Local-Regional News Oct 21

 A recent report from the March of Dimes said that Pepin County is lacking in maternity care and classified the county as a maternity care desert.  Angela Jacobson, Director of Emergency Preparedness with Advent Health of Durand says the hospital was surprised to learn of the finding because of the services the Hospital already provides.  Because the hospital is a critical care hospital, all nursing staff is also trained in preparedness to help deliver babies in case of emergency.  Jacobson says Advent Administration is working to find out how the March of Dimes came to its conclusion with Pepin County.

The bone found in a Dunn County creek is human, but it is not new. Scientists at the state crime lab say the jawbone found in the creek in Menomonie is from an ancient Native American. There's no exact date as to just how old the bone is. A pair of fishermen found the bone back in July. The state crime lab says it was likely only found because the water levels were so low at the time.

Area law enforcement agencies will again be participating in the Drive Sober or get pulled over enhanced enforcement.  The goal is to prevent impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel and asking for a ride home.  Area agencies participating in the program this fall include the Pepin and Buffalo County Sheriffs Department, Mondovi, and Fountain City Police Department.

The family-owned Red Wing Shoe Company is getting a new leader.  The company announced yesterday that fourth-generation family member Allison Gettings is taking over as president and CEO starting in January.  Gettings has been with the company for 14 years and is currently the president.  She will follow CEO Mark Urdahl, who is retiring at the end of the year after six years at the helm.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has released its Influenza Vaccine Update and launched a new online flu vaccine data dashboard.   A DHS release says together, the report and data dashboard provides a look at previous and current flu vaccine rates statewide and highlight communities and areas of the state more vulnerable to the seasonal flu. As of October 18, only Pierce County in Western Wisconsin has over 1% of the county population who have received an influenza vaccination for the current season.  

The tax rate for Chippewa Valley Technical College is going down.    This week, the CVTC board approved setting the tax rate at 71 cents, down from 81 cents from the past fiscal year. They say an increase in technical college property tax relief is what lead to the decrease.   The change means a person with a $150,000 home will pay $106.50 in property taxes for the year to support the college, down from $121.63.

Two teenagers were injured in a one-vehicle accident in Barron County Wednesday night.  According to the Barron County Sheriffs Department, two Rice Lake 18yr olds were traveling on Hwy U, just south of Dallas when the vehicle left the road, hit a driveway, and landed upside down.  Both teens had to be extricated from the vehicle and med-flighted to the hospital.   Investigators believe alcohol appeared to be a factor in the crash and possible charges will be forwarded to the Barron County District Attorney.

The newest tree in Eau Claire's Boyd Park doesn't produce oxygen, it produces electricity. The city yesterday unveiled its new 'E-Cacia' tree. The tree is a solar panel that will produce up to 20 kilowatt-hours per day of electricity for the city's electric grid. Eau Claire's Solar Forma Design came-up with the design and installed the new tree. It will produce power on sunny days.

The sheriff in Shawano County believes that someone threw a 55 gallon drum of diesel-fuel mix into that bonfire that exploded last weekend.  Investigators yesterday updated their look into the bonfire explosion in Maple Grove that injured as many as 40 young people.  Deputies say someone tossed the drum, which was about a quarter full, into the fire last Friday night. Investigators say they've spoken with 20-or-so people who were at the bonfire, and they are looking to speak with dozens more.  The sheriff's office says it is not looking to punish any of the high school students who were drinking at the bonfire, they say they have a 'much larger issue' that they need to investigate.

University of Minnesota officials say they are working on options that would allow all graduates to walk the stage and receive their diplomas.  Several colleges sent emails to students this week indicating that a joint spring semester ceremony would be held at Huntington Bank Stadium, shutting down the opportunity for seniors to be individually recognized.  Officials are reversing course after a student-led petition protesting the move received more than six thousand signatures.  Most graduations are usually held at 3M Arena in Mariucci, which is closed for renovations.

The Minnesota Veterans Home in Hastings is reporting a COVID-19 outbreak has infected over 80 residents and staff.  This is the home's first outbreak since the start of the pandemic.  Officials say most of the cases have been mild.  However, one person has died.  A representative with the Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs told KARE 11 that "all necessary infection prevention precautions have been and continue to be in place" and case counts are decreasing daily.  

The FBI says it received a number of school threats Thursday including multiple in Wisconsin but says the threats aren't credible.  An FBI spokesperson in Milwaukee says some of the calls were swatting calls, where a person calls in a fake shooting report to cause a large police presence.  Madison police say a school shooter was called in at Madison East High School this morning but the threat wasn't credible.

A judge is not continuing the temporary restraining orders against Baraboo High School's athletic director. The mothers of three Baraboo students got restraining orders last week after their kids were pulled out of a car after what may have been a homecoming prank. All three students are athletes, and Baraboo athletic director James Langkamp says he was only involved to de-escalate the situation. One man involved in the case had a flame thrower. Langkamp remains on leave from the school district as school leaders investigate just what happened.

