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Wisconsin couple sues Walgreens and Optum Rx, saying son died after $500 price rise for asthma meds

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Wisconsin couple sues Walgreens and Optum Rx, saying son died after 0 price rise for asthma meds


LA CROSSE, Wis. — A Wisconsin couple is suing Walgreens and a pharmacy benefits management company, alleging that their son died because he couldn’t afford a sudden $500 spike in his asthma medication.

Shanon and William Schmidtknecht, of Poynette, filed their lawsuit in federal court in Milwaukee on Jan. 21, a year to the day that their son Cole died at age 22.

According to the lawsuit, Cole Schmidtknecht suffered from asthma all his life. He managed it with daily doses of the medication Advair Diskus and its generic equivalents, which he ingested through an inhaler.

He stopped at a Walgreens pharmacy in Appleton on Jan. 10, 2024, to refill his prescription and was told the cost had jumped from $66 to $539 out-of-pocket. Unable to afford the new cost, he left the pharmacy without the medication. He tried to manage his condition with his rescue inhaler but suffered a fatal asthma attack days later, according to the lawsuit.

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The Schmidtknechts allege that pharmacy benefits management company OptumRX violated Wisconsin law by raising the cost of the medication without a valid medical reason and failing to provide 30 days’ advance notice of drug price increases.

Pharmacy benefits managers act as intermediaries between health insurance companies, prescription drug companies and pharmacies. Optum Rx services prescription claims for more than 66 million people across the United States, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that the Walgreens pharmacy staffers failed to offer Cole any workarounds to obtain his usual medication. They told him there were no cheaper alternatives or generic medications available, they didn’t contact OptumRx to request an exception on Cole’s behalf, and they didn’t ask Cole’s doctor to request an exception for him, his parents contend.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

“The conduct of both OptumRx and Walgreens was deplorable,” one of the family’s attorneys, Michael Trunk, said in a statement. “The evidence in this case will show that both OptumRx and Walgreens put profits first, and are directly responsible for Cole’s death.”

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OptumRx spokespeople didn’t immediately reply to Wednesday messages seeking comment. In a statement last April extending sympathy to the family, the company said that a review of Cole’s claims showed that on the day he visited the pharmacy, he did buy a different asthma medication, generic Albuterol, for a $5 co-pay on Jan. 10 — a medication that it says he also obtained in October 2023. His case was handled “consistent with industry practice and the patient’s insurance plan design,” the company said.

Trunk, though, said Wednesday that the $5 generic prescription Cole filled was for his rescue inhaler, not the Advair Diskus inhaler that he took daily. He said Cole was not able to fill his Advair Diskus prescription because it had suddenly become too expensive.

Walgreens officials didn’t immediately respond to a Wednesday email seeking comment on the lawsuit.



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Wisconsin

A tornado touched down in Taylor County on April 13, NWS confirms

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A tornado touched down in Taylor County on April 13, NWS confirms


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The National Weather Service station in La Crosse confirmed a tornado touched down in Gilman, a town in Taylor County, Monday evening, April 13.

La Crosse station meteorologist Alex Ferguson said they have not received any potential damage reports yet, but are working with local authorities in the Taylor County to confirm more details about the tornado.

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Speed and severity are usually calculated after the fact based on potential damages, Ferguson said.

There is an enhanced risk of further severe thunderstorms in southwest and east central Wisconsin Tuesday evening, April 14, according to the NWS.



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Texas man charged for producing child pornography using 3 juveniles from Wisconsin

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Texas man charged for producing child pornography using 3 juveniles from Wisconsin


(WLUK) — A Texas man is accused of sex crimes involving Wisconsin minors.

Last week, a federal grand jury indicted 21-year-old Axis Williams from Aransas Pass, Texas, on two counts of production of child pornography.

Court records indicate Williams connected online with three juveniles, all from the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He allegedly coerced the trio to engage in sexually explicit conduct, record it and send him the videos.

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If convicted of either charge, Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years behind bars.



