Local-Regional News October 11

 One person was injured in a motorcycle accident in Trenton Township Monday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 43yr old Eric Fielder of Welch, MN was traveling southbound on Hwy 63 and intending to turn west onto 825th Street.  Fielder failed to stop at the stop sign at the T intersection, crossed 825th Street, and entered the south ditch.  He was taken to Mayo Hospital in Red Wing.

One person was injured in a motorcycle accident in Spring Lake Township on Saturday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 70yr old James Osborne of Roberts was traveling southbound on Hwy B near 770th Avenue when he left the roadway, struck a guardrail, entered the west ditch and was ejected.  Osborne was med-flighted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

Three teenage girls from Barron County are fighting for their lives and the 16-year-old who was driving them is behind bars after a wreck last night. The Barron County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened about 7 p.m. on 16-and-a-half Avenue, just north of Cameron. Deputies say the 16-year-old driver was speeding when he lost control and rolled his car several times. The girls, a 15-year-old and two 14-year-olds, were severely injured. Two of them were flown to a hospital in St. Paul, the other was flown to the hospital in Marshfield. Deputies arrested the 16-year-old for driving under the influence. 

The sheriff in Rusk County is looking for a woman whose home burned down over the weekend. The sheriff's office yesterday said no one has seen Ginger Bryant since before the fire at her house in the Township of Washington. No one knows where she went. Deputies say they want to make sure Bryant is okay, and make sure that no one else was in her home when it burned. 

 A motorcycle hit a deer in Dakota County Monday night, leaving a woman dead and a man hospitalized with serious injuries. The Dakota County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened east of Hastings near the intersection of Polk Avenue and Ravenna Trail.   The woman was pronounced dead at the scene while the man was taken to Regions Hospital with serious injuries.  Officials say neither passenger was wearing a helmet.

Mayo Clinic is raising pay by six percent early next year for most workers.  The increase will be the largest across-the-board pay hike in over two decades.  Over 64-thousand allied health staff in the Rochester-based health system will receive the raises.  Jobs receiving an increase include nurses, technicians, and security and maintenance, along with others.  The increase doesn't apply to workers covered by union contracts.

Wisconsin drivers need to be especially alert for deer this time of year.   According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources deer-vehicle collisions peak between October and November, there were just over 16,500 deer crashes in 2021 down from the previous year. The best advice for motorists keep your eyes on the road, drive the speed limit or slower in conditions of limited visibility. Don't attempt to swerve to avoid colliding with a deer and as always, buckle up.

The chancellor at UW-Green Bay is asking parents to fill-out a financial aid request, even if they're not sure about the cost of college. Chancellor Michael Alexander released an op-ed yesterday that highlights the potential for savings by filling out a FAFSA form. He said most people would jump at the chance to save money on their mortgage or grocery bill, but many families in Wisconsin don't look for help in paying for college. Alexander doesn't mention anywhere in his op-ed about the cost of tuition, room and board, and books at UW campuses. Though he does say that some families will be eligible for a tuition-free scholarship starting next year. 

The judge's order that bans voter do-overs in Wisconsin is on hold, for now. An appeals court yesterday gave the Wisconsin Elections Commission a temporary stay so it can make a case for its rules on 'spoiling ballots.' That's the official name for getting a second ballot. Wisconsin law allows voters to get a second ballot, but a judge in Waukesha last week said that law only applies before a voter turns their ballot in. Once that happens, the judge ruled, the vote is final. The appeals court gave the Elections Commission til tomorrow to make its case. 

Wisconsin now has some of the highest gas prices in the Midwest.  Triple-A says the statewide average is three dollars and 98-cents a gallon, up five-cents from this time last week.  Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan are the only Midwest states where gas is more expensive.  The average in Madison is over four dollars at four-oh-five a gallon.

 Madison is one of the top-15 safest cities in the country.  WalletHub ranks Madison 13th compared to the 182 largest cities in the country based on over three dozen safety indicators.  WalletHub says Madison ranks 15th for home and community safety but just 89th for natural disaster risk.  WalletHub says the safest city in the U.S. is Columbia, Maryland and the least safe is St. Louis, Missouri.

Hennepin County says the NFL "incorrectly" listed the U. S. Bank Stadium as a polling place for the midterm elections.  County officials told KARE 11 that the Minnesota Vikings stadium won't be open to voters on November 8th.  Residents can go online to find their official polling place.  

t’s estimated that about 6,500 people with federal convictions for simple possession of marijuana will benefit from President Joe Biden’s pardon announcement. Long-time Madison cannabis activist Gary Storck says it's not common that federal authorities to arrest people on simple possession. Federal cases are more likely to involve tons or hundreds of pounds of cannabis. Storck says he was disappointed that Biden didn’t issue an executive order to remove cannabis from the list of Schedule 1 narcotics, which includes heroin and LSD. Biden instead directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review how marijuana is currently scheduled on the federal level. That process could take years.

The Rice Lake Area School District Board of Education is updating its policy on how the school notifies parents if their student wants to transition genders and use a new name and bathroom. Supporters of the policy say the parents have the right to know. Opponents say it would make it more difficult for a student to come out, especially if their parents do not support it. School board president Kevin Jensen says there have been many misconceptions about the rule, and it isn't changing a lot from its original version.

