Local-Regional News April 11

 No one was injured in a one-vehicle roll-over accident in Dunn County on Sunday.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, a motorhome was traveling eastbound on I-94 at milepost 41 just west of Menomonie when the driver lost control and crashed into the median, damaging approximately 100ft of guardrails.  Both eastbound lanes of traffic were closed during the removal and cleanup of the scene.    

Twelve rail cars derailed in Altoona on Saturday.  According to the Union Pacific Railroad, the cars derailed in the rail yard near Bartlett Avenue and Sunday Drive.  The cars were empty at the time and no one was injured in the derailment.  That derailment is still under investigation while crews cleaned up the scene.

Residents of Osseo will see a jump in their water bills.  In a letter sent to residents, the city says the reason for the increase is due to the need for a new iron filtration system that is set to be installed in the spring of 2023.   Starting in June, the average family's bill will rise from $65 a month to $110.  The rates were set by the Wisconsin Public Services Commission.  The city is working with state and federal agencies to find grants and other funding options to help fixed-income residents with assistance due to the increase.  

Minnesota's U-S Representative Angie Craig has tested positive for COVID-19. Craig says she was tested Thursday after learning about other Representatives in Washington who had tested positive. Craig says she is fully vaccinated and has had the additional booster shot.

A Union Center man has been arrested and accused of starting the house fire that killed his 64-year-old uncle.  W-I-S-C / T-V reports authorities in Juneau County have charged 45-year-old Travis Yirka will first-degree reckless homicide and arson to a building.  When emergency responders arrived on March 19th at the burning house, Yirka told them there were two people inside.  A woman was located quickly, but the body of LeRoy Siefkes wasn’t found until the fire was out and the structure was safe for searchers.  An autopsy determined the cause of death was injuries from the fire and smoke inhalation.

Nine Republican-back election bills were among the 43 vetoed by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Friday.  Evers had indicated that was what he was going to do several weeks ago.  The Democrat says, “Republicans know that it’s an important part of our democracy to encourage people and not discourage people to vote.”  Republicans called the package of bills "commons sense."  Evers has vetoed a total of 98 bills this legislative session.  That’s the most vetoes by any Wisconsin governor since records began being kept in 1931.

The cost of mailing a letter is going up.  The  US Postal Service proposed last week that starting in July, the price of a first-class stamp will go up 2 cents to 60 cents.   The postal service says the increase is needed due to inflation and increased operating expenses.  The proposed increase is to be reviewed and approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission before the increase takes effect in July.

A 36-year-old Thorp woman charged with intentionally mistreating animals has been sentenced to 10 days in jail.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports Jill Warminski will be on probation for a year.  During that time she will have to attend psychological treatment and won’t be allowed to care for or own any animals.  The court ruled Warminski can’t own, possess, or train any animal for four years.  She was originally charged in October 2020 when a dog was found with its front legs zip-tied together.  A Clark County deputy told the court the cut around the dog’s right front leg was so deep the bone was visible.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has approved the construction of the state’s largest renewable energy plant.  Chicago-based Invenergy wants to begin work in Dane County later this year or early next spring.  The project would be completed in 2024.  People living nearby have expressed concerns about aesthetics, property values, loss of prime farmland, safety concerns about battery storage, and the proximity to homes and Cambridge Elementary School.  The 23-hundred-acre solar array in the towns of Christiana and Deerfield would produce 300 megawatts of power and include 165 megawatts of battery storage.

 Minnesota lawmakers are leaving the State Capitol for their annual Passover and Easter beak with clear battle lines drawn on top issues.  Senate Republicans passed a permanent tax cut package that would also eliminate state income taxes on Social Security benefits.  House Democrats say that plan benefits the wealthy and they are focusing on tax cuts for low- and middle-income Minnesotans.  That would leave a good chunk of the budget surplus for public schools – creating a big point of contention with Republicans, who want more accountability for results.  The two sides also have big differences on public safety.  Republicans say the crackdown on crime while Democrats stress prevention and police accountability.

