97.5 W-F-H-R and 105.5 W-I-R-I. Your Wisconsin Rapids Home bore locally grown radio.
Here's your Daily News Roundup.
For W-F-H-R and W-I-R-I News, I'm Melissa K.
Wisconsin has long faced a shortage of oral health care professionals in rural areas.
Wood County is among those facing a lack of care.
Chair of the Wood County Board of Supervisors Lance Plymouth says the county, along with community partners,
are working to address the shortage of dental and other care in the area.
This area has basically been considered a dental desert.
And, you know, we just know that when that care occurs, it eliminates a lot of other problems.
Not only in youth, but adults with heart problems, other cardiac issues.
So, it's a big issue.
The county plans to address these issues by investing American Rescue Plan Act funds into a federally qualified health center.
This project will cost roughly $20 million.
The federally qualified health center in partnership with these other people is going to be about a 24,000 square foot facility.
It'll employ roughly 50 plus high paying professionals.
And it's going to handle everything from primary care, to substance abuse, to behavioral issues.
But maybe the most impacted community will be in dental care.
The location is still undecided, but it may be built near the YMCA Boys and Girls Club.
Plymouth says Senator Van Orden and Senator Baldwin have been instrumental in helping this project move forward.
Let's face it in Madison and Washington, we don't have that cooperation always.
But we've had tremendous cooperation, both sides of the aisle here, those two working in tandem to bring this to the area because it was ascertained to be one of the greatest needs.
Funds have been pledged by community partners and the county has allocated American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Plymouth says they're waiting for the federal funds to arrive before breaking ground, but they plan to begin the project before the end of 2026.
Gas prices have dropped in every state in the nation over the past week, leading to a national average of $2.95.
According to gas buddy officials, the national average has dropped to the lowest level we've seen over the past four years.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says more drivers are wearing seatbelts than ever before.
The agency conducts surveys on seatbelt usage every year with trained observers collecting data at 160 sites across the state.
They say that about 94% of drivers are now wearing their seatbelts, the highest rate since the surveys began in 1987.
According to DOT data, crashes involving drivers or passengers who were not wearing seatbelts last year led to 176 deaths and over 2,000 injuries.
Wood County's Edgewater Haven Nursing Home may have a new project on the horizon.
The county is considering turning one wing into assisted living.
Wood County Board Chair Lance Plymouth says that while the beds may be needed in the future, it's not physically efficient now to be paying taxes on empty beds.
Established in 1991, Wisconsin care centers were required to pay a nursing home bed assessment per licensed bed.
Beginning in 2010, that tax included all beds occupied or unoccupied.
These funds were intended to support nursing homes with Medicaid rate increases.
That's going to be a cost. You know, we're probably between two or three million dollars, but believe it or not, as that rolls out, that's much more cost effective and profitable than it is to have the nursing home beds that aren't used.
Plymouth says this project hasn't been approved yet. The county is looking at plans and cost estimates.
There's still a long way to go before we'd ever put shovels in the ground here, but I think we're moving that direction.
I'm Melissa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
It's the Bucks and the Wizards. Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with Sports NBA.
The Bucks on the road tonight against the Wizards at the Capitol, one arena in downtown Washington.
The Bucks of Yannis and Kevin Porter Jr. back from injuries, able to end that seven game losing streak over the weekend.
The college football was constant lost at Minnesota 17 to seven.
So after finishing four and eight, where's the Badgers program headed? Luke Fickle.
It is what it is right now, you know, so we know more than anything that we have to grow.
We have to move forward. We have to build on the positive things that we do have.
And that's the only thing we can do, whether we create our own momentum and energy.
And that's where we've got to make sure that that isn't lost.
NFL, the Packers host the Bears Sunday at Lambo Field, the Bears of one five in a row.
And our first place after beating the Eagles, you know, in the NFC North, it's tight race.
There's a lot of good football teams in our division.
So we got to come out here and handle business at Packers quarterback Jordan Love with Sports on Mike Clemens.
A little light snow today. It's going to be mostly cloudy with a high right around 20 this afternoon tonight.
It could see a little snow lingering into this evening.
Otherwise, mostly cloudy with a load tonight above tomorrow.
Mostly cloudy, 22 with a little more light snow Tuesday night into Wednesday.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.