An Arizona man has been sentenced for his role in distributing a large amount of meth in Central Wisconsin.  Levi Bagne, who investigators called the "undisputed leader" of a syndicate responsible for shipping more than 20 pounds of the drug into Wisconsin, will serve 16 years in federal prison. Investigators say he would send packages through the mail to co-conspirators, who would then distribute the meth throughout the region. Many of those people are also serving federal prison terms after pleading guilty, at least one more has yet to be sentenced.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to benefit the family of a 5-year-old girl fatally shot in Green Bay this week. The fundraiser has a $10,000 goal. Police have identified the girl as Skyé Bleu Evans-Cowley. Officers found her at an east side residence just before 5 p.m. Monday. She died at the hospital. As of Wednesday, police were still looking for 35-year-old Jordan J. Leavy-Carter as a “person of interest.”

Authorities in Maple Grove are ruling that a fire was set intentionally at a local historic building.  The blaze took place Tuesday night at the Village Hall in Lakeview Knolls Park.  Detectives say video footage shows a white Chevy Equinox with dark rims and a black antenna on the roof that was in the area before the fire. 

Local-Regional News Oct 20

 The City of Durand is getting closer to finalizing the budget for next year.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says wages and health insurance will be two big factors in the budget.  Most city departments have already submitted their budget request for next year.

There is a child abuse investigation into a daycare in Altoona, and charges for one of the workers. Police arrested 30-year-old Mercedes Bergeron on two counts of abuse for an incident back in August. Other workers at the Hand in Hand Daycare in Banbury Place say she threw a child about two feet across the room. The child's parents went to the police after finding bumps, bruises, scratches, and cuts on at least ten different occasions. Bergeron is due back in court next month.

The days of Girl Scouts roughing it at Camp Nawakwa are coming to an end. The Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes yesterday said they are going to sell the camp in Lac De Flambeau. The Scouts'  Patty Shafto-Carlson says they want to find something new and closer to Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls. Next summer will be the last summer at the camp. Some Girl Scout parents in the Chippewa Valley are not happy about the change.

Two  Rice Lake families are dealing with scammers setting up fake Instagram accounts soliciting donations for the families.  The families of 14yr old Evah Garcia and 15yr old Winter Brouillard set up a Go Fund Me page after the two teens were killed in a car crash recently.  Soon after, scammers started setting up fake accounts on Instagram.   Both families had to set up new accounts after the scammers struck.  The FBI warns that if a charity or organization asks you to donate through cash, gift card, virtual currency, or wire transfer, it’s probably a scam.

The Northwoods' congressman says Wisconsin is moving too fast to get to a carbon-free energy grid in the next 28 years. Congressman Tom Tiffany says getting rid of all coal fired or natural gas fired power plants by 2050 will cost too much, and likely leave Wisconsin without enough power. Governor Evers announced the carbon free goal back in 2019. Tiffany says rushing to make the switch will only drive-up energy prices, which will then make inflation worse.

This may be the best weekend to do a little leaf-looking in western Wisconsin. Forecasters say the fall colors are peaking this week. Further north the colors have already hit their peak. Travel Wisconsin says the trees from Eau Claire all the way down to Prairie du Chein are at their most beautiful.

Wisconsin's challenge to President Biden's student loan cancellation program could be going to the Supreme Court. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty yesterday asked the high court to take up the case. WILL says President Biden overstepped his power when he announced plans to cancel up to 20 thousand-dollars in student loan debt for some people. WILL also said the president went too far by injecting a racial motive into the program, WILL says that breaks federal laws on discrimination. A federal judge already rejected WILL's lawsuit saying the group doesn't have the standing to sue over the loan forgiveness program.

More than 200 jobs will be lost next year when Eastbay closes a Wausau distribution center. Parent company Foot Locker says they're cutting the Wausau center in the name of streamlining their distribution process for customers nationwide. 160 jobs will be lost by the end of the year, the remaining 48 jobs will go away when the building goes dark for good by May of 20-23. Eastbay has been a staple in Central Wisconsin since 1980, though the company has gone through several changes including a sale to Foot Locker in 19-97, and just last summer the Team Sales Division was purchased by Dallas-based BSN Sports.

We have a winner in the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest.  The winner of this year's Coolest Thing competition announced Wednesday by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and Johnson Financial Group is the Volterra electric fire truck made by Appleton based Pierce manufacturing. Their Voltera pumper is the first zero emission electric fire truck and service in North America. Nearly 150 products were nominated for this year's contest. October is celebrated as Manufacturing Month in Wisconsin, where manufacturing employs nearly one in six workers.

Wisconsin is getting 140-million dollars from the federal government to improve its water and wastewater infrastructure.  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the money will go toward the State Revolving Loan Fund, replacing lead service lines, and addressing PFAS chemical contamination.