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70s to storm chances in SE Wisconsin

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70s to storm chances in SE Wisconsin


70s to storm chances in SE Wisconsin

Showers and storms possible this week in SE Wisconsin

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100 YEARS YOUNG. HOW EXCITING. FANTASTIC. WELL, THIS WEEK WE ARE WARMING. TODAY AGAIN SEEING THE 70S, BUT WE’RE STILL KEEPING OUR EYE ON STORM CHANCES THIS WEEK. IT IS GOING TO BE REALLY BUSY NEXT FEW DAYS WITH WEATHERWATCH 12 BETWEEN NOW AND SATURDAY. EVERY SINGLE DAY HAS A CHANCE FOR SOME STORMS AND THERE WILL BE SEVERE CHANCES ON AND OFF AS WE HEAD THROUGH THIS WEEK AS WELL. BUT IF YOU LIKE YESTERDAY, THE GOOD NEWS IS WE DO HAVE MORE 70S IN THE FORECAST. MOST OF THE SEVEN DAY IS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE, BUT LET’S DIVE INTO EXACTLY WHAT WE CAN EXPECT HERE AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE NEXT FEW DAYS. BECAUSE TODAY, TOMORROW, AND WEDNESDAY ARE ALL BRINGING A CHANCE FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS. THIS IS A LOOK AT THE SEVERE RISK FOR THE DAY AHEAD. MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN, OUR CENTRAL AND NORTHERN COUNTIES ARE IN THE YELLOW. AND NOTICE NORTHWEST FOND DU LAC COUNTY IS IN THE ORANGE. THAT’S A RISK. THREE OUT OF FIVE. MOST OF US ARE IN A RISK. TWO OUT OF FIVE. FARTHER SOUTH, IT’S A LITTLE BIT LOWER. THE BOTTOM LINE IS MOST OF TODAY WILL BE DRY. WE’RE GOING TO BE WARM BREEZY, ESPECIALLY THIS MORNING. WINDS WILL BE LIGHTER THIS AFTERNOON. MY BIGGEST PIECE OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE FORECAST RIGHT NOW IS WE HAVE WHAT’S CALLED A CAP WHICH KEEPS STORMS AT BAY. BUT THERE IS A CHANCE THAT WE COULD SEE MAYBE A STRAY STORM GET THROUGH THAT THIS AFTERNOON. AND ANY STORM THAT DOES DEVELOP HAS THE CHANCE TO BE STRONG TO SEVERE. THE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER THAT YOU SAW IN THAT LAST GRAPHIC, THOUGH, IS PREDOMINANTLY FOR OVERNIGHT STORM CHANCES. THOSE STORMS WILL DEVELOP OFF TO OUR NORTH AND THEN POSSIBLY DRIFT THIS WAY AND BRING US THE POTENTIAL FOR MAINLY SOME GUSTY WINDS. WE COULD SEE AN EMBEDDED TORNADO IF WE SEE ALL OF THE PIECES OF THAT COME TOGETHER. THERE’S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH HOW THIS PLAYS OUT. TOMORROW’S RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS A LOT MORE CERTAIN AND A LOT MORE WIDESPREAD. NOTICE RISK THREE OUT OF FIVE FOR ALL OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN TOMORROW. STORMS ARE LIKELY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING, AND THE RISK FOR STORMS TOMORROW AFTERNOON IS MUCH HIGHER THAN WHAT WE HAVE FOR TODAY. ALL KINDS OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE. HAIL AND WIND ARE THE BIGGEST CONCERNS, BUT TORNADIC ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE TOMORROW. THE TIMING MAY ADJUST AND CHANGE. IT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT LATER, BUT TOMORROW IS THE DAY WHERE YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE WAYS TO GET WATCHES AND WARNINGS TO YOU BEFORE THOSE STORMS. WE’RE GOING TO SEE OUR TEMPERATURES SOAR BACK INTO THE 70S. HERE’S FUTURECAST. THIS IS GOING TO GET US THROUGH TODAY AND TOMORROW. NOTICE AT 1:00 WE’RE DRY AND WE’RE CLOUDY. BUT STORMS TRY TO MOVE IN. THEY STRUGGLE BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY TO GET THROUGH WHAT WE CALL THE KAT. BUT NOTICE OFF TO OUR NORTH BY 6:00 THERE ARE SOME WIDESPREAD STORMS. THOSE THEN TURN INTO A LINE AND TRY TO DRIFT SOUTH DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. SO THAT’S WHY THERE’S A BETTER CHANCE FOR STORMS AND SEVERE STORMS OVERNIGHT. TONIGHT. TOMORROW WE’RE DRY UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING AND THEN WE SEE A CHANCE FOR STORMS ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. IN TERMS OF SEVERE WEATHER LATER THIS AFTERNOON, BUT PREDOMINANTLY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. HAIL AND MAINLY WIND ARE GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST CONCERN. BUT WITH A REALLY WET FORECAST THAT WE’VE HAD ALREADY THIS MONTH AND A LOT MORE RAIN INTO THE FORECAST, FLOODING IS GOING TO BECOME A CONCERN AS WE SEE MORE ROUNDS OF RAIN AND STORMS ON THE WAY. AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE NEXT WEEK, KEEPING AN EYE ON A CHANCE FOR A FEW SPOTTY STORMS THIS AFTERNOON. A BETTER CHANCE FOR STORMS OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. YOU CAN SEE THOSE DAILY CHANCES FOR RAIN AND STORMS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES ON THE MILD SIDE EVERY DAY WILL HAVE SOME DRY TIME WHERE YOU CAN GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY THE 70S. WE FINALLY DRY OUT AND COOL DOWN JUST A TOUCH AS WE HEAD TOWARDS SUNDAY. WOW. DEFINITELY THAT INTERESTING TIME OF YEAR. WE HAVE NO 40S OUT THERE. 130 ROGUE. IT’S GOING TO BE WARM. INTERESTING.

