Local-Regional News Oct 13

 While North Eau Claire Street in Mondovi is now open, many residents along the street are not happy with the outcome of the project.  Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says it is due to the way the project was designed. Weiss says the city will look at legal action against the engineering firm and is currently looking at having an outside firm come in to do an audit of the project.

The City of Durand and Durand Swim Club continue to look for additional donations for the Tarrant Park Pool Project.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says potential donors like the fact that there is now a certain amount needed for the project.  The city and swim club need to raise an additional $1 million by December to have the project move forward.

An Arcadia man is dead after a vehicle vs semi accident on I-90 near Dresbach, MN Wednesday night.  According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Donald Suchla, 87, of Arcadia, Wisconsin, was driving east in a pick-up truck and a semi-truck was westbound when the two collided.   Suchla died in the crash and the semi driver from Albert Lea was not injured.

One of Eau Claire's library managers says the homeless problem at the city's public library is so bad they need a security guard to deal with it. Library trustee Charlie Schell told city council members on Monday that last winter saw dozens of problems with homeless people either falling asleep, throwing up, or causing other problems. He says in one shift he had to call the police five times. Eau Claire library managers say the library welcomes everyone, and they don't want to turn anyone away, but the library is going to hire a full-time security guard. A study last year said hiring a security guard for the library would cost over 70-thousand dollars, a vote to spend that money will come next month.

 A man who pulled a gun on his neighbor sent Ladysmith Schools into lockdown. Police say it happened about 3:30 yesterday afternoon. Ladysmith Police say 57-year-old Corwin Blackwell pointed a rifle at his neighbor while the neighbor was mowing his lawn. It happened not far from Ladysmith Elementary School, and while the kids were already gone, school officials ordered a lockdown for anyone who was left in the building. Police arrested Blackwell on first-degree recklessly endangering safety charges.

 Western Wisconsin's congressman is once again refusing to apologize for how he behaved. A report in Politico says Congressman Derrick Van Orden yelled and cursed during a White House briefing on Israel earlier in the week. The story says Van Orden directly cursed one of the people who was presenting the briefing. Van Orden yesterday issued a statement where he didn't apologize. Instead, he blasted the Biden Administration for minimizing the role that Iran played in the attacks on Israel and said Democrats continue to make excuses for the president. Van Orden made national headlines back in August when he screamed at a number of Senate pages who were taking pictures in the Capitol rotunda.

It's not one-point-seven-billion dollars, but it is something. The Wisconsin Lottery says a 100-thousand-dollar ticket was sold for Wednesday night's Powerball drawing in Tomah. Someone who shops at the Tomah Mini Mart bought that winning ticket. Meanwhile, Lottery managers say a Kwik Trip in Grand Chute sold a 50-thousand-dollar winning ticket. Of course, it was someone in California who again bought the big winner, worth one-point-seven-six-billion-dollars. 

There is now a lawsuit that challenges school choice in Wisconsin.  Kirk Bangstad, who owns the Minocqua Brewing Company, is leading the legal challenge to Wisconsin's school choice programs. His suit says Wisconsin's voucher program is designed to 'harm school districts,' and has been 'devastating' to Wisconsin public schools. Bangstad says school choice violates the Wisconsin Constitution's public purpose requirement and uniform taxation clause. Wisconsin's state superintendent of schools says she welcomes the lawsuit because she sees it as an opportunity for the state to put money where she thinks the priorities should be. School choice supporters in Wisconsin say school choice has helped kids escape failing public schools for years.

 A showdown is coming at the Wisconsin Capitol over who gets to play girls' sports in the state, and whether kids can have sex change surgeries. Republicans in the State Assembly yesterday approved a plan that would declare girls' sports for biological girls only, and another that would ban gender-affirming care for children. Governor Tony Evers has promised to veto the plans, and Democrats at the Capitol say they are anti-trans. Republican State Rep. Barb Dietrich says the proposal to keep girls sports for girls only is 'pro-woman,' and State Rep. Scott Allen says the ban on gender-affirming care for children simply gives transgender kids time to make a decision.

Recent rainfall is helping slowly ease drought conditions in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.  The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map released yesterday shows that five-percent of Minnesota state is experiencing extreme drought, down from seven-point-six-percent last week while 6.7 percent of Wisconsin is in extreme drought.  Here in Western Wisconsin, the levels of severe and moderate drought are also down this week, while areas considered abnormally dry have increased.  Conditions could improve even more next week, as rain is expected in many parts of the WRDN Listening area through the weekend.

 A suspect is in custody after five officers in Minnesota were shot Thursday morning.  It happened in Glendorado Township, which is in east central Minnesota about 60 miles from Minneapolis.  All five officers are expected to survive.  Officials said the suspect confronted and opened fire on the officers while they executed a search warrant.  The suspect was eventually taken into custody without incident hours after the shooting happened.

Wisconsin is one of several states where consumers will be reimbursed for the sales tax they paid on feminine hygiene products such as tampons and pads. The brands include August, Cora, Lola, The Honey Pot, Rael, Here We Flo, Saalt, and Diva. Wisconsin shoppers can submit a photo of their receipts at tampontaxback-dot-com and get the money back with Venmo or Paypal within 24 hours.  

The Mayo Clinic is joining an effort to study and improve the treatment of bipolar disorder.  The healthcare organization is joining five other U.S. hospitals as part of the Bee-Dee-Squared network.  About four-thousand patients will be part of the study over the next five years.  Mayo Clinic officials say the goal of the effort is to catch symptoms of bipolar disorder sooner and offer more precise treatment options when it is diagnosed.  The University of Michigan, UCLA, Johns Hopkins University, Brigham and Women's Hospital and U-T Health Houston are also part of the initial group of institutions that have joined the network.

