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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.
4WFHR and WIRI News. I'm Melissa K.
The cranberry harvest is well underway across Wisconsin and we've led the nation in cranberry production for the past 30 years.
But this year, growers in the state are projected to produce 5.3 million barrels, which is less than the 2024 harvest of 6 million barrels.
Grant Holly is the executive director of the Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association. He says cranberry research has changed focus a bit over the past year and a half.
Our researchers seeing the handwriting on the wall and seeing how temperatures, the climate, not the weather, the climate is ticking its way up.
They started to move those research pieces over to heat tolerances.
With the shortened season, growers are looking at an average year of production. This year was likely on the border of what the fruit can tolerate in terms of heat and humidity for prolonged periods.
Holly said if this is the average climate we can expect going forward, cranberry growers will probably be okay.
If that degree keeps ticking a little bit higher and we keep getting warmer and more humidity, then we need to start to worry.
And what Holly said would cause the worry are bugs and pests. Cranberry crops haven't had to worry about before.
Are the cranberry is going to be fine? They are. They grew up here. They're made for Wisconsin. They're not going to go extinct.
But Holly said these changes to the cranberry climate could cause a drop off in plant production. Researchers are working to mitigate that as much as possible.
But even with these challenges, Holly said Wisconsin isn't likely to lose the cranberry crown anytime soon.
We are producing about 67% of the nation's cranberries, a little over half of the world's cranberries. Are things going to get a little bit leaner? Yeah, they are.
But we're not going to lose that title. Wisconsin's still going to be the home of the cranberry.
Proposed legislation would specify the time period for repeat O.W.Y. offenders to be able to apply for occupational licenses. Joanne Krulotz has more.
Right now the Wisconsin DOT may permanently revoke or suspend the driver's license of anyone who commits four or more of certain traffic offenses on crimes, including operating while intoxicated.
Revocation periods vary and courts may also order suspensions. Suspended or revoked individuals may apply for an occupational license.
But there's a waiting period before eligibility and that can vary depending on the underlying violation. A bill being circulated by Republican lawmakers would allow those whose driving privileges are suspended or revoked to be eligible for an occupational license after the first 180 days of the revocation has elapsed.
Those drivers would be required to have a functioning ignition interlock device in their vehicles.
Gas prices are going down in Wisconsin, but up in other parts of the country. Here's Lisa Hale.
Gas prices continue their downward trajectory, falling 5.5 cents per gallon in Wisconsin in the last week. The state's average is now 277 a gallon according to gas buddy.
Nationally, the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.8. Patrick DeHon, who heads petroleum analysis at gas buddy, said OPEC agreed to boost oil production over the weekend, but a refinery fire outside of Los Angeles will cause prices to increase in the western states.
Prices in central Wisconsin range from 251 to 266 per gallon.
It's harvest season in Wisconsin and that means more agricultural traffic on the roads. Along with drivers needing to be aware of these slow moving vehicles, you can help in other ways.
If you notice roads that are in need of repair because of agricultural traffic, you can reach out to your local government officials to remind them that now is the time to apply for funding through the state agriculture roads.
Agriculture roads, improvement program or ARIP. The application period opened on Monday, October 6, and the deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. on December 15.
There's $150 million in grant funds included in this ARIP program in the 2025 27 state budget.
Health care organizations across Wisconsin are now offering the updated COVID-19 vaccine. As colder weather approaches, people will be spending more time indoors and respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 are likely to become more common again.
Major pharmacy chains have now received the updated vaccine and now organizations like UW Health are scheduling appointments for residents.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers also recently issued an executive order to ensure the COVID vaccine remains available for all residents and is covered through insurance.
Mayor Matt Zacher has proclaimed October as pedestrian safety month and October 15 as white cane safety day in Wisconsin rapids.
This awareness emphasizes the importance of safe and accessible streets, sidewalks and crosswalks for all individuals including children, older adults and individuals with disabilities.
White cane safety day on October 15 serves to educate everyone on the significance of the white cane. It's a symbol of independence for those who are blind or visually impaired.
