One person was injured in a single-vehicle accident in the Town of Gilman Wednesday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department 23yr old Hunter Schoengarth of Ellsworth was traveling eastbound on 650th Avenue when his vehicle left the roadway, entered the north ditch, and vaulted over 410th Street striking a power pole. Shoengarth was med-flighted to Regions Hospital.
During last night's Durand City Council Meeting, Fire Chief Jamie King had a presentation on the possible purchase of a new ladder truck for the Fire Department. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the department has a 30yr old truck that is in need of replacement. The City will be negotiating with the Rural Fire Department on the cost-sharing for the purchase of a new truck.
The Pepin County Health Department is notifying the public of the potential for COVID-19 exposure at an event on Saturday, August 21st. A laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 was present at the Rolling Greens Golf Course for the Veteran’s Golf Tournament between 9 am – 5 pm during the infectious period. Due to the length of time and a large number of people in attendance, the Health Department is unable to determine all close contacts. Anyone who was at the event Saturday should consider themselves at risk for COVID-19, should monitor for signs and symptoms, and take extra precautions for 14 days from the date. Anyone experiencing signs or symptoms should contact their primary provider to arrange for testing.
The insurance carrier for the city of Eau Claire has settled a federal civil rights lawsuit with a man shot by police six years ago. Officers said 31-year-old Tyler Holte resisted arrested when he was shot twice in April 2015. The settlement means Holte will be paid 725 thousand dollars. His attorney had sued the city and Officer Hunter Braatz earlier this year, saying Holte had amassed more than 235 thousand dollars in medical bills. Eau Claire’s interim City Manager calls it a “business decision” – and the city isn’t admitting any wrongdoing.
The Dunn County Sheriff's Department has identified the man killed by a lightning strike on Tuesday. Authorities say 60yr old Richard Nelson was killed while working at a construction site in the Town of Menomonie. Nelson and another worker were on ladders working on a pole shed when the lightning struck. Nelson was pronounced dead at the scene by the Dunn County Medical Examiners officer, the other worker was transported to Mayo Eau Claire Hospital.
Mayo Clinic Health System is updating its visitor restrictions due to a rise in COVID cases in the region. All hospitals and clinics will only allow one designated visitor per patient started Wednesday. The visitor limit will affect hospitals Albert Lea, Austin, Cannon Falls, Lake City, and Red Wing, Minnesota, as well as all Mayo Clinic Health System clinics in the region. Doctor Robert Albright, Junior said 15 to 20 percent of COVID tests in southeast Minnesota counties outside of Rochester are coming back positive. Officials say the increasing cases are largely due to the delta variants.
A village in western Wisconsin is getting federal help as it deals with a persistent flooding problem. A 250-thousand-dollar Community Facilities Disaster grant will be used by the Village of Viola to reallocate streets and utilities located in a floodplain. This grant includes another million dollars in leveraged funding through a tax increment district. Local officials say the Kickapoo River has flooded six times between 2007 and 2019. They will work toward community development away from the floodplain location.
Delta Air Lines Wednesday announced it will charge employees on the company health plan 200 dollars a month if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Delta officials say the move is necessary because the average hospital stay for the virus costs the airline 40-thousand dollars. The company will also require unvaccinated workers to be tested weekly beginning September 12th. Delta acquired Minnesota-based Northwest Airlines and many pilots and employees still live here.
Governor Tony Evers visited Fort McCoy Wednesday to learn about the arrival of Afghan refugees in western Wisconsin. The governor received an update on planning, medical processing, and Operation Allies Refuge, and met with people from Afghanistan staying at the Army base. Evers said, "Wisconsin will continue to extend our support and assistance to these individuals who bravely contributed to our country’s efforts over the past two decades." The Evers administration is providing supplies of clothing, diapers, and other personal items for Afghans and families. U-S Senator Ron Johnson and several Republican lawmakers were also at Fort McCoy this morning.
A former high school teacher in Ladysmith has resigned and been taken into custody on charges of child pornography possession and sexual exploitation of a child. McKenzie Johnson was arrested Tuesday after a search warrant had been executed at his home. Johnson was taken into custody at Ladysmith High School and booked into the Rusk County Jail.
The U-S Department of Veterans Affairs is sending four-point-two million dollars to Wisconsin for capital improvements. The money was announced Tuesday. It will be shared by three Wisconsin V-A Housing Centers that currently provide services for almost 80 vets. The Veterans Housing and Recovery programs in Chippewa Falls, Green Bay, and Union Grove will use the funding to transition shared rooms into private rooms with private restrooms.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal by opponents trying to shut down Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline. The court’s order issued Tuesday basically affirms a June ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The appeals court declared the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission correctly granted a certificate of need and route permit for the 337-mile segment of the pipeline inside this state’s boundaries. Opponents have argued the pipeline violates treaties and offers a major threat to waters where wild rice grows.
Two grant programs aimed at helping Wisconsin communities build long-term economic recovery will be funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act – known as ARPA (AR puh). Two hundred million dollars will be available through the Neighborhood Investment Fund grant program. Local and tribal governments can use the money to deliver what is being called innovative public services. Another 50 million will come from the Healthcare Infrastructure Capital Investment grant program. That money will be used to support access to healthcare for low-income, uninsured, and underserved communities.
Minnesota health officials are sounding the alarm about the spread of the delta variant with the State Fair here and school starting soon. State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says all regions of Minnesota are now in the "high risk" category for COVID cases, and the number of hospitalizations also continues to go up. Malcolm said Tuesday it's up to 547 people currently in hospital beds for COVID, up from 434 a week ago. She notes that it was only probably four weeks ago or so that we were under 100. Ninety-eight percent of Minnesota counties fall in the C-D-C's "high transmission" category.
Scientists say the recent hot, rainy weather is to blame for millions of “floodwater mosquitoes” annoying Wisconsin residents. A spokesman for the Mosquito Squad of Northeast Wisconsin says a massive hatch of the pests has happened in the last week or so. Andrew Ratka says a female can lay up to a billion eggs in a month if conditions are ideal. Ratka says it’s important to control standing water on your property. Based on current weather conditions, he says he expects the mosquito population to remain high for at least a couple more weeks – or until the temperatures drop into the 50s or 60s. The first hard frost will bring the end of the mosquito season.
A Minnesota State Fair tradition continued yesterday when the D-N-R stocked the outdoor fish pond. They added about a dozen species of Minnesota fish, ranging from sunfish to sturgeon. The paddlefish found in the St. Croix River has been one of the most popular fish in the State Fair pond. The lake sturgeon is the largest at 50-plus inches. The D-N-R's indoor building and fish tanks will not be open this year due to COVID concerns. There is a long list of interactive nature and outdoor exhibits, live animals, music, and entertainment at State Fair D-N-R Park.
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