A number of Republican lawmakers say they did not vote to send Milwaukee more money so Milwaukee's mayor could give himself a raise. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson this week introduced a proposal that would boost pay for elected officials in the city by 15-percent. State Rep. Barb Dittrich said that's not why she voted for the shared revenue plan. She said she was told the city of Milwaukee was on the brink of bankruptcy. Milwaukee's Common Council president says they are giving the pay raise proposal a serious look. under the plan Milwaukee's mayor would go from a salary of 147-thousand-dollars a year to 169-thousand-dollars a year.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union says workers in four states have voted to ratify a new contract with Hormel.  The union announced late last night that meatpacking plants in Minnesota, Georgia, Wisconsin and Iowa approved the contract.  According to the union, employees will get raises between three and six-dollars an hour as well as increases in bereavement leave and pension and 401-K benefits.  The contract will expire in four years.  Hormel's Austin, Minnesota plant employs about 17-hundred workers.

The choice for the “Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin” is now down to four items.  The finalists in the bracket-style tournament known as “Manufacturing Madness” put on by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce include the Bevi Bottleless Water Dispenser from Plexus Corporation of Neenah, the Applewood Smoked Bacon made by Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats of Wittenberg, the 90th Anniversary Limited Edition Sno-Throw from Ariens Company of Brillion, and the Thorogood American Heritage Six-Inch Tobacco Safety Toe Work Book from Weinbrenner Shoe Company of Merrill.  The final round of voting is on ‘til noon of October 19th at the website “Made In W-I-S” dot com. 

Local-Regional News Oct 12

 The City of Durand may be hiring a new full-time police officer.  The Durand Safety Committee passed a proposal recommending the city council approve hiring a new police officer.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says trying to hire part-time officers is just not working out.  The new officer wouldn't return Durand Police to 24-hour-a-day service for the entire year.  The Safety Committee will be meeting again to determine how scheduling would work with the new officer.

The City of Mondovi will be applying for a new grant being offered by the Buffalo County Health Department.   Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says there are projects at Mirror Lake Park the city could use the grant for.  The Buffalo County Health Department is offering $10,000 grants for park projects in Buffalo County.

A Wisconsin congressman is again being accused of inappropriate behavior.  Politico reports that during a Wednesday White House briefing on the Israel/Hamas war, 3rd District Republican Derrick Van Orden cursed directly at the briefers, prompting loud boos in the room. Representative Dean Phillips shouted “Shame on you” — and Van Orden reportedly dropped an f-bomb on the Minnesota Democrat, who is Jewish. In a statement, Van Orden did not address the allegations but instead accused the Biden administration of minimizing Iran's role in the Hamas attack. Earlier this year, Senate leaders condemned Van Orden after he reportedly used profanity towards a group of Senate pages in the U.S. Capitol rotunda.

The plan is to use the Red Flint Sand And Gravel land as a new recreation area. Eau Claire County yesterday announced plans to turn the 230 acres into a place where people can swim, row, hike, bike, and just enjoy the outdoors. There's currently a bike trail on the land, but the county tends to add more. No one is saying when the work will begin, or just how much it will all cost.

No one is calling it a hack, instead Kwik Trip is calling it an "incident" that is causing some "challenges." The company yesterday said some stores may have problems with the Kwik Reward system, and there may be some product shortages and troubles with pricing. A Kwik Trip spokesperson did not say just what the issue is, or how long Kwik Trip has been dealing with it. Kwik Trip did ask people for patience as they work through the issue.

A boater is missing on a northwest Wisconsin lake. The search for a man who apparently went overboard on Cedar Lake began after a woman was pulled from the water Monday evening and said she had been on a boat with the man and her dog. Only the dog was found on the boat. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call around 5:30 pm from a homeowner who said a was boat circling in the water and a woman could be heard yelling for help. 

There are new calls for new financial sanctions against Iran from some of Wisconsin's members of Congress. Democratic US Senator Tammy Baldwin yesterday said until she's convinced that Iran did not pay for Hamas's weekend attacks in Israel, she wants President Biden to refreeze the six billion dollars he unfroze to get back some American prisoners. Republican Congressman Bryan Steil also demanded yesterday that the president sanction Iran. Steil is also asking for a full accounting of just how the Biden Administration came to the decision to unfreeze the six billion dollars just released to Iran.

The future of PFAS regulation in Wisconsin is up in the air, after a pair of Republican Lawmakers yesterday accused the governor of negotiating in bad faith. State Senators Eric Wimberger and Robert Cowles yesterday said Governor Evers wants to have it all his way when it comes to rules for PFAS chemicals. The senators say they've been talking for months with the governor's office, and have agreed to about 80 percent of what the governor wants. A senate committee yesterday approved the PFAS rules that Wimberger and Cowles have written, but Governor Ever's office said he's not on board with a plan. The senators say without the governor's support,  the new PFAS rules will simply die.

Wisconsin's Governor is asking to play a role in creating the State's new political maps. Governor Tony Evers yesterday asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court If he could intervene in the lawsuit over Wisconsin's current political maps. The governor says the people should get to choose their elected officials, and accuses the Republican-drawn maps of doing the opposite. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to hear arguments about new political maps next month. A number of progressive groups want the new liberal-majority court to redraw Wisconsin's political maps before next fall's elections.

A road construction project in Oshkosh is delayed after archeologists working the site found an extensive Native American village. Team members from the Cultural Resource Management program at UW Milwaukee have been digging beneath the roadbed in Menominee Park in compliance with state law since the start of the resurfacing project. Because of the area's Native American history the discovery was not unexpected. Archaeologists believe the village was used from AD 900 until about 1600. Teams are working on mapping out the village and collecting some of the deposits, some of which will be preserved once the road resurfacing project resumes.