Local-Regional News October 10

 Two people were injured in a head-on collision in the town of Gale on Saturday morning.  According to the Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department, vehicle one was traveling westbound on Crystal Valley Road while vehicle two was traveling eastbound.  Both vehicles collided on a curve.  The driver of vehicle one had to be extricated and was airlifted to a La Crosse Hospital with severe injuries.  The driver of vehicle 2 was taken to a La Crosse Hospital with severe injuries.  The names of the drivers are not being released at this time.

One person was injured in a car-deer accident in Nelson Township last Wednesday.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, 57yr old Kerry Hilton was traveling northbound on Hwy 35 when he hit a deer that ran into the lane of traffic.  Hilton was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The sheriff in Eau Claire is looking into how a woman ended up being shot by an arrow over the weekend. The woman called 9-1-1 after being hit with an arrow in the Town of Washington. Investigators are not saying who shot her, or what she was doing when she was shot. The sheriff's office says she is expected to live and says there is no threat to the community. 

There is a push for an ethics commission for the Eau Claire County Board.  Supervisor Mark Beckfield says he wants an independent panel to be able to look into issues on the county board without "bias or political ideology."  He is pushing the idea after a change on how the county adopted its latest budget, he says supervisors were shut-out from asking questions. Supervisor Jerry Wilkie says an ethics commission could also help get some answers about the years-long investigation into the county's Department of Human Services and the million-dollar 'accounting error' that started the whole thing. 

The 91yr old woman missing in Rusk County has been found deceased.  According to the Rusk County Sheriff's Department's social media page, 91yr old Mary Lou Bisson was found deceased in a wooded area on Friday.  Bisson was reported missing on Wednesday.

One firefighter was injured ina home fire in Oronoco Saturday night.  According to authorities, crews were called around 11pm Saturday night after smoke was reported coming from the vacant home on 44th Avenue Northwest.  By the time firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed.  Officials are calling the fire suspicious, and the Minnesota Fire Marshall's Office is investigating the cause of that blaze.

We are waiting to see what Wisconsin's Elections Commission does about voter do-overs later today.  A judge last week said the Elections Commission must end its guidance to local clerks that voters can get a second ballot if they change their minds.  Wisconsin law allows for a second ballot, but the judge says that law applies before a voter submits their ballot.  Once that happens, the judge said, votes are final.  The Elections Commission has a meeting scheduled for later this afternoon to take up the judge's order. 

Some people enrolled in Medicaid in Wisconsin may have had their personal information stolen.  The state's Department of Health Services on Friday said over 12 thousand people had their information exposed online.  It wasn't a hack.  DHS said the information was posted online after a meeting in April of last year.  That information included the first and last name, date of birth, gender, county location, Wisconsin Medicaid member ID number, and social security number of people enrolled in Medicaid in the state.  DHS took down the personal information as soon as it was discovered.  All 12 thousand people received a letter about the potential exposure and will be given a free year of credit monitoring. 

The state will receive 40 million dollars in federal funding to help provide broadband internet to eight-thousand Wisconsin businesses and homes.  The Biden Administration made the announcement about the additional money Thursday.  The Wisconsin Broadband Infrastructure Projects program will get the money, which is aimed at helping connect rural areas in the state to the internet.  It's estimated that 650-thousand Wisconsin residents don't have access to broadband internet, with most of those residents being in rural areas.

 A Minnesota man is sentenced to six months of probation for his involvement in the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot. Court documents say that Frank Bratjan, who pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building, will also serve 60 hours of community service and pay two thousand dollars in fines and restitution.

The Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office has identified the body found near a burning vehicle last month.  The county coroner’s office has confirmed the dead man was 75-year-old William Smith of Antioch, Illinois.  W-C-C-O/T-V reports that emergency responders were called to the scene of a vehicle fire September 23rd in the Town of Hunter, which is near Hayward.  When they arrived the vehicle was fully engulfed and Smith’s body was on fire on the ground next to it.  Investigators say it appears he was driving when his vehicle went into the ditch, hit a mailbox, then came back onto the roadway before catching on fire.

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman was fired almost two months ago but the legal bills are still piling up for the Office of Special Counsel he headed.  Gableman was hired by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to investigate possible irregularities in the 2020 presidential election.  His original budget was 676-thousand dollars but the election review has already cost Wisconsin taxpayers more than one-and-a-half-million dollars.  Much of that expense is tied to an open records lawsuit filed by a liberal watchdog group, American Oversight.  It continues even though the office is close

 U-S District Judge William Griesbach has dismissed a suit challenging the president’s student loan forgiveness program.  The Brown County Taxpayers Association had filed the suit earlier this week.  W-L-U-K/T-V reports the Association had alleged President Biden’s move violated the constitutional separation of powers because he didn’t seek congressional approval.  The judge ruled that group didn’t have the legal standing it needed to challenge the act.  He denied the motion for a temporary restraining order.  The Taxpayers Association has the option of appealing that ruling to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

 One of the three men accused of forcing four Baraboo High School students out of their car this week is a Baraboo School District employee.  That's according to police, who say the suspects used a torch-like device to get the teens out of the car.  Police say at least one of the suspects reportedly had a problem with one of the students.