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70s to storm chances in SE Wisconsin

Showers and storms possible this week in SE Wisconsin

Updated: 6:19 AM CDT Apr 13, 2026

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Milwaukee will see an on-and-off threat of showers and thunderstorms through much of the workweek. Monday looks mostly dry, with highs reaching the middle to upper 70s. There is a very small chance for storms this afternoon, but any storms that do develop could be strong to severe. Storms are more likely just north of our viewing area this afternoon. They are expected to form into a line which may drift south and impact SE Wisconsin overnight. The line could be strong, with damaging wind being the biggest concern. Temperatures climb back into the 70s Tuesday afternoon, and storms are likely by the late afternoon and evening. Severe storms are possible tomorrow, with all kinds of severe weather possible. Large hail is the biggest concern, but damaging winds and a few tornadoes will also be possible. Storm chances continue into Wednesday, but there is more uncertainty with Wednesday’s severe storm chance. Storm chances stay in the forecast through Saturday, with highs hanging out in the 70s Thursday and Friday. Cooler air moves in for Saturday, bringing highs in the low 60s along with another chance for storms. Conditions should begin drying out by Sunday, with highs in the upper 50s.

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Milwaukee will see an on-and-off threat of showers and thunderstorms through much of the workweek. Monday looks mostly dry, with highs reaching the middle to upper 70s. There is a very small chance for storms this afternoon, but any storms that do develop could be strong to severe. Storms are more likely just north of our viewing area this afternoon. They are expected to form into a line which may drift south and impact SE Wisconsin overnight. The line could be strong, with damaging wind being the biggest concern.

Temperatures climb back into the 70s Tuesday afternoon, and storms are likely by the late afternoon and evening. Severe storms are possible tomorrow, with all kinds of severe weather possible. Large hail is the biggest concern, but damaging winds and a few tornadoes will also be possible.

Storm chances continue into Wednesday, but there is more uncertainty with Wednesday’s severe storm chance.

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Storm chances stay in the forecast through Saturday, with highs hanging out in the 70s Thursday and Friday. Cooler air moves in for Saturday, bringing highs in the low 60s along with another chance for storms. Conditions should begin drying out by Sunday, with highs in the upper 50s.



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