Local-Regional News July 31

Two people were injured in a pick up vs semi crash in Ellsworth Township Wednesday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 18yr old Nicolas Hudson of Red Wing was traveling southbound on Hwy 63 when he drove left of center and struck a nortbound semi tractor trailer driven by 53yr old Loren Gullekson of Rush City, MN. Hudson was med flighted to Regions Hospital in St Paul whle Gullekson was taken to River Falls Area Hospital.

Two people were injured in a UT accident in Clifton Township on Wednesday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 39yr old William Shanahan of River Falls was operating an UTV on 840^th Avenue, when he lost control and the UTV rolled over. Passenger, 37yr old Burton Yardley of Hudson was taken to Regions Hospital while Shanahan was taken to River Falls Area Hospital.

The Pierce County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to adopt existing state statute regarding the duties of the local health officer related to communicable diseases. This ordinance was proposed to introduce a civil penalty to replace the criminal penalty in the state statute. Ruth Wood, chairperson of the Board of Health said “the ordinance is not an expansion of the local health officer’s authority. All it does is add a different, and less serious enforcement mechanism than what was previously available to us through the state statute. The local health officer reports to the Board, and we have oversight over her performance, which includes oversight of how she handles communicable diseases,”

Around 200 Wisconsin National Guard soldiers are home from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan.  Members of the 32nd Red Arrow Infantry Brigade arrived at Fort Hood in Texas this week.  The troops will remain in Texas for demobilization before coming back to Wisconsin.  They provided security for coalition forces in Afghanistan.  The soldiers are from units based in Menomonie, Rice Lake, New Richmond, River Falls, Arcadia, and Abbotsford.

The application period for second round of payments to farmers from the State of Wisconsin is about to begin. 93^rd State Representative Warren Petryk say the money from the program helps farmers offset the effects of the covid 19 pandemic.  In the first round Pepin County Farmers received $252,000, Pierce County $752,000 and Buffalo County farmers received $829,000 in payments. Visit the Wisconsin Department of Revenue website for more information.

Wisconsin 3^rd District Congressman Ron Kind announced the US Department of Commerce has allocated $4.6 million to support revitalization and address small business owners needs affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Investment awards were allocated to the City of Eau Claire; Chippewa, Dunn and Juneau Counties through Impact Seven, Inc.; Buffalo, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Trempealeau, and Vernon Counties through the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission; and Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire Counties through the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.   

Barron County health officials say there's a cluster of COVID-19 cases at a produce facility in Cumberland.  A spokesman for Seneca Foods said they're taking a united approach and identifying people who test positive as quickly as possible.  He said employees who test positive are placed in isolation and monitored until they're cleared to go back to work.  County health officials say Seneca Foods is following C-D-C guidelines like testing, taking temperature checks, imposing mask requirements, and social distancing.  The Wisconsin National Guard did a testing site at the facility this week.

Public Health officers in four central Wisconsin counties have issued a joint statement to all schools in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, regarding falls sports. Wood County Health Officer Sue Kunferman says that includes the possibility of halting play if there is a surge in coronavirus cases.  Last week the WIAA announced the start of high-risk fall sports like football and volleyball will be pushed back to September. Some conferences have decided to move those seasons back to the spring.

A potential buyer could come forward for the Verso Paper Mill in Wisconsin Rapids. Rhinelander-based Great Lakes Timber Professionals is working on a plan that could save up to 900 jobs at the mill. Verso announced last month that it was halting production today (7/31). Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Shane Blaser says the group has started working on the plan. Blaser said, "Timber Professionals are looking to get together a co-op and potentially, hopefully, down the road make an offer to purchase the mill.” Blaser says he doesn’t know yet what the city’s contribution will be to the co-op but that they’ll do whatever they can to help.

Each Minnesota district will decide, in consultation with the state, whether they begin the upcoming school year with students in the classroom, continue distance-learning, or a combination of the two. Governor Tim Walz announced his fall school learning plan Thursday afternoon. The governor says the state Departments of Education and Health will also work with school districts to determine if they need to "dial between" the various learning methods, depending on the progression of COVID in their particular community. Senate Republicans had asked Walz to leave the decision up to local districts, but Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says the governor's plan "didn't provide much clarity."

Governor Tony Evers has issued a statewide mask mandate he says will help to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin. The Democratic Governor has issued a new public health emergency, along with the mandate for people to wear a mask. It could put him at odds with Republican legislators who have argued masks should be optional. Effective Saturday, people age five and up are required to wear a face covering when inside or an enclosed space, other than a private residence, and around those who aren’t members of their household. The order will remain in effect until the end of September which means that school aged children will be required to wear a mask when school begins in September.

 Wisconsin U-S Senator Tammy Baldwin will probably find out with the rest of us when presumed Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, announces his selection of a running mate. Baldwin says she is confident that Biden will select someone that everyone can get behind. Biden is expected to select a woman to run with him against President Donald Trump. Baldwin's name was one of several he's said to have considered, but will likely now not be the pick.

A Green Bay company is getting a federal contract to help produce personal protective equipment (PPE) and masks.  The Pentagon awarded N-P-S Corporation more than two-and-a-half-million dollars to create specialized fibers that go into making respirators and filter masks.  C-E-O Andrew Hetzel says the funding is part of the CARES Act.  Those fibers will go to companies around the country as part of an effort to bring more of the production of P-P-E back to U-S soil.  Hetzel says the contract should create at least 30 new jobs.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter recently, to suggest delaying the November election, but a UW political scientist says that's not his call  Ken Mayer says only Congress has the authority to change election dates. Wisconsin politicians of both parties, including U-S Senator Tammy Baldwin and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, were quick to condemn Trump.

