Local-Regional News August 14

 One person is dead after a one-vehicle accident in Rock Creek Township on Saturday.  According to the Dunn County Sheriff's Department, a sedan traveling northbound on Hwy 85, left the roadway, entered the northbound ditch and rolled multiple times.  The driver was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Dunn County Medical Examiner.  That accident remains under investigation.

Two people were injured in an accident Friday in the Town of Nelson.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, 62yr old Donald Norman of Pepin. was driving a truck southbound on State Highway 35, crossed the centerline to conduct a left turn onto State Highway 25, and hit an SUV driven by a50yr old Jodie Schmoker of Kellog, MN who was traveling northbound on State Highway 35.   Schmoker was flown to Mayo in Rochester, Minn. with life-threatening injuries. Norman suffered minor injuries.

Severe thunderstorms moved through Western Wisconsin Friday evening causing scattered damage.  The National Weather Service says golf ball size hail was reported in the Pepin Area along with hail reports from Downsville, and Menomonie.  The high winds and hail did cause some scattered damage to crops in parts of Dunn County.  The Buffalo County Sheriff's Department reported the winds caused some tree damage and power lines down near Waumandee.   Power outages were also reported in Winona and Dodge Counties in Southeastern Minnesota due to the storms.

The Tarrant Park Pool has closed for the season.  The pool closed last Friday and now crews will begin the process of draining the pool.  As for the new pool project, the city is expected to ask for bids on the project starting later this month.  Even with changes to the project, like allowing the project to be completed by 2025, the city still expects the bids to come in at $4 million dollars.  Approximatly $3 million has been rasised in donations but the extra million would need to be rasied before the city would move forward with the project.

The Durand Fun Fest Committee is meeting tonight.  The committee will be discussing the location of next year's Fun Fest and what will be part of the event.  The location is up in the air as the vacant lot next to memorial park  that housed the carnival has been sold and housing is expected to be built on the lot.  The meeting will begin at 5:45 at the Community Room at Durand City Hall.

The Wabasha County Board is set to meet tomorrow.  Items on the agenda include approval of the agreement between Wabasha County Probation and the State of Minnesota, approval of the final payment to Rochester Sand and Gravel and discussion and possible action on establishing the appointed office of county recorder.  Tuesday's meeting begins at 9am at the Government Center in Wabasha.

The Goodhue City Council has called a special meeting for tonight after Police Chief Josh Smith and other officers resigned from the Goodhue Police Department.  KTTC is reporting the agenda is listing police hiring with possible pay increases for officers and evaluating the current status of the deparment after the resignations.  Tonights meeting begins at 7pm at Goodhue City Hall.

One person is dead after drowning in Lake Wazee in Jackson County on Friday.   According to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, the man was swimming in the lake, but didn't resurface.  By the time the first responders had arrived, bystanders reportedly pulled the man out of the water.  Lifesaving efforts were attempted, but the person was pronounced dead at the scene.

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A Portage man is under arrest for killing multiple rabbits.   Police in Portage say the evidence shows the rabbits were killed by "inhumane, brutal and sadistic means." 32-year-old Donald Klawes was taken into custody on Wednesday. Police had received a tip that rabbits had been killed by cruel means on Klawes property.  No live rabbits were found, but police did find several shallow graves in the backyard - some with decomposing rabbit carcasses in them. 

A Columbia County grain company, already facing charges connected with a deadly explosion, will pay a hefty fine for pollution violations.   Attorney General Josh Kaul says Didion Milling has agreed to a $940 thousand settlement in the incident. The Department of Justice says the grain operation failed to use proper emission controls, failed to report leaks, and failed to maintain control devices. Several high ranking managers at Didion are currently facing federal fraud and conspiracy charges in connection with a 2017 explosion that killed five people and injured 12 others. 

Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin visited a Central Wisconsin agriculture facility Tuesday.  Baldwin met with UW Madison officials at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station in Stratford and spoke about the importance of funding for the school's Wisconsin Rural Partnership program.  Baldwin helped secure $6-million dollars for the facility also known as MARS to conduct research for things like healthcare, rural livability and addressing mental health challenges in rural areas.  The station is owned by UW Madison’s College of Ag and Life Sciences.

Parts of Wisconsin are looking at exceptional drought conditions for the first time ever. NOSA's latest drought report this week says a tiny part of far northwestern Wisconsin, just east of Superior, is the driest part of the state. Most of the rest of Wisconsin is dry as well, 82 percent of the state is looking at some kind of drought condition. Outside of the area along Lake Superior, south central Wisconsin is the driest part of the state.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is creating a task force to look into the future of health sciences programs at the University of Minnesota.  The move comes during the uncertainty about whether the U will extend its current partnership with Minneapolis-based Fairview.  Former state Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm will lead the group.  The task force will review examples of other states to identify options for potential public funding of academic health.  The group is expected to submit a summary of recommendations by January 15th.

The Minnesota State Fair is having its first sensory-friendly morning for adults and kids with Autism. Fair organizers say on August 28th, they will reduce the noise and commotion to give those with sensory processing differences a chance to ride the rides and play games in peace. Visitors who feel overwhelmed can head to the Fraser Sensory Building on Cosgrove Street to relax and unwind. Fair organizers say they'll continue to make the fairgrounds accessible because everyone deserves the chance to have fun. 

Local-Regional News August 11

 The new Dollar General in Durand has had to bring in temporary bathroom facilities after it was discovered the sewer lateral the store uses is collapsed.  During this week's Durand City Council meeting, Durand Public Works Superintendent Matt Gillis told the council that the construction crews didn't use a camera to inspect the line before connecting up to it and the collapse wasn't discovered until after the store opened.  Because the lateral goes over halfway into Prospect Street, the street will be closed sometime next week for crews to come in and replace the lateral.

