3/04/2026

LUCE COUNTY - Three people from lower Michigan were arrested following an attempt to smuggle drugs into Newberry Correctional Facility.  The Michigan State Police says on Feb. 28, troopers from the MSP Sault Ste. Marie Post was notified by Newberry Correctional Facility of a possible smuggling attempt.  Troopers surveilled the area and observed suspicious activity involving a car and people near the facility. The release says troopers conducted a traffic stop shortly after.  During the investigation, prison staff found a package inside the prison yard containing roughly 100 grams of methamphetamine and four ounces of THC wax.  The release says two adult men were lodged at the Luce County Jail as a result of the investigation. A 16-year-old juvenile boy was also apprehended in the case. 

3/04/2026

N. WISCONSIN - The author and founder of a law that requires education for K-12 students on how to prevent child sexual abuse is calling on residents to help get it passed in Wisconsin before a deadline this month. Erin’s Law requires annual training to teach kids how to identify and report unsafe touch and behaviors. Erin Merryn created the law and has been trying to get it passed in Wisconsin for 10 years. She stresses the curriculum is not sex education but focuses on body safety training, giving children the tools to identify and speak up about abuse.

                    0:12  "We teach and mandate in schools across America, including Wisconsin, tornado drills, bus drills, fire drills, mass shooting drills. Children are far more likely to be sexually abused than any of those things I just mentioned."

Wisconsin lawmakers could vote on Erin’s Law on March 17th, but Merryn says Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu has not yet placed the bill on the calendar. With 17 of 18 Republican Senators needed to pass the bill, she's urging residents to contact lawmakers to ensure the measure is brought to a vote and approved.

3/04/2026

MADISON- Wisconsin lawmakers are pushing to join 20 other states in banning cellphones in schools from bell to bell.  A policy already set to take effect next school year prohibits phone use during instructional time, allowing students to use their devices during free periods such as lunch. A new Republican proposal would go further, requiring schools to adopt a full bell-to-bell ban by July 1, 2027.  The Republican measure would physically remove phones from students.  One study that shows a 6.5% increase academically in schools with a bell-to-bell ban.”  Many schools currently have bans in place during learning periods. The bill would extend that restriction to cover the entire school day.