Wisconsin
Wisconsin Xcel Energy crews among the many heading down to Georgia for hurricane relief
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – It has been several days since Hurricane Helen ravaged The South.
“Looking at some of the stuff that they’re talking about, the sights, the sounds and the smells, it kind of does cross your mind a little,” said Terry Schloer.
He has worked for Xcel Energy for decades. He and others from Wisconsin are using their skills to help bring relief to those impacted by power outages in Augusta, Ga.
“Knowing they’re still looking for help a week after the storm is really kind of telling its tale that there’s significant damage,” said Brad Polacek.
He is one of three managers traveling with twelve linemen that make up six crews from the Wisconsin region.
Xcel Energy is sending over a hundred workers in total from various states, which include our neighbors to the west in Minnesota.
Four of the six Wisconsin groups met in Eau Claire on Wednesday to go over the game plan before hitting the road.
“You don’t realize how important that electricity is until that light switch don’t work anymore,” said Schloer.
Our sister state WAGT/WRDW reported that thousands of linemen from various companies that come from various state are in the Peach State to help out.
Our colleagues said the category 1 storm’s damage to the Georgie Power electric grid includes:
More than 8,000 power poles
More than a thousand miles of wiring
More than 1,500 transformers.
The station also reported that of the 184,000 Georgia Power customers without power, the majority of them are in Augusta.
“There’s plenty of guys that’ll be down there helping out. These guys are going to be putting in 16 hour days. Getting lights on and fixing polls and getting wires up,” said Schloer.
The linemen heading down have had their fair share of power restoration operations.
“In our area here we’ve seen big wind events, thunderstorms, tornadoes aren’t uncommon for this area either,” said Polacek.
The crews recognize the job ahead is easier said than done.
“We’ll gladly go do it and help out. We’ll get dirty and get tired. We’ll put in some long days. But, it’s just part of it,” said Schloer.
“What we can’t lose sight of is the safety part of that. We have to make sure we take the time necessary to do what we do safely. Make sure we have zero injuries on the way there, do our work and make it back home safely,” said Polacek.
The crews from Wisconsin plan to get to Georgia by Friday and expect to work for the next couple of weeks.
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Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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