There's a chance for some strong or severe storms across the Chippewa Valley later today. Forecasters say a round of storms is expected to roll through between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. There's no chance of tornadoes, but there is a chance for hail and damaging winds. Forecasters say western Wisconsin could also see another round of storms Sunday into Monday. Farmers, and many people with brown lawns, say they could use some rain. 

Riders of all-terrain and utility terrain vehicles in Dunn County now have hundreds of miles of additional roads to ride after the County Board decided to allow ATV and UTV vehicles on the majority of county highways.  Dustin Binder, the county highway commissioner, said the County Board approval of an amended vehicles and traffic ordinance means riders can now use some 400 miles of county highways with their ATVs and UTVs.   County Highway B from state Highway 12/29 to State Highway 40 is closed to ATV/UTV traffic, however.  Just a small portion of county highways were open to ATVs and UTVs previously.

The City of Wabasha is reconstructing its streets and utilities within portions of the downtown in the summer of 2023. The improvements will consist of the full reconstruction of streets and utilities (sanitary sewer, water main, and storm sewer) in several areas throughout Wabasha.  Currently, crews are working from 6am-8pm and are working at Bridge Avenue and Main Street to the intersection of Walnut Avenue.

 The investigation into a man found dead in the parking lot of a strip club in Jackson County is now a homicide investigation. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office yesterday ruled 55-year-old Andrew Frechette's death a homicide. He was found in a car in the parking lot of Jimmy's InBetween in the township of Alma back on June 30th. Investigators labeled his death suspicious from the start, but no one is saying just how he died, or who may be a suspect in his death. 

The Marathon County Bomb squad was brought to rural Rice Lake on Wednesday after dynamite was found.   According to the Barron County Sheriff's Department, the dynamite was found at the Hungry Hollow Steam and Gas Engine Club Grounds on Highway 25 during the reconstruction of a small building on the site. The bomb squad took it to a secure area to be detonated and the small building it was stored in was burned down.  It is believed that the dynamite was in the shed when it was moved there and that no one from the Club knew there was dynamite in the building.

A former mailman from Barron County will not spend any time behind bars for stealing over four-thousand-dollars worth of Menards' rebate checks. Joshua Copas from Cumberland pleaded guilty this week to stealing the check while he was delivering mail last year. The case broke when a woman called Menards asking about her rebate check. The store told her it'd already been spent. Investigators then tracked down Copas and found that he'd stolen more than 30 other checks. In all, prosecutors say Copas stole 45-hundred dollars in checks. All but two of them were supposed to be delivered along his mail route. The judge sentenced him to probation. 

Two Stillwater police officers will not be charged for shooting and killing a man last March.  Officer Justin Dowley and Sergeant Dan Young killed O'Kwan Sims at his apartment after shooting at each other.  It is reported Sims fired around 20 to 30 rounds at the officers.  The Washington County Attorney's Office says the officers did not use excessive force.  

Wisconsin's Republican U.S. Senator says he wouldn't turn down an offer to become vice president.  Senator Ron Johnson said on the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show yesterday that if you're asked to serve, you should step-up. Johnson did not say which candidate he'd consider running with and didn't say if anyone had asked him to run yet. Johnson also said for Republicans to win Wisconsin in next year's presidential race they must focus on a ground game, and stop spending so much money on ads. 

 The Wisconsin Lottery is telling people to check their Mega Millions tickets to see if they won something. The lottery yesterday said while the big jackpot, of over a billion-and-a-half dollars, was sold in California, there could be other winners here in Wisconsin. Lottery managers say during this jackpot run there were over 900 thousand tickets that won a combined five-point-six million-dollars in Wisconsin alone. 

A teen died last Friday after an incident involving a toy wagon in Vernon County.  The Sheriff’s Office there says three males from LaFarge--ages 12, 17, and 20--were riding the wagon down a hill in the Town of Whitestown when the wagon hit a tree and ejected all three down an embankment. Authorities pronounced the 17-year-old, identified as Marvin Miller, dead at the scene after attempting life-saving measures.  The 12-year-old boy was taken to a Viroqua hospital and later transferred to UW-Madison with undisclosed injuries, while the 20-year-old, identified as Ervin Miller, was reported to be “seriously injured.”   The sheriff’s office and the county’s Coroner’s Office are investigating the incident

The pandemic hit low-wage workers in Wisconsin hardest.  Thousands of lower-paying jobs were lost during the height of COVID-19 and its aftermath according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum. Food services, office, and administrative support, and production were most heavily represented in the combined loss of 55,700 jobs paying less than $45,000 a year. But low-paying jobs in transportation and material moving saw greater increases than any other category, and wages for lower-paying jobs grew an average of 16.8%, outpacing the 14.1% inflation rate during the period.   Jobs paying more than $45,000 stayed stable, not losing or gaining during that period

Forbes has Milwaukee ranked as a Top-20 destination for young workers. The magazine came out with its rankings this week, and Milwaukee is 16th on the list. The city gets high marks for its low unemployment rate, median income, and median home price. The median price for a home in Milwaukee is a relatively affordable 339-thousand dollars according to Forbes. Madison is the only other Wisconsin city to make the list; they're at 22. The Midwest nearly swept Forbes' Top Five, with Des Moines coming in first, Omaha ranked third, Columbus ranked fourth, and Cincinnati ranked fifth. 