Minnesota’s net farm income was nearly a record high in 2021.  University of Minnesota Extension economist Pauline Van Nurden says 2021 “actually ranks second among the historical records.” Only 2012 was higher for net farm income. High commodity prices have been the primary driver as the median net farm income reached more than 166-thousand-200 dollars in 2021 ($166,262). Crop farms averaged just over 210-thousand dollars a year ago, while pork producers earned an average of 429-thousand-420 dollars. As for this year, Van Nurden calls the outlook very uncertain.

All poultry shows, exhibitions, and swap meets in Wisconsin are canceled through the end of May. It’s an effort to prevent the spread of bird flu. Wisconsin agriculture officials have already suspended poultry exhibitions in Jefferson County after bird flu was confirmed at a commercial chicken farm. Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois are just some of the other states that have implemented similar restrictions on poultry event

After 66 years of operation, Wisconsin’s oldest independent record store chain will be closing. The news from the Exclusive Company comes about five months after the death of owner and founder James Giombetti, better known as "Mr. G." He first opened The Exclusive Company in 1956 in West Bend. That store has reopened under new ownership, with a new name. The Janesville store closed in February. The remaining locations in Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Milwaukee, and Greenfield will participate in National Record Store Day, one last time on April 23. The company said they could just not go on operating without Giombetti at the helm.

Local-Regional News April 8

 Governor Evers is expected to sign assembly bill 727 today.  The bill would address nitrogen levels in groundwater, by creating a commercial nitrogen optimization pilot program, provides crop insurance premium rebates for planting cover crops, and creates a new hydrogeologist position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.   Evers says the bill is a good first step in protecting Wisconsin groundwater.  Farmers in Pepin County have been working with UW-Extension and Discovery farms to find ways to reduce nitrogen levels in groundwater in the county.

The Pepin Public Library is hosting a series of health workshops in April.  On Monday, April 18th at 7pm on preventing type 2 diabetes, and then on Monday, April 25th at 1pm a workshop on pain medications and how to use them safely and effectively will be held.  There is no charge to attend either workshop and to register call Pepin Library at 715-442-4932.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls Collegiate Farm Bureau will host Ag Day on Campus on Tuesday, April 19. The event is free and open to all.   The event will give UWRF students and community members an opportunity to engage with the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences student-led organizations and agriculture-related companies to learn about the positive impact agriculture is making.   The main event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UWRF University Center mall area. The outdoor event will include interactive booths from organizations and agricultural-related companies.

The Black River Falls School District will be closed today after an incident involving unauthorized access to the district's computer network.  According to Superintendent Shelly Severson, the network includes access to student information, parent contact information, and even medication logs.  The district has contacted the FBI and state cybersecurity teams to investigate the incident to determine where this unauthorized access happened. 

Dane County Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn says there’s no reason to keep pressing Wisconsin’s Assembly speaker for more records on the partisan investigation of the 2020 presidential election.  Speaker Robin Vos has met the judge’s request to provide the records requested by the liberal group American Oversight.  Vos’ office provided 10-to-20-thousand emails to that group Wednesday.  The judge concluded enough had been done after a cybersecurity expert testified the scrutiny of phones held by Vos and his staffers wouldn’t likely lead to the recovery of more records.

A financial boost, for school mental health services in Wisconsin.  Governor Tony Evers announced this week that nearly every K-12 district in Wisconsin will be awarded funding through the 15 million dollar "Get Kids Ahead" initiative. Schools will be able to use the funds for a variety of mental health support services for students and families. Every public school district in the state was eligible to opt-in and was guaranteed a minimum of ten thousand dollars, with the remainder of the money allocated on a per-pupil basis.   The funds are from Wisconsin’s share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Somebody could be holding a bunch of money for you, but it’s going away if you don’t beat the deadline.  If you haven’t filed taxes in a few years, I-R-S spokesman Christopher Miller says you may have a tax refund waiting for you.  Estimates are that almost 22-thousand people in Wisconsin could still get about 20-million dollars in unclaimed refunds.  The deadline is April 18th.  Miller says that’s when the three-year window to claim the refund money closes.  The average refund will be about 750-dollars.

