving a 13-year sentence for reckless homicide and other charges. 

Prosecutors in Sawyer County have charged a man with felony election fraud for voting in the November 2020 presidential election. Jeffery Billyboy was on supervised release when he cast the ballot. That means he wasn’t eligible to vote. Officials haven’t said who Billyboy voted for. A conviction on the election fraud charge would mean he would spend up to six months in jail.

 Tomah police say a 26-year-old coach in the local school district has been accused of sexually assaulting a student.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports Kaitlyn Sankey of Elroy is the powerlifting coach at Tomah High School.  She is accused of having sexual contact with a 17-year-old student.  Police have recommended felony charges of sexual assault of a child to both the Monroe County and Juneau County district attorney offices.  Both the police department and the administration of the school district conducted investigations of the report.

A Waukesha County judge is scheduled to decide on a trial date for Christmas Parade attack suspect Darrell Brooks Junior.  Defense attorneys have asked that the trial be delayed until next year.  They say they need more time to prepare a defense for the 39-year-old man accused of driving an S-U-V through the parade crowd, killing six people and injuring more than 60.  Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow is expected to set the trial date today (Monday).  The defense has also filed a motion for a change of venue, saying Brooks can’t get a fair trial with a Waukesha County jury.

Legal maneuvering over the Republican review of the 2020 election in Wisconsin will stretch into at least July. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez on Friday set a July 11 hearing to determine whether Michael Gableman, the attorney overseeing the partisan probe, has authority to jail mayors and other local officials who he claims have failed to cooperate. Those officials say they can’t be compelled to testify to Gableman in private. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has extended the taxpayer-funded investigation several times and will have to do so again if it lasts beyond the end of April.

If you haven't started filing your taxes yet, now's the time. IRS spokesman Christopher Miller says you've got a little extra time to do so this year.   As always, Miller says the best way to file your taxes is electronically, to help prevent errors and to make sure it makes it to the IRS on time. You can find a list of online preparers at I R S dot Gov. 

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources confirms finding “bird flu” in wild birds around the state.   State ag department officials report that the Jefferson County commercial egg producer affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza has completed depopulating, and there are no new commercial or backyard outbreaks. Wild birds are suspected of carrying the virus to domestic poultry flocks in several states, and the DNR says it was found in several different bird species in Dane, Columbia, Grant, Milwaukee, and Polk counties. Highly pathogenic avian influenza is usually fatal for birds but does not affect humans.

With the early-voting deadline coming up Sunday some Wisconsin election officials may be ignoring the state Supreme Court ruling on absentee ballots.  Sunday is the last day for in-person, absentee voting.  Different communities are reportedly taking different approaches to the high court ruling on returning those ballots.  The League of Wisconsin Municipalities is warning that it is a civil rights violation for clerks and election-day workers to accept a ballot from anyone but the person who filled it out.  Milwaukee’s elections commissioner has said her office won’t check I-Ds when voters return their ballots and will continue to allow people to return absentee ballots for others.

Authorities in Outagamie County have charged a Minnesota man with stealing more than 43-thousand dollars’ worth of gold coins.  W-L-U-K / T-V reports 37-year-old Travis Burrell faces one felony count of retail theft.  The incident happened Monday at Voecks’ Fox Valley Coin and Diamonds in Kimberly.  An employee says a man was holding cash when he came into the store Monday and asked to see the coins.  When they were taken out of a safe, the robber allegedly grabbed them and ran out the door.  An armed security guard fired shots at the robber but he got away.  He was arrested later in Winnebago County.

Minnesota Republicans used Thursday's  end of the first quarter for businesses, to try to push a bill through the Minnesota House to replenish the state’s COVID-depleted Unemployment Insurance Fund. House Republican Minority Leader Kurt Daudt  said, “we need to take care of this so that we don’t put an undue tax on the job-creators here in this state.” But Democrats refuse to move any bill until Senate Republicans agree to more than the 250 million dollars authorized last year for COVID front-line worker bonuses. They contend those workers deserve part of the state’s nine-plus-billion-dollar budget surplus. Republicans responded that “all” workers deserve a permanent tax cut.

Governor Tony Evers has vetoed a bill that would have allowed enhanced penalties for rioters.   Governor Evers vetoed the proposal that passed the Republican-controlled Legislature. The idea was to allow for misdemeanor charges against anyone who attended a protest that turned into a riot, and allow for felony charges against anyone who participated in the riot. The governor says Wisconsin already has laws that cover unlawful assemblies and violence. He says this bill could’ve infringed on people’s First Amendment rights.

Minnesota Senate Republicans get their way, as House Democrats have agreed to extend health care reinsurance. The bipartisan deal will see the state spend 700 million dollars over three years to hold down health insurance premiums by paying care costs for the most seriously ill Minnesotans.  Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller praises the deal, saying reinsurance “stabilizes the market to keep rates lower -- and then it also ensures access to all Minnesotans who would like to have that coverage.” Despite the agreement, Democrats remain largely critical of reinsurance, saying it does nothing to hold down deductibles and co-pays.

Plans for a memorial to the Waukesha Christmas parade attack victims are moving forward. The permanent memorial will be built in Grede Park, on the banks of the Fox River, not far from the scene of the tragedy. Six people were killed, and 60 others were injured when an S-U-V sped through the crowd. The Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission says the next job is to design and build the memorial. Planners hope to have it finished by the second anniversary of the attack -- in November of next year.

