Wisconsin political leaders are offering harsh criticism of the violence at the U-S Capitol Wednesday which forced the evacuation of Congress and left four people dead. The Wisconsin Senate Republican caucus condemned it as “unacceptable and un-American.” Democratic State Senator Chris Larson said the incident was “nothing short of treason.” Republican State Senator Steve Nass says people who broke into the Capitol building must be met with swift and immediate justice. State Representative Francesca Hong interpreted the violence as the “inevitable consequence of an unhinged Trumpism,” pointing at the leaders of the Republican Party. State Representative Robyn Vining said the public can be confident in the results of the November 3rd presidential election.
Case numbers of Covid-19 continue to fall in Pepin County. Pepin County Health Officer Heidi Stewart says so far in 2021 case numbers have dropped to 5 per day. Currently, 2 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 while 6 people have died. Stewart is encouraging residents to continue to wear masks, social distance, and avoid large gatherings with outside members of your family.
Two of the three seats up for election on the Durand-Arkansaw School Board will be contested. In District 2, Ashley Urness will face Bethany Walker, while in District 5 a primary will be held February 16 as incumbent Audrey Martin will face Traci Nelson and Frank Schneider. In District 3 TJ Poeschel is running unopposed. Meanwhile, for the Durand City Council, Steve Schofield in Ward 1, Mark Gilles in Ward 2, and Matt Roesler in Ward 3 are all unopposed.
An Eau Claire County woman will be on probation for three years after she admitted faking text message threats from a former boyfriend. Brittany Frane reached a plea agreement Monday. If she doesn’t break any laws the felony terrorist threat charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct and an identity theft charge will be dismissed. Frane used an app that allowed her to send messages threatening to kill her and her family and attack the school district. Classes were put on hold. The app made it appear the former boyfriend sent the texts. Frane will have to do community service, write letters of apology to her victims, and have no other contact with them.
An estimated 20-million, 600-thousand people visits Wisconsin State Park System properties last year. The coronavirus pandemic that has been so hard on so many facets of Badger State life has actually given the parks a boost. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says park attendance was up by three-million visitors in 2020. Sales of annual passes jumped by 40-percent. Camping was up six-percent even though campsites were actually closed for several months. The park system is self-funding, so it gets to spend the extra money brought in. Leaders say the parks have a lot of needs, including infrastructure repairs. The D-N-R says it’s already seeing yet another increase in reservations for 2021.
The head of the Minnesota Republican Party is suggesting Governor Tim Walz should resign over his COVID restrictions on bars, restaurants, and other businesses. Walz announced that in-person dining can resume at 50-percent capacity Monday and movie theaters and events centers can re-open at 25 percent capacity. Minnesota G-O-P chair Jennifer Carnahan said, "Governor Walz is completely out of touch with the challenges we face to support our families and live our lives. A resignation before causing more harm is certainly in order.” Senate Republican Leader Paul Gazelka said he was glad Governor Walz loosened the restrictions on businesses. He also suggests Walz "manage a faster vaccination process, so we don't have to go through this again."
A special investigator has determined the shooting of Jacob Blake last summer was “justified.” Former Madison police chief Noble Wray released his 25-page report on the incident the same day that Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced he wasn’t filing criminal charges against Police Officer Rusten Sheskey. Wray says it was clear to Sheskey that letting Blake – who was armed with a knife – get into a vehicle would be “dangerous for the public” and for the child who was inside. Wray says he found the amount of force used by the officer was within the acceptable range.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says construction of a new “flex lane” on Madison’s Beltline will help ease traffic congestion. Work should start in March. It’s part of a 45-million-dollar project that includes repairs to the deteriorating pavement, drainage improvements, and replacement of the median barrier wall. The flex lane will be open during peak travel periods like morning and afternoon rush hours. The work should be complete by December. Wis-DOT says the flex lane is a first for Wisconsin, but 17 other states have similar part-time travel lanes in place.
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Wisconsin gun dealers say they can’t keep firearms or ammunition in stock in some cases. The increase in demand for weapons driven by the coronavirus pandemic is still going, full steam ahead. Ten months after the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in Wisconsin, people still want to buy weapons. Superior Shooters Supply has been forced to ration ammunition to one box per customer due to the panic demand. Demand is even high for air rifles and pepper spray – and there is rarely a day when customer traffic lets up.
Dane County is setting aside another four-million dollars in grants for struggling small businesses. County Executive Joe Parisi announced the program Tuesday. The organization Dane Buy Local will allocate the 50-thousand-dollars grants, focusing on businesses that have been the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Retail stores, restaurants and fitness centers are expected to be at the top of the list. The move comes eight months after Dane County handed out 10-million dollars in grants to help those same small business owners. Some of them say the first grants were a life-saver and the new money is a step in the right direction.
The Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state Restaurant Association, and the state Grocers Association are giving their support to the COVID-19 relief bill being fast-tracked by Republican lawmakers. Not liking the bill at all are public health officials and Democrats in the Wisconsin Legislature. The Public Health Association and the Association of Local Health Departments and Boards say the Republican-backed bill would limit their ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Both the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly could pass it by Thursday. If they do, Democratic Governor Tony Evers is likely to veto it.
There are still more legal questions to be answered in the Jacob Blake shooting, even though Kenosha County won’t be filing criminal charges. The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is still conducting a civil rights investigation. The F-B-I is working with the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation on the case. Federal prosecutors in Milwaukee and Washington, D-C will make the final charging decision whether Blake’s civil rights were violated when he was shot last August. There has been no indication when the federal charging decision might be announced.
Officials with H-and-R Block are acknowledging a mistake after processing millions of federal stimulus payments for people. Now, those who used H-and-R Block or Turbo Tax are being told there may be a delay in receiving the 600-dollar payment. In many cases, the money was deposited in a different account. Block says customers who chose the “Refund Transfer” option may have had their money set to a temporary account. The company is assuring its customers they will get the stimulus payment by direct deposit by the end of business today (Wednesday), or by snail mail at a later date.
The head of the University of Wisconsin System is turning to one of Wisconsin’s funniest guys to try and get more people to get tested for the coronavirus. Acting system president Tommy Thompson is out with a video with comedian Charlie Berens encouraging people to smash the virus. The two smash all sorts of things, from pumpkins to cream puffs to try to get some laughs -- and get people tested. Thompson says it’s important for people to keep getting tested -- to see just where the virus is in Wisconsin.
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