Maplewood, Minnesota  police are investigating after a capuchin monkey was stolen from a vehicle outside a Cub Foods. Police say the victim left the animal, named Coco Chanel, inside her vehicle Tuesday night when she went into the store. The victim says she returned to her vehicle and discovered the monkey and its pink carrier were missing. State law makes it illegal to own a “regulated animal” such as a monkey.

Wisconsin stands to receive about 116-million dollars in transit funding from the federal government.  A news release from the U-S Department of Transportation says funding increases of 20-billion dollars for the states have been authorized under the president’s infrastructure law.  The money will be used by transit agencies to buy new buses and railcars, address repair backlogs, transition to new technologies to “address the climate crisis,” and modernize fleets.  The Milwaukee area will receive more than 32-million dollars, Madison will get 12-million, Appleton just under four million, and Green Bay a little over three million.

Congresswoman Angie Craig went after oil company executives during a U-S House hearing Wednesday. Craig complained that their six companies made more than 76 billion dollars in profit in 2021 while Minnesota families pay near record-high gas prices. She said, “I don’t fault you for making money. You’re a business. But we’ve got a pandemic and we’ve got Putin. And you are using these crises to gouge the American people.” Craig also questioned why oil prices are going down but the price is not dropping at the pumps.

The Minnesota House Agriculture Committee is advancing its 2022 finance bill aimed at strengthening farming and food production in the state. Representative Mike Sundin of Esko says there’s funding for soil health, cover crop development, invasive plant species eradication, small meat cutters and processors, and more. He also says, “this package, coupled with the drought package moving separately, represents a strong investment in agriculture” and moves Minnesota in the right direction. The measure also includes a moratorium on new white-tailed deer farms to help prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease among Minnesota’s wild deer population. The bill now heads to the House Ways and Means committee.

A lobbying group says Tuesday’s elections go to show how many local governments in Wisconsin need more help from Madison.   The League of Wisconsin Municipalities says voters in seven communities approved local tax increases to pay for firefighters, police officers, or emergency responders. The League’s Jerry Deschane says state lawmakers need to change the law so that local communities can raise taxes for those services without having to go to voters every two years. 

The Marathon County Clerk is explaining what happened Tuesday in two Wausau wards where poll workers ran out of ballots during Tuesday’s election.   Kim Trublood says due to the ballot shortage some voters chose to use an Express Voting machine to fill out a temporary ballot, which was then transferred over to a ballot that could be read by the tabulators through a process involving the watchful eye of two election inspectors verifying that the votes were transferred with integrity and without changing the intent of the voter. A record of the process has been documented as well.

Mac's Fish, Bub’s Gourmet Aussie Pies, and Soul Bowl are just a few of the food offerings available this season during Minnesota Twins games. Team President Dave St. Peter says, “food and beverage always play a central role in the game-day experience,” but it’s more special this year because concession options were limited by “two years of COVID.” Also new this year is the Market, a self-serve area for prepackaged snacks, hot food, and soft-serve ice cream, plus a massive walk-in beer cooler. St. Peter also says “fan favorites” will be back, including Kramarczuk’s, Red Cow, hot Indian foods, and Turkey to Go.

Local-Regional News April 7

 The weather sirens will sound today as a statewide tornado drill will take place.  The first drill will happen at 1:45 this afternoon and the second at 6:45 this evening.  It is all a part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.  Along with the weather sirens sounding the National Weather Service will activate the weekly EAS Test on radio and TV.

The Buffalo County K-9 unit was busy over the weekend.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department's Facebook Page,  K-9 Deputy Owen helped officers recover 21.8 grams of methamphetamine, 16 grams of cocaine, and 3.5 grams of fentanyl.  No other information was available on the drug recoveries or if any arrests were made.

