Submitted by Patrol Lieutenant Andrew Thoms, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office

ELLSWORTH, WI – On Saturday November 29, 2025, at approximately 2:43 p.m., the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a two-vehicle accident with injuries on U.S. Highway 63 at County Road V in Trenton Township, Pierce County, Wisconsin.

It was determined that a 2001 GMC Sierra being operated by Alexander Baillargeon, 31 years old of Elmwood, Wisconsin, was traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 63 when he collided with a 2013 Toyota Camry, being operated by Dania Molina, 45 years old of Red Wing, Minnesota, who was traveling westbound on County Road V entering the intersection.

Ms. Molina was transported by Ellsworth Ambulance to Mayo Hospital in Red Wing, Minnesota with undetermined injuries. Mr. Baillargeon was not injured in the accident.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Ellsworth Fire Department and Ellsworth EMS.

Submitted by Reba Krueger, Communications Manager, GROWW

WESTERN, WI – Residents from Dunn, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix Counties warned county boards that HR1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” is poised to trigger significant local budget reductions in essential services across western Wisconsin. In county budget hearings this month, residents delivered letters and gave testimony that the funding cuts in HR1 translate directly into hunger, untreated illness, longer waits for crisis care, and heavier burdens on families already stretched thin.

While HR1 was passed in Washington, residents emphasized that its effects will “land squarely on counties like ours through reductions to FoodShare/SNAP, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act coverage subsidies.”

Residents Sound Alarm on Cuts to FoodShare, Medicaid, and ACA Coverage
In St. Croix County, Bob Maline of Hudson warned that reducing the federal share of FoodShare/SNAP administrative funds “from 50% to 25%” means reduced capacity to process the applications that help families put food on the table. For a county where thousands rely on FoodShare, he noted, HR1 “means potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in new local costs… depending on how the state divides the shortfall.” If counties cannot absorb these added costs, residents explained, delays will grow, case backlogs will lengthen, and more households will fall through the cracks before they can access basic nutrition assistance.

Medicaid cuts were another concern. In Dunn County, Jennifer McKanna of Menomonie reminded the Board that over 400 residents are at risk of losing coverage due to new eligibility requirements, and that the consequences will be deeply felt by the county. “Those losses would quickly ripple into county-funded systems like Behavioral Health, Public Health, and the Sheriff’s Office, all of which already operate near capacity.”

In Polk County, Emily Greger of St. Croix Falls drew attention to Golden Age Manor in Amery, where “about 60 percent of resident days are Medicaid-funded.” A reduction of even 2-5% in reimbursement rates could cost the facility “between $88,000 and $220,000 a year,” she testified, dollars that could make the difference between stable staffing and cuts to direct care.

The weakening of Affordable Care Act tax credits adds another layer of vulnerability. In Pierce County, Lisa Mueller of Ellsworth explained that without those credits, some families will pay “roughly $1,500 more per month,” an increase that will force many to forgo coverage entirely. She warned that those who lose insurance coverage would then rely on county-funded behavioral health, public health, or emergency response for care. For working parents, young adults, and seniors not yet old enough for Medicare, losing insurance often means skipping medications, delaying preventive care, and waiting until problems become crises.

Across all four counties, residents also highlighted the strain HR1 will place on Sheriff’s departments, which already serve as frontline responders to mental-health and medical crises. In St. Croix County, Bob Maline noted that deputies “spend long hours transporting residents in crisis to Winnebago Mental Health Institute,” and warned that more uninsured residents will mean “more crisis calls and longer transports,” further stretching personnel and vehicle budgets.

Cuts Arrive as the Bill Delivers Benefits to Those Already Doing Well
Residents also noted the broader context of HR1, observing that while Western Wisconsin counties brace for reduced support for essential services, the bill simultaneously delivers substantial tax benefits to the super rich. Independent analyses estimate that HR1 delivers more than $1 trillion in tax benefits to the top 1% of earners over the next decade, even as counties in Western Wisconsin absorb cuts to the budgets for basic programs.

“This is the real tragedy of HR1,” said Bill Hogseth, Organizing Director of GROWW. “It asks the people of Western Wisconsin to shoulder deep cuts that take food off tables, strain our Sheriff’s deputies and public health nurses, and threaten our nursing homes so that the wealthiest people in our country can get showered with more benefits. It’s wrong, plain and simple.”