Mississippi's highest court won't stop state officials from suing former Packers Quarterback Bret Favre over misspent welfare funds.  Three justices denied an appeal from Favre, who claims that the state Department of Human Services's lawsuit has no merit and that he wasn't involved in a scheme that siphoned millions of dollars from welfare funds to well-connected residents. But a former director at Mississippi D H S and several other people have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the case. The state is trying to recover millions of dollars, some of which was spent on a sports facility for Favre's alma mater or a drug company he was investing in.

Several state-funded construction projects can move forward.  That’s what Governor Tony Evers announced Wednesday after meeting with the Wisconsin State Building Commission at the Wisconsin State Fair.  Included in the over $340-million of funding are a new Juvenile Correctional Facility in Milwaukee County; upgrades to the Marquette University School of Dentistry’s main campus clinic; several maintenance, repair, and new construction projects for the state departments of Corrections, Health Services, Military Affairs, Natural Resources, Transportation, and the UW-System; and a renovation of the Cream Puff Pavilion at State Fair Park.

A Michigan man will attempt to swim across Lake Michigan this weekend   Fifty-year-old Bryan Huffman’s cross-lake swim is scheduled to start on Saturday and end on Sunday, weather permitting. Huffman is no stranger to open-water swimming - he successfully swam the English Channel last year. Huffman and his support team will start at Rawley Point Lighthouse, just north of Two Rivers and finish at Big Sable Point Lighthouse near Ludington, Michigan. He’s expected to take between 24 and 30 hours and swim up to 50 miles in a straight-line distance.   Huffman is an ophthalmologist from Holland, Michigan, and hopes to raise $50,000 to make swimming lessons affordable to anyone at the Holland Aquatic Center.

Local-Regional News August 10

 The Durand City Council has approved a resolution to return land that was to be a park back to the Durand-Arkansaw School District.  The property was given to the city back in 2001 on the condition it would develop a park on the property and it would be called the O.R. Hanson FFA Park.  After the dog park project was turned down it was decided to consider returning the land to the school district and the district can sell the land to a developer for a housing project.  It is believed that 3-5 homes could be built on the property.

The Durand Fun Fest Committee is looking for your thoughts on the future location of Fun Fest.  With the old Bauer property being sold and will be developed into housing, the committee is looking at different options for a fun fest.  The biggest concern about keeping it at Memorial Park is where to put the carnival.  The Fun Fest committee has posted a link to a survey on their Facebook page and is asking residents to take the survey.  A link to that survey can also be found on the WRDN Station Facebook Page.

During a visit to Gunderson Tri-State Ambulance last week, Wisconsin 3rd District Congressman Derrick Van Orden announced a bill in the agriculture committee has passed that would allocate nearly $600,000 to Gundersen to help the Ambulance Service buy three new ambulances and hire 18 new paramedics.  The bill is designed to provide additional funding for emergency services in rural communities.   Van Orden says the bill now heads to the full House of Representatives for a vote.

Xcel Energy is eyeing northwestern Wisconsin's largest green energy project ever. The company yesterday opened the door to a 650-megawatt solar-specific project that combines solar with energy storage. Xcel says the idea is to use the green energy plant to replace the old, coal-fired King plant in Minnesota. That plant is supposed to come offline in 2028. Xcel says it wants to cut its carbon emissions by 85 percent by 2030, and eventually become carbon-free. 

It will likely be next year before a judge in Chippewa County decides if the teenager accused of killing 10-year-old Lily Peters will be tried as an adult. A hearing in the case ended yesterday, but the judge said a ruling isn't likely til January. Lawyers for the now-15-year-old accused of killing Peters want the case moved to juvenile court. The wait for a ruling is just the latest delay. Peters was killed in April of last year, the trial for her accused killer likely won't start until two years after her death. 

There's a new way to get from the Chippewa Valley to Las Vegas. Sun Country Airlines is launching its first flight to Vegas today. There will be two non-stop flights each week between the airport in Eau Claire and Harry Reid International Airport. The flights are for a limited time only. Sun Country is offering weekly flights until December 11th. 

Culver's is one of the big reasons why food delivery rules in Wisconsin could be changing. The company told lawmakers on Tuesday that they want to be able to opt out of delivery apps like DoorDash and UberEats because they can't guarantee what happens to their food. The problem, Culvers' Steve Anderson said, is that when people order on the app, they're not ordering from the store. The driver doesn't work for the store either. That means if someone calls to complain about cold curds, Culver's has no control over any of it. The rules up for consideration would allow restaurants to opt-out, plus it would require delivery drivers to know basic food safety and hygiene and would require apps to order food immediately so the restaurant doesn't get swamped. 

Republicans in Wisconsin and at the national level want to join the lawsuit over absentee ballots in the state. The state and national Republican parties this week asked to join the case which is being brought by a pair of liberal groups. The lawsuit looks to overturn Wisconsin's rules for absentee ballots, ballot drop boxes, and same-day ballots. The lawsuit is filed against the Wisconsin Elections Commission, but the Republicans say they should be the ones handling the defense because it will be Republicans who suffer if the liberal groups win. The lawsuit was filed last month, and there's no word when a judge may decide on the Republicans' request. 

The state is seeing a slight uptick in COVID cases but one University of Wisconsin Health doctor says he's not worried.  Doctor Jeff Pothof tells WKOW most of the new cases are the Omicron variant, and most people either have the Omicron vaccine or have had the Omicron virus before.  He says this isn't a surge and most people are experiencing mild symptoms.

Minnesota health centers are offering flu vaccinations at some schools in Rochester. Olmsted County officials are advising everyone, especially children six months and older to receive the influenza vaccine each year. Mayo Clinic and OMC nurses will administer the vaccine and it will be billed directly to the child's insurance. Parents have until September 13th to register their children. 