Local-Regional News April 1

One person is dead after a one-vehicle accident in Pepin County Thursday night.  According to the Pepin County Sheriffs Department, 54yr old Tamara Jo Ellen Flynn was traveling eastbound on Hwy Z when she lost control on a sharp curve and overturned several times into a field.  Flynn was ejected from the vehicle and was prounounced dead at the scene.  Alcohol, excesssive speed, and not wearing seatbelt all appeared to be contributing factors in the crash and death.  

Pepin County Farmers met yesterday in Durand to discuss water quality issues.  The forum sponsored by Farmers For Health featured Walter Goldstein of the Mandaamin Institute discussing test plot results of corn hybrids that do not need nitrogen fertilizer, groundwater specialist Kevin Masarik from UW Stevens Point, and the Pepin County Health Department.  A round table discussion with area farmers discussed ways cover crops are being used on farms to help improve water quality.

UW-Eau Claire, the State of Wisconsin, and the Mayo Clinic partnered with healthcare startup Momentum West to discuss a new plan that could boost rural healthcare services in northwestern Wisconsin at an event Thursday.  The plan will use $9.4 million of state grants from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to increase the number of healthcare workers in the region.

Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig and Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind are commending U-S House passage of the Affordable Insulin Now Act.  Kind says it caps insulin prices at 35 dollars a month and saves American families thousands of dollars on their medication. Craig says no one should have to choose between paying for lifesaving insulin and other necessities like food and rent.

With motorists paying an average of more than four bucks a gallon for gas, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin says oil company execs have some explaining to do.    The Wisconsin Democrats' comments come as President Joe Biden has announced the largest-ever release of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, in an effort to bring a little bit of relief at the pump.

The DNR will hold its annual spring hearing this month to gauge reaction to possible rule changes.  Among the hunting questions, this year is whether the state should go back to in-person deer registration stations, wearing backtags, and deer-tagging procedures.   Fishing questions include whether the walleye bag limit should be reduced from five to three on all inland waters, and whether to move the northern musky season to the first Saturday in May.  There are 63 questions total and online voting starts on April 11 at 7 p.m. and goes until 7 p.m. on April 14.

A bill passed unanimously by the Minnesota Senate includes eight-and-a-half-million dollars in drought relief funding and one-point-five million for the response to avian influenza. Senator Torrey Westrom of Elbow Lake says one dairy farmer he talked to drives every week from the Melrose area down to Renville to pick up a semi load of wet beet pulp. He says “that's something they’ve never fed their dairy cattle before, but that’s what's getting them through.” The House version of the bill has a provision to help restore trees damaged by the drought, but Representative Mike Sundin (sun-DEEN) of Esko has signaled he’s willing to temporarily set that aside so the drought and avian flu package can move forward.

Scientists with the Department of Natural Resources have confirmed a strain of avian flu has been identified in wild birds in south-central Wisconsin.  Samples were collected from several birds, including Cooper’s hawk and a bald eagle in Dane County.  Other wild birds were checked out in Columbia, Grant, Milwaukee, and Polk counties.  The D-N-R announcement follows reports of positive cases found by the U-S Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center.  Cases of bird flu were present last month at a commercial chicken operation in Jefferson County.

He was probably being urged to run for another term as governor.  Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson is thinking about another campaign at the age of 80.  He met with former President Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida Thursday.  Wisconsin’s longest-serving governor last held elective office in 2001 when he left to become secretary of the U-S Department of Health and Human Services for President George W. Bush.  He lost a race for the U-S Senate 10 years ago against Tammy Baldwin and just served as interim president for the University of Wisconsin System.

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Authorities in central Wisconsin are still looking for the suspect who shot two people in Wisconsin Dells Wednesday morning.  Police say they believe they know who the shooter was but the suspect’s name hasn’t been released.  W-M-T-V reports officers and E-M-S crews were called early in the morning to an area on the frontage road.  The victims were taken to a local hospital and their medical conditions have been stabilized.  Investigators say they have determined the shooting happened about a mile and a half away from when the victims were found.

 One of the two deputies injured when they were attacked inside the Dane County Jail Wednesday had to seek hospital treatment.  Officials say 32-year-old Timothy Thomas of Portland, Oregon assaulted the two at about 8:30 a-m as they were conducting routine wellness checks and inspections.  W-K-O-W / T-V reports Thomas is being held at the jail in Madison by the U-S Marshal Service while it requests federal charges to be filed.  Additional deputies responded and put him in restraints.  Charges of battery to a law enforcement officer will be referred to the Dane County D-A.

Prosecutors are considering misdemeanor charges against a Washington County Board supervisor who dropped his gun during a recent meeting.   Investigators allege Timothy Michalak didn’t have a valid concealed carry permit when a gun dropped from his waistband at a county board meeting on March 9th. An investigation into the incident revealed that Michalak’s concealed-carry permit had expired. When he was asked about it, the sheriff's office alleges Michalak implied that as an elected official, he thought he was exempt from the law. Michalak is also the mayor of Hartford. The sheriff’s office is asking for misdemeanor weapons charges that could carry a ten-thousand-dollar fine.

The country is only heading into the midterm elections, but politicians are looking to the 2024 presidential elections. The new Marquette Law School Poll shows that President Joe Biden has the edge over three potential Republican Challengers nationwide. But poll director Charles Franklin says a lot of people didn't want to vote for any of the matchups.  Biden won out over former President Donald Trump, former vice president Mike Pence, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. 

