1410 WIZM

3 arrests have been made by Sparta and Tomah police in connection with an armed robbery that happened last week.

2 armed men wearing ski masks broke into a downtown Sparta apartment of a 22 year old female in the search for a safe that contained a firearm. After waving guns in the woman's face, the pair fled on foot with the safe to an awaiting car.

Arrested were 29 year old Bobby Ostrum of Necedah, 26 year old Donald Hage Jr. of Tomah and 18 year old Anthony Yenter of rural Tomah. All 3 are in the Monroe County jail and will make court appearances today. The item that was stolen was recovered.

The La Crosse School District is one of several in the area that have agreed to a new contract with their teachers......and they are working with other bargaining units to settle theirs as well.

The teacher contract extension would be for another year and includes a pay freeze. It also has increases to retirement and health care payments that are similar to those in Governor Scott Walkers budget repair bill.

District Business Manager, Janet Rossiter, says the contracts help make up the more than four million dollars in lost revenue from Governor Walkers budget proposal.

Other school districts in the area that have seen contract extensions for their teachers include those in Onalaska, Holmen and Sparta.

The next superintendent of the Lacrosse School District will face an immediate one million dollar hole if the governor's budget bill passes. But first, the district has to find a super.

Jerry Kember announced his intentions to retire back in January, and the search for his replacement is underway. Kember was with the district for 22 years.

The school board was updated last night by the associate superintendent for human resources, Steve Salerno. He says that a firm was found to help conduct the search.......it has been advertised both statewide and nationally and the deadline for applications is March 18th. The board hopes to hire and name a new super sometime in late May.

La Crosse has long struggled to deal with the fiscal challenges of having excessive tax exempt properties in the city. And now there may be more. The Shrine of Our Lady Guadalupe is one of two organizations seeking tax relief in the form of an exemption from the city council this week. The Shrine wants its gift shop and restaurant declared exempt, even though neither has had that status since being built.  Attorney Tom Kieffer represents the Shrine in the tax fight.  He disagrees with the city's contention that neither the gift shop nor the restaurant are essential to the evangelical mission of the shrine.  Local governments could lose 45 thousand dollars in tax money if the Shrine gets its exemption. WTC is also hoping for an exemption for the student dorm it has built downtown even though the school owns neither the building or the land it's built on.