Pepin
County has its first covid-19 case. Pepin County Health Officer
Heidi Stewart says the positive test was not a surprise. The
health department is contacting all of the people that had contact
with the resident to tell them they need to self quarantine for 14
days to help prevent the spread of the virus.
With
the Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruling on overturning the safer at home
order, what does that mean for the city of Durand? According to
Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren, there wont be many changes for city
operations. Milliren says for the time being, residents will have to
call ahead if they want to meet with someone at city hall. Milliren
hopes new safety measures will be installed at city hall within the next week.
The
Mondovi City Council has decided to expand the ABNR Processes for the
new wastewater treatment plant. During a presentation from CBS
Squared on the plant, the council approved a recommendation to expand
the algae based wastewater treatment plant to have an input of 2mg of
phosphorous up from 1mg. The additional phosphorous would require
the plant to be bigger to accommodate the additional algae and would
cost an additional $1 million. However according to CBS Squared,
that additional algae could be sold and the additional costs could be
covered.
The
Durand-Arkansaw School District along with other districts are trying
to plan for the 2020-2021 school year during the covid-19 pandemic.
Superintendent Greg Doverspike says the district is planning on four
or five different options. It
is not known how the Supreme Court ruling on the safer at home order
will affect school districts for the next school year.
Authorities
in Dunn County accuse a convicted sex offender of assaulting another
young girl. New charges of first-degree sexual assault have
been filed against Jesse Thoms. Investigators say he assaulted
a seven-year-old victim this time. Thoms served only seven
months in jail for a child sex offense in 2016. He is still on
probation for that conviction.
Voters
of Byron Public Schools in southeastern Minnesota rejected a
58-million-dollar bond referendum. The unofficial total from
Tuesday's special election was one-thousand-344 "no" votes
to 725 "yes" votes. The district was seeking funding
to build an auditorium at the high school, renovate kitchen and
cafeterias at the middle and intermediate schools, and new athletic
facilities at the high school. Superintendent Joey Page said,
"we will continue to engage families, students, staff, and
community members into our process to determine the best solution and
next steps for our District.”
Authorities
in western Wisconsin have arrested three people on gun and drug
charges. The La Crosse Police Emergency Response Team took the
three into custody early Tuesday while executing a search warrant.
The action came after a two-month investigation by the Juneau County
Sheriff’s Office of guns stolen during residential burglaries.
Derrick L. Engen, Darren E. Engen and Rachel N. Brockway were
arrested and charged. Police were already monitoring the house
for drug activity when an man told them he had traded the guns to get
drugs there.
Minnesota
Governor Tim Walz says he will allow the state's extended
stay-at-home order to expire on May 18th. That means
non-critical businesses and retail stores can re-open Monday if they
have a safety plan and can operate at 50-percent capacity.
Walz says business owners need to follow new guidance to protect
workers and customers and he's encouraging customers to wear masks
and not congregate. The governor says his cabinet is working on
how to safely re-open bars, restaurants, and salons by June 1st.
The COVID-19 peacetime emergency was extended until June 12th
The
owner of an Appleton hair salon is suing Governor Tony Evers, Health
Services Secretary Andrea Palm and Police Chief Todd Thomas over the
Safer at Home order. The federal lawsuit filed by Jessic Netzel
claims the order violates her right to free exercise of religion,
speech and assembly under the First Amendment. Netzel claims
that Kindgom Kuts is a faith-based business. She also argues
that Safer at Home violates Wisconsin's Constitution. She
opened the hair salon despite the governor's order prohibiting
businesses from opening due to coronavirus pandemic . Netzel was
issued a citiation by police for violating the order and a cease and
desist letter. Her suit asks for a temporary restraining order
from enforcement of Safer at Home.
Several
Republicans say there is no reason to limit Wisconsin’s re-opening
to just a few small shops and just a handful of customers.
Tuesday, Governor Tony Evers announced small shops can re-open if
they allow only five customers in their business at one time.
Republican State Senator Van Wanggaard says that order makes no sense
for much of the state where there are no coronavirus hot spots.
Wanggaard says Evers needs to stop “crushing” the Wisconsin
economy.
Advocates
for workers at poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride are urging Cold
Spring city officials to temporarily close the plant and test all
11-hundred employees for COVID-19. Pilgrim's Pride spokesman
Wesley Smith says the plant checks the temperatures of employees
before they enter the facility, staggers start and break times,
and has increased space in break areas. Smith told city council
members, "we will not operate the facility is we do not feel it
is safe." Workers say they are clocking in sick and
working in cramped conditions without proper protective equipment.
Health officials say 194 workers tested positive as of Monday, more
than double the number four days earlier.
Local
officials say Eden Prairie-based Oral D-N-A Labs has been working on
a fast and accurate test for COVID-19. Twin Cities Orthopedics
needed a tool like that as it worked toward re-opening for
surgeries. Oral D-N-A Labs C-E-O George Hoedeman says it can
test saliva or use nasal swabs – or both. Patients are
administered the nasal swab, then they swish a saline solution around
in their mouth and spit into a test tube. At the present time,
lab scientist are conducting an internal study to see if the saliva
testing alone to lead to a simple, at-home test for COVID-19.
The
latest U of M computer model says extending
Minnesota's stay-at-home order through the end of the month, plus
ramping up COVID testing as much as possible, offers the best chance
of reducing overall deaths in the state. But regardless of
which option Governor Tim Walz chooses, the computer model predicts a
significant increase in the number of deaths through the end of this
month -- to a total of around 14-hundred. State Health
Economist Stefan Gildemeister said, "I
share the hope with you that we're wrong and this is a pessimistic
outcome of the model. Nevertheless I think it is a plausible outcome
based on what we understand." The death count is revised
upward because Minnesotans aren't social distancing as well as
assumed.
U-S
Senator Tammy Baldwin is seeking another federal investigation.
The Wisconsin Democrat wrote a letter to the Department of Justice
Tuesday asking it to look into the meatpacking industry.
Baldwin says she wants to know why there is such a difference in
price for cattle bought from farmers and the beef that is sold to
consumers. She also wants to find out if foreign interests are
putting the squeeze on American ranchers. Eighteen other
senators also signed the bi-partisan letter.
Teenage
drivers can now get their Wisconsin license without taking the
nerve-wracking road test. The Wisconsin Department of
Transportation says families now have the option to waive the
in-person road test for applicants who are 16 or 17 years old – and
who have successfully completed all driver training requirements.
The announcement was made Tuesday. The department said
historically those young drivers pass their road test on the first or
second attempt anyway.
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