You're listening to Civic Media. You can tune into any of our live shows on any radio station across the state with the Civic Media app. Find us in your phone's app store and listen anytime, anywhere.
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.
Governor Tony Evers declared 2025 the year of the kid in Wisconsin. He's currently touring schools throughout the state to welcome students, families, educators and staff back to school.
On Monday, the governor stopped in at Wassa East High School. WXCO reporter Isabella Nieto was on location.
During his visit, Evers met with students and staff during a few classes, including a ceramics class, an American literature class and an animal science class.
You know, it's really interesting watching students, you know, taking a physical and I go to looking at all sorts of pictures from the past and identifying what those pictures meant.
And so really smart kids. The visit comes after Evers signed the 2025 27 by any budget in July, which included a nearly $1.4 billion increase in spendable revenue for K through 12 schools across the state.
And an over $200 million increase from the 2023 25 K through 12 budget. Evers announced at the end of July that he's not running for another term.
He says the budget will set the next governor up for success in increasing public school funding.
I think going forward and I would say this to anybody that runs for office from my office and when they get to the point of the next budget, they have to care about our public schools at the University of Wisconsin system and their early childhood programs. That's our future.
The budget also included increases in reimbursements for high cost special education programs and continued funding for school based mental health services.
Wisconsin has submitted a final proposal for federal broadband internet funding. Governor Tony Evers and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin have submitted the proposal with the hopes of expanding high speed internet across the state.
The governor's office says the funding could expand access to high speed internet to more than 170,000 homes and businesses. Evers says despite the Trump administration's attempt to delay the funding, his office and the PSC have been able to keep the program on track.
Since 2019, Evers administration has allocated more than $345 million in state and federal funding to expand high speed internet.
Healthcare groups are opposing a proposed law that could reopen Wisconsin bars to smoking. Joanne Croulott's reports.
A group including UW Health, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association say assembly bill 211 creates large loopholes to allow smoking in nearly any bar.
The bill would allow smoking inside of tobacco bars and allow the use of cigars, piped tobacco and brown cigarette indoors.
Current law defines a tobacco bar as any bar that gets 15% of its revenue from tobacco sales and it had to be established before the 2009 indoor smoking ban passed.
The bill's language would allow any current tavern to qualify so long as they purchase a tobacco sales license. The state assembly could take up the bill on the floor this week.
The fall color map is now active from travel Wisconsin. In our listening area, leaves are just getting started. Steven's point is the only one showing up on the map with any amount of perceptible change at 5%.
Travel Wisconsin predicts the third week of October will be peak color in Wisconsin rapids.
Governor Tony Evers and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin have submitted their final proposal for the state's broadband equity, access and deployment program.
According to a press release, the final proposal was submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration last week.
The program seeks to make affordable and reliable high-speed internet available to all homes and businesses in the state.
If the final proposal is approved, construction on new broadband infrastructure could begin in 2026.
The Portage County Sheriff's Office is hosting a concealed carry weapons class later this month.
The class is taught by sheriff's deputies who are a certified department of justice firearm instructors.
The class will be held on Saturday, September 27th from 8 until noon at the Portage County Annex. The cost is $50 per person.
They are also offering a basic handgun course from 1 to 4 that afternoon. It will be held at the Portage County Law Enforcement Range in the town of Dewey.
Total for both classes is $75 per student.
Registration is open now for mid-state technical colleges mid-term start classes that begin in October.
New students can start a program or just take a class or two. Current students have an opportunity to add a class to their full schedule.
Mid-term start class options include over 100 class sections of general education and program specific courses.
You can find out more and view the full list at mstc.edu.
The next Ruby's pantry is coming up soon. The September date is Saturday the 20th. It's at pitch early learning center in Wisconsin Rapids.
Each food bundle is $25 and approximately 70 pounds of food. Distribution is from 8 to 9.15 a.m.
Cash pay only on site. Come early and line up in the parking lot. I'm Melissa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
The Brewers wrap it up in Texas. Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with Sports, Baseball, Game 3 of the Brewers Rangers series today in Arlington.
Milwaukee losing again last night this time five to four. The Rangers rookie Michael Helman, the star again with a leaping catch over the outfield fence to deny Bryce Tarrang a home run.