Seventy-eight Minnesota farms, including some with histories dating back to the 1870s and ’80s, will be honored as “Century Farms” at the State Fair by the Minnesota Farm Bureau this year. The Bureau’s Rachael Peterson says the farms will play a special role in keeping the history of Minnesota agriculture alive. Century Farms must be in continuous family ownership for 100 years or more and be at least 50 acres in size. Twelve of the 78 honorees this year date back to the late 1800s, and one dates all the way back to 1859. Peterson says, “it is just really cool for people to go back and look through their history, their family records, to really know where their family farms came from and how they got to where they are today.”

The 60th Anniversary W-P-S Farm Show returned after a two-year absence during the pandemic.  The three-day event wrapped up Thursday on the E-A-A grounds in Oshkosh.  Farmers had the chance to observe the latest technology, but there have also been many discussions about the escalating cost of things like fuel and fertilizer.  The fertilizer may be in short supply for the planting season.  A crowd of 20-thousand visitors from across the Midwest was expected to attend by the time the event runs its course.

Local-Regional News March 31

A Menomonie man, convicted of multiple sex crimes has completed his sentence and is now back in Menomonie.  According to the Dunn County Sheriff's Department, Brian Thibado was released Tuesday and is living on 463rd Street in Menomonie.  He will be under supervision and is under GPS monitoring.  Thibado was convicted in Dunn County of multiple sex offenses against children between 2010 and 2018, including second-degree sexual assault of a child. 

At a special board meeting Tuesday night, the Plainview-Elgin-Millville School Board voted to select the district’s next superintendent.   The board voted and selected Darrin Strosahl, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Operating Officer at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, Minnesota, to be the superintendent.  Stroshal is taking over for Bill Ihrke who will retire at the end of the school year.  Strosahl is expected to start on July 1st.

Residents of Pepin and Pierce County will have the opportunity to get rid of unwanted hazardous waste items in April.  The 2022 Spring Clean Sweep will be on April 23rd at the Pierce County Recycling Center in Ellsworth.  Unwanted household chemicals like cleaners, solvents, paints will be accepted free of charge.   Unused prescription drugs will also be accepted.   For more information on the Clean Sweep, contact Pepin or Pierce County Solid Waste Departments.

The City of La Crosse has canceled an offer to purchase a motel that would have served as housing homeless residents.   The City Council previously approved the use of one-and-a-half million dollars in American Rescue Plan funds to purchase the Maple Grove Motel. It would have served as a temporary place for homeless people to live while they looked for permanent housing and a location for treatment services for mental health and addiction. In a statement, La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds said that the purchase cancelation was due to “a failure to cure defects” at the property, following an inspection that found structural and electrical issues.

A Dane County judge is holding Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and members of the Wisconsin Assembly in contempt of court for failing to provide documents after they were ordered to do so.  W-B-A-Y / T-V reports the records were part of a lawsuit over Michael Gableman’s election investigation.  Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn had given Vos until November 19th to turn over the records and the response didn’t satisfy the judge.  Wednesday's ruling stated, “the court concludes Robin Vos and the Assembly … have chosen to willfully violate a court order.”  They have 14 days to submit sworn affidavits then the parties will face fines of a thousand dollars a day.

The 2022 tribal fishing season gets underway soon.   Ojibwe tribal members have treaty-protected rights to fish in certain Wisconsin waterways, and anyone who interferes with that could face legal consequences. Department of Natural Resources Secretary Preston Cole said the agency has “zero-tolerance” for harassment of tribal members exercising their rights to harvest fish using various methods, including spearing and netting. Attorney General Josh Kaul said any attempt to interfere with treaty fishing is illegal and should be reported to local law enforcement and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC).

Naval ships worth millions of dollars are headed to dry dock.  The U-S Navy is reportedly looking to shelve nine Littoral Combat Ships built in Wisconsin, including the U-S-S Milwaukee.  The move is part of a larger plan to cut back on costs over the next five years.  The L-C-S fleet never performed the way the Navy wanted and many of the ships are still not being used.  The Department of Defense is looking to the future with a new class of missile frigates that could replace the fleet.  Those ships will also be built in Wisconsin.

SMART Toyota in Madison says its new and used parking lot is normally filled with about 200 vehicles for sale.  Right now, there are only 80 available.  Wisconsin car dealerships simply can’t keep up with the demand for new or used vehicles.  Before the pandemic, General Sales Manager Justin Jackson tells W-M-T-V cars would sit on the dealership lot for at least 45 days before they were sold – now, they’re gone in 12 days.  Jackson says some customers might end up waiting a year to get the car they want.  He says no one knows when the demand will subside.

Two months after he was charged with possession of child pornography, the head of the Wisconsin veterans policy board has resigned.  Curtis Schmitt Junior sent a short resignation letter to Governor Evers Monday.  Schmitt was charged with three felony counts of possession in January.  He pleaded not guilty and the case is still pending.  Evers asked him to step down the day after the charges were filed.  The governor’s office said that request was ignored and Schmitt hadn’t responded to communication efforts.

“Quit sitting on the budget surplus” – that’s the message from the Education Minnesota teachers’ union to Senate Republicans, whose top priority is permanent tax cuts. Union president Denise Specht (SPECK) says she doesn’t know how we could even be talking about tax cuts “when we have school districts that have been starved for resources for decades.” Republicans respond the state has thrown money at public schools, but student test scores are static at best and the achievement gap hasn’t closed.  They’re pushing “back to basics” and what they term school choice options for parents -- which opponents label as school vouchers.

