1410 WIZM

La Crosse County is busy printing ballots for the next recall race...

It wasn't until yesterday, after the deadline for seeking a primary recount had passed, that the county could start preparing ballots for the main recall election on August 9th. County clerk Ginny Dankmeyer expects demand for ballots in the 32nd District Senate race to be high, following the turnout for last week's Democratic vote.  She predicts it could get up to 40 per cent.

Absentee ballots will be mailed out starting on Monday. That's also when voters may start casting absentee ballots at municipal clerk's offices.

Minnesota outlawed synthetic drugs back on July 1st.......seems as one Winona store owner was not happy with that as he kept on selling it. Winona Police say the amount of synthetic marijuana seized Friday at a Winona tobacco shop totaled 1,066 bags of varying sizes and weights.

Officers from 4 agencies raided Royal Tobacco after undercover officers made purchases of the banned substances over the past couple of weeks. The store’s owners and the employees who sold the drugs may face criminal charges. None have been filed yet.

Synthetic marijuana, sometimes referred to as K2 r spice, is one of several drugs, including plant food and bath salts, that the state now classifies as controlled substances.

Parole denied. That's the word from a state review board today in the case of 63 year old Bonita Smith. She's in prison for killing a 76 year old grocery store worker in Richland County back in 1982.

Smith, along with James Wilson both received life sentences plus 20 years for the killing of Leona Milfred during a robbery. She will now stay locked up in a minimum security prison for at least another year.

One of the people telling the review board to keep Smith locked up, was the victim's 71 year old son, Terry. He says that Smith never took responsibility for the thrill seeking killing and accused Smith of telling conflicting stories to avoid getting busted.

2 people are dead after a house fire in the Village of Curtiss in Clark County. Fire fighters were called to the house shortly after midnight today to find the house engulfed in flames.

Three people were taken to Ministry St. Joesph's Hospital in Marshfield.......2 were pronounced dead.....a third person's condition is unknown.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate the fire.