An Eleva woman that was convicted of 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety has been sentenced in Eau Clair County Court.  61yr old Barbara Wiedenbeck pleaded guilty to the reduced charges after striking a bicyclist while driving on Hwy HH and leaving the scene in August of 2021.  As part of a deferred prosecution agreement, Widenbeck will have to perform 120 hours of community service.  

Lake Hallie police say an Eau Claire man-made verbal and physical threats to officers as he was being arrested for operating while intoxicated.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports that 57-year-old Scott Vanigan is also accused of threatening hospital staff when blood was drawn for a test.  Vanigan’s driving privileges had been suspended meaning he had a blood-alcohol content restriction of point-02.  The test showed his blood-alcohol content was point-15.  He was pulled over at 1:30 a-m Saturday in Lake Hallie after he was observed driving erratically.

The Raptor Education Group along with residents of Dunn and Chippewa Counties are offering a $6000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who shot a bald eagle in the town of Crooks Valley.  According to the Raptor Education Group, the eagle appears to have been shot in mid-flight and is suffering from 20 wounds along with lead poisoning and a broken wing.   The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is investigating the shooting.

 Students at La Crosse Central High School say they are worried about the increasing number of school threats and they want someone at their school at all times to discourage vandalism and fights.  W-K-B-T / T-V reports a group of students presented a petition to the school board earlier this week seeking to keep school resource officers on the campus.  The petition held 300 signatures in support.  Students like Adam Manka spoke to the board members at the Monday meeting.  Manka says the responsibility for S-R-Os is to make sure students are safe during emergencies.  The agreement between the La Crosse Police Department and the school district is set to end this summer.

 Congressman Ron Kind says he voted to find two men in contempt of Congress Wednesday because they had failed to comply with subpoenas.  The subpoenas for Daniel Scavino Junior and Peter Navarro had been issued by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the U-S Capitol.  The Wisconsin Democrat says Scavino and Navarro had a legal obligation to comply and they have refused.  Last year, Kind voted to hold Steve Bannon and Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress when they ignored a similar order to appear before the same committee.

 Homeowners in a rural area of Jefferson County are testing their groundwater over concerns from chicken carcasses buried nearby.  The confirmed cases of bird flu at Cold Spring Egg Arm led to the killing of nearly three million chickens.  Scientists say composting is the most environmentally-friendly way to dispose of the bodies.  The problem is, at least one farm is just six miles away.  W-T-M-J / T-V reports the noise of heavy trucks and the smell of the composting is worrisome, but the homeowners doing the testing are more worried that their well water will become contaminated.  The composting effort started March 27th.

Republican state Senator Van Wanggaard has filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission over the way Racine officials handled Tuesday’s vote.  Wanggaard says the city of Racine openly flaunted the decisions by the circuit court, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the Wisconsin Elections Commission.  Racine accepted ballots submitted by someone other than the voter.  Wanggaard says the city “is intentionally ignoring the law.”  A Waukesha circuit court judge ruled in January that there are only two legal ways to return an absentee ballot in the state – personally through the mail, or a voter delivering his or her own ballot to the clerk.

U-S Senator Tammy Baldwin is working to allow all children to get a free meal this summer without needing to fill out the paperwork.  Parents would be able to pick up the meals at school when they are needed for a virtual learner.  The Wisconsin Democrat says when the pandemic emergency is declared to be over “we would go back to the old rules, the old eligibility requirements.”  She says there was concern that a lot of children would go hungry this summer if the U-S Agriculture Secretary isn’t given the ability to be flexible.

Sheboygan County prosecutors say a mother killed her eight-year-old son over fears he would be taken from her.  Forty-one-year-old Natalia Hitchcock is a Russian native who became agitated over the last few weeks by news of the invasion of Ukraine.  Hitchcock made an initial court appearance Tuesday.  She is charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the strangulation of her son, Oliver – and attempted first-degree intentional homicide for trying to drown a second son.  She is being held on a one-million-dollar bond.