Green warning lights are already in use on snow plows in Wisconsin. Now a bill at the Capitol would allow their use on utility, telecom and cooperative vehicles. In the Assembly Transportation Committee on Tuesday, Representative Scott Johnson asked the bill’s author Representative Calvin Callahan, whether the green lights really get drivers’ attention.  The bill would allow crews to activate the green lights while doing things like restoring power or removing downed tree limbs.      

An Illinois man pleads guilty to stalking his ex-girlfriend over a decade ago.  Wendell Gist faced sexual assault charges for crimes between March 2011 and May 2012 in Baraboo.  A criminal complaint states the 49-year-old Gist nearly drowned a woman in the bathtub of a West Baraboo motel, strangled her with a towel, and sexually assaulted her.  The complaint says the victim came forward to authorities in 2020.  The period of the stalking charge covered nearly eight years, ending in 2017.  As part of the plea deal, the court dismissed five counts of first-degree sexual assault use of a dangerous weapon.

There is a warning about a spike in syphilis cases in Wisconsin. The state's Department of Health Services yesterday issued a memo to healthcare providers in the state warning them that syphilis cases are on the rise. DHS says syphilis cases jumped 19 percent from 2021 to 2022. DHS says the increase is concerning because more cases are showing up that are affecting babies, teens, and adult women. DHS' memo asks local doctors to be more aware, and offer more tests for syphilis.

The University of Minnesota is acquiring more land as it moves towards expanding in Rochester.  The university paid just over two million dollars for a former YMCA parking lot on First Avenue Southwest yesterday.  A spokesperson said the parcel was acquired with an eye toward planning for future facilities.  The university already owns several parcels along First Avenue, but specific plans for the property have not been announced.

Local-Regional News October 11

 The Durand City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include reports from the mayor, city administrator, and department heads along with discussion on the Madison Street Project.  Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall and will be live-streamed on the video streaming page of our website.

The City of Mondovi will be spending approximately $8000 next year to continue to remove approximately 30-35  Ash trees from the city parks and boulevards.    Mondovi Mayor Brady Weiss says the city has been covering the cost of tree removal from the boulevards if they have become a problem. The city is also applying for an urban forestry grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to assist in tree removal.

A strong fall storm system will affect the WRDN Listening area starting Thursday and running through Saturday.  The National Weather Service says we could see in excess of 2 inches of rain along with strong gusty winds up to 45mph.  The heavy rain could cause some minor rises in rivers and streams but flooding concerns are low due to the long duration of the rain.  The storm should move out of the area by Sunday.

The investigation into Chippewa County's new sheriff will continue. The County Board last night voted to continue the investigation into Travis Hakes. There's no new information in the case, but some supervisors want to see if they can find something new. Hakes is facing criticism after the investigation found he sent sexually suggestive memes to a former 911 dispatcher. The sheriff says he's done nothing wrong, and says his political opponents are driving the investigation. Chippewa County's board is considering whether to ask the governor to remove Hakes as sheriff.

There's an open seat on the Eau Claire County Board, and now supervisors are looking to fill it. The county yesterday said it is accepting applications to fill the term of former supervisor Judy Gatlin, which runs till the middle of April next year. The district is made up of the town of Washington, and parts of the city of Eau Claire. Anyone interested in being appointed to the board needs to have their application to the county by Friday, October 27th. You can find out more about the district on the county's website.

The latest standardized test scores for Wisconsin public school students are better than they've been in years, but they're still not good, and they're still not to where kids were before the coronavirus. The Department of Public Instruction released the test scores yesterday. Just 39 percent of kids are at grade level in English, and not quite 38 percent are at grade level in math. Those numbers are up compared to the past few years but are not to where kids were before the coronavirus. Education advocates say the tests show that 60 percent of kids in Wisconsin still cannot read or write at grade level. DPI says test scores are just one window into the success of the state's public schools.

Wisconsin lawmakers are introducing a bill that will require restaurants to specify if they are using real or imitation maple syrup. The Truth in Maple Syrup bill would be similar to the DAIRY PRIDE Act, which combats the use of the word milk for non-dairy products like almond or soy milk. The lawmakers who introduced the law say maple syrup is vital to Wisconsin's economy, with the state producing nearly 14-million-dollars-worth of syrup in 2023.

There is a new name for the University of Wisconsin. Yesterday, University President Jay Rothman said they will no longer call it the UW-System, instead they will call it the Universities of Wisconsin. Rothman says the name change shifts the focus from a university system to the individual campuses and the people that they serve. Rothman says he hopes the new name is more relatable and makes people aware of just how many UW universities there are in the state.  The Universities of Wisconsin has 13 four-year campuses.

Wisconsin deer hunters are being asked to keep an eye out for other wildlife this fall.  As part of the D N R's annual fall animal survey, all you have to do is keep track of the other animals you see out in the woods and submit that information to the agency. The program runs off any smartphone or computer, or if you want to keep it old school, you can even mail it your results. Find out more online at D N R dot W I dot Gov and search for "Deer Hunter Survey"

 A Rochester Catholic church says a group of parishioners who were visiting Israel at the time of last weekend's deadly attacks have made it safely out of the country.  The group from Holy Spirit Catholic Church was on a pilgrimage to Israel when the attacks began.  A Facebook post by the church indicates the group was able to relocate to Jordan and will remain there until later this month.  Other Minnesotans who were in Israel at the time of the attacks are still trying to arrange travel out of the country so they can return home.

The only thing Fair Maps Coalition members agree on is that they don't like the proposed change and how Wisconsin would draw its political maps. A dozen or so people turned out for a statehouse hearing yesterday to say how they don't want an Iowa-style redistricting commission here in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition says it firmly believes the state's current political maps are gerrymandered to favor Republicans, and they say they want non-partisan, fair maps. The crowd said it doesn't trust the Republicans who are proposing the new commission. Progressive groups in Wisconsin have asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to redraw the state's political maps. On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to take up that challenge.

