This is your WCFW Daily News Roundup for 105-7 CFW in Chippewa Falls and 93-5 of the
tap in O'Clayer.
105-7 CFW News I'm James Kelly.
The Oakley City County Health Department is reminding residents to test their homes for
raid on this month, January is National Raid on Action Month and health departments across
the state are offering discounts on raid on test kits.
Elizabeth Paulson is an Environmental Health Specialist with the Oakley City County
Health Department.
She explained why January is the best time to test your home for raid on.
We're spending more time in our homes during winter months and also because of pressure
differences between the outside and the inside of your house.
So usually when we have a heavy snow fall, when we have really cold temperatures, that
can allow raid on to really build up in a house even more than it would in the summer
months.
And then with our houses being in the closed conditions, that's the highest levels that
the home can have for raid on is usually winter and that's why we focus on testing in
January.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, raid on is the second leading cause
of lung cancer in the U.S.
The gas typically enters the home through the foundation, becoming trapped with windows
and doors shut tight for the winter.
But one in 10 homes in Wisconsin have raid on levels above EPA standards.
Paulson says the raid is similar in just the Eau Claire area and shared information on
how homeowners can get the discounted test kits.
Here in Eau Claire, we have a test kit available and on our website, we have a $2 off coupon
that they can access.
And then they come into the health department, we're located on the ground floor of the
courthouse.
They can buy the test kits from us.
So if they're not around a health department, you can purchase them at hardware stores,
but the cost may vary at a hardware store.
If your home does have high raid on levels, the health department can also connect you with
contractors to install specialized pipes and a mitigation fan to protect you from the harmful
effects of the radioactive gas.
Two proposed constitutional amendments reached a significant milestone in the state legislature
this week.
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin State Assembly officially passed the proposed amendments for the
second time.
If they pass again in the state Senate this session, they could appear on a statewide
ballot as soon as November.
The Republican-controlled state legislature has pursued constitutional amendments more
often over recent years, hoping to circumvent the potential veto or partial veto from Governor
Tony Evers on their proposals.
One of the proposed amendments would ban government entities from discriminating against
or granting preferential treatment to individuals based on diversity in public education or employment.
Republican state lawmakers have targeted diversity, equity and inclusion practices for years,
but have not been able to get previous legislative attempts to do so signed into law by Governor
Evers.
The other proposed constitutional amendment would bar the government from closing houses
of worship during times of emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families officially launched
the Get Kids Ready program this week.
The program will provide $65 million in direct payments to childcare providers across the
state next school year.
The goal is to provide free school readiness programming for four-year-olds in the state
and reduce the financial burden of childcare for families.
DCF officials say their hope is the program will ensure Wisconsin kids are entering the
K-12 system fully prepared.
Through the program, childcare providers will help those four-year-olds develop the academic,
physical and social skills they need to succeed in school.
Families with kids who will be four-years-old on or before September 1st can apply to participate
in the program on the Department of Children and Families website.
Childcare providers can also find out if they're eligible to participate in the program
on the DCF website.
The funding for the program comes from the $360 million invested in supporting the childcare
industry and the new biennial budget.
O'Claire City Council President Emily Berge released an open letter for the community
on Tuesday after immigration and customs enforcement agents were seen operating in the Chippewa
Valley.
In the letter, City Council President Berge acknowledged how difficult and frightening
the current situation is for many community members.
She reiterated that she stands in solidarity with the immigrant community and that O'Claire's
values are that of a welcoming and safe city.
She encouraged residents to continue stepping up to help each other through those frightening
times.
Though Wisconsin Court of Appeals has denied the appeal request of Shane Helmbrecht
after he was found competent to stand trial for the killing of his neighbor in O'Claire
about ten years ago, Helmbrecht was initially found incompetent to stand trial and was ordered
to live in a group home.
He fled that group home in 2023 and was later found in Mexico.
A judge found him competent to stand trial in September, a decision his defense attorneys
appealed, following the denial of that appeal, Helmbrecht is now scheduled for an arraignment
hearing on January 27.
O'Claire Fire Rescue Officials are asking residents to help clear the snow from fire
hydrants in the area, according to a social media post they're asking residents to consider
adopting a hydrant, while there is no specific ordinance requiring people to clear snow from
their hydrants, their hoping residents will help out so they can access the water as
quickly as possible during an emergency.
Fire officials recommend clearing the snow from the hydrant to the street entirely, as
well as about three feet from the sidewalk and three feet on each side.
Though Wisconsin Department of Transportation is sharing tips on recognizing human trafficking
in honor of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, state patrol officials shared
behaviors that could indicate someone is a victim of human trafficking, including acting
fearful, submissive, or that their movements are being controlled.
If you suspect someone may be a victim of human trafficking, you should call 911 if they
are in a media danger.
You should call your local non-emergency police number or the National Human Trafficking
hotline if the situation is not life threatening.
For 105-7 CFW News, I'm James Kelly
A time out for Wisconsin, I'm Mike Clemens with sports, men's college basketball, an
up and down start to the season, Wisconsin, now on a roll, wins over three big ten teams
in a row.
UCLA, Michigan, and Minnesota, up next they host Rutgers, Saturday afternoon at one,
great guard.
We need a day off, we've had a long, this has been a heck of a three day or three game grind,
so we'll get some rest tomorrow and then use them last two days of the week to prep for
Saturday.
NBA, the Bucks in San Antonio tonight to take on the Spurs, NFL, the Bears host the Rams
Sunday night at 530 in the playoffs after beating the Packers last weekend in Chicago, Lucas
Van Ness.
Yeah, you know, that hurts.
You know, I got to get credit to them.
They found a way to finish in the fourth quarter last two times we played them and, you know,
unfortunately, that just, that comes down to our finish and we didn't do enough defensively
to hold our lead and, you know, that's going to sink for a while.
That's Packers defensive and Lucas Van Ness with sports, I'm Mike Clemens.
I meet a college's brand informants, cloudy skies with some light snow developing today.
Many accumulations would be light, high temps in the mid 20s.
For tonight's light snow to continue, accumulations tonight of 1 to 2 inches, temperatures rising
to near 30 degrees, current temperature is 60 degrees.