The weekend collapse of a concrete span at a new parking ramp in Appleton has stopped work on the multi-million-dollar project.  Businesses nearby say the double-tee span came crashing down Saturday but they didn’t hear or see anything when it happened.  The project at the Appleton U-M-C-A is expected to cost seven-and-a-half-million dollars.  It was on pace to be completed in August but that could change.  The general contractor says once the investigation is completed more information will be released about timetables and needed repairs.

The perennial debate over Minnesota’s estate tax has re-ignited in the legislature. Democratic Governor Tim Walz’s revenue commissioner, Robert Doty, testified Tuesday that Senate Republicans’ proposed changes would benefit the wealthiest Minnesotans, allowing a larger amount of their estates to go untaxed. But the Minnesota Farm Bureau supports Republicans’ proposed change to the estate tax. Spokeswoman Kaytlin Bemis says “estate taxes can be a barrier to passing down farms to future generations by draining the financial resources of farmers and ranchers.”

 For the eleventh year in a row, Minnesota’s moose population remains relatively stable. The 2022 population survey estimates the moose population at 47-hundred, statistically unchanged from the last survey, which was conducted in 2020. The D-N-R’s Glenn DelGiudice says, “these surveys are best for looking at long-term trends.” DelGiudice points out that Minnesota moose remain at risk long-term as the population is 47 percent lower than its peak in 2006. An estimated 19 percent of the population was calves, and the estimated ratio was 45 calves to 100 cows.

Local-Regional News April 6

 The Durand City Council will have some new faces after the spring election.  Nick Weisenbeck, incumbent Travis Hooker, and former Councilman Dony Hayden were the top three vote-getters in the election for the three at large seats.  Incumbent Mayor Patrick Milliren defeated Herb Schneider in the Mayoral Race.  Meanwhile, all the Pepin County Board seats only had one candidate.  In Buffalo County Gary Stanton defeated Corey Lews for the District 4 County Board Seat, while Brian Michaels defeated Terry Schoonover for the District 9 seat.

Plum City voters have approved a referendum to allow the district to exceed state levy limits.  The vote was 374 yes to 178 no.  In Ellsworth, voters approved a referendum to allow the district to exceed the revenue limit by $1.3 million per year for four years on a vote of 1149 yes, to 659 no.  In Menomonie, there will be three new school board members after Donminique Stewart, Abe Smith, and Rachel Henderson were elected.

People in western Wisconsin are warned to throw out potentially-tainted lettuce.  The division of Trade and Consumer Protection says bags of Ocean Mist Farms brand romaine hearts, sold mainly in western Wisconsin, may be contaminated with Cyclospora. State officials say all of the suspect packages show a harvest date of March 10th. The questionable greens were grown in Coachella, California.

It’s Severe Weather Awareness Week and Xcel Energy is reminding customers to be prepared. Xcel’s John Marshall says before severe weather strikes, there are some simple things customers can do to stay safe. “If you come across any downed power lines, assume they’re energized and therefore very dangerous.” Marshall says don’t touch or try to move any downed power lines – “stay very far away” and leave the reported area immediately. He also suggests visiting Xcel’s website to sign up for outage notifications.

Wisconsin’s moratorium on winter-time power disconnections the power ends a week from Friday.  The Wisconsin Public Service Commission says people behind on their heat and light bills need to get caught up – or to make payment arrangements before April 15th. The state also has some money available for people who need help paying their utility bills.

Authorities are looking for the thieves who have stolen dozens of road signs in Vernon County.  Sheriff John Spears says more than 25 signs have been taken – some removed from the posts and, in some cases, the posts were cut and taken, too.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports stealing a road or traffic sign can result in a fine of up to 100-dollars and a 30-day jail sentence for first offense.  The Department of Transportation says the second offense doubles the maximum time in jail.  Sheriff Spears says missing signs can cause crashes and put people at risk while they are driving.  No arrests have been reported.