A former state supreme court justice weighs in on impeaching the newest Wisconsin Supreme Court justice.  Former  Justice David Prosser is advising against an attempt to impeach Janet Protasiewicz.  According to the Associated Press, Prosser sent Assembly Speaker Robin Vos an email on Friday. He wrote "Impeachment is so serious, severe, and rare that it should not be considered unless the subject has committed a crime or has committed indisputable ‘corrupt conduct’ while ‘in office.’" Prosser turned over the email to the liberal watchdog group American Oversight as part of an open records request. Vos appointed a panel of former state supreme court justices, including Prosser, to weigh in on potentially impeaching Protasiewicz.

It was a “Back To The Future” moment following a find in a Waukesha County barn.  A 1981 DeLorean was found in the barn with all its original parts and only 977 miles on the odometer.  The owner of an Illinois company specializing in restoring DeLoreans tells WDJT-TV he learned of the find through a phone call from New Mexico and learned that the nephew of the car’s original owner was looking to sell the vehicle.  The restoration expert says the DeLorean has virtually no sun damage after being kept in the barn.  He adds that he hopes to restore the car back to mint condition.

High-speed internet is on its way to more rural communities across Minnesota.  That's because the Department of Employment and Economic Development is investing another 50-million dollars in rural broadband grants.  DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek says this round of grants will help many more households and businesses across the state.  He added broadband allows residents to connect with employers, schools, doctors, government services, and much more.  

A Minnesota farmer is on top of the pumpkin world. Travis Gienger, an Anoka County grower, broke the record yesterday with his nearly three-thousand-pound pumpkin, which he nicknamed Michael Jordan.  They entered the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, where he won a 30-thousand-dollar prize.  The previous holder for the largest pumpkin was in 2021.  

Local-Regional News Oct 10

A 63-year-old man from Maiden Rock was killed in a semi-rollover accident in Nelson Township on Monday.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, the semi was traveling southbound on Hwy 25, crossed the centerline, went into the ditch, struck an embankment, and overturned with the driver still inside.  The semi caught fire and was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived.  The semi was hauling 5,000 gallons of manure which spilled and the Wisconsin DNR was also contacted to assist with the cleanup.  The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of the family.  Hwy 25 was closed for about 5hrs last night.

The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include discussion and possible action on authorizing a representative for an Urban Forestry Grant, approval of a $50,000 payment to Clearas for the new wastewater treatment plant, and an update on the North Eau Claire Street project concerns.  Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.

Motorists traveling on Hwy 10  and 37 through Mondovi will have a detour.  New water mains are being put in near the new Kwik Trip Location and the highway is closed in both directions.  The Detour Route follows Hwy H south of town.  That project should be completed by the end of the week.

A Menomonie man has been arrested on OWI 10th offense.  According to Menomonie Police, officers pulled over Steven Bahr on early Sunday morning.  after Bahr hit a curb.  Bahr failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody and taken to the hospital for an evidentiary blood draw.  His next appearance in court is on Thursday.

Chippewa County's sheriff is going to have the opportunity to tell his side of the story about that investigation into his behavior. Sheriff Travis Hakes will have an opportunity to speak to the County Board at tonight's meeting. The county is still reviewing the investigation that looked into claims that Hakes shared sexually-themed memes with a 911 dispatcher, and was 'a loose cannon' on the job. Hakes says the investigation is purely political and has said he's done nothing wrong. It's not clear if he will actually testify tonight.

A judge in Eau Claire has given a local murder suspect two days to come back to the state of Wisconsin. Shane Helmbrecht has been missing since he walked away from halfway House in Tomah. Authorities in New Mexico detained Helmbrecht last week but had to let him go because his disappearance is a civil matter, not a criminal one. The judge yesterday said if Helmbrecht does not return to Wisconsin, there will likely be a warrant out for his arrest. Helmbrecht was accused of murdering his neighbor back in 2016 but was found not competent enough to stand trial. He was ordered to stay at a state mental health facility but was transferred to a halfway house back in January.

A new website is giving visitors to Dunn County information about where to stay and what to do in all parts of the county.   The website, visitdunncounty.com, was developed by Dunn County government and recently went live.   The site contains links for things to do in the county, where to dine and drink, where to stay, information on the city, towns and villages in the county, and what businesses and industries are in Dunn County.  The public and businesses are invited to submit information to be added to the site.  

An open house to celebrate the latest facility upgrade at University of Wisconsin-Stout, the renovation of South Hall, is planned Thursday, Oct. 12.  The event, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., will begin with a dedication in the new courtyard, on the north side of the building, followed by self-guided tours of the student residence hall.  The $22.5 million refresh of the building includes updated restrooms and showers, room makeovers with new furnishings, new lounge and kitchen spaces, the latest technology, sustainability features, an elevator, and a new central entryway and courtyard facing the campus mall.  Students moved into the hall, which has 356 beds, in late August and early September for the start of fall classes.

Authorities in Olmsted County are identifying a Rochester student who died in a crash over the weekend.  Investigators say 16-year-old Davin Tukua was driving south on Broadway Avenue on Saturday when he crossed the center line and hit a northbound vehicle.  First responders pulled Tukua from his car but were unable to save his life.  The superintendent of the Rochester school system offered condolences to Tukua's family yesterday, saying his teachers and friends at Century High School remembered him as a wonderful young man.