A political newcomer is looking to challenge Tammy Baldwin for a seat in the US Senate:  She's 40-year-old Rejani Raveendran- a native of India who became a US Citizen in 20-15 and is working towards a degree in political science from UW Stevens Point. According to the Associated Press, she held a campaign kickoff event in Portage County on Tuesday, making her the first declared Republican candidate in the race. Established names like Tom Tiffany and Mike Gallagher have passed on the opportunity, but Raveendran says she feels she can bring an outsider's perspective to Washington. Baldwin is running for a third term in the Senate, and more Republicans are expected to announce their intentions by this fall.

The Wisconsin sailor accused of selling military secrets to China will remain in custody.Jinchao Wei was charged last week Wednesday with providing sensitive military information to China. A grand jury indictment accuses Wei and another U.S. Navy sailor of accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for information about U.S. Navy ships and their movement.  Both have pleaded not guilty.   Wei, who is from Delavan, was arrested as he was boarding the USS Essex at the San Diego naval base.  He was assigned as a machinist's mate on the ship.

A new Wisconsin area code will roll out next month.   The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has confirmed that beginning September 15, customers may be assigned a number in the 353 area code when they request a new service or an additional line. The PSC announced the creation of the new area code last September as the 608 area code is expected to run out of digits. Current customers will get to keep their existing phone numbers. Cities in the new area code include Madison and its suburbs, Beloit, Janesville, La Crosse, Monroe, Platteville, and Wisconsin Dells.

The fall harvest is almost here for your home garden. Isaac Zaman at the UW-Madison Horticulture Center says the traditional Three Sisters planting of corn, beans, and squash should be seeing progress. Zaman says you can pick your beans now if you want green beans, or let them keep growing if you want to get harder beans to keep over the winter. 

An inmate made a failed escape attempt at Faribault Prison on Monday night. Officials say the man first scaled an interior fence but then became caught in razor wire as he attempted to climb over an exterior fence. Minnesota Department of Corrections staff cut the inmate free from the fence, and he was transported to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He was then returned back to the prison. 

Add Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to the list of schools with a Metallica scholarship.  The band has offered the Metallica Scholars Initiative for years.  There are 42 colleges enrolled, now including three in Wisconsin.  The new offer means 100 NWTC students are now eligible for one-thousand dollar scholarships towards degrees or certificates in health sciences, human services, construction, manufacturing, and transportation. 

Local-Regional News August 9

 The Durand City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on approving the transfer of the O.R. Hanson Park Property to the Durand-Arkansaw School District, reports from the Mayor, City Administrator, and Department Heads, and updates on the Tarrant Park Pool Project.  Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall and will be live-streamed on our YouTube Channel.

The Durand Police Department and Pepin County Sheriff's Department announced William L. Hartung, 67, was released from prison yesterday. In 2002, he was convicted in Pepin County of second-degree sexual assault/use of force.   Hartung is currently homeless, is on the sex offender registry, and is required to wear a GPS location monitoring device. 

There were once again questions about whether the teenage suspect in the murder of Lily Peters can be helped behind bars.  A judge in Chippewa County yesterday again listened to the suspect's lawyer try to make the case to move the trial to juvenile court.  Yesterday's expert testified that the suspect had mild autism, and might not fully understand what he did.  The now 15-year-old is accused of beating, strangling, killing, then raping 10-year-old Lily Peters in April of last year.  The hearing continues today. 

Prosecutors will charge the two suspects in the murder of an Altoona man separately.  Court records show 47-year-old Brandon Gaston and 57-year-old Tracey Clark will not be tried together for last year's murder of 79-year-old Dennis Schattie.  Investigators believe he was killed in Eau Claire, but his body was later found in the river near Rockford, Illinois in April of 2022.  There is no word when the two will actually go on trial.  There's a hearing in Gaston's case at the end of this month.  A hearing in Clark's case is scheduled in October. 

The Wisconsin State Patrol has begun cracking down on traffic violations this week.  The patrol will be conducting aerial surveillance and enforcement this Saturday and Sunday over I-94 in Eau Claire County.  The State Patrol’s goal is to enhance public safety. The agency explained with aerial surveillance, it is easier to spot drivers violating the law. When spotted from the air, it is communicated to the ground patrol to begin pursuing a stop.

 A new law will allow school board members in Wisconsin to drive school buses.  Governor Evers signed the law last week.  It eliminates a part of Wisconsin's school board law that stopped school board members from holding second jobs with the school district.  School board members can now volunteer to drive a bus, they cannot be paid.  About half of Wisconsin's school districts say they are in need of bus drivers, though it's not clear just how many school board members will now take advantage of the new law. 

Wisconsin's attorney general is turning down another PFAS settlement.  A-G Josh Kaul yesterday joined four other attorneys general in rejecting the one billion-dollar PFS settlement from DuPont.  Kaul said the company's one-point-18-billion-dollar offer isn't enough.  Kaul's rejection of DuPont's offer comes about two weeks after he rejected a ten-billion-dollar settlement offer from 3M.  Kaul said that offer too was too little for the millions of people in Wisconsin, and other states who now have to worry about their water because of PFAS contamination. 

Governor Evers wants lawmakers to spend a billion dollars on his new workforce plans, but the Republicans in charge at the Wisconsin Capitol say it's just a stunt.  The governor yesterday ordered lawmakers back to the Capitol to vote on his plan, including a 365-million dollar boost for childcare workers.  The governor says he's giving lawmakers a 'second chance' to fix the state budget.  But the top Republican in the state Assembly, Speaker Robin Vos, said the governor is the one who missed the mark on the new budget when he vetoed a tax cut for most people in Wisconsin.  Vos called the governor's special session a 'stunt,' and promised that Republicans would not go along. 