A Minneapolis family is dealing with scammers trying to profit off their loved one's death.  Gabriel "Dino" Mendoza was shot to death while working as a security guard at a restaurant in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood.  The 23-year-old's family set up a GoFundMe page to cover funeral arrangements and help them seek legal justice.  However, Mendoza's sister told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that someone created a spoof Facebook account to solicit donations shortly after they published their page.  She said this adds to her family's trauma.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is trying to get library card holders interested in visiting the state's parks.  The DNR says next month it will give one-thousand Wisconsin library card holders a free day pass to any park, forest, or recreation area in the state that requires admission.  The DNR says the passes will be given to 20 libraries across Wisconsin to give to library card holders.  The list of libraries is available on the DNR's website.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is preparing for an extremely busy weekend.  Minnesotans are expected to flock to the Twin Cities airfield during the annual fall break for teacher conferences. The Minnesota Educator Academy break means school kids across the state have Thursday and Friday off.  It also allows several families to take a mini vacation before the holidays.

It's been 20 years of planning, but a new Wood County jail is now under construction.   WAOW in Wausau reports that the plan has been in the works since 2001. Sheriff Shawn Becker says the 90 million dollar project will improve inmate safety and increase capacity at the facility. Right now, Wood County has to transfer residents to other facilities at a cost of about 1.4 million dollars a year. The new facility will increase the county's jail capacity to 225 people. They're hoping to be complete with the jail by 2025.

Sun Prairie has officially ended the law against snowball fights. The city council last night voted to roll-back its decades-old ordinance that included snowballs in the list of things that you cannot throw. Alderman Brent Eisberner discovered the snowball ban last year while re-reading the city's ordinances. He said there are a number of old laws that Sun Prairie needs to revisit. To date, it doesn't appear that anyone was ever arrested or ticketed for throwing snowballs in Sun Prairie.

Local-Regional News Oct 18

 The City of Durand has decided to sell another city lot on Auth Street.    According to Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren, because of interest from the public, the city will try and sell the lot again. For more information on the lot, contact Durand City Hall.

Two people were injured in a two vehicle accident in Trimbelle Township on Friday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 19yr old Carson Stockwell of Ellsworth was traveling eastbound on Hwy 10 near Hwy J when he went to pass another vehicle.  Stockwell struck a westbound vehicle driven by 32yr old Michael Baier of Prescott.  Both Stockwell and Baier were transported to River Falls Area Hospital.

A Trempealeau man has been charged with three counts of possession of child pornography, resisting an officer, and failing to update his sex offender information.  Stephen Jenkins was arrested after authorities received a tip about Jenkins and searched his electronics and found multiple child pornography videos.  Jenkins is currently listed as non-compliant with no location in Utah where he was convicted of sex crimes in 2005 and 2006.    He is being held in the Trempealeau County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond and will return to court on Thursday.

There are charges coming after a weekend standoff with an armed suspect in Barron County.  The sheriff's office had to call in its Emergency Response Team to arrest 27-year-old Devin Baldwin Sunday evening.  He was drunk when police say he holed-up in his home in Cumberland.  It took tear gas and some beanbag rounds to finally get Baldwin under control.  Baldwin was on probation for a similar situation in 2020 when he threatened to kill officers and fired a gun.  Baldwin is in jail and waiting for formal charges.

Those who heat their homes with natural gas can expect higher bills this winter.  Xcel Energy says natural gas will cost about 23% more this winter.  Officials say the cost increase is not just a local issue as natural gas prices are at all time highs across the country.    For the average household, Xcel estimates it will cost about $225 more this winter than last year.

A flock of backyard chickens in St. Croix County is Wisconsin's latest bird flu case.  The state's Department of Agriculture confirmed an outbreak last week.  Wisconsin saw nearly three million-birds put down after a bird flu outbreak in the spring.  The case in St. Croix County is the third in the past two months.  The other two were at commercial bird operations in Dunn and Racine counties.

No playoffs for the Amherst football team after a judge tossed their appeal of a WIAA decision to forfeit their wins. The school and the Association met in a Portage County courtroom on Monday where a judge sided with the WIAA, who said the school didn't do enough to investigate the eligibility of a player who started his football career with another school in 20-18 while he was home schooled. That timeline means his last year of eligibility would have been last year. The school said there is no way they would have known about the issue, the Association said they could have asked the student's parents or the student himself.

A statewide program has kicked off, to dispose of firefighting foams containing hazardous “forever chemicals.” Many departments have switched to firefighting foams that do not contain PFAS. The chemicals can contaminate groundwater and have been linked to numerous negative health outcomes. Disposing of PFAS containing foams can be costly, so fire departments have been storing them. Wisconsin based North Shore Environmental Construction will be collecting and disposing of at least 25,000 gallons of PFAS-containing firefighting foam waste from throughout the state. The most recent two-year state budget provided one million dollars for the DNR and DATCP to administer the program.  

Wisconsin has set another record with its budget surplus.  The state's Department of Administration on Friday said the state ended its last fiscal year, which ended in June, with a four-point-three billion-dollar surplus.  The DOA also says the state finished the year with a one-point-seven billion-dollar rainy day fund.  The big surplus numbers were driven in part by record high tax collections.  Those jumped five percent last year, which was one-and-a-half billion-dollars over expectations.

Friday's televised campaign debate between incumbent Democratic Governor Tony Evers and his Republican challenger, business executive Tim Michels, was the first and only time voters will see the candidates face to face. They exchanged views on a variety of topics including abortion, gun violence, climate change, and how to attract more young people to Wisconsin. The most recent Marquette Poll indicates a close race.