Wisconsin law requires drivers to stop before approaching closer than 10 feet to someone using a white cane or service animal to ensure their safety on the roads.
I'm Melissa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
Another brewers come back. Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with sports baseball. The brewers were the seven to three win over the Cubs last night in Milwaukee.
The crew now up two games to none in the best of five series, which now moves to Chicago tomorrow afternoon just after four o'clock manager Pat Murphy.
How does this team have the best record in baseball? Then nobody predicted they'd be over 500 and then we have all the injuries. Certainly nobody was banking on us.
Home runs from Andrew Vaughan, Jackson, Cheerio and William Contrares, who says he dedicates it to the fans.
I'm going to do everything for the brewer fans. I'm going to do everything for my team. I want to be one of the best on the plate. I want to be the best catcher.
They have to look and try to help play. I want to bring Diana YouTube for the team and now it's show time.
The Cubs now down two games to nothing after after getting off to a great start.
Those mistakes are two three on homers. You're not going to win playoff games, give it up two three on homers. That was just too much to overcome.
That's Cubs manager Craig Council was sports on Mike Clemens.
On your entertainment beat, I'm Pete Schwabba. Two new releases cracked the top five at the box office over the weekend.
Taylor Swift had the number one album in the country after the official release party of a showgirl dropped on October 3rd.
She also has the number one film in America with her 89 minute feature length film.
Taylor Swift, the official release party of a showgirl.
The other film debuting was a bit of a disappointment numbers wise.
Despite getting a rousing standing ovation that lasted several minutes at the Cannes Film Festival, Duane the Rock Johnson's,
the smashing machine was a bit of a box office dud opening with just six million bucks.
The former wrestler got lots of praise for his performance. Maybe it will have legs.
Paul Thomas Anderson's critically acclaimed one battle after another slipped a number two in its second week after opening number one.
The film brought in a little over 11 million bucks for a drop off of less than 50 percent, which is impressive.
Don't be surprised if opening number one next week is a video of Taylor Swift just doing household chores.
Even though she said no to performing at the Super Bowl halftime show, Taylor Swift is on top again as her new album,
The Life of a Showgirl, dropped on October 3rd, and went right to number one.
If that weren't enough, Swift also has the number one movie in America with her 89 minute video celebrating the release of her new album,
called Taylor Swift, the official release party of a showgirl.
Saturday Night Live, season 51 kicked off this past weekend and pulled no punches in going after the president after Trump's stunt last week
in front of over 800 military higher ups, which included a lecture about facial hair and maintaining a reasonable weight.
During the skit, James Austin Johnson, who played Donald Trump, told those in the sketch not to go too far or they would face consequences.
They went pretty far, it's worth a Google.
When Entertainment Weekly asked the White House for a statement, spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said she had more entertaining things to do like watching paintry.
Or maybe something even less exciting like a president's speech to military generals.
It's been said that nothing good happens after midnight, even when something might seem harmless like doing windsprints behind a bar at 12.30 a.m.
Former Jess quarterback in Fox News analyst Mark Sanchez was doing just that after several drinks apparently early Saturday morning.
It led to a physical altercation with a much older man, which is still under investigation.
It was first reported that Sanchez was in critical condition with stab wounds, but now it's come out that he might have been the instigator of the incident
that involved a 69-year-old grief truck driver.
According to security tapes, both men, despite getting physical, were trying to record each other with their phones.
Authorities say Sanchez bodies slammed the man to the ground and beat him up a bit before being stabbed two or three times at which point Sanchez ran off.
Mark Sanchez was arrested while recovering in the hospital, but has since been released.
More details are sure to follow with this strange incident.
From our show of his fun, tune in to Nightlight with me, Peach Wabo, weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Civic Media radio network.
I, Meteorologist Brandon Bourmans, get ready for a stretch that will actually feel like fall plenty of sunshine for today with high temperatures in the mid-60s.
Mostly cleared tonight, chilly, lows near 30, some widespread frost developing that frost will hang around early on Wednesday, otherwise sunny with highs near 60.
Right now, it's 42.
That's your WFHR and WIRI Daily News Roundup from Civic Media.
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