As Wisconsin gears up for the next phase of covid 19 vaccinations, other states are further along. Angela Jacobson, Director of Emergency Preparedness with Advent Health Durand says other Advent Health Locations are starting to vaccinate the general population. Wisconsin receives approximately 70,000 covid 19 vaccination doses each week. Last week, Jacobson says she ordered 300 doses and received 100.
Pepin County is still searching for a new Highway Commissioner. Pepin County Board Chairman Tom Milliren says the Highway and Admin Committees did offer the position to a candidate, but that person declined. The Admin and Highway Committees are meeting today to review other applicants for the position.
The Durand-Arkansaw School District is searching for a new principal for the middle-senior high school. Superintendent Greg Doverspike says while the school board will not have direct involvement in the interview process, they will have input. Current principal Bill Clouse is retiring after 16yrs with the district.
Three people were injured in a one-vehicle accident in the Town of Prairie Lake on Wednesday. According to the Barron County Sheriffs Department, 38yr old Lisa Olson was traveling northbound on 20th Street when she failed to negotiate a corner at 9 1/2 Avenue, went into the ditch, and struck a tree. Olson was airlifted to the hospital while two passengers in the truck were also airlifted to area hospitals. That accident remains under investigation.
A scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee warns students across the state are struggling to stay on track during the coronavirus pandemic. Curtis Jones is head of Socially Responsible Evaluation in Education at the university. He says some minority students could fall one year behind in learning by the time virtual classes let out for the summer. Jones says when students aren’t in a classroom, it’s harder for them to stay on track. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction says this isn’t a Milwaukee issue, it’s a statewide issue – and it’s making the racial disparity worse. Students of color may have lost three-to-five months of learning in math, while white students lost one-to-three months.
Mandatory deer feeding bans will be renewed in Wood, Juneau, and Adams Counties because another deer has tested positive for C-W-D. The Department of Natural Resources says a wild deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Port Edwards, which is within ten miles of the border of Juneau and Adams counties. The CWD-positive deer was an adult buck harvested during the 2020 gun deer season. This is the first time a wild deer has tested positive in Wood County.
U-S Senator Tammy Baldwin is applauding President Biden for expanding federal funding for the Wisconsin National Guard to support its COVID-19 response efforts. Baldwin said, "this is a new day and we are grateful to have a new President and administration that is committed to working with us to protect the health of Wisconsinites and build back better than before." Baldwin claims the Trump Administration cut federal funding in August for the work the Wisconsin National Guard was doing, forcing the state to cover part of the cost. The Biden Administration announced today (Thursday) it will restore full funding to Wisconsin with a 100-percent federal cost-share extension during the pandemic.
Many people have experienced sleep-walking, but a Milwaukee man is offering a new excuse to police. The 35-year-old tells investigators he was asleep when he obtained and fired a handgun. The bullet hit a 29-year-old woman who is expected to recover. No names have been released. The woman was treated at a local hospital after the Tuesday night shooting. Milwaukee police say they took the man into custody and the incident is being referred to the District Attorney’s Office for a decision on criminal charges.
A Missouri man accused of killing two Shawano County brothers won't go to trial until next year. A February 2022 trial is scheduled for Garland "'Joey" Nelson, for the murders of Nick and Justin Diemel. Nelson allegedly killed the Diemels and hid their bodies on his Missouri farm in July of 2019, after they demanded money they were owed for cattle they had sold to Nelson. The trial is expected to last three weeks. A conviction could carry the death penalty in Missouri.
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will conduct an environmental review of Eau Claire’s public drinking water supply before the city gets any state money. Eau Claire officials are asking for funding to improve the system. That funding would come from the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program dedicated to replacing lead water service lines. The public comment period lasts through February 2nd. Eau Claire first applied for money through the state program in June 2019.
There were no dangerous protests at the State Capitol this week, but law enforcement agencies say they were ready. Windows on the building have been boarded-up since last week and there were barricades near the entrances. Those barricades have been pushed to the side. The Department of Administration isn’t saying how much longer the windows will be boarded up. A spokesperson says details about current or future security measures aren’t shared to protect the safety and security of Capitol Police, as well as members of the public. Capitol Police officers were walking around the outside of the building Wednesday to monitor any developments.
The chair of the Assembly Health Committee wants to speed up the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine to the general public. Instead of June, Joe Sanfelippo wants the shots to be available by mid-March. A public hearing on the idea was held at the Capitol Wednesday. The bill is emerging from criticism by Republican lawmakers about the way the vaccine has been distributed by the Evers administration. It isn’t likely to become law because it has to make it through the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly, then be signed by Governor Evers.
Nearly one-in-three adults in Wisconsin could be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine under the state’s next phase. A state government vaccine subcommittee is recommending an expansive list of people get the shot under Phase 1b. Anyone 65 and older, plus teachers, prisoners, grocery store workers, mink farmers, transit bus drivers, and a host of others are all on the list. In all, Phase 1b could include one-point-six million people in the state. The list still needs to be approved by the entire committee. Doctor Jonathan Temte with the University of Wisconsin Medical School says with that many people in the next phase, it will take a long time to get everyone vaccinated.
The unemployment rate in Minnesota fell slightly to four-point-four percent in December after it was revised to four-and-a-half percent in November. The Department of Employment and Economic Development says the tick down was due to people temporarily leaving the labor force. The state lost 49-thousand-800 jobs last month - the second straight month of job losses in Minnesota. DEED Commissioner Steve Grove said," today’s employment data confirms what we’ve expected – the spike in COVID cases in late fall had an impact on the economy." Many sectors depend on people gathering in restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and fitness centers. Leisure and hospitality dropped 41-thousand-100 jobs in December.
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue says it is going to extend its customer service hours during the 2021 tax season. The office will remain open for an extra one hour and 15 minutes during the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of April on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The hours on those days will be from 7:45 a-m to 5:45 p-m. The agency’s website includes a comprehensive list of commonly-asked questions on revenue-related topics and online tools to help individuals and businesses.
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