George Floyd's family is considering suing Kanye West after he claimed Floyd died from fentanyl.  During a Drink Champs podcast, Ye claimed Floyd didn't die from officer Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck.  While there were traces of fentanyl in Floyd's system,  medical experts came to the conclusion Floyd died from a lack of oxygen.  Lawyer Lee Merritt says while one cannot defame the dead, the family can sue for false statements about the manner of his death.

If you still need a photo ID to vote next month you can get one for free.  The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says you can go to any Wisconsin DMV and get help getting an ID for free.  All you need is a birth certificate or passport, proof of identity, proof of U.S. and Wisconsin residency, and your social security number.  Election Day is November 8th.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is trying to cut down on distracted driving.  The D-O-T says today is Buckle Up, Phone Down Day, where drivers are urged to buckle their seatbelts and stay off their phones.  The D-O-T says 40 people died in distracted driving crashes in Wisconsin last year, a 54 percent increase from 2019.

The real police don't call you about court dates, and the real police don't ask for money over the phone.  Madison Police are warning about a phone scam after getting a call from someone who got a call from a scammer pretending to be a Madison police officer.  The scammer says you missed a court date and now have a warrant, but offers to take care of it for a fee.  Madison Police say if you get a call, simply hang-up.

Local-Regional News Oct 17

 A hiker who became lost on Thursday is ok.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, deputies were called after 75yr old Charles Brion of Nelson did not return from his walk in the Tiffany Wildlife area.    Buffalo and Pepin County Deputies using a drone along with a K-9 unit searched for Brion who was found approximately 6miles from his vehicle at 12:49am on Friday morning.  

The City of Durand will be shutting off some of the lights along Hwy 10 from the bridge to the travel mart.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says there are 62 lights along that stretch of Hwy 10.  The city will leave the lights on at intersections and when replacing the lights use the newer LED lights.

The Wabasha County Sheriff's Department is asking for the public's help in locating a hit-and-run driver.  According to the department, an SUV, possibly a Chevrolet Blazer struck a young child in Downtown Wabasha under the bridge on Saturday afternoon.  The female driver left the scene of the accident after seeing the girl did not sustain life-threatening injuries.  The driver is described as in her 60s, shoulder-length dark hair and a heavier build.  If anyone has any information they are to contact the Wabasha County Sheriff's Department.

Three people are looking at nearly two dozen felony counts for stealing guns, bullets, and rocket launchers from an Eau Claire County home. Prosecutors filed the charges on Friday. Two of the suspects are accused of stealing the guns, and the third is accused of buying them. The Sheriff's Office says 15 guns, five thousand rounds of ammunition, and military-grade rocket launchers were taken from a home in the town of Drammen last weekend. Investigators say they found some of the guns, but it's not clear if they recovered the rocket launchers and ammunition.

A postal worker in Barron County faces federal mail tampering charges for allegedly intercepting Menards rebate checks   Residents in the Rice Lake and Cumberland area who were looking to save big money with the popular 11 percent rebate credit checks instead may have been swindled by 37-year-old Joshua Copas- who investigators say took the checks out of the mail before they could be delivered. The indictment alleges that the scheme occurred between April and May of this year, investigators haven't said if Copas kept them for himself or others.

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is returning to Wisconsin and Minnesota after a two-year hiatus.  It'll make six Wisconsin stops, Watertown, Columbus, Portage, Wisconsin Dells, Mauston, and Tomah on December 9th and 10th.  The train will make stops in Winona, Wabasha, and Hasting on December 11.  The holiday train raises money for local food banks but has been unable to operate for the last two years because of the coronavirus pandemic.

There is a warning about a serial Culver's robber in southeastern Wisconsin.  Police in Lake Mills say they are looking for a man driving a maroon Jeep who robbed their Culver's drive-through last month.  Investigators say he is also suspected of robbing Culver's Mequon and Janesville.  No one is saying why the man is targeting Culver's.  His pictures are online, and police are asking anyone who knows anything to please come forward.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is no longer installing its smart warning system at rural intersections.  The system uses a flashing beacon to alert drivers to oncoming traffic.  MnDOT traffic engineers say the Rural Intersection Conflict Warning System didn't "significantly" reduce crashes in the state.  The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says nearly two-thirds of crashes leading to serious injury or death in the state happen at rural intersections. 

There's a new report that Republicans say shows that Wisconsin is spending more money than ever on public schools. The report from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau came out last week and shows the state spent over seven-and-a-half billion-dollars on state aid for public schools last year. That's up from seven-point-three billion in 2020, and seven-point-three billion in 2019. The report also comes as the state's Department of Public Instruction gets ready to release its state aid numbers for this year. Those will come out later today. Republican State Senator Duey Stroebel says the numbers burst the myth that Republican lawmakers have underfunded public schools in Wisconsin. 

The Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating a deadly officer-involved shooting in Windsor.  The Wisconsin Department of Justice says a Dane County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a person at the Super 8 hotel on Lake Circle last night.  It's still unclear what circumstances led up to the shooting.  The deputy is on leave pending an investigation into the shooting.

