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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 Alyssa K.
After many back and forth meetings, the City of Wisconsin Rapids finally has a contract for
animal control services.
The Common Council voted to approve the contract with the Southwood County Humane Society
at their meeting on Tuesday.
Older person's Dean Veneman and Patrick Delaney wanted to go into closed session to discuss
the contract further.
Jake Katnoss stated the discussion should happen in open session.
The Council agreed.
Madeline Palmquest was the only older person to make a statement during discussion.
She said her greatest concern was that the contract still wasn't clear on what fees SWCHS
could collect from the public without a requirement to report those fees to the city.
However, she felt the contract should be approved and these negotiations should continue
at the end of next year.
So if our goal and intention is to pay $76,000 for services that we can't adequately account
for, then we should absolutely approve this contract and prepare to have the same discussion
again at the end of 2025.
The Council voted 5-3 to approve the contract with the Southwood County Humane Society.
Wisconsin's frozen road law will take effect for part of the state this Saturday.
On December 21, the northern half of Wisconsin will have increased weight limits for log haulers
and transportation of road salt and sand.
This region is designated as Zone 1 and 2 by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
It includes US-10 near Stevens Point and numbered state and federal highways north of US-10.
The frozen road law takes effect once the ground under highway pavement is frozen
to a depth of at least 18 inches.
The seasonal weight restriction program is one way to protect Wisconsin's investment in roads.
Frozen road determination for other areas of the state will be made when conditions warrant.
The generals have been set for the two victims who were killed at abundant life Christian school.
Savannah Tomay Olson has continued coverage of the tragedy in Madison.
14-year-old Ruby Vergara will be laid to rest tomorrow.
It's at City Church, which is attached to the school over on the east side.
And Aaron West's funeral is Monday at Docks of Church in Middleton.
Both will be live streamed for people in the community who want to pay their respects.
And Madison's students plan to walk out a class today to protest gun violence in schools.
According to the Madison Metropolitan School District, they're planning to leave high schools around 11 and head to the Capitol.
There, they'll hold their demonstration with students from multiple high schools.
Staff wanted to tell parents they're aware of those plans and that regular attendance rules apply,
so some families may choose to excuse their kids.
Staff believe they'll return to class afterward.
And tonight, Marathon County Schools are coming together to benefit the family of the student killed.
14-year-old Ruby Vergara's mom went to Stratford High School.
Stratford plays Edgar tonight, invoice basketball.
She's holding a 50-50 raffle tonight and all the proceeds will go to Vergara's family.
Meanwhile, volunteers have brought therapy dogs to help the community cope.
St. Mary's called up all of its volunteer dog teams starting right away on Monday.
They were even at the reunification site before students got to go home to their families.
They've been at other events with the Abundant Life community since the tragedy.
One study showed that 93% of people felt less stress after spending time with a therapy dog.
And through the snow, the memorial at Abundant Life has grown.
There are two big crosses with flowers and candles.
If you want to support the families and the Abundant Life community,
there's a fundraiser hosted by the United Way of Dane County.
So far, people have donated about $70,000.
We have a link to it on our website, civicmedia.us.
The Wisconsin Farmers Union re-elected Darren Von Ruden as president.
After last weekend's 94th state annual convention in Wisconsin Dells,
Von Ruden has represented the organization's district five as director since 2008.
Von Ruden's focus as president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union is to be sure family farmers have a seat at the table when decisions are made.
Delegates at the convention voted to prioritize five special orders of business for 2025.
These include concentration in the agriculture industry,
and a solution to create fair maps from a nonpartisan procedure for the preparation of legislative and congressional redistricting plans,
quality health care in Wisconsin, continued and expanding funding of the WI-LFPA program,
and combating climate change in farming.
Believe it or not, the deadline to file to run for office in the next election is coming up soon.
With more, here's civic media's Jimmy Cusca.
Are you interested in running for local nonpartisan office this spring?
Now is the time to get your paperwork in.
To get on the ballot for the upcoming spring election, you'll need to be eligible for the office you're running for,
file a notification of candy to see, circulate nomination papers, and file a campaign finance form.
If you don't file your paperwork in time, you can still register as a write-in up until noon the Friday before the spring election on April 1st.
If needed, a primary will be held on February 18th.
Fire departments in the area are looking for hydrant heroes this winter.
You can adopt a hydrant near your home this winter and help keep snow and ice clear in case the fire hydrant is needed for a fire.
When firefighters have to clear snow or ice from a hydrant before connecting their water hoses,
it can waste valuable time before they can start extinguishing a fire.
All you need to do is clear a three-foot perimeter around the hydrant and out to the street.
Remove any snow and ice buildup so the hydrant is ready for use.
Many pet lizards, snakes, birds, or fish are tropical and cannot survive in the wild in Wisconsin,
so releasing them to the wild can be deadly for the animal. Lisa Hale has the story.
What happens when someone can no longer care for an exotic pet like a lizard, a bird, fish, or insect?