Minnesota's senior senator plans to seek another term in office.  U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar's spokeswoman Jane Meyer told the Star Tribune that the Democratic lawmaker intends to run again in two years.  If she is victorious, it would be her fourth term representing Minnesota in Congress.  Klobuchar ran for president in 2020.

Creighton Economist Ernie Goss says the problems that have slowed the Midwest economy are going to impact the holiday season as well. He says they asked supply managers who deal with holiday sales about the expected activity as part of the September economic survey. Goss says their response is weak -- with about less than a half a percent growth for the holiday season coming up. Goss says there has been a lot of pre-buying as retailers and other companies have built up their inventories in anticipation of supply chain disruptions. That is going to slow things down for the rest of the year.

Local-Regional News October 7

Two men from Minnesota, including a man from St. Paul, are behind bars in western Wisconsin after a high speed chase.  The sheriff in Dunn County says it started early Wednesday morning in Menomonie.  Deputies tried to pull the men over just outside of the city, but the suspects took off.  That chase hit speeds of 125 miles-per-hour.  When the suspects got to the Pepin County line, state troopers took over the chase.  It ended when the suspects crashed near I- 94 and Highway 128.  The suspects were not hurt in the wreck, but were taken to jail. 

No one was injured in a house fire in Osseo Wednesday.  According to the Osseo Fire Department, firefighters were called to the home on 9th street just before 5pm after a neighbor saw smoke coming from the home.    Firefighters were able to put the fire out quickly and the home suffered severe smoke damage.  A woman and two children were inside the home at the time of the blaze but were able to get out safely.  The cause of that fire is still under investigation.

 

 A terrorist threat charge against a California man has been dismissed – but only so the federal government can prosecute him.  Thirty-three-year-old Jeremy Hanson had been accused of issuing a death threat toward a school board president in Eau Claire County.  W-E-A-U/T-V reports that the prosecutors dismissed the charge September 26th.  Hanson has pleaded guilty to a federal charge filed against him by a U-S Attorney in Massachusetts.  He admitted to threats of violence against employees of Merriam-Webster and another targeting the president of the University of North Texas.

  A student party registry could be coming to UW-Eau Claire.  The student senate is working with Eau Claire Police on a system to register parties, so students and not the police can deal with noise complaints.  Student Brad Heap says other schools use a similar system.  Eau Claire Police say they like the idea of giving students a chance to lower their noise before officers have to step in.  The registry would only apply to noise complaints, Eau Claire Police say they will still stop underage drinking and other crimes that happen at student parties.

No school today for Melrose-Mindoro students after a LP gas leak was discovered.  According to the districts facebook page, the leak is between the schools large supply tanks and the school building.  Out of safety for students and staff school is cancelled today as crews work to fix the leak.  

  A group of Minnesota Hmong farmers is making its first farmland purchase in U.S. history.  The Hmong American Farmers Association has come together to purchase 155 acres of farmland, creating the first Hmong-owned and Hmong-operated farm in the country.  The acreage is also the only minority-owned farm off Highway 52 between St. Paul and Rochester.  The association had previously rented land off highway 52 in Vermillion Township to produce crops. 

A judge says voters in Wisconsin don't get a do-over once they've turned their ballot in. A judge in Waukesha yesterday overruled the Wisconsin Elections Commission's guidance that people can vote a second time if they change their mind. Wisconsin law allows voters to 'spoil' their ballots and get a second ballot, but the judge says that law applies before voters turn their ballots in. Once that happens, the judge ruled, those votes are final. The issue became a problem in August when a number of Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate dropped out of the race but still appeared on the ballot. 

Wisconsin’s attorney general is warning against voting disruptions during next month’s General Election.  Josh Kaul says there will be heightened security present.  After federal officials briefed the country about election security Tuesday, Kaul issued his own warning.  He said there will be a quick response to anyone who makes threats at polling locations, brandishing firearms, or confronting voters in the line.  Kaul is among the candidates.  The Democrat faces Republican Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney in the November 8th vote.

Marathon County supervisors and residents will be taking more time to craft a resolution about a proposed open-pit gold mine.  The county's Environmental Resources Committee met on Tuesday to discuss a proposed resolution that would tell the state Legislature that Marathon County opposes a state law that allows for metallic mining. That law, passed in 2017 when the debate first started over the proposed mine, prohibits counties or municipalities from refusing to issue permits for mines if the state has allowed them. The committee says they want to take more time to craft the resolution and reach out to local lawmakers. Environmental groups and tribal groups have protested the proposed mine for years, and say it would contaminate a nearby river system and county park.

 A tight supply and increased demand are blamed for a recent rise in Minnesota gas prices.  Triple-A's Meredith Mitts says the statewide average is up a dime to three-dollars, 78 cents a gallon and it's three-89 at some stations in the Twin Cities and northeastern Minnesota.  Mitts says a refinery fire in Ohio has taken 160-thousand barrels of oil daily out of the market.  OPEC also announced Wednesday that it is cutting oil production by two million barrels a day.

Mills Fleet Farm says "we strongly disagree" with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's lawsuit, alleging the retailer repeatedly sold guns to "straw purchasers" who then sold them to people prohibited from having firearms.  Ellison says a gun straw-purchased at Fleet Farm was used in a shooting in a Saint Paul bar that left one person dead and 14 wounded.  Fleet Farm responds at the time of that tragedy,  federal officials said the company's employees had "done nothing wrong" and complied with all applicable gun laws.

