Wabasha
County may be closing their jail. WRDN learned of the possible jail
closing after receiving a message that the Facebook group Wabasha
helping Wabasha was discussing the jail closing. WRDN sent an email
to Wabasha County Administrator Brian Buhmann asking about the
situation, and in a reply he responded “Scheduled for April 21,
2020, the Wabasha County Commissioners will have on the Board Agenda
a discussion/Action item pertaining to a possible closure of our
Wabasha County Jail.” That board meeting is set to begin at 9am in
Wabasha.
The
school lunch delivery program for the Durand-Arkansaw School District
is very popular. At last nights board meeting it was announced that
533 kids in the district are receiving two meals a day on weekdays.
Durand-Arkansaw School Superintendent Greg Doverspike says that from
the feedback he has received, parents appreciate the meals. It
was announced that Con-Agri of Menomonie donated two pallets of
pudding to the school district that will be included in upcoming
meals.
Public
Health Officials across Wisconsin are discussing the possible end to
the safer-at-home order from Governor Evers. Pepin County Health
Officer Heidi Stewart says the debate is should the order be ended on
a specific date or should it be ended when certain conditions are
met. Stewart
says she understands the hardship the order is causing on residents
and believes that a staggered reopening may have to be considered.
Meanwhile in Michigan and Kentucky, protests were held yesterday in
support of ending the orders in those states and restarting the
economy.
The
City of Durand will be holding the spring clean up earlier this year.
Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the clean up will begin the last
week of April. The
spring clean up will run from April 27 through May 11th.
If you have any questions you are to call City Hall.
Todays
scheduled Tornado Drill will be a bit different than in past years.
The National Weather Service and Wisconsin Emergency Management
decided they did not want to confuse or conflict messaging with what
is going on with the Covid-19 outbreak. Pepin, Dunn and Eau Clarie
Counties will not activate the weather sirens this afternoon, while
Pierce County will activate their weather sirens at 1:45 and at 6:45
today.
A
Milwaukee area pork processor is shutting down production due to
COVID-19 . The Patrick Cudahy/Smithfield plant at 1 Sweet Applewood
Lane will be closing for two weeks after a "small number of
employees" tested positive for COVID-19. Smithfield Foods
announced closure of the Cudahy plant and a plant in Martin City
Missouri beginning this week. The Missouri plant is closed
indefinitely, according to a news release, which said both facilities
are in close proximity to urban areas in which community spread of
COVID-19 has been prevalent.
Wisconsin
Attorney General Josh Kaul says he’s working to make sure you get
to keep your stimulus check. Kaul joined two dozen other
attorneys general in asking Congress to make sure coronavirus
stimulus checks are protected from wage garnishments and other types
of collections. Kaul says people need the money to make ends
meet. He says the checks shouldn’t end up in the hands of
debt collectors.
The
Wisconsin Department of Health Services says FoodShare recipient
benefits will be increase. Extra money is coming to the 215
thousand people enrolled in the program. The state is hiking
the amount of money per month to help families deal with the
coronavirus pandemic. A family of four will receive up to 646
dollars-a-month for groceries under the new guidelines.
A
former chairman of the Democratic National Committee is suggesting
the party consider creative alternatives to holding its national
convention in Milwaukee. Former Virginia Governor Terry
McAuliffe says he believes it’s “very unlikely” there will be a
convention in Wisconsin next August. McAuliffe says that’s
just an opinion, but he cites a difficult environment for Democrats
as they try to raise the needed money to hold the event.
Presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden has already suggested the
2020 convention might need to be done virtually because of the
coronavirus pandemic.
Minnesota-based
HealthPartners is using an ultraviolent decontamination process to
disinfect and reuse N-95 respirators. There is a global
shortage of surgical masks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Doctor Greg Siwek (SIGH'-wick) says typically those masks would be
thrown away after use because they have been difficult to clean, but
this new method uses U-V light technology to clean the masks and
allow them to be reused multiple times by the same health care
worker. Siwek says the disinfection process was tested by 3-M-
and will likely be enacted at some local hospitals as soon as this
week.
Wisconsin
health officials say they are seeing evidence of “flattening the
curve” as the battle against COVID-19 progresses, but they warn
about any rollback of restrictions. Monday included the
smallest daily increase in new cases in nearly three weeks.
Medical College of Wisconsin C-E-O Doctor John Raymond says the state
currently ranks in the top 10 for its results. Raymond says we
need to see five benchmarks before returning to normal – sustained
reduction in cases for two weeks, making tests available for everyone
with symptoms, having the ability to treat all patients at a hospital
without crisis standards, having adequate personal protective
equipment for health care workers, and developing the ability to
contact trace cases in real-time.
The
coronavirus pandemic is apparently pushing more Wisconsin farmers
into bankruptcy. Three dozen farmers in the state have filed
Chapter 12 bankruptcy since the first of the year. There were
57 such filings all of last year. Dairy farmers were already
struggling with depressed milk prices before the virus shut down
restaurants, schools and dried up even more markets for dairy
products. Fewer people are driving, so there is a depressed
demand for corn to make the fuel additive ethanol. Congress has
taken steps to make it easier to file for Chapter 12 protection,
making more farmers eligible.
Despite
COVID-19, Minnesota lawmakers will be back at the Minnesota Capitol
more often as they address not only issues relating to the pandemic
but also items temporarily on hold. Senate Majority Leader Paul
Gazelka said, "I would say I think it's time for the Minnesota
Senate to get back to work as normal, but frankly it's a new
normal." Gazelka says it's critical to get Minnesotans'
livelihoods back on track, plus tighten state government's belt for
an expected budget deficit. Gazelka says Senate lawmakers are
also talking about assistance for Mayo Clinic and the U-of-M.
House Democratic leaders are discussing housing assistance and
making the November election a fully mail-in ballot in Minnesota.
The
Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin is warning Facebook users about
the quizzes found on the social media giant’s pages. The
B-B-B says many of those questions could give hackers a hint about
what your passwords might be. They could then reset the
passwords and take control of your information. The B-B-B says
not all Facebook or online quizzes are scams, but plenty of them are.
Minneapolis-St.Paul
International Airport and Sun Country Airlines will receive part of a
25-billion-dollar bailout for the airline industry. M-S-P is
getting 125-million from the CARES Act to cover operational costs.
As part of the deal, Sun Country committed to four weekly flights to
Orlando, Fort Myers, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Each of the ten
airlines who are part of the deal are expected to pay back 30-percent
of what they receive.
Social
distancing didn't stop the birthday celebration for Minnesota's
oldest resident Tuesday in New Ulm. Erna Zahn turned 112
at Oak Hills Living Center and there was a parade of vehicles outside
her room that included six police cars with their lights flashing.
Family, friends and community members held "Happy Birthday"
signs for Erna as she waved and blew them kisses.
Erna requested a slice of apple pie with a piece of sharp cheddar
cheese for her birthday treat. She was born April 14, 1908, and
lived in her own apartment until she was 109.
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