Democratic incumbent Angie Craig and Republican challenger Tyler Kistner are displaying a deep policy divide after the first and only debate.  It was held at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount on Thursday.  Up until now, much of the Minnesota 2nd District congressional race has been playing out in negative TV ads, many being paid for by organizations from outside of Minnesota.  The two were quick to offer competing views of abortion and the role of the federal government as inflation came up repeatedly during the hour-long, heated discussion.  This is the second election cycle where Craig and Kistner are facing off as Craig won in 2020 and is seeking a third term this year. 

 Three of the 49 people charged in an alleged quarter-billion-dollar scheme to defraud government meal programs are pleading guilty.  Bekam Addissu Merdassa and Hanna Marekegn, and Hadith Yusuf Ahmed entered pleas at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis on Thursday, in the case linked to the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.  Prosecutors charged them with criminal information, rather than through a grand jury indictment, so guilty pleas were expected.  Authorities say the Twin Cities-based nonprofit stood at the center of a network of shell companies controlled by people who used federal child nutrition money to buy cars, luxury goods, jewelry, and property in the United States, Kenya, and Turkey.

A three-thousand-year-old canoe may not be the only artifact sitting just below the waters of Lake Mendota.  State archaeologists say there could be an entire village waiting to be discovered.  Researchers and historians pulled the canoe out of the lake last month.  It is the oldest canoe ever found in the area.  State Archaeologist Dr. James Skibo says his team is now going to see what else they can find, with the expectation that they will find something. 

Twenty years ago, if you'd asked where the nearest “TYME Machine” was on the streets of New York City or Atlanta, all you'd likely get would be a funny look. But the Take Your Money Everywhere ATMs were once ubiquitous here in the Upper Midwest. The brand was created as a partnership between four Milwaukee banks in the 1970s and had more than 27,000 ATMs in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. The brand disappeared in 2004 but it’s now being revived by Landmark Credit Union as part of the marketing strategy for its new line of advanced ATMs.

Local-Regional News Oct 14

 The City of Durand did not receive a grant from the Wisconsin DOT for the Main Street reconstruction project.   Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says, according to the city engineer, there will be additional DOT grant opportunities for the city.  The city did receive a grant for Madison Street in the downtown earlier this year.

The City of Mondovi is working on the 2023 city budget.  Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says the new citywide re-assessment will play a factor in the levy.  The city will have a levy authorization of $938,946 in 2023.

 

Two teens are dead, and a teenage driver is facing intoxicated driving charges from a crash in northwest Wisconsin   A second girl died as a result of a rollover crash on Monday. She was one of four Rice Lake area teens in the car. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said early Thursday that a 15-year-old girl died at a hospital in Minnesota. A 14-year-old girl passed away earlier this week and another 14-year-old girl remained in the hospital with a severe arm injury as of Wednesday. A 16-year-old boy, the driver in the crash, was in custody in Eau Claire, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated-causing injury.

The sheriff in Rusk County says a man is dead after hitting a deer while riding his ATV. It happened Sunday morning in Big Bend township. Deputies say the man was tossed from his ATV in the crash. He was not wearing a helmet, and authorities say he suffered serious head injuries. 

Wisconsin's latest coronavirus map is a sea of green. The CDC says most of the state is seeing low coronavirus levels. Milwaukee and the WOW counties are seeing medium levels, but just two counties are seeing high levels. Rusk and Barron counties in western Wisconsin are the only areas of the state in the orange, but that may be because of their low population and not because of a spike in new coronavirus cases. 

Offensive social media posts have led to the resignation of a College Republican leader.  UW La Crosse College Republicans chair Megan Pauly resigned hours after anti-Semitic and racist chalk messages on campus sidewalks were posted to social media. The posts were deleted but were shared on social media by College Democrats and the state Democratic Party. In her resignation statement, Pauly said she wouldn't stand by while others are ostracized, and that anti-Semitism and hate speech have no place in the College Republicans. 

La Crosse's ban on conversion therapy is now part of a federal lawsuit. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty yesterday filed a lawsuit to end the city's recently approved ban. Advocates and some city leaders say conversion therapy, where a therapist talks to people about their sexuality, is harmful to the LGBTQ+ community. WILL said the city doesn't get to punish doctors for expressing unpopular ideas. La Crosse first approved the ordinance back in June, but it was flagged a month later because of free speech concerns

Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin are getting angrier and angrier with the people in charge of professional licenses in the state. State Senator Rob Stafsholt on Wednesday blasted the state's Department of Safety and Professional Services for ignoring them. Stafsholt says lawmakers asked five simple questions in August about Wisconsin's months-long licensing backlog, but he says DSPS has ignored them. Stafsholt said someone needs to explain not only why everyone from dental assistants to engineers are waiting so long to get their license, but also why the Evers' Administration is freezing-out the legislature. 