A former Monroe County deputy has pleaded not guilty in the death of his K9 partner. Alexander Maas's lawyers entered the not guilty plea yesterday. Moss is facing a misdemeanor charge of intentionally mistreating animals. Investigators say he left his K9 partner Kolt in the back of a hot squad car back in May. Kolt died a few days later. investigators say Kolt was inside Maas's squad car for about four hours, the temperature outside was 81 degrees. Maas resigned from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office not long after the dog's death back in May.

We are going to get our latest check as to how well kids in Wisconsin's public schools are reading, writing, and doing math. The state's Department of Public Instruction will release the student assessment results today. These are the scores from last spring's standardized tests in elementary school, middle school, and high school. Nearly 60-percent of Wisconsin public school students cannot read or write at grade level. Test scores across Wisconsin have been flat or have gone down each year since the coronavirus back in 2020.

 A former Rochester social worker accused of sexually assaulting a client is held behind bars on one million dollar bail.  Mandy Hyland has been charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct in June. She has also been ordered to stop practicing as a licensed clinical social worker.  Police say the victim accused Hyland of assaulting him and that they had engaged in a relationship that made him fearful and confused as a result.

A child was killed when the driver of a truck rear-ended an Amish buggy in Lafayette County Sunday night.   In addition to the child that was killed, another child was taken by Medflight to UW Hospital in Madison. Several other family members in the buggy were taken to a local hospital.  The driver of the truck wasn't hurt. The investigation continues.  Also over the weekend, a 17 year old from Beaver Dam was killed in Green Lake County.  The sheriff's office says a vehicle went off Highway A and drove into some trees on Saturday night. Three others were taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear a challenge to legislative district maps.    And the court’s newest member, liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz will not recuse herself from lawsuits challenging the maps. That’s something Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has demanded. Protasiewicz accepted 10 million dollars from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and during her campaign referred to the Republican-drawn maps as “unfair” and “rigged.” Protesiewicz joined the court’s 4 member liberal majority late Friday in announcing the decision to hear one of two redistricting suits, a move condemned by the court’s three conservatives. 

Last week’s incident involving an armed man at the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison has state Senate President Chris Kapenga is considering security enhancements for the building. On WISN's 'UpFront,' the Delafield Republican said he's looking at options to make sure the building and members of the legislature are safe. Late last week, both Governor Tony Evers and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said they do not want to restrict public access to the Capitol or require people to go through a security screening. The Wisconsin Capitol is one of 13 around the nation lacking either metal detectors or x-ray machines. A 43-year-old man was taken into protective custody after twice showing up at the Capitol with guns last Wednesday, both times demanding to see Governor Evers. 

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and a coalition of 11 AGs are encouraging the US Department of Justice to adopt proposed rules to make it easier for individuals with disabilities to navigate state and local government websites and mobile apps. The coalition submitted a comment letter to DOJ supporting the proposals to update regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some of those proposals include allowing a screen reader to accurately and efficiently navigate a webpage with descriptive captions for photos and videos and high contrast colors and adjustable text sizes.       

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is encouraging Minnesotans to collect certain types of seeds and cones to help with reforestation.  The D-N-R is in critical need of red pine and black spruce cones.  They are also making red oak, white oak, and swamp white oak seeds and cones a priority.  The agency is offering between 20 and 150-dollars a bushel for certain types of seeds and cones.  More information is available on the D-N-R website.

Local-Regional News October 9

A Milwaukee-area man is accused of speeding on I-94  in Dunn County and driving under the influence with a woman and baby in the car.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, troopers pulled over 32yr old Willam Hoglund of Elkhorn on I-94 near milepost 56 for speeding.  Troopers smelled burning marijuana and recovered what they believed was pot from the car. Hoglund was arrested on suspicion of DUI, second offense.   A woman and a two-month-old infant in the vehicle were transported to a safe haven.

A man is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Rice Lake Sunday evening.  According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, officers from Rice Lake and the Barron County Sheriff's Department responded to a call on Hatten Avenue in Rice Lake for a woman stabbed by a male.  Officers found the woman being treated by EMS and located the man barricaded in an apartment.  After the use of a K-9 and other options to subdue the suspect, the man charged officers with a bladed weapon.  Officers shot and killed the man.    The involved officers from both agencies have been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy.

UW-Eau Claire is not going to be among the UW campuses changing how they admit students. University president Jay Rothman on Friday said most UW schools are switching to direct admissions. That means Wisconsin high school students simply have to graduate in order to be accepted. UW-Eau Claire, UW-Madison, and UW-La Crosse are all opting out of the change.  The switch comes as most UW schools saw fewer students enroll this fall.

 A 39-year-old man was taken to the hospital after a house fire on County Road 9 East near the edge of Eyota on Thursday.  According to the Olmstead County Sheriff's Department, firefighters were called to the home Thursday evening and found heavy white smoke coming out of the front door of a duplex and a 39-year-old laying on the ground.   The victim was cooking when the fire started and had used a fire extinguisher to partially put out the fire.    He was taken to the hospital and the fire was quickly extinguished.

Dr. Amy Radunz of Ellsworth, Wis. was elected president of the Wisconsin Beef Council Board for the next two years. Radunz is a beef cattle technical specialist and raises stocker cattle on her farm in Pierce County. She also serves on the Wisconsin Agricultural Export Advisory Council.  Radunz said she is excited to lead the board and looks forward to continuing to promote beef demand. She said the board will face some challenges in the next two years due to lower cattle numbers, but she is confident that the board will invest checkoff dollars wisely

There is a warning from Wisconsin's Department of Transportation about the coming shorter days. Wis-DOT superintendent Tim Carnahan said the morning and evening commutes will be a little more difficult as the days get shorter. Wis-DOT says just 25-percent of all driving is done at night, but half of all deadly crashes happen at night. Wis-DOT is also warning drivers about deer. This is the time when deer become more prevalent at dusk and dawn.

