Wisconsin
Mining company moves ahead with plans to drill in northern Wisconsin
A Canadian mining firm is transferring forward with plans to drill for copper and gold in northern Wisconsin and will quickly submit plans to drill for gold close to Wausau. The event comes as some Wisconsin tribes and residents work to forestall mining and strengthen environmental protections.
GreenLight Metals, doing enterprise as GreenLight Wisconsin, desires to conduct exploratory drilling of the Bend deposit at a 40-acre web site owned by the U.S. Forest Service in Taylor County. The deposit is believed to include 4 million tons of largely copper and gold.
GreenLight submitted a discover of intent to drill detailing its plans and a wetland report back to the Wisconsin Division of Pure Sources in late September. Paperwork submitted to the DNR state GreenLight hopes to start drilling in November as soon as the bottom has frozen.
Dan Colton, president and CEO of GreenLight Metals, mentioned in an announcement that its filings with the state symbolize the primary of many steps the corporate should take earlier than drilling can start.
“As our nation works to strengthen our nationwide protection and develop important infrastructure by way of domestically sourcing clear power minerals, GreenLight seems to be ahead to the position it might play in constructing a extra sustainable, clear power financial system,” mentioned Colton.
The corporate is proposing to drill at six new websites on personal and federal land the place GreenLight is leasing mineral rights from Soo Line Railroad, in any other case often known as Canadian Pacific Railway. The corporate maintains solely two wetlands and no waterways exist throughout the drilling space.
“GreenLight Wisconsin’s advisor went out and investigated the location and evaluated the present web site circumstances and have indicated that the proposal will keep away from any regulated wetlands that exist out within the area,” mentioned Ben Callan, chief of the DNR’s integration providers part.
Even so, GreenLight notes wooden matting, that are used for short-term water crossings, could also be required over a ditch containing a wetland to entry the location. The corporate expects work to final about three months. Reclamation of the location can be accomplished inside six months of the date the corporate not wants the drill holes. GreenLight estimates it’s going to price practically $46,000 to desert 9 drill holes and restore the world.
The DNR is at the moment evaluating any permits or approvals which may be required and whether or not the company wants extra data from the corporate. State regulators have 30 days from receipt of the paperwork to approve or deny GreenLight’s plans.
Karl Welch, appearing pure assets employees officer for the Chequamegon-Nicolet Nationwide Forest, mentioned in an announcement that GreenLight acquired approval from the forest to maneuver forward with drilling as outlined by the corporate.
“GreenLight might want to get hold of all permits required by the Wisconsin Division of Pure Sources earlier than beginning their work,” Welch mentioned.
Aquila Sources most lately performed exploratory drilling of the Bend deposit in 2012, in keeping with the DNR.
GreenLight additionally submitted plans to drill on the Reef deposit close to Wausau, however these plans had been withdrawn. Callan mentioned the corporate is updating plans to do exploratory drilling of the Reef deposit earlier than the company begins its assessment. He expects them to submit revised plans quickly, however no express timeline was given.
In August, the corporate detailed its plans to start exploring the Reef deposit this winter. That deposit is roughly 12 miles east of Wausau in Marathon County close to the Dells of the Eau Claire River. The deposit is believed to include round 454,000 tons of gold reserves.
On Tuesday, Marathon County’s environmental assets committee debated a decision calling on the state Legislature to repeal a 2017 regulation that lifted the state’s sulfide mining moratorium. Residents and tribes, together with the Menominee Indian Tribe and Ho-Chunk Nation, have voiced issues the corporate’s plans would result in contamination of the area’s water assets. The Ho-Chunk Nation already handed a decision in July, opposing the corporate’s challenge.
In 2017, the Republican-controlled state Legislature repealed a provision that required corporations to show different mines operated after which had been closed for 10 years with out inflicting environmental hurt. The decision earlier than the committee requested lawmakers to go new laws that will strengthen environmental protections from sulfide exploration and mining, in addition to increase native management.
“I actually really feel that it’ll convey again your much-needed native management,” mentioned Nancy Stencil, a resident within the city of Pink Mountain.
Marathon County Board Supervisor Jean Maszk, who introduced the decision ahead, mentioned the county wants extra say over mining.
“We have to shield our water, and I don’t wish to see a mining firm coming in and pollute it in the event that they do mine,” Maszk mentioned.
