Wisconsin
Wisconsin DNR investigating shooting of bald eagle in Racine County
The Wisconsin Division of Pure Assets is investigating the capturing of a bald eagle in Racine County. As a result of severity of its accidents, the chicken needed to be euthanized on Monday.
One other bald eagle was shot earlier this yr in Washington County. Although they’re a protected species and capturing the birds is against the law, Sharon Fandel, southeast discipline ecologist with the DNR, stated the killings gained’t have a big impression on the bald eagle inhabitants in southeastern Wisconsin.
“From an total inhabitants standpoint, Wisconsin is a reasonably rock stable place for eagles,” Fandel stated.
A decade in the past, it could have been extraordinarily uncommon to see a bald eagle within the southeast a part of the state. However because the species rebounded, the birds started shifting into the area.
Nests in Milwaukee, Walworth and Kenosha counties have solely been found throughout the previous 5 years. Whereas bald eagles are extra regularly seen within the northern a part of the state, Fandel stated there are at the very least 4 nests in Racine County the place the eagle was lately shot.
Earlier this yr, the DNR confirmed bald eagles at the moment are nesting once more in all 72 Wisconsin counties — possible for the primary time because the Eighties.
The newest capturing was found when the DNR obtained a tip on July 17 from a passerby who noticed the chicken and thought it is likely to be injured. Conservation Warden Brandon Smith positioned the chicken and introduced it to Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital in Lake Geneva.
The eagle had been shot twice and likewise appeared to have lure accidents on its foot and leg.
Yvonne Wallace Blane is co-founder and director of rehabilitation at Fellow Mortals. She stated they soaked the chicken’s foot, put ointment on its accidents and gave it anti-inflammatory medicine for ache.
As soon as the eagle’s bruises began to heal, rehabilitators might see its foot was dying. Wallace Blane stated this meant they wouldn’t have the ability to save the chicken as a result of eagles want each ft to outlive.
It was as if the chicken knew its life was over, she stated, as a result of it stopped consuming. Simply days earlier than the bald eagle died, a red-tailed hawk present in Walworth County was shot, too.
“I believe we…are beginning to see an issue in southeastern Wisconsin that we have to tackle earlier than it will get worse,” Wallace Blane stated.
Fellow Mortals has taken care of 5 bald eagles already this yr. Wallace Blane stated a few of them had been hit by automobiles and considered one of them had signs of avian influenza. However the capturing and trapping of those birds is just not one thing she usually sees.
Raptors are protected beneath the Migratory Chicken Treaty Act and bald eagles have extra safety beneath the Bald and Golden Eagle Safety Act.
Wallace Blane stated southeastern Wisconsin residents ought to be educated about these legal guidelines and the essential function raptors play in controlling different animal populations as predators.
Smith, who discovered the Racine County bald eagle, stated individuals in Wisconsin often mistake a chicken for one thing they’re legally looking. Nonetheless, that is the primary time he’s encountered a bald eagle that’s been shot.
“That’s definitely somewhat extra distinctive and one thing that’s somewhat bit tougher to grasp,” Smith stated.
After the Racine County bald eagle was euthanized, Smith took the chicken’s physique into proof, as part of the continued investigation into who shot it. With these investigations, Smith stated they rely on whether or not individuals come ahead with details about the incident.
Anybody with details about the capturing of the bald eagle can anonymously name or textual content the DNR’s tip hotline at 1-800-847-9367.
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