Inflation tops the list of voter concerns in the latest Marquette Law School Poll.   Since August of last year, respondents have been asked to rate how concerned they are with a variety of issues. In the latest poll released Wednesday, 68 percent were very concerned with inflation. Sixty percent were very concerned with public schools and gun violence, 56 percent with abortion policy and crime, 52 percent with an accurate vote count, 47 percent with taxes, 40 percent with illegal immigration, and just 13 percent were very concerned about the Coronavirus.

Now is a good time to check the apps on your phone and make sure they're still doing what you want.  Michelle Reinen with the Wisconsin Division of Consumer Protection says your phone carries a lot of data about you that you might not even realize you're sharing with companies. Many apps share data between themselves and can create a profile of you that can be sold to advertisers and others. If you don't need an app on your phone, it's best to get rid of it.

 Vandals smashed in the front and rear windows of Beth Isreal Sinai late Sunday night and early Monday morning. Synagogue treasurer David Lee tells the Racine Journal Times that the larger Jewish community in the United States has been dealing with a rise of concerted attacks over the last several years. The last vandalism was in 2019 when someone spraypainted a swastika on the outside of the temple.

 Madison has sent its first 500 dollar guaranteed income checks.  Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway yesterday said 150 low income families are going to get 500 dollars each month for the next year.  The money has no strings attached, so people can spend it on whatever they want.  Rhodes-Conway says the idea is to help low income families by giving them some flexibility.  The guaranteed income program will cost Madison nearly a million-dollars over the next 12 months. 

A Minnesota based window and door manufacturer is settling a discrimination claim.  Andersen Corporation was accused of withdrawing a job offer after learning of an applicant's disability.  The company will pay the man 41 thousand dollars.  Anderson will also follow several stipulations designed to build a more inclusive workplace for people with disabilities.

Over 66-hundred more small businesses and non-profits across Wisconsin are getting Main Street Bounceback grants from the state government.  Today Governor Tony Evers  [[  EE-vurz  ]]  announced the grants will go to businesses and non-profits in all 72 Wisconsin counties.  Evers says he plans to invest 100-million dollars into the program and help ten-thousand organizations.

 Free fentanyl test strips are now available across Wisconsin.  The Wisconsin Department of Health Services now has a tool on its website where you can search places to find the test strips.  The department says drugs mixed with fentanyl are the leading cause of overdose deaths in Wisconsin.

Local-Regional News Oct 13

 The bids for the Tarrant Park Pool project were allowed to expire, which means they are no longer valid.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city will now try to re-organize the pool project.  If the project can be reorganized, construction would begin in 2024.

The city of Mondovi will complete the Schmidtknick road project to Hwy A next year as part of the new wastewater treatment plant project.  Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says the city wants to take advantage of the grant dollars available and have multiple access to the plant.  Construction should begin in spring.

More details on the fire in Alma on Tuesday.   According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, firefighters from 8 departments were called to the Alma Hotel at 1:20 Tuesday afternoon after a report of black smoke coming out of the building.  When crews arrived, they found a fire in the kitchen wall behind the stove.  Firefighters were able to contain the fire and no injuries were reported.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

There are now federal charges against the Tennessee man accused of driving to Chippewa County to kidnap a 15-year-old girl.  The U.S. Attorney's Office filed child pornography charges this week against 22-year-old Trevor Blackburn. He's already facing state charges of kidnapping and sexual assault.  The sheriff in Chippewa County says Blackburn kidnapped the girl from her home in Holcombe at the beginning of the month because she stopped talking to him online. 

One person was injured in a one-vehicle accident in Trenton Township on Tuesday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 37yr old Noah Reimer of Shoreview, MN was traveling southbound on Hwy 35 when he lost control of his vehicle on a sharp curve, entered the south ditch, and struck some trees.  Reimer was taken to Mayo Hospital in Red Wing.  

Gov. Tony Evers, together with Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Secretary Randy Romanski, today announced 91 meat processors have been selected to receive a total of $10 million through the governor’s Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Resiliency Grants.  Funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Wisconsin meat processors will receive funding for grant projects of up to $150,000. Grants are awarded through a competitive selection process and selected processors must provide a match of 100 percent of the grant amount.   Here in our area, Durand Smokehouse, Gunderson Foods in Mondovi, and JM Watkins all received a grant.

Two large regional health systems are considering a merger:  Marshfield Clinic Health System and Essenta Health have signed a memorandum of understanding which states they may join forces to form a multi-state regional health system covering more than two million people from North Dakota to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan- covering mostly rural and small-urban areas. None of the big details such as what the new system would be called or how its leadership would be structured have been announced, but both sides have stated that they are excited for what the prospects of a combined health system could bring.

Minnesota is making a bid for hosting the 2027 World's Fair.  Leaders of the organization that puts together the Specialised Expo are in the Twin Cities this week considering Bloomington as the proposed 2027 host site.  The Expo brings in an estimated 14 million visitors and focuses on innovations from around the globe.  Minnesota's theme would center on Healthy People, Healthy Planet.  Governor Walz said yesterday that Minnesota is "Expo-ready."  The proposal has been in the works for about ten years.

