Crypto Scam Legislation and updates with Wood County Sheriff Becker

97.5 WFHR and 105.5 WIRI, your Wisconsin Rapids Home for locally grown radio.

Here's your Daily News Roundup.

From the Wisconsin Rapids local newsroom, I'm Melissa K.

Childhood vaccination rates continue to decline in the Badger State.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services Dana released this week

shows 66.9% of children have the recommended vaccinations at age 24 months.

This is a decline of almost 2% from 2024.

Erica Sherman is the Public Health Nursing Supervisor with the Wood County Health Department.

She said vaccination rates in Wood County are very close to the average across the state.

24 month olds who received all doses of the primary vaccine series

was 66.7% for Wood County children.

Wisconsin health officials say even small declines in vaccination rates

increase the risk of preventable diseases spreading and outbreaks occurring.

Local young people have an opportunity to participate in a hands-on spring break

STEM experience this month.

Team Rapids and the Boys and Girls Club of the Wisconsin Rapids area

are partnering to give 120 kids this unique opportunity

designed to encourage curiosity, problem solving and teamwork.

70 students in grades 3 through 12 will have a full day field trip to the Tommy Bartlett

Exploratory Interactive Science Center to explore exhibits and see demonstrations.

50 first and second graders will participate in hands-on science experiments

and STEM themed escape room activities at the Boys and Girls Club.

There will be changes this month to the Ruby's pantry lineup.

The Food Distribution Event takes place on March 21st at Pitch Early Learning Center

from 8 to 9 15 a.m.

For cash pay come early and line up in the parking lot as usual.

If you're waiting in line along the street, make sure you're not blocking driveways.

For online express pay, you'll line up along 19th Street South as usual

and you'll be checked in by the ladies with the clipboard.

They'll instruct you where to go from there.

For WFHR and WIRI News, I'm Melissa Kay.

For Civic Media News, I'm Lisa Hale.

Governor Tony Evers held a press conference Tuesday morning

to call lawmakers into a special session.

The governor wants the legislature to pass a constitutional amendment

banning partisan gerrymandering in future redistricting efforts.

In his state of the state address earlier this year,

Evers said it's about fair elections that reflect the voters and not politics.

I know people here disagree sometimes.

Sometimes a lot.

Politics could get in the way of creating a non-partisan redistricting commission

that everyone can support.

But there's one thing that we all should be able to do to agree on,

which is that politics should stay out of the redistricting from start to finish.

The special session will start at noon April 12th, 2026.

In the past, when Evers has called special sessions,

the Republicans in charge often gabbled out of the session almost immediately.

In the state of the state, Evers indicated he would continue to call sessions

until the work is finished.

In Wisconsin, constitutional amendments must be considered

in two consecutive legislative sessions before being placed on the ballot for voter approval.

Immediately following the press conference, Evers began a statewide tour to promote his plan.

Do the benefits of data centers outweigh the cost?

Well, it depends upon who you ask.

According to the latest Marquette Law School poll,

45% of Republican survey think they do.

Only 24% of independence and 15% of Democrats see the benefits coming out on top.

Poll Director Charles Franklin, when presenting the poll data last week.

They are data centers.

Yep, where do we stand?

We don't like them.

And we don't like them compared to where we were in October.

So only 29% said that the benefits outweigh the cost of data centers.

70% say the costs outweigh the benefits.

The Marquette poll was conducted between February 11th and 19th,

interviewing 818 Wisconsin registered voters.

Its margin of error is plus or minus 4.3.

Don't get scammed by someone pretending to be from the DMV.

Civic media's Maddie Schaeffer has more.

This week is National Consumer Protection Week,

and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles

is warning residents about a rise in scams.

Over the past year, DMV officials say scammers posing as the agency have sent text messages

urging people to click fraudulent links or pay fake fees.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles

says Wisconsin has no toll roads and will never send urgent demands for money by text.

Officials encourage residents to learn how to spot scams

and to sign up for the DMV's E-Notify program,

which alerts customers to changes on their account,

like a replacement license or address update.

More than 1 million people have already enrolled.

The agency has also added new identity verification tools to reduce fraud.

Consumers can find tips and report scams at WisconsinDMV.gov slash scams.

For Civic Media News, I'm Maddie Schaeffer.

This year, Wisconsin Supreme Court race features vastly different candidates competing for a seat on the state's highest bench.

The Dairyland Patriot is reporting that conservative Maria Lazar and Liberal Chris Taylor

have raised considerably less money than the $98 million spent in last year's race

between Susan Crawford and Brad Schimmel.

So far, only $4 million has been raised between the Lazar and Taylor campaigns through February of 2026.

Part of the reason may be that no matter who wins this election,

the judicial balance will remain in the hands of the Liberal Majority.

A victory by Taylor would ensure a Liberal Majority through at least 2030.

The newly elected Justice will replace conservative Rebecca Bradley

who decided not to run for another 10-year term.

Some of the major issues expected to be before the new justice include abortion rights, voting rights, education funding,

labor rights, and redistricting.

Read more on the Supreme Court candidates Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor

and their stances on several issues at the dairylandpatriot.com.

Wisconsin voters will get one chance to see the state Supreme Court candidates debate this year.

Judges Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor both accepted an invite from WISN TV in Milwaukee for a debate on March 25th at Marquette Law School.

Taylor's team said that this is the only debate that she will do.

Lazar's team said she agreed to do several others that just didn't work out.

The WISN debate will be streamed online and broadcast throughout the state.

Online sports betting in Wisconsin is a step closer to being legal.

The state assembly passed a bill last week that would allow online sports betting through WISN Tribal Casinos.

However, WISNites would not be able to use popular platforms such as Draft Kings or FANDULE.

The measure still needs to be approved by the Senate.

It's unclear how many senators will support it.

Now Governor Tony Evers is expected to sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

Civic Media News, I'm Lisa Hale.

For news anytime, visit our website at civicmedia.us.

The Suns synced the Bucks.

Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with sports NBA.

The Bucks got outscored in the fourth quarter and lost to the Phoenix Suns, 129 to 114.

The Bucks have lost six of their last seven games and they head to Miami.

Or the heat beat the Wizards led by Bam out of bio, who scored 83 points the second most in NBA history.

The Bucks Doc Rivers heard about it after his game.

Wow, 83 points.

Well, that's what we play next.

So at least I get to watch the prep tape.

It'll be interesting.

83 points.

That's amazing.

Baseball, the Brewers play the Reds in Arizona.

Milwaukee at 500 with eight wins and eight losses so far in spring training.

NFL, the Packers add some players in free agency.

Chargers defense back Benjamin St. Juice to sign a two-year deal worth 10 million.

Last night, they reached a deal with 49ers receiver Sky Moore.

He can also return kicks.

The Packers released Nate Hobbs, offensive lineman Elton Jenkins, is headed to the Browns one day after being released by Green Bay with sports on Mike Clemens.

Snow will continue off and on through early to mid-afternoon.

Then we'll gradually clear things out.

But before it ends, we could get another one to two, maybe even up to three inches of accumulation.

High to day 35, tonight mostly cleared down to 19 tomorrow, sunny early.

Rainer Snow in the afternoon, high of 42.

I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.

That's your Wisconsin Rapids News Roundup from WRI and WFHR, locally grown radio.

Find more news anytime at WFHR.com and WRI.fm.

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