While
the safer-at-home home order has been extended until May 26th,
some activities could be resuming. According to Pepin County Health
Officer Heidi Stewart, a request from the Durand-Arkansaw School
District to allow the track to be used at the Bauer Built Sports
Complex should be allowed when the new order goes into effect. Stewart
also said it is also hoped that beaches could be opened up as long
as the social distancing practices are followed.
The
City of Durand has sold the old ambulance to the Ellsworth Ambulance
Service. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city worked out a
payment arrangement with Ellsworth and the ambulance should be
delivered soon. The
sale price of the ambulance was $77,000.
The
Wabasha County Board of Commissioners is meeting on Tuesday. Items
on the agenda include a discussion and possible action on closing the
Wabasha County Jail, approval of the project agreement between
Wabasha County and the State of Minnesota, and discussion and
possible action on a Local Option Abatement for 2020 property taxes.
That meeting begins at 9am Tuesday Morning at the Wabasha county
Court House.
More
organizations in Western Wisconsin are stepping up to help local
dairy farmers and food pantries during the covid-19 outbreak. The
Dunn County Dairy Promotion Committee is looking to “Keep It Cool”
with local Dunn County food pantries. Many food pantries are lacking
storage space for the increased demands on milk, cheese, butter and
yogurt. Committee members and Blue Northern Distributing are looking
to “fill the fridge” at Stepping Stones Food Pantry in Menomonie
and other local pantries by supplying gallons of fresh milk and dairy
products weekly.
The
Committee is challenging the community to rally together in efforts
to provide dairy product donations to local pantries and share
surplus product with people who are facing food insecurities.
Dunn
County Dairy Promotion made the difficult decision in March to cancel
the annual Dairy Breakfast typically held to celebrate June Dairy
Month and local dairy farmers. These donation efforts along with
additional pop-up events this summer will highlight the efforts of
Dunn County dairy farmers and encourage the community to support
local agriculture.
The
Pierce County Dairy Breakfast has been canceled due to the covid-19
pandemic. In a facebook post, the committee announced the decision
to cancel the event that was to be held June 20th.
Mann Valley dairy has offered to host the Dairy Breakfast next year.
The
Durand Youth Fishing Tournament has organized a small town proud
campaign. The Tournament is encouraging community members to show
their Panther Pride by purchasing a small town proud yard sign for
$10. The funds raised will be used to support the Durand Youth
Fishing Contest. You can order a sign by visiting the Durand Youth
Fishing Tournament Facebook Page.
A
Western Wisconsin Grocery Store Chain is working with Ellsworth
Cooperative Creamery to help the Cooperative's Dairy Farmers. In a
social media post, Nilssen's announced they would work with the
Cooperative to purchase 3150lbs of cheese curds and would offer two
promotions to its customers at their 6 stores. Earlier this month,
Ellsworth Cooperative Cremery announced it needed to reduce its milk
intake by 100,000 lbs per day due to the decreased demand for dairy
products from restaurants due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Eau
Claire police say two men are being held in Illinois for the fatal
shooting last month of Edwin Garcia-Smith. A third man is still
being sought. Joe Moya and Juan Olivarez, both 27, are in the Cook
County, Illinois Jail pending extradition. Those two and Ian
Kearns have all been charged with first-degree intentional homicide.
Garcia-Smith suffered three gunshot wounds to his back March 20th.
Fingerprints on a gun recovered at the scene were traced to Kearns.
Investigators say the victim was selling large quantities of
marijuana the day he was shot to death.
Fire
crews with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources spent hours
Saturday fighting a wildfire in the Necedah Wildlife Refuge.
Officials say 234 acres were burned in Juneau County. After the
flames consumed upland grass and some timber, things slowed down when
they reached some wet ground in the state-protected marsh.
Debris burning is being blamed for starting the fire. Four or
five structures were threatened at one time, but no damage was done
and no injuries were reported. Fire crews stayed on the scene
Sunday checking for hot spots. Meanwhile, Durand Firefighters
responded to an unattended fire at n7457 Hwy MM on Sunday, no word on
damage or injuries.