Wisconsin’s two senators will split their votes along party lines on the confirmation of U-S Supreme Court nominee Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson.  Democrat Tammy Baldwin said Jackson is well-qualified and offers strong experience as a federal judge.  Republican Ron Johnson released a statement saying while Judge Jackson “is a decent person with a compelling life story,” she is a judicial activist and he won’t vote for her confirmation.  A final confirmation vote could come as soon as Thursday – and Jackson is expected to become the first Black woman to serve on the high court.

Sixth District Congressman Tom Emmer was joined by Minnesota Republicans Pete Stauber and Michelle Fischbach and two other members of Congress in sending a letter urging action from President Joe Biden on rising fertilizer prices. Emmer said, “Skyrocketing and unprecedented input prices are robbing our farmers of their livelihoods, and even today’s high commodity prices simply can’t keep pace.”  Fertilizer prices rose significantly through March of this year. Diammonium phosphate (DAP), the world’s most commonly used fertilizer, reached its highest price on record last week, up 16 percent from the previous month. The price of urea rose 10 percent.  Prices have been further impacted by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with sanctions bringing Russian fertilizer imports to a standstill. Russia is consistently among the world’s leading exporters of fertilizer.

Spring temperatures are nearly here and that means not only road construction but also bridge inspections, beginning in southeast Minnesota and expanding north as the weather improves. M-N-DOT’s Mike Dougherty in Rochester says some bridges are inspected annually, while others are on a longer schedule “based on the type of materials that they are, their age, any things that have been detected in a previous inspection.” Among the tools, M-N-DOT uses are “snooper trucks” with long, multi-jointed arms so crews can inspect the underside of bridges. Dougherty says in his part of the state, Mississippi River bridges are typically inspected every year. Drivers should watch for lane closures, slow down in work zones, and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

The UW-System wants to poll its students on free speech issues.  That poll is being conducted by the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service. WIPPS will be asking students basic questions on the First Amendment and its protections, as well as questions on diversity in viewpoints. They're also interested to see if students are self-censoring for fear of blowback from fellow students for expressing their views. That survey will be released on Thursday.

The coronavirus pandemic created a huge backlog of criminal cases in Wisconsin courts and, now, a shortage of public defender lawyers is making the situation worse.  State Public Defender Regional Attorney Manager Thomas Reed says more than 200 cases a day are delayed in Milwaukee County alone.  W-I-S-N / T-V reports the State of Wisconsin is going to use 14-million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funding to ease the backlog but that may not fix the overall problem.

 Authorities in Wood County are investigating the cause of a Monday house fire and the cause of death for the woman who was found inside.  Her name hasn’t been released.  She was taken to Aspirus Riverview Hospital in Wisconsin Rapids where she died.  Fire crews were reportedly called just after 10:00 a-m to the house in Saratoga.  They say active fire was coming from the single-family home as they arrived.  The victim was found while firefighters were battling the flames.

Prosecutors in Missouri have dropped one of the state charges against the man accused of killing two brothers from Shawano County.  Court officials say the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm was dropped because the federal penalty is harsher.  K-S-H-B / T-V reports Garland Nelson still faces nine felony charges.  Nick and Justin Diemel were killed when they went to Nelson’s farm in northwestern Missouri to collect on a 250-thousand-dollar bad check.  The trial in state court is scheduled to be held next February.  He also faces federal mail fraud charges.

 Republican State Representative Joe Sanfelippo says decertifying Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election is “never going to happen.”  During an appearance on W-I-S-N / T-V’s Capital City Sunday Sanfelippo says it is “nutty” to think the result of the last presidential election in the state can be overturned.  The vice-chair of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections says he would rather see lawmakers focus on new election laws and holding members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission accountable for what he says were violations of election laws last November.