Wisconsin will join three other states in an initiative aimed at advancing hydrogen production and use.  Hydrogen fuel cells would be an alternative to electric-powered vehicles as society moves away from fossil fuels.  Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota would join the Badger State in the initiative.  They will work on developing the “Heartland Hydrogen Hub” with an aim of getting billions of dollars in federal funding from the U-S Department of Energy.  It would come from the president’s infrastructure law.

A Minnesota astronaut is part of the newest Space-X mission.  NASA astronaut Josh Cassada launched yesterday from Kennedy Space Center on the Crew-5 mission that included another NASA astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut, and a member of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.  Cassada grew up in White Bear Lake and was a U.S. Navy test pilot before being chosen by NASA in 2013.  He also has a Ph.D. in physics.  The crew will complete a 150-day science mission onboard the International Space Station. 

  Court proceedings are off to a rocky start again today in the trial of the man accused of killing six people at a Christmas parade in Wisconsin last year.  It only took about ten minutes before Darrel Brooks, who is representing himself in the case, was removed from the courtroom.  Brooks refused to change into his suit and tie at the request of the judge.  After repeated interruptions and disruptions, he was sent to an adjacent room where he removed his shirt.  Procedural motions will continue before opening statements get underway with Brooks appearing remotely.  Brooks is charged with six counts of first-degree intentional homicide.

A caregiver service in northeastern Wisconsin has settled a suit with the U-S Attorney’s Office.  Helping Hands Caregivers was accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act when it refused to provide in-home care to a person with H-I-V.  Federal prosecutors had said when a number of caregivers refused service to that client with H-I-V, Helping Hands ended its relationship with the client.  W-B-A-Y/T-V reports that the service will pay 10-thousand dollars in compensatory damages to the person, adopt a non-discrimination policy, train its staff, and in the future provide written notification of complaints to the U-S Department of Justice.  Helping Hands didn’t admit liability.

Volunteers from across the Midwest are helping to save the harvest of a Minnesota farmer.  Georgetown farmer Tom Odegard ruptured a tendon in his leg this spring, leaving his livelihood up in the air.  He reached out to Farm Rescue, which helps farmers and ranchers suffering from illnesses or struck by natural disaster.  Volunteers have been deployed to Odegard's farm to complete the work of the season.  Odegard says he will pay back the kindness in the future.

Local-Regional News Oct 6

 One person was injured in a motorcycle accident in Trimbell Township Wednesday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 60yr old Joseph Faiteisek of Ellsworrth was traveling southbound on Hwy J when a deer ran into the roadway and Faiteisek struck the deer and the motorcycle tipped over.    Faiteisek was transported to Mayo Red Wing.

There is a search underway in Rusk County for a missing woman with dementia. The sheriff's office is looking for 91-year-old Mary Lou Bisson. Deputies say she walked away from her home sometime between noon and 6 p.m. yesterday. She was last seen wearing a red windbreaker and black jeans, her pictures are online. The sheriff is asking anyone who sees her to call 911. 

The city of Eau Claire is selling its tax hike request as a way to pay for more police officers. The city hosted a listening session last night for its nearly one-and-a-half million-dollar referendum. Police Chief Matt Rokus says Eau Claire is growing, which means more 911 calls, which means his department needs more resources. The next listening session on the referendum is scheduled for two weeks from now. 

There will be sweeping changes to where some kids in La Crosse go to school no matter what voters say about a 194 million-dollar referendum next month. La Crosse superintendent Aaron Engel yesterday said Logan and Central high schools will consolidate whether the proposed tax increase passes or not. He said the district will also consolidate its junior highs. He expects the changes to roll-out over the next five to ten years. Some parents in La Crosse are not happy with the news.

Second Congressional District third-party candidate Paula Overby has died.  Overby was the Legalize Marijuana Now party candidate facing off against incumbent Democrat Angie Craig and Republican Tyler Kistner.  The 68-year-old's death comes as early voting gets underway.  She is the second candidate from her party to die shortly before an election in the Second District, with the first happening prior to the 2020 election.

Fleet Farm is accused of selling guns to buyers who then resell them to criminals who can't legally buy a firearm.  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the suit yesterday, saying the retailer negligently sold firearms to straw buyers, aided and abetted criminals, and contributed to gun trafficking.  Ellison says the retailer ignored the signs of straw purchasing.  Fleet Farm denies the allegations.

A popular cheese destination in Marathon County will soon get an accompanying distillery. The Knowlton House Distillery will offer spirits made with milk sugar, a by-product of making cheese. Heather Mullins will be the head distiller for the enterprise, she tells WAOW TV that doesn't mean the vodka will taste like milk, but it will feature a more velvety texture. Her partner Luke Mullins is a fourth-generation cheese maker, and the couple says it makes sense to craft spirits from milk in America's Dairyland. Construction on the distillery began earlier this fall, and they hope to be operational next spring.

  Fourteen people had to be taken to the hospital after a van crashed into a Manawa school bus. That crash happened Wednesday morning at a railroad crossing in New London. Police say the bus was stopped at the tracks when a cargo van ran into the back of it. The driver of the van and 13 students inside the bus were taken to the hospital to be checked. Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash.  Authorities say there were 36 people on the school bus including the driver, three staff members, and 32 students.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is laying out guidelines for what's considered voter intimidation and threatening poll workers ahead of next month's election.  The DOJ says you can't use or threaten force to get someone to vote or influence their vote.  You also can't threaten poll workers with death or injury, cause a public panic, or interrupt the voting process.  The DOJ says anyone who sees a person breaking these laws should call 9-1-1.

