The Banner County Fire Chief imposed a complete fire ban this week until conditions improve, including open burning, bonfires and fireworks.
Midwest
All-American Wisconsin college gymnast shot and killed days before classes begin, suspect in custody
Flags are flying at half-staff on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus on Tuesday in honor of senior gymnast Kara Welsh, who was shot and killed in her apartment Friday evening.
Welsh, 21, was a national champion and two-time All-American, according to a statement from the university. She was found by police with multiple gunshot wounds, the Whitewater Police Department said in a news release. Chad T. Richards, 23, of Loves Park, Illinois, who was also found in the apartment, has been arrested.
“To put into words the impact Kara had on the Warhawk community is impossible,” Coach Jen Regan said in the statement posted to the UW-Whitewater athletics website. “A powerful athlete, dedicated teammate, and the light in everyone’s dark days, Kara truly lifted each and every one of us up in her time as a Warhawk gymnast. There are no words to describe the void we all feel in our hearts, but Kara’s legacy will live on through Warhawk gymnastics forever.”
Authorities say Welsh and Richards knew each other and that investigators determined “an altercation had occurred between the two.” Authorities have not publicly identified their relationship.
CALIFORNIA DOCTOR WHO TREATED CELEBRITIES GUNNED DOWN IN TARGETED KILLING; SUSPECT AT LARGE
Kara Welsh, 21, was a senior member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnastics team. (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater)
Whitewater Police Department identified the suspect who killed Kara Welsh as Chad T. Richards, 23, of Loves Park, Illinois. (Whitewater Police Department)
Police have forwarded charges of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed charges to the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office. Richards is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, police said.
FLORIDA ‘DEADPOOL KILLER’ WADE WILSON GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR ‘CRUEL’ MURDERS OF 2 WOMEN
Welsh, a Plainfield, Illinois, native was studying business management. Classes for the fall semester started Tuesday.
A news release on the school athletics website described Welsh as a “phenom on the vault,” noting that she has four of the top eight scores recorded by a Warhawk gymnast in program history.
A memorial for Kara Welsh is seen in her hometown of Plainfield, Illinois. (WFLD)
Police at the scene of Kara Welsh’s murder in Whitewater, Wisconsin. (WKOW)
As of Tuesday morning, a GoFundMe campaign for the Welsh family promoted by the school athletics department, had raised more than $34,000.
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Missouri
Missouri Highway Patrol investigates death of staffer at youth ranch in Reynolds County; 1 juvenile arrested
BLACK, Mo. (KY3) – The Missouri Highway Patrol is investigating the death of a woman at a youth ranch in Reynolds County.
Authorities responded to the Valley Springs Youth Ranch in Black on Wednesday around 3 p.m. They found a 69-year-old female staff member dead. Investigators have not released the victim’s identity.
Authorities detained a juvenile. Investigators say this was an isolated incident.
Investigators say the case is open.
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Cheyenne County banned fireworks in rural areas while allowing communities to make their own decisions. Potter and Dalton both enacted local restrictions.
Potter adopted an ordinance June 22 banning fireworks within village limits and its 1-mile zoning jurisdiction. Violators face a $500 fine, increasing to $1,000 per discharge during a red flag warning.
Sidney, however, took a different approach, temporarily limiting fireworks between Wednesday and Sunday morning.
In Dawes County, fireworks remain banned, but the Mr. Fireworks display following Saturday’s Crawford rodeo received an exemption. Organizers said the show remains tentative depending on wind conditions and availability of the local fire department.
Regardless of local rules, Hohbein urged Nebraskans to pay attention to their environment.
“There are three things that are really dangerous for a wildland fire situation, and that’s hot, dry and windy. When those three conditions occur, any kind of fire can start easier, quicker, and then spread much faster,” Hohbein said.
If possible, he recommends leaving fireworks to the professionals.
