Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the pool at Tarrant Park will not open this year. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says along with the health concerns there were a number of other factors that led to the decision. Along with the pool being closed, the playground equipment at Tarrant Park and Memorial Park is also closed.
The Old Courthouse Museum and Jail in Durand is re-open for the summer. Terry Mesch from the Pepin County Historical Society says because of the covid-19 pandemic, guests will be asked to wear masks and guided tours will be limited to very small groups. The museum will be open from 11-4 Thursday through Sundays now through Labor Day Weekend.
The Mondovi City Hall will remain closed for now. The City Council agreed to keep City Hall closed to walk in traffic until later this summer due to the covid-19 pandemic. While City Hall is closed, services for Mondovi residents will continue . If a resident needs to talk face to face with a city employee they are to call ahead to make an appointment.
The Dunn County Solid Waste & Recycling Division will re-open the closed collection sites (Connorsville, Ridgeland, Rock Creek, and Downsville) effective June 1, 2020. On that day, the Dunn County Transfer Station & Recycling Center will return to its pre-COVID-19 business hours. All of the Area Collection Stations will be open every Saturday from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. Business hours for commercial haulers at the Dunn County Transfer Station will remain unchanged. We continue to ask that residents practice social distancing at all of the collection sites. Wearing a cloth face covering when in public is highly recommended. Meanwhile The 2020 Dunn County Clean Sweep Hazardous Waste Event has been cancelled due to projected costs. Dunn County Residents are encouraged to attend the Polk or St. Croix County Clean Sweep events in August or September.
The day after the statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures ended, landlords filed 144 cases Thursday. Thirty-three eviction filings in Milwaukee County have local officials worried many of those people could be homeless soon. The state is planning to make 25 million dollars available in rent relief and the city of Milwaukee has more than four million. The problem is that money won’t be available for another few weeks. Alderman Khalif Rainey of Milwaukee’s 7th District sent a letter to Governor Evers requesting a “modest extension” of the moratorium, but that's not possible now.
Protesters in Minneapolis have set fire to a police station. The precinct is where the four officers involved in the arrest of George Floyd had worked. Floyd died after one of the officers knelt on his neck for several minutes during Monday’s arrest. Demonstrators surrounded the 3rd District precinct station at about 10:00 p-m Thursday and lit the front of the building on fire. Police decided to evacuate the building for safety and the protesters went inside, setting several more fires. Thousands of marchers filled the city streets.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called in the Minnesota National Guard, in the wake of violence, looting and arson fires in Minneapolis sparked by the death of George Floyd. The governor said in a statement, “George Floyd’s death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction.” Walz says he will always defend the right to protest and that’s why he is “answering our local leaders’ request for Minnesota National Guard assistance to protect peaceful demonstrators, neighbors, and small businesses in Minnesota. The governor says about 200 State Patrol troopers will assist in public safety efforts for the next several days.
B-R-P Marine Group has announced it will lay-off 363 workers at its manufacturing plant in Sturtevant. The Canadian-based company notified the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development by letter this week. B-R-P makes recreation vehicles and parts. It says it is re-evaluating its outboard engine manufacturing during the coronavirus pandemic. The workers affected were making Evinrude outboard engines. About half of the layoffs are permanent and the rest of the workers will be idled between now and January.
Officials in Eau Claire County say the suspect in a weekend shooting had been released early due to the coronavirus outbreak. Kyle Baker should have still been in jail. Records show he skipped a May 5th sentencing date for breaking probation that would have returned him to the Rusk County Jail. Eau Claire police say Baker shot a man during a Saturday argument. Those charges haven’t been filed yet.
The Wisconsin State Fair has been officially called off due to COVID-19. This is the first time in 75 years that the fair will not be running. The decision was made on Thursday by Fair Board chairman John Yingling. In a statement, Yingling says the decision was not made lightly, and that he's got everyone's safety in mind. The Fair attracts over a million visitors every year and organizers said it would be impossible to enforce social distancing on the grounds. The other issue would be putting on the fair only for no one to show up due to fears over COVID-19. Tourism officials say this will be another 200 million dollar loss to Milwaukee and the suburbs, but that they're hoping more summer events will be happening to help ease the financial impact.
Republican lawmakers are blaming the Evers administration for the slow processing of unemployment claims. Some applicants have waited weeks for their benefits. A Wednesday hearing at the Capitol became heated as Republicans accused Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman of not being prepared for the surge of applications – then not reacting when it happened. Business shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic have resulted in Wisconsin’s worst jobless crisis since the Great Depression.
Wisconsin is one of several states suing to stop the Trump Administration from relaxing vehicle emissions standards. Attorney General Josh Kaul joined A-G’s from several other blue states in a lawsuit challeging the president’s order to move away from the California emissions that were adopted under President Obama. Kaul says the president is stopping states from deciding for themselves about clean air rules. Trump says he doesn’t want to end the California standards, but simply to relax them for automakers.
Attorney General Keith Ellison has a message for those causing destruction in south Minneapolis last night -- and to those who are considering more of the same today. Ellison says you cannot decry violence against George Floyd and then go do the violence yourself against somebody who did nothing to you for no justifications. He added, "I'd say stop it and prioritize the noble cause of justice for Mr. Floyd and systemic change to make sure that everybody can be treated with equal justice." The A-G says steps are being taken to try and prevent the violence, looting and fires from happening again today. The Minneapolis Fire Department says it respond to 30 fire events and at least 16 structure fires. Multiple fire vehicles and equipment suffered damage from rocks and other projectiles.
The University of Minnesota has announced it will no longer use Minneapolis police for security at its large events. U-of-M President Joan Gabel sent a letter to students and staff Wednesday saying the university is distancing itself from Minneapolis police after the death of George Floyd Tuesday. M-P-D also won’t be used for specialized services like explosive detection units at events. Gabel says the collaboration with M--D will be limited to joint patrols and investigations which directly improve campus security.
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