Local officials say at least 62 voters in Kenosha County received the wrong ballots for the April 5th election.  Test ballots were accidentally sent to voters in two wards in Somers.  Those ballots come from the county and are used to test the voting machines.  The Wisconsin Elections Commission says this kind of mistake happens a couple of times for each election and there are ways for local officials to fix the problem.  The voters have been asked to destroy the bad ballots and the correct ones have already been sent to replace them.

Legislation co-sponsored by Minnesota Congressman Pete Stauber would ban imports of uranium from Russia. The Energy Information Administration says the U-S purchased more than 34 million pounds of uranium from 2016 through 2020. The Eighth District Republican says banning uranium imports from Russia can “stop funding for Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine, create jobs for American workers, and secure our national defense.” The U-S has already banned imports of Russian oil, natural gas, and coal.

Another report says too many people in Wisconsin drink too much.   The report from the Wisconsin Council on Alcohol and other Drug Abuse says drinking and binge-drinking rates in Wisconsin are much higher than the national average.   The report says 64-percent of people in Wisconsin have had a drink in the past month, and 21 percent have had four or more in one sitting. The report concludes higher taxes and higher prices could help lessen binge drinking. The group also says no more selling alcohol at gas stations might help.

A major soccer matchup could be taking place in Green Bay.   A number of reports say Manchester City will play an exhibition game against German team Bayern Munich at Lambeau Field in July. The Packers hadn’t confirmed the reports as of Wednesday morning, but the team has said it will host a major event this year. It would be a bit of an informal exchange. The Packers will play their first regular-season game in London this fall. 

Local-Regional News March 30

 The Durand Fire Department has announced the date of their spring dinner and dance fundraiser.  The event will be May 14th from Noon-10pm.  Music from 40 Fingers from 1=5pm and the Whitesidewalls from 6:30-9:30pm.  Chicken dinners will be served from Noon-7pm and new this year will be a 5k run-walk.  To register for the walk call Jen King at Durand City Hall.

 

One person is dead after a house fire in Wanamingo on Monday.  According to the Goodhue County Sheriffs Department, firefighters responded to the fire Monday night after the occupants of the home smelled something burning.  Monica Siegle ran to a neighbor's house to call 911 and thought her husband was behind her, but he was still inside.  The neighbor tried to enter the home but was met by black smoke.  Jay Siegle was found in the home by firefighters who attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful.  The fire is not considered suspicious and is under investigation by the Minnesota Fire Marshall's Office.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls will receive $260,215 in support from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin this year to enhance its water-related academic programs.  The funding is part of a statewide initiative, backed by the Wisconsin State Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers, to tackle 10 groundwater challenges and support curriculum development, undergraduate research opportunities, career development, and field training experiences for students interested in studying water-related fields at the 13 UW System schools.

Eau Claire’s school's superintendent says someone is making violent threats over the district’s gender identity policy.   Eau Claire's school district policy states that parents are not entitled to know if their children are changing gender identities at school. That knowledge must be earned, and the district’s priority is to support the student. Superintendent Michael Johnson sent a note to parents Monday to say that School Board President Tim Nordin got an email last week threatening him, his family, and the school board with violence. Johnson defends the policy, saying it’s a safety issue.

A grass fire in the median on I-94 closed the eastbound lanes and the left westbound lane of the interstate for about 90 minutes from Northfied to Osseo on Tuesday.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, the fire burned about 4 acres and backed up traffic for over a mile as fire crews worked the blaze.  There was also a semi vs car accident that blocked the interstate.  Fire danger in Wisconsin is still listed as high in many areas.

La Crosse County Circuit Judge Ramona Gonzalez set a half-million-dollar cash bond for a homicide suspect during a Monday hearing.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports 35-year-old Karvel Freeman of Madison is one of two suspects in a fatal shooting that happened last January.  Freeman had been on the run until he was finally arrested in Tennessee three weeks ago.  He faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety.  Freeman and 25-year-old Nelson Brown of Rockford, Illinois are accused of killing Ernest Knox.  Brown is still at large.

A Monroe County jury has been seated and the homicide trial for a Tomah man accused of killing a three-year-old child is underway.  W-K-B-T / T-V reports 37-year-old Marcus Anderson is accused of abusing the boy so badly he died in May 2019.  Assistant District Attorney Sarah Skiles told the court Kyson Rice had 200 bruises on his body and he had been hit in the head almost 30 times.  The prosecutor says an autopsy showed the boy was beaten to death.  Investigators say Anderson changed his story about what had happened several times.

 A Southwest Airlines flight returned to Mitchell International Airport just 24 minutes after it took off early Tuesday morning.  The pilot reported a problem with one of the engines on the Boeing 737.  A passenger told W-I-S-N / T-V she heard two pops and saw something that looked like a spark or flame from the right-wing.  The plane landed safely.  The flight to Baltimore originally took off at 6:00 a-m.  The 138 passengers were loaded on another plane and it departed at about 9:00 a-m.  Mechanics were inspecting the original plane at the gate after the passengers got off.

The Minnesota Senate has sent a bill to the governor requiring state holdings in Russia and Belarus to be divested.  Tuesday’s vote was unanimous.  Backers say it was prompted by Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine.  The legislation also prohibits Minnesota state agencies from entering contracts with companies in Russia and Belarus.  That move codifies an executive order previously issued by Governor Tim Walz.  