 U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar is urging her colleagues to including funding for rural communities in the latest coronavirus relief package.  The Minnesota Democrat spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday about the impact the pandemic is having on rural communities.  Klobuchar said, "We must take immediate action to provide critical support that rural areas need...areas that may not have easy access to hospitals...may have smaller hospitals."  She's calling for funding for state and local governments.  Klobuchar is sponsoring a 100-million-dollar bill to build high-speed broadband infrastructure in unserved and under-served communities.

 The Minneapolis Charter Commission has voted not to include a measure involving changes to the police department on the November ballot.  The commission voted the measure down eight-to-six on Wednesday.  It would have allowed residents to vote on removing the minimum staffing requirement for the Minneapolis Police Department.  Next week, the commission will consider a proposal from the city council that would remove the requirement for the city to have a police department.

Kwik Trip is expanding with the acquisition of Madison-based Stop-N-Go stores.  Kwik Trip will add nearly 35 locations in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.  Larger Stop-N-Go locations will be renovated and converted to the Kwik Trip brand while smaller locations will keep their current name.  La Crosse-based Kwik Trip did not disclose the financial terms of the purchase.  The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of this year.

Local-Regional News July 30

The Durand -Arkansaw School Board has decided to allow in person learning 5 days a week for the upcoming school year. During last nights special board meeting, the board voted down a hybrid plan from the administration that would have had ½ of the students in the building Monday's and Tuesdays and the other half in Thursday's and Fridays with virtual learning the rest of the time. Board President Bill Yingst says the board wanted to give the option of in person learning 5days a week to those parents who wanted it.  While the 5 days a week in person learning was approved, the daily schedule will still have to be finalized. A special board meeting with staff, administration and the public will be held on Tuesday August 4^th at 4pm at Durand High School. The board also voted 5-2 to give students the choice of wearing masks inside the building, however the bus company has mandated masks for all students riding the bus.

Two large Wisconsin Cooperatives are merging. Countryside Cooperative and Landmark Services Cooperative have agreed to move forward with a merger. Members of both boards determined that joining the resources would increase their competitive advantage in ever-changing local and global agriculture markets and drive increased value to members and employees. The new cooperatives headquarters will be located in Cottage Grove and current Landmark CEO Jim Dell would be the CEO of the new Cooperative, while Countryside CEO Frank Brenner would work with Dell to ensure that the unification of both cooperatives is a success. Contingent upon a successful vote by the members of Countryside Cooperative, the merger is expected to take effect on March 1^st, 2021.

The Pierce County Board has declared a local emergency due to the heavy rainfall that fell from June 28-July 1^st. The County is seeking information to determine the extent of damage to homes and businesses due to the flooding. The information gathered will be used to support grant and or loan requests for the county to assist in recovery and reducing future flood risks. Assistance to individuals and families meeting income criteria may also be available. Low to moderate income households with damage affecting the livability of their homes are urged to please contact 2-1-1 or call Pierce County Emergency Management at 715-273-6751 with any additional questions.

The Elk Mound School District had decided to cancel a possible in person graduation ceremony. In a social media post from Wednesday, the district cited local health officials recommendation not to have an in person ceremony as one of the factors to cancel the in person ceremony that was scheduled for August 5^th. The district will work on a virtual graduation for the class and will have more information by August 5^th.

 A western Wisconsin woman is dead after being struck and killed by a tractor at a state park in Iowa. The Cerro Gordo  County Sheriff’s Department responded to a medical call at Clear Lake State Park Beach around 4:15 p-m Tuesday. An unattended tractor owned by the State of Iowa rolled down a hill towards the beach area and struck a female sitting near the beach. Twenty-one-year-old Mercedes Kohlhardt of Eau Claire died at the scene from injuries suffered in the accident. Deputies say the incident remains under investigation.

A Chippewa Falls man was arrested last weekend after police saw two cars in his yard that had been reported stolen.  When a search warrant was executed, police found three more stolen cars in Jerimie Kelling’s back yard.  They also found meth, T-H-C, drug paraphernalia and a loaded rifle during the search.  A woman at the home, 37-year-old Shauna Dommer, was arrested on drug charges.  Authorities say they are in the process of returning the stolen vehicles to their owners and investigating the possibility Kelling was involved in the theft of multiple vehicles from an Eau Claire business.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will not require freshmen applicants to submit A-C-T or S-A-T scores due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials say an admissions policy waiver from the U-W System will allow the change in 2020. The university will seek a long-term waiver from the Board of Regents in August. The College Board urged flexibility because the pandemic prevented millions of students from testing this spring. Applicants may choose to submit a score from a college-entrance exam. Students will not be disadvantaged in the admission evaluation process if they choose to not have ACT or SAT scores considered during this time.

The attorney for one of the four ex-Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death wants the charges dismissed. Tou Thao's lawyer says aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter are not supported by probable cause. The motion filed Wednesday says Thao will move for the dismissal of charges on September 11th or as soon thereafter as counsel may be heard. Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexande Kueng all face the same charges. Derek Chauvin is accused of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the Memorial Day death of Floyd in south Minneapolis.

County and local governments will be seeing their first payments from the state under the annual shared revenue program. State Revenue Secretary Peter Barca says this funding is there to help offset local property taxes. State revenue sharing began in 1911 with the enactment of the state income tax.

Mask mandates likely won't be coming to your community. Wisconsin League of Municipalities Executive Director Jerry Deschane said Wednesday that the "overwhelming majority" of cities won't adopt mask mandates to limit spread of COVID-19. On a call organized by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Deschane said local leaders are frustrated, but "don't necessarily have the tools to act." Deschane and Wisconsin Counties Association Executive Director Mark O'Connell described a "patchwork" of local regulations in response to COVID-19.

Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson is reporting major financial losses during the second quarter of the fiscal year. The company reports a net loss of 92 million dollars after being forced to shut down production during the coronavirus pandemic. Shipments of motorcycles at this time during 2019 were almost 69 thousand units. This year they are just over 28 thousand. The company says its net revenue has fallen 53 percent compared to last year.

The crowd for next month’s Democratic National Convention was once anticipated to be about 50 thousand strong.  Now, planners are just talking about a few hundred.  Coronavirus first led convention organizers to move it from July to mid-August, then moved most of the activities online.  Now, W-I-S-N Television is reporting that convention planners are expecting as few as 300 people to be in Milwaukee for the event.  A report out last week suggested former Vice President Joe Biden – the presumed Democratic Party nominee for president – may be the only person to actually speak from Milwaukee during the convention.

One of the two women accused of attacking a Wisconsin state senator during a protest has been put on administrative leave from her job at Mount Horeb schools.  Twenty-six-year-old Samantha Hamer is a social worker with the district.  Prosecutors accuse Hamer and 33-year-old Kenda O’Reilly with attacking state Senator Tim Carpenter last month.  Carpenter had to have surgery after the June 23rd incident. 

The University of Minnesota is planning on holding most of its classes--about 70-percent--online this fall. U of M officials say of the university’s 89-hundred fall classes, about six-thousand-250 will be online or remote. The remaining two-thousand-655 classes will either be in-person or hybrid. Governor Walz and state education officials will give an update Thursday on how public schools will look this fall.

Wisconsin-based Kohl's is the latest retailer to announce it will close its stores on Thanksgiving. Kohl's expects more customers to shop early and taking advantage of online shopping. C-E-O Michelle Glass said in a statement, "we are deeply appreciative of how our team of Kohl’s associates have shown up to serve our customers through this pandemic and know that they will continue to show Kohl’s at our best throughout the holidays." Minnesota-based Target and Best Buy also plans to close their doors this Thanksgiving along with Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods.

The newest member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court will be sworn-in Saturday - while she is running a 100-mile ultra-marathon. Justice-Elect Jill Karofsky won the seat on the high court during the April election. She had been serving as a Dane County Circuit Court judge. Plans are for Karofsky, an avid runner, to be sworn-in at the 35-mile marker Saturday. The ceremony will be live-streamed on Facebook.

Local-Regional News July 29

The upcoming school year will be the focus of a special meeting of the Durand-Arkansaw School Board tonight. The board will hear a presentation on the plans to re-open school and plans for extra-curricular activities. Tonights meeting begins at 6pm in the Board of Education Room at Durand High School. The meeting will also be held on Zoom starting at 6pm.

A Wabasha County Board member is resigning after an image comparing Minnesota's mask mandate to the Holocaust was posted on the Wabasha County G-O-P's Facebook page.  State Republican officials initially believed the county's Facebook page had been hacked Monday, but party Chair Jennifer Carnahan said "the offensive picture was unfortunately posted by a board member who has resigned effective immediately at the party's request." The post was taken down by late Monday.

The Mondovi School District's Summer School Program will start next week. For parents sending their elementary school age children to summer school the district is asking you to send your child to school with a water bottle as the water fountains will be shut off. No visitors will be allowed in the school and the main entrance to the elementary school will be off limits due to construction. . The drop off location for elementary school students will be on Mill street and staff will be there to guide them into the building.

The Pierce County Sheriffs Department is reporting a telephone scam in that county. Residents have told the department scammers are calling them offering the potential victim millions of dollars in exchange for a few thousand dollars in Menard or Walmart Gift Cards. If you receive this call you are to just hang up.

Police in Rochester are investigating the discovery of a man's body near a motel dumpster.  Officers say the victim had been staying at the Best Western since May while in town for a construction job.  The 34-year-old man's name hasn't been released.  Investigators found no evidence of physical trauma.  They say he might have died from a medical issue or a drug overdose.  Results of an autopsy are pending.

Over 23-thousand dollars in AmeriCorps funding will be going to help create new disaster relief groups across rural Wisconsin. Serve Wisconsin executive director Jeanne Duffy says effective assistance needs more than just a bunch of people showing up to help.  Duffy says the funds will work to establish new volunteer disaster relief groups, and then bolster the ones that are already in place.

 A national report measuring school quality and safety gives Wisconsin public schools high marks.  WalletHub ranks Wisconsin schools number eight in the country – second-best in the Midwest to Minnesota.  The Badger State ranked fifth in school quality and number 24 in school safety.  WalletHub researches say they looked at 33 factors – including dropout rate, test scores, bullying, youth incarceration rates and having a plan to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.  Massachusetts was number-one overall and New Mexico brought up the rear.

Both parties are zeroing in on Wisconsin as Election Day approaches.  We’re less than 100 days away from choosing the next president and both parties realize that the Badger State is one of the few which could be won by either side.  The Biden campaign launched a new ad Monday featuring a Wisconsin resident.  Four states are considered to be a toss-up when voters go to the polls in November – Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida and North Carolina.  President Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by less than 23 thousand votes.

A  man spotted inciting violence during the George Floyd protests on Lake Street in May is believed to be a member of the Hell's Angels and an associate of the Aryan Cowboys biker gang.  A search warrant application filed Monday in Hennepin County states that on May 27th, a man seen wearing all black and carrying an umbrella was spotted walking along the front of an AutoZone and smashing the windows with a sledgehammer.  An officer on the scene says in the affidavit that the protests had been relatively peaceful to that point--but after the AutoZone's windows were smashed out, looting started and a fire was set. 

