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.
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