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• ALERT: Wind advisory issued for western Wisconsin
• New Richmond business man sentenced in child porn case
• Bag limits adjusted in western Wisconsin
• Amery Municipal Airport project gains design funding

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory, in effect from 9 a.m. this morning (Wednesday, May 20) to 7 p.m. this evening.

Southerly winds sustained at 30 to 35 mph are expected today in advance of a low pressure system over the Dakotas. Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph can be expected as well.

A wind advisory means that winds of 30 mph are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Daily walleye bag limits will increase May 22 on 255 lakes in the Wisconsin Ceded Territory to reflect spring spearing harvest by six Wisconsin bands of Chippewa Indians.

A daily bag limit of one or two walleye will increase to two or three walleye per day on 92 lakes. In addition, 163 lakes will go from an initial bag limit of one or two walleyes per day to the state daily bag limit of five, according to Joe Hennessy, who coordinates the treaty fisheries management program for the Department of Natural Resources.

Cedar Lake in St. Croix and Polk counties will have a bag limit of two walleyes as of Friday, May 22.

In Polk County, Balsam, Big Round, Half Moon and Wapogasset will all have a bag limit of two fish, while Big Butternut, N. Pipe and Pipe lakes will have a three-fish limit.

In Dunn County, Tainter Lake will have a bag limit of three.

Anglers should consult the 2009-10 Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations, signs at boat landings, and the 2009-2010 Revised Ceded Territory Walleye Bag Limits pamphlet for lake-specific information.

As part of a 1983 Federal Appellate Court decision affirming Chippewa off-reservation hunting, fishing, and gathering rights, the six bands of Wisconsin Chippewa set annual harvest quotas for off-reservation lakes in the Wisconsin Ceded Territory. To assure the combined tribal and recreational angler harvest does not exceed a sustainable level, the state sets recreational bag limits in lakes declared for harvest by the Chippewa bands.

An administrative rule passed by the state Natural Resources Board in 1998 allows the department to adjust initial bag limits annually to reflect actual spring spearing harvests and projected summer harvests.

Of the 258 lakes with bag limits less than five, 78 lakes will have a bag limit of two walleye per day, and 180 lakes will have a daily bag of three walleye per day. The six Chippewa tribes together declared a harvest of 53,706 walleye for 2009 and had harvested 32,198 as of May 15, 2009.

A $51,256 project to begin engineering design at the Amery Municipal Airport has received approval.

Governor Jim Doyle action releases $1,281 in state funds for the project and the city of Amery is contributing $1,282. The Federal Aviation Administration is providing $48,693.

According to Stacey Miller, airport engineering specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the project will start design work for the reconstruction of the parallel taxiway, connecting taxiway, and aircraft apron.

The project is scheduled to begin in May 2009 and should be completed by end of summer.

Amery Municipal Airport is located two miles south of the City of Amery on 218 acres. The airport includes one paved runway, 4,000 feet in length. About 25 aircraft are based at the airport and approximately 14,000 take-offs and landings occur each year.