Local-Regional News May 20

The City of Durand Planning Commission has approved the rezoning, site plan and certified survey map for the Kwik Trip Project at the highway shop location in Durand. The new Kwik Trip is expected to create 35-40 jobs and is expected to be built in 2022 after Pepin County moves into a new Highway Shop near Arkansaw. That approval now moves to the full city council for approval on May 27^th.

The Durand-Arkansaw School Board is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion on a Graduation Ceremony, the setting of breakfast and lunch prices, and the waving of athletic fees for the upcoming school year. The board will also go into closed session to talk about the Tarrant Park Softball Field Project. Tonight's meeting begins at 6pm at the board room at Durand High School.

The Pepin County Board is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include discussion of Emergency Administrative Flexibility Actions, discussion of the Covid-19 pandemic and the next steps the county will be taking and the appointment of an interim Highway Commissioner. Tonight's meeting begins at 7pm at the board room at the Pepin County Government Center.

Office Buildings in Pierce County will remain closed to the public until further notice. Even though the safer at home orders are ended, the covid-19 pandemic is still a threat to public health and county authorities have decided to keep the office buildings closed. Pierce County residents are encouraged to receive services that they can by phone or online. For those that do need a face to face meeting, you are encouraged to contact the necessary department and schedule an appointment.

A 23-year-old passenger who was in the car when Colten Treu hit and fatally injured a group of Girl Scouts is scheduled to appear in court May 28th.  John Stender told investigators he grabbed the steering wheel during the incident in 2018.  A 10-thousand-dollar signature bond was set for him in Chippewa County Circuit Court.  Stender faces charges of harboring or aiding a felon by falsifying information and intentionally abusing a hazardous substance.  Treu and Stender allegedly were high from huffing chemicals when their vehicle hit the Scouts.

Eau Claire barbers and stylists can start cutting hair again, but there are significant restrictions.  The Eau Claire City-County Health Department says barbers and stylists can see no more than 10 clients-a-day – and they have to keep a log on everyone they see.  To continue working they must enforce a strict six-foot social distance policy.  There are also new cleaning and sanitizing rules, including the use of face masks.

 A 29-year-old Chippewa Falls woman led authorities on a chase through Chippewa, Barron and Washburn counties last week.  Authorities say Danielle Ford was driving a stolen vehicle from the West Bend area.  Ford is being held in the Barron County Jail.  The high-speed pursuit along Highway 53 lasted for 40 miles before deputies were finally able to use stop sticks to end it.

The Tuesday announcement that Republican State Senator David Craig is retiring means more than 20 percent of the members will be new for the next legislative session.  Seven Wisconsin senators say they’re not coming back.  Craig is the second Republican to announce his retirement – after Senator Luther Olsen.  Republican Tom Tiffany was sworn into Congress Tuesday after winning last week’s special election in the 7th Congressional District.  Four Democrats have already announced they aren’t running for reelection.  Former Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling resigned last week to take a job in the private sector.

 Concourses sit mostly empty at Mitchell International Airport as local officials report a 96 percent decrease in the number of passengers during April.  Last year, more than 585 thousand travelers passed through Milwaukee’s airport – this year that number was less than 24 thousand.  Airmail was also reported to be off by about 60 percent.  Airport officials say the numbers for the Milwaukee facility are roughly the same as the rest of the country.  Passengers who are flying are said to be taking steps for personal protection from the coronavirus.

The Department of Workforce Development says it's stopped a rash of identity theft and fraud cases connected to the surge of unemployment filings. The Department says it detected and stopped 342 cases of fraud since the pandemic response began in March. Most of the cases involved people using stolen Social Security Numbers to make phony unemployment claims. Secretary Caleb Frostman says that his workers are doing their best to make sure that only legitimate claims are being paid out.

Former Congressman Jason Lewis is suing to overturn Governor Tim Walz's executive orders that closed Minnesota businesses.  Lewis claims in his federal lawsuit that the governor's "stay-at-home" orders are unconstitutional.  He said in a statement that Governor Walz imposed a "never-ending one-size-fits-all economic lockdown while jobs and small businesses go belly up."  Lewis is running for the Republican nomination to face U-S Senator Tina Smith in the November election.

The U-S Army Corps of Engineers is opening things up so the public can view operations on the Mississippi River up-close again.  The facilities were shut down April 6th to help slow the spread of COVID-19.  Restrooms at the locks and dams will still be closed.  The area affected is between Lock and Dam 2 near Hastings and Lock and Dam 10 at Guttenberg, Iowa.  St. Paul District locks and dams chief Jim Rand is encouraging everyone to practice safe social distancing and do what they can to protect themselves during the pandemic.

A major summer event in northwest Wisconsin has been cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Governing Board Monday unanimously approved cancelling the 2020 Honor the Earth Homecoming Celebration and Powwow. This would have been the 47th Honor the Earth, held the weekend of July 17-19. The pow wow annually draws hundreds of dancers, drum groups and families to the tribe's reservation outside Hayward.

The Wisconsin Election Commission reports the April 7th presidential primary set records for absentee and mail-in voting, but there were only minimal problems.  The commission released its report Monday.  It shows that voters cast the most absentee ballots ever in a spring election in the state, but the percentage of rejected ballots was still below two percent.  That’s consistent with past elections.  Some voters complained that their mail-in ballots never arrived and others feared they would be rejected for being too late.

Governor Tony Evers says there’s no point in attempting to come up with a statewide rule to control COVID-19 when Republicans are clearly opposed to any restrictions.  The Democrat Evers says they won’t let anything take effect.  He says his administration had been working on new emergency rules since the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down his Safer at Home order last week.  That effort was given up after a key Republican on the rules committee accused the governor of trying to use that process to reinstate Safer at Home.

A Missouri judge has approved a settlement between the family of two murdered Shawano County brothers and the man accused of killing them.  The settlement of the wrongful death lawsuit filed last December is for four million dollars.  Garland Nelson is facing two counts of first-degree murder.  The burned remains of Nicholas and Justin Diemel were found at locations in Missouri and Nebraska.  Also a part of the lawsuit were Nelson’s mother, Tomme Fell, and the family’s cattle business, J-4-S Enterprises.

Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka is hinting a compromise bonding bill of around one-point-one to one-point-three billion dollars could be discussed during a June special session.  The Minnesota House was at two billion and the Senate was at 998 million when the two bills were defeated as the regular session was wrapping up.  Governor Tim Walz says the June 12th target date for a special session could charge due to many factors – including the way the pandemic is affecting Minnesota going forward.

 Minnesota-based Target is extending its two dollar-an-hour pay bump for employees through the Fourth of July.  C-E-O Brian Cornell told employees their pay increase would be extended for the second time during the coronavirus pandemic.  Other benefits brought on by the pandemic are also being extended through the end of June, including paid leave for high-risk workers.