Wisconsin wildlife officials say a spill that sent contaminated water into the Menominee River was an accident. The Department of Natural Resources says the partially-contaminated water came from the J-C-I Tyco plant, a facility that makes fire extinguishers near Marinette. Those extinguishers are made with PFAS chemicals. The D-N-R says a water main broke at the plant on Sunday night, which led to a back-up, and some of the water then flowed from the plant into the river.

Hungry for some good news, organizers of next month’s Democratic National Convention got another dose of bad Monday.  At least three Wisconsin police departments won’t be sending personnel to work security at the event.  The departments point to orders from the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission banning the use of tear gas and pepper spray during demonstrations.  About one thousand officers were coming to help.  Now, that may not happen and additional police departments may also back out.  At least one chief says he respects the Fire and Police Commission’s decision, but removing those tools make it hard to keep convention-goers and law enforcement officers safe. .

Madison’s mayor says the city’s police union is “sowing division” at an important time when it should be stepping up to partner with city government.  The Madison Professional Police Officers’ Association announced Monday its members had voted no-confidence in Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway.  Leadership said the vote comes after many months of frustration during the absence of effective leadership from her office.  Rhodes-Conway says she asked the union three weeks ago for input in several areas – and got no response.  She says she has to assume “they are unwilling to embrace change.”

 A government watchdog group reports Republican lawmakers are winning the campaign fundraising race through the first half of the year.  Wisconsin Democracy Campaign released its analysis Monday.  Republican lawmakers have raised nearly twice as much money and their Democratic opponents – a little over one-point-eight million dollars.  Over the same six-month period Democrats raised 950 thousand dollars.  Counting outside efforts, a record topping seven million dollars has been raised so far this year.

 The University of Wisconsin System plans to use an anonymous gift of two million dollars to improve its online learning approach for the fall semester.  Some students complained about the program last spring.  The system plans to use the money to train faculty and support staff in online teaching and supply students with laptops, tablets and hotspots. The system shut down its in-person classes last March when the coronavirus pandemic took over.  It will reopen this fall with a mix of in-person classes and online offerings.

Things get complicated for travelers from Wisconsin who go to Chicago after Friday – very complicated.  They will have to quarantine for 14 days after they arrive.  Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday that Wisconsin will join the list of 18 states on the city’s quarantine list.  Chicago’s travel order is evaluated every Tuesday and takes effect the following Friday.  Wisconsin has had more than 49 thousand people test positive for COVID-19.  The state is also being added to a Washington, D-C travel advisory.

Local-Regional News July 28

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism says tourism spending in Western Wisconsin increased 1.84% in 2019. Pepin County reported a 5.75% increase in tourism spending to $14.2 million in 2019, Pierce County had a 3.55 increase to $57.5 million, Buffalo County tourism spending increased by 2.41% to $22.2 million and Trempealeau County saw a 3.74% increase in tourism spending to $56 million. Overall in Wisconsin, tourism spending for 2019 was $22.2 Billion.

One person was injured in a motorcycle accident in Bay City on Sunday. According to the Pierce County Sheriffs Deparmtent, 51yr old Alana Rombalski of Bay City was attempting a parking maneuver of her motor trike in her yard when she over accelerated , rolling the trike and was ejected. Rombalski was transported to Red Wing Regional Airport where she was med flighted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

Under the new ALICE report released by United Way. data from 2018 shows that more households in Wisconsin fall under the ALICE threshold for the basic cost of living. ALICE, which stands for asset limited, income constrained, employed, represents the households with income above the federal poverty level, but below the basic cost of living. According to the report, Buffalo County had 31% of Households either under the poverty level or the Alice threshold, Pierce County 32%, Dunn and Trempealeau Counties 33% and Pepin County had 35% of household living under the federal poverty level or the under the Alice threshold.

The person involved in the robbery of a bank and gas station in Dunn County last year was sentenced. On Monday, Dunn County Judge Rod Smeltzer sentenced David Hoffman to 8yrs in prison for the robberies. Hoffman had pleaded guilty to the October robbery of the U-Fuel Gas Station in Elk Mound and the Peoples State Bank in Boyceville. Along with prison, Hoffman will have to repay the money stolen and will also spend 8yrs on extended supervision.

The Wabasha County Sheriffs Department has confirmed the death of a 35yr old woman in Zumbro Falls was a suicide. The woman was found dead with a gunshot wound on July 5^th. The sheriffs department says the wound was self inflicted.

A local specialist says getting enough sleep could help reduce the stress felt by the coronavirus pandemic. S-S-M Health Sleep Medicine Physician Dr. Joseph Crisalli [[ criss-soll-lee ]] said even before the pandemic, around one-third of adults weren't getting enough sleep at night. He says sleep helps restore bodily functions which are vital for mental and physical health. Dr. Crisalli recommends between seven-and-nine-hours of sleep at night.

Two women have been arrested on suspicion of beating Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter during a protest over racial injustice last month.  Madison police say 33-year-old Kerida E. O’Reilly and 26-year-old Samantha R. Hamer turned themselves in after they had been identified by members of the public.  Carpenter was kicked and punched as he tried to take a video of the crowd tearing down statues.  His injuries later required surgery.  About 10 people were hitting or kicking the Democrat from Milwaukee after he was knocked to the ground.

The Wisconsin Farm Support Program is ready to distribute the remaining eight million dollars it has in the bank to statewide farmers needed relief during the coronavirus pandemic.  Twelve thousand Wisconsin farmers have been paid just over 41-and-a-half million dollars so far – each farmer getting about 35 hundred dollars.  Applications for the funding will be accepted beginning August 10th and running through the 24th.  The support is available to Wisconsin farmers with gross annual incomes between 10 thousand and five million dollars.

