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A man accused of causing a crash that killed an off-duty Milwaukee police officer has his bond set.  Dante James made his first court appearance over the weekend where he had his bond set at 100-thousand dollars.  James is accused of running a red light while speeding and driving drunk last week and hitting Officer Kou Her’s car, killing him.  James will be back in court on July 2nd. 

House prices are on the rise in the Chippewa Valley.  According to the Realtors Association of Northwest Wisconsin, Eau Claire County has seen a nearly eight percent increase in home prices since May of last year and Chippewa County has seen a 37 percent increase.  Home sales also increased by over three percent state-wide during the same time period. 

State officials are worried about Wisconsin’s turtle population.  According to a naturalist with the Department of Natural Resources, turtles in danger because people keep hitting them with their cars.  There are eleven species of turtle in Wisconsin and one is endangered. 

Authorities in Polk County are mum about the identity of the person killed in an RV wreck over the weekend.  Deputies say the driver ran off of Ravine Drive Saturday afternoon and ended-up in some trees.  The crash set the RV on fire.  There’s no word what caused the crash.  No one else was hurt. 

Four part-timers at the Chippewa County Public Health Department are losing their jobs.  The county last week announced that it is cutting positions in the health department.  An unfilled full time job is also being eliminated.  The job cuts come as county leaders are giving the health department’s director a raise.  Public Health Administrator Randy Scholz is getting a raise that will take his salary from 125 thousand-dollars next year to 144 thousand-dollars in 2023. 

Prosecutors are losing some of their evidence against the man they say killed a mother of two last year.  A judge on Friday said La Crosse Police didn’t read Erik Sackett his Miranda rights when questioning him about Erin Somvilai’s death.  Sackett’s lawyers also wanted police searches of his phone tossed out, but the didn’t go that far.  Sackett’s trial is supposed to start in October. 

The March to Madison is underway.  Several Democratic politicians, public school union leaders, and kids started their 60 mile march to the state capital on Saturday.  They will make several stops along the way, then arrive in Madison tomorrow.  The group is hoping to convince Governor Tony Evers and lawmakers to agree to spend more money on public schools in the next state budget. 

Governor Tony Evers’ administration is recommending strict water standards.  The move comes after a harmful group of chemical compounds have been found in groundwater and drinking water in Wisconsin, including in Madison.  The compounds include chemicals which can last in the environment for long periods of time and can be very damaging to human health.  The state Department of Health Services recommended safe limits in groundwater for about 27 new substances.  The limits would essentially regulate the cleanup of polluted sites.  

It’s HERE! Wishing you a little fun in the sun on this first FULL day of summer.

Democratic Governor Tony Evers is vetoing four abortion bills passed by the GOP.  In a Friday tweet, Evers said he has vetoed AB 179, AB 180, AB 182, and AB 183 because “everyone should have access to quality, affordable healthcare, and that includes reproductive healthcare.”  Evers also added that, “politicians shouldn’t be in the business of interfering with decisions made between patients and their healthcare providers.”  Evers had promised in the past to stop the measures from becoming law.