The Minnesota state Senate could vote Thursday on a drought relief package that includes emergency assistance on the avian flu outbreak that’s threatening Minnesota poultry operations. The House already passed its bill, but Republican Senator Torrey Westrom from Elbow Lake says a D-N-R funding measure in it “is going to be like a boat anchor and slow it down.” He's calling for the emergency response for farming and drought relief to be separate. Representative Mike Sundin (sun-DEEN') from Esko responds the D-N-R provision is to restore tree seedling supplies damaged by drought -- but Sundin also says he’s “very, very appreciative” of cooperation to include avian flu provisions.

A good crowd gathered Monday morning as the City of Eau Claire re-opened the historic High Bridge.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports the 140-year-old structure was closed last June after the pavement was seen buckling and cracking on the bridge.  Restoration of the bridge piers was a factor in driving the cost of the repairs up to three-point-four-million dollars.  The 900-foot-long span crosses the Chippewa River near Eau Claire’s Cannery District.  City officials say the completed project means the bridge could be good for another 30-to-50 years.

Wisconsin lawmakers may be stepping-in to help county fair winners across the state.  The state Department of Agriculture, which helps pay for county fairs across Wisconsin, wants to change the rules so the state will only pay winners to win once. County fairs would have to cover the prize money for people who win at more than one county fair. State Senator Howard Marklein says that would be too tough and too expensive for most county fairs in Wisconsin. Marklein on Friday said lawmakers are looking to overturn the new rule and help county fairs, and fair winners.

Now that the first cases of bird flu have been confirmed in poultry flocks in Meeker, Mower, and Stearns counties, Doctor Dale Lauer of the Board of Animal Health is reminding all poultry producers to remain vigilant. He says they need to exercise or have their bio-security measures in place, which means no visitors, clean boots, and clean clothes. He also says to keep your birds indoors as much as possible and avoid contact with wild birds and waterfowl. And finally, if they do see something they need to say something. A U-S-D-A emergency response team will arrive in Minnesota today to support the state’s disease control and containment efforts of H-5-N-1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Schools around the state are getting another big financial boost to help keep students safe. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is providing more than eight-point-two million dollars in grants from the Safe Routes to School program, which will go to nearly 180 schools around Minnesota. M-N-DOT’s Dave Cowan says the money aims to reduce traffic congestion around schools by making it safer and easier for students to walk and bicycle to school. Since 2005, M-N-DOT has awarded more than 50 million dollars in federal and state funds to communities to support Safe Routes to School.

The La Crosse Area Habitat for Humanity office is going to receive a two-million-dollar donation.  Habitat Board President Jim Szymalak says discussions are already underway on how to use the significant financial boost from author MacKenzie Scott, a nationally-known philanthropist.  W-K-B-T / T-V reports Scott is donating a total of 436-million dollars to Habitat for Humanity International.  The money is called La “transformational.”  It could be used for more home building projects, but it could also help seniors looking to stay in their homes by replacing water heaters, installing wheelchair ramps, making doorways wider, and other projects.

A bar in Oshkosh is cleaning up after some unruly behavior by an unusual intruder.   Security footage shows a herd of deer running past Dublin's Irish Pub. The bar posted a video on Facebook of one of the deer crashing through the bar’s main window. It's not clear if the deer was hurt. Dublin’s says it’s still open for business.

Local-Regional News March 29

 Two people were injured in a one-vehicle accident in Trimbelle Township on Sunday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 27yr old Francisco Rivera of Red Wing was traveling eastbound on Hwy K when he lost control and entered the north ditch, and overturned.  Both Rivera and passenger 36yr old Cassy Hoven of Ellsworth were trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated.  Both were taken to Red Wing Mayo Hospital.

Parents of teenagers are invited to attend the Buffalo County Partnership Council's Wake Up Call presentation tonight from 5-8pm at Cochran-Fountain City School.  Parents will tour a mock-up bedroom that will show ways teens conceal alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs or items that may indicate drug use.  The goal of the presentation is to educate parents and other adults about seemingly innocent items that may indicate substance abuse.

The Lake City Yard Compost and Brush Chipping Site will open this Friday for Lake City Residents.  Grass clippings, garden debris, and leaves will be accepted at the Yard Compost Area.  Residents are reminded not to rake those items into the street as city crews will not pick them up.  The site will be open Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 10am-6pm and Saturday from 9-5.   A permit sticker is required and for more information visit residents should visit City Hall.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reports human remains were found inside a burning building Monday morning.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports the remains were discovered as firefighters worked inside the apartment building in Milltown shortly after 4:30 a-m.  The name of the victim hasn’t been released.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.  The first crews arriving on the scene reported the roof was “gone” and the building was fully engulfed.  No other injuries were reported.

If you use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers on your computer or smartphone, you will want to update it as soon as possible.  Google announced that there is a security flaw and users should update their browsers.  Users of either browser can click on the three dots menu in the upper right-hand corner, click “Help” and then “About” Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. That will show whether there is an update available.

A late January court date has been set for the man accused of killing a Clark County woman.  Jesus Contreras Perez is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, stalking, and hiding a corpse.  The body of the victim, 28-year-old Cassandra Ayon, has never been found.  Ayon reportedly told her friends she and Contreras Perez had an abusive relationship and she felt threatened after she broke it off.  Contreras Perez is being held on a one-million-dollar bond.  Ayon’s family says there has been no traceable activity on her accounts and there is no evidence she ever left the country.

