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Mayor says incident in Superior shows need for regional bomb squad

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It was not a pipe bomb that shut down a main thoroughfare in Superior for hours on Tuesday. But Mayor Jim Paine told KDAL that the object spotted outside the city’s fire hall was deemed a credible threat.

“That means that we can’t rule out that it’s a hoax. We got an actual suspicious device that could be a bomb. That’s what a credible bomb threat means.”

A Police Department robot was able to handle the device and determine it to be inactive, but containing a grainy residue. It will be sent to the Wisconsin Crime Lab for testing.

Paine said the incident highlighted the fact that the nearest bomb squad is more than three hours away, in Marathon County.

“I’m aware that there’s one at the airbase in Duluth, but that is part of the Minnesota Air National Guard and therefore can’t operate in Wisconsin right now. So we’ve got a little bit of a political challenge trying to make the partnership there, or a financial challenge trying to create a regional bomb squad that can serve us up here in the north.”

The pipe bomb was spotted by a passerby at about 9:15 AM on Tuesday, outside the city’s new fire hall. The response blocked off Tower Avenue/WI 35 for several hours.

KDAL contributed to this report 

Bipartisan lawmaker group seeks to increase funding for UW-System MIA recovery program

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The UW System’s Missing In Action Recovery and Identification program could be getting a boost from lawmakers.

State Senator Mark Miller is part of a group that wants to help secure more state funding to bring home lost and missing soldiers. “Most of us recognize the significance of bringing back out missing members of the military. This legislation will provide additional resources to help make that happen.”

State Senator Dale Koyenga says it’s a mirror to efforts being made by the Defense Department.

“Wisconsin will be the only state in that country that has a designated funding source and statutory language to help out the University of Wisconsin to support these efforts.”

MIA-RIP team leader Charles Konsitzke says they’re working to help identify and bring home Wisconsin’s 15-hundred M I A soldiers. 

“With this bill it is time for the state of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin to lead this great nation to recover, repatriate and identify our lost service members.”

The bill would increase funding for the program by 180-thousand dollars a year and make Wisconsin the only state to have it’s own fully dedicated M I A recovery program. 

AAA says more Wisconsinites are dying in red light crashes

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Triple-A says more people are dying in crashes at intersections than in years past, and that’s likely because more people are running red lights.

Spokesman Nick Jarmuz says people need to remember their traffic safety rules and that you’re supposed to slow down for a yellow. 

“Misinterpreting what a yellow means, and just try to go ahead even when they could stop before the light turns red.”

Many communities in Wisconsin have turned to red light cameras to try and deter red light running, but Jarmuz says AAA is wary about using them as a purely revenue generating system.

“Certainly in places where there is a strong public education campaign, there is more of a deterrent effect.”

Twenty two people died in red light crashes in Wisconsin last year, a 150 percent increase over the long term average. 

 

FEMA approves disaster declaration

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued a major disaster declaration for 17 Wisconsin counties and two tribesaffected by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding in July.

The declaration comes after Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers last week formally requested a federal disaster declaration for affected areas. The counties named in the declaration are Barron, Clark, Forest, La Crosse, Langlade, Menominee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Polk, Portage, Rusk, Shawano, Vernon, Waupaca and Wood.

The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin were also included. Marinette County was included in the governor’s request letter but is still under review by FEMA.

“We are glad the federal government moved quickly to approve disaster assistance for folks that were devastated by the severe storms last month,” Evers said “This is an important step in helping communities across our state rebuild and recover.”

The declaration allows local governments to apply for assistance, which will help communities recover some of the costs incurred through emergency protective measures, repairing infrastructure, and removing debris.

Multiple rounds of storms beginning on July 18 and continuing through July 20 brought heavy rain and flash flooding. Strong winds with speeds up to 100 mph downed hundreds of thousands of trees and numerous power lines. Two people were killed during cleanup following the storms. In addition, more than 300,000 customers were without power for days.

The major disaster declaration is for Public Assistance, which covers eligible projects submitted by counties, cities, townships, and certain private, not-for-profit organizations. The program is not for businesses or homeowners as the level of damage in these areas, unfortunately, does not currently meet requirements for federal relief.

