Cases of Covid-19 continue to disrupt areas in Wisconsin, and Pepin County is no exception. During the month of April, our numbers tripled from the previous month. Two of the cases had received at least one dose of vaccine, and the rest were unvaccinated. Most of the cases (79%) were individuals under the age of 19 or family members of a positive case under the age of 19. Exposure to these cases resulted in over 200 individuals being placed on a 14-day quarantine to monitor for symptoms and distance themselves from others. Despite the vaccination successes, there remains a large population of Pepin County that has yet to be protected by the vaccine. Anyone under 16 years old who are not yet eligible and at least 50% of our eligible adult population that have yet to start their COVID-19 vaccine series. The Pepin County Health Department is currently offering all three options: Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson&Johnson. Visit the Pepin County website to select an appointment date, time, and type of vaccine.
While in-person classes are planned, the Durand-Arkansaw School Administration is working on a plan to continue remote learning for the 2021-2022 school year. The plan would set criteria for students to follow if they choose to continue with remote learning. Durand-Arkansaw School Superintendent Greg Doverspkie says the school staff will have a chance to provide feedback to the administration, and then the board will discuss it at the May 19th meeting. Doverspike says the virtual learning for advance placement classes will also continue like it has in years past.
The Buffalo County Sheriff's Department is reporting phone scams in the area. The department says residents and even sheriff deputies have been receiving calls from people posing as social security representatives or U.S. Marshals demanding money or the victim would be arrested. The Department reminds residents that no legitimate organization would call and demand money or you will be arrested. It advised to not give out any personal information and just hang up. The Durand Police and Pepin County Sheriff's Department have also had reports of scam phone calls in the area.
A Viterbo University student is being expelled and someone else removed from campus in connection a series of racist messages and an arson incident. Viterbo President Glena Temple said the investigations into both incidents have concluded. Temple says a forensic handwriting analysis of the hateful messages left one person of interest, though a definitive match could not be established. That person is no longer on campus. Temple said, "the college is committed to providing a safe educational environment for all students, and I urge anyone who witnesses harassment or discrimination, including hateful messages, to report it.”
The Wisconsin State Patrol and Eau Claire Police Department responded to a semi-tractor-trailer crash on I-94 near milepost 65 Friday. The semi was traveling westbound when the driver lost control. The 2014 Freightliner overturned and came to rest on its side, completely blocking all westbound lanes. Traffic was rerouted until the vehicle and spilled cargo was removed. There were no injuries from the crash. The crash remains under investigation.
The Southern Minnesota Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the 63-year-old Black River Falls man who died during a traffic stop Wednesday. Minnesota State Patrol troopers stopped the semi-truck Michael Charles Apicella was driving for a vehicle inspection at about 6:45 a-m. Troopers say they tried to detain Apicella for failing to produce identification when he pulled out a handgun and shot himself in the head. Doctors at Mayo Clinic-Saint Marys weren’t able to save his life. Troopers say they didn’t fire their weapons.
Fundraising to expand a veteran’s memorial park in Clark County has raised one million dollars in its first month. The Highground Rising campaign launched April 8, with a goal of raising four million dollars for improvements at the Highground Veteran’s Memorial Park. Organizers are hoping to build a welcome center that can host events for veterans and their families, make the entire park accessible for all, and improve the park's parking.
Fire officials say they think a piece of malfunctioning equipment started a Saturday fire that burned a new sawmill to the ground in northwestern Wisconsin. Fire crews from seven different departments spent five hours on the scene in Cornell. The building is a complete loss and three semi-trailer trucks sitting next to the mill were destroyed. Firefighters did manage to preserve another big truck parked near the burning structure. None of the 55 firefighters who battle the flames was injured.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is looking for teachers. The D-P-I is running a series of public service announcements trying to inspire people to become teachers. Schools in the state are experiencing significant shortages. The messages encourage retired teachers to come back as substitutes and suggesting people who are considering a career change should become educators. The state agency wants to find people who are creative and adaptive. Milwaukee Public Schools held a virtual recruitment event Saturday, but it’s not just the big school districts that need somebody to stand at the front of a classroom. The teacher shortage is statewide.
A southeast Minnesota man is sentenced to life in prison for the fatal shooting of a bouncer at a bar in La Crosse last summer. Thirty-two-year-old Timothy Young of Spring Grove was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to the first-degree homicide of 19-year-old Anthony Fimple. Young was denied entry to the bar and returned a short time later with a handgun and shot Fimple in the head. Young apologized during sentencing. The judge handed down a life sentence with a possibility of extended supervision after 35 years.
Authorities in Jackson County say a man is accused of firing a gun at his wife as she was leaving their home. Thirty-six-year-old Jonathan Heller cooperated with law enforcement officers when they arrived Wednesday and he was taken into custody. The wife had called 9-1-1 reporting that Heller had shot at her. The couple’s two-year-old child was present when the incident happened at their Town of Manchester home. No injuries were reported.
Former Rhinelander City Administrator Daniel Guild is now officially clear of all charges against him. A felony count of misconduct in office for failure to perform a known duty was dismissed with prejudice on Thursday thanks to Guild not accumulating another felony charge- meaning it cannot be brought back. The move officially closed the case against Guild after two counts of tampering with public records were dropped last winter due to lack of evidence. While Guild won't face any legal consequences for the accusations they did cost him his job as Administrator last spring- a job that has since been taken over by former Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Zach Vruwink.
Wisconsin Republicans want to end an unemployment waiver put in place during the COVID pandemic. Senator Steve Nash of Whitewater wants the legislature's rules committee to reinstate the job search requirement for people seeking unemployment benefits. That waiver is set to expire in July but Nass says that's too far away, and that employers are having difficulty finding workers now. Democratic Senator Kelda Roys of Madison says workers need better child care support or an increased minimum wage. Republicans removed both of those from Governor Tony Evers' proposed budget.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is reporting more than half of its seniors who are graduating Saturday will do so without any student loan debt. About 57-percent of those students didn’t take out student loans while in school. This is the fifth straight year a majority of the university's students have avoided that burden. The average student debt for those who did take out loans is a little over 27-thousand dollars. The university’s FASTrack and Bucky’s Tuition Promise are two programs that help lower student debt.
The city of Albert Lea is celebrating television actress Marion Ross from "Happy Days" with a street named in her honor. On Thursday, Mayor Vern Rasmussen proclaimed it Happy Days in the city as a portion of Waters Street was renamed Marion Ross Street. Ross grew up in Albert Lea before moving to the Twin Cities to work on becoming an actress, later starring in the groundbreaking hit sitcom "Happy Days" from 1974 to 1984. Albert Lea's civic center was renamed after Ross in 2008, and a life-sized statue of her is scheduled to be unveiled this July.
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