Will we see a recession in 2022? St. Cloud State Economist King Banaian doesn’t believe the U-S will fall into a recession in 2022, but 2023 is still a possibility. He says if there’s a recession, it’ll likely be because “we’ll have to hit the brakes much harder to prevent runaway inflation than we would normally do -- and that could trigger a recession.” Banaian says he thinks at this moment, the U-S is “at least nine months to a year away” from a potential recession. Inflation continues to cause increases in products across the board. Some of the bigger ticket items include new houses and vehicles.

As the weather starts to turn warmer and you look to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, Minnesota health officials are reminding you that so do the ticks. State Epidemiologist Elizabeth Schiffman says when the temps climb into the ‘50s and ‘60s, the ticks become active and are looking to eat. She warns people to take preventative measures, like using repellant and checking yourself for ticks when you get back indoors. She says deer ticks are especially dangerous, as they can transmit diseases like Anaplasmosis, Lyme Disease, and Babesiosis. Schiffman says if you are wearing long pants, permethrin works very well on clothing and will actually kill ticks -- but it should NOT be used on bare skin. For that, use a repellent with DEET.

Local-Regional News April 5

 Polls are open from 7:00 a-m to 8:00 p-m today on Wisconsin’s Spring Non-Partisan Primary Election Day.  Voters will be choosing mayors, city council members, county board supervisors, school board members, and judges across the state.  There are several local referenda on the ballot.  Officials are reminding voters to bring their photo I-D when they show up at the polling location.

A Galesville man is dead after falling into Beaver Creek.  According to Galesville police, first responders pulled 63yr old Robby Sacia from the water Sunday afternoon.  Live saving measures were taken, but Sacia was pronounced dead.  The incident remains under investigation.

With Spring here another season is Wisconsin is beginning, road construction.  In Dunn County, crews will be replacing the Hwy 12 Bridge at Wilson Creek near Knapp through August.    Those using the North Crossing will see construction to improve safety at the North Crossing Jeffers Road intersection.  Later this summer, bridges over the east and west channels of the Trempealeau River will be replaced on Hwy 35-54 in Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties.

Groundbreaking is tentatively set for August on a replacement for the Northern Wisconsin State Fair’s red barn coliseum.  W-E-A-U / T-V reports the historic structure was destroyed in a windstorm.  The fair’s executive director, Rusty Volk, says about 80 percent of the six-million dollars needed for the project has been raised.  Volk says there will be four animal buildings consisting of two cattle barns, a coliseum show arena, and a livestock barn.  The new coliseum will be eight thousand square feet and it will be heated and air-conditioned – meaning it will be a year-round venue.  Volk calls it “an education campus for youth.”  It should be open in time for the 2023 Northern Wisconsin State Fair.

Monday, Winona City Council voted in favor of adding police bodycams for officers.  The bodycams would be used for all officers.  Police Chief Tom Williams said the department currently has 38 officers.   The total cost for the cameras and the technology to run them costs the city $330,000. The city also received a $78,000 grant from the state to help fund the cameras.  The Winona County Sheriff's Department is also purchasing bodycams for all deputies in the department.

A Slayton, Minnesota, man was sentenced to a year in prison for committing U-S Department of Agriculture (USDA) farm loan fraud. 54-year-old Mark Engelkes pledged more than 15-thousand bushels of soybeans as collateral to the USDA in order to obtain loan proceeds of nearly 80-thousand dollars. During the application process, Engelkes agreed to not move or dispose of the collateral until the loan was paid in full. However, the U-S-D-A learned in 2016 that Engelkes had removed the pledged grain without prior approval and sold it. Engelkes also defaulted on other farm financings from the U-S-D-A, resulting in a total loss amount to the government of more than 435-thousand dollars.

Authorities in Bayfield County say a two-year-old girl was killed over the weekend when a family member accidentally ran over her with a vehicle.  The child suffered crushing injuries to her head.  Investigators say the family member was moving their car in the parking area at the residence and didn’t see the victim riding a small bicycle nearby.  Life-saving measures were administered at the scene by police officers, and the girl was taken to a local hospital.  She died there.  W-T-M-J / T-V reports authorities say the death appears to be accidental.

