6/12/2026

BAYFIELD COUNTY - Bayfield County is seeking proposals from outside ambulance providers to help backstop its volunteer EMS system as staffing shortages and rising call volumes strain emergency response services. County officials say the goal is to supplement, not replace, local volunteer ambulance agencies. The county reported increasing missed calls and declining volunteer availability, prompting plans for a countywide EMS safety net that could include contracted ambulance services, quick-response vehicles, or shared staffing models. Officials expect to review proposals and consider long-term solutions as they prepare for 2027 budget decisions aimed at improving EMS coverage and response reliability across the county.

6/12/2026

N. WISCONSIN - Chai Vang, the man sentenced to six life sentences for the 2004 Tree Stand Killings in Northwest Wisconsin, has been pronounced dead, according to Wisconsin court records.  A case status change entered yesterday on the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website states Vang died on June 10. No other information has been released.  Vang was convicted in September 2005 on six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of attempted homicide in the Nov. 21, 2004, shootings of eight hunters. Six people were killed and two others were wounded.  Vang, who was 36 at the time of the shootings, claimed he acted in self-defense after hunters confronted him for trespassing, used racial slurs against him and shot at him.

6/12/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - For the first time, the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book is doing more than ranking states. This year's report assigned Michigan a child well-being score of 527 out of one-thousand, placing it at 34th nationally. While the state ranks 21st in child health, education remains a challenge at 42nd. Anne Kuhnen with the Michigan League for Public Policy says the new scoring system offers a better way to track progress.

                    0:07  "It takes the regular categories that we normally look at. In addition to providing a ranking of how we're doing compared to other states."

Michigan is among the bottom five states for fourth grade reading proficiency. The report also found three in four eighth graders aren't proficient in math. Kuhnen says policymakers are aware of the state's literacy crisis, and the report is intended to help leaders identify which investments are improving outcomes for children.