Next Steps: Public Listening Sessions in Early 2026
GROWW (GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin), which supported residents in preparing the letters, announced that it will convene a series of public meetings and listening sessions early next year across the four counties. These gatherings will give community members an opportunity to speak directly about how HR1’s changes may affect their households, workplaces, and local institutions.

“Our purpose is to help county boards anticipate the fiscal stress before it forces service reductions,” Maline told the St. Croix Board. “We look forward to working together to ensure that every resident can count on the basic support our county departments provide.”

GROWW is a grassroots organization based in Western Wisconsin. Together, we work toward a future where we all make ends meet, live with dignity, and have a voice in shaping the decisions that impact us. To get connected or learn more about GROWW, visit us at GRO-WW.org, on Instagram at @GrowWisconsin, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/GROWWisconsin.

By Natalie Yahr, Wisconsin Watch (republished by permission via the WNA Weekly Briefing)

MADISON, WI – It’s been nearly a decade since Eve Galanter, a retired teacher and reporter in Madison, read the news story that led her to start a statewide competition to get high schoolers excited about government. Galanter, now 84, had just read a Wisconsin State Journal article headlined “All three school board incumbents running unopposed.”

“I looked at that and I thought, ‘Are they really doing such a fabulous job, or is no one interested? Does no one have any idea what might be involved in being on a school board or a city council or a village or town board?”

Running unopposed is a modern norm in some Wisconsin public offices. Across the state’s 10 most populous counties, less than a quarter of races for county board supervisor were contested in 2020, according to an analysis by the Wisconsin Policy Forum.

Studies show a growing number of people in the United States and across the world can’t answer basic questions about how the government works. U.S. schools cut back on civics education decades ago. In Wisconsin, students can graduate high school without taking a single course on the subject, though they must pass a civics test.

For two years Galanter mulled ways to get more Wisconsinites interested in running for local office. She settled on a quiz game where high school students across the state would test their knowledge of democracy and rights for the chance to win college scholarships.

“If people understood how government worked, then surely they would be more interested in public service as a future occupation,” said Galanter, who served on the Madison City Council, ran former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl’s Madison office and used to open all her public presentations with the same line: “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

In 2018, she pitched her idea to the Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA), a membership organization of the state’s papers, figuring their publications could get the word out across the state.

The association agreed, and the Wisconsin Civics Games were born. Soon staff were making plans for regional playoffs and a state final at the Capitol where members of the winning team would each receive $2,000 in scholarships.

Since then, teams from 76 high schools have competed, and interest continues to grow. This year’s regional playoffs, held in April, drew 205 students — twice as many as the first year.

The competition has grown so much, in fact, that it’s too big for the five staff members of the WNA to handle. They’re now handing the reins to the Universities of Wisconsin, which has sponsored the event since its inception.

“It needs to continue to grow, but … it’s a really big project,” said Beth Bennett, executive director of the WNA. “We just needed to find a home for it where somebody could take it to the next level.”

The games will be overseen by the university system’s Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue, which will soon become the Office of Civic Engagement, said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. Separately, that office will host civic education workshops for teachers across the state over the next three years, funded by a $1.1 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s American History & Civics Seminars program.

“This is consistent with our strategic plan focusing on freedom of expression, civil dialogue and really having students learn more about civics, which is important to our state and our nation,” Rothman said of taking the lead on the games. “So, we are really excited about this opportunity.”

‘A republic, if you can keep it’
In preparation for the first Wisconsin Civics Games, Galanter pulled out a legal pad and began jotting questions. “What are the five freedoms identified in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?” “In 1982, Wisconsin was the first state to outlaw what type of discrimination?”

By the time she was done, she had over 100. Then she called school principals across the state to urge them to field teams. She contacted presidents of University of Wisconsin campuses to ask them to host playoffs.

When students began registering, she looked up their local legislators to encourage them to congratulate the constituents and send them a Wisconsin Blue Book. She even wrote to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to ask her to speak at the finals.

“Her scheduler said that she was busy for the next several years,” Galanter said with a laugh, but the Justice agreed to send a letter congratulating the contestants.