A Minnesota man accused of shooting his girlfriend last Friday, then fleeing to Wisconsin is facing attempted second-degree murder charges.  Witnesses told investigators that Jacob McPheeters said he was angry because he would be going to prison soon on a Wisconsin drug charge and couldn't trust his girlfriend.  McPheeters reportedly pulled a pistol on the woman in the parking lot of a Bloomington motel, and witness managed to grab the weapon, but he got another gun and shot his girlfriend point-blank in the chest.   Police tracked McPheeters through his phone and he was arrested in Wisconsin with the guns and three pipe bombs.

Wisconsin State Senator Steve Nass is questioning whether the coronavirus numbers shared with the public can be trusted. The Republican spoke out late last week after revelations that Dane County hasn’t reported any negative test results to the state since July 10th. He says the 10-day backlog of results is troubling and it has skewed the coronavirus data. Nass says it makes the pandemic look worse than it really is. He is demanding answers from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, saying people need to be able to believe the numbers they see each day are correct.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul says he'll closely monitor the Trump adminstration's planned deployment of federal law enforcement agents to Milwaukee Milwaukee is one of five cities that will see a surge in federal resources to address violent crime, but Kaul, on WISN TV's "UpFront" program, said his office was not given any sort of heads up about the deployment. It's unclear how many federal agents would be deployed to Milwaukee, which has seen an alarming rise in homicides and gun violence this year.

 Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne tells protesters he hears them, but he won’t be intimidated.  Over the weekend, a group shouted and played loud music outside his Madison home.  Ozanne says his family was frightened and his neighbors were bothered.  The protesters want him to release some of their friends from jail.  He says those people are being held for real crimes and they will remain in jail.

Minneapolis is seeing a record increase in the number of voters who mailed in their early ballots for the August 11th state primary. Mail-in voting for the state primary began June 26th, and the city has received 20,727 completed ballots. That’s more than three times higher than the total mail ballots received during the state primary in 2018--which held the previous record for a state primary.

The coronavirus is not keeping the Wisconsin National Guard from its two weeks of training. Commanders say several Wisconsin National Guard units recently finished their two weeks of training at Fort McCoy. Other units will be done soon. The annual training comes as hundreds of guard members in Wisconsin help test for and track the coronavirus.

Minnesota-based Target announced today it will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. But the store says there will be plenty of opportunities to shop holiday deals before and after November 26th. Target also says it will offer in-store and online deals starting in October to keep crowd sizes down.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is looking for a buyer for the historic Kern Bridge.  The state will accept letters of interest from potential buyers through the end of August.  Department historian Katie Haun says it would be “an attractive addition to a bike and pedestrian trail.”  The 147-year-old Kern Bridge crossed the Le Sueur River near Mankato.  It was dismantled earlier this year and placed in sealed containers.  The cost of buying, rehabilitating and relisting the bridge on the National Register of Historic Places is estimated at one-and-a-half million dollars, with federal funding covering about 80 percent of the cost

Local-Regional News July 27

The Plum City School Board will continue discussion of a possible fall referendum to allow the district to exceed the revenue limits by $500,000 per year for five years for non recurring purposes. The proposal was discussed during this months board meeting. Plum City School Superintendent Amy Vesperman says the proposal was brought up now to start the discussion.  There are concerns that state aid will be reduced due to the covid 19 pandemic. Plum City also saw a $140,000 reduction in state aid in the last budget.

The Pepin County Board did approve the parameters for the sale of $9 million dollars in bonds to finance the highway shop project. The parameters included the amount not to exceed $9 million dollars along with how the money will be used for only the Highway Shop project and when the bonds will be put up for sale.

At the time it was described as the biggest drug bust in Eau Claire County history.  The California man found with 67 pounds of cocaine in his U-Haul trailer has been sentenced to nine years in prison.  Thirty-five-year-old Samuel Serrano was caught in April 2019 at the Menard’s distribution center in Eau Claire.  He pleaded no contest to a charge of possession with intent to deliver cocaine.  Investigators said the cocaine had a street value of more than three million dollars.

A group of researchers at UW-Madison are exploring methods that could turn wood waste and other biomass into new fuel additives and lubricants. Timothy Donohue with Great Lakes Bioenergy says the process would compliment the work that currently creates ethanol to power cars and engines.  Donohue says he's hopeful that the process will help increase the amount of renewable energy that's available and reduce the need to refine and burn crude oil and gasoline.

One person was injured in a stabbing in Monroe County on Friday night. According to authorities, a fight broke out at Barron's Gentleman's Club near Sparta where a 30yr old man from LaCrescent, MN was stabbed an the suspect had fled. The victim was taken to Sparta Mayo for treatment. The suspect, 35yr old Samuel Walker of Whitesburg, Tennessee was located in the woods and arrested.

No firm numbers have been released, but Marquette University is reporting about one-third of its dorm rooms will be filled with contractors and Democratic National Convention staff next month.  The coronavirus pandemic has forced the event starting August 17th to dramatically reduce its presence in Milwaukee.  Eighty-five rooms at Milwaukee School of Engineering will also be dedicated to D-N-C people.  The rooms were reserved when convention organizers feared Milwaukee wouldn’t have enough hotel rooms for the expected 50 thousand visitors.  Hotels in the city’s downtown area have already been devastated by the cancellation of Summerfest, Milwaukee Brewers games and other events.  They’re usually near capacity during the summer months.

Leaders of the village of Union Center are telling residents not to drink the water.  They say someone may have tampered with the water reservoir and the village water supply could be contaminated.  Residents are being told not to use tap water for drinking or cooking until further notice on the village Facebook page.  That notice should happen early this week.  Until then, people are being advised to only use bottled water. 