Most Wisconsin families will probably have to pay more to heat their homes this winter.  The winter outlook from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association estimates electric heat will cost one-point-two percent more than last winter, while propane is expected to be four-point-two percent higher, and heating oil will be up eight-point-seven percent.  But there's good news for people who heat with natural gas, which is forecast to cost seven-point-eight percent less than last winter.

Flags will be flown at half-staff in Wisconsin this weekend honoring firefighters who've given their lives in the line of duty. The Final Alarm Ceremony and Silent Procession was held at the Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial Park in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday. National Firefighters Memorial Weekend was this past weekend, and the Wisconsin Firefighters Memorial Day will be observed this weekend weekend.

  Lawyers representing Minnesota businessman Mike Lindell and his company MyPillow are asking to withdraw their services because they haven't been paid in full.  Andrew Parker of the firm of Parker Daniels Kibort LLC filed the request in U.S. district court.  The legal firm claims they're owed millions of dollars.  The firm claims they've represented Lindell and MyPillow in a multi-million dollar lawsuit since February of 2022, but Lindell told them he could no longer make payments earlier this month.  He's being sued by an elections company for allegedly falsely claiming the company manipulated votes in the 2020 presidential election.  

Changes are proposed to the Republican plan to maintain the Milwaukee Brewers ballpark.  A public hearing Thursday at Wisconsin State Fair Park on the plan to repair American Family Field had the lead author of the bill mentioning amendments that would lessen the tax burden the proposal puts upon the city and county of Milwaukee.  Saukville State Representative Rob Brooks suggested putting a ticket tax on non-Brewer events at the stadium, and returning a seat on the stadium board to Milwaukee,   The proposed changes would reduce the tax burden through the year 2050 on the city and county by as much as $65 million.  Republican legislators say the amendments were added to enlist the support of Milwaukee Democrats, whose votes will be needed to pass the proposal.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to release millions of dollars in federal funding to the state of Minnesota.  The federal agency had withheld that funding over the past two years due to concerns about logging in state wildlife management areas.  Any timber sales conducted on those lands must benefit wildlife, and the federal agency said the state was not properly documenting the purpose behind those sales.  A letter sent to the D-N-R this week says recent changes have satisfied those concerns and that the state will receive over 20-million dollars designated for wildlife habitat projects.

 High school boys' volleyball will now be played during the spring season in Minnesota.  A high school league task force debated the advantages and disadvantages of having the sport played in either the fall or spring.  Yesterday, it was announced by the Minnesota State High School League that volleyball will be played during the spring of 2025 after years of trying to make the change.  Boys' volleyball was sanctioned earlier this year.  

First, it was flamingos at the beach in Port Washington, now it's cows in a neighborhood.  Video of the cows being herded in a front yard made the rounds on social media this week.  Neighbor Mick Maier said the cows came trotting down the street and didn't appear to be in a hurry.  Neighbors were able to herd the cows and keep them in one yard.  The cows belong to a farm about a half-mile away.  Farmers say somebody left the barn door open and the cows just walked away. 

Local-Regional News October 6

 A Trempealeau County farmer is recovering from serious injuries after a combine accident. It happened Wednesday evening in the town of Arcadia. According to the Trempealeau County Sheriffs Department, 48 yr old Christian Bezuidenhout was northbound on Oak Ridge Road, entered the ditch, and the combine overturned.  Bezuidenhout was pinned under part of the combine and freed by the Arcadia Fire Department.  He was airlifted from the scene; sheriff deputies say his injuries are serious. 

 A Western Wisconsin power company is eyeing a half-billion-dollar Powerline expansion. Xcel Energy yesterday said it wants to add a new 345-kilovolt transmission line that starts in Blair and runs to Owen or Sheldon. The utility says the new power lines will allow them to connect existing transmission lines and substations, and should improve power reliability in western Wisconsin. Wisconsin's Public Service Commission has to okay the plan, commissioners will hold a hearing sometime next year. If approved, Xcel is looking to start work around 2026. No one is saying just what the project will mean for people's power bills.

A Cochrane, Wis. man is accused of possessing child pornography.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, on Tuesday,  authorities searched 202 North Main Street in the Village of Cochrane after a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children detected possible child pornography being downloaded from that location.  During the search, multiple images of child sexual abuse material were found on a computer belonging to 62-year-old Mark Klevgard. Klevgard was taken into custody. A full examination of Klevgard’s computer will be performed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigations.  Klevgard is being held at the Buffalo County Jail.

 Chippewa County's sheriff is going point-by-point, refuting the recent investigation that says he shared sexually explicit memes with a 911 dispatcher and isn't on the job. Sheriff Travis Hakes issued a three-page, 12-point response to the investigation yesterday. He talks about everything from those memes to selling coffee mugs, to the hours that a sheriff is supposed to work. Hakes has said the investigation into complaints about his behavior is politically motivated and poorly done. He says he did refuse to speak with a county attorney because that county attorney wanted to talk about things outside the scope of the investigation. Hakes continues to say he's done nothing wrong.

 A man was detained after showing up with guns at the Wisconsin Capitol.   According to an alert issued by State Capitol Police on Wednesday, 43-year-old Joshua ‘Taco’ Pleasnick approached the desk outside the governor's office at about two o'clock Wednesday. Pleasnick was shirtless and accompanied by a leashed dog, and he also had a holstered handgun. Pleasnick said he would not leave until he saw Governor Evers who was not in the building at the time. Pleasnick was arrested for openly carrying a gun inside the Capitol. After posting bail at the Dane County Jail, Pleasnick was back at the Capitol at around nine o'clock Wednesday night. The building was closed at that point, but Pleasnick was carrying a loaded assault rifle and again demanded to see the governor. Madison police said Pleasnick was taken into protective custody and hospitalized.    

