As hospitals in parts of Wisconsin are becoming overwhelmed with covid 19 patients, that is not the case for northwest Wisconsin. Angela Jacobson is Director of Nursing and Emergency Preparedness with Advent Health in Durand says that in the Northwest Region, which includes hospitals from Pepin County all the way north to Ashland are filling up for a multitude of reasons including staffing shortages and people not taking care of routine medical issues. Jacobson says if your not feeling well, you should be seeing your healthcare provider and to continue with your medications and other routine medical care.
While Governor Evers issued new rules limiting indoor gatherings, here in Pepin County no local orders exist. Pepin County Health Officer Heidi Stewart says there are no local orders in place and the department does not plan to issue any new orders in the near future. Republican Legislators are vowing to challenge the new executive order from Governor Evers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $71.5 million in 133 distance learning and telemedicine projects in 37 states including Wisconsin. CESA 10 is receiving a $1 million grant to implement a distance learning technology upgrade. The Achieving Wisconsin Equity (AWE) Project will allow for cloud-based bridging and provide videoconferencing endpoints at 39 school districts in 14 counties in west central Wisconsin. Durand-Arkansaw and Mondovi School Districts will be a part of the project.
Several Republican lawmakers say the governor’s statewide emergency order should be challenged in the Legislature’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules. They say the order can’t be enforced until they approve it. The administrative rule would deal with limits on the number of people allowed at public gatherings while positive test results for COVID-19 remain high. Joint committee chairman Senator Steve Nass says he will request an executive session to address the question. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos have sent a letter to the Department of Health Services saying the rule-making process must be followed. They want a meeting with Governor Evers.
Governor Tim Walz is bringing lawmakers back to St. Paul for a special session Monday to extend his COVID-19 emergency powers. Walz at a roundtable Wednesday said, "people are tired of it and people just want it to go away and I think all of us do, but wanting and wishing for something to happen does not make it a reality." The governor says the "emergency is not over" and extending the order will ensure the state can continue to quickly respond to the pandemic. Senate G-O-P attempts to end the governor's emergency powers have been blocked by House Democrats.
Minnesota Senate Republicans are hosting a hearing today on what the agenda calls "recent court cases" and "media attention of potential voter fraud." A viral video from the far-right group "Project Veritas" purported to show examples of voter fraud in Minneapolis. But the man in the video told FOX 9 he was offered a bribe to say he was harvesting ballots for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Election officials from the Secretary of State’s office and from Ramsey and Hennepin counties are expected to speak at the hearing.
The ex-Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd on Memorial Day is out of jail on one-million dollars bail. Derek Chauvin of Oakdale was released from the Oak Park Heights state prison and posted "conditional" bail Wednesday at the Hennepin County jail. Chauvin was seen on video kneeling on Floyd's neck for about eight minutes before he died in police custody. He's charged with second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The conditional bail requires Chauvin to stay in Minnesota, appear at all court hearings, not possess firearms, and not have contact with Floyd's family. The trial of Chauvin and three officers accused of aiding and abetting him is set to begin in March.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office has determined Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah was justified in shooting teenager Alvin Cole outside Mayfair Mall February 2nd. The decision was announced Wednesday afternoon. Officials had said Cole ran from police and fired at officers before Mensah shot and fatally wounded the 17-year-old. Mensah has shot three people to death in the line of duty over a five-year period. Governor Tony Evers sent Wisconsin National Guard troops to the Milwaukee suburb to help with security if the expected protests turn violent.
The head of the Wisconsin Education Association Council says he wants state lawmakers to “do something” about the coronavirus. Ron Martin is president of the teachers union. He claims members of the Legislature are ignoring the pandemic. Martin hasn’t said exactly what he wants lawmakers to do. Governor Evers so far has cut them out of his executive orders. WEAC (WEE ack) and other teachers’ unions in Wisconsin have fought for months to close schools and have all students in the state learn from their homes until the big numbers of new COVID-19 cases settle down.
The statewide trend has more registered voters in Wisconsin than there were four years ago. That isn’t the case in the state’s largest city. The Wisconsin Elections Commission reports there are 20 thousand fewer registered voters in Milwaukee. In contrast, there are 80 thousand more registered voters across the state of Wisconsin. Dane, Brown, and Waukesha counties are leading the way. With the presidential election less than a month away there are more than three-and-a-half million registered voters in Wisconsin.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says the driver of a delivery truck never saw an 80-year-old woman before he hit her Monday afternoon. Lavina Pumphrey had walked in front of the truck as it was driving away after dropping off a load of potatoes. Pumphrey was working in Colburn at the time. Authorities say she died before she could be taken to a hospital. The fatal accident was reported at about 5:15 p-m.
Democratic lawmakers are criticizing the Wisconsin Legislature’s Republican leaders for not meeting and coming up with a COVID-19 response plan. Democratic state Senator Chris Larson of Milwaukee points out it has about 25 weeks since the Legislature has convened. The National Council of State Legislatures singled out Wisconsin for its lack of activity. A St. Croix County judge held a hearing Monday on a challenge to the governor’s statewide face mask mandate. Judge Michael Waterman asked why the court was being asked to “decide something lawmakers have the power to do.”
A Minnesota employee who had been in charge of reviewing jail deaths in Minnesota has resigned. Timothy Thompson was on paid administrative leave while the Department of Corrections investigated his unit. The unit of Inspections and Enforcement was the subject of the television news investigation by KARE 11 which turned up a pattern of flawed reviews of jail deaths that resulted in no changes. Over the last five years, the Department of Corrections has apparently taken no steps after the deaths of 56 jail inmates in Minnesota, according to the television station
A libertarian think-rank is giving Wisconsin’s governor a passing grade on state finances. The Cato Institute’s latest report card gives Governor Evers a “C” for money management. The report credits Evers for agreeing to a tax cut for middle class homeowners, but dings him for pushing to tax and spend more. Evers’ “C” is better than the “F” that Illinois’ and Michigan’s governors both got. But is worse than the “A” given to Iowa’s governor.
Wisconsin’s cranberry crop is expected to be “down” this year, but the final numbers won’t be known until the harvest is complete. Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association spokesperson Isaac Zarecki says the harvest is far from over. Rochelle Biegel-Hoffman with Dempze Cranberry Company near Wisconsin Rapids expects their product to be off by 10-to-20 percent. She points out that the state will still lead the nation in production of the floating red fruit. Zarecki tells W-A-O-W Television, “We will know how it went when the last trucks take the cranberries to the receiving station in November.”
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