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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.
The weather couldn't have been more perfect for the downtown Grand Affair on Sunday. Temperatures were crisp as vendors and car owners set up for the day in Wisconsin Rapids.
But by mid-morning when the crowds started to arrive, temperatures rose under bright blue skies and puffy white clouds. The heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce partners with Creepers Car Club to host an arts and crafts vendor fair and car show in early September.
This year marked the 25th annual event. Stacey Keevy is president and CEO of the heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. She said the turnout was fantastic.
It's amazing. There's so many people I would say in the thousands of people. Crowds filled West Grand Avenue as they perused the vendors from 4th Avenue South and up over the West Grand Bridge. Keevy said they hosted a record number of vendors this year from all over the state.
We have a ton of new vendors and we have so many food vendors too, which is great that we have this turnout. Creepers Car Club is partnered with the event for the past two decades.
Worth working on 20 some years, I think.
That's club president J Richardson. He said the group started in the early 1950s with some high school boys. Richardson's been a member of the Creepers since their second iteration in 2000.
We started with three cars this year. They smashed their previous records with an astonishing number to await this year.
Classic cars spanned streets from the downtown theater across the Grand Avenue Bridge and next to the river where the farmers market sets up.
Alderperson Jeff Penscovers said the downtown Grand Affair is a great event that brings people out to see what the community offers.
I'm telling her Rapids is a place to live. I've been here all my life. People are coming to town. There's a lot of interest in the businesses that we have going here real estate. It's a bargain. This is where it's going on.
A Department of Veteran Affairs Office report shows that all three of Wisconsin's Veteran Affairs hospitals are struggling with worker shortages. Joanne Krulantz has more.
The issue is not exclusive to Wisconsin with report finding workforce shortages at nearly every VA facility across the country.
The report also noted that the Toma VA Medical Center in Western Wisconsin is in need of several doctors in addition to its nursing shortage.
Despite the shortages, the Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to cut nearly 30,000 jobs at the end of the month.
The Wisconsin DNR is monitoring a manure spill in Taylor County. The spill happened on Friday in Trappers Creek, which is a tributary to the Black River.
Deadfish have been observed in the creek. The extent of the spill's impact is still being evaluated and opportunities for cleanup or mitigation are under assessment.
A couple of Wisconsin lawmakers from opposite sides of the political divide have come together for a cause close to the hearts of Wisconsinites.
The Green Bay Packers, Lisa Hale reports.
Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin and Republican Congressman Tony Weed have introduced the GOPAC GO Act designed to allow Packers fans in Wisconsin, no matter where they live, to watch the pack play on television.
Over 400,000 people living in Wisconsin counties are considered either a part of Minnesota or Michigan television markets.
So they end up watching either the lions or the Vikings games instead of the Packers if the games are scheduled at the same time.
The GOPAC GO Act would require cable and satellite companies to give Wisconsin subscribers access to games from a Wisconsin market.
For Civic Media News, I'm Lisa Hale.
A recent report released by the Wisconsin policy forum found that municipalities in the state have been spending more money due to inflation.
According to the report, municipal spending increased by a little over 7% in 2023, meaning cities and villages spent about $80 more per resident on average than in 2022.
The report also found municipalities saw a nearly 3% increase in general obligation deaths, which was the smallest year-over-year percentage increase in the last 10 years, thanks to collecting over $3 billion in property taxes for the first time.
Average gas prices took a slight dip in Wisconsin, dropping 2.2 cents over the last week. The average on Monday is $295 in the state.
This is $7.9 per gallon higher than a month ago, but over $0.10 lower than this time last year.
Prices have been volatile in the Midwest in recent weeks, a refinery in Indiana experienced a temporary outage because of severe weather.
With the restart of BP's Whiting Refinery, Great Lakes State saw significant relief.
The transition to winter gasoline is just a week away from most areas, and OPEC Plus announced an increase in oil production starting in October.
This could help keep oil prices lower for longer.
Prices in Central Wisconsin today range from 280 to 295 per gallon.
This stuffy scavenger hunt is happening again at McMillan Library in Wisconsin Rapids.
Kids can search the children's room for items featured in Laura Numeroff's if you give a dog a donut book.