Wisconsin's race for U.S. Senate is becoming lopsided while the race for governor is essentially tied according to the latest Marquette Law School Poll. The poll, released yesterday, gives Republican U.S.Senator Ron Johnson a six-point lead over Democrat Mandela Barnes. Last month that was a one-point lead. The poll gives Governor Evers a one-point lead over Republican Tim Michels, but that lead is well within the poll's margin of error. Pollsters say independent voters in Wisconsin are breaking toward the Republican candidates, and that's what is tipping the scales. Voters will cast their ballots in about three weeks. 

Add this to the growing list of scam warnings.  The Better Business Bureau in Wisconsin is warning of Election Day scams.  The B-B-B says scammers will try anything they can to steal money.  During election season that sometimes means posing as candidates and stealing donations.  The Better Business Bureau's Lisa Schiller says always check emails and websites to make sure they are real and never give money to people who contact you out of the blue. 

Minnesota is ranked number one in the country when it comes to health for women and children.  The report was done by the Minnetonka-based United Health Foundation.  The downside is that the state is experiencing an increase in stress, racial disparities, and somewhat of a drinking problem.  United Health Foundation is starting a three-million-dollar pilot program for programs in Minnesota middle schools to address increases in childhood depression and anxiety.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released its annual Air Quality Trends Report on Tuesday. The report includes monitoring data through 2021 for pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act. Those include ground-level ozone, particle pollution, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Highlights include reductions of sulfur dioxide in an area near Rhinelander due to new emissions control measures, and that reduction means the entire state now meets the EPA sulfur dioxide standard. New this year the DNR has an interactive story map that illustrates air quality trends for each pollutant over the last 20 years.

The state of Minnesota is set to receive nearly one hundred million dollars in funding.  The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the funding of eleven state plans yesterday under the State Small Business Credit Initiative.  Minnesota's funds will go toward operating six programs that provide loans and equity to small businesses and start-ups.  The Treasury has approved 31 state plans overall so far under the SSBCI program, costing approximately four-point-eight billion dollars.

Former Packers wide receiver Davante Adams is charged with misdemeanor assault after being caught on video shoving a cameraman after this week's Monday Night Football game.  The criminal complaint accuses Adams of an intentional act causing bodily injury.  It also says Adams caused the cameraman whiplash, a headache, and possible minor concussion.  The charges were filed this morning and Adams is scheduled to appear in court next month.

The state's Department of Natural Resources is asking for help from experienced hunters in the state.  The state yesterday said it is looking for older hunters who can act as mentors for young hunters.  The DNR says hunting involves skills that are not always easy to teach and said building a relationship with an older hunter is sometimes the best way for younger folks to learn and learn to love the outdoors.  You can find out more about the mentor program, as well as other opportunities to help at the DNR's website. 

A group of Wisconsin dairy farmers wants the federal government to issue more visas for migrant workers.   A proposal to increase the number of visas available to migrant workers has stalled out in the US Senate after disagreements on how many workers should be allowed in the new program. Dairy farmers in Wisconsin say the government should uncap that number to allow more workers on farms across the country, but especially in Wisconsin, where some farms are being forced to close due to lack of help. Opponents of the plan are calling it amnesty for undocumented residents.

Local-Regional News Oct 12

Firefighters from Alma,  Durand, Mondovi, Nelson, Tri-Community, Waumandee, and Wabasha responded to a fire at the Alma Hotel in Downtown Alma yesterday afternoon.    Firefighters were on the scene for over 2hours but were able to get the fire contained.  Hwy 35 in Alma was closed during the fire, and there are currently no reports of injuries.  Damage estimates and the cause of the fire have not been released.

Strong odors coming from the SBF pet food plant in Mondovi have residents concerned.  At last night's Mondovi City Council a resident that lives near the plant told the council the odor is so strong it is nearly unbearable.  Another resident said while the plant is good for jobs and the economy, he has considered moving away because of the odor.  Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says the city has been receiving complaints and will consider fines against the company.  The city has also asked the company to restart air quality testing in and around the plant to determine if the filtering equipment is still working properly.

A report from the March of Dimes released on Tuesday says that Pepin County is a maternity care desert.  A maternity care desert is defined as any county without a hospital or birth center offering obstetric care and without any obstetric providers such as obstetricians, gynecologists, and certified midwives or nurse midwives. The report says that Pierce and Trempealeau Counties have moderate access to maternity care, while Buffalo and Dunn have full access.  The report does not include the ending of maternity care in Menomonie at the end of the year.   Between the 2020 report and today, 5% of U.S. counties shifted to lower access to maternity care, and 3% of counties shifted to higher access of care.

The Wabasha County Sheriff's Department is reporting a rash of break-ins and thefts in the City of Elgin.  The department is reminding residents to remove valuables from vehicles and lock the car and garage doors.  If anyone has any information on the person or persons responsible for the thefts, they are to contact the Wabasha County Sheriff's Department or Minnesota Crime Stoppers.

The Durand City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include a discussion on the site plan for the proposed Dollar General along with reports from the Mayor, Administrator, and City Department Heads.  Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall and will be live-streamed on the WRDN YouTube Channel.

