97.5 W-F-H-R and 105.5 W-I-R-I. Your Wisconsin Rapids Home, or locally grown radio. Here's
your Daily News Roundup.
4 W-F-H-R and W-I-R news. I'm Melissa K. A new Democratic candidate has entered the
race for Wisconsin's 29th State Senate District. Isabella Nietto has the story.
Jillian Batino launched her campaign in Wasaw in Memorial Park on Tuesday. I am running because I'm
worried, but I'm also very hopeful. I'm worried about the future of my family and the families
that make up this community. I think a lot of us are.
Batino is a retired physician and breast radiologist. During her career, she worked in Wasaw,
Marshfield and Madison. She will challenge incumbent Corey Tomchek, who she says is lost in
partisan politics. A lot of people in our community are stretched thin. Folks are working hard,
but it's harder and harder to make ends meet. And the government at every level seems unwilling
to meet the needs of everyday hardworking families and more focused on the partisan food fighting
that got us here in the first place. Our current state senator is no exception to that.
Batino previously ran for state treasurer in 2022, but lost in the primary election.
She also ran for U.S. Senate. She says she wants to focus on community values instead of partisan
issues. And we deserve good jobs that pay enough to support our families, affordable housing,
so we can enjoy that stability and security and sense of pride and health care that does not
break the bank. She also says she's most excited about the interest she's seen in bringing in more
democratic representation to central Wisconsin. Batino is the only Democrat so far to announce her
bid for this seat. If another candidate announces she'd face them on the August primary ballot.
Elections for the state legislature are just over a year away.
Wisconsin lawmakers are talking about data centers as projects are proposed and some move
forward across the state. Savannah Tome Olsen reports. Microsoft is building a data center in
Mount Pleasant. Vantage is putting one in Port Washington. QTS is proposing one into
forest while Jamesville City leaders are considering one at the old GM plant. Last week the assembly
committee on science, technology and AI held an informational hearing on data centers.
One of the biggest criticisms of these projects is just how much power they use.
Chelsea Chandler is the climate, energy and air program director for clean Wisconsin.
The Microsoft data center in Mount Pleasant and the Vantage data center in Port Washington will
require a combined 3.9 gigawatts of electric power. According to our analysis that is enough energy
to power 4.3 million Wisconsin homes. Caitlin Monahan is the director of public policy for
Vantage, the company behind the data center in Port Washington. She says they'll be paying their
fair share for power. So we energy has designed a really innovative tariff structure that ensures
that the new large loads will pay the full cost. Cory single tarry is the director of regulatory
affairs for the citizens utility board. He says because there's not much regulation,
companies are trying to build these data centers as fast as possible before laws catch up.
Speed to market is a primary if not the primary consideration of data center developers.
Some in the legislature are already working to help the laws catch up. Democratic
state senator Jodi Habit-Sinneken from Whitefish Bay authored a bill she says creates guardrails
for data centers in Wisconsin. Her plan would require prevailing wages for workers and require
they use 70% renewable energy at data centers. The bill also aims to increase transparency on their
water and energy use. Wisconsin ranked number one in the number of medications collected
for drug take back day collecting more than 50,000 pounds of unwanted medications. Wisconsin has
ranked third in the nation for the most medications collected since the program started in 2010.
There are a dozen drug take back boxes in Wood County and more than a dozen in Marathon County.
You can find a map of these permanent locations on county websites and at dhs.wisconsin.gov.
The nine-day gun deer hunting season is approaching. As hunters are out in the woods,
local law enforcement is asking that you keep an eye out for missing persons. They advise that
you look for disturbed ground or clothing remains. According to the Wisconsin DOJ
clearinghouse for missing and exploited children and adults, they're still looking for more than 170
people. Locally, the Juno County Sheriff's Office is still searching for 43-year-old
Leah Marie Stewart. She went missing on the 4th of July in 2023. Search areas included Bacorn State
Park and the wildlife areas between Boston and Adams friendship. In Marathon County, 47-year-old
Tara Jane Sullivan is still missing from the western area. She was last seen on April 17, 2023.
Her vehicle was found abandoned along Highway 29 in Shano County. If you have any information,
no matter how minor it seems, detectives ask that you contact your local law enforcement agency.
If you heard sonic booms after dark last night, you weren't imagining it. The 115th
Fighter Wing out of Madison is conducting evening training flights again. You may hear them
tonight and next week. Wisconsin Air National Guard F-35 pilots will conduct nighttime training
exercises until approximately 8 p.m. tonight and Monday through Friday next week.
I'm Melissa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
A new center in Green Bay. Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with Sports, NFL. The Packers play the New York
Giant Sunday in the Meadowlands, Elton Jenkins, launched for the season after suffering a
fractured bone and ligament damage and his left leg against the Eagles, Sean Ryan will take over
its center. I'll make the most of it. Unfortunately, we play a game with pretty high injury rate,
so it's always the next guy up. But my number got called, so I got to go out there and perform.
Women's College basketball Wisconsin with a win at home over bowling green 90 to 78. The
Badgers now three and one men's basketball market over Little Rock 89 to 49 NBA. The bucks losing
in Charlotte 111 to 100. Doc Rivers asked, did they find any open shots against the Horned
Stephans? I thought there were opportunities. We just didn't take them. We were settling on the
first option the entire night. I can't wait to see our sets how many one pass shots that we took
tonight. It's just not how we've ever played, but that's how we played tonight. That's the
bucks. Doc Rivers with Sports on Mike Clemens. We have a couple of really nice days coming up here.
Today, mostly sunny will be in the mid fifties here by this afternoon. Tonight mostly clear will
drop into the thirties tomorrow. Another nice sunny day with a light breeze and a high in the upper
fifties to low sixties. I'm meteorologist Sean Cable. That's your Wisconsin Rapids news roundup
from WIRI and WFHR locally grown radio. Find more news anytime at WFHR.com and WIRI.FM.
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