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The owner and manager of an apartment complex in La Crosse have agreed to pay over 57,000 to settle a federal discrimination suit. The U.S. Justice Department said the manager of Geneva Terrace told prospective African-American renters that apartments were not available, while telling Caucasian renters that they were available. Justice officials said the defendants will pay $47,000 to the couple who was turned away for an apartment, even though the building had signs advertising vacancies. The Geneva Terrace owner and manager must also pay a civil penalty of $10,000.
Governor Scott Walker says he's reluctant to propose toll roads to help pay for Wisconsin's most pressing highway projects. But he told reporters Nov. 28 that he's not ruling out toll booths as he develops a state budget plan to be submitted to the Legislature in February. After speaking at the Governor's Freight Industry Summit in Madison, Walker said he didn't want to burden state residents who must travel short distances - but he noted that tolls might be feasible if they make a bigger impact on out-of-state drivers.
When I was a kid one of the biggest deals of the year was when the Al G. Kelly and Miller Brothers Circus came to town. It was a mid-sized circus, nothing like Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, which always stopped in Eau Claire.
Three people face a total of 28 criminal charges, after a routine traffic stop turned into a major drug bust in Merrill. Police said they stopped 23-year-old Cassiopia Conlin of Merrill late the night of Nov. 26 because the license plates did not match the vehicle they were on. Officials said Conlin tried giving a false name, but the officer recognized her. She and two passengers were arrested after a large amount of drugs were found by the officer and Wausau's canine unit.
The Kinnickinnic Kids Special Olympics team are finishing up another successful bowling season. The bowling team consists of 20 athletes from River Falls, Hudson, New Richmond and surrounding areas. This year 15 athletes attended the regional tournament in Eau Claire; eight qualified for the sectional tournament also in Eau Claire and four are moving on to the State tournament being held on Saturday, 12/1 in Weston. The team practices at St.
The University of Minnesota Press's Fesler-Lampert Heritage Book Series is a rare and wonderful bird indeed. It describes its mission as attempting "to republish significant out-of-print books that contribute to our understanding and appreciation of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest." Over the years I've enjoyed many of these reprints of books I missed in years past thanks to the generous assistance of the John K.
Wisconsin had the nation's 6th-largest increase in the numbers of people filing for unemployment benefits last week. The U.S. Labor Department said Nov. 21 that the Badger State had an increase of 1,674 jobless-benefit applications from the previous week. No reason was given. Nationally, first-time unemployment applications dropped by 4,000 from the previous week - when the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy caused the largest jump in jobless benefit requests in 18 months. New York had the biggest increase last week, with almost 44,000 more unemployment filings than the week before.
A Racine man says he is a libertarian upset about politicians in both parties, broken promises and rising taxes. Many neighbors are calling the silent protest of Dennis Montey unpatriotic or unAmerican. He is flying the American flag upside down in front of his house. Montey says this is a case of freedom of speech, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Flying the flag upside is a universal signal of distress. Montey says he has always flown a flag in front of his house in Racine, but this is the first time he has flown it upside down.
Two groups in northwest Wisconsin are looking for families to adopt 22 cats that somebody dropped off inside four plastic bins at the front door of the Interstate Veterinary Hospital at Centuria in Polk County. They don't know who left the cats Oct. 29; they had poked holes in the plastic bins so the pets could breathe. Seventeen cats are up for adoption at the Arnell Memorial Humane Society in Amery. The rest of the felines are still at the hospital awaiting new homes. Mary Bruckner of the humane shelter says the cats are all healthy and friendly.
Arthur "Bud" Hoekstra, husband of Jerrilyn (Romanowicz), has written a book about his experiences as a train engineer from 1959 to 2001 on railroads between St. Paul, Chicago, and Superior. He writes about characters he knew, changes in the industry, locomotives and train handling, terminals and train wrecks. "The Life and Times of a Railroad Engineer" can be bought at Freeman Drug in River Falls and Chapter Two bookstore in Hudson. Jerrilyn is a former long-time resident of River Falls. The couple now lives in Shell Lake.