News

Madison – During a State Assembly floor session that commenced Wednesday, Representative Nancy VanderMeer (R-Tomah) voted to support the Legislature’s 2025-2026 biennial budget and released the following statement:

“I was happy to again support a responsible, two-year fiscal plan that funds state governmental obligations and prioritizes areas of importance for residents of the 70^th Assembly District. Furthermore, I was happy to support a biennial budget that doesn’t dramatically grow state government and exorbitantly raise taxes and fees on hard-working individuals and families throughout the state as the governor and Legislative Democrats would prefer to do.

“I stated earlier this year that I looked forward to working with my colleagues to once again deliver a responsible budget for taxpayers throughout our state that promotes taxpayers keeping more of their own money, invests in infrastructure, prioritizes public safety, increases access to health care, and more, and this budget does that. There’s a lot to like for a number of my friends and neighbors in the West Central part of the state, namely, a middle-class tax cut, retirement income tax exclusion and prioritizing our rural economy and infrastructure with $150 million invested in the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) with $30 million targeted to bridge and culvert repair.”

As passed by the Joint Committee on Finance, the retirement income tax exclusion for filers at least 67 years of age is applicable on the first $24,000 of retirement income for individuals and $48,000 for married-joint filers.

Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson and Vernon County Coroner Betty Nigh, in
coordination with Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett, are providing an update on the July 8, 2025,
incident and subsequent death investigation.
Late Tuesday afternoon, July 8, 2025, at approximately 4:00 PM, the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office
911 Communications Center received a report that the suspect in a double homicide that occurred
in Dane County was travelling west on US Highway 14, approaching Vernon County. A Wisconsin
State Patrol trooper was following the white 2020 Honda Accord and requested assistance.
Multiple responding officers from the Sheriff’s Office and the Viroqua Police Department and
multiple law enforcement communications professionals worked efficiently with the state patrol in
a highly coordinated response. Once officers were positioned south of Viroqua to prevent entry into
the populated area, a traffic stop was initiated, and the operator immediately complied by pulling
onto the westbound shoulder near Offerdahl Road.
Our team performed how they are trained in high-risk vehicle contacts, using verbal commands for
the operator, or any occupants to obey, but there was no response. After no response to further
verbal commands and observation with no movement inside the vehicle, a tactical approach was
made. At 5:21 PM, contact was made confirming the operator was the lone occupant and there
were no signs of life. It was apparent that the operator, identified as James David Pabst, age 25, of
Middleton, WI sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Paramedics with Gundersen Tri-State
Ambulance responded, but Pabst was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene by Vernon County
Coroner Betty Nigh, at 6:15 PM.
Also responding to the scene was the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.
The senseless loss of a law enforcement colleague is always heartrending. It is even more so when
the victim is someone known and loved by all who had the great good fortune to work with them.
Vernon County joins the Wisconsin State Patrol and the entire law enforcement community in
mourning the loss of Director Pabst and his wife. The world is a sadder place today as we reflect
on the countless contributions that Director Pabst made to the safety and wellbeing of law-
abiding citizens everywhere .
In addition to the Wisconsin State Patrol and Viroqua Police Department, the Vernon County
Highway Department and Vernon County Emergency Management also assisted.
The incident remains under investigation by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, Vernon County
Coroner’s Office, and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.