The Durand City Council is meeting tonight. Items on the agenda include a public hearing on liquor license renewals for area bars and restaurants, discussion and possible action on the first round of payments to contractors for the 3rd ave-Drier St-Laneville Road project, and reports from the mayor and department heads. Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 at Durand City Hall and will be live-streamed on the WRDN YouTube Channel at Durand Broadcasting WRDN.
The Mondovi City Council received an update on the fish stocking program for Mirror Lake. The Wisconsin DNR says that based on a fish survey this spring, there is a nice selection of 7-9 inch and 14-16 inch rainbow trout in the lake. The DNR is requesting bluegill, crappie, yellow perch and a low number of largemouth bass to be stocked in the lake this year and possibly next year. Those fish could be added to the lake this fall depending on what is available from the Federal Fish Hatchery in Genoa.
The White House says President Biden will visit southwestern Wisconsin next week to discuss agriculture and the rural economy. That will be the president’s second visit to the Badger State this year and Biden will be joined by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. A White House spokesperson says more details about the trip – including where the visit will be held – will be released later.
One person was injured in a one-vehicle roller accident in the town of Mondovi on Friday. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to a call of a Sport Utility Vehicle with a large amount of debris around it sitting in a yard at W1143 Hwy A. When deputies arrived they found 29yr old Brandon Behlke of Chippewa Falls was found sitting in the yard. Behlke told deputies he swerved to miss a tire in the road, but after an investigation, no tire was found. Behlke was placed under arrest for OWI 3rd offense. He was taken to Mayo of Eau Claire with suspected minor injuries.
One person was injured in a motorcycle accident Saturday in Lincoln Township. According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, 61yr old Michael Chamberline of Albert Lea, MN was traveling northbound on Hwy 88 when he failed to negotiate a curve and left the roadway. Hwy 88 was shut down to one lane to allow Mayo 1 to land. Chamberline was flown to Mayo Rochester. It is believed that unfamiliarity with Hwy 88 was a factor in that accident.
The State Department of Health Services is working to make sure schools are ready to test their kids for COVID-19 next school year. DHS Deputy secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk says there are options on the table, whether it's just testing students who come to school sick, or if there's going to be wide-scale testing. Willems Van Dijk says their goal is to ensure that districts can connect with the providers well ahead of the need for testing.
Under a bill being considered in the Wisconsin Assembly, new drivers could get their learner’s permit at the age of 15. Currently, the age limit is 15-and-a-half. The new rules wouldn’t change the 16-year-old requirement for a probationary license. Triple-A Wisconsin is among the supporters who say new drivers would benefit from having more time to experience a variety of weather conditions before they solo behind the wheel. Governor Evers hasn’t indicated whether he supports the change.
University of Minnesota officials are excited to welcome Gopher sports fans back to campus. All COVID-related capacity restrictions are being lifted this fall. Athletic director Mark Coyle says it will be great to have T-C-F Bank stadium full and loud again as the Gopher football team hosts Ohio State in the season opener on September 3rd. Coyle said, "Coach Fleck and our team is excited. It is a great time to welcome people back on campus and celebrate all that is so good about college athletics." The first ticketed Gopher sports to welcome a full capacity of fans will be soccer volleyball and football.
Heading to the Lake this weekend? The Pepin County Health Department is reminding everyone to be on the lookout for blue-green algae. You should not be in the water with young children and pets if blue-green algae is present as the toxins can cause serious health problems. The department recommends that everyone should shower off after swimming in lakes, rivers, or ponds, and if your pet swims in water with blue-green algae, you should rinse them off with fresh clean water.
The Wisconsin Wolf Harvest Advisory Committee is meeting in Madison today (Tuesday). The state’s second wolf harvest season of 2021 is approaching and committee members will get information on the wolf population, wildlife science, and historic information so its members can plan the season. It starts in November. Department of Natural Resources winter tracking surveys estimate there are at least 944 animals in the state and possibly more than 13-hundred. The numbers indicate a stable wolf population. A license drawing will be held later this summer with the season to open on November 8th.
Wisconsin school district leaders are urging state lawmakers to spend more money on education. Several showed up at the state Capitol Monday. They are warning the lack of funding will force them to cut some programs and courses that could result in the achievement gap getting worse. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee committed an additional 128 million dollars to schools in the two-year state budget finalized last week. Republicans on the budget-writing committee say billions in federal coronavirus aid will give schools the resources they need.
The nine-member Wisconsin People’s Maps Commission is seeking public input as new political district boundaries are drawn based on the 2020 U-S Census. The next big election is the congressional midterms in November 2022. Democratic Governor Tony Evers has said 56 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties have passed resolutions or referendums supporting a non-partisan group to be in charge of redistricting. Republican leaders in the Legislature have said it remains their job to establish those district boundaries. Currently, there is no deadline for completing that job.
Chances appear to be slimming at the Minnesota Legislature for an off-year bonding bill for state public works projects -- and lawmakers are looking at moving key initiatives like broadband funding into budget bills as the July 1st deadline looms. Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said, "we hope a bonding bill gets done, but we cannot guarantee that." Governor Tim Walz says he understands what lawmakers are doing, but hopes it doesn't disrupt negotiations on other parts of the budget that lawmakers must finish before month's end or state government begins to shut down.
Wisconsin’s coronavirus rate has dropped below one percent for the first time since the start of the pandemic. State health officials said Thursday the seven-day positivity rate was point-nine percent. That’s the lowest since Wisconsin started reporting coronavirus cases in March of last year. The state’s coronavirus numbers have steadily fallen since they peaked in November.
Door County is having trouble hiring workers this year. Business owners say many of the international workers who spend their summer on the peninsula aren’t coming to the U-S this year. Door County tourism officials say they usually get about 500 international workers each summer. This year, it’s closer to 280. Kit Butz with Al Johnson’s restaurant in Sister Bay says the shortage of workers means they’re having to change their business hours.
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