A severe weather system late Saturday night into Sunday drenched parts of Minnesota from south of the metro to the Iowa border. By 7:00 a-m Sunday the National Weather Service reported totals of more than eight inches of rain in St. Peter and Mankato. Fairfax and St. Clair picked up around seven inches, while New Ulm checked in at just over five inches. There were instances of flash flooding associated with the rainfall.

One-hundred-55 Wisconsin K-through-12 schools will be able to apply for part of 46-point-six million dollars of federal funding coming to the state through the CARES Act.  A press release from the governor’s office says the “funding stream will help support students, teachers and parents who are navigating uncertainty” during the pandemic.  The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is helping the governor’s office prioritize schools most-impacted by COVID-19.  The three tribal schools in the state will receive the same per-pupil payment as the other school districts.

Wisconsin veterans say they have raised the money needed to clean up the Veterans Museum in Madison – but they say the state is stalling the work.  V-F-W State Commander Jason Johns sent an open letter to state leaders demanding the work be done almost two months after riots damaged the building.  A group of volunteers raised enough money to remove graffiti from the outside and restore damaged exhibits inside.  The Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation and the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs are said to be resisting the clean-up because the museum building is privately-owned.

 

City officials in Green Bay are receiving threats after passing a face mask order.  Police Chief Andrew Smith wrote an email, “some appear to be outright threats, others insinuate that some harm will come [to] one or more of us because of our action on that face mask ordinance.”  Smith said detectives are reviewing threatening emails to determine if any could result in criminal charges and will forward those to the district attorney’s office.  He plans to contact the F-B-I if necessary.  City leaders are asked to be aware of their surroundings and forward suspicious emails to the police department.  Green Bay’s mask ordinance takes effect Monday.

Door County is now requiring face masks in all public places.  The Door County Health Department issued the ”Emergency Advisory Requiring Face Coverings” on Thursday.  County Health Officer Susan Powers said, “the increasing numbers of confirmed cases in Door County and across the state, as well as the multitude of visitors coming to our area, made it imperative that we all wear a face covering in public.”  She says the advisory should not be used as justification to harass or harm another person who is either wearing or not wearing a face covering.  The health department also says public gatherings and events “are considered high risk and should be avoided.”

Wisconsin cities like Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay and Racine already have face mask mandates in effect.  The rest of the state could soon follow suit.  Governor Tony Evers says he is considering a statewide mandate for mask use as a way to counter the increasing number of coronavirus cases.  Evers says he is still unsure of his options based on the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that ended his Safer at Home order. 

Minnesotans are now required to wear face coverings inside public places to help prevent spread of the coronavirus.  The statewide order went into effect Saturday.  Governor Tim Walz is urging people to be kind to each other.  The governor said, “we don’t need mask battles on the streets. We don’t need to shame people.”  Walz called the mask requirement the “absolute economic key to making sure that businesses are open and stay open."  Republicans are highly critical of the governor's move, saying areas of Minnesota most at-risk already have mask mandates.  G-O-P Senate candidate Jason Lewis claims that Minnesotans don’t support it and “wanted to be treated as adults.”

U-S Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson are working together to have a new submarine be named for Wisconsin.  The Democrat Baldwin and Republican Johnson want to honor the state’s historical connection with the U-S Navy.  They introduced a Senate Resolution urging the Secretary of the Navy to name one of the next available Virginia class submarines the “U-S-S Wisconsin.”  They point to shipbuilding during World War Two in Manitowoc and more recently in Marinette.  The last Navy vessel to carry the name the U-S-S Wisconsin served in every major conflict between 1944 and when it was decommissioned in 1991.

Local-Regional News July 24

The Durand City Hall will remain open for public traffic. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the while city hall is still open, the city would prefer if residents mailed in or use the payment box outside of city hall for payments.  The city is also encouraging residents to vote absentee in the upcoming primary election.

Governor Evers is looking at cutting another $250 million from the state budget due to the covid-19 pandemic. For local school districts, the timing of those budget cuts could make it difficult for them to balance their budgets. Durand-Arakansaw Superintendent Greg Doverspike says the district is now operating under their 2020-2021 budget, but still planning on different scenarios.  The district did have some funds left over from last year which will help cover any reductions from the state of Wisconsin.

 

A Chippewa Falls woman who stabbed another person during a fight at an Eau Claire hotel will spend the next four years on probation. Authorities said that Taylor Simpson got into a fight back in April and stabbed a person several times. Simpson pleaded no contest to aggravated battery with use of a dangerous weapon.

A Rochester man will spend more than 21 years in federal for dealing methamphetamine in Olmsted County.  Fifty-year-old Dwight Barnes was sentenced after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute meth.  The U-S Attorney's Office says Barnes received at least four packages containing meth from the West Coast between May and October 2017.  Rochester police seized a fifth package that contained two pounds of the drug.

The WIAA has approved a two tier schedule to reopen high school sports this season. Low contact and impact sports are set to start in August, with higher contact sports to start in September. WIAA director Dave Anderson says that these openings are dependent on how active COVID-19 is in an area.  High school football will run with just a six game schedule and three weeks of playoffs.

The state ag department wants to help people in the ag industry catch people heading into a mental health crisis before it happens. Wisconsin Farm Center director Jayne Krull says they're offering special training called Q P R or Question, Persuade, Refer.  Krull says this is one part of the Evers Administration's efforts to improve mental wellness for the state's farmers and to get help to people in need. For more info or to sign up for a course, go to Farm Center dot W I dot Gov.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has extended the state’s utility disconnection moratorium until September 1st.  The increasing number of COVID-19 cases was the driving factor behind the commission’s decision.  It means Wisconsin utilities won’t be able to disconnect service when customers aren’t able to pay their bills.  The P-S-C says residents struggling with finances during the pandemic may be eligible for assistance from the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program.

