The Durand-Arkansaw School Board is meeting tonight. The board will hold the annual budget meeting and set the tax levy for 2020-2021. and then hold the regular meeting. Items on the agenda include discussion and action on a policy regarding personal protective equipment during the pandemic, calendar adjustments to the school year and substitute teacher compensation. Tonights meeting begins at 6pm at Durand High School. The meeting will also be held on the districts zoom site. Meanwhile, students have today off as they get ready for remote learning to start tomorrow. The board approved moving to remote learning on Monday and remote learning will continue until November 9th.
The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include confirmation of the new Library Board member, discussion and possible action on two zoning variances for Cole Hagness at 275 Country Lane, and discussion on the Durand Improvement Group Trunk or Treat Event Scheduled for Saturday. Tonights meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall and will be live-streamed on the WRDN YouTube Channel.
The Durand Improvement Group has made changes to this Saturday's Trunk or Treat event downtown due to the covid-19 pandemic. Event organizer Christina Hager says the event will now be drive through. Hager says organizers wanted to still have the trunk or treat but have it a safe as possible for the kids and those businesses participating.
The City of Durand will be holding a public test of the voting machines on Thursday. Durand City Clerk Angela Morgan says the machines are tested for accuracy and correct spellings of candidates names. That test is open to the public and will be held at 10:30am on Thursday.
Mayo Clinic Health System's Southeast Minnesota Region is banning visitors at all inpatient and outpatient facilities. The restrictions begin today (Wednesday 8 a-m) in the Austin and Albert Lea area. Doctor Deepi Goyal said, "our test positivity rates continue to increase in southern Minnesota, which indicates there is more community spread of the virus." Doctor Goyal says the restrictions can be difficult for some patients and their families, but the steps are necessary to protect patients and staff. This no-visitor policy does not include Mayo hospitals or clinics in Rochester.
The City of Osseo has recevied a $7.6 million loan and a $750,000 grant from USDA as part of the Water and Environmental Program. This Rural Development investment will be used by the City of Osseo to upgrade the City's wastewater treatment system. The existing 1961 system that was upgraded in 1985 and 2001, has several unit processes that have either exceeded their useful life, are operating over design capacity, experiencing operational issues or were not designed to comply with future phosphorus limits. This project includes significant improvements to the system including upgrades to the outdated equipment that has reached its useful life and improvements to lift stations. The wastewater treatment facility upgrade will also address a number of issues in terms of meeting permit requirements which pertain to an overall health and safety issue as it relates to the environment and create a more energy efficient/cost effective and safer facility.
The U-S Supreme Court rejected a request from Republican candidate Tyler Kistner to delay the Second District congressional election until February. Kistner appealed to the nation's high court after a federal appeals court denied his motion for a special election in February. That is what state law called for following the death of the Legal Marijuana Now nominee in September. Congresswoman Angie Craig said in a statement, "three different courts and five federal judges, including Justice Neil Gorsuch, have now confirmed what we have known all along: that the voters of Minnesota’s Second Congressional District deserve to have their voices heard as part of the November general election."
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association has decided to postpone its World Championship event for a year. It was supposed to be held next February, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic led to the delay. The rescheduled World Championship Cheese Contest will be held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center over three days in March 2022. Event organizers say they made the decision out of concern for the welfare of the judges, industry workers, and people who would attend.
The Rochester Police Department said a woman reported missing from an assisted living facility likely died from hypothermia. Ninety-two-year-old Marion Keith was seen on surveillance video leaving Shorewood Commons early Monday. A homeowner found a woman lying near his garage in the snow around 7:30 Monday morning. Keith was taken to the hospital where she died. She was wearing a jacket when left the campus. Investigators say Keith had been dealing with memory issues.
Police in central Wisconsin are investigating after threatening letters were sent to the homes of Joe Biden supporters. The Wausau Daily Herald reports that those letters turned up in the mailboxes of homes in the village of Rothschild which had Joe Biden signs in the yard. The anonymous letters call the residents the enemy of a white and conservative neighborhood, and say that support for Joe Biden will not be tolerated. The letter goes on to call the residents evil, and that they should prepare for a war. The letters were delivered through the mail and originated in Green Bay, but were personally written to each home.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison says it will continue furloughs for the first six months next year as it tries to offset lost revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Chancellor Rebecca Blank says the furloughs and continued hiring freeze won’t be enough to balance the school’s budget. She says additional cuts will be announced in the next few weeks. But, Blank also told the university’s 21 thousand faculty, staff and other employees that leaders “expect to avoid the sort of dramatic cuts that many feared.” Blank sent an email discussing the future Monday.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is working on new rules which would increase the regulatory fees and costs for mining in the state. If approved, nonferrous mining operations would have to pay an additional 502 thousand dollars-a-project. The new administrative rules would also create a list of areas unsuitable for mining, including places where endangered species live, or those with unique geological features, wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, national and state parks, and wildlife refuges.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission is telling local election managers they should be prepared for a long day November 3rd. The commission sent a memo to two thousand clerks and commissioners Friday explaining what has to be done on Election Day – and what can wait a few days. All ballots have to be counted before election managers can go home. There is a long list of legal requirements that have to be completed on Election Day. The final vote total won’t be certified until December 1st.
Construction of a new candy factory in Kenosha County should start later this year. HARIBO (HARR-i-bo) of America makes gummy bears and other sweet treats. The Pleasant Prairie facility will be its first operation in North America. State officials say HARIBO is the fastest-growing confectionery brand in the U-S. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation has been working on the deal.
We’re still a week away from Election Day and already a candidate is trying to get a jump on the 2022 vote. Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson says he will challenge incumbent U-S Senator Ron Johnson when he runs for re-election. Nelson is a Democrat. He says the people of Wisconsin have “had enough of Ron Johnson’s embarrassing tenure” and he added he isn’t going to wait another day to file. Nelson pointed the coronavirus pandemic as evidence there is a lack of leadership in Washington. He is the first person to officially enter the race for a position in the 2022 election cycle
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