Local-Regional News August 20

 An update on the new Pepin County Highway shop project. During last nights Pepin County Board meeting, a timeline of the project was given. On August 14, Kwik Trip deposited $1 million into an escrow account for the current highway shop property and the county will have until October 31, 2010 to vacate the old shop. The closing on the property for the new shop should be completed by August 31 and construction should begin shortly after that. Today at 2:30 at the government center, their will be a bid opening for the project. You will be able to watch the bid opening on the county's zoom meeting site.

The Durand Arkansaw School Board met last night. During the meeting, Superintendent Doverspike gave members an update on a recent survey sent out to parents regarding the upcoming school year. According to the Survey 86% of parents want their children in the building for in person learning, 10% want remote learning and 3% want virtual learing.   Other survey results found 80% of students plan to eat school lunch while only 33% iof students plan to eat school breakfast.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services released guidance to re-open schools and hold fall sports yesterday. The guidance basically said for schools to work with their local health officers. Pepin County Health Officer Heidi Stetwart says many local officers were waiting to match local guidance to the DHS guidance, but now the local officers will work together to formulate guidance on a regional basis.  Many district have already decided how they will proceed for the upcoming school year.

A Rochester man accused of driving drunk rear-ended the wrong vehicle on Tuesday night.  Officers say 45-year-old Eduardo Garcia-Gutierrez crashed into the rear of an Olmsted County sheriff's patrol car and a Rochester Public Transit bus.  Police say the deputy was stopped at a red light near the Law Enforcement Center when Garcia-Gutierrez hit the squad car.  He was stopped a few blocks away and arrested on suspicion of D-W-I and other charges.  The deputy was not injured.  A breath test showed Garcia-Gutierrez's blood alcohol concentration was point-two-one - more than twice the legal limit.

Mable Tainter has a new director. Lucas Chase was named the new director of operations for the non profit facility. Chase is a graduate from Luther College in decorah, and was the programming chair and a board member since 2018. Chase started in the new position on Monday and is working with the outgoing director Jeff McSweeney through this Friday.

Charges have been filed against two Milwaukee men for the incident earlier this month outside Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah’s home.  Twenty-eight-year-old Ronald Bell and 23-year-old William Lofton are charged with recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon and battery to a law enforcement officer.  Bell has admitted firing a shotgun during a confrontation.  If convicted, Bell and Lofton could spend up to 10 years in prison.  They are scheduled to return to Milwaukee County Circuit Court for a hearing Monday.

The Minnesota Senate Republican leader is blasting Governor Tim Walz for another court challenge to the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project.  Analysts predict the GOP-controlled Senate could oust Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley in retaliation.  Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says the Line 3 court appeal is a "huge disappointment" for northern Minnesotans.  Gazelka said, "about 65-hundred jobs, of which 42-hundred are construction jobs, are on delay.  ...over five years of permitting, and we still are not doing this pipeline."  Representative Frank Hornstein (HORN-steen) from Minneapolis claims "the project is not needed and has many, many risks for the climate.  There's violations of Indigenous treaty rights."  He says Republicans should pass a bonding bill to create construction jobs.

Wisconsin Elections Commission staff says rapper Kanye West should not appear on the November ballot.  W-E-C officials say West's representatives missed the deadline to file nomination papers by 14 seconds.  West is trying to get on Wisconsin's ballot as a third-party presidential candidate.  Democrats allege that Republicans are pushing West's candidacy in several states to siphon black votes away from Joe Biden.  Trump campaign attorney Lane Ruhland turned in the nomination papers for West.  The commission is set to vote on the recommendation Thursday.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission reports state voters have requested more than 800 thousand absentee ballots.  Still more than two-and-a-half months before the November 3rd General Election, that number is expected to top a million.  Commission members have told municipal clerks that last week’s primary election was good practice for them.  Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe said Tuesday there are still some issues to work out – like how to count all of the absentee ballots in a system not designed to handle those numbers.

Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman says he knows there are some unemployed Wisconsin workers still waiting, but his agency will get to them.  Frostman says D-W-D has paid almost a half-million people about three-and-a-half billion dollars in benefits since March 15th.  He says claims are still being processed as rapidly as possible – from the oldest to the newest.  Frostman says, on average, it takes about three weeks.  Determining whether a worker quit the job or was laid off is just one of the many things that factors into a delay.

 With tuition frozen for the last seven years and the coronavirus pandemic having a major impact, the U-W System is needing more money.  Interim System President Tommy Thompson says he is going to the governor to ask for an increase in state aid of almost 96 million dollars in the next two-year budget.  Thompson says the three-and-a-half percent budget bump is needed to expand Bucky’s Tuition Promise and fund other initiatives.  The former Republican governor says he needs the money to make the University of Wisconsin System more relevant and relatable.

Target Corporation is reporting big second-quarter earnings as consumers shopped close to home during the COVID pandemic.  The Minnesota-based retailer says comparable sales growth rose more than 24 percent - the strongest ever.  In-store comparable sales increased nearly 11 percent and digital sales were up 195 percent.  Same-day services - which includes pick-up, drive-up and Shipt - jumped by 273 percent in the second quarter.  Target C-E-O Brian Cornell said, "we remain steadfast in our focus on investing in a safe and convenient shopping experience for our guests, and their trust has resulted in market share gains of five-billion dollars in the first six months of the year."

The Windy City is putting out the “welcome” mat for Wisconsin residents again after three weeks.  Wisconsin was removed from Chicago’s travel advisory Tuesday.  It required travelers into the city from the Badger State to quarantine for 14 days after they arrived.  To get off the list the state had to have a COVID-19 case rate less than 15 new cases-per-100 thousand population, per day, over a seven-day rolling average.  Wisconsin had been on the list since July 28th.  Iowa and Kansas were added Tuesday.