 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to practice safety on the road.  It's part of Pedestrian Safety Month, which aims to raise awareness of car versus pedestrian crashes.  The Department of Transportation says an average of 53 pedestrians are killed in car crashes in Wisconsin every year.  The D-O-T has more information about pedestrian safety on its website.

U-S Senator Ron Johnson says he doesn’t believe that the protesters who stormed the U-S Capitol during the January 6th riot should be called “armed.”  The Wisconsin Republican told members of the Milwaukee Rotary Club Tuesday none of those protesters had guns.  He claimed they were orderly while they are inside the U-S Capitol Building.  Many were carrying stun guns, pepper spray, and clubs – but protesters carrying rifles were stopped by police before they made it inside.

Educators and political opponents are slamming Minnesota Republican candidate for governor Scott Jensen for spreading a rumor that there are litter boxes in some Minnesota schools for so-called “furries” -- students who identify as animals and sometimes dress in fur suits and attend conventions. Jensen said at a recent campaign stop in Hutchinson, “Why are we telling elementary kids that they get to choose their gender this week? Why do we have litter boxes in some of the school districts so kids can pee in them because they identify as a ‘furry?’ We’ve lost our minds!” A spokesman for Governor Walz’s campaign says Minnesotans “can’t afford to elect a governor who will...spread lies in an effort to cut funding for public education.” Education Minnesota President Denise Specht says people need leaders that are focused on real challenges, “rather than spreading weird internet fantasies on the campaign trail.”

A pair of Milwaukee aldermen are upset that Hyundai is charging people for kits that are supposed to make it tougher to steal their cars. Alderwoman Milele Coggs and Alderman Khalif Rainey say the kits cost 170 dollars each. Hyundais are among the most stolen cars in Milwaukee because of a flaw that allows newer models to be started without a key. The city council members say Hyundai should not be charging people to fix a problem they created. Coggs and Rainey sent a letter to Hyundai last year, demanding the car maker do something to make their vehicles more secure. 

A six-point-four-million-dollar grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will expand the ethanol options at dozens of gas stations across the state.  The grants will cover the costs of investing in upgraded petroleum dispensers, fuel storage tanks, and other equipment compatible with higher ethanol blends.  Agriculture Commissioner Thom Peterson says the grants going to 44 stations will give drivers more economical options at the gas pumps and increase access to homegrown fuel that comes from Minnesota farmers.

 The Curderburger is coming back for a few weeks this time. Culver's yesterday said the burger with a giant cheese curd on top will return for 20 days, starting next Wednesday. The burger first made an appearance as an April Fools joke, but was added to the menu last year on National Cheese Curd Day. Lines stretched around the block at Culver's stores, and the burger sold-out in just a few hours.

Local-Regional News Oct 5

  Dunn County voters will see a ballot question on health care next month. The advisory referendum asks if voters think the federal government should create a new national health insurance program. The question carries no weight, no laws will change based on the vote. Supporters say the idea is to let national leaders know what voters in the Chippewa Valley think. Critics say it's a political ploy to get more people to vote. 

Kidnapping charges will be filed against a 22-year-old Tennessee man for taking a teenage girl from her home.  Bail was set at one-million dollars for Trevor Blackburn.  He is being held at the Chippewa County Jail.  Investigators say Blackburn and 15-year-old Kryssy King had been in contact online – but when the girl tried to end communications Blackburn began blackmailing and threatening her.  He made a Tuesday court appearance.  Blackburn was arrested Sunday night in Douglas County.

An Eleva woman has been charged with seven felonies and is accused of stealing over $200,000.  Kimberly Wilson was charged with theft through false representation, identity theft, and other charges after the victim contacted police with concerns over his bank accounts.  Authorities allege that Wilson forged documents, set up fake accounts, and made withdrawals from his retirement account.  She was released on a $10,000 signature bond and will be back in court in November.

The Mayo Clinic is spending nearly five-million dollars to move employees to northwest Rochester. Mayo is remodeling parts of their 41st Street Professional East Building to expand their clinical space next year. The number of employees moving to northwest Rochester is currently unknown.

A nurse at the jail in Sparta is out of a job and facing charges that she had sex with an inmate. Prosecutors filed charges this week against 52-year-old Teresa Fennigkoh. They say she had sexual contact with an inmate at least four times while she examined the man in the Monroe County Jail. She's also accused of giving him prescription medication without a proper prescription. The inmate says nothing happened, Fennigkoh says any sexual contact was consensual. 

It is the clearest sign yet that Wisconsin is getting over the coronavirus. The Wisconsin Policy Forum yesterday released a report on hotel/motel room taxes across the state. The numbers show a huge rebound from 2019 and 2020. Most of the state is almost back to where it was before the outbreak.   The report says last year's hotel/motel taxes brought in nearly 90 million dollars across the state. 

