The City of Durand will not move forward with a special assessment of property owners on Drier Street or Laneville Road. During last night's City Council meeting, the council reconsidered the assessment. A motion to move forward with the assessment failed for a lack of a second. A motion to not proceed with the special assessment passed on a vote of 2-1. Five property owners who had extra work done during the construction project will be billed for the extra work. The cost of not assessing will be approximately $200,000 and the Finance committee will be meeting to discuss how the city will cover those costs.
Durand City Hall will be closed on Friday. City Administrator Rassmussen says that property owners who drop off their property taxes on Friday, should use the drop box at city hall and the city will consider the taxes paid as of December 31st.
Two people were injured in a car vs semi accident on I-94 at milepost 74 in Eau Claire County on Wednesday morning. According to the Wisconsin State Patrol I-94 became Icy just south of Eau Claire causing two separate accidents, blocking the eastbound lanes. Two people from Apple Valley, MN that were traveling eastbound ran into the back of an eastbound semi. The driver was med-flighted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, while the passenger was taken to Mayo Hospital. The semi-driver was not injured and that accident remains under investigation.
The City of Wabasha and its Port Authority successfully received a grant award from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, through the federal department of Housing and Urban Development, to offer small businesses grants up to $19,000 to replace their HVAC systems in response to Covid-19. “We want our small businesses in Wabasha to continue to thrive during the pandemic- one strategy is through helping them to improve the air circulation in their buildings,” said Caroline Gregerson, City Administrator, “Optimizing air ventilation is a great strategy to keep workers and customers safe.” A total of $95,000 is available and the City anticipates assisting 5 small businesses. Small businesses located in Wabasha can apply to the City of Wabasha for this assistance. The application and guidelines are available on the city’s website.
The Mayo Clinic Health System is tightening its mask policy at all its hospitals and clinics. Mayo will now require patients and visitors to wear medical-grade or surgical masks on its campuses. Officials say the move is "due to the growing wave of infection from the omicron variant and the urgent need to strengthen all layers of protection against COVID-19." Everyone will be offered N-95 or KN-95 masks when going through the screening process. Mayo points to several studies showing the variability in cloth mask performance.
A man from southern Minnesota and his father have a plea agreement with federal prosecutors for their involvement in the January 6th attack at the U-S Capitol. Daniel Johnson from Austin and Daryl Johnson of St. Ansgar, Iowa were found on photos and video from the attack that took place nearly a year ago. A social media tip to the F-B-I helped identify them after Daniel posted about being one of the first to break into the building. The charges against them were recently updated to include interfering with an officer, disorderly conduct, and entering a restricted building. The Johnsons are scheduled for a hearing before a Washington, DC district court judge on Tuesday.
Authorities say three juveniles have been arrested for a stabbing at an apartment complex in Rice Lake last Thursday. Emergency responders were called to the apartment at about 7:05 p-m. When they arrived they treated a victim for a stab wound to his back. Then, he was taken to a medical facility. A witness identified the stabbing suspects and they were arrested in Ridgeland by deputies from the Barron County Sheriff’s Office. No names have been released. The stabbing victim’s medical condition is unknown.
Biologists have discovered a cluster of rare mussels that could be more than 100 years old in the upper St. Croix River. Wisconsin Public Radio reported Wednesday that biologists from the University of Minnesota, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the National Park Service discovered eight spectaclecase mussels in the river in August. Biologists said the find was surprising because a hydroelectric dam built in 1907 divided the river and has prevented the host fish the mussels need to reproduce from reaching the upper stretches of the river.
COVID-19 complications are now blamed for more than ten-thousand deaths in Wisconsin. State health officials report ten-thousand-14 people have died from the coronavirus since the pandemic began. The Department of Health Services confirmed six-thousand-477 new COVID cases Wednesday, which is the highest daily count since November of 2020. The seven-day average of new cases is three-thousand-869. Madison and Dane County are seeing their highest-ever level of new cases of COVID-19. The new omicron variant is believed to be more contagious than other strains.
The governor’s office says Tony Evers has issued more pardons than any Wisconsin governor since 1977. The Evers administration announced 30 more names Tuesday morning. In three years Evers has granted 337 pardons. His Republican predecessor, Scott Walker, didn’t grant any during his eight years in office. Evers said he is proud of his administration’s work to provide second chances to people. Wisconsin Governor Patrick Lucey issued 457 pardons between 1971 and 1977.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is remembering former U-S Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The Nevada Democrat lost a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer Tuesday at age 82. Klobuchar says she will miss Harry Reid dearly and her prayers are with his wife, Landra, and his family. She says Reid worked with Republicans to get a pool safety bill passed following the death of Abbey Taylor of Edina. Klobuchar said, "sometimes people only get a one-dimensional view of political leaders via news coverage and political ads. But Harry Reid was so much more than a thirty-second political ad." Reid served as Senate majority leader from 2006 to 2014 and retired in 2017.
While the Omicron variant of COVID-19 does appear to cause less severe symptoms, it could still add to pressures on Wisconsin hospitals. UW Health Dr. Jeff Pothof says that’s because it’s easier to catch than previous strains. Both UW Health and Bellin Health are running at 100 percent capacity most days. Both health care systems are urging the public to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
A home invasion suspect in Dane County is accused of holding a father and his 18-year-old son at gunpoint Wednesday afternoon. The victims were at home when two suspects showed up and were invited in. After they got inside, one of the suspects pulled a gun before damaging some personal items, then taking a rifle, a handgun, and a wallet before leaving. The 19-year-old suspect is being held in the Dane County Jail on tentative charges of armed robbery and felony bail jumping. Authorities in the Madison area are still searching for the second suspect.
Minnesota's minimum wage goes up by 25 cents an hour on January 1st to ten dollars, 33 cents at large employers -- and 21 cents to eight-42 at small employers. James Honerman with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry says the legislature passed a law in 2014 to keep workers' minimum wage rates even with inflation, so the state's minimum wage rates are adjusted each year to keep up with inflation. The increase is two-and-a-half percent, the largest since 2018 when the state began indexing the minimum wage to inflation after several years of increases specified by the legislature. In January 2019, the increase was just over two percent.
A Minneapolis garbage truck driver says he was emptying dumpsters early Monday morning at a Taco Bell when he heard a woman’s voice. He says the woman was inside the hopper of his truck. The Minneapolis Fire Department says the woman was apparently sleeping in the dumpster when she was dumped into the truck. Emergency responders were able to get her free and she was medically evaluated. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of a foot injury. The woman’s name wasn’t released.
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