The
Wabasha County Jail will not be closing. During yesterday's Board of
Commissioners meeting County Administrator Brian Buhman told board
members that the board only wanted the numbers of the jail operation
and not actually closing the jail and wanted the board to put the
breaks on closing the jail. Commissioner Springer, who was on the
board when the jail was first built felt there was more to the issue
and felt the board should look at efficiencies of continued operation
of the jail and end any talk of closing the jail. The
board voted 3-2 to end talk of closing the jail and look at finding
more efficiencies of continued jail operation.
With
the safer-at-home orders, there are many businesses that are either
closed or running at a reduced level. The City of Durand is looking
at providing some possible help for those businesses with the
economic loan fund. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city
will explore low interest or no interest loans. The
economic development committee will meet next week to discuss
different ideas to bring back to the council for the first meeting in
May. Meanwhile the Pepin County Board met last night. It was a re
organizational meeting after the spring election and Tom Milliren
from the 8th
District was elected county board chairman
Advent
Health of Durand will be resuming many specialist visits to the
clinics and hospitals next week. Angela Jacobson, Director of
Nursing and Emergency Preparedness says your provider will do a
screening with you before you go to the clinic or hospital for your
procedure. Services
like colonoscopy carpel tunnel surgery and other services will be
provided.
The
Mondovi Business Association has started the small town proud
campaign. Mondovi Business Association President Tessa Harmon says
the goal was to help businesses and the community pull together
during the pandemic. The
Association is selling small town proud signs and shirts and proceeds will
be used to buy gift cards from area businesses. Those that purchase
a sign or shirt will be entered into a drawing to win a gift card
from a business. Visit the Mondovi Business Association website at
mbawi dot com or their facebook page.
A
Rochester man is accused of threatening to blow up a gas station.
Police say 29-year-old Yol Chadack of Rochester was spotted by a
employee holding a cigarette lighter in one hand and gas pump nozzle
in the other Monday night. Chadack was reportedly making threats to
blow up the place when an employee turned off all the pumps. Chadack
was still holding the lighter and nozzle when officers
arrived. He was believed to the under the influence of drugs or
alcohol.
The
Minnesota Department of Human Services is awarding
nine-point-eight-million dollars to 12-hundred child care providers
in the state. The first round of state emergency funding is
going to those who continue to serve children of "essential"
workers during COVID-19. D-H-S Commissioner Jodi Harpstead
said, "these grants are an important step to ensuring those who
are working on the front lines of this crisis will have qualified
professionals to care for their children.” The state
received applications from nearly 54-hundred licensed child care
programs and 22 tribal programs in the first round of grants. Those
who missed out this time can apply for grants in the second and third
rounds. State lawmakers authorized a total of 30-million dollars.
There
is no indication when the Wisconsin Supreme Court will rule on the
controversial Bartlett versus Evers case. Arguments about the
limits of a Wisconsin governor’s veto powers were offered Monday.
The justices are being asked to determine is Governor Tony Evers went
too far when he used his line-item veto pen to spend more money than
lawmakers had put in the state’s budget plan. Wisconsin
governors can eliminate items from the spending plan, but it has been
up to the Legislature to decide to spend more in the past.
Republican
legislative leaders are challenging Governor Tony Evers' extended
safer-at-home order at the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott
Fitzgerald filed suit today against the order that runs through May
26th. Vos and Fitzgerald said in a statement, "the public
outcry over the Safer at Home order continues to increase as positive
COVID cases decrease or remain flat. There’s immense frustration
regarding the extension, as it goes beyond the executive branch’s
statutory powers." Evers announced the Badger Bounce Back
plan Monday with a set of criteria and testing goals before the
state's non-essential businesses can safely reopen.
The
state Elections Commission will not have an accurate count of
absentee ballots cast in the spring election until mid-May. Over
one-point-one million ballots have been recorded as being cast
absentee as of April 17. Data on total ballots cast statewide is not
yet available, but that would would amount to roughly 73 percent of
votes cast for in the election for state Supreme Court - but that
number could go higher. Local clerks have until May 7 - 30 days after
the election - to file reports that provide comprehensive voting
statistic
A
restaurant owner in Wauwatosa vows to re-open his business next month
despite the governor’s Safer at Home order. Dan Zierath says
he will re-open the Blue Ribbon Pub May 1st.
Zierath says last weekend’s protest in Brookfield led him to make
that decision. He says there will be limited seating and every
customer will have to sign a waiver to get in the door. Zierath
says he doesn’t feel the coronavirus numbers justify shutting down
the Wisconsin economy for another month.
Minnesota
Governor Tim Walz continues defending his decision to keep
stay-at-home and other restrictions in place. Critics call for him to
re-open Minnesota's economy and a major pork processing plant in
Worthington remains shut down amid a COVID outbreak. Walz said, "If
opening up the business were safe, we would do it tomorrow. That did
no good at Smithfield. It will do no good at J-B-S (in Worthington),
and there are numerous others on this." The governor says "we
can't just open up without safeguards in place." Walz says there
must be adequate COVID testing and personal protective equipment,
plus enough bed capacity so hospitals aren't overwhelmed.
Governor
Evers declared a statewide State of Emergency today due to elevated
wildfire conditions across Wisconsin. There have been more than
150 wildfires in Wisconsin D-N-R protection areas this year -
including a 234-acre fire in Juneau County Saturday that required
aircraft to slow the spread. The National Weather Service says
high winds, low humidity and dry grasses are conducive for wildfires.
Evers said, "Our first priority is protecting the people
of Wisconsin and this executive order helps us control existing
wildfires and use all available state assets to prevent new ones from
starting." The order authorizes the National Guard to
provide additional personnel to assist with possible wildfires.
Most
of us claim we're keeping our distance on account of coronavirus. A
new survey from the University of Wisconsin says 61-percent of people
asked say they socially distance "very much." Only
one-percent say they don’t distance at all. People over 50 report a
higher compliance with social distancing than younger people, and
more women than men.
The
popular Winstock country music festival in Minnesota is being
postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The
festival, scheduled for June 12th and 13th have been moved to June
18th and 19th 2021. This year's scheduled performers included Luke
Combs, Darius Rucker, Big and Rich and Phil Vassar. The event
is an annual fundraising event for Holy Trinity Catholic Schools in
Winsted. Organizers say all ticket and camping orders for this
year's event will be valid for next year's festival.
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