The
City of Durand is taking steps to limit the spread of Covid-19. In a
statement released yesterday, the city announced that City Hall would
remain open, but activities will be limited to only necessary
business. The city is asking residents to use the outside payment
box for utility payments or pay online at the city's website. For the
upcoming election, the city reports an increase for absentee ballot
requests. You may make a request online at myvote.wi.gov and the
city will mail out your ballot. Meanwhile the Durand Police
Department is encouraging officers to take telephone reports of
specific calls that are non-violent or not in progress. Officers may request you email statements or other paperwork to complete a
complaint. The police department will also continue to respond to
911 calls and immediate needs for public assistance and continue
patrols through the city.
Today
is locker clean out day at the Mondovi School District. Parents are reminded to drop off and pick up their children at door #29, which is
the elementary office door. Kids in 4k through 2nd
grad should be check out with a staff member. Students will be
taking their supplies home today so the district can sanitize the
building during the extended break. Students will be receiving
chromebooks on Wedensday and assignments will be sent through Google
Classroom, Google Docs and in packets for those that do not have
internet service. Parents needing school meals for their children
should complete the survey on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
The
Durand-Arkansaw School District is adjusting its schedule for this
week. Superintendent Greg Doverspike says today will be an
e-learning day, and parents were encouraged to keep their children at home, but the school was open for those that could not stay home
today. There will be no classes whatsoever after today, and then the
e-learning classes will begin next week. Along with the classes,
Monday the district will begin to deliver lunches to students and
families that have requested them. Doverspike
says the lunch menu is going to be very limited due to the current
situation. As for tonights school board meeting, that will still be
held tonight at 6pm at the Durand Board Room at Durand high school
While
residents across Western Wisconsin and the United States hunker down
due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many are wondering what they should do
if they contract the disease. Pepin County Health Officer Heidi
Stewart says the good news is that most people who contract it will
be able to manage it at home. Stewart
says that the Health Department and the patients primary care
provider will also determine if the person can manage the disease at
home or need to be hospitalized.
Many
businesses are changing they way they do business. SFB-Security
Financial bank announced that until at least April 6th, the lobby's
at all locations would be closed. While the lobby will be closed,
the drive up will continue to operate along with online banking. For
those needing personal banking services, staff will be on hand to
help customers, but they will have to call ahead and make an
appointment.
Congressman
Ron Kind is canceling all of his public meetings and town hall
gatherings for the immediate future. The Wisconsin Democrat
says the meetings will be held online or by teleconference.
Kind is also closing his Washington, D-C office to visitors. He
says he will leave his Eau Claire office open, for now.
The
Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department has identified the two people
killed when a U-T-V fell through the ice as 74-year-old John Custer
and 39-year-old Jennifer Custer. The incident happened Sunday
shortly before 5:00 P-M on the Chippewa River in the Township of Lake
Holcombe. Chippewa Falls E-M-S and its dive team found the two
victims inside the enclosed U-T-V on the bottom of the river.
They were taken to a hospital but doctors weren’t able to save
their lives.
A
large-scale netting operation on the Upper Mississippi River will be
conducted after more than 50 invasive carp were found. The
discovery was made last week by the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources near La Crosse and Trempealeau. State biologists
identified 39 silver and 11 grass crap near La Crosse – and one
silver carp caught farther upstream. Scientists say it’s the
biggest concentration of the invasion carp which has been detected so
far upstream. It’s thought the fish migrated north when dam
gates were opened last summer to release floodwaters.
The
City of La Crosse is asking residents to avoid Mormon Coulee Road and
Broadview after a sewage leak. Officials say a pressurized pipe
carrying untreated sewage broke and pushed sewage to the surface
Sunday morning. Construction crews will begin repairs this morning
and temporary lane closures are in place until the main repair is
finished. The city is asking drivers to avoid the area though delays
are expected until further notice.
Wisconsin
residents don’t have to worry about having their electricity shut
down during the coronavirus outbreak. The Public Service Commission
has ordered state utilities to halt all disconnections. The winter
disconnection moratorium has been extended past the normal April 15th
deadline. Utilities are being told to make a reasonable effort to
reconnect any customer whose service has been interrupted.
Wisconsin
election officials are encouraging more absentee voting to help
combat the coronavirus outbreak. Something as simple as having
voters bring their own ballpoint pen to the polls next month is being
considered. It’s part of the effort to protect voters when
they cast ballots. Milwaukee’s mayor is hoping younger people
will volunteer to work at those polling places because the retired
people who usually man the polls are more vulnerable to the virus.
Classes
won’t be held in Wisconsin schools when kids would rather be out
swimming or playing sports. The Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction is waiving state-mandated hour requirements for school
districts. The D-P-I says it is also pursuing a waiver request
to the U-S Department of Education so school districts won’t have
to make up the class time missed due to the coronavirus. State
education leaders say they will work with the Legislature and
governor to suspend state testing requirements this spring.
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The
Minnesota Public Defenders’ Office is pushing for the release of
jail inmates during the coronavirus outbreak. The plea comes
after courts announced late last week what several types of cases
will be postponed. The federal court system in the state has
announced all criminal and civil trials will be suspended between
March 23rd and April 27th.
Rhinelander’s
city administrator is on paid administrative leave after being
charged with felony misconduct in office. The action against
Dan Guild was taken by the city council during a closed special
session Friday. If convicted, Guild could go to prison for up
to three-and-a-half years. He will be on leave until March
30th – and that is when he is scheduled to make an appearance
in Oneida County Court for a preliminary hearing. City leaders
will reconvene after the heard to discuss how to proceed.
Just
because kids are not in school doesn’t mean they are not getting a
school lunch. Most school districts in Wisconsin are offering free
lunches to students. Each school is different, but most lunches will
be distributed either in a drive-thru at the school... or some kind
of grab-and-go arrangement. Families are urged to check their own
district's website for details.
With
the coronavirus comes coronavirus scams. The Wisconsin Division of
Consumer Protection says it's getting calls from people who’ve
gotten e-mails from scam artists trying to take advantage. The most
common scam tries to steal your personal information. Consumer
Protection also says there are phony websites that purport to have a
cure for the virus, and a number of phony charities have popped-up as
well. Consumer Protection officials say if you get an unsolicited
e-mail about the coronavirus, just delete it.
Delta
Airlines is suspending flights between Minnesota and the European
cities of Amsterdam and Paris. The move was made on Friday. Americans
can still fly to Europe, but can only return through 13 designated
airports, and MSP wasn't on the list despite Delta lobbying the
government to make it one. Delta is reducing its flights by 40
percent following the drop in demand that has ensued following the
coronavirus scare.
You'll
have a little bit longer to catch muskies in WIsconsin this year,
thanks to changes in fishing regulations. The Department of Natural
Resources will be extending open season on muskies to the end of the
year, or first ice. Fisheries Management specialist Meredith Penthorn
says Michigan has decided to open up their season a little earlier,
but Wisconsin has not. You
can get a copy of the complete regulations wherever you buy your
license, or online at D N R dot W I dot Gov.
For
years, the Freeport water power has offered a friendly smile for
travelers along Interstate 94. That water tower is now 100
years old and is showing its age. Local officials think it was
cost about 75-thousand dollars to preserve it. A GoFundMe page
is active under the name “Save the Smile.” A study 17 years
ago found lead and chromium-based paint on the tower and city
officials say it is also rusting. If the cost is too
prohibitive, local officials say they will have to “have a talk,”
but nobody has said the water tower should come down.
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