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With severe weather season on the horizon, Vernon County Emergency Management is reminding people that they’ll start monthly tests of its outdoor warning sirens.   The sirens sound, according to Brandon Larson, the county’s Emergency Management Director, when there’s immediate danger. That isn’t just a tornado but could be severe thunderstorm hazards including straight line winds, microbursts, or downbursts. The list also includes hazardous materials incidents, flash flooding, or other life-threatening emergencies.   Testing begins on Monday, April 6, at 11 a.m. and continues on the first Monday of every month through September. The exception is September, when testing happens on Tuesday, September 8.   If there’s inclement weather around the time of the test, it would be postponed until the next suitable day.   Also, in both Wisconsin and Minnesota, statewide tornado drills are planned as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week which runs from April 13-17.   On Thursday, April 16, statewide tornado drills happen at 1:45 pm and 6:45 pm. At those times, outdoor sirens will sound. Officials suggest this is an opportunity for schools, businesses, individuals, or families to practice moving to storm shelters in case of an actual weather emergency.   If there’s severe weather on April 16, the test will be moved to April 17.   The post Vernon County starts testing outdoor sirens on April 6 appeared first on WIZM 92.3FM 106.7FM 1410AM. [TheTopNews] Read More.

It’s a program that’s always a contender to win a National Championship, but for the UW-L women’s track team, the first home meet of the season is as special as that last one. The Ashton May Invitational honors the former 10-time All-American, who was killed in a car accident on Sept. 16, 2012, at 25 years old. At the time, May was beginning her first year teaching math and social studies at Holmen Middle School and had just started her third season as an assistant coach for the Eagles. “I can’t think of a better way to kick off our outdoor season than that every year,” UW-L coach Nick Davis, in his ninth season with his team coming off a fourth-place finish at Indoor Nationals, said. “So I look forward to it, and I know our team does as well”. Listen live weekdays at 5:06 p.m. Find the pod on Spotify, Apple Podcast or here. Tune in on the WIZM app or on air at 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska) Skip Ad Davis never got to meet Ashton. But when one of your assistant coaches is Ashton’s sister (Liz May) and another was a teammate and friend (Katie Wegner), Davis didn’t have to meet Ashton to know the kind of person she was. Ashton May “Although I’ve never met Ashton, hearing all the stories and knowing the people that — like her family members and friends — I feel like I know her,” Davis said. “And what I can tell you is she was the very best of everything that we want to represent in terms of our track and field program and the culture of our team. Just an amazing, supportive teammate, just a focused and tenacious competitor and just a wonderful human being”. While the meet is centered on the competition at Roger Harring Stadium, for Davis, the most meaningful moments happen away from the finish line. He says the meet has become an annual homecoming that allows the program to reconnect with the people Ashton loved most. “It’s always a sad moment to think about that — losing somebody like… [TheTopNews] Read More.

A traffic stop in the George Street area leads to drug possession charges for a La Crosse resident. Jackson Forty-three-year-old Paradise Jackson faces multiple charges of having drugs in his car and his home. A police officer stopped Jackson on Monday for failing to obey a stop sign, and a search inside the car revealed crack cocaine and marijuana. Fentanyl was discovered during a later search at Jackson’s residence. Jackson has been on probation, following previous drug charges. He is in the county jail, under a $25,000 cash bond, with his next court hearing set for April 8th. The post Drug possession charges follow traffic stop in north La Crosse appeared first on WIZM 92.3FM 106.7FM 1410AM. [TheTopNews] Read More.

The new director of Downtown Mainstreet in La Crosse makes a pitch at City Hall for the Sunday Market proposal. Chad Honeycutt tells the neighborhood revitalization commission that the new outdoor market planned from May through October at Cameron Park is designed as a way to bring people downtown, for more than just market activities. “Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., is my revitalization point for this downtown,” said Honeycutt during a commission meeting on Wednesday. “This is where I start our ascension, where I think about growing this section” and combine different economies.” Honeycutt says the market will be broken down into zones. “We have a wellness and exercise zone,” he says, “we’ll have group-led different things,” such as tai chi and Salute the Sun, as well as a music zone with deejays and a piano, along with traditional farmer market features. DMI will run the weekly outdoor event independently from the Farmers Market, which is moving to Pearl Street this season. The Sunday Market begins the week after Memorial Day, and runs to the last Sunday in October. The post Sunday Market plan for La Crosse gets thumbs up from Downtown Mainstreet director appeared first on WIZM 92.3FM 106.7FM 1410AM. [TheTopNews] Read More.

A homicide trial is scheduled in December, for a Genoa man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend and setting fire to her home. Jurors will be chosen for the Matthew Sierra trial on December 14th, and the trial is expected to last the rest of that week. Matthew Sierra The 38-year-old Sierra has pled not guilty to homicide and arson charges, in the death last November 13th of Alexis Pickett and her unborn child. The victim’s body was found after fire crews were called to a fire at her home near George Street. FILE: Alexis Pickett was found dead after a fire on Taylor Street in November. Pickett reportedly was pregnant with Sierra’s baby. Prosecutors charge that Sierra set the fire, and then sat watching the fire in his car afterward. The original criminal complaint was dismissed because of a lack of details, and was resubmitted by the district attorney’s office. The post Sierra homicide trial in La Crosse County planned for December appeared first on WIZM 92.3FM 106.7FM 1410AM. [TheTopNews] Read More.