A southern Minnesota city is asking residents and businesses to boil water. Eagle Lake city officials say a power outage combined with the city's water tower being offline for maintenance caused the water system to drop in pressure. Officials say there could be groundwater intrusion and contamination in the city water lines. The city has issued a boil water advisory until the water system regains pressure. 

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A building on a one-time UW Center campus will be repurposed.  Richland County has sold a building at the former University of Wisconsin-Platteville Richland to the Richland School District.  According to Wisconsin Public Radio, the building formerly known as East Hall on the campus will be converted to become a charter school for the district.   In June, the district agreed to buy the building for $150,000.  UW System President Jay Rothman announced classes for the school would be discontinued July 1st after enrollment at the school fell to just 60 students.  The buildings and property on the campus are now owned by Richland County.

One of Wisconsin’s U.S. Senators talked about a growing problem in the state’s rural communities.   Senator Tammy Baldwin visited The Harbor Recovery Center in Portage Monday to discuss the increasing number of deaths from opioid overdoses outside of Wisconsin’s urban areas.  Baldwin told those assembled at the center the statewide problem of opioid addiction is one she can relate to personally.  Wisconsin Department of Health Services data shows 84 opioid overdose deaths in Columbia County alone between 2014 and 2021, with more than half of them involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

The Green Bay Packers celebrate the beginning of their 2023 home season a day early.  The team announced their “Kickoff Weekend” will include a free concert outside of Lambeau Field the Saturday evening before their September 24th home opener against the New Orleans Saints.  The concert in the stadium’s northwest side parking lot will feature the popular ‘90’s rock acts Stone Temple Pilots and Collective Soul and will begin at 5PM.  First-come first-serve parking will also be free in the west-side stadium parking lots.  The Packers and Saints will kick off the following Sunday at noon. 

The golden anniversary of a Wisconsin business will benefit two UW schools.  The Japanese food company Kikkoman announced Monday they have donated $2 million to the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences for the construction of its research vessel named Maggi Sue.  The school’s chancellor, Mark Mone says the state-of-the-art vessel will provide information for safeguarding the Great Lakes.  The Kikkoman Foods Foundation also donated $3 million to UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural & Life Sciences. Kikkoman made the donations in honor of the 50th anniversary of the opening of their plant in Walworth, which a UW-Milwaukee release says is the highest-producing soy sauce facility in the world.

State Capitol Police warn a man over possible stalking behavior towards an elections official. The Journal Sentinel reports that Peter Bernegger of New London was served with a warning letter last month. The July 7 letter from Capitol Police Chief David Erwin notified Bernegger that his behavior toward Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe and commission staff "could be interpreted as 'stalking' under state law.” Bernegger is an election denier who has sought to compel Wolfe to testify in a lawsuit he filed against the commission. Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a motion to protect Wolfe from having to testify, in part because of Bernegger's behavior.

A Milwaukee man who tried to escape from police through a hospital’s bathroom ceiling has been charged.  A criminal complaint says on Friday, Milwaukee Police were transporting a prisoner identified as Josiah Taylor, who was diverted to Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital after Taylor complained of stomach and chest pain.  Once at the hospital, police uncuffed Taylor after granting his request to go to the bathroom.  After ten minutes in the bathroom, officers checking on Taylor found damage to the bathroom’s ceiling, drywall and sink estimated at $2500 caused by what officers believe was an attempted escape.

Local-Regional News August 8

 The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on an offer to purchase Peeso Creek Development Lot 12, goose hunting inside city limits, and the waiving of city permits for the new library building.  Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at the Roger Marten Community Center in Mondovi.

One person was injured in a single-vehicle accident in Isabelle Township on Saturday.  According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 21yr old Matthew Mehrkens of Bay City was traveling southbound on Hwy 35, lost control of the vehicle, entered the ditch, and overturned.  Mehrkens was transported to Mayo Hospital in Red Wing.

UW Stout is expanding its solar energy capabilities.  The University is installing over 500 solar panels at Jarvis Hall on campus.  The project is designed to provide energy to Jarvis Hall and adjacent buildings and is expected to save the university nearly $170,000 per year.  The $2.7 million project is part of the campus plan to be carbon neutral by 2050 and is expected to be completed by next March.

There will be more testimony today in the case of a teenager charged with 10-year-old Lily Peters. The lawyers for the suspect yesterday questioned four experts from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections about the differences between juvenile prison and adult prison. The lawyers want Peters' murder to be handled in juvenile court in Chippewa County. The now-15-year-old suspect is accused of beating, strangling, killing, then raping her on her way home last year. Prosecutors want the case kept in adult court. The hearing is expected to wrap up tomorrow. 

One person is dead after a single-vehicle crash in the town of Sigel on Friday.  According to the  Chippewa County Sheriff's Department, Jackson Kittleson was traveling northbound on Hwy 27, when his vehicle left the roadway, and hit a tree.  Kittleson was pronounced dead at the scene.  That accident remains under investigation.

 Old Style is reportedly leaving Milwaukee, but not Wisconsin. A number of news outlets in La Crosse yesterday said Old Style will be brewed in La Crosse starting in November. It's a return home for Old Style, which was brewed in La Crosse starting in 1902 by the G. Heileman Brewing Company. Pabst took it over and brewed it in Milwaukee for the past 24 years. The return to La Crosse will be featured heavily during this year's Oktoberfest in La Crosse.