While Hohbein has seen fewer public displays this year, many professional shows are becoming larger with bigger shells and additional safety measures, including dedicated safety officers and firefighters on site.
“With the hazardous conditions, let somebody else worry about those shooting off fireworks, and then just sit back and enjoy,” Hohbein said.
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North Dakota
Pembina bridge closure, causing headaches for community members, close to short-term solution
PEMBINA, N.D. — The closure of the Stutsman Street bridge has put some residents in Pembina out of reach of certain recreation spots. Timelines for bridge construction remain unclear as proposals for temporary fixes have been denied by the North Dakota Department of Transportation, but a Wednesday, July 1, meeting has brought some clarity to the issue.
The bridge has been out since early June. Mainly, the Pembina Golf Course has seen its business suffer due to children and local members being unable to access the course. John Feldman, treasurer of the Pembina Golf Course, calls the bridge a “lifeline to part of the city,” and its complete closure has been causing problems.
“All of our young kids that we’re trying to groom into golfers are not golfing anymore. Our locals that used to drive their golf carts across the bridge can’t do that anymore. So, business is down immensely,” Feldman said.
Feldman is part of a committee formed to work to get the bridge opened temporarily to pedestrians and carts. The committee has expressed its concerns with the city and city leaders are hoping to meet with NDDOT to address those concerns.
The Pembina City Council has been discussing the bridge and has made efforts to get in contact with NDDOT. Council President Connor Snitker told the Herald the NDDOT reached out to the city and a special council session took place Wednesday night with NDDOT present.
In an effort to find a temporary solution, city engineers had previously inspected the bridge to confirm the original findings and put forth a proposal to open the north half of the bridge to a weight-bearing capacity of one ton or less. That proposal, along with an alternative, was originally denied by NDDOT, but at Wednesday’s meeting, NDDOT said it would review federal regulations to find a temporary solution for pedestrians.
“We’re still running down every alternative path we can right now, trying to figure out if there’s a way to reclassify the bridge or do something that would allow us to have flexibility to at least have it operating at our temporary capacity,” Snitker said.
The DOT says the critical issues with the bridge make a temporary solution for pedestrians a challenge, but language in those regulations will be reviewed. A solution could be found as soon as this weekend.
“Late Tuesday night we received word from the Federal Highway Administration that there was an option we could pass along to the city and I think that went over well,” engineer Derek Pfeifer said. “We’ve been working really hard to find a short-term solution for them to at least allow pedestrians to cross the bridge.”
A load analysis was expected to be done Thursday to assess whether pedestrians would be able to cross. NDDOT remains adamant that only pedestrians would be allowed access with a temporary solution, and golf carts would still be unable to access the bridge.
“As long as the bridge meets a certain standard, it could open to pedestrians,” Snitker said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
Main issues with the bridge are spalling — or flaking of surface materials — found under the load bearings, stress cracks and splitting in some of the pedestals above the columns. At the east end of the bridge, there has been five inches of movement toward the south. As the bridge moved, it sheared the anchor rods.
Before the bridge’s closure, children would regularly play the course. Easy bridge access allowed for some to even come to the course twice in a day. Now, a six-mile detour has seen that business go away.
The detour makes its way through gravel roads, which is prohibitive to golf carts and those who were walking to the course.
“We need the bridge open, not just for the golf course, but for the kids to come and play in the playground over there to play baseball,” Feldman said. “It’s really a livelihood over there for the kids and for adults.”
Looking ahead to a permanent resolution to the bridge, Pfeifer and NDDOT are looking to the city and county to come to a decision in order for them to determine the next steps.
“Do they want to fix it? Do they want to replace it?” he said. “A structural engineer will need to do an analysis of those findings that were there and what kind of effort it’s going to take to fix it. So at this point, it’s up to the city and county to determine how they want to move forward.”
Digital Content Producer and Sports Reporter at the Grand Forks Herald since December of 2020. Maxwell can be contacted at mmarko@gfherald.com.
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