A conservative Wisconsin law firm is suing to halt the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan   The suit was filed in U.S. District Court by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on behalf of the Brown County Taxpayers Association. WILL alleges the loan forgiveness program violates the constitutional separation of powers since it was unilaterally created by President Biden, and the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law because it will “disproportionately benefit Black borrowers.” WILL is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the cancelation of any debt before a decision is reached in the lawsuit.

Wisconsin lawmakers didn't spend much time on Governor Evers' special session on abortion yesterday. Republicans gaveled-in and gaveled-out of the session in less than a minute. The governor wanted the legislature to approve a constitutional change that would have allowed voters to vote on a new abortion law directly. Democrats yesterday accused Republicans of ignoring the needs of women. Republicans say the governor's special session call was pure election-year politics. 

 

The final F-16 fighter jet of the 115th Fighter Wing leaves Madison’s Truax Field later today (Wednesday).  That unit is getting ready for the next generation of fighters to arrive – the F-35.  A ceremony will be held at 10:00 a-m.  W-M-T-V reports that participating in the ceremony will be Chief Master Sergeant Brian Carroll who was present 29 years ago when the F-16s first arrived.  The first F-35 fighters are expected to arrive at the field next spring.  Construction work and training of the base personnel will be conducted in the interim.

There was perhaps one small silver lining in the path taken by Hurricane Ian. Josh Linville is a fertilizer marketing expert with Stone-X. He says the nation’s agriculture industry dodged a bullet when Ian made landfall well south of Tampa, missing key phosphate production facilities in Florida. The damage overall to Florida is bad enough, with damage estimates at around 47 BILLION dollars and at least 80 deaths.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is starting a 10-million-dollar grant program to help people fix their contaminated private wells.  The state started accepting applications Monday.  W-S-A-W/T-V reports that state funding could cover the entire cost of a new well or a treatment system with a cap of 16-thousand dollars.  State Representative Katrina Shankland says almost one in four people with private wells in Portage County can’t drink from their tap.  Drinking water containing high levels of nitrate can cause serious health problems including cancer.

Poll-takers say preserving Social Security is a top-of-mind issue for Wisconsin’s older voters.  A-A-R-P Wisconsin spokesperson Lisa Lamkins says the poll taken by that organization finds 84-percent of Wisconsin voters over the age of 50 say they would be willing to vote for a U-S Senate candidate who would protect Social Security from cuts.  Lamkins says the support for the social safety net comes from Republicans, Democrats, and independents.  Inflation also worries older voters – not surprising since most are living on fixed incomes.

 The owners of Milwaukee’s vacant Northridge Mall have been ordered to tear the remaining buildings down.  Milwaukee County Circuit Judge William Sosnay issued the order Monday, saying the buildings are a public nuisance and they are dangerous.  W-I-S-N/T-V reports that a representative for the Chinese-based owners' group U-S Black Spruce Enterprises says the company is doing its best.  The cost of demolition has been estimated at 10-to-12-million dollars.  Sosnay wants the demolition to happen immediately.  It isn’t clear if Black Spruce will appeal.

 The Minnesota State Patrol is committed to increasing the percentage of female state troopers to 30 percent by the year 2030. The pledge is part of the M-S-P’s 30-by-30 initiative. Lieutenant Colonel Rochelle Schrofer says they want to ensure that in all aspects of their agency that women are represented “as they should be.” About ten percent of the Minnesota State Patrol’s troopers and support staff are currently women. Schrofer says they want their workforce to reflect the communities they serve.

 It is going to be more difficult for the Wisconsin Elections Commission to go beyond the letter of the state's election laws. A judge in Waukesha last month upheld the order that only the full Elections Commission can offer guidance to local clerks. The judge specifically said the Elections Commission's administrator and staffers do not have the power to offer guidance on their own. The ruling came as part of the hearing over the guidance that suspended special voting deputies for nursing homes back in 2020. The judge said Wisconsin law is clear about who can do what at the Elections Commission. 

The CEO of MyPillow will have to face a lawsuit over his claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.  That's because the U.S. Supreme Court refused to halt the case Dominion Voting Systems brought against Mike Lindell.  Dominion is suing for more than a billion dollars as it claims Lindell committed defamation.  He said Dominion's machines helped make sure Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump.

Local-Regional News October 4

 One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident in Hager City on Thursday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 40yr old Kathryn Truttman of Ellsworth was traveling westbound on Hwy 10 when she went to turn southbound onto Hwy OO.  She was struck head-on by a vehicle traveling eastbound on Hwy 10 driven by 32yr old Mackenzie McLod of Ellsworth.  Both vehicles ended up in the south ditch.  Truttman was transported to River Falls Area Hospital.

 The 22-year-old man accused of taking a 15-year-old girl from her home in Chippewa County is expected in court today on kidnapping charges. Prosecutors are expected to file formal charges against Trevor Blackburn. He's the man who authorities say took 15-year-old Kryssy King from her home over the weekend. Chippewa County's sheriff said the two had a relationship, but she tried to end it. The sheriff says Blackburn came all the way to Chippewa County from Tennessee to snatch the girl. Blackburn will likely face a slew of charges. 

 A Fall Creek man says his attorneys didn’t adequately advise him on his options before he pleaded guilty to charges he killed his sister and her boyfriend.  Wayne Price returned to Eau Claire County Court to ask that he be allowed to withdraw the guilty plea he submitted in 2019.  W-E-A-U/T-V reports that he is serving a sentence of nearly 30 years.  Judge Emily Long is scheduled to give a ruling on the request at a hearing next February.