The bodies of two missing boaters were recovered from a Barron County lake.  The body of a second missing boater was recovered from Pokegama [poe-keg-ah-ma] Lake, near Chetek in Barron County, on Saturday. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said the victims were 59-year-old Scott Brummond, of Chippewa Falls, and 59-year-old Doug Robinson, of Chetek. The search for the missing boaters began Friday afternoon when an empty but running pontoon was found on the lake. Responders found Brummond deceased in the water and learned there was a second boater missing. Using sonar, Robinson was found Saturday and divers recovered his body. It is not known how the men ended up in the water but the deaths are under investigation by the Wisconsin DNR.

There could be new rules for DoorDash and Uber Eats in Wisconsin. A Senate committee is going to hold a hearing today on a plan that would allow restaurants to opt-out of third-party delivery services. The plan would also require food delivery drivers to have a basic knowledge of food safety and hygiene. There is also a provision that would require delivery services to place orders with restaurants immediately. The proposed law comes after complaints about how some delivery drivers or services use local restaurants. 

 Wisconsin's attorney general wants to speed up his challenge to Wisconsin's abortion law. A-G Josh Kaul yesterday asked a Dane County judge to rule immediately on Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban. Kaul wants the judge to declare the law unenforceable. That would fast-track the case for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Now that the court has a liberal majority, the court is expected to agree that the law that bans most abortions in the state is unenforceable. The judge in the case in Dane County has hinted she will strike the law down, saying Wisconsin's pre-Roe law only applies to babies that are viable outside the womb. 

Minnesota has become the 13th state to allow electronic wills for residents.  The Uniform Electronic Wills Act passed both the House and Senate before being signed by Governor Tim Walz.  The online document needs multiple witnesses and signatures for authenticity.  The new implementation is a cheaper option compared to the original process. 

The governor weighs in on Wisconsin’s false electors  During a bill signing in New Glarus on Friday, Democratic governor Tony Evers said the 10 Wisconsinites who participated in the false electors scheme following the 2020 presidential election in the state should be charged and held accountable. Wisconsin and its false electors are among several states highlighted in the federal indictment handed down Tuesday against former President Donald Trump, who argued falsely that he had won Wisconsin. Evers's comments came the day after Democratic Attorney General Josh Kahl told reporters he can neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation into the state's false electors.

Congressman Mike Gallagher wants the Biden Administration to use its military power more forcefully around the globe. The Green Bay Republican said the weak American presence in Europe allowed Russia to invade Ukraine.  Gallagher wants the US Navy to move more ships closer to China to prevent a possible invasion of Taiwan. He spoke at an event in Iowa last week.   

The body of a 24-year-old man was pulled from the river following a Thursday incident that also took the life of a 25-year-old man.  The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office reported the two were playing with a football by the river when one person went out after the ball, fell off the end of a sandbar and went under the water. The other person who went to help the person who fell in also went under the water.  Crews pulled the body of the 25-year-old from the river Thursday evening.  The sheriff’s office says the families of the victims need to be notified before the men are identified.

The FBI says the father of that missing Sauk County boy passed a polygraph last week. Agents met and talked with William Yoblonski as part of the ongoing search for his 13-year-old son James. James Yoblonski has been missing since mid-June, his dad said he disappeared into Devil's Lake State Park on some kind of survival mission. The Yoblonski family is offering a 10-thousand-dollar reward for James' return. His dad says he simply wants his son back home. 

 Former Minneapolis Police Officer Tou Thao is going to prison for aiding George Floyd's murder.  He was sentenced this morning in Hennepin County Court to nearly five years behind bars.  The criminal case was the last trial in the state court among the four officers who had roles in Floyd's killing on May 25, 2020.  Thao was accused of holding back concerned bystanders as Officer Derek Chauvin held his knee to Floyd's neck.

Minnesota legislators are temporarily suspending a rule designed to keep mentally ill inmates from sitting in jails.  This action was taken after lawsuits started adding up over several months of waiting for transfers to more appropriate facilities.  The law named the 48-hour rule required the Minnesota Department of Human Services to transfer jail inmates who are civilly committed to a state-operated mental health facility within 48 hours.  In July, 48 people had been waiting past the 48-hour period for admission to a mental health facility operated by DHS.

A state-of-the-art device designed to safely end car chases is being launched by the Bloomington Police Department. The device is called MobileSpike and is a spike strip that extends from an officer's police cruiser. MobileSpike is designed to stop a suspect's vehicle without an officer having to do a pit maneuver or deploy spikes by hand by getting in the path of a fleeing suspect. Police say the tool works at high speeds and can puncture tires of any size, including those on trucks. MobileSpike is being installed on three of the department's squad cars.

Local-Regional News August 7

 Two are dead after a two vehicle accident near Hwy 10 and Sylvester Road on Friday afternoon.  According to the Pepin County Sheriff's Department, 18yr Ethan Whitwam of  Durand was driving eastbound on Hwy 10 when his vehicle crossed the centerline and struck a westbound pickup truck head-on driven by 40yr old Steven Passon from Waseca, MN.   A passerby was able to pull the trapped occupants from the vehicle that was on fire and others helped with providing medical aid.  The first deputy on the scene was able to extinguish the fire.  Whitwam and a passenger in the pickup truck, 12yr old Joeclynn Passon were both pronounced dead at the scene.  Steven Passon was airlifted to an Eau Claire Hospital, while 8yr old Drake Passon was airlifted to Minneapolis.  36yr old Jessica Passon was treated and released from an Eau Claire Hospital.  The crash remains under investigation by the Pepin County Sheriff's Department and the Wisconsin State Patrol.