Some members of the committee and county board voiced concern the decision would contradict the county’s mining ordinance and mentioned it lacked political help from lawmakers. Jacob Langenhahn, committee chair, mentioned it might be higher to handle mining issues with the state Legislature.
“I don’t see an avenue on the place the county might have a possible sway in what occurs within the Capitol. I simply don’t,” Langenhahn mentioned. “It’s politics. It’s what it’s.”
Marathon County Board Chair Kurt Gibbs pointed to the Flambeau mine for example of sulfide mining that may be accomplished responsibly.
Environmentalists disagreed and filed a lawsuit in opposition to Flambeau Mining Firm. In 2012, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported a federal choose dominated the corporate violated federal clear water legal guidelines, but in addition concluded that air pollution was minimal.
The committee did not vote on the decision. Metals like gold and copper, that are present in sulfide ore our bodies, haven’t been mined within the state for the reason that Flambeau mine shut down in 1997.
Wisconsin
Better Know A Badger – 2025 three-star linebacker Cooper Catalano
Better Know A Badger – 2025 three-star linebacker Cooper Catalano
MADISON, Wis. – It turned out that Luke Fickell had no reason to worry.
The University of Wisconsin head coach was hopeful that the results on the field wouldn’t cause members of his highly ranked third recruiting class to start rethinking their commitment or, worse yet, reopen their decision-making process entirely.
From the time the Badgers’ 2024 season ended without a bowl game for the first time in 23 years to the first day of the early signing period, Wisconsin’s staff only saw one prospect de-commit. Twenty-three kids signed paperwork to join Fickell’s program, a class that ranks 20th in the Rivals.com rankings with 10 four-star recruits from eight different states.
“To see guys not waver,” Fickell said. “That faith and belief that the games and what you see on Saturday isn’t everything. For those guys to hold with us and believe in us … relationships, trust, and belief in this process still win out.”
Adding to the depth in the middle of the defense, we look at the signing of Mukwonago (Wis.) High linebacker Cooper Catalano and how his addition improves the program.
Stats
Named the Wisconsin large school defensive player of the year in 2024, Catalano totaled 178 tackles, nine TFLs, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions. He finished his career with 583 tackles, obliterating the previous state record of 462 career tackles. A three-time conference defensive player of the year, Catalano earned all-conference honors during all four seasons of high school.
“The season was really successful,” Catalano said. “We had a young team my junior year. We had almost everybody returning except one of our receivers, so we had 21 players returning. To see the growth of everybody throughout the offseason was really cool. Everybody really bought in to what our coaches were preaching throughout the year. We had our leadership group that worked really hard throughout the winter and summer, and it showed throughout the season. It was a really fun right, even though it didn’t end how we wanted.
“I improved in my game is playing more in space and trusting my instincts. I was less technical in the way I looked at football and just playing loose and having fun out there … Breaking the tackle record was a really cool thing, but that takes a whole team, a great game plan, a great defensive line all four years. It’s a team effort, but that’s something that stood out to me that I’m very proud of. It’s something I’ll hold onto for a long time.”
Recruiting Competition
The third commitment in Wisconsin’s 2025 class, Catalano had offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, and Stanford.
“It’s been really quiet ever since I committed,” Catalano said. “I was able to reach out to all the programs that offered me a scholarship, get on the phone with most of them to let them know how much it meant to me that they reached out but ultimately my decision was in Madison. I am happy I went about it that way.”
Recruiting Story
Wisconsin
This Tiny Cottage Rental in a Wisconsin State Park Is the Smallest Home Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
From his first Great Plains-inspired, Prairie-style buildings to the quiet serenity of Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright defined American architecture during his seven-decade-long career with his innovative designs. Throughout his lifetime, Wright created 1,114 architectural works, 532 of which were actually constructed.
One of the least known — and the most petite among all of his structures — just might offer the most intimate experience for casual visitors and super-fans alike. The Seth Peterson Cottage, located within Mirror Lake State Park, clocks in at just 880 square feet.
And though it may be small, it’s one of the best examples of Wright’s Usonian houses, a style design intended for middle-class families that offered practical, affordable, yet still beautiful homes. But what makes the Seth Peterson Cottage even more unique among Wright’s works is that it was the first — and now one of the few — homes that are available as a vacation rental.