One person was injured in a single-vehicle accident in Oak Grove Township on Tuesday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 22yr old Tucker Thoen of Ellsworth was traveling westbound on Hwy 10 and was turning south onto Hwy E when the vehicle left the roadway, overturned, and came to rest on the east side of Hwy E.  Thoen was med flighted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.  That accident remains under investigation.

 One of the teenage girls involved in this week's rollover crash in Barron County has died.  The sheriff's office says one of the 14-year-olds who was seriously hurt in Monday night's wreck passed away yesterday.  She was flown to the hospital in St. Paul because of her injuries.  Two other teenage girls were also severely hurt in the crash.  Deputies arrested the 16-year-old boy who was driving for being under the influence. 

 The same people who helped with the designs for the Cannery District are going to take a look at the future of the Oakwood Mall.  The city of Eau Claire has hired a consultant to brainstorm some ideas for what to do with the mall, its empty stores, and the parking lot.  Community development director Scott Allen said the planning is in the very early stages.  He says AMC's decision to close its movie theater at the mall sparked Eau Claire's decision to act. 

Governor Evers says he wouldn't sign a law allowing for abortion exemptions because it doesn't go far enough.  The governor told a crowd in Milwaukee yesterday that he doesn't want exemptions for abortion, he wants abortion to be fully legal in the state.  Wisconsin is one of about two dozen states that saw a near-total ban on abortion go into effect when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.  The governor says he wants Roe to become the law of the state.  His opponent, Republican Tim Michels, said last month that he would sign an exemption law if lawmakers sent it to him. 

You're going to have to spend some more time at home with the family this Thanksgiving.  Kohl's yesterday said it will be closed on Thanksgiving.  Kohl's first closed on Thanksgiving in 2020 because of the coronavirus but has decided to keep the new tradition going.  Other big stores are doing the same.  Target says it will be closed on Thanksgiving this year as well. 

Before you decide to buy bitcoins or invest in an NFT or other cryptocurrency, be careful. Michelle Reinen with DATCP says cryptocurrencies are often the preferred method of trading value between criminals. Risks also include artificially inflated prices due to 'wash trades', where a single entity is both the buyer and the seller. So there can be money laundering involved, pump and dump, and pyramid schemes. Reinen says that you shouldn't ever invest more money than you're willing to lose and realize that cryptocurrency has been steadily losing value across all markets since the start of the year. 

Mayo Clinic is getting a 100-million-dollar gift to expand its radiation treatment facility in Rochester.  The donation came from the Fred and Katherine Andersen Foundation.  The gift will allow Mayor to almost double appointments for the treatment of cancer patients.  The expansion will include a new building with two floors below ground, and construction is expected to start next year.

The freshman class at UW-Madison is a record-breaker. The university yesterday said there are eight thousand-628 freshmen on campus this fall. Nearly 60 percent of the freshmen class at UW-Madison is from outside of Wisconsin. Madison is one of just two UW campuses that saw enrollment increase this year. All others were either flat or lost students. 

The rules for poll watchers in Wisconsin are not changing. The state's Elections Commission was deadlocked yesterday on a plan to clarify the rules for where election observers can stand on Election Day. Republican Commission chairman Don Millis said he wanted to give some guidance to local election clerks who may be nervous about next month's elections. The Democrats on the Commission blocked his ideas. That means local election managers across the state could interpret the state's laws differently when voters head to the polls in less than a month. 

There are calls for a restraining order and a federal investigation after police in Baraboo say some adults used a flamethrower to angrily stop a car full of teenagers. It happened last week. Police say the adults were angry because one of their homes was TP'd. One of the adults is Baraboo High School athletic director James Langkamp. He says he tried to defuse the situation. Some of the kids in the car are students of colors. Their moms now want a restraining order against Langkamp, saying they no longer feel safe. The Ho-Chunk Nation wants a federal investigation to see if race played a role. Police say the man with the flamethrower was arrested. 

It's cybersecurity awareness month and state consumer protection officials want you to keep your computers and devices up to date. Michelle Reinen with DATCP says that is vital to keeping your data safe from the latest emerging bugs and hacks.  If you're not sure if your device has auto updates, check with the manufacturer and see what needs to be done to get it up to date. You should also make sure that your passwords are long and hard to guess. Consider using pass phrases that are easy to remember, or get a password manager to generate strong passwords for you. 

A Canadian mining company has submitted a request to the DNR, to drill inside Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that GreenLight Metals is looking to do some exploratory drilling in Taylor County, inside the national park. The plan is similar to the one that's being attempted in Marathon County. State legislators voted to lift the moratorium on metallic mining in 2017 after another company expressed interest in mining in the state. Those plans never reached the drilling phase. 

A horticulture teacher from Minnesota is the new U.S. record holder for heaviest pumpkin.  Travis Gienger of Anoka drove the gourd 35 hours to yesterday's 49th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, south of San Francisco.  He took over the U.S. record with a gargantuan pumpkin weighing 25-hundred-60 pounds.  Gienger said it was "like winning the Tour de France on a big wheel" in that it's very difficult in Minnesota to raise such a large gourd.  An Italian grower holds the world record, with a squash weighing 27-hundred-two pounds in 2021.