Busy weekend for Wisconsin State Patrol Officers along with Buffalo Sheriff's Deputies.  Over the weekend, troopers and deputies had enhanced traffic enforcement on Hwys 10 and 37.  There were numerous speeding tickets written along with a few DWI arrests and a couple of drug arrests.  Area enforcement agencies will begin enhanced enforcement of drunk driving laws through the labor day weekend with the drive sober or get pulled over the program.

A judge in Chippewa County will begin the process to decide if the now-15-year-old boy accused of killing then raping a 10-year-old girl last year will be tried as an adult. There is a hearing today in Chippewa Falls in the case. The teen is already charged as an adult, the hearing is on a request to move the case back to juvenile court. Prosecutors say the teen followed Peters home, attacked her, strangled her, then sexually assaulted her along a hiking trail in April of last year. The case has been delayed for over a year because of a crowded court docket and limited resources. 

 One person is dead after being hit by a train in Rusk County. It happened Saturday evening on the trestle near Capener Road in the Town of Hubbard. Rusk County Sheriff Jeffery Wallace says the victim was pinned underneath the train. Rescue crews tried to pull them out, but the person died on the scene. No one is saying why the person was on the tracks. The sheriff's office says it will likely have some more details about the case later today. 

 Wisconsin's rising gas prices changed course and edged down slightly on Saturday.  The statewide average for regular slipped to three-62 a gallon, down a penny from Friday, according to Triple-A.  That interrupted, at least temporarily, a month long rise in prices.  The statewide average is 24 cents higher than a month ago.  As of this morning here in Western Wisconsin gas was averaging $3.69 a gallon.

Wisconsin's governor has vetoed Wisconsin's proposed ban on gas-powered-stove bans. Governor Evers scuttled the legislation on Friday. The governor says the ban would have stopped local governments from making their own decisions about regulating things like gas stoves and gas-powered cars. Republican lawmakers approved the ban on bans back in the spring, they said as a way to cut-off any new local bans. The governor says Wisconsin lawmakers should not be micromanaging cities or counties in the state.

Wisconsin's governor has vetoed a handful of plans that would have limited unemployment benefits in order to get people back to work. Governor Tony Evers on Friday vetoed five pieces of legislation that would have required people on unemployment to go on job interviews, look for more work, and pass more drug tests. The Republican lawmakers who approved the legislation said the idea was to get people off of the sidelines, and back into the workforce. The governor says he vetoed the plans because he didn't want to create 'additional barriers' to people who are receiving unemployment in the state. 

One of the two U.S. sailors accused of selling information to the Chinese is from Wisconsin. The Pentagon says 22-year-old Jinchao 'Patrick' Wei from Delevan sold the Chinese secrets about wartime exercises, naval operations, and other critical technical information. Wei graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 2019, and his friends describe him as quiet and very smart. He was assigned to the USS Essex, based in San Diego. Wei is due to appear in a military court on the charges tomorrow.  

The Mega Millions jackpot is now a billion-and-a-half dollars. No one won Friday night's drawing, so tomorrow night's drawing will be worth just over one-point-five billion. No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since April. One-and-a-half billion-dollars comes to a 757 million-dollar lump sum, before taxes of course. Your odds of winning the big jackpot continue to be about one-in-300 million. 

Governor Tony Evers is expected to call a special session of the Legislature on Tuesday.  A number of legislative sources reportedly say the Democratic governor wants to force Republican lawmakers to debate the issue of child care.  Evers pushed for more childcare funding in the state budget but the GOP-controlled budget-writing committee removed it this past spring.  He said last month that he was considering a special session to pass childcare funding.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has deactivated more than 100-thousand voter records.  WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe said on Friday that over 108-thousand people's records were deactivated because they haven't voted in the past four years and they didn't respond to the agency about their voter status.  Wolfe said the deactivations are required by state law and reflect a combination of voters who have moved to new addresses without re-registering, voters who've died, those who asked to have their registrations deactivated, and others who just haven't voted.  She said voters who have moved can just re-register at their new address.

A new Minnesota law will allow parents to take their students out of active shooter drills. Officials say school districts are only mandated to do five lockdown intruder drills, five fire drills, and one tornado drill each school year. Filmore County police say it's important to prepare students for any dangerous event. Officials say students can opt out with a parent's permission because for some a simulated shooting can be traumatizing. 

A Reedsburg woman will spend the next seven years in federal prison for trafficking meth across central Wisconsin.  Marra Lundeen pleaded guilty to distributing meth earlier this year and was sentenced this week.  Investigators say she's trafficked over 15 kilograms of meth since 2019.

Safe and sober. That's the reminder from the Wisconsin DNR to people enjoying their recreational vehicles. So far this year there have been nine boating fatalities, five of them in July, and 17 Fatal ATV/UTV crashes. When you're on the water, always wear a properly fitted life jacket. Operators and passengers of ATVs and UTVs should wear helmets, seat belts, and protective clothing. And as always, the DNR recommends you save your alcohol consumption until you're finished recreating. 

Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura says he wants to launch his own line of marijuana products. He made the announcement at a recent cannabis conference in Minneapolis, following the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Minnesota. At the conference, Ventura said he wants to be the first major politician in America to put his face behind cannabis. The former Governor added that his line of products would be "Minnesota grown, Minnesota produced, and promoted by Minnesota governor - or former."

Local-Regional News Aug 4

 A Busy weekend is expected in Durand as the annual Blues on the Chippewa is underway.  The roads around Memorial Park are closed for the event and the Tarrent Park Campground is full.  Expect heavier traffic in the downtown area tonight and Saturday.

The City of Durand will redo plans for the Tarrent Park Pool.  According to Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren, the idea is to have an alternate set of plans that do not include a concession stand.  Taking out the concession stand could save $50,000 on the project.  