“I strongly believe that the future of our nation depends upon your ability to practice democratic principles as thoughtful, informed citizens and public servants,” Sotomayor wrote.

Sotomayor went on to recount the story of Benjamin Franklin leaving the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where he had just helped draft the new U.S. Constitution.

“Benjamin Franklin was asked what sort of government he and his fellow framers had created. Dr. Franklin famously replied, ‘A republic, if you can keep it.’ By working to expand your civic knowledge in preparation for this tournament, you have begun the important undertaking of keeping our republic strong and vibrant,” Sotomayor wrote. […]

The need for civics education persists today, though studies suggest Americans may be getting more knowledgeable. Each year, the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania asks Americans about the Constitution and the government. In 2022, just 47% could name all three branches of the U.S. government and a full 25% couldn’t name one. Three years later, 70% of Americans could name all three, and just 13% couldn’t name one.

New home, same games
Galanter recently filled a box with the materials and questions she’d prepared for past games and sent it off to Rothman.

“I am so excited that the Universities of Wisconsin will be taking the games to yet a higher level,” Galanter told Wisconsin Watch. She hopes the fact that the universities already have connections with high schools statewide will mean more students will hear about “the opportunities to undertake keeping our republic strong and vibrant.”

The behind-the-scenes shuffling won’t change things for contestants. Teams interested in the 2026 games can register for free through March 1 to compete and receive study materials. Regional playoffs will be held online April 8-9, and the finals, which are open to the public, will be held on May 1. For more information, visit wnanews.com/wisconsin-civics-games.

But while no changes are planned for the 2026 games, at least one could be coming in the future. When the games returned in 2022 after a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, the regional playoffs moved online. Rothman hopes they might eventually return to UW campuses.

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman talked with a team of Cedarburg students on May 2, 2025 during the Wisconsin Civics Games finals held at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison.

“I’m sure, as things go along, we will look for ways to continue to improve and upgrade the competition, but it’s a terrific competition today,” said Rothman, who attended the finals in May.

“You see the engagement of those high school students, and you talk to them and you find out what their future plans are and the amount of work that they have put in, along with their faculty advisors,” Rothman said.

“You can see it in those students’ eyes: They’re going to be active and engaged in their communities going forward, and that’s good for all of us.”

Test your civics knowledge
The following questions were provided by Eve Galanter. Find answers below.

1. In 1982, Wisconsin was the first state to outlaw what type of discrimination?
2. What are the five freedoms identified in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?
3. In 2018, a proposed amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution failed to pass a statewide vote. What change would its passage have made?

ANSWERS

1. Discrimination based on sexual orientation.
2. Freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, right to petition the government, right to assemble.
3. It would have eliminated the office of State Treasurer.

Natalie Yahr reports on pathways to success statewide for Wisconsin Watch, working in partnership with Open Campus. Email her at nyahr@wisconsinwatch.org.

Submitted by Danny Akenson, GROWW

ELLSWORTH, WI – Pierce County (PC) residents made it clear they want protection from the harmful impacts of factory farms at the November 17, 2025, meeting of the county’s Groundwater Advisory Committee.

Over 50 residents turned out in person and online to hear a presentation to the committee from Lisa Doerr, a Polk County farmer who served on a committee to draft a town Operations Ordinance for multiple Polk County towns to ensure communities have meaningful oversight over factory farms. Operations Ordinances have since been passed in the towns of Maiden Rock and Isabelle in Pierce County, with several others in the area looking into drafting their own.

Residents are organizing in search of protection from the impacts of factory farms like the proposed expansion of Ridge Breeze Dairy in Pierce County. As Wisconsin’s agriculture industry has become consolidated under corporate control, massive factory farms pose numerous threats to health and homes in rural communities, including pressure on family farms, polluted air and water, and damaged roads.

Doerr presented the many gaps in current state regulations that leave local communities at risk. This includes wholly insufficient carcass disposal or mortality plans for factory farms in the case of mass die offs. Earlier this fall, a Jefferson County factory farm had to euthanize over 3 million birds due to an avian flu infection. A 2019 fire at a hog factory in Mondovi left the operator scrambling to find a place to put the 4,000 hog carcasses, before deciding to landfill them.