After you find all the items, turn your scavenger hunt sheet into the children's desk for a chance to win the dog's stuffy.
You can enter once a week during September.
I'm Melissa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
It's the Brewers and the Rangers.
Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with Sports.
Baseball, the Brewers and the Lone Star State tonight, opening a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.
Milwaukee with a 10-to-2 win or the Pirates yesterday in Pittsburgh, completing a three-game sweep.
Manager Pat Murphy says that 23-year-old Jacob Mizorowski learned a few lessons, pitching into the seventh inning.
I can only tell you this is a great learning experience for him, and he answered the bell today and did a very, very nice job.
College football, the Badgers now preparing to play number 19th ranked Alabama.
This was constant beating middle Tennessee State 42-10 over the weekend.
The Packers celebrating a decisive 27-13 win over the Lions.
Matt Luffler, grateful to the 77,000 fans who attended, but didn't like there were so many Lions fans in the stands.
The fans that showed up brought great energy and the fans that sold their tickets to all those Lions fans got to be better.
At the Packers head coach, Matt Luffler was sports on Mike Clemens.
On your entertainment beat, I'm Peach Waba.
If you're game for making some early plans for Valentine's Day 2026, there is a new soft core adult film that hits the big screen on that special day.
It's called Weathering Heights.
That's right, this classic novel from the 1800s fell into the hands of Saltburn writer director Emerald Fennel, who better to adapt Emily Bronte and add some cinematics runch.
According to the New York Post, social media users compare the trailer to 50 shades of gray, with many calling it soft core porn.
These days, that will most likely get more butts in the seats than a high-brow retelling of an 1847 literary classic.
Weathering Heights, stars Margot Robbie, who was also producing the film, and Jacob Allordy, who is a contributor to part of the infamous bathtub scene in Saltburn.
Fennel's other credits include The Show Killing Eve, which was a bit over the top, but a fun watch, and promising young woman, which was excellent.
For your own opinion of the new iteration of Weathering Heights by heading to the Google and checking out the trailer.
Spike Lee's new film, Highest to Lowest, starring Denzel Washington, was supposed to be a wide release in theaters a couple weeks ago, but the game plan changed.
Instead, it was released in a limited run, but is now available to stream.
This is the fifth time Lee and Washington have worked together.
Highest to Lowest is a thriller that tells the story of a music model, played by Washington, who is being ransomed.
The film had its premiere at Cannes, but as of September 5th, you can now see it for free, sort of, if you have Apple TV.
I recently discussed the kids' show Bluey on Nightlight with my civic media colleague Stuart J. Wattles.
During the interview, we talked about this great show that he watches with his kids, it's funny, sweet, and sort of hypnotic in moments.
While Stuart, his kids, and all fans of Bluey, will be happy to know there's a feature film version on the way.
If you haven't seen Bluey, prepare to be dazzled.
Disney and BBC have announced that it will hit the big screen August 6th of 2027.
Rarely do you see a documentary where there is nothing negative said about the subject?
That's because many documentarians pride themselves on their objectivity.
Having said that, apparently there is nothing negative in a new documentary about actor comedian John Candy because he was such a swell guy.
I like me, is directed by Colin Hanks, who never shared the silver screen with Candy, but his dad Tom starred opposite Candy in Splash and Volunteers.
Something interesting viewers will learn about Candy in this doc was that John Candy, who weighed over 300 pounds, never liked to get easy laughs because of his weight and refused when asked to do scenes shirtless.
He was funny enough and relied on his incredible talent as an actor in comedian.
John Candy died in his sleep on the set of Wagon's East in 1994 at the age of 43.
I like me, drops on Prime October 10th.
For more showbiz fun, tune in to Nightlight with me, Peach Waba.
Wait nights from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Civic Media Radio Network.
I'm meteorologist Mace Michaels.
After the chilly temperatures as of late, warmer readings are on the way this week.
Partly sunny and a high in the low 70s today.
Some showers and storms late tonight and into tomorrow.
Low tonight, mid 50s, high in the low 70s tomorrow.
Currently 49 degrees.
That's your WFHR and WIRI Daily News Roundup from Civic Media.
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