Marshfield man sentenced to 8.5 years. Wisconsin Rapids Royalty Announced. Daylight Savings Time

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (WFHR, WIRI) – A 42-year-old Marshfield man was sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Jaison L. Coleman was arrested last April after police responded to a domestic violence incident. A search warrant revealed three handguns in Coleman’s Marshfield home. His DNA was present on all three. When arrested, Coleman was on state probation for a felony battery offense. At the sentencing, the Judge highlighted this firearm incident as the latest in a long line of violence. Coleman’s criminal history included multiple assault and battery convictions, particularly against women. Jaison L. Coleman was sentenced on Wednesday to 102 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Halloween at the Elks Lodge

Wisconsin Rapids Elks Lodge 693 is hosting a Nightmare Before Christmas Party to Benefit those in need at Christmas time. A giving tree will be set up at the Lodge with tags for suggested gifts. There will be games, food, and costumes are encouraged, however this is a family friendly event. Bring the kids, one last use of those costumes, and fun. November 2, 2024 5 pm – 7 pm No charge.

Wisconsin Rapids Royalty Announced

Our new royalty has been named in Wisconsin Rapids. The newest Miss Wisconsin Rapids 2025 is Olivia Heuer and Miss Wisconsin Rapids’ Teen 2025 is Bianca Bowden. Olivia Heuer and Bianca Bowden will receive the crowns from Miss Wisconsin Rapids 2024 Aleigh Weight and Miss Wisconsin Rapids Teen Addison Morin. The event took place at the Performing Arts Center on October 26th.

Free Rides to Vote in Stevens Point

You can get a ride to the polls in Stevens Point for free! Central Transportation will provide free bus rides to all City of Stevens Point polling locations on its regular routes and schedules on Tuesday, November 5th. Polls open at 7 AM and close at 8 PM. If you still haven’t registered, you can register same-day at the polls. Visit civicmedia.us/vote for links to voting information.

Veterans Struggling to Meet Expenses

Veterans Day is coming up soon on November 11th. While this day honors the sacrifices military members have made for our country, it also serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggles that current service members are facing. In Wisconsin, over 37-percent of service members find it difficult to cover expenses.

According to recent Household Pulse Survey data, members of the armed services are experiencing financial strain at higher rates than the general U.S. population. Over 40% of service members report difficulty covering their usual household expenses, compared to 36.6% of all U.S. adults. While over 71-percent of US adults stress about recent price increases, nearly 80-percent of military personnel share similar feelings. A key issue service members frequently raise is that their Basic Allowance for Housing has not kept pace with the rapidly rising cost of housing.

Daylight Savings Time

On Sunday we get an extra hour of sleep when clocks “fall back” an hour at 2 a.m. resulting in earlier sunrises and earlier sunsets. People with seasonal affective disorder suffer with the shorter days and less sunlight of fall and winter. While this change gives us an extra hour of sleep, the time difference can still cause confusion and disruptions to the schedules for kids and pets. 

The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine says the shift in time change has been associated with increased heart attacks, strokes, abnormal heart rhythms, sleep disruption, mood disturbances, and even suicide. Experts recommend to begin to alter your bedtime now, gradually to accommodate for the change. 

People tend to feel more tired with less light. A common chemical that regulates that is called serotonin. And that comes from the sun. So it’s important to increase your exposure to sunlight during the day, especially in the morning. Be sure to get plenty of rest, get exercise, be active and make sure to eat a well-balanced diet full of fruits and veggies to regulate your mood cycle. And you can also consider a light therapy lamp. They are designed to simulate natural sunlight and help you. 

Experts say it’s also OK to take naps if you feel fatigued but limit the nap to 30 minutes and take it before 3 p.m. Standard time will last until March 9th when we will again “spring forward” with the return of daylight saving time.  

It’s also a time to test your smoke detectors and change out the batteries. With colder weather settling in now and the nights getting longer, remember to keep safety in mind when using heating in your home. Keep portable heaters at least three feet away from anything flammable. Always plug a space heater directly into a wall outlet and never use an extension cord.

Meat Prices Are Still High

Cattle shortages are affecting beef prices at local meat markets. Geiss Meat Market in Merrill has been dealing with a backlog of orders. Owner Andy Geiss says customers normally would bring in 10 or 15 beef for harvest. Now they are only bringing in seven or eight. If you are looking to order a side of beef directly from them, you will have to wait until mid-January. If you were hoping for the price of meat to start going down sometime soon, do not hold your breath. Geiss says he suspects prices will keep rising with the wait because it takes a long time to replenish herds. A recent report from the Farm Bureau shows beef rates have hit a record high of over $8.15 per pound. It is impacting producers and consumers.