Members of the Joint Finance Committee want to give more covid-19 funds to school districts that have been having in-person classes. Durand Arkansaw School Superintendent Greg Doverspike says because the district is having in-person classes the district would not lose any funding. Doverspike says the staff and school board have worked hard to have school buildings open as much as possible. The Joint Finance Committee proposal would have lower amounts of covid funds going to districts that did not have in-person learning and move that to districts that did.
The City of Durand has approved the picnic license and open container permit for the Pepin County Tavern Leauge's Putt-Putt Fundraiser. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the Tavern League worked with the Pepin County Health Department to develop the covid 19 protocols. The fundraiser is this Saturday starting at 10:30 with registration. Proceeds go to the Pepin County Safe Ride Program.
A Chippewa Falls woman accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill the father of her child has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. Authorities say that Melanie Schrader gave an undercover officer $200 as a down payment and agreed to pay $10000 to have the father of her child killed. Schrader pleaded guilty to soliciting 1st-degree intentional homicide. She will be sentenced in April.
A charge of first-degree reckless homicide is expected to be filed against a 28-year-old Dunn County father in his infant son’s death. Jonathan Scott Lucas of Menomonie was arrested Monday. Police were called to a home shortly before midnight on February 19th by a report about a "disorderly male." When they arrived, Lucas let them in and they found the baby boy wasn’t breathing and had no pulse. Officers and other emergency responders weren’t able to revive him. Daemyn Michael Lucas was six weeks old. An autopsy determined his death was a homicide.
Prosecutors in La Crosse County say a woman accused of holding a man against his will made a series of threatening phone calls to a witness. Fifty-seven-year-old Lori Anne Holton was already facing several felony charges that were filed in January. Investigators say she held the man in his West Salem home and wouldn’t let him leave. The victim says she physically assaulted him. She was free on bond and wearing a G-P-S ankle bracelet when she allegedly made the threatening phone calls. That’s how police were able to track her down and take her into custody.
A big honor for a Duluth police dog killed in the line of duty on the U-S House floor. Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber paid tribute to K-9 Officer Luna Tuesday, calling her a guardian of the Duluth community. Stauber told members," She died a hero's death, giving her life to protect her partner and fellow officers on the scene." Stauber is a former Duluth police officer and expressed his condolences to the department and Luna's handler, Aaron Haller, and his family. Luna was shot by a suspect during a 19-hour standoff that started last Thursday night and died at the pet hospital.
After plowing through more than 122-thousand votes, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is announcing the eight winners of its "Name a Snowplow" contest. One snowplow in each of MnDOT’s eight districts will officially be named this month. The winning names are Plowy McPlowFace - Metro District; Ope, Just Gonna Plow Right Past Ya - District 4; Duck Duck Orange Truck - District 1; Plow Bunyan - District 2; Snowbi Wan Kenobi - District 6; F. Salt Fitzgerald - District 7; Darth Blader - District 3; and The Truck Formerly Known As Plow - District 8.
Minnesota is the last remaining state in the U-S that sells beer that contains three-point-two percent alcohol. Utah ended its three-two beer laws in 2019. Lance Klatt with the Minnesota Service Station and Convenience Store Association is urging state lawmakers to change our law. Klatt said, "Minnesotans should have choice and convenience of where to buy their beer. Right now our state should stop standing in the way of growth and innovation while supporting our local craft beer boom." He says Minnesota's prohibition-era three-two law is outdated and is causing convenience stores, grocery stores, and resorts to lose sales and customers.
While Democrats in the House of Representatives move forward on significant changes to federal election laws, Wisconsin Republicans are busy with their own plans in this state. Ballot drop boxes wouldn’t be allowed anywhere other than at election clerk offices and nobody – not election officials – could fill out the information on absentee ballots other than the voter. The bills circulated last week would make it necessary for voters to complete a separate written request for in-person absentee voting – rather than just completing the ballot and certification envelope. That adds to the rule in effect since 2010.
Marquette University officials say the Milwaukee school will return to in-person instruction for the fall 2021 semester. University President Michael Lovell released a letter to the campus community and incoming students Monday saying the school was able to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on its campus during the current academic year with mandatory testing, required face masks, and limits on gatherings. Marquette has been using a hybrid learning model. A detailed plan for the fall 2021 semester will be released later as the university works with public health officials to get ready.
Wisconsin public defenders will be eligible for merit-based pay raises higher than the usual 10-percent under a bipartisan bill signed by the governor Monday. The higher pay comes at a time the statewide office has lost dozens of employees because of low wages. Seventy-eight staff members quit over the last 12 months. State Public Defender Kelli Thompson says the new law will make it easier for the office to compete as it tries to hire attorneys. The merit-based raises will be available for the upcoming fiscal year only.
A report from the McIver Institute finds Wisconsin state revenues are in good shape and a tax increase isn’t needed. Democratic Governor Tony Evers wants to raise taxes by one-point-six-billion dollars so another eight-billion in spending can be added to his state budget plan. The McIver report indicates Wisconsin has a surplus of about one-and-a-half-billion dollars and another billion in its rainy day fund. Republicans on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee also agree with the institute’s conclusion that there’s no need to spend as much as Evers wants to spend.
Target is reporting an extremely successful fourth quarter with revenue growth of 15-billion dollars. The Minnesota-based retailer said online sales were up more than 145 percent, comparable sales grew more than 19 percent and in-store sales rose seven-point-two percent. Same-day delivery/pickup sales topped seven-billion dollars. Target also saw holiday sales rise by 20-and-a-half percent. C-E-O Brian Cornell said, "we saw record growth in 2020, as our guests turned to Target to safely provide for their families throughout the pandemic."
Officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are getting ready for what is expected to be the busiest month since the state of the coronavirus pandemic. Estimates are that some days in March could see 28-thousand travelers passing through checkpoints – significantly more than the pandemic peak of 22-thousand in one day during late December. Before the pandemic crippled travel, spring break passenger counts at the airport often approached 45-thousand travelers.
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