A plan by Oshkosh Defense to keep production of new electric US Postal Service trucks in Wisconsin was reportedly scuttled by Foxconn.   The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that a request from Oshkosh Defense to rent or lease a building on the Foxconn campus in Mount Pleasant to build those new vehicles was turned down. That reportedly contributed to a decision to build the trucks at an Oshkosh Defense facility in South Carolina. A statement from Oshkosh Defense said that Wisconsin did not have any available buildings of the dimensions required to meet the postal service contract.

The State Supreme Court will not give Senator Ron Johnson special permission to speak at oral arguments over the use of absentee ballot drop boxes.   Attorneys for Senator Johnson filed a brief in that case but also asked the Supreme Court for equal time in oral arguments alongside the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the plaintiffs in the case. The Court accepted those briefs but denied Johnson the right to speak at arguments. Justices said that the parties involved may cede some of their time to the Senator, but that no extra time will be granted to either side.

Wisconsin agriculture officials are warning people with backyard chickens about bird flu. The Department of Agriculture says people thinking adding chickens to their backyard flocks this spring should not get them from Jefferson County. A bird flu outbreak there has led to quarantine and the destruction of more than two-and-a-half million chickens. Ag officials are is also recommending people to keep their chickens safe by keeping their surroundings clean and sanitary. 

Disability rights groups say new rules on Wisconsin absentee ballots are going to disenfranchise some voters.  Marilee Adamski-Smith tells W-K-O-W’s Capital City Sunday she won’t be allowed to cast a ballot.  Adamski-Smith was born without arms and legs.  A Wisconsin Supreme Court order means people aren’t allowed to have assistance getting absentee ballots into mailboxes – even if they do get help filling out the ballots.  The only exceptions are for people on jury duty and those who are hospitalized.  Conservatives say allowing people to collect and mail ballots for other voters will lead to “ballot harvesting” and will compromise election security.

A man wanted for a domestic incident in Monroe County last summer has been arrested in Vermont.  W-C-A-X / T-V reports 32-year-old Christopher Herricks was taken into custody Saturday night in Sharon, Vermont.  Herricks is accused of threatening a family member with a knife.  There was an arrest warrant in his name for the Wisconsin incident that happened in 2020.  A Monroe County judge ordered that Herrick be committed after he was found not competent to stand trial on multiple charges, including strangulation and suffocation, battery, and disorderly conduct.

Minnesota U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar is calling on Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any future lawsuits filed over the 2020 presidential race. It comes in the wake of revelations that his wife, Ginni Thomas, sent numerous text messages to then-Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging him to find ways to keep Donald Trump in office prior to the January sixth riot. During appearances on A-B-C’s “This Week,” Klobuchar called it “unbelievable” that the wife of a U-S Supreme Court justice would “advocate for an insurrection…for overturning a legal election to the president’s chief of staff.” Ginni Thomas has denied having any role in the events of January sixth.

 Despite the long controversy over counting votes in Wisconsin very few people showed up Saturday morning when the Madison City Clerk’s Office tested 92 voting machines.  W-M-T-V reports they turned the machines on, checked the system, and ran test ballots through the voting process.  One city official says the biggest challenge is making adjustments for court-ordered ward changes after redistricting.  The Wisconsin Elections Commission suggests people check MyVote.WI.Gov to find their polling places for the April 5th spring election.

Minnesota Poison Control is encouraging Minnesotans to add the Poison Control number to their phones in case of emergency. Spokeswoman Samantha Lee says, “whether you have a child who got into a cleaner, whether it’s your parents or grandparents that made a medication error,” they can help. The number to call is 1-800-222-1222, to their phones so they can be prepared in a poison emergency – Lee says all calls are free and confidential. Poison prevention tips can be found at w-w-w-dot-M-N-poison-dot-org.

Local-Regional News March 28

 Firefighters responded to three vehicles on fire at the Park and Ride lot at Hwy 12 and I-94 near Elk Mound on Thursday morning.  According to the Dunn County Sheriff's Department, firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to other vehicles in the lot.  A vehicle was seen leaving the lot after the fire was started and was pulled over in St. Croix County.  Two individuals were taken into custody on unrelated charges.  The cause of the fire is suspicious and remains under investigation by the Wisconsin Fire Marshall and Dunn County Sheriff's Department.

Incumbent 31st State Senator Jeff Smith has announced he will run for re-election this fall.  Smith made the announcement on Saturday.  Smith said his priorities during a second term would include more support for public schools, campaign finance reform, and fair legislative maps.  

Winona native Tyler Jacob was released by Russian officials who detained him in Crimea about two weeks ago. Jacob had been living in Ukraine. U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar says U-S Ambassador John Sullivan brought up Tyler's case in discussions with Moscow. Klobuchar says she's "grateful that we were able to help bring him to safety."

A coalition of Wisconsin dairy farmers wants to chart a new course for the industry.  Instead of limiting milk production, the Dairy Revitalization Plan focuses on reducing the negative impacts of uncontrolled expansion. The Dairy Together group worked with researchers at UW-Madison to create models for what a mandatory management program could look like and how it would affect farm and consumers prices. The group which includes members of both the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and the Wisconsin Farmers Union has held a recent series of meetings, hoping to include the proposal in the next farm bill.

