RiverFest will celebrate conservation

RiverFest, an annual five-day celebration of the St. Croix River, will return this year with an emphasis on preserving water quality. Festival events will be held July 22-26 at various locations in Hudson, Wis.

This year’s RiverFest will kick off with the annual river cleanup where participants pick up garbage along the St. Croix River. The cleanup will be 10-11:30 a.m. July 22. Volunteers will meet at Hudson’s Lakefront Park Bandshell.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will do on-the-water demonstrations with its electrofishing boat at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. July 22 by the Lakefront Park Beach House.

A free St. Croix Valley Community Band Concert will start at 7 p.m. July 24 at the Lakefront Park Bandshell.

For the full list of RiverFest events, visit stcroixriverfest.org.

— Kathryn Kovalenko

St. Croix River

Delays expected as bridge is inspected

Motorists using the St. Croix River bridge south of Stillwater will encounter single-lane closures this week as the bridge undergoes inspection by Wisconsin Department of Transportation engineers.

From now until Thursday, daily lane closures will occur between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. for eastbound traffic and between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for westbound traffic, according to WisDOT officials.

Motorists might experience delays and should plan accordingly.

The bridge, which opened to traffic in August 2017, is inspected every two years.

— Mary Divine

COMSTOCK, Wis.

Woman injured in black bear attack

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is investigating a black bear attack that occurred Saturday in Barron County, where a 69-year-old woman sustained severe injuries.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and her condition was unavailable Sunday afternoon, according to a news release from the DNR. The search for the bear is ongoing.

The victim reported the attack around 2 p.m.

Upon arrival, officers began looking for the bear and located a cub in a tree, indicating the incident involved a sow and cub, according to the DNR.The cause of the attack is unknown.

The search efforts were joined by DNR wardens and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services staff, who unsuccessfully attempted to track the bear with the aid of a trained dog.

Several bear traps have been set at the scene. According to the DNR, the goal is to euthanize the bear and assess its condition.

The DNR said black bears are generally secretive and tend to avoid humans, but may become aggressive if cubs are present and they feel threatened.

There are an estimated 24,000 bears in Wisconsin, primarily occupying the northern two-thirds of the state.

— Forum News Service