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Wisconsin DNR investigating shooting of bald eagle in Racine County

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Wisconsin

Hands on Wisconsin: Wisconsin’s climate ain’t what it used to be

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Hands on Wisconsin: Wisconsin’s climate ain’t what it used to be


Whether it’s devastating tornadoes, frequent thunderstorms, destructive flooding or searing heat waves, it’s clear Wisconsin’s climate ain’t what it used to be. 



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Wisconsin Dells man arrested following child pornography investigation, deputies say

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Wisconsin Dells man arrested following child pornography investigation, deputies say


MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A 31-year-old Wisconsin Dells man was arrested following an internet crime investigation, Adams County Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office reported on Tuesday.

According to a sheriff’s office Facebook post, the investigation started after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sent in a cybertip. The tip reported about 65 suspected child pornography images being shared or uploaded with other users.

Investigators also learned that the suspect was also being investigated by the El Paso Police Department in Illinois for allegedly sending child pornography videos or images along with communicating with who the suspect believed was a 15-year-old girl.

On June 21, the Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigations executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence on the 3600 block of STH 13 in Wisconsin Dells.

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The man was taken into custody on active warrant through the state of Illinois for ten counts of distributing child pornography, one count of indecent solicitation of a minor and one count of grooming.

Wisconsin Department of Justice was among several agencies that helped the Adams County Sheriff’s Office with this investigation.

Authorities are continuing to investigate this case.

Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.

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Who can work Wisconsin's elections? New restrictions won't affect much, attorney general says

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Who can work Wisconsin's elections? New restrictions won't affect much, attorney general says


MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new constitutional amendment restricting who can work on Wisconsin elections should have little practical effect, according to a legal opinion issued by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul on Tuesday.

Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment in April that says only lawfully designated election officials can perform any work on primaries, elections and referendums.

It’s unclear how the amendment might change current practices beyond placing definitions about election officials, which are already in state law, into the constitution.

Dane County Corporation Counsel Carlos Pabellon asked Kaul weeks after the amendment was approved for a legal opinion on the definition of a lawful election official. Pabellon pointed out that parts of state law define them as special deputies who help nursing home residents vote, election inspectors and tabulators while other sections say they’re anyone charged with any duties relating to an election.

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He questioned whether county and municipal clerks and their staffs remain election officials under the amendment. He also asked whether third-party vendors such as ballot printers could work with election officials since the amendment states only lawfully-designated election officials can do any election work.

Kaul wrote that the amendment doesn’t change the definition of a lawfully designated election official so the multiple definitions in state law remain viable. The amendment also doesn’t negate state laws empowering clerks and other election officials to run elections, he said.

What to know about the 2024 Election

The attorney general went on to say that the amendment doesn’t require election work to be performed only by election officials. Essentially, the amendment mandates that only lawfully designated election officials can control election administration, he wrote.

Kaul noted that Republican lawmakers drafted the amendment in reaction to grant money that came into Wisconsin in 2020 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a liberal group that promotes voter access. That year the group received a $300 million donation from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to help election officials buy supplies and run elections at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic

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Wisconsin’s five largest cities, which President Joe Biden went on to win, received $8.8 million, sparking outrage from Republicans. They accused Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich of ceding authority for running the election to a paid consultant who had worked on Democratic campaigns in the past. Green Bay city attorneys said the claims lacked merit.





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