Xcel Energy Customers should expect to pay more this winter to heat their homes.  The company projects that from November 2022 to March 2023, the energy bill of its average customer will surge 23 percent, which amounts to about $200 more than last year.  Xcel Energy Spokesperson Chris Ouellette said the added costs are because the price of natural gas has reached a 15-year high nationwide.   Customers should contact Xcel Energy and ask about payment plans or energy assistance programs if they have concerns about paying their bills.  To contact Xcel, call 1-800-895-4999

Gas prices are heading back up in Wisconsin and across the country.  That's according to Triple-A, which reports the average price per gallon in Wisconsin is 3-93, nearly 20 cents more from the week before. That rise in price also puts Wisconsin in the fourth spot on Triple A's list of the 10 states that have seen the largest increase in the average per gallon price since last Thursday. As of Monday, the national average for a gallon of gas was between 3-78 and 3-80.  Here is Western Wisconsin we are seeing prices range from 3.79 to 4.09

Eau Claire has once again closed a Phoenix Park bathroom because of vandalism. The city yesterday closed the bathroom near the trailhead for the season. Parks managers say someone destroyed at least two toilets and caused about a thousand-dollars worth of damage. The city closed one of the bathrooms near the farmers market pavilion earlier this summer because of vandalism there. Eau Claire Police aren't sure who is responsible. 

 Governor Evers is promising local governments more money if he is re-elected. The governor yesterday said he is going to pour about 100 million-dollars more into city, county, and township governments in his second term. The governor wants to earmark the money for public safety. Republican lawmakers say the governor's promise is an empty election-year plan that he cannot deliver on. The Republicans say the governor has had almost four years to do more for local governments but has waited until just a few weeks before Election Day to announce his new funding plan. 

Minnesota  Governor Tim Walz says about one-million-25-thousand Minnesota workers will each receive COVID "hero pay" checks of 487-dollars.  About one-point-two million Minnesotans applied for the bonuses and state officials initially denied about 214 thousand of those claims.  The legislature allocated 500 million dollars for the bonus checks, to be evenly divided among those who qualify.  The governor says those who chose direct deposit will receive a payment within seven to 10 business days, and those who chose to receive payment via debit card will be mailed their funds within three to four weeks.  The governor says, “I’m grateful for the work Minnesotans did to help people across our state stay healthy and safe through the COVID-19 pandemic."

 

A man who survived being shot by Kyle Rittenhouse in August 2020 has filed a petition to change his legal name.  Gaige Grosskreutz says he took the step due to continued harassment related to the case.  W-D-J-T/T-V reports Grosskreutez has called for an investigation to find out how the sealing petition was leaked to a conservative news outlet.  He says he has received death threats since being shot in the arm during the Kenosha protests.  He says he sought the name change to protect himself and his family.

A pair of new lawsuits seek to re-allow election clerks to fix mistakes on absentee ballot envelopes.   The lawsuits were both filed in Dane County last week after a Waukesha County judge ruled last month to disallow fixing information on envelopes. The first seeks to force the courts to address what a complete address is for the purposes of a ballot envelope, and whether having enough information on that ballot will let clerks fix it. The second lawsuit alleges that the ruling violates both the Civil Rights Act's voting requirements and violates voters' due process for threatening to reject ballots without notice.

A Wisconsin man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for sex trafficking.  Fifty-one-year-old Cory Hereford and co-defendant Tanya Partee of Janesville were accused of using an adult and a 16-year-old to participate in commercial sex.  W-M-T-V reports that both were struggling with addiction.  Investigators said Hereford would withhold heroin to compel the victims to serve as prostitutes.  He was sentenced last Friday in Madison federal court.

Wisconsin is at 374 coronavirus hospitalizations and falling. The state's Hospital Association on Friday said 374 people are in the hospital with the virus, including 59 in the ICU. Hospitalizations in the state have been falling steadily since August. Wisconsin's hospitalization numbers are now in line with what we saw last spring. 

Nine hundred union workers at the John Deere Horicon Works plant have voted to ratify a four-year contract with the company.  More than 80-percent of the union workers voted for ratification.  The terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed.  The Wisconsin plant produces Deere’s Gator utility vehicles and lawn tractors.  The current contract agreement was about to expire.  Negotiations started in July on a new deal.

Local-Regional News Oct 3

 Part of the restructuring of the pay for Durand Police Officers is the ending of officers being on call.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says it was getting harder to ask officers to stay on call after working a 12hr shift.  The Pepin County Sheriff's Department will cover the time when Durand Officers were on call.  The changes take effect on January 1st.

September 16th was important for school districts across Wisconsin for their budgets.  The 16th was the third Friday of the month and districts had to submit their school attendance to the Department of Public Instruction, which will use those numbers for allocating state aid to the districts.  It's part of a complicated funding formula for public schools in Wisconsin.  Durand Arkansaw School Superintendent Greg Doverspike says while many agree the formula needs to be looked at, there are many good options.  Districts will have another third Friday attendance report to submit in January.

The sheriff in Chippewa County says they've found a missing 15-year-old girl, and have caught the man they say she was with. The sheriff's office yesterday canceled the AMBER Alert for Kryssy King. She went missing Friday night, deputies say she was with 22-year-old Trevor Blackburn. He was caught in Superior late last night. The sheriff's office says he is no longer considered a threat. No one is saying what charges could be filed in the case.

