97.5 WFHR and 105.5 WIRI, your Wisconsin Rapids Home for locally grown radio.
Here's your daily news roundup.
For WFHR and WIRI News, I'm Melissa K.
As the Wisconsin Rapids community is divided over a potential new solar plant,
the state legislature is considering a bill that would make it easier for utilities to build them.
Commonly referred to as the Community Solar Bill, Senate Bill 559
would give local governments some control while expanding energy options.
The Committee on Transportation and Local Government heard public comment on Tuesday.
Zach Hill is Senior Public and Community Affairs Manager at Alliant Energy.
And while SB 559 would provide local governments with the more approval authority,
advocates of the bill won't tell you that because this bill does not allow utilities to own projects under the new program.
He says local governments would then miss out on utility aid payments or shared revenue payments.
Joel Habrik is a manager with WEC Energy Group, the parent company of WE Energies.
He says the bill allows a developer to open up a facility with only three subscribers
and the utility would be required to purchase the unused subscriptions for up to two years.
That's our biggest concern is it's a mandate to purchase.
It's a mandate to purchase at a higher price.
Carl Robago operates an energy consultancy, Robago Energy LLC out of Colorado.
The utility position to summarize seems to sound a bit like,
let us do it all and no one gets hurt.
Jolma Utilities is a smaller utility contractor out of Ashland, owner Ryan Jolma.
I think that's ultimately all I'm asking with this bill is to give opportunity.
I know many small businesses here in Wisconsin that would benefit from this.
Will Flanders with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty speaking in favor of the bill.
It's not a silver bullet but it is a smart conservative free market tool
that strengthens our grid, expands consumer choice and respects local control and property rights.
Together we will continue to be the voice for Evan, Riley, Braden, Carter.
That's the voice of Braden Bohn's mother, Brittany Bohn.
She's reading the names of sex distortion victims.
15-year-old Braden Bohn was a student at DC Everest High School.
He took his own life in March after being targeted by a sexual extortion ring.
Through our tragedy we have found the strongest and most resilient parents, anyone could imagine.
We've gained an entire community support.
We've all come together to recognize what is most important, the safety of our children.
According to a report released last year by the FBI,
there has been an at least 20% increase in sex distortion crimes targeting children.
Between October 2021 and March 2023, federal officials say they received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sex extortion,
involving at least 12,600 victims.
Those cases have led to at least 20 suicides.
Braden's parents joined Governor Tony Evers in a visit to Weston on Monday to sign Braden's Law,
which makes sex extortion a new crime in Wisconsin and imposes stronger penalties for perpetrators of sex extortion.
These crimes have also senselessly taken in lives of dozens of kids in recent years,
it's felt like there wasn't no way out.
A killer person should ever be put into his position.
The State Department of Justice has resources for parents who want to talk about sex extortion with their children.
Sex extortion and other crimes can be reported at report.cibertip.org.
We're under a snow emergency until 5 p.m. today.
The City of Wisconsin Rapids began the Declaration at midnight to support efficient snow removal operations throughout the city.
Vehicles are not allowed to be parked on any city street.
You may briefly stop to unload or load passengers, but you can't stay in one spot for longer than three minutes.
City crews will be plowing and treating roadways throughout the duration of the storm to ensure streets remain safe and accessible for emergency travel.
Chief of Police Dan Haustins encourages people to plan ahead and allow for extra travel time.
Bird flu or highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in a backyard poultry flock in Marquette County.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection identified and confirmed the case on December 4.
According to a DATCP release, all birds in the flock have died from the H5N1 virus and will not enter the food system.
H5N1 viruses are highly contagious and often fatal to domestic poultry.
The disease can be spread by contact with infected birds, commingling with wild birds or their droppings, equipment or clothing worn by anyone working with the animals.
As of Tuesday, there are no known detections of the virus in Wisconsin cattle.
DATCP urges all livestock owners to implement strong biosecurity measures to protect their flocks and herds from this disease.
If you're planning to go out on the ice, the Wisconsin DNR is encouraging extra caution in the early ice season.
They say no ice is safe ice and it's important to stay alert to rapidly changing ice conditions found in the early parts of winter.
The DNR doesn't monitor ice conditions, but local fishing clubs, outfitters and bait shops likely do.
They are the best sources for local current ice conditions.
I'm Melissa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
Badgers Basketball tonight, I am my Clemens with sports, men's college hoops, the Wisconsin Badgers.
In Lincoln, to take on Nebraska, head coach Greg Gard, on dealing with the Cornhuskers Ford, rink mask, six foot 10, 24 years old, out of the Netherlands.
He's a consummate worker, Gristle vet, it's fun to watch him play.
Watching Nebraska's offense kind of come together and how all the pieces fit together, but it's not real fun having a game plan against him or play against him.
NBA, the Bucks getting ready to host the Boston Celtics tomorrow night, Doc Rivers, and who is able to practice?
Everybody of the other than Yannis and AJ Green.
NFL, the Packers installing a game plan for their trip to Denver to face the Broncos.
At the baseball meetings in Florida, a lot of teams interested in trading for Brewer's eighth Freddie Peralta.
Brewer's manager, Pat Murphy.
I watched some of these contracts out there and he's due to be a wealthy man, have a lot of acreage.
If he wants it, maybe beachfront acreage, multiple islands.
That's Pat Murphy with sports on my Clemens.
A little lingering snow and wind early on and then just mostly cloudy with a high right around 26 here today.
Tonight, partly cloudy, we're going to drop down to the lower single digits right around two above tomorrow, sunshine with a high of 18.
I'm your neurologist, 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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