“Serene and energetic, the little cottage perched high above Mirror Lake is muscularly geometric, seeming at once to hug the earth and burst forth from it,” the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation says on its site.
The one-bedroom cottage sits on a wooded hill, flanked by a small wall made of local sandstone, and features some of Wright’s signature trademarks such as picture windows, a cantilevered roof, and a large, centrally located chimney,
“The flagstones used to pave the outside terrace continue inside the building as the cottage floor, manifesting Wright’s philosophy of making little distinction between the outside and inside worlds in which we live,” the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy says on its site.
The home was commissioned by Peterson, who was a huge fan of Wright. He applied to join Wright’s Taliesin Fellowship (an architectural school founded by the architect and his wife, Olgivanna) but was rejected. Then, he tried to commission Wright to build a home for him several times but was also denied. Finally, Peterson sent $1,000 to Wright (who promptly spent the money) as a retainer — and having burned through the cash, Wright had no choice but to accept the commission. Unfortunately, Peterson did not have enough financial reserves to complete the project and even tried to keep construction costs down by doing some of the work himself.
The building was still in progress at the time of Wright’s 1959 death, and Peterson died by suicide shortly before it was completed in 1960. And though the State of Wisconsin bought the property six years later, it sat abandoned for several years. In 1989, local volunteers formed the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy to restore the architectural gem — and to rent it out.
Over the course of its existence, the tiny home has hosted more than 10,000 guests from around the globe. The cottage sleeps two people and is equipped with an additional fold-out couch for another two guests. There’s also a galley kitchen stocked with all the essentials, and, if you prefer to dine al fresco, there’s an outdoor barbecue area with a grill.
The cottage’s quiet location is perfect for taking in the pastoral Wisconsin countryside — after all, Wright hoped that his designs would inspire residents and visitors alike to feel more connected with their natural surroundings. A canoe, paddles, and life preserves are included with the rental, as is a healthy supply of firewood. Popular activities in the area include hiking, biking, boating, fishing, swimming, and golfing. If you visit in the winter, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing opportunities are plentiful.
Cottage rentals go for $325 per night year-round, with an additional $30 handling fee per reservation. There’s a two-night minimum, and reservations can be made through Sand County Vacation Rentals up to two years in advance, though they book up quickly.
But for those who would prefer to simply stop for a visit, the Seth Peterson Cottage is open for tours the first Sunday of every month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., with the final tour beginning at 3:30 p.m. Tours cost $5 per person, though children 12 and under can get in for free.
Wisconsin
Chicago tow truck driver killed in Wisconsin hit-and-run, sheriff says
WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS) — A Chicago tow truck driver was killed in a hit-and-run crash on Christmas Eve in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
The Waukesha Sheriff’s Office said around 6:41 p.m., a tow truck operator was loading a disabled vehicle on the eastbound shoulder of I-94 east of Sawyer Road when they were hit by a blue minivan that left the scene, continuing eastbound I-94 until it exited at Highway C in an unknown direction.
The tow truck driver, later identified as 40-year-old Hussain Farhat, was taken to Aurora Summit, where he died. Farhat was an employee of Yaffo Towing out of Chicago, the office said.
East Bound I-94 from Sawyer Road to Highway C was shut down for the investigation.
The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department received an anonymous tip on Wednesday about a possible suspect vehicle at a residence in the Village of Wales. Based on the tip, the department developed a suspect who owns a vehicle matching the description of the striking vehicle from the crash.
The suspect, a 39-year-old man, turned himself in at the Sheriff’s Department during the investigation, and his vehicle was recovered from the residence. He is being booked at the Waukesha County Jail for hit-and-run causing death.
Investigation into the incident remains ongoing by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department with the assistance of the Wisconsin State Patrol.
No additional information was released.
-
Technology6 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps
-
News7 days ago
Novo Nordisk shares tumble as weight-loss drug trial data disappoints
-
Politics7 days ago
Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
-
Entertainment1 week ago
'It's a little holiday gift': Inside the Weeknd's free Santa Monica show for his biggest fans
-
Lifestyle1 week ago
Think you can't dance? Get up and try these tips in our comic. We dare you!
-
Technology2 days ago
There’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does
-
Technology1 week ago
Fox News AI Newsletter: OpenAI responds to Elon Musk's lawsuit
-
News3 days ago
France’s new premier selects Eric Lombard as finance minister