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This is your WFHR Daily News Roundup for locally grown radio 97.5 FM and 13.20 AM
and WISC country 105.5 FM WIRI in Wisconsin Rapids.
For WFHR and WIRI News, I'm Melissa K.
Bird flu is back in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture trade and consumer protection found a case of highly
pathogenic avian influenza or HPAI H5N1 in a commercial poultry flock in Barron County.
The DATCP and the USDA are working together in response to the incident.
Birds will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease and birds from the flock won't be entering the food system.
HPAI and H5N1 viruses can be spread by contact with infected birds,
combingling with wild birds or their droppings, equipment or clothing worn by anyone working with the animals.
Livestock owners are encouraged to implement strong biosecurity measures to protect their flocks and herds.
Poultry owners are asked when possible to keep their birds indoors.
Wisconsin has not identified an H5N1 infection in dairy herds in the state at this time.
The plan for the most powerful solar farm in the state has received approval.
The Public Service Commission approved the Vista San Solar Farm.
It will be built in Portage County and will generate nearly 1.3 gigawatts of electricity.
This will make it the most powerful in the state and among the most powerful in the country,
producing enough clean energy to power about 200,000 Wisconsin homes.
A clean Wisconsin analysis showed the planned Vista San Solar Farm will also likely have significant water benefits in Portage County,
boosting aquifer levels and reducing contamination.
The project will bring community-wide economic benefits, providing $6.5 million to local towns and counties to invest in infrastructure and services.
If you're working on your car or snowblower while it's inside, remember if it burns fuel, it makes carbon monoxide.
Make sure you have proper ventilation and use a carbon monoxide alarm. Don't make yourself sick.
The case against three Donald Trump allies accused of trying to overturn 2020 election results in Wisconsin will move forward.
Savannah Tome Olsen breaks down the case.
The case against three Donald Trump allies accused of trying to overturn 2020 election results in Wisconsin will move forward.
According to the State Department of Justice, Jim Troopers, Kenneth Chisbro and Michael Roman collected signatures on fake documents that said Donald Trump won Wisconsin in 2020.
Prosecutors allegedly planned to take that paperwork to Congress to get Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes awarded to Trump, even though Biden won the state by 20,000 votes.
At first, the three were facing one felony count each, but more charges were filed earlier this week.
Now, all three men each face 11 felony counts of forgery, the Dane County Commissioner presiding over the case.
I do find there is probable cause to proceed on the complaint as it's been amended and filed on December 10th, 2024.
After the hearing yesterday, Troopers held a press conference where he accused the attorney general of playing politics and said his professional life was destroyed.
The fake electors scheme is more than just Wisconsin. Trump allies are charged with similar crimes in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada.
And the defendant settled in a civil case that was filed last year that also included the 10 electors who signed the false paperwork.
Troopers, Chisbro and Roman will have their preliminary hearings in court on January 28th.
Each one of those 11 felony counts could carry up to six years behind bars. For civic media news, I'm Savannah Tome Olsen.
Midstate Technical College is bringing workforce and adult education services to rural communities.
Their tailored solutions for adults and employers' road show will begin in January and run through June.
You can find out more at mstc.edu.
There's a new shooting range in planning stages in Marathon County.
The Wisconsin DNR is asking for your feedback on a draft environmental assessment for the possible grant awarded through the DNR shooting range grant program.
The village of Spencer will develop the new range on County Road C in Spencer.
It will include a compact gravel driveway, two parking areas, firing lanes for guns and archery and berms.
The DNR's vision for shooting ranges in Wisconsin is to increase opportunities for shooting in a safe environment.
You can find out more information by contacting Sarah Brenner at 715-492-0928.
$444 million has been allocated to clearing up Wisconsin's water system in 50 municipalities across the state.
Derek Tritz has the story.
The announcement came Thursday from Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin DNR. The money was allocated through the Clean Water Fund program or CWFP for short, alongside help from the Biden-Harris Administration.
The CWFP has been administered since 1991 and has provided $6.1 billion in financial assistance for water-related infrastructure throughout Wisconsin.
In this round of funding, $339.9 million will be allocated in subsidized loans, while $44.1 million will be allocated in principle for forgiveness funding.
Principle for forgiveness funding functions similar to a grant as the receiving municipality will not have to repay those funds.
Despite the large sum of money being allocated, this is the first time in CWFP history that loaned a man has exceeded capacity, reaching more than $535 million.
This means that not all applicants can currently be allocated funding. However, additional funding will be allocated to unfunded projects if it becomes available.
Beginning in February, Wisconsin Medicaid members who don't have secure housing will have a new benefit through the state.
The new program is for Medicaid members who are experiencing housing insecurity and are also affected by substance use or mental health conditions.
It's intended to offer a support system grounded in the stability, dignity, and well-being that secure housing can provide.
The benefit does not cover rent or ongoing expenses, but does provide ongoing assistance and counseling.
