Local-Regional News August 11

The Pepin County Health Department reports that a horse in Pepin County has tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), which is caused by the EEE virus. This is the second documented EEE animal case in the state this year. No EEE cases in humans have been reported in Wisconsin thus far in 2020. EEE virus is spread to humans, horses, and other animals through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes acquire EEE virus by feeding on infected birds. The virus is not spread person to person or directly between animals or between animals and humans. Presence of a EEE positive horse confirms that there are mosquitoes in the area infected with the EEE virus that can spread the virus to people and other animals. Because EEE virus is known to be circulating Pepin County, residents and visitors to are should be vigilant in preventing mosquito bites.

The Chippewa Valley Bike Trail is complete. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held yesterday in Chippewa Falls to celebrate the final stretch of the system, a 1.2 mile stretch of trail in Chippewa Falls and another 1 mile segent in Lake Hallie. The Chippewa Valley trail system, is a 76 mile network of three connected trails that now connects Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn and Pepin counties.

The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings Monday afternoon as strong storms swept through the state.  Wind damage was reported in the area around Lancaster at 1:00 p-m, while power lines were down on the south side of Darlington an hour later.  A cold front is blamed for pushing the storms through the state.  Gusty winds and hail were the main problems for the southern part of Wisconsin.  No deaths or serious injuries were reported.

La Crosse city work crews are removed the Hiawatha statue from Riverside Park Monday.  The park was closed to the public for safety reasons and at the request of artist Anthony Zimmerhakl’s family.  The La Crosse Park Board voted to remove the statue last month after it stood there for almost 60 years.  It will be returned to Zimmerhakl’s family.  The president of the Ho-Chunk Nation had called it a historically inaccurate figure, but more than 17 hundred people signed a petition seeking to keep the statue in the park.

Polls open for Wisconsin’s partisan primary election this  morning at 7:00 a-m.  Hundreds of thousands of voters have already cast their ballots through the mail.  If you have chosen to vote today, you have until 8:00 p-m – when the polls close.  If you’re in line by that time, you are still legally permitted to vote.  You have to be registered to vote, but you can take care of that when you walk in.  You will need a proof of residency, like a state I-D, a utility bill, or a copy of your lease.  You will also have to show a form of photo identification.  More than a half-million votes have already been submitted through the mail.

The agency in charge of Wisconsin's online library system has been spending the pandemic bolstering its collection. Sara Gold with the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium says they've been bulking up their stocks of licenses to help borrow out books to libraries across the state.  The consortium received 250-thousand dollars in grants from the Department of Public Instruction in April, which has helped it buy several thousand new books and resources for patrons.

More than 200 thousand households in Wisconsin are getting more help with their groceries under Governor Evers' latest coronavirus order. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says July's order re-starts the program that expands FoodShare benefits. It's not clear exactly how many people will get expanded benefits, or how much they will get. A family of four in Wisconsin can usually get almost 650 dollars a month for groceries under the FoodShare program. D-H-S says benefits for July should have appeared on FoodShare cards over the weekend. Benefits for August will appear in two weeks.

The 2020 Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo held at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls each fall will not be held this year. After careful consideration, the UWRF Rodeo Club has decided to cancel the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo scheduled for September 11 and 12. Given concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, the club felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented situation.

Two parents from Monroe County will spend up to four years in prison after their convictions on charges of child abuse and neglect.  Travis and Amy Headrick had been accused of keeping their children in makeshift cages, including a former horse trough.  They had pleaded guilty to three felony charges in February after originally being charged with 10 in 2018.  The Headricks were arrested after a witness phoned in a tip to authorities about the living conditions inside their home.  Both parents apologized for their actions prior to their sentencing last Friday.

Wisconsin Democrats say they’ve found a lot of problems with entertainer Kayne West’s ballot paperwork. Democrats say hundreds of West’s signatures don’t meet the requirement for addresses or voting location. West needs two-thousand valid signatures to make the November ballot. His representatives turned in more than 24-hundred on Friday. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is not saying when it will make a final ruling.

A new poll shows voters in Wisconsin favor Joe Biden over President Trump. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Elections Research Center poll finds Biden leads Trump by six points. According to the poll, Biden's drawing support from Democrats who went for other candidates than Hillary Clinton in 2016, or didn't vote at all. The president maintains strong backing from Republicans.

Congressman Bryan Steil has criticized Governor Tony Evers for his COVID-19 response.  The Wisconsin Republican was in Janesville Saturday for the opening of a new Trump campaign office.  Steil says the governor has spent very little of the federal CARES Act funding so far.  He accuses the Democratic governor of allocating much of the money for future use, rather than spending the money now to make an immediate impact.  Steil says Wisconsin lawmakers can’t convene and spend the federal money.  It’s only authorized for the governor to spend.

A security officer on the campus of the University of St. Thomas thinks he caught a glimpse of a black bear as it lumbered toward a wooded area Sunday morning.  A jogger had flagged him down shortly before 8:00 a-m.  It was the third time a bear had been sighted in St. Paul since the middle of June.  The latest contact came near Summit Monument Park along Mississippi River Boulevard, just west of the campus.  The Department of Natural Resources says there have been no documented human deaths attributed to bear attacks in Minnesota, but there have been eight unprovoked attacks since 1987, resulting in 10 people being hospitalized.

Wisconsin candidates for the reality television show American Idol will be auditioning virtually later this week.  Oshkosh teenager Franki Moscato got the change to compete on the A-B-C show last year, although his dream ended during Hollywood week.  The coronavirus pandemic is forcing many television shows to make changes.  American Idol will be hosting virtual auditions for Wisconsin candidates Wednesday.