And then he went out and hit his own tour on home in his next ad bat. The Brewers have reactivated Reese Hoskins after missing 57 games with an injured thumb.
NFL, the Packers signing wide receiver Christian Watson to a one year extension worth $13 million Watson suffering a torn ACL early January against the Bears expected back later this season.
The Packers played the commanders tomorrow night at Lambo Field kickoff 715 offensive tackles at Tom and guard Aaron Banks both questionable for the game.
College football Wisconsin Badgers played Alabama for the first time ever this Saturday kickoff 11 a.m. It looks like Daniel Neal will again start at quarterback with sports on Mike Clemens.
On your entertainment beat, I'm Pee Chwaba. Fans of the office should probably know by now there is a spin off of the show called the paper.
The show dropped last week and is shot in the same mockumentary style as the office was. The pilot of the show lacked some of that natural quirkiness that the office had.
There were a few laughs, but I don't see the show going that far without a Steve Carell or Rain Wilson. If you're interested to see for yourself, check out the paper on Peacock.
The highly awaited task has dropped on HBO series creator and showrunner Brad Ingalls B is also the creative force behind the critically acclaimed mayor from Easttown.
Heading up the cast is Mark Ruffalo, who is joined by Tom Pelfrey, Amelia Jones and Nightlight Pal Jamie McShane.
The show follows a task force led by Ruffalo that is trying to stop a series of home robberies. I watched the pilot which aired last weekend and really dug it.
Unfortunately, we only get one episode a week from HBO. New episodes drop at 9 p.m. Sunday nights. Definitely worth a look, and if you haven't seen it yet, check out Mayor from Easttown with Kate Winslet.
Neal Diamond fans might want to start making plans for the holidays. Song Song Blue, named after the Neal Diamond hit, finally has a release date and will hit theaters nationwide on Christmas Day.
The perfect day to give us a reprieve from Christmas tunes. The film is based on a true story of a Wisconsin-based couple who formed a Neal Diamond tribute band called Thunder and Lightning.
Mike and Claire Sardina were down on their luck musicians living in Milwaukee. Once they started performing together and singing those feel good diamond tunes, they became a local phenomenon.
The film is based on the 2008 documentary of the same name by Greg Coe. The film has serious star power. The cast is led by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson with an ensemble that includes the sopranos Michael Imperiali, Ella Anderson and Jim Belushi.
Song Song Blue is directed by Craig Brewer, go to YouTube and check out the trailer, waiting with Bated Breath to find out if Sweet Caroline will be in the film.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Given the life Charlie Sheen has led apparently it was impossible to fit all of his transgressions or adventures into his recent two-part documentary that just dropped.
The book of Sheen is available for readers September 9th. Just some juicy facts that Sheen shared ahead of the release are how he dealt with his HIV diagnosis in 2011 and an intervention that was disguised as his father Martin Sheen's 50th birthday party. Sheen was whisked away to a rehab facility but he wasn't quite ready.
He apparently needed one more night of partying which included judging a bikini contest in Palm Springs. Sheen told the nurse at the rehab facility he would be back the next morning at 9 a.m. or he would give her a million bucks.
A man of his word after doing cocaine all night and judging said bikini contest with Nicholas Cage, Sheen returned at 8.44 a.m. to commence rehab.
For more showbiz fun tune in to Nightlight with me Peach Waba weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Civic Media Radio Network.
I'm meteorologist Brandon Bourments just an outside chance of a stray shower today otherwise partly sunny skies with highs in the mid 70s.
Tonight partly cloudy skies with lows in the mid 50s on your Thursday increasing sunshine with highs again in the mid 70s. It's 58 at our studios.
That's your WFHR and WIRI Daily News Roundup from Civic Media. Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify, Apple or wherever you find your podcasts.
Find more news at WFHR.com or Whiskcountry. That's WISCountry.com
The National News Cycle never stops but it can be hard to find news about your local community.
Civic Media is dedicated to providing quality local and state news coverage across Wisconsin.
With the Civic Media app you can get notifications about local stories that matter to you and your community.
Find the free Civic Media app in your phone's app store and choose notifications from the menu to tell us what kind of news you want to hear about.