The
Buffalo County Health Department announced the notification of that
county's first confirmed case of Covid-19 yesterday. According to
April Loeffler, Buffalo County Health Supervisor, the individual is in
their 50's who had known contact with another confirmed case. The
individual is isolating at home and will continue to do so under
state guidelines. The health department has spoken to the individual
and is identifying contacts that the individual may have had and will
follow up with anyone who may have been exposed to provide
appropriate guidance.
The
blood supply in Wisconsin is critically low because of all of the
covid-19 outbreak. Angela Jacobson, Director of Nursing at Advent
Helath in Durand says blood is needed and you can still give blood at
the main collection site in Eau Claire. Call
800-448-35-43 to make an appointment.
If
your a past member of the healthcare or behavioral healthcare industries and would like to volunteer to help local health officials
or hospitals during the covid-19 outbreak, the state of Wisconsin
has a way for your to help. Pepin County Health Officer Heidi
Stewart says the Wisconsin Emergency Assistance Volunteer Registry is
the easiest way to let officials know you want to volunteer. You
can find the registry at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Website.
Pierce
County Public Health Urges Caution in Ellsworth Area. The Health
Department believes that Ellsworth is currently at higher risk for
COVID-19 due to the high number of cases identified in the area. The
Health Department is urging residents to take the orders seriously
and stay home. Please, cancel family get-togethers and do not stop by
each other’s homes. As of last night, Pierce County had 4 active
positive cases, 7 probable cases and 3 recovered cases of Covid-19.
The
National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Chippewa
River in Pepin County. Over the weekend 1-2 inches of rain fell over
the river basin which is causing the rise in the river. The Weather
Services says the river will crest over 14 in Durand by Wednesday.
River Road and the river walk in Durand are now closed due to the
flooding. That flood warning is in effect until Saturday morning.
The
Pepin County Sheriffs Department is receiving calls that
some Pepin County residents are receiving phone calls from Xcel
Energy. The caller told the resident they are behind on their bill
and needed to pay immediately or service would be disconnected. THIS
IS SCAM! Please never give out your personnel information or banking
information. If you are in doubt hang up. A reminder that per
Governor Tony Evers, utilities are not allowed to disconnect
residential customers for failure to pay their bills. You are
encouraged to contact your gas or electric provider to work out a
payment arrangement.
The
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is refunding its students as a
result of COVID-19. UWL Vice Chancellor Bob Hetzel tells Wisconsin
Public Radio that it will refund more than five-million-dollars worth
of housing, dining, and parking fees. Hetzel says about 90 students
are still on campus after the university moved classes online to
limit the spread of the coronavirus. He says if those students choose
to leave campus, they will also be refunded.
Wisconsin’s
dairy farmers were already struggling and the coronavirus pandemic
has just made things worse. Many of those farmers depend on
selling their milk to restaurants, schools and the hospitality
industry. About one-third of the state’s dairy products are
sold in the foodservice trade – mostly cheese. Some dairy
producers say the pandemic has caused milk prices to fall below their
costs at a time when they need the money for the upcoming planting
season. They say if processing plants close or cut production,
they could find themselves forced to dump their milk.
Minnesota
farmers hoping to get into the fields soon for chemical application
should be cautious. That from University of Minnesota Extension crops
educator Dave Nicolai. He says the hope is we have a dry
spring so fieldwork can begin as planned in April. Nicolai says we
went into the fall very wet and excessive rains could really slow
things down, adding that the first thing that needs to happen is for
the ground to become frost-free.
Parents
and kids at home due to COVID-19 should watch out for bears.
Residents in an Altoona neighborhood are putting teddy bears in their
windows so families can spot them on somewhat of a scavenger hunt.
Altoona resident Brenda Brown says families began putting teddy bears
and other things up in their front windows recently, and the
community has responded by following suit. Brown said there were
nearly 20-teddy bears in the windows after the first day and more
were added over the weekend.
he
weather will eventually turn, and people across Wisconsin are going
to want to get outside. One Wisconsin lawmaker says there is no
reason not to let people out onto the golf course. State Rep. Jon
Plumer wrote a letter Friday to Governor Evers asking that the
governor re-open Wisconsin's golf courses. The governor's Safe At
Home order lists golf courses as non-essential. Plumer says he
understands the need for social distancing, but he says there is
plenty of distance on an 18-hole golf course.
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A
new analysis predicts Wisconsin could make it through the coronavirus
pandemic without a shortage in hospital beds. That's if social
distancing mandates ordered by Governor Tony Evers are maintained.
The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics &
Evaluation projection for every state showed as of Sunday that
Wisconsin's peak resource use will come in 53 days, on May 22. On
Monday, the data changed, indicating the state would peak in 26 days,
on April 26. That indicates social distancing measures could work as
intended to flatten the curve, if they stay in place and people
continue to stay at home.
Families
are stuck indoors because of the COVID-19 outbreak, but there's still
some good chances to eat well. Professor Beth Olsen from UW-Madison
says even if you are looking to eat healthy, now is not the time to
radically change your diet. The outbreak is stressful enough! She
says one of the best things you can do is to Google what ingredients
you do have on hand and learn how to make a new meal.
Wisconsin’s
presidential primary is still on the calendar for next Tuesday.
State elections officials have approved some coronavirus-inspired
safety measures – including social distancing enforcement and
curbside, drive-thru and outdoor voting options. Governor Evers
wants lawmakers to order that absentee ballots be sent to every
registered voter in the state. Republicans aren’t buying-in
to the idea, especially if it wouldn’t require people casting
ballots to upload a picture I-D.
Green
Bay’s mayor says the city will continue preparations for in-person
voting on April 7th. Mayor Eric Genrich says he is disappointed
the city’s lawsuit trying to stop in-person voting was dismissed by
U-S District Judge William C. Griesbach. Genrich says he will
monitor a similar federal effort in the western district.
Wisconsin’s governor has asked lawmakers to take action so absentee
ballots can be mailed to every registered voter. Republican
leaders have already called that request impossible. Green Bay
had asked the election be moved to June 2nd.
The
Madison Metropolitan School District is working with United Parcel
Service to make sure students have the devices they need for online
instruction. District officials say they have worked over the
last couple of weeks to come up with a safe plan to get computers to
students so they can learn at home. U-P-S is helping by giving
the district reduced pricing for boxes, packing materials, insurance
and verified delivery. The devices start going out Wednesday so
all students will have what they need by the end of next week.
The
National Weather Service confirms damaging tornadoes in southwestern
Wisconsin and northeastern Iowa Saturday. Early reports indicate
the tornado was an E-F-1 with maximum sustained winds of 100
miles-an-hour. It was on the ground for almost seven miles in Grant
County. Local officials say the storm track was about a mile north
of Potosi and damage was done to a house, several farms and trees,
with small hail left covering the ground after it passed.
Authorities
in Stearns County are searching for thieves who really wanted some
toilet paper. The sheriff’s office says a deputy was called
to Quarry Park last week about some damage done to the property.
When he arrived, he found an entire toilet paper dispenser had been
ripped off the wall. Only the rivets were left behind.
County officials say we’ve all experienced a bathroom emergency,
“but this seems a little much.”
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