Today is Friday, July 10th.
Good evening for WRCO News.
Sitting in for Todd Copernall, I'm Tim Thied.
Governor Tony Evers announced yesterday his appointment of Amy Forehand to serve as Richland County District Attorney.
The appointment fills a vacancy being created by District Attorney Jennifer Harper's resignation.
Forehand will serve for the remainder of the unexpired turn that ends January of 2029.
Since 2002, Forehand has served as the Assistant District Attorney and the Assistant Corporation Counsel in Richland County.
As the sole Assistant District Attorney in Richland County, she has experienced prosecuting all types of cases from minor traffic offenses to serious violent felonies.
As assistant corporation counsel, she handles mental commitments, guardianships, child protection matters, and the child support system.
Earlier in her career, she practiced criminal defense and family law at Duckstead Vale and Bestel in Monroe.
Pourhand lives in Wurzland Center and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and Hamline University School of Law.
In the community, she has served as president of the Kiwanis Club of Wurzland Center and the Wurzland Center High School Athletic Booster Club and has coached volleyball and softball and has been involved in planning and volunteering for numerous community events.
Thursday evening, the Iowa County Communications Center received a traffic complaint near mile marker 59 in the town of Brigham of a driver all over the roadway.
Iowa County Sheriff's deputies conducted a traffic stop with this vehicle.
As a result of the investigation, Andrew J. Evanson, 43 of Fort Atkinson was arrested for operating while under the influence.
Evanson was transported to the Iowa County Jail and booked on the charge.
Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson reports that on Friday morning
July 3rd, at approximately 9 a.m., a search warrant was executed at a residence on Nelson Road, Rural Verrocua, in the town of Franklin as part of an ongoing investigation.
John Charles Fanta, 62 of Rural Verrocua, was arrested and booked into the Sheriff's Office Detention Center for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine, bail jumping felony, maintaining drug trafficking place, and probation violation.
Janus K. Bunts, 61 of Rural Rokwa, was also arrested and booked into the Sheriff's Office Detention Center for felony bail jumping.
Both Fanta and Bunts appeared in Vernon County Circuit Court on Monday.
Fanta was held on a $50,000 cash bond and due back in court on July 16th at 1 p.m.
Bunce was released on a $1,000 signature bond and due back in court at 9 a.m.
on July 28.
Formal charges will be sought through Vernon County District Attorney Angela Palmer Fisher, assisting the Sheriff's Office for the Baroque Police Department and Cropp County Sheriff's Office.
Both counties are members of the West Central Metropolitan Enforcement Group, a six-county drug task force proving support to law enforcement.
agencies.
Further investigation and testing has revealed the presence of fentanyl.
The incident remains under investigation.
If you have any information about the crime or any other crimes, call Crime Stoppers at 608-637-TIPS at 608-637-8477 or submit information online at P, the number three, T-I-P-S dot com.
The Grant County Sheriff's Office reported three accidents that occurred this past week.
On Monday morning, the Grant County Sheriff's Office was notified of a car versus semi-truck crash on US Highway 151 in the northbound lanes of the construction zone near mile marker five in Jamestown Township.
When the deputy arrived on the scene, he learned Susan M. Widman, 37 of Dubuque, Iowa, was traveling north on US Highway 151 when she attempted to use the Badger Road on ramp, which was under construction.
as a passing lane.
As a result, Reedman encountered traffic cones and attempted to merge to the right, causing her to crash into Markel A. Horton, 33 of Waterloo, Iowa, who was driving a semi-pulling a trailer.
The traffic barrier on the rear of the semi-trailer caused disabling damage to Reedman's Honda Accord.
The trailer received minor damage.
Neither Reedman nor Horton were injured in the crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
On Wednesday evening, the Grant County Sheriff's Office received a report of a vehicle that struck the guardrail on US Highway 151 at the northbound Exit 5 off-ramp in Jamestown Township, along with Grant County Sheriff's deputies, the Jamestown Fire Department, Jamestown First Responders, and Dickeyville EMS.
They were dispatched to the scene.
When deputies arrived on the scene, witnesses to the crash informed them that they saw a vehicle travel down the embankment to the exit and back onto the road.
roadway continue under the overpass and onto the old highway road for several hundred yards.
Witnesses informed deputies.
The vehicle came to a stop perpendicular on to the roadway and partially on the curb.
