Red Cross needs Wisconsin disaster volunteers (UNDATED)
The American Red Cross needs Wisconsin disaster volunteers. Recent flooding in southeast Wisconsin highlights the need, but Regional Communications Manager Laura McGuire says the Red Cross responds to 65,000 disasters every year. You can volunteer for a variety of roles and training is available for flexible opportunities with no age limitations.
McGuire says these are people that are really the first to respond to things such as home fires and floods. The Red Cross also has a need for trained responders who are working at shelters, and the skill set of health or mental health. McGuire says there is a particular need for Red Cross volunteers in northwest Wisconsin. Learn more at redcross.org.
Teen charged in parents’ deaths could go to trial in February (WAUKESHA)
A Waukesha teen charged with the deaths of his mother and stepfather could go to trial early next year. The decomposed bodies of Donald Mayer and his wife, Tatiana, were found in their home in February. They’d been shot, and 17-year-old Nikita Casap was later arrested in Kansas driving the family’s SUV. He was in Waukesha County Court on Monday for a status hearing before Judge Ralph Ramirez. Ramirez said the trial date will probably be in February. Casap is due back in court October 2nd on charges including two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of hiding a corpse and more. Federal investigators said Casap also plotted to assassinate President Donald Trump, and wanted his parents’ money to spark a “political revolution,” and “save the white race.”
A sheriff sergeant in Northwest Wisconsin charged following shooting that left teen paralyzed (JACKSON COUNTY)
A sergeant with the Jackson County Sheriff’s faces charges stemming from a shooting that paralyzed a teen. The incident happened in May when a 17-year-old took his mother’s vehicle without permission. A chase with speeds up to 100 miles an hour ensued after officers tried to pull him over. Jackson County Sheriff’s Sergeant Stan Edington said he fired his weapon after the teen stopped and began backing up “pedal to the medal,” hitting a squad car. Edington, who emptied his entire magazine and reloaded before shooting a few more times, said he believed the deputy in front of him had been run over and was possibly being dragged underneath the teen’s vehicle. The teen survived but has a spinal cord injury and no movement in his extremities. Edington is charged with felony second degree reckless injury, which carries a maximum possible sentence of 12 ½ years in prison.
First round of Child Care Bridge Payments go out (UNDATED)
The first round of funding from Wisconsin’s Child Care Bridge Payments Program are going out. $8.7 million will go to more than 3,100 childcare providers. Governor Tony Evers says the funds will provide the financial stability providers need to stay open, recruit and retain qualified staff, and continue providing high-quality care for Wisconsin’s kids. According to Evers’ office, this round of payments will help care for over 126,000 Wisconsin kids and help retain more than 25,000 childcare workers. The program was established as part of the Democratic governor’s 2025-27 budget compromise with Republican lawmakers, and will provide a total of $110 million to childcare providers through next June.
Reuters: Canadian wildfires could continue through fall, say officials (UNDATED)
Provincial officials in Canada say wildfires there could continue through the fall. Reuters reports natural resources teams from British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta say conditions that contribute to wildfires are expected to remain into autumn. Continued drought and warmer than normal temperatures have not abated. More than 61 million acres of Canadian land have burned since 2023. Those fires have not only blanketed Wisconsin in smoke, they’ve also forced the evacuation of residents. About 13,000 First Nations peoples are still without homes.
Bonus antlerless tags now available for 2025 fall deer hunt (UNDATED)
If you’re looking to hunt some more deer this fall, bonus antlerless tags are now available. Sales for tags in the Northwoods and central Wisconsin are currently on sale, while tags for the southern farmland zone will open up on Wednesday. Tags are 12 dollars for residents and 20 dollars for non-residents, but only five dollars for youth hunters. You can get those tags on the D N R’s Go Wild app, or at any D N R service station or sports store.