A complaint against Milwaukee’s Summerfest maintains the music festival is not really a non-profit.   Lawyer Eddie Greim has filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service, saying Summerfest’s non-profit status exempts the festival from all manners of taxes that other for-profit concert venues have to pay. He’s not said why he filed the complaint. Summerfest organizers say the I-R-S has ruled in their favor in other similar complaints in the past.

The owner of Skateland in Waukesha says the company has updated its policies on who can come into the skating rink.  The change was announced in a Facebook post Friday.  The move comes after reports last week that the rink wouldn’t let teenagers from Milwaukee enter the business.  Lacey Anderson, the mother of a black teen from Milwaukee, told reporters her daughter had been turned away.  Shortly after that, Milwaukee County Supervisor Ryan Clancy reported that he and his daughter were admitted with no questions.  They are both white.  The rule about Milwaukee teens had apparently been in place for almost eight years.

The Manitowoc Company says it has cut its business with Russia.  Manitowoc makes industrial cranes in northeastern Wisconsin.  It says it has been curtailing its operations since the invasion of Ukraine.  Manitowoc has stopped taking new orders from Russia.  The company says it has about 20 employees in Russia and sales to the country represent less than two percent of total sales since 2021.  President and C-E-O Aaron H. Ravenscroft tell W-L-U-K / T-V the company will comply with all sanctions and it is doing its best to support local team members there.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is implementing some of the 30 recommendations put forth by the Legislative Audit Bureau.  Administrator Meagan Wolfe says the commission “takes the Audit Bureau’s recommendations seriously.”  Wolfe says they met to consider and implement the ones that will improve the electoral process in Wisconsin.  W-T-M-J / T-V reports the changes to include increased training for clerks in topics like absentee ballot certificate envelopes, ballot processing, and post-election data entry.  Scope statements have been written on how missing witness address information is completed on absentee ballot certificate envelopes, polling place emergency planning, and certification and training of municipal clerks.

As the planting season approaches Wisconsin farmers are struggling to find the workers they need.  W-B-A-Y / T-V reports those farmers to need help in the fields and in the processing plants.  The situation has some farmers turning to automatic equipment.  There’s a big cost upfront, but it may make an operation more efficient.  Another option for Wisconsin farmers is applying for a federal H-2-A program to employ foreign nationals to fill temporary positions.  That process is long and difficult and it may force automatic equipment on some producers.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order waiving trucking regulations to help fight the spread of avian influenza and mitigate the risk to Minnesota’s poultry industry. The state is ranked first in the nation in turkey production, with more than 660 turkey farms that raise about 40 million birds annually. And turkey production generates 774 million in cash receipts. The current H-5-N-1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Minnesota poses a high risk to poultry but a low risk to the public, and there is no food safety concern for consumers.

A bipartisan bill to help fix supply chains and ease shipping backlogs is one step closer to becoming law after passing the U-S Senate on a voice vote. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar accused international shipping conglomerates of “ripping off American farmers, manufacturers and consumers by charging sometimes four times what they used to charge for shipping.” She says there’s no excuse for it because they’ve made seven times the profit from one year to the next. Klobuchar also says the bill will help American exporters get their goods to market in a timely manner for a fair price and help level the playing field for American manufacturers and consumers. A similar bill has already passed the U-S House.

A month-long crackdown on distracted driving in Minnesota is underway. Mike Hanson with the Office of Traffic Safety says that while there’s been progress in preventing distracted driving, they’ll be providing extra resources for law enforcement partners. There’ll also be a media campaign to alert motorists of the crackdown. Hanson says distracted driving contributed to one in nine crashes from 2017 to 2021. And somewhere between 25 and 30 people a year are still being killed on Minnesota roads due to distracted driving. The extra enforcement campaign runs through April 30th.

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.