Witnesses reported the vehicle then began smoking and caught fire.
Witnesses informed deputies.
The driver exited the vehicle prior to the fire and fled the scene on foot through a farm field.
Responding units extinguished the fire and
The search began to try to locate the driver.
Deputies utilized the K-9 and tracked the driver for several miles, but were unable to locate him.
Further investigation identified the driver as 45-year-old Jimmy Martin of Clinton, Iowa.
Contact was made with Martin the following day and confirmed he was the driver and was not injured in the crash.
Martin was cited for failure to notify police of an accident hit and run property adjacent to a highway and failure to keep vehicle under control.
The Grant County Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by Dickeyville EMS, Jamestown Fire Department and Jamestown first responders.
Then on Thursday afternoon, the Grant County Sheriff's Office received a report of a one-vehicle crash on Highway 80 near the intersection of Bolland Road south of the village of Livingston in the town of Clifton.
Along with deputies, the Livingston Fire Department and Livingston First Responders and Monfort EMS were dispatched to the scene.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they learned Ethan Mulderink, 16 of Dodgeville, was traveling in his truck north on Highway 80 when he lost control of the truck and drove into
ditch on the east side of the roadway.
The truck struck a culvert and became disabled.
Mulderink was not injured in the crash.
The Grant County Sheriff's Office was assisted on the scene by Livingston First Responders, Monfort EMS, and Livingston Fire Department.
A Dodgeville man was arrested on Wednesday after the Iowa County Sheriff's Office said he stole a 65-inch TV from a Walmart in Dodgeville.
The Iowa County Sheriff's Office said a deputy in the area responded immediately and located the 23-year-old man walking on a nearby street carrying a large TV.
The man was arrested for fail in the bail jumping, Mr. Meener bail jumping and theft.
At the time of the arrest, he was reportedly out on bond in Adams County.
The suspect remains in custody, I should say, at the Iowa County Sheriff's Office, awaiting a bond hearing.
Becker's Hospital Review compiled a list of hospitals that earned five-star ratings for nurse communication in each state, according to CMS Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System Data.
Among the hospitals that made it to the list is the Richland Hospital.
The nurse communication rating reflects on how well patients feel their nurses clearly explained things, listened carefully, and treated them with courtesy and respect.
The ratings are based on data collected between July of 2024 and June of 2025.
44 Wisconsin hospitals earned five star ratings for nurse communication, the most of any state of any size.
Area hospitals making the five
Our rating lists, along with the Richland Hospital, include Upland Hills Health in Docksville, Vernon Memorial Hospital in Varroquois, Crossing Rivers Health Medical Center in Prairie du Chien, Touma Memorial Hospital, and Myelbluff Medical Center in Maustin.
Wisconsin's strong performance on nurse communication reflects the dedication of individual nurses and the support provided by hospital and health systems to enable effective nurse communication with patients, said W.
President and CEO, Kyle O'Brien.
Congratulations to the Richland Hospital and the hospital's mentioned nursing staffs for the honor of receiving a five star rating.
You can find the complete list of hospitals nationwide at beckershospitalreview.com.
You can get rid of your working and non-working condition electronics at the electronic recycling donation drive being held tomorrow from 9 to 8 at Goodwill in Richland Center.
Drive up and donate your electronics for free safe recycling.
The event is being held through Goodwill's partnership with the Dell ReConnect program.
Items that will be accepted include computers and laptops, phones and tablets, printers and scanners, flat screen TVs, cable
and chargers, accessories, and more.
Music and community lovers from across the region are invited to Eckhart Park in downtown Viroqua tomorrow for the 14th annual Driftless Music Festival, a full day of free live music, local food, craft beverages, and a raffle, family activities, and community celebration.
Hosted by 4th String, the local arts and live music nonprofit, the festival
features an eclectic lineup of regional and national artists spanning Americana, Balkan, Bluegrass,
jazz, rock, soul, improv, and world music.
Music begins at 12.30 and continues throughout the day and into the evening.
In addition to the live music, festival goers can enjoy local food vendors, craft beverages, a raffle, family-friendly activities, and the welcoming atmosphere that has made the festival a beloved summer tradition in the Driftless region.
Admission is free.
Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets and spend the day enjoying live music in the park under the oak trees.
For the full schedule and festival information, visit driftlessmusicfestival.com.