Attendees to the Buffalo County Fair will have a chance to see what the new library in Mondovi will look like.  Recently the city awarded the contract to build a new library to Del Construction.  The Library Association has a booth in the commercial building showing what the new library will look like.  Groundbreaking for the new library is expected later this month.

Rescue crews in Eau Claire are waiting to see if a missing swimmer turns up. Firefighters searched the Chippewa River yesterday, trying to find a swimmer who got separated from their group. Crews didn't find anyone, and called-off the search at dark. The fire department says they will head back out on the river today if the missing person doesn't show up. 

One person was hurt when a house exploded in Rusk County Wednesday morning. Firefighters from Ladysmith say the house in the town of Grow blew-up about 10 a.m. The person who lives in the house was the only one home at the time, and firefighters say they were able to drive themselves to the hospital. Investigators say a gas leak in the basement is likely to blame for the explosion. 

La Crosse Authorities released the name of the person found dead last weekend.   Authorities say the body of 45yr old Julia Hedum was found Saturday morning near Cunningham and Harvey Streets in the area of the Bud Hedrickson Trial.   La Crosse police say it appears this is an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public. The incident is under investigation.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is announcing that bonus antlerless harvest authorizations, formerly known as tags, for the 2023 gun deer season are set to be available for purchase starting at 10:00 a.m. on Monday.  Bonus authorizations are sold at a rate of one per person per day until sold out or until the 2023 deer hunting season ends.  The DNR says purchases can be made online through the Go Wild license portal and at license sales locations.

UW-Oshkosh is laying-off 200 people to close its multi-million dollar budget gap. The university yesterday said it will cut 200 mostly non-faculty jobs, and furlough others. Oshkosh is Wisconsin's third-largest campus but has seen enrollment fall over the past several years. There were now just over 13-thousand kids on campus last year, that's down 700 from the year before. Financial problems at UW schools are nothing new. UW's president said in the spring that most campuses will be losing money by the end of next year. 

Investigators say the Sauk County teen who disappeared into Devil's Lake State Park researched traveling out of state.  James Yoblonski has been missing since mid-June.  His father says he thinks his son is trying to live in the woods as some sort of survival mission.  The Sauk County Sheriff's Office yesterday said they searched the Yoblonski family's iPad, as well as James' computer from school.  The sheriff's office says there were searches for 'means of traveling out of state.'  Yoblonski's dad and deputies in Sauk County say it's been weeks since they've had any clues about James' whereabouts. 

Minnesota's healthcare workforce is in bad shape.  That's according to the Minnesota Hospital Association's annual workforce report.  It found that state hospitals need to fill around six-thousands open positions and there are more than 40-thousand vacant health-related positions across the state.  Over 25-thousand of those open jobs are in the Twin Cities metro.  

Lake Michigan’s historic SS Badger car ferry is done for the season.   On Tuesday, Lake Michigan Car Ferry, which operates the SS Badger, said the ship's 70th season would be cut short due to damage to its ramp system sustained in Ludington, Michigan last month. Because the damage will take months to repair, daily Lake Michigan crossings from Manitowoc to Ludington have been suspended for the remainder of the season. A typical season for the SS Badger is mid May to mid October. The ship is expected to return to full operations at the beginning of the 2024 season.

Whoever bought a Mega Millions ticket in western Wisconsin is a million-dollars richer. The Wisconsin Lottery yesterday said the Kwik Trip in Bloomer sold the winning ticket for Friday night's drawing. The winner has not yet come forward. No one won the big Mega Millions jackpot, which means tomorrow's drawing is worth over one-point-two billion-dollars.

I-794 in downtown Milwaukee is aging, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation held a public meeting on the roadway Wednesday.  The options to be decided on for the future of the thoroughfare are to replace the road, improve it with a new design, or tear it down completely and improve city streets.   The DOT hopes to have a plan in place for the road by 2025.

Republican legislative leaders are denouncing a lawsuit by liberal groups challenging Wisconsin’s elections maps - and the latest member of the state Supreme Court.   In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (LEMA-hue) said the timing of the lawsuit questions the integrity of the court, and he’s vowing to defend the current maps. And Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he expects the court’s new liberal member, Justice Janet Protasiewicz, to recuse from the suit after her campaign comments. During her campaign against former conservative Justice Dan Kelly, Protasiewicz said she didn't plan to recuse from a redistricting suit if she won and a case came before the court.

The state of Wisconsin is a focal point of the third federal indictment against former President Donald Trump.  A four-count document says Trump tried to use a number of "alternate" electors in Wisconsin and other states who would ignore the votes cast and select him as president in the 2020 election.   The indictment accuses Trump of making false claims of election fraud in Wisconsin and calling for the results to be overturned. Trump called the allegations a political witch hunt.

 There could be more west coast teams joining the Big Ten in the near future. A number of outlets yesterday reported that Big Ten universities are considering a plan that would add Oregon and Washington if the Pac-12 falls apart. The Pac-12 is already reeling after USC and UCLA agreed to join the Big Ten, they will start playing conference games next year. The Big Ten has also looked at Stanford and Cal, but passed on those two schools two years ago. 

A historic house in Rochester will be undergoing major renovations. The Biermann House is located in the southwestern part of the city and was built in 1861. Throughout the years, the home has suffered water damage to its roof, floors, and windows. To remedy the issues, Powers Ventures and TLS Companies LLC are teaming up repair the damage, all while preserving the original construction materials and protecting them from mold. According to Powers Ventures CEO Joe Powers, the project is expected to take four months to complete.