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.