 There continues to be talk about withholding pay raises at the University of Wisconsin in the spats over DEI. State Rep. Jerry O'Connor yesterday said he agrees with calls to freeze money across the UW System to encourage the university to shift diversity, equity, and inclusion money into the classrooms. Murphy says he wants to prompt the university to spend less money on administrative positions that he says don't show a return and don't educate kids. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has been talking for weeks about withholding money from the University over DEI.  However, no one has said when a formal vote on a pay raise plan may come.

Wisconsin's assembly speaker says he doesn't want to impeach Wisconsin's election boss because he doesn't think she's on the job legally. Speaker Robin Voss told a Madison TV station yesterday that he believes the Wisconsin Senate removed Meagan Wolfe as elections administrator, and therefore there's no need to impeach her. Vos said he thinks Republicans will prevail in the case to remove Wolfe, and sees no need to take up an official impeachment. Wisconsin's Senate president on Wednesday asked Vos to impeach Wolfe, saying her refusal to leave could be corrupt conduct in office. Wolfe, for her part, is relying on a legal opinion from the state's attorney general that says she does not have to leave until her replacement is officially named.

Union employees at a Hormel Foods plant in Austin have reached a tentative agreement with the company on a new contract.  United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663 announced the agreement yesterday.  Workers had rejected earlier contract offers, saying the company failed to give workers higher pay and secure benefits following record profits.  The agreement will apply to about 17-hundred meatpacking workers at the Austin plant over the next four years.  A vote to ratify the new agreement is set for Monday. 

Teens who want a driver’s license in Wisconsin will have to take a road test again starting next year.  Wednesday, the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles announced the Road Test Waiver pilot program will end when 2023 ends.  Starting next year, anyone under the age of 18 will need to complete an in-person road test at a DMV office to obtain their probationary license.  Sixteen- and seventeen-year-old student drivers who have completed a driver education course, behind the wheel training, and 50 hours of supervised driving may still apply for the road test waiver before the end of the year.  The waiver program began in May 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump remains close according to the latest Marquette Law School poll.  The survey released Thursday has Trump receiving 51% and President Biden getting 48% among registered voters, while Biden had a 51-to-49 edge over Trump among those who say they are certain they will vote in the presidential election.   Meanwhile, a hypothetical match between Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has similar results.  DeSantis has a 51% to 48% lead over Biden among registered voters, but Biden holds a slight lead among likely voters, with 51% compared to 48% for DeSantis.

Governor Tony Evers wants a legislative committee to act on child care and workforce development. It’s the latest move as the Democratic governor pushes the idea of using about a billion dollars of the state’s projected four billion dollar surplus to maintain pandemic-era child care funding, create paid family leave, and bolster UW System funding. In a letter to Fond du Lac Republican state Senator Dan Feyen, Evers requested Feyen’s committee hold a public hearing and executive session on the bills that were not passed by a special session called by Evers last month. Feyen said Wednesday the committee will take its time and exercise due diligence.             

Senator Tammy Baldwin wants House Republicans to find a new Speaker sooner rather than later. The Wisconsin Democrat says Congress can't afford to wait with budget talks on a timer. Kevin McCarthy was ousted as Speaker of the House on Tuesday by a group of far-right Republicans who objected to the passage of a stopgap budget plan. The House won't be starting a formal discussion on a new speaker until at least next week.

The Powerball jackpot continues to grow. Lottery managers say no one won last night's one-point-two-billion-dollar jackpot, so Saturday's drawing will be worth one-point-four billion. No one has won the jackpot since July, when someone in California hit the billion-dollar grand prize. This is now the third-largest Powerball jackpot ever. The odds of winning remain the same, about one-in-292 million. 

Another spotting of flamingos In Wisconsin.  This time, the tropical birds were seen near the south end of Petenwell Lake north of Wisconsin Rapids.  The flamingos first appeared last week on South Beach in Port Washington, then along the Wisconsin River near the Dells a few days later.  The birds are believed to have landed in several spots around the Midwest recently after their flights were blown off course by Hurricane Idalia.  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says they hoped the flamingos would start flying south and not north.

Local-Regional News October 5

  There is now a call for Chippewa County's sheriff to step down. Chippewa County Board Supervisor Rob Teuteberg late Tuesday said Sheriff Travis Hakes should step down immediately. Teuteberg is a former Chippewa Falls Police officer, he said it's his opinion that Sheriff Hakes is unfit to lead the sheriff's department.  The county this week released a 100-page report on the investigation into the sheriff, it focused on sexually suggestive memes and complaints that the sheriff is a loose cannon. Sheriff Hakes yesterday said the report was poorly done, biased, and inaccurate. He says his political opponents are driving the push to get him out of the sheriff's office.

 A 25yr old man was arrested for robbing a WestConsin Credit Union on Monday.  Eau Claire Police said Wednesday the suspect is Maxwell D. Luebeck. He was identified by tipsters in less than 20 minutes of the police posting his photo to social media.  Police said he was arrested by the Wisconsin State Patrol near Superior.

State Representative Katrina Shankland has announced she's running for Wisconsin's Third Congressional District seat next year.  Shankland made the announcement on Tuesday outside Point Brewing Company in Stevens Point with the endorsement of seven local unions. She's one of four Democrats that have already announced for the seat.  Should all of them remain in the race, a primary will be held next August to see which one of the four faces incumbent Republican 3rd District Representative Derrick Van Orden.

