In the early morning hours of Sunday morning, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a one vehicle rollover crash with injuries, on County A near Buckwheat Ridge Rd., in Ellenboro Township. 17-year-old Christopher Brandemuehl, of rural Lancaster, and his passenger 26-year-old Katy Schafer, of Montfort, were traveling on County A when Brandemuehl’s vehicle hit the edge of the roadway, crossed the center line and entered a ditch. The vehicle struck an embankment and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on the driver’s side.  Both Brandemuehl and Schafer were ejected from the vehicle. Brandemuehl was transported by AirCare3 to UW-Hospital in Madison for treatment of critical injuries, and Schafer was pronounced dead at the scene. Speed is believed to be a factor in the crash. As a result of the investigation, County A was shut down in both directions for approximately 7 hours. The incident remains under investigation. This was Grant County’s fourth fatal crash of 2026. 

Saturday afternoon the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and Potosi Fire & EMS were dispatched to a motorcycle crash with injuries on Brouillard Hill Road, west of Old Potosi Rd., in Potosi Township. 63-year-old Timothy P. Ravn of St. Paul MN. was driving his motorcycle on Brouillard Hill Rd. When his rear tire locked up at the crest of a hill, causing the motorcycle to go down on its side and into a skid.  Ravn was wearing a full face helmet and jacket, but sustained serious life threatening injuries. UW-Med Flight was notified, and Potosi EMS transported Ravn to Grant Regional Hospital in Lancaster, where he was pronounced deceased prior to being transported by Med Flight. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office was also assisted by the South St. Paul, MN Police Department for notifying next of kin. This was Grant County’s third fatal crash of 2026.  

The Platteville Regional Chamber has announced the official band lineup for the 2026 Southwest Music Fest. The expanded two-day event will take place July 17–18, kicking off Platteville’s Hometown Festival Week with an exciting mix of live music, food, and community celebration. On Friday headlining The Annex Main Stage from 7:00–11:00 p.m. is Back Booth Alley. On Saturday, music begins at 11:00 a.m. with acoustic performances across downtown, featuring Dustin Lloyd and Logan Bollant. Early afternoon brings full bands starting with Sarah Day Music from 1-3 pm at Red N Deb’s Bar & Grill followed by Stolen Grace playing at The Gym from 3-5 pm.  The Main Stage comes alive at 5:30 pm with Sonic Circus followed by the Pork Tornadoes. Tickets can be purchased at the Platteville Regional Chamber Office or online at southwestmusicfest26.eventbrite.com  

The Field of Dreams Ballpark is officially becoming the home of a Northwoods League team in 2027! The Northwoods League is the largest organized collegiate baseball league in history, with more than 30 seasons of developing players who go on to reach the highest levels of the game. Now they’re bringing that tradition and talent to Dyersville. The Northwoods League and the Field of Dreams movie site this morning announced a team will be located at the newly constructed ballpark when the 2027 season begins. The local fans will play a role in naming the new team and can submit entries at dyersvillenwl.com.   

From April 1 to May 1, Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office participated in the Distracted Driving Grant. During the campaign, the Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office reports 61 citations and 19 written warnings were issued. The leading citations were 40 for distracted driving and 8 for speeding. The increased enforcement was implemented to help motorists avoid the often-deadly consequences of distracted driving with a simple reminder: Put the Phone Away or Pay.” The Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office joined forces with the Illinois State Police, local law enforcement and highway safety partners for this enforcement effort.  

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is warning drivers to stay alert on the road as deer crashes spike in May and June.  During late spring, deer are looking for places to give birth, causing young deer to be separated from their mothers. As a result, more deer cross the roads, increasing their chance of getting hit by vehicles.  In 2025, there were 17,795 crashes involving deer in Wisconsin, leading to six fatalities and 720 injuries. 223 of the crashes involved a motorcycle, resulting in four fatalities and 80 serious injuries. 

The City of Platteville will be flushing hydrants next week. The Platteville Water Department will be flushing hydrants city-wide on Monday and Tuesday beginning at 7:00 a.m. each morning. Customers may experience isolated cases of discolored water on both days and should postpone doing laundry if this condition is present.  You are urged to flush your building and home water systems. 

Wisconsin’s Department of Justice, along with a coalition of every other state in the country, has announced that a federal court will approve a $700 million settlement in a multistate antitrust lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit challenged Google’s control over Android app distribution and in-app payments. Most of the settlement funds will go directly to individuals who made purchases on Google Play from August 2016 to September 2023. Most recipients will not need to fill out a claim form and will receive their payments through PayPal or Venmo. 

A new record at the pump. On Tuesday, Triple A lists the average price for diesel in Wisconsin at $5.71 a gallon. That surpasses the previous record of $5.52 a gallon set in June of 2022. For regular unleaded, Wisconsin’s statewide average on Tuesday is $4.40 a gallon. The highest price is up in northeastern Wisconsin in Florence County at $4.52 a gallon. The cheapest is $4.03 a gallon in Rusk County, in northwestern Wisconsin.  

Iowa gas prices have topped $4 per gallon for the first time since 2022, averaging $4.11 a gallon. According to GasBuddy, prices jumped 15 cents from Sunday night to Monday, up from $3.84 on Wednesday. Prices have risen 61 cents in the past month. Iowa gas prices are $1.18 higher than a year ago. The highest recorded average in Iowa was $4.77 per gallon in June 2022. Nationally, Georgia has the lowest average gas price at $3.85 per gallon, while California has the highest at $6.08.