This is your WFHR Daily News Roundup, for locally grown radio 97.5 FM and 1320 AM, and
WISC country 105.5 FM WIRI in Wisconsin Rapids.
For WFHR and WIRI News, I'm Alyssa K.
Wisconsin is the only place in the nation where Veterans Day is not a state holiday.
Now some lawmakers want to change that.
Savannah Tome Olson reports.
It started out as Armistice Day in 1919, marking the end of World War I. It became a federal
holiday about 20 years later, and then in the 50s was renamed Veterans Day to honor all
who served.
Over time, 49 states have made it a state holiday, and Wisconsin is the only holdout.
State Representative Marie McCarville.
We are better than that.
We have to be better than that.
This legislation, if we can get it to a vote, will help Wisconsin catch up with history.
Let us do something for a veteran and declare November 11th the state holiday.
Democratic lawmakers have introduced three bills that would benefit Veterans, including
one to make Veterans Day a state holiday.
That idea has been floating around for years.
It passed the state Senate in 2017, but the assembly never voted on it.
And in Governor Tony Evers State Budget Proposal, he wanted to make Veterans Day and June
19th state holidays, but Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee removed those provisions.
Jim Jingeris is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel.
These are not partisan issues.
These are Wisconsin issues.
And honestly, I know that the legislature can come together and find the compromise solution
to find that way to come together to honor those who have served us, to honor those who
have been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Making a state holiday means state offices would be closed and school districts that close
for state holidays would cancel class.
Democrats' package of bills also creates a Veterans Mental Health Grant Program and
adds funding to the Missing and Action Recovery Program.
All three proposals would need Republican support to pass.
For civic media news, I'm Savannah Tomay Olson.
International Bat Week wrapped up on October 31st, but you can still help these vulnerable
creatures before cold weather is here to stay.
Isabella Nieto has more.
There are eight bat species found in Wisconsin, and four are state threatened species.
The decline of bats is primarily due to white nose syndrome, which is a disease caused by
a fungus that attacks the bare skin of bats during hibernation each winter and exhaust
their energy stores.
This leaves them vulnerable to starvation before their insect diet becomes available in
the spring.
To help protect bats over colder months, Wisconsinites can build and put up a bat house and humanely
exclude bats from homes and buildings.
Gas prices fell 4.7 cents over the last week for an average across the state of 275.
This is 4 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and 9.8 cents lower than this time last
year.
Officials at gas buddies say the drop in prices will be short-lived in the Great Lakes
states.
Refinery challenges will cause prices to rebound soon.
They say the national average should hover in the low $3 range due to a snag at a California
refinery and OPEC Plus announcing another boost to oil production for December.
The national average could potentially decline slightly once refinery issues are resolved.
Prices in central Wisconsin range from $259 to $273 per gallon.
The DNR is again asking for help reporting black bear den locations across the state.
The black bear litter and diet survey is entering its fifth year.
The research team is particularly interested in bear dens in central and southern Wisconsin.
From a distance of at least 30 yards, note down GPS coordinates, take photos, record
a description of the site and surrounding area and any bear activity you see such as
scat and fresh scratch marks.
If you're still not sure who you will vote for in the next year's gubernatorial race,
you're not alone.
A new Marquette poll shows that most Wisconsin voters, Republicans and Democrats alike haven't
picked a candidate yet.
About 70 percent of GOP voters and more than 80 percent of Democrats say they are undecided
going into the 2026 primary.
The primary is still nine months away.
Most voters say they just don't know enough yet at this point to make a decision.
An estimated way of Southwood and Adams counties has released their Alice report.
Alice stands for asset, limited income, constrained, employed.
It's a measure of working households making above the federal poverty level but earning
less than what it costs to meet basic needs.
According to the report, which has data through 2023, 35 percent of households in Wisconsin
struggle to afford basic necessities of housing, childcare, health care, food and transportation.
In Wood County, 35 percent, which is more than 11,000 households, are living below the
Alice threshold.
In Adams County, it's 42 percent, close to 4,000 households.
Four hundred and forty seven volunteers raked 103 yards during United Way's Day of
Carrying last month.
Many of these yards are owned by individuals who are elderly, disabled, or who are part
of the Alice population.
United Way Community Engagement Coordinator Jessica Arneson said this was her first time
organizing the event and that she was in awe of how many people came together to support
each other.
Arneson said the event is a powerful reminder that volunteering not only changes lives,
it also strengthens our community.
I'm Melissa K for WFHR and W.I.R.I. News.
A Bucks win at the buzzer, I am my Clemens with sports NBA.
A Bucks victory thanks to a jump shot at the buzzer by Janice Antedicupo.
One seventeen to one fifteen over the Pacers, Doc Rivers says though Janice is getting
fouled every night and not getting the calls.
I just think the way he gets officiated is not right.
It's brutal and hell we can all the foul every time.
Well, if you do, they'll stop following them.
Anyway, we want the Bucks road trip continues tonight in Toronto against the Raptors.
College hoops number 24th rank Wisconsin over Campbell University ninety six to sixty four
Marquette beat Albany eighty to fifty three NFL.
A report says Pacers defensive back Nate Hobbs will now miss time with a sprained knee
and tied in Tucker craft out for the season with a torn ACL.
He's a hell of a player, hell of a teammate, hell of a guy.
I'm bummed for him, I'm bummed for us, but now all the other guys are going to get
an opportunity.
That's Packers head coach Matt Loflore with sports on Mike Clemens.
It is going to be partly cloudy today with a high in the mid to upper fifties this afternoon.
Tonight to mostly cloudy, we're going to drop down to around forty for an overnight
low tomorrow, mostly sunny, little breezy with a high of fifty three.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.