The Durand City Hall will be re-opening on March 1st. During last night's council meeting, Mayor Milliren told members he was still planning on having city hall reopen to the public. Milliren says as we get closer to the end of the month more details on open hours will be determined. Currently, those residents that have business at city hall are encouraged to call to make an appointment or conduct their business via phone or email.
Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell says a convicted killer’s guilty pleas should stand. Newell filed a motion Tuesday in response to Colten Treu’s request to have his pleas withdrawn. The 23-year-old Treu contended last month that his attorneys told him he would still be able to appeal the denial of a motion for a change of venue if he pleaded guilty. Treu told the court he would have gone to trial if he knew pleading guilty would cost him the ability to appeal that decision. Treu is in prison for being high when he caused the deaths of Autumn Helgeson, Jayna Kelley, Haylee Hickle and Sara Schneider in Lake Hallie in November 2018. His motion hearing is scheduled for March 3rd.
The Western District of Wisconsin is leading the nation in farm bankruptcies for 2020. Wisconsin Public Radio reports that a new report from Federal Bankruptcy court shows that the Western District which includes 44 counties and nearly half of the state had 39 new chapter 12 filings, the most in the nation. Years of low commodity prices along with the covid-19 pandemic are chief causes of the rise in farm bankruptcies. Chapter 12 bankruptcy allows farmers to re-organize their debt and hopefully allow the farm to continue. The Eastern District of Nebraska came in second with 30 chapter 12 filings.
The Diocese of Winona-Rochester says it is settling clergy sex abuse claims from 145 survivors for 21-and-a-half-million dollars. The settlement will allow the diocese to file a reorganization plan with a U-S bankruptcy court. The Diocese said in a statement, "this settlement, mutually agreed to by the Diocese and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, includes resolution of claims against the parishes, schools and other Catholic entities within the Diocese." Bishop John M. Quinn said,”on behalf of the Diocese, I want to express my sincere apology to all those who have been affected by sexual abuse in our Diocese.” The diocese filed bankruptcy in November 2018.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul says the state’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has resulted in a conviction from a 2010 case. Kaul says 37-year-old Hank W. Elmore of La Crosse is a serial sex offender who entered a guilty plea to charges last week. The sexual assault happened in Jackson County more than 10 years ago. A sexual assault examination was conducted and the kit was tested in 2018. D-N-A in the kit was matched to Elmore. He has previous convictions for similar crimes in 2003 and 2014. Elmore was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but he will only serve five if he avoids legal trouble while he is on extended supervision.
Another lawsuit is asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to overturn Governor Tony Evers' public health declaration and mask mandate. Waukesha businessman Jere Fabick accuses the Democratic governor of having precipitated a constitutional crisis and "has demonstrated that he will not comply with the law until ordered to do so" by the court. Evers issued a new order last week, immediately after the Republican-controlled Legislature overturned the emergency he issued last month. Fabick sued last fall after Evers issued his third public health declaration, and Evers issued a fourth shortly after the court heard oral arguments in the suit.
Federal Paycheck Protection Program loans made to help businesses get through the COVID-19 pandemic are tax-deductible at the federal level but not at the state level. The legislature's Joint Finance Committee voted Wednesday, to allow businesses to deduct those payments. Scott Manley with Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce says this is critical for many businesses. Most of the bill consists of an agreement lawmakers and the Evers administration struck last session to change the tax code to match federal provisions. The 11-to-4 vote clears the way for the Assembly to vote on the bill Tuesday.
Rochester police say a traffic stop late Monday night netted about six-thousand oxycodone pills. The car was stopped for speeding and officers said they could smell marijuana and searched the vehicle. Investigators say the bags of pills appeared to be Oxycontin that could be laced with fentanyl. There have been fatal overdoses in the area linked to pills that looked like Oxycontin. Twenty-five-year-old Dahir Dahir and 25-year-old Abdullahi Islaw were arrested on drug charges. The pills have a street value of up to 180-thousand dollars.
Republicans on the Legislature's joint finance committee are going to be handing 66 million dollars in federal education grants to school districts that were holding in-person classes this school year. Co-Chair Senator Howard Marklein says that schools that had students in the building should be rewarded for it. But Democrat Senator Jon Erpenbach says this is merely a punishment against local school boards following the wills of their districts. Another 615 million dollars in funding is being sent directly to school districts by the federal government, and the J F C can't change that
With so much focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisconsin is seeing virtually no flu cases this season. U-W Health says it’s treated only one case of influenza all season as of Wednesday. Compare that to a year ago, when U-W Health had seen more than a-thousand positive tests by this time. Health officials credit the precautions people are using to stay safe from COVID-19: such as wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, and staying home. Some doctors recommend that people wear masks during future flu seasons.
Wisconsin public health officials say the state has reached a milestone by vaccinating one-third of its population that is 65 and older. That represents about 300-thousand people from the age group. Wisconsin is ranked 10th nationally in the percentage of people who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Governor Tony Evers says he hopes to increase vaccinations even more with the opening of the state’s first community-based vaccine clinic next week. The site in Rock County will vaccinate about 250 people each day. Six-to-10 more sites will be opened throughout Wisconsin based on need.
Another budget proposal preview, from Governor Tony Evers The Democratic governor proposes investing 150 million dollars in mental health initiatives. And he'll once again seek legislative approval to accept federal Medicaid expansion money. Wisconsin is one of a dozen states that hasn't implemented the federal expansion. The 150 million includes 55 million for student mental health and expanding a program to address child psychiatry shortages. Another 40 million would increase access to outpatient mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and services for adolescents and children. Evers delivers his budget address Tuesday night.
Officials at Fincantieri Marinette Marine say their newest building will be used to construct a new series of frigate-class ships for the U-S Navy. Ground was broken Tuesday on what is being called Building 34. A spokesperson says the structure will be big enough to allow for work on two ships at the same time. Construction should be complete on the northeastern Wisconsin project by the end of the year. Navy officials say the initial contract for one guided-missile ship is worth almost 800-million dollars. If all options on the contract are exercised, Marinette Marine will deliver the first 10 F-F-G class ships for more than five-and-a-half-billion dollars. The project is expected to create more than five-thousand direct and indirect jobs.
Target is announcing it will offer hourly workers extra pay and free rides to get their COVID-19 shots. The Minnesota-based retailer says it will offer the employees up to four hours of pay for getting the two shots while also covering the cost of a Lyft ride up to 15-dollars each way. Target officials are also working with C-V-S and other providers to get their workers doses at the pharmacies, inside its stores, or at its distribution centers. The company has more than 350-thousand employees that would qualify for the benefits.
No comments:
Post a Comment