The heat is on for Wisconsin (UNDATED)
Wisconsin remains in the grip of extreme heat. Heat advisories remain in effect until 9 p.m. for most of Wisconsin. Monday’s high temperatures across the state reached the mid-to-upper 80s and low 90s under hot, humid conditions, and today will be even warmer. Cooling centers are open in libraries and government buildings statewide with our hot spell projected to persist most of this week.
Katrina Bauer allowed new representation in Elijah Vue case (MANITOWOC)
With her trial scheduled to begin next April, the mother of Elijah Vue will have new legal representation. Manitowoc County Judge Anthony Lambrecht ruled in favor of Katrina Baur as she requested Attorney Amber Gratz no longer be attached to her case. The state and the Public Defender’s Office opposed the motion, and Gratz voiced concern regarding Attorneys Kirk B. Obear and Amanda K. Riek offering to take the case. Judge Lambrecht agreed with the last part, saying that, in the court’s eyes, Attorney Obear and Associates meeting with the client in the jail is an “attempt to sabotage the attorney-client relationship between (Baur) and (Gratz).” The Public Defender’s Office has begun searching for a new counsel. She and Jesse Vang are facing charges in connection to the 2024 death of her 3-year-old son, Elijah Vue.
Red Cross declares critical blood donation need (UNDATED)
The American Red Cross needs blood. Laura McGuire is Regional Communications Manager for the Red Cross Wisconsin Region. She says July is a critical time for blood donations. Summer travel takes folks away from their routines and hospitals see an increase in trauma patients, and blood drives at colleges and high schools don’t take place during the summer months. The Red Cross is seeing an increase in demand of about 3,500 units a week, and 38,000 donations are lost with school drives not happening. Make an appointment, and as a thank-you, all donors through the end of July will receive a Fandango Movie Ticket. Additional details can be found at RedCrossBlood.org/July.
Victims of Lake Pepin pontoon collision identified (WABASHA MN)
The victims in last weekend’s boating tragedy in southwestern Wisconsin are identified. The Wabasha County Minnesota Sheriff’s Department identifies the three people whose bodies recovered on Sunday from Lake Pepin have been identified as 37-year-old Ashley Monson, 46-year-old Nicholas Loechler and 52-year-old Manuel De Angel-Sola, all of Wabasha, Minnesota. Two of the victims were off-duty Wabasha firefighters. Investigators believe a pontoon boat with six people aboard collided with a barge late Saturday night on the lake, located on the Mississippi River between Minnesota and Wisconsin. First responders found three people clinging to the overturned pontoon with three others missing.