An Augusta man faces 20 drug and gun charges after his arrest. Michael Hazard is accused of making and delivering cocaine, maintaining a drug trafficking place, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Officers say they found 33 guns and some drugs during a search of his property Tuesday. They say Hazard told them he didn’t sell cocaine to make money – he only wanted to “put good drugs on the street.” W-Q-O-W/T-V reports if he is convicted on all the charges he faces Hazard could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Jury selection gets underway today (Monday) for the man accused of killing six people in the crowd at last year’s Waukesha Christmas Parade.  Sixty others were injured.  Forty-year-old Darrell Brooks Junior is representing himself.  Brooks faces dozens of charges in the November 2021 incident where he is accused of driving an S-U-V through the crowd in Waukesha.  Prosecutors have alleged he fired his public defenders in an effort to delay the trial.  We’ll find out later today if it worked.

Wisconsin and Minnesota have joined the federal government and ten other states in an anti-trust lawsuit against Syngenta and Corteva, alleging those pesticide manufacturers of using "loyalty programs" with distributors to keep generic competitors out of the market. Attorney General Keith Ellison says ag producers aren't the only people hurt by what he labels "corporate profiteering." Ellison says they also hurt communities by driving people out of business or squeezing the profit margins of small farmers.

 A Missouri man who now admits shooting two Wisconsin brothers to death has dodged the death penalty.  Garland “Joey” Nelson pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in Cass County, Missouri court this morning.  Nelson will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing Nick and Justin Diemel on his mother’s farm in July 2019.  During Friday’s hearing, Nelson admitted to shooting the brothers, burning their bodies, then disposing of the remains.  Cass County Circuit Judge Michael Wagner sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Wisconsin is spending over 16-million dollars to help keep families warm this winter.  Governor Tony Evers announced Friday that 16-point-six-million dollars is being split between the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program and the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund, to help Wisconsin families with their heating costs.  State residents can apply for the energy assistance online at energybenefit.wi.gov. 

 It's the latest sign of just how much school kids in Wisconsin lost during the coronavirus.  The state's Department of Public Instruction yesterday released the scores for Wisconsin's standardized tests from last year, and they are not good.  Not even 40 percent of kids are proficient in reading, writing, or math.  While math scores increased a tiny bit, reading and writing scores fell.  To make matters worse, last year's scores are well below the test scores from before the coronavirus shut down schools and sent kids to learn from home.  The state says there are "signs of recovery," but education watchdogs say it's tough to make that case when 60 percent of school kids in the state cannot read, write, or add at grade level. 

A Wisconsin carjacking suspect has been arrested in Bayfield County after a week on the run.  Twenty-three-year-old Seth Genereau was taken into custody Thursday at about 1:00 p-m.  W-B-A-Y/T-V reports he’s accused of taking a car in Clintonville, then driving to northwestern Wisconsin where he stole another vehicle – before running away into a wooded area near Washburn.  Genereau allegedly took a minivan driven by an 81-year-old Michigan man at a gas station.  That victim is said to be recovering from the injuries he suffered.

 It’s not just Dr. Fred Prehn at The Natural Resources Board.  Three members of the Wisconsin Technical College System board are also refusing to step down.  Their terms ended more than a year ago and Governor Tony Evers has nominated six people to take their seats.  The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate hasn’t confirmed them.  Three of the six are serving on the board because three people appointed by former Governor Scott Walker did step down.  Dozens of people appointed to boards by the Democrat Evers are still waiting.

An executive order signed by Minnesota Governor Walz waives state trucking regulations to help prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza. This bird flu poses a high risk to Minnesota’s poultry industry. The governor’s office says poultry growers and associations requested immediate help to support the safe and efficient movement of commodities used in avian influenza emergency response efforts. The waiving of weight restriction enforcement and hours of service requirements are expected to help with depopulation efforts and transportation of uninfected animals to processing facilities. The state ranks number one in turkey production.

Deer hunters can assist the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to track the spread of CWD.   Testing deer for Chronic Wasting Disease provides the agency with data to understand the distribution of CWD and monitor the health of Wisconsin's deer herd. It also keeps hunters informed about the status of their harvest. Testing proper carcass disposal and following baiting and feeding regulations are three key ways to slow the spread of CWD. More information is available on the DNR webpage.

More than 60 volunteers for the American Red Cross in the Midwest are helping with aid in areas impacted by Hurricane Ian. Red Cross spokesperson Sue Thesenga says their first priority is providing shelter -- making sure that people have a safe and warm place to stay if they’ve been evacuated or find themselves without a place to go. Thesenga says you can help by visiting red-cross-dot-org, or by calling one 1-800-Red-Cross, or texting the word in to nine-zero-nine-nine-nine to make a ten-dollar donation.

Unionized workers a Wisconsin John Deere plant overwhelmingly voted to ratify a four-year contract with the global farm equipment maker.   The contract covers 900 workers of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers at the John Deere Horicon Works plant. It was passed with over 80 percent voting to ratify the deal. Terms were not disclosed. The plant produces Deere’s Gator utility vehicles and lawn tractors. Negotiations between the two parties began in July to replace the current agreement that is due to expire.