Traditional shelters aren't equipped to care for them.
Releasing them into the wild is dangerous for the animals and for the environment.
John Moils is the director of JNR Aquatic Animal Rescue in Nina.
You know, like you get a goldfish at the carnival, you know, you don't know what to do with it.
And then, you know, if it weren't for us, you wouldn't really have a place to go.
With that goldfish, you might think that, you know, dumping it into the lake or river might be a good option.
But those animals can actually thrive in our native waters and then we'll outcompete native animals by becoming an invasive species.
As Wisconsin's largest exotic pet rescue, Moils says that JRAAR has rescued over 1900 animals in 2023,
and they look to surpass that number this year.
For almost 30 years, the DNR has been recognizing ethical hunters who honor the outdoor tradition responsibly, respectfully, and safely.
Established in 1997, the Ethical Hunter Award goes to the nominee showing exceptional moral actions and character while out in the field.
A five-person committee reviews the nominations and selects the person deemed most deserving.
Examples of award nominations can include helping other hunters find lost game, assisting novice hunters, or protecting natural resources.
Anyone can nominate a licensed Wisconsin hunter for their actions during the 2024 calendar year and can be for any hunting season throughout the state.
Nominations must be submitted by mail or email by January 31st. You can find out more at DNR.Wisconsin.gov.
I'm Melissa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
Box in Cleveland. Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with Sports. After winning the NBA Cup, the Milwaukee Boxer on the road tonight against the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference that Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boxer 14 and 11 after the break,
the Cavaliers in first place at 23 and 4. 3 former Box players named nominees to the basketball Hall of Fame.
Marcus Johnson, Terry Cummings, John McLaughlin, and Coach Doc Rivers, also named a nominee.
College basketball, the Badgers go back to work this weekend at the Cole Center. They will host a horizon league team that Detroit Mercy Titans at 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon.
NFL Packers practicing in the snow. There's a chance for some Florey's Monday night when they host the Saints.
Running back, Josh Jacobs says, me, he likes games in the snow.
I like the games just because, you know, Cole games, snow games, because defenders don't really want to hit.
It kind of make them make decisions. You got to kind of make a business decision at times, and it's easier for me because I'm going to make you have to make that decision.
That's Packers running back. Josh Jacobs was Sports on Mike Clemens.
On your entertainment beat, I'm Pete Schwabba, and people who are always looking for something to lose their mind over news.
An interview with Denzel Washington, and a reporter for Collider, went viral when Washington was asked what his favorite Stanley Kubrick movie was.
The Gladiator 2 star says he doesn't have one, and he wasn't really a movie buff. Then added, he was in the streets looking to rob people who came out of Kubrick films.
I'm guessing that's changed since he's a two-time Oscar winner.
There have been 47 seasons of Survivor, if you can believe that.
Season 47 just crowned a winner this past Wednesday night.
Rachel Lamont is the most recent champ after a fellow survivor castmates cast their votes.
So Lamont takes home the million dollar grand prize, which has been the take home pay since season one.
You would think in 47 seasons they would have added at least a cost of living increase.
Can you imagine not even having contact info for your parents? That's how Trinity Rodman is rolling these days.
Saying her father Dennis Rodman is only her dad by blood.
Trinity, who is a professional soccer player for the Washington spirit, appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast
and said her father's hard-partying lifestyle as an NBA player was not conducive to him being a good parent.
I believe that's true, but he did make a beautiful bride.
FX's series The Old Man has two seasons in the books, and that is all, folks.
The show about an XCIA operative played by Jeff Bridges performed well in its first season and received two Emmy nominations.
Season 2 received three critics' choice nominations, but that did not stop FX from pulling the plug.
Despite this, it's a pretty good show if you want to check it out.
Jim Carey was serious about retiring from acting until he wasn't.
The actor told the Associated Press that he was going to retire, but bought a lot of stuff and needed money.
Desperation is not a very good negotiating tactic, so I'm guessing that is why Carey probably walked back his comments to comicbook.com saying he was joking.
You can catch Carey in Sonic Hedgehog 3 in theaters December 20th.
And where are they now news? One of the lovable thugs in Home Alone was played by Daniel Stern.
You might remember him as the guy who had maybe the greatest scream in movie history when McCulley Culkin put the huge spider on his chest.
Stern posted a video on Blue Sky showing what he is doing now, Tangerine Farming.
He gave his followers a tour of his studio and fruit-squeezing apparatuses. It was actually really cool.
For more show of his fun, tune in to Nightlight with me.
Peachwaba, weeknights from 6-8pm on the Civic Media Radio Network.
It is going to be partly cloudy and not as windy today.
We'll get to right to around 25 or so this afternoon with wind out of the northwest at 5-10.
Tonight we'll drop down into the single digits tomorrow, partly to mostly cloudy in the low 20s.
We'll be back to near 30 by Sunday. I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.
Temperature now at 19.
That's your WFHR and WIRI Daily News Roundup from Civic Media.
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