A new survey of Minnesota teachers finds distance learning is the most popular choice for public schools in the fall.   Forty-nine-percent of respondents in the Education Minnesota survey said they preferred distance learning,  29 percent prefer hybrid classes while 17 percent favor a return to in-person classes.  More than 20-thousand members of the teachers union took part in the survey July 16th through 20th.   A group of teachers will march and caravan to the Governor's Residence today, calling for continued distance-learning this fall unless disease-prevention measures inside schools dramatically improve.

A western Wisconsin man who won a 22-million-dollar Powerball jackpot is following through on a promise to share his winnings.  Tom Cook of Elk Mound and Joseph Feeney of Menomonie shook hands in 1992 and swore that if either of them won the lottery, they would split the jackpot.  A Powerball ticket that Cook bought for the June 10th drawing matched all the numbers.  Cook says he called Feeney to tell him the news and he couldn't believe it.  His fishing buddy asked, "are you jerking my bobber?"  They each took home nearly six-million dollars after the cash option and federal and state taxes.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission says requests for absentee ballots suggest a big voter turnout for the fall elections.  A report Wednesday shows officials have received more than 740 thousand applications for an absentee ballot for the August primary.  That’s more than all the ballots cast in the August primary in 2016 and almost six times the number of absentee ballots cast that year.  The commission says nearly 200 thousand of the absentee ballots mailed out have already been returned.

University of Wisconsin System interim President Tommy Thompson says the system has already endured enough cuts in state funding.  Governor Tony Evers ordered an additional 250 million dollars in cuts to overall state funding Wednesday.  It isn’t clear how much of that burden would fall on the U-W System.  Thompson says he’s going to sit down with Evers and explain that the system has already seen too many budget cuts.  Evers says the coronavirus pandemic is cutting into Wisconsin’s bottom line and some spending reductions are necessary.

 Wisconsin doctors report suspected opioid overdoses have more than doubled during the coronavirus pandemic.  Wisconsin hospital emergency departments report 325 suspected overdoses between March and last week.  That’s a 117-percent increase from the 150 suspected overdoses during the same period last year.  Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm says financial pressures can make behavioral and substance abuse problems worse.  Calls to the state’s helpline have been increasing at the same time.

President Donald Trump plans to deploy federal troops in Milwaukee in the next few weeks.  Trump has been threatening to send federal law enforcement to several U-S cities to quell violent protests and deter violent crime.  The White House website says, "over the next 3 weeks, the Justice Department plans to further expand the initiative into Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee."  Federal forces are already on the ground in Portland, Oregon as a response to violent protests and riots.  President Trump accuses Democratic mayors of being weak and afraid of so-called anarchists -- and said "that’s why they say we don’t want the federal government helping."

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation says Foxconn is going to have to wait for its tax breaks from the state.  W-E-D-C Secretary Missy Hughes says her office is continuing to discuss aligning the contract with the project as it is now taking shape.  The Evers administration says the operation in Mount Pleasant has been downgraded.  That’s why there is resistance to paying Foxconn under the terms of the deal it reached with former Governor Scott Walker.  The company’s latest jobs report shows it has hired more than the 520 full-time workers needed to get its tax breaks for 2019.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a police reform package into law today the legislature passed Monday just before finishing its special session.  Walz says, "Every single person, every single Minnesotan, deserves to feel safe and protected in their communities. This bi-partisan piece of legislation moves us towards a critical step towards criminal justice reform."  But the governor emphasized "work doesn’t end today" and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan called the legislation a "first step."  It prohibits officers from using chokeholds, they can’t receive paid warrior-style training, and officers must intervene if another officer is using excessive force.  There’s additional training for officers to better handle situations involving those with mental illness or autism.

Just three hours after he had been bound over for trial on drug charges, a Crandon man was found carrying a big stash of drugs on his motorcycle.  Twenty-six-year-old Aaron Morris is being held in the Forest County Jail.  When he was pulled over last week for operating a vehicle with a revoked driver’s license, officers say they found bags of fentanyl, crack cocaine and meth.  Morris made a court appearance at 3:30 p-m and the traffic stop was at 6:30.  Based on the large amount of drugs in his possession, the area drug task force is recommending more than a half-dozen felony charges be filed.

Local-Regional News July 23

Two People were injured in a deer vs motorcycle accident in Pepin County Wednesday. According to the Pepin County Sheriffs Department, 71yr old Charles Hooker of Otsego, MN was traveling westbound on Hwy SS near Bignell Hill when he struck a deer. Hooker and his passenger, 70yr old Janice Hidde-Hooker were both ejected from the motorcycle. Both were med flighted to hospitals in Rochester with serious, life threatening injuries.

The City of Durand and Kwik Trip have entered into an agreement to split the cost of the reconstruction of Hardy Street and associated sewer and water infrastructure as part of the Kwik Trip Project at the Pepin County Highway Shop. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the estimated total cost of the project is at $250,000.  The City's portion of the cost of that project would be included in the current TIF District and taxes from the district will help pay for the project.

With the spike in positive covid-19 cases in Wisconsin and Pepin County, there has been an increased demand for testing. Pepin County Health Officer Heidi Stewart says while there are no reported shortages of testing supplies here in Western Wisconsin, there are some concerns for those supplies in the eastern parts of the state.

Pepin County has identified another establishment within the Village of Pepin where COVID-19 exposures could have occurred. At least one person who was at the the Bear's Den last week has tested positive for COVID-19. The Health Department is working to determine close contacts to the individuals and will be  notifying them directly. If anyone was at the Bear's Den Thursday in the evening or Friday through Sunday of last week during regular business hours should consider themselves at risk and should self monitor for signs and symptoms while quarantining themselves fro 14 days.

