Wisconsin
Deadly car crashes take surprising downturn in Wisconsin from 2023
WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – Both the number of deadly crashes and the number of deaths in those crashes have declined in Wisconsin so far this year compared to previous years, according to recent data released by authorities.
From 2019 to 2023, the average number of deadly crashes compared to the same period this year has decreased by approximately 20 percent. As of last week, there have been 87 deadly car crashes on Wisconsin roads, resulting in the loss of 106 lives.
However, these figures mark a drop from previous years. Between 2019 and 2023, Wisconsin’s average number of deadly crashes between April 14 and New Year’s was about 109, indicating a 20.33 percent decrease this year. Additionally, there has been a 24.35 percent drop from last year to this year.
There’s no one certain explanation for the drop, but there are theories.
“One factor that plays into it with the winter months is the lack of winter that we’ve had and the decrease in snow,” Officer Matthew Grover with the Wausau Police Department said.
Other factors could include police initiatives.
“Over the past few months, there have been several state grants for OWI details, which are primarily focused on impaired driving and can be a high cause of deaths,” Grover said. “Those increased enforcements help to remove some of those drivers from the roads.”
However, authorities emphasize that individual behavior also plays a significant role.
“Wearing your safety belts can make a big difference between a crash being just an injury crash or being a fatal crash,” Grover added.
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MADISON, Wis. — The state Supreme Court announced Friday that it will decide whether mobile voting sites are legal without allowing any lower appellate courts to rule first.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative law firm, sued in December 2022 on behalf of Racine County Republican Party Chair Ken Brown, alleging Racine city officials illegally used a voting van to collect absentee ballots that year. A circuit judge ruled in January that state law doesn’t allow mobile voting sites to operate.
Racine City Clerk Tara McMenamin and the Democratic National Committee asked the state Supreme Court in February to review the case without letting any lower appellate courts rule on it first.
Justice Janet Protasiewicz’s election win in 2023 gave liberals a 4-3 majority on the court, increasing the likelihood of a reversal. Brown filed a motion in March asking Protasiewicz to recuse herself from the case but she declined.
The justices issued an order Friday afternoon indicating they had voted 4-3 to take the case. All three conservative justices dissented. Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, a member of the conservative block, wrote that the case hasn’t been fully briefed and the liberal justices are trying to help Democrats make political gains ahead of the November elections.
SIREN, Wis. — Anglers will head to Wisconsin this weekend for the state’s fishing opener, where they’ll get a good idea of how the mild winter will also impact the fish bite during next week’s opener in Minnesota.
It’s a beautiful, picturesque Friday on Clam Lake near Siren, where all the talk is about the weather and the fishing opener.
Big Mike’s Outdoor Sports Shop in Siren has been selling bait for more than 30 years. While the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says fishing license sales are a little bit down after they peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Mike’s Greg Dahlke says they aren’t really seeing that.
He says a lot of anglers are eager to see how the lack of ice this past winter impacts what they catch on Saturday.
“It will pick up tremendously this afternoon. We’ve been waiting a long time. The last two winters these guys missed a lot of ice fishing. You’re probably aware, the no ice, ice, then no ice,” Dahlke said. “People are excited.”
Dahlke says water temperatures should be ideal for fish like northern and bass.
Since Big Mike’s didn’t sell as much bait this past winter due to the ice issues, Dahlke says they’re hoping to make up for lost ground this weekend.
The crash happened shortly after midnight near the address of 471 N. Biron Drive.
BIRON – A 38-year-old Wisconsin Rapids woman is dead after a one-vehicle crash early Friday morning.
The crash happened shortly after midnight near the address of 471 N. Biron Drive. The initial investigation shows the vehicle was traveling north on Biron Drive at a high rate of speed and failed to negotiate a curve, according to a news release from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle left the road and hit a tree.
The Wisconsin Rapids woman was the only person in the vehicle, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The crash remains under investigation.
The Grand Rapids Police Department, Wood County Rescue, Biron Fire Department, Biron First Responders, Wisconsin Rapids Ambulance, Wood County Dispatch Center and Neiman’s Tow Service assisted at the scene.
More local news: Shoppers evacuated from Wisconsin Rapids Walgreens Thursday after store filled with haze
Wisconsin Rapids Streetwise: Hawaiian Tanning Studio relocates and more local business news
Editor Jamie Rokus can be reached at jrokus@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @Jamie_Rokus.
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