The City of Durand will be spraying for mosquitoes this evening. The city plans to start on the south end of town at 7pm tonight and hopes to have the spraying done by approximately 10pm. The city has also contracted out with Mosquitoe Hunters to do a treatment in Memorial park for Fun Fest this weekend. The city budgets to spray for mosquitoes 4 times each summer.
One person was injured in a motorcycle vs car accident in Maiden Rock Township on Saturday. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, 31yr old Taylor Harmon of Menomonie was traveling westbound on Hwy U near 120th Street when he lost control of his motorcycle on a curve, drove left of center, and was struck by an eastbound Honda Civic driven by 22yr old Jace Groomes of Plum City. Harmon was med flighted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
Tourism in western Wisconsin was up in 2021. According to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, spending increased by 34% in Pepin County to $8.3 million in 2021. Buffalo County reported a 44% increase to $17 million, Dunn county had a 27% increase to $48 million and Pierce County saw a 29% increase in tourism spending in 2021 to $31 million. Wisconsin tourism generated $20.9 billion in total economic impact for the year.
The Tarrant Park Pool is up and running for the summer season. Public Works Superintendent Gills told city council members last night that everything seems to be working properly with the pool. The boiler to heat the water is only working with one stage, and the warmer weather next week should help with the water temperature. The pool will be closed this weekend for fun fest. The bidding process for the new pool is to start later this month.
The La Crosse Regional Airport is announcing they are “one of 416 airports across the country to be awarded grants under the second round of the 2022 Airport Improvement Program.” WEAU reports with the $765,000 grant award, the airport intends to purchase a new “Class 4, 1,500-gallon aircraft rescue fire-fighting vehicle.” The grant will cover 90% of the cost with the rest split between the WI DOT and La Crosse Regional Airport.
A lawsuit seeking to bar three Wisconsin Republicans from the 2022 ballot will not move forward. The case brought by 10 Wisconsin residents alleged U.S. Senator Ron Johnson and Representatives Scott Fitzgerald and Tom Tiffany “engaged in or assisted with an insurrection or rebellion against the United States” in their capacity as private citizens running for office. The plaintiffs (financially supported by the liberal Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC) claimed the three fomented the January 6 attack on the Capitol by spreading lies about the November 2020 election being “rigged.” The Capitol Times reports that U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman dismissed the case last Friday, finding it to be “procedurally improper.”
Wisconsin lawmakers shouldn’t expect to do a lot of work when they return to the Capitol later this month for the special legislative session called by Governor Evers. Gavel-in, gavel-out – just like several other special sessions the Democratic governor has called. He and Republicans have a contentious relationship. Evers wants lawmakers to repeal the 1849 statute on the books prohibiting abortions in Wisconsin. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, a Republican, says, “Killing innocent babies is not health care.” He confirmed that the Senate will quickly gavel out what he calls a special session that is “blatantly political.”
A meatpacking plant in Green Bay will have to pay a fine after hundreds of employees caught COVID-19 at the start of the outbreak. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration says JBS Foods in Green Bay failed to properly protect its workers from COVID-19 at the start of the outbreak, leading to a week-long closure of the meatpacking plant in the spring of 2020. The plant had over 350 COVID infections between April and August of 2020 and two employees died. JBS will have to pay over 14-thousand dollars in fines and implement new safety procedures.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has filled a vacancy on the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission. Tax attorney Don Millis of Sun Prairie will fill the vacancy caused by last month’s resignation of Republican Commissioner Dean Knudson. Knudson’s abrupt departure delayed a vote on the next WEC chair, who by law must be a Republican commissioner to succeed current chair Anne Jacobs, a Democrat. Millis previously served as one of the first members of WEC in 2016, following its’ creation by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature. The commission is scheduled to meet Friday to elect a new chair.
A Waukesha County judge says the state of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce need to reach a solution regarding the regulation of PFAS contamination. Judge Michael Bohren issued a stay on a ruling Tuesday that could prevent the Department of Natural Resources from regulating the chemicals. The business group argues the state can’t regular PFAS because the contaminants aren’t directly mentioned in Wisconsin statutes or D-N-R rules. The D-N-R says the ruling that has been stayed could impact its ability to remediate any spills or brownfields.
A new online dashboard by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) allows Minnesotans to find out if their system’s water has any level of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. State Health Commissioner Jan Malcom says the “vast majority” of public water systems in Minnesota that have completed testing have “either no detections of PFAS or have levels below the current state levels of health concern.” The statewide testing effort has completed assessment in 401 of approximately 900 public systems in the state. Higher levels of exposure to PFAS are associated with a wide range of human health effects, including higher cholesterol, changes to liver function, reduced immune response. and thyroid disease.
The latest offer to buy Wisconsin-based Kohl’s department stores may be the one that succeeds. Kohl’s says it’s entered into exclusive negotiations with the owners of The Vitamin Shoppe. The deal would be worth about eight-billion dollars, or 60-dollars a share. The latest offer comes after Kohl’s rejected an offer from activist investors earlier this spring.
City officials, county engineers, environmentalists, rural power companies, public works officials, and union leaders are telling Minnesota lawmakers to get back to Saint Paul and pass the bonding bill they didn’t finish during the regular session. Dan Olson with Laborers International Union of North America says NOT to finish “makes absolutely no sense.” It appeared the House and Senate were nearing a compromise on a bonding bill, but it “dropped off the edge” when Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree on large spending bills for public schools, health and human services, and public safety.
The Ramsey County Fair is officially called off. The Ramsey County Fair Board set notification of the cancellation to county officials yesterday. The board says there were "too many outstanding arrangements, statutory requirements and unknown financial challenges" that couldn't be resolved in time to put on a quality and safe fair. The board is planning to bring the fair back in 2023.
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