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Beloit City Council approves development agreement for Amazon distribution center

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An Amazon distribution center is in the works for the Gateway Business Park in Beloit. The Beloit City Council approved a development agreement Monday night with Seefried Industrial Properties, which has worked with Amazon on distribution center projects nationwide.

City Manager Lori Curtis Luther said the city will still have to close the deal with Amazon, but the development agreement allows for a 120-180 day “inspection period” for the developer to enter the site as early as next week to begin preliminary grading work.

Luther said Beloit won’t have to provide any tax credits for the project. The Greater Beloit Economic Development Corporation is agreeing to sell 80 acres of property for $80 to facilitate a  one million square-foot facility along Gateway Boulevard, just south of Colley Road.

If the project goes through, construction is expected to be completed by September of 2020. The sale also has a repurchase agreement for the GBEDC to gain the property back if a facility is not built within the next five years.

Luther said the city will make a more formal announcement when they close the deal.

WCLO

Wheaton tornado damage estimated at more than $3 million

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The National Weather Service is investigating a possible tornado in south central Wisconsin Tuesday night, and preliminary dame estimates are available for a tornado that struck in western Wisconsin a week ago.

Damage from last week’s tornado in the Town of Wheaton is estimated at more than $3 million. Chippewa County Emergency Management director Dennis Brown said he submitted a preliminary damage estimate to the state, which includes costs of repairing or replacing 29 homes damaged or destroyed by the September 24th tornado.

Debris removal is estimated at $90,000 so far. Brown said volunteers have helped defray those costs, with more than a thousand people taking part in cleanup efforts over the weekend.  The town will apply for assistance through the Wisconsin Disaster Fund.

The The EF3 tornado touched down in Elk Mound around 7:43 p.m. Sept. 24 and traveled east into Chippewa County, moving through the town of Wheaton and ending just west of Chippewa Falls, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service will also investigate whether severe storms which caused damage on Fort Atkinson’s south side Tuesday night may have included a tornado. Downed trees and roof damage were reported.

Date will be changed for 7th CD special election

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The date of a special election in northern Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District will be changed. Federal law requires military and overseas voters be able to get their absentee ballots at least 45 days before any election – including a primary – for federal office.

That means the schedule Evers set last week, with a December 30 primary and a January 27 election, will not work. An Evers’ spokeswoman said he’ll soon rescind that schedule and establish a new one, with the election likely in April or May.

Republican Sean Duffy resigned from the seat last month, citing the health of his family’s soon-to-be-born ninth child.

Vos demands Evers change date of 7th CD special election

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester)

Speaker Robin Vos is demanding that Governor Tony Evers change the date of a special election in northern Wisconsin. In a letter to Evers, the Republican Assembly Speaker said the Democratic governor’s announced January 27 special election in the 7th Congressional District would place a December 30 primary on the final day of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.

“I respectfully demand that you find a new date for the upcoming special election,’ Vos said. Evers called for the special election on Monday, the same day Republican Sean Duffy’s resignation became effective.

Former Duffy staffers still operating 7th Congressional District offices

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Some residents of Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional district may find themselves asking the question “What do we do now that Sean Duffy has left office?”

Officials in the District Office say, for the most part, you won’t notice a difference in services offered.

Matt Schuck, communications director for the office, says all employees are still working normal hours and none of the phone numbers have changed, they’ve just transitioned to being employees of the District and not of Duffy.

“All constituent services like flag requests or passport requests, people can still call in and get their needs met,” said Schuck. “We are fully staffed and ready to serve the needs of the constituents.”

However, because the district does not have a voting member of the House, Schuck says there is a limit to the services they can provide when it comes to specific legislation. The staff can answer questions about the bills, but they can’t take public comment on them.

“We are able to give general information, but we can’t direct traffic or take calls about which way a member [of Congress] should vote.”

Schuck adds that it’s too soon to tell what will happen with the 7th district offices, which Duffy had located in Wausau, Hudson, and Hayward. He says it will be up to whoever wins January’s special election to determine where constituent offices will be located. “It is a very large district, so I would imagine there will be comparable representation and offices that are accessible to the constituents.”

WSAU

Non-Wisconsin freshman at UW at 25 year high

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Just barely half of freshman on the University of Wisconsin campus are home-grown. Fifty-point-three percent of the freshman class comes from Wisconsin high schools. The rest are from other states or other countries.

It’s the largest percentage of non-Wisconsin students in 25 years. UW officials say they’re not discriminating against in-state students, but out-of-state and international students are very attractive, since pay much higher tuition than students here at home.

Wisconsin joins lawsuit opposing changes to SNAP

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Wisconsin is joining 23 other states in opposing proposed changes to the federal Food Stamps program. Under the federal Agriculture Department proposal, states would no longer be allowed set their eligibility rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as SNAP.

For now, states are allowed to take factors like cost of living or child care costs into consideration. Twenty-four attorneys general say the Trump administration proposal would take food assistance away from more than three-million people. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said more than half of the Wisconsinites who would lose benefits will be children or seniors. He also predicts higher bureaucracy and administrative costs.

“This proposed rule is nothing short of cruel. If it goes into effect, thousands of Wisconsinites will lose their FoodShare benefits. More than half of the Wisconsinites who will lose those benefits will be children or seniors. And, this rule will result in increased bureaucracy and administrative costs,” said Kaul.

Madison alders ask Air Force to reconsider F-35 placement at Truax

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After hours of conversation, the Madison Common Council has decided to ask the Air Force to reconsider placing F-35 fighter jets at Truax Field.

Tuesday night’s council meeting hosted public comment, with most residents who spoke calling for the council to oppose the jets, which would replace the 115th Fighter Wing’s current F-16 jets, which are nearing the end of their service life.

Two possible resolutions were brought to the table. One, declaring the common council doesn’t want the jets at Truax Field due to noise. The other, acknowledging the noise concerns, but also pointing out the economic benefits, giving the Air Force the chance to mitigate any concerns. The final resolution combines language from the two.

Ultimately, it’s not up to the Common Council or local government to make a decision on the future of F-35s in Madison. The council’s decision is another public comment the Air Force will weigh before making the final decision in February of 2020.

WIBA

Drivers sought in fatal hit-and-runs

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The drivers involved in two recent fatal hit-and-run crashes in Wisconsin are still being sought by police. A 60-year-old pedestrian severely injured in a Madison hit-and-run accident on Thursday, September 12 has died.

The name of the Town of Brooklyn man has not been released and Madison police are still searching for the driver. It was raining at the time and the victim was wearing dark clothing. Accident scene investigators said the impact with the vehicle caused him to land more than 100 feet away.

In Waupaca County, the sheriff’s department has identified a woman killed in a hit and run crash on Saturday. Deputies said 49-year-old Jacqueline Johnson of Waupaca died at the scene. Johnson was walking on Highway 10 near Fleet Farm around 1:15 a.m. when she was struck.

WIBA, WHBY

‘Vape kings’ in court

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Prosecutors say a Racine County THC vape cartridge operation busted this month was the largest in the country. Brothers Tyler and Jacob Huffhines were in court in Kenosha Monday to answer a series of drug charges.

During that court appearance, prosecutors maintained the two spent $300,000 in California on THC oil which they used to start their drug empire.

The DA said the brothers worked out of a condominium they rented from their mother, and that they even had a payroll for employees. Investigators are now looking for those workers, who will likely face charges, too.