In another recent example, Wisconsin DNR asked Ridge Breeze Dairy to provide a mortality management plan as part of the dairy’s controversial permitting process. That plan, as Doerr pointed out, is only three bullet points long and provided little-to-no detail on what the factory farm would do in the case of a mass casualty event. According to federal data, 6,800 cows would leach an estimated 136,000 gallons of fluid within days of a mortality event.

Laura Carlson serves on the planning commission in the Town of Gilman, where the Town has been actively exploring an Operations Ordinance since earlier this year. During public comment, Carlson shared, “The ordinance is actually pretty straightforward – it asks for some plans from the [factory farm]. As a town board and as a community, how are we expected to feel good about this new business going on next door, if we don’t know how you plan to dispose of your animals?”

Carlson also referred to high rates of water contamination in the Town of Emerald in St. Croix County, where a factory farm previously known as Emerald Sky Dairy has had multiple manure spills reported over the last 10 years. The town well in Emerald has reached as high as 60 parts per million in nitrates, six times the safe drinking water standard, while some residents have chosen to move away due to repeated issues that arose from living near the facility. Emerald Sky was sold to Breeze Dairy Group, owners of Ridge Breeze, last year.

Rick Dougherty, a resident of the Town of El Paso, shared his concern about Ridge Breeze’s proposed expansion with the committee and encouraged the community to band together to find a solution. “Our concern is that it’s all concentrated in one area… Bigger is not better, necessarily, and together, we can come up with a solution.”

The Operations Ordinance provides a common-sense solution that Pierce County residents have been rallying around locally since the Town of Maiden Rock passed the first Operations Ordinance in the county late last year. The Town of Isabelle followed in September of this year.

A poll conducted by the Sun-Argus/Western Wisconsin News earlier this year showed that 97% of the roughly 200 respondents support local ordinances for expanding factory farms.

Pierce County’s Groundwater Advisory Committee has been studying concerns around water quality in Pierce County for two years after being appointed by the county board in late 2023. Current estimates show that about 13% of private wells in Pierce County test above the safe drinking water standard, which would put Pierce County among the most susceptible counties to nitrate contamination in the state. The committee recommended a five-year well testing program to gather more data, which was approved by the full county board earlier this year. The committee is expected to meet next in January.

GROWW is a grassroots organization based in Western Wisconsin. Together, we work toward a future where we all make ends meet, live with dignity, and have a voice in shaping the decisions that impact us. To get connected or learn more about GROWW, visit us at GRO-WW.org, on Instagram at @GrowWisconsin, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/GROWWisconsin.

Submitted by Jacki Bradham, Hudson Hot Air Affair

HUDSON, WI – Hudson Hot Air Affair announces its 2026 event theme of “Sky Walkers Return to Rock” for the 37th annual celebration on February 6-8. We are delighted to return to our longtime venue at EP Rock School with many of our pilots returning to “walk” their hot air balloons across the sky.

Known as the premier hot air balloon rally and winter festival in the Midwest, this family-friendly community event is presented by WESTconsin Credit Union and supported by hundreds of sponsors, partners and volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering with the Hudson Hot Air Affair, please check out our website’s volunteer page for a link to upcoming volunteer needs.

Several countdown events are planned to lead up to the winter festival. They begin on Friday, December 12, 2025, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. with the Hudson Hot Air Affair Kick Off Fundraiser Meat Raffle at Big Guys BBQ Roadhouse, 1237 Hwy 35 North, Hudson, WI. Join us as we celebrate the “Sky Walkers Return to Rock” theme. Celebrate the return to EP Rock with a nod to our Star Wars theme.

Other pre-events include: a January Name the Porta Potty Contest; Jan. 17th Countdown Event at Hudson Grocery Co-op; Jan. 24th Breakfast Crafts for Kids at Dick’s Bar & Grill; Jan. 24th Croix by Candlelight at YMCA Camp St. Croix; Jan. 31st Countdown Event at Jerry’s County Market; on Feb. 1st the Hudson Area Senior Center will host a Hotdish Cooking Contest and Feb. 4th the HHAA Canvas Party Painting Class.

Things are warming up for the 37th annual Hudson Hot Air Affair on February 6-8, 2026, at EP Rock School and around Hudson. Find details about these countdown events and all the other Hot Air Affair events at HudsonHotAirAffair.com or visit us on Facebook for the latest announcements and details.