The
Altoona School District has announced the three finalists for the
Superintendent position. They
are Dr. Joshua Isaacson, the superintendent for the De Soto School
District in Missouri for the past four years; Erik Wright,
superintendent for the Elk Mound Area School District for the past
four years ; and Dr. Heidi Taylor-Eliopolous, superintendent for the
Chippewa Falls Area Unified school district for the last five years.
A final interview will be conducted today and then one person will
be selected.
Police
in Rochester are investigating what they call a suspicious death.
Officers were called to an apartment Thursday for the report of a
dead body. Investigators say they found a man who apparently
suffered physical trauma before his death. The 41-year-old
victim lived in the apartment building. His name wasn't
released.
Wisconsin
Republicans are planning to file lawsuits over Governor Evers'
extended safer-at-home order that runs until May 26th. Assembly
Speaker Robin Vos says his goal is to have a legal strategy in place
for this week. Vos said,"we’re angry, we’re frustrated
and we are trying to push back in every way that we can, to make sure
that we actually succeed.“ Senator Alberta Darling of River
Hills said, "we are going to the Supreme Court."
Governor Evers says "no one wants to reopen our economy as much
as I do, but the bottom line is that our businesses, our workers and
us as consumers can't be confident if we are not confident about our
safety and health." Health officials say the restrictions
in place have saved lives and resulted in far fewer cases of the
deadly virus than the state would have experienced otherwise.
The
University of Wisconsin System plans to furlough 588 administrative
employees one day each month through June 2021 to save about
three-million dollars. This cost-cutting measure is in response
to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chancellors of U-W campuses will make
their own financial decisions on furloughing employees.
UW-Madison is bracing for the largest hit which is estimated at
100-million dollars. U-W System President Ray Cross said, "this
is a painful but necessary reality." An
email from Cross indicates the furloughs will begin in May. He
also cautioned that additional action may be needed.
There
is another bad sign for the Democratic National Convention in
Milwaukee. The 2020 Host Committee laid off half of its staff
Thursday. That committee is in charge of finding volunteers and
laying the groundwork for the convention currently scheduled for
August. No one is saying what the move means for the chances
the convention and 50 thousand visitors will still be coming.
The layoffs are the latest blow to hopes the huge event will still be
held in Milwaukee.
Minnesota's
Cold Weather Rule was set to expire this week. It offers energy
and heat protection to families during the winter months. Xcel
Energy spokesman John Marshall says they are extending the protection
during the COVID-19 outbreak. He says they're open to working
on arrangements and "really want to make sure people have the
energy they need to power their homes and keep their families safe."
Customers who are struggling to pay their bills can set up a
budget-friendly payment arrangement. The Minnesota Department
of Commerce and Public Utilities Commission urged utilities to extend
protections during the peacetime emergency.
The
Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved the Ho-Chunk Nation’s
application to build a casino in Beloit, meaning all that’s needed
to start building is the governor’s signature. Governor Evers
has expressed his support in the past for the project which promises
15 hundred jobs. That proposal has been held at the federal
level since November 2018. City Manager Lori Curtis Luther says
the B-I-A approval is news the Wisconsin city "has waited many
years to receive."
Bail
is set at five-million dollars cash for the Stratford man accused in
the stabbing deaths of two brothers in Marathon County.
Twenty-two-year-old Brandon Noll is charged with two counts of
first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of driving a vehicle
without the owner's consent and fleeing an officer. Prosecutors
say Noll fatally stabbed Michael and William Stone in the Town of
Cleveland home they all lived in. Noll told investigators he'd
been planning the attack and wanted to know what it was it was like
kill somebody. His next court hearing is May 6th.
Minnesota
Governor Walz relaxed some COVID-19 restrictions allowing golf
courses, bait shops, outdoor shooting ranges, and some boating
operations to re-open Saturday. The governor urges
Minnesotans not to "travel up north and crowd rural hospital
situations...but get to where you can distance, get to a course
nearby you, get out to a lake, get to a park where you can follow
those measures." He says courses will be disinfecting golf
carts and is encouraging single riders unless it's a family.
Some outdoor activities remain closed including campgrounds,
recreation equipment and guided fishing trips.
No comments:
Post a Comment