Covid 19 cases continue to drop at a rapid pace across Western Wisconsin. As of this week, Pepin, Dunn, and Pierce Counties were considered to have high covid activity, while Buffalo County was at a very high level. Two weeks ago the entire state was at a critically high level of covid 19 cases. In the last two weeks, the number of new covid cases has dropped by 39%.
Firefighters from Independence, Arcadia, Blair, Whitehall, and Hale responded to a fire in an apartment building in Independence on Monday. According to authorities, the fire started around 6:30pm on the upper level of the building and contained two apartments. There was heavy damage to the two units along with smoke and fire damage to 8 other apartments. The cause of the fire is under investigation and there were no injuries reported.
A judge in Rusk County has sentenced a Minnesota man who had been accused of causing a fatal A-T-V crash in 2019. One person was killed and one was seriously injured in the crash involving several all-terrain vehicles in the Town of Richland. Twenty-nine-year-old Brennon Plaisted of Isanti, Minnesota pleaded guilty to a charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. Twenty-eight-year-old Alan Hanson died of the injuries he suffered in the crash. Plaisted was sentenced to six months in the Rusk County Jail.
A member of the La Crosse Common Council wants to reverse a decision approving Houska Park as an official campground for the homeless population. W-K-B-T Television reports the city is currently housing about 100 people at the EconoLodge and District 9 Council Member Chris Woodard says he hopes that agreement can be extended while the weather is still cool. Woodard says he’s hearing from his constituents who think Houska Park isn’t the best place for the homeless during the summer. Many say their presence would keep them from using the park. The city of La Crosse is buying another motel to offer temporary housing but it isn’t known when that deal will be final.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are investigating five consumer complaints nationwide of infant illness related to infant formula products from the Abbott Nutrition facility in Sturgis, Michigan. The FDA advises consumers not to use recalled Similac, Alimentum, or EleCare (including EleCare Jr.) powdered infant formulas with the codes of 22 through 37 and the code includes K8, SH, or Z2 and the expiration date is April 1st or later. For more information on the recall, contact Pepin County Health Department or visit the FDA website.
Wisconsin 3rd District Congressman Ron Kind has voted for the bipartisan Honoring our PACT Act. This legislation will broaden the definition of toxic exposure, expand access to comprehensive health care services for potentially as many as 3.5 million veterans exposed to airborne hazards and burn pits, and strengthen benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their service. The act will provide health care for those vets exposed to airborne hazards and burn pits, streamline the VA review process and provide other benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits and Agent Orange.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and Attorney General Josh Kaul urge all Wisconsin residents who believe they were impacted by the data breach announced by T-Mobile in August 2021 to take appropriate steps to protect their information from identity theft. Recently, a large subset of the information compromised in the breach was for sale on the dark web—a hidden portion of the Internet where cybercriminals buy, sell, and track personal information. Many individuals have since received alerts through various identity theft protection services informing them that their information was found online in connection with the breach, confirming that impacted individuals are at heightened risk for identity theft. “DATCP is concerned about the impact of the T-Mobile breach on Wisconsin consumers,” said DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski. “We urge people to take immediate steps to determine whether you have been a victim of ID theft and to take measures to protect your identity.”
The president of the Waukesha Community Fund says more than 500 people have filed claims so far. Melissa Baxter says the six-million-dollar fund was set up to help the victims of the Waukesha Christmas Parade. T-M-J-4 reports the money was raised for the 70 people who were injured and the families of the six who were killed when an S-U-V was driven through the crowd in November. Some of the funds are also going to people who were at the parade and suffered emotional trauma. First responders are eligible. Baxter says a committee will make the final decisions on who gets the money.
The entire town board was considering a mass resignation during a meeting Wednesday. Three clerks for the Town of Worcester have quit over the last 16 months. Board members said they were considering submitting their resignations over what they call harassment from certain residents. They say people come into the office feeling they can intimidate, threaten, and cause undue stress to town workers. They say new clerks try to learn the job while dealing with constant pressure at criticism. One clerk quit because she said she feared for her safety. At the end of Wednesday’s meeting, the clerk and one town board member did resign.
U-S Senator Ron Johnson is demanding answers from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the effectiveness of mask mandates in schools. The Wisconsin Republican sent a letter to director Rochelle Walensky Tuesday. Several recent reports have identified flaws in a study the C-D-C had been basing its recommendations on. Johnson has requested all documents and communications about that study. He is the ranking member on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The senator wants clarification of some statements that were made to the subcommittee staff.
Would Russia dare to invade a NATO country? Many Minnesotans are wondering after President Biden clearly outlined the consequences in his State of the Union address. U-of-M political science Associate Professor Kathleen Collins says for now Russian President Vladimir Putin has “bitten off more than he can chew” in Ukraine, but she says it's “certainly conceivable” that long-term his goal is to roll back NATO's borders. Collins says NATO needs to “bolster our defenses which have been far too weak, particularly in the East European countries and the Baltic Republics.” An attack on the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania would draw the United States and western Europe into the war, as the three nations are members of both NATO and the E-U.
FitBit is recalling roughly one million of its smartwatches in the U-S because of concerns they may overheat to the point of causing burn injuries. The company says the faulty Fitbit Ionic model watches were sold between September 2017 and December 2021 at retailers including Best Buy, Kohls, Target, and Amazon. Fitbit has received roughly 115 reports in the U-S and 59 reports internationally of the watches overheating. Anyone who has a Fitbit Ionic smartwatch that is part of this recall should stop using it immediately and contact the company online or by phone for instructions on how to return the device. Impacted watch owners will be issued a 299-dollar refund.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding ice fishermen the time is growing short for them to remove their shelters. Next Monday is the deadline for the southern two-thirds of the state. In the north, anglers there have until March 21st. Fish houses on the Iowa-Minnesota border were already required to be removed. Saturday is the deadline for the removal of structures on the Minnesota border with North and South Dakota. Any structure left on the lakes after the various deadlines could bring on fines – or the shelters could be confiscated.
A new direct flight from the Twin Cities to north of the border takes off this summer. Air Canada is adding a daily, year-round route between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Montreal-Trudeau International Airport on June 2nd. They'll be using a 76-seat CRJ-900 aircraft. It is part of a major network expansion for the airline. Air Canada also operates daily service from M-S-P to Toronto.
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