March 15, 2026
VERNON COUNTY, Wis. — From complex multi-million dollar infrastructure and environmental remediation projects to intense regional opposition against a massive high-voltage power line, the Driftless Region navigated a wave of critical developments this past week. Local news coverage since March 8 highlighted a community tackling pressing landfill capacity limits, preparing for major spring construction, securing academic partnerships for flood mitigation, and navigating changes in local athletics and school achievements.
Here is a summary of the local stories we covered this week:
Vernon Electric Co-Op members vote at annual meeting to demand clearer answers on MariBell project
At the 90th annual meeting of the Vernon Electric Cooperative on March 8, a majority of the 185 members present approved an advisory resolution demanding more information from Dairyland Power Cooperative and GridLiance regarding the 765-kilovolt MariBell transmission line. Members cited deep concerns over the project’s unprecedented scale—which includes 150- to 200-foot towers—its potential damage to the Driftless Area landscape, and the financial burden it could place on local utility customers to fund a massive regional project.
Viroqua Center Avenue reconstruction prepares for spring resumption
Viroqua is bracing for the second and final phase of the Center Avenue infrastructure overhaul, with preliminary electrical work by Xcel Energy starting in March. The comprehensive roadwork and heavy excavation by contractor Badger Environmental will officially restart in April, bringing brief traffic stoppages and coordinated detours to the downtown area as crews prepare the corridor.
Richland County committee seeks information on proposed 765 kV transmission line
The Richland County Natural Resources Committee unanimously recommended an information-request resolution regarding the BECI transmission line—a massive 765-kV project that acts as a continuation of the MariBell line. The resolution, which now heads to the full County Board, formally demands that developer Transource provide detailed plans addressing the line’s route, environmental impacts, and necessity.
County building to close temporarily for planned electrical maintenance
Vernon County announced that the Erlandson Office Building in Viroqua will be temporarily closed to the public on Friday, March 13, for scheduled electrical maintenance on its backup generator systems. Staff from affected departments, such as Human Services, Health, and Zoning, will temporarily provide services from the nearby Courthouse Annex during the closure.
Vernon County Sheriff’s Report for the week ending Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026
The weekly sheriff’s report documented a high-speed chase involving a Minnesota driver traveling south toward Viroqua, resulting in multiple citations for reckless driving and passing in a no-passing zone. Deputies also managed incidents ranging from nearly 100 sheep loose on State Highway 162 in the Town of Hamburg to a traffic stop in Coon Valley where a fight broke out inside a vehicle containing impaired occupants and illicit drugs.
Vernon County scrambles for landfill space as DNR continues to stretch permit timeline
Facing a dire space crisis, the Vernon County Infrastructure Committee is considering desperate measures to keep its landfill open, including peeling back existing dirt layers to recapture buried airspace and diverting waste to neighboring counties. The facility is technically out of room as it endures an agonizingly slow permitting process with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which recently requested additional geological testing and site visits for a proposed 9.5-acre expansion.
Viroqua holds public hearing on multi-million dollar landfill mitigation plan
The Viroqua City Council took a major step toward addressing dangerous methane gas migration at the closed municipal dump by holding a public hearing to apply for a USDA Rural Development loan. Facing state mandates, the city intends to construct a $2.2 to $2.5 million active gas extraction system, complete with underground piping and mechanical blowers, to prevent explosive methane from threatening nearby homes and a church.
Viroqua library advances courtyard transformation and city mural walk
Backed by a $50,000 Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Vibrant Spaces grant, the Viroqua City Council approved a $24,263 contract to purchase specialized outdoor furniture for the McIntosh Memorial Library courtyard. The purchase helps transform a hot concrete slab into a welcoming, colorful gathering space that will serve as the starting point for a new interactive walking tour of downtown murals.
Vernon County updates outdoor warning siren criteria for severe storms
Vernon County Emergency Management announced changes to its severe weather protocols, noting that outdoor warning sirens will now be activated when the National Weather Service issues a severe thunderstorm warning with a “destructive” tag. This high-tier designation is reserved for storms capable of producing 80 mph winds or baseball-sized hail, ensuring residents are alerted to immediate threats to life and property.
De Soto Schools shrink elementary achievement gap as overall scores rise
The De Soto Area School District is reporting overall improvements in test scores as it works through the second year of its Academic Excellence Plan. While the district successfully shrunk a glaring 31-point achievement gap between its two elementary schools, administrators acknowledged they still face hurdles, including declining enrollment and a string of failed operational referendums.
Ex-La Crosse cop accused of writing misleading report now at nearby PD
A 15-year veteran of the La Crosse Police Department, Daniel Ulrich, who resigned amid an internal investigation over a misleading police report, is now working as a part-time officer in the nearby Village of West Salem. The investigation was triggered after the county’s district attorney noted that Ulrich’s written account of an Oktoberfest interaction with a drunken motorcyclist conflicted significantly with another officer’s body camera footage.
Vernon County’s Conservation and Education Committee voted unanimously to hire a professional fundraising firm to spearhead an estimated $3 million capital campaign to dredge Sidie Hollow Lake and build a new zero-entrance public swimming beach. The county will spend an initial $35,000 in Ho-Chunk grant funds on a campaign readiness study to determine if the local donor base can support the massive recreational overhaul.
Viroqua athletics headed to Southwest Wisconsin Conference in 2027 following successful WIAA appeal
Following a successful appeal to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), Viroqua Area Schools will leave the Coulee Conference to join the Southwest Wisconsin Conference starting in the 2027-2028 school year. District officials pursued the move to seek better competitive balance, citing massive enrollment disparities with larger schools in their current conference.
State Senator Brad Pfaff and Representative Tara Johnson introduced the “Transmission Line Undergrounding and Co-Location Act” in response to fierce local opposition against the proposed MariBell transmission project. The legislation would require utility companies proposing massive new power lines to bury them underground or route them along existing interstate highway corridors to protect rural landscapes and public safety.
Vernon County launches pilot program to pay farmers for planting conservation buffer strips
Backed by Ho-Chunk Nation grant funds, Vernon County has launched a $30,000 pilot program that pays local farmers to plant perennial buffer strips along their fields to combat soil erosion and protect groundwater from phosphorus and nitrogen runoff. Participating farmers will sign three-year contracts receiving up to $210 per acre annually for converting runoff-prone row crop acreage into deep-rooted grasses or alfalfa.
Vernon County partners with UW Madison to tackle flood mitigation through UniverCity Alliance
Vernon County has secured a partnership with the UW-Madison UniverCity Alliance program to pair local officials with university students and faculty to research and tackle long-term flood mitigation strategies. The $15,000 investment will fund three distinct projects, including a conservation messaging campaign, a review of dam decommissioning policies, and the development of a screening tool for installing on-road flood mitigation structures.
Grouse Hollow Journal for Friday, March 13, 2026 (These are the good old days)
In this week’s journal, author Greg Koelker recounts his preparations for a potential snowstorm and power outage, which included moving his tractor and side-by-side to the garage and barn, setting out snow shovels, storing emergency drinking water, and stocking up on birdseed for his feeders. He also shares a few slice-of-life updates, such as grabbing lunch at the Mirage Sports Bar, noting a recent 60-cent spike in local gas prices, and meeting family in Genoa for a modified annual ice-fishing trip, which had to be relocated due to a lack of ice up north. Additionally, he shares a humorous anecdote about a friend in Colorado who had to extract a dead elk from a swimming pool using an ATV and a pool skimmer pole
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