Due to the spike in Covid-19 cases in Buffalo County, the Mondovi City Hall will be closed for walk-in traffic. City staff will be available by phone Monday-Friday from 8-5. Residents are urged to use the drop box at the entrance for payments, applications or other correspondence that does not require in person interaction.

Home sales in Western Wisconsin rebounded in June according to the Wisconsin Realtors Association. Pepin County reported 8 homes sold in June, Buffalo County 12, Trempealeau County 21, Pierce County 44 and Dunn County reported 71 homes sold. The average price of a home in Western Wisconsin rose to $210,000. Lower mortgage rates were one factor in the rebound in home sales.

During a survey of the damage in Cadott on Wednesday, the National Weather Service confirmed an EF0 tornado touched down just before 8:40 p.m. Tuesday.  The tornado was on the high-end of the EF0 scale. That means wind speeds topped out around 85 mph. It covered a path of 2.9 miles and was on the ground for roughly 10 minutes. There were a few other brief tornadoes Tuesday on Eau Claire and Dunn Counties, but they have not received any reports of damage. 

The City of Madison is not going to offer any help to downtown businesses damaged in last month’s violent riots and looting. Alderwoman Rebecca Kemble said the downtown area is the “whitest neighborhood in the city” and she wants Madison to spend its money in minority neighborhoods instead. The Madison City Council voted down a proposal to spend 250 thousand dollars helping the downtown area rebuild. A number of those businesses are still boarded-up or closed after rioters smashed windows and stole merchandise.

The Department of Administration will work with state agencies to figure out where to cut another 250 million dollars in spending.  Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced the cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday.  Evers says he is hoping the federal government will take steps to stabilize funding for state and local services, but the cuts are still necessary.  The governor had already asked the Department of Administration to cut 70 million in spending the previous fiscal year.

A federal judge in Green Bay has dismissed a lawsuit filed by two dozen Wisconsin residents over local stay-at-home orders.  U-S District Judge William Griesbach ruled the people who are suing failed to properly join all of the defendants into one legal action.  If they correct that, they can file again.  The group’s attorney says he is reviewing the ruling to determine whether to appeal or file an amendment suit.  Governor Tony Evers, Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Andrea Palm and officials from 14 cities and counties had been named.

We’re not there yet, but it’s very close.  People traveling from Wisconsin to Chicago could soon find themselves being required to quarantine for 14 days.  An emergency travel order in effect in the Windy City mandates that people coming from states with high rates of COVID-19 transmission would have to do that.  The cut-off mark is 15 new cases per day per 100 thousand residents, based on a seven-day rolling average.  Earlier this week that rolling average in Wisconsin was 14-point-91 cases per 100 thousand residents.  It topped that level on Tuesday, but Chicago won’t make it determination until next week.  There are 18 states on Chicago’s list.

 The bipartisan group VoteSafe Wisconsin is working together to promote absentee voting and safe in-person voting for the August primary and November general elections.  Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and former Republican Attorney General J-B Van Hollen lead the group of eight people – four from each party.  They are working together to make sure voting is both accessible and safe during the pandemic.  The leaders from both parties say they believe Wisconsin residents should have options so voters on either side don’t have to put their health at risk.

A team of lawyers is advising people not to cooperate with the federal investigation of last month’s fire-bombing in Madison.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a reward of up to five thousand dollars for the help.  Freedom Fighters Legal Support calls the investigation and “intimidation tactic,” advising people not to talk to authorities.  A spokesperson for the A-T-F says the office has received an “overwhelming” amount of information so far.  The team is following leads as it tries to identify those who are connected to the case.

The Minnesota Medical Association  is applauding Governor Tim Walz's decision to enact a statewide indoor mask mandate amid the coronavirus pandemic. M-M-A has pushed for a universal mask mandate for many weeks. President Keith Stelter says they've seen the evidence of this being an effective deterrent against the spread of COVID-19. Doctor Stelter says some in rural areas may think the mandate is not necessary, but he says many people with the virus may be asymptomatic and they can spread the illness before they even know they have it. The mandate goes into effect Friday at midnight.

 Minnesota-based Best Buy says it will bump its starting wage to 15 dollars-an-hour next month.  All other hourly workers will receive a four-percent increase.  When the coronavirus outbreak started, the company furloughed about 51 thousand domestic hourly workers.  The remaining workers have been receiving what is called appreciation pay, but that ends August 1st.  The new 15-dollar minimum begins the next day.  Best Buy began bringing the furloughed workers back to the job last month.  So far, about half have returned.

The fate of high school football in Wisconsin could be known by the end of the day today.  The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association is set to talk about a return to fall sports. The question is how can teams compete -- and comply with social distance requirements. One suggestion is to delay fall sports until next spring. The fall high school sports season is scheduled to start next week.

The Stevens Point City Council has voted to not allow organized football games at the city-operated Community Stadium at Goerke Park. City parks director Dan Kremer says the city will offer support to all three schools that use the stadium- SPASH, Pacheli, and UW-SP.  Kremer says there are baseball games being played in city facilities without fans, but that's because the sport allows for more social distancing and has fewer athletes and personnel involved.

 The Minnesota State Fair is canceled, but some restaurants will still be able to promote their business.  The first-ever Minnesota State Fair Food Parade will feature 16 vendors and their famous fair treats over three long weekends.  For 20 bucks, vehicles with up to five passengers will have access to a more than one-mile route through the fairgrounds.  Some vendors include Tom Thumb Donuts, Foot Long Hot Dogs & Corn Dogs, and Diary Goodness Bar by Midwest Dairy.   Tickets go on sale July 31st and food is not included in the cost of admission.  The Food Parade begins the weekend of August 20th through the 23rd.