Have a Family Communication Plan this school year

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Send the kids to school with a Family Communication Plan. That’s a recommendation from Andrew Beckett with Wisconsin Emergency Management.

“A Family Communication Plan is very important, because it allows kids to have a list of emergency contact numbers so they know who to get in touch with, and how to get in conact with them in the event of an emergency.”

In addition to family members in the immediate area, there should be a contact for someone outside the area. And, “text first, talk later” is a good idea.
“Because a text message will almost always get through. It may not get through right away, it may be delayed a little bit, but you may have an easier time connecting through tex message than you would if you were to try and to place a voice call.”

Keep a copy of your emergency plan on file at your student’s school, and check out ReadyWisconsin’s website for sample communication plans. Beckett also says an emergency kit, with items like a flashlight, non-perishable food items and cash, is a great idea for college students.

Now’s the time to make sure you’ve got flood insurance for your home or business

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If you’re not sure if your home or business’s flood insurance is up to date, now’s the time to check.

FEMA flood insurance liaison James Sink says flood insurance is separate from regular insurance, and it works differently as well. 

“There is a thirty day waiting period for flood insurance policies to come into effect. So it’s really important that they do it long before any flood event happens.”

Even a little bit of water in your basement can cost you plenty.

“It takes about one inch of water to cause 25-thousand dollars of damage. So just a little bit of water causes a lot of damage to an individual’s home.”

Sink says most home insurance policies don’t cover floods, and most flood insurance policies don’t automatically renew, so it’s always good to check and make sure you’re covered.

You can find out more online at http://floodsmart.gov

WEDC to offer micro loans to businesses affected by last month’s storms

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The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will be distributing a million dollars in loans to companies and businesses affected by last month’s severe weather.

WEDC vice president Mary Gage says these loans are designed to help get businesses back on their feet until full disaster relief comes. 

“That could be their building, their inventory, their belongings. If there’s flooding in their basement and everything’s floating. If they’re displaced for a little bit of time. We want to help these businesses when something unforeseen impacts them. We want to keep them going and keep the employees employed.”

Governor Tony Evers is in the process of trying to get federal disaster aid. If you want to sign up for the loans, log on to http://wedc.org/disasterrecovery to find out how to apply.

Evers requests disaster declaration

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Governor Tony Evers

Governor Tony Evers is requesting a federal disaster declaration, for areas of Wisconsin that were impacted by tornadoes and flooding last month. Evers sent a letter to President Trump requesting a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties and two tribes Monday.

Damage assessments from a series of severe storms which moved across parts of western and northern Wisconsin July 18 through 20, have put the losses at more than $19.5 half million. If the declaration is forthcoming, it would help communities recover some costs, but wouldn’t do anything for business owners or homeowners.

Evers is requesting the federal disaster declaration for Barron, Clark, Forest, La Crosse, Langlade, Marinette, Menominee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Polk, Portage, Rusk, Shawano, Vernon, Waupaca, and Wood counties and for the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin.

One person killed in Waupaca County house explosion

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Emergency personnel in Waupaca County dealt with two deaths Sunday, including one in a house explosion. The man killed in the house explosion around 8:45 Sunday morning is believed to be the owner of the home. It happened near a rural intersection about five miles northeast of Manawa. The Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office reported that some debris from the explosion landed 500 feet from the residence. The state fire marshal’s office is aiding in the investigation into the cause. The identity of the man has not been released.

The second death came in a drowning Sunday afternoon in the Town of Caledonia. A 37-year-old rural Fremont man drowned in a pond behind a residence there just before 4:00 pm. The man was pulled from the water before emergency personnel arrived, and CPR was started, but the man was pronounced dead at a Neenah hospital. His name also has not been released.

WDUX

GoFundMe page set up for family of boy killed in Dane Co. farm accident

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The Dane County Sheriff’s Department has set up a GoFundMe page for the family of a boy killed in a farm accident. Eight-year-old Jefferson Rodriguez was killed one week ago when he was run over by a skid steer loader being operated by his father on a Town of Dane farm north of Madison.

Both father and son were recent immigrants from Nicaragua and have no other family in the area. The GoFundMe account was established to help with funeral expenses and to return his body to Nicaragua.