There's an effort underway to clean up contaminated water in rural areas of the state. A group of farmers may have some answers, but they also have questions about support for the work.
Making sure that everybody's responsible about their actions and doing what they can to help clean up the problem, and so does that include state and federal programs that would have dollars made available.
That's President Darren Von Ruden with the Wisconsin Farmers Union. Clean water is one of the big topics when farmers across the state meet in Wisconsin Dells this weekend.
If Congress doesn't pass an extension of the expired Farm Bill soon, outdated laws go into effect. Von Ruden explains.
We really need to make sure that the Farm Bill is there so that number one farmers have protection, but number two consumers have protection too.
Without it, we're both in trouble because people simply won't be all afford to eat.
One example, farmers would be paid a set amount, but consumers would pay twice as much as the current price.
He believes everyone would be hurt if there's no movement on the Farm Bill.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Call has sent a warning to four voice service providers in the state accusing them of allowing illegal robocall traffic on their networks.
Call is part of a bipartisan and multi-state litigation task force seeking to protect consumers from the irritating robocalls.
I'm Melissa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
It's tournament time for the Badgers. I'm Mike Clemens with sports.
Women's College Basketball, the Wisconsin Badgers in the sweet 16, taking on Texas A&M tonight in Lincoln, Nebraska.
This is the 12th year in a row. The Badgers women's team has reached the regionals. Wisconsin Head Coach Kelly Sheffield.
We don't take this time for granted at all. I think any time that you're amongst one of the top 16 teams and playing in the second weekend is very special.
It's hard to do. We're happy to be here and we're excited to play. We're excited to get after and get to this weekend started.
Marquette plays number two ranked Penn State in Pennsylvania. NBA. The box in the Hawks tomorrow in Vegas.
The NBA Cup semi-finals. Game time 330. NFL Packers and Seahawks Sunday night in Seattle.
Bowel Melton was with the Seahawks and talked about the screaming fans at Lumen Field.
I'd be shaking. I'd be rocking in there for so definitely allow a crowd. They love the Seahawks. Great atmosphere for so to play.
That's Packers wide receiver Bowel Melton with sports on Mike Clemens.
On your entertainment beat, I'm Peach Schwabba. Timothy Chalamet has been getting rave reviews during early looks at the Bob Dylan biopic, a complete unknown.
Another young actor, Paul Muskel, has been tabbed to play Paul McCartney in a new biopic about the Beatles according to Gladiator 2 director Ridley Scott.
Scott is not directing the film, but he spilled the beans in a recent interview while lamenting that he could not get Muskel in his next picture because of the Beatles flick.
Puberty reports that Muskel's fellow Irishman Barry Keoghan will play Ringo Starr in the film.
Disney's Tangled was a big hit that pulled in big bucks at the box office.
So naturally the studio is doing what all studios do with a money maker and that is find a new way to remake it.
Variety reports that a live action version of the 2010 film is on the way with the greatest showman director Michael Gracie attached to tell Rapunzel's story.
The original Tangled pulled in almost 6 billion worldwide.
In Yellowstone's spin-off news, there will be a spin-off of Yellowstone.
Deadline reports that Kelly Riley and Cole Hauser will continue their roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler in the offshoot.
It looks like the two characters will survive the purge of Yellowstone cast members as characters have been killed off prolifically in season 5.
The series finale airs this coming Sunday night.
Holly would love to speculate, wicked in Moana 2 have been raking in big returns when it comes to the box office.
And that should continue through this weekend with Deadline.com reporting that the Moana sequel should be number 1 again with roughly a $28 million haul with wicked in second place at about 20 million.
If that holds true, both films will crush Marvel's extended spider-verse Craven the Hunter in Warner Bros. New Lord of the Rings film which prognosticators are saying should open at about 15 million and 7 million respectively.
Variety reports that there will be a new version of the film American Psycho.
Even though this doesn't need to happen on any level, a new interpretation of the novel of the same name will star Austin Butler as Patrick Bateman.
The Red Hot Luca Guandino will direct the film.
Guandino's two most recent efforts are queer starring Daniel Craig and challengers Starring Zendaya.
Both films were nominated for Golden Globes.
And things are really talented and incredibly famous guys says that nobody cares about news.
The great Elton John says making marijuana legal in Canada and the US is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.
Exaggerate much John was recently named Time Magazine's Icon of the Year and told Time Magazine that as a recovering addict he believes marijuana is addictive.
I'm not saying when he wrote tiny dancer Rocket Man or Benny in the Jets that he was high but he might have been high.
For more showbiz fun tune in the night light with me, Peach Wabba.
Weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Civic Media Radio Network.
It is going to be partly cloudy today with a high in the upper teens this afternoon.
Tonight keeping an eye on a system that will bring some freezing rain and snow after midnight.
It will be light but it will make roads slick late tonight through tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow some freezing rain rain and snow with highs in the 30s.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable. Currently it's 5 below.
That's WISCountry.com
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