 It's unclear if prosecutors in Eau Claire are going to be able to get the wanted man who walked away from a halfway house in Tomah back to Wisconsin. Authorities in New Mexico found Shane Helmbrecht Monday night. The Eau Claire County DA's office says they've filed a motion to have him brought back to Wisconsin, but because walking away from the halfway house is a civil matter not criminal, the DA doesn't have the authority to order his return. Prosecutors say getting Helmbrecht back to Wisconsin is a matter of public safety.  Authorities in New Mexico released Helmbrecht after detaining him Monday, it's not clear where he is right now. 

We have names to go along with the two bodies recovered from the St. Croix River On Tuesday. The St Croix County Sheriff's Office yesterday identified the two as 51-year-old Demetrius Kekedakis and 65-year-old Perry Montpetit, both from Hudson. Deputies found the two after getting a 911 call about a fishing boat that was going in circles on the river Tuesday morning near Troy Beach, which is south of Hudson. The sheriff's office is not saying how the two ended up in the water. The medical examiner's office is looking into their deaths.

Camp Nawakwa has been sold, but it's going to stay open. A new non-profit called Our Camp Nawakwa recently purchased the camp that had been owned by the Girl Scouts since 1951. The Scouts announced last fall they were going to sell the camp to reduce the number of properties they own. Former scouts across western Wisconsin were upset by the announcement and decided to do something about it. The Scouts and the non-profit say they've come to an agreement, but they're not saying just how much the camp is selling for.  The new nonprofit says it will start raising money soon to update the camp and its facilities. 

Commissioners in Olmsted County say they aren't ready to take public comment on a proposed ban on cannabis use in public spaces.  Commissioners said yesterday that they still need a few questions answered before they put the policy in front of the public.  The ordinance would ban the use of all forms of cannabis in parks, schools, hospitals and common spaces in apartment buildings.  Cannabis would also be banned in areas that cater to the public like businesses, unless they are licensed for on-site use.  A date for a public hearing on the measure could be set during a meeting later this month.

There is more support across the rest of the state of Wisconsin than there is in Milwaukee to spend public money on the Brewers' ballpark. Milwaukee's tourism office, and the city's chamber of commerce yesterday released a poll that shows 66 percent of people want the governor and Republican lawmakers to work together on a solution to pay for the work at American Family Field, and keep the Brewers in Milwaukee. That's far more than a poll last month that showed most voters in Milwaukee don't want to spend taxpayer money on the ballpark. The poll came out one day before today's first hearing on the plan to use about 600 million-dollars in taxpayer money to fix American Family Field, and keep the Brewers in Milwaukee till 2050.

The president of the Wisconsin Senate wants state representatives to impeach the state's elections chief. Senate President Chris Kapenga yesterday wrote a letter to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, asking him to begin impeachment proceedings against Meagan Wolfe. Kapenga said he does not believe that Wolfe is entitled to hold her office, because Senators rejected her reappointment. Wolfe is refusing to leave the Wisconsin Elections Commission based on an opinion from the state's attorney general that says she does not have to step down until a replacement is approved. Kapenga says her refusal to leave could rise to the level of 'corrupt conduct in office.'  A handful of state representatives have already introduced articles of impeachment against Wolfe, but that push has stalled. There's no word as to what Vos may be thinking.

 A state law designed to help Minnesotans who have trouble paying their electric or gas heating bills is now in effect.  The cold weather rule protects utility customers from having their electric or natural gas service shut off between October 1st and April 30th.  Affected customers must agree to a plan with their utility that allows them a reasonable monthly payment during the winter.  The cold weather rule does not apply to companies that deliver fuels like oil and wood to Minnesota homes.  

Some Wisconsin dairy farms are using FitBits to track their cows' eating, breathing, and other vitals.  Ag Daily reports they're often worn as collars, and help farmers keep their dairy cows healthier and more productive.  Wisconsin has the second-highest dairy industry in the nation, at 45-Billion dollars each year, and is the number one cheese producer in the U.S. The World Dairy Expo is this week, through Friday in Madison.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is offering grants to livestock producers to help prevent wolf attacks.  The agency is allowing producers who live within Minnesota's wolf range a chance to apply for money to purchase guard animals, build wolf barriers and install other means of stopping wolf attacks.  Eligible livestock producers must have the purchases approved and will then be reimbursed for 80-percent of their costs.  Applications will be accepted by the Department of Agriculture through January 5th.

 There will soon be more choices for flyers to get from Madison to New York City and Washington D.C.. Dane County Regional Airport managers yesterday announced they're adding more daily flights to LaGuardia and Reagan National airports. The change means there will now be multiple daily flights to both cities. County Executive Joe Parisi says they are always looking for the opportunity to add more flights, and more flexibility for travelers.

The latest plan from Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol would create an automatic voter registration system in the state. That means the plan would make it easier for high school students to get information about voting and have elected officials work at the polls on Election Day. State Representative Lee Snodgrass says elections are "central to representative government in the state," and said voting is the "primary language of democracy." Democrats hope the new focus will get more people to turn out on Election Day in the state. It's unclear just how far the proposals will go, the Republicans who control the state legislature have shot down similar plans in the past.

There is a plan at the Wisconsin Capitol to name the monarch butterfly as Wisconsin's official butterfly. State Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara introduced the legislation yesterday. She says monarch butterflies migrate through Wisconsin each and every summer, and thanks to conservation efforts their numbers have grown in the state. Cabral-Guevara says an official designation will build on Wisconsin's tradition of conservation and enjoying the outdoors. The monarch butterfly is currently the official butterfly of the state of Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia.

  A Minnesota agency is working with about 100 community libraries to allow Minnesotans a chance to "check out" state parks for free.  The program offered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources allows participating libraries to offer seven-day passes allowing free admission to the parks.  D-N-R officials say the goal of the program is to allow low-income Minnesotans to visit parks without the barrier of an entry fee.  The state's contract for the program runs through 2025, and officials are planning a review to determine if the program should be expanded to other libraries