A La Crosse man is dead after a one-vehicle accident on I-94 in Jackson County on Friday.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, 42yr old Jamall Amir Cox-Bey was traveling westbound on I-94 near mile marker 111 when he lost control and his vehicle rolled over.  Cox-Bey was transported to Regions Hospital but died from his injuries.  That accident remains under investigation.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health confirmed the state’s first cases of bird flu. Flocks in Meeker and Mower counties tested positive Friday. State Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen says they have staff and equipment to handle an outbreak. Peterson also stressed the risk to the public is very low and there are no food safety concerns as the birds produced are all tested before going to market. Impacted flocks are depopulated to prevent the virus from spreading and barns must be cleaned and disinfected before they can be used again.

The Wisconsin unemployment rate fell to two-point-nine percent in February, tying a record low mark for the state according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The number represents the lowest mark since before the spring of 2020. The private sector added more than 20-thousand jobs to help push the unemployment rate down. Workforce participation remained unchanged from January.

Increased penalties for harming health care workers are now the law in Wisconsin.   Assaults or threats against health care workers or their families is now a Class H felony, which means up to six years in prison, and up to ten thousand dollars in fines. Governor Evers signed the bill into law Thursday. Wisconsin Hospital Association President and CEO Eric Borgerding say threats are pushing people to choose between caring for patients or leaving the profession. The hospital association’s most recent annual workforce report finds vacancies went up last year for many hospital jobs.

The chair of the state veterans board has not resigned, despite a request from the governor’s office. Thirty-eight-year-old Curtis L. Schmitt Junior chairs the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs. Schmitt pleaded not guilty in January to three felony counts of possession of child pornography. He’s due back in court in Milwaukee on Tuesday. Governor Tony Evers appointed Schmitt in 2019 and he was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate. Evers’ requested that Schmitt resigns from the board, but the governor’s office said that has not happened. Schmitt remains listed as chair on the board’s website.

The U-S Postal Service has placed its first order for the next generation of mail vehicles with Oshkosh Defense.  Even though the company is based in Wisconsin those vehicles will be manufactured at a plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  Oshkosh Corporation workers had lobbied the company to build them here.  Production is scheduled to start next year.  The first order is for 50-thousand vehicles, with a minimum of 10-thousand to be zero-emission battery electric vehicles.  The total federal contract is worth almost three billion dollars.  Oshkosh defense won the contract last February.

The lawyer for the former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice heading the elections probe says decertifying the 2020 president results is impossible.  Attorney James Bopp appeared in front of the Assembly Elections Committee Thursday.  He told lawmakers the only way to remove President Biden “is by his death, resignation, impeachment, or disability under the 25th Amendment.”  Just weeks ago, special investigator Michael Gableman told the same committee the Wisconsin Legislature should look seriously into decertifying the election results.  Bopp said Thursday that trying to do that would be “pointless.”

Members of the Minnesota Ukrainian community were in the gallery as the Minnesota House unanimously passed a bill requiring the state to divest its holdings in entities in Russia and Belarus. The Minnesota Senate is expected to approve it early this week. State Representative Sydney Jordan of Minneapolis said, “our screens have been filled with images of bombed maternity hospitals, slain families, and frantic refugees lined up to enter other countries.” The legislation also prohibits state agencies from having contracts with companies in Russia and Belarus -- codifying a similar executive order by Governor Tim Walz.

The federal government has taken custody of a Missouri man who is accused of killing two Wisconsin brothers.  K-S-H-B / T-V reports Garland Nelson will face fraud charges in federal court during a trial scheduled for early May.  He will be prosecuted there while he waits for a state murder trial on the Missouri court calendar for next February.  State prosecutors say Nelson killed Shawano County brothers Nick and Justin Diemel when they tried to collect on a 216-thousand-dollar bad check.  He faces two counts of first-degree murder.  Prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are reporting many non-prescription C-B-D products are mislabeled.  A published study finds those products often don’t contain what the labels claim they do.  W-M-T-V reports the researchers from the U-W School of Pharmacy found only 15-percent of the products examined were accurately labeled.  Products like C-B-D-infused beverages, oils, and other miscellaneous items were checked.  Seventy-eight percent of the products were over-labeled, meaning they contained less than 90-percent of the C-B-D they were supposed to contain.  The scientists found some products had detectable levels of T-H-C.

 After U-S officials announced the plan to accept 100-thousand refugees from Ukraine, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar says she thinks Minnesota will get a "higher percentage" of those 100-thousand people. Klobuchar cited the size of the Ukrainian-American population in Minnesota as a reason for her estimate. At the federal level officials indicated 100-thousand was just the first announcement when it comes to refugees from Ukraine being brought to the U-S.

Local-Regional News March 22

 Over a dozen fire departments from Buffalo, Dunn, Pepin, Trempealeau, and Wabasha Counties responded to a barn fire Sunday morning in rural Buffalo County.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, firefighters were called to the barn fire on Hwy N in the Town of Lincoln early Sunday morning.  When firefighters arrived they found the barn fully engulfed.    Crews were on the scene for nearly five hours, but the barn and nearby buildings could not be saved.  Over 100 head of cattle were killed in the blaze.  The cause of that fire is still under investigation.

The 2022 shipping season is now officially underway on the Upper Mississippi River. Melanie Peterson with the Army Corps of Engineers says the motor vessel “W-Red Harris” broke through the ice Monday at Lake Pepin. She says it’s the very first sign of spring and they’re excited to see ships and barges and tows going through our locks and dams. The Red Harris came from St. Louis and was pushing nine barges carrying fertilizer. The average opening date of the Upper Mississippi navigation season is March 20th.

Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig is co-sponsoring a bill aimed at replacing Russian oil with American biofuels. The Home Front Energy Independence Act would expand production, make E-15 available year-round, establish an E-15 tax credit, and help retailers get equipment to offer renewable fuels. Craig says in a statement, “as we work to lessen our dependence on foreign energy producers and hold Russia accountable for its unjustified invasion of Ukraine, our bipartisan legislation to prioritize home-grown domestic biofuels should be taken up without delay.” The bill would also codify into law full restrictions on U-S purchases of Russian oil.

Democrat Mark Lindquist of Moorhead says he’s suspending his campaign for U-S House in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District so he can do humanitarian work at Poland’s border with Ukraine. Lindquist says, “if they eventually let me in the Territorial Defense, that’s where I’ll take my orders from.” The Air Force veteran says he’s also raising money for a vehicle to shuttle Ukrainian refugees to Poland. Lindquist says he feels like this is where he’s needed most and hasn’t decided whether he’ll eventually resume his campaign for Congress. He planned to challenge freshman Republican Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach in November.

Another mining group from Canada wants to take a shot at opening sulfide mining operations in northern and central Wisconsin. Green Light Metals says it’s ready to explore a pair of metal mining deposits near Wausau and the Chequomaegon Nicolet National Forest. The company bought out those rights last year from Aquila Resources of Toronto for seven million dollars. Republicans led an effort to change Wisconsin laws to allow for metal mining in 2017, but Aquila never actually went through with the plan to open up either mining site. The Department of Natural Resources says Green Light will have to go through the entire permitting process all over again.

The city of Rhinelander will use more than one-point-five million dollars in federal funds to help clean up PFAS contamination in municipal water wells. City Administration Zach Vruwink tells W-A-O-W T-V the money arrives at just the right time. Rhinelander has been dealing with PFAS contamination for the last two years and is one of dozens of areas statewide looking to remove the so-called "forever chemicals" from their water.

Three of the country's largest credit reporting agencies are removing nearly 70% of medical debt from consumer credit reports, the companies announced in a joint statement Friday. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion will eliminate billions of dollars from the accounts of consumers who faced unexpected medical bills that they were unable to pay.   The announcement follows research from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau showing that Americans had racked up $88 billion in medical debt on consumer credit records as of June 2021. It's the most common debt collection credit account on credit records, the CFPB said.  Starting July 1, paid medical collection debt will no longer be included on consumer credit reports. Millions of Americans had credit scores previously lowered because debts paid after being sent to collections could appear on credit reports for up to seven years.

Groups pushing discredited election fraud theories will be making their case at the State Capitol. The group “True the Vote” is scheduled to speak before the Wisconsin Assembly’s elections committee on Thursday -- and a group calling itself “Grandpa and Grandma” says it plans to block Madison traffic with recreational vehicles in May to protest alleged voter fraud. Last week, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos met with people who want to decertify Wisconsin’s 2020 electors -- something lawmakers and experts maintain can’t be done.

Authorities have arrested a 48-year-old man in Monroe County after allegedly fleeing from officers and driving at speeds of over 110 miles per hour. W-X-O-W Television reports that the suspect was spotted in La Crosse County driving a Black Chevy Equinox with the headlights turned off, which sparked the two-county chase on Highway 27. The chase ended when Monroe County deputies used spike strips to stop the driver, who then struck a guardrail. The suspect, Chad Raymond Weaver, is charged with Operating Under the Influence for the sixth time. He’s also charged with felony fleeing an officer, felony bail jumping, and second-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Milwaukee officials are scheduled to make their official bid tomorrow (Tuesday) to host the Republican National Convention in 2024. W-I-S-N Television reports that R-N-C chairwoman Ronna McDaniel spent last week visiting with city officials and confirmed that Milwaukee and Nashville are the final two contenders. A final decision is due sometime this summer. Milwaukee hosted a downsized Democratic National Convention in 2020 with several events held remotely and live-streamed due to the pandemic. The city has never hosted the G-O-P convention.

 A legislative auditor’s report finds the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is falling short on detecting fraud in Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance program, either by impostors or through identity theft. Republican Representative Rod Hamilton from Mountain Lake says the report’s very first recommendation was having the legislature “require DEED to report on a regular basis about fraud in the U-I program.” DEED officials say a drastic increase in U-I applications during the pandemic strained their ability to perform standard fraud prevention and detection processes. Hamilton says there needs to be “more transparency,” and that the department should have the necessary tools and resources to fight fraud.

A new report from the Wisconsin Hospital Association shows unprecedented vacancy rates in health care professions. Ann Zenk with the W-H-A notes it’s been a developing concern for years. She says their workforce can’t grow fast enough to keep up with the demands of an aging population, as more and more of Wisconsin’s population retires -- which took an even bigger jump during the pandemic. The combined factors resulted in an increase in vacancies in 13 of 17 professions tracked in W-H-A’s Health Care Workforce Report. Registered nurse vacancy rates were the highest they’ve been since 2005.

It’s pothole season in Minnesota. M-N-DOT’s Anne Meyer says people need to be mindful of where potholes may be forming and to not drive over them too fast, which can do some potential damage. She says crews are out patching potholes now until more permanent fixes can be applied in the summer and fall. If you see or hit, a pothole on a highway, you can report it at D-O-T-Dot-State-dot-M-N-dot-U-S, then look for the “Report a pothole” link on the home page.