Local-Regional News December 23

 Forecasters say it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas across  Western Wisconsin and Minnesota today.   The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings,  a blizzard warning, and winter weather advisories across the area..  Temperatures will drop from the 30s to single digits as an arctic front arrives and northwest winds ramp up.   The precipitation is expected to start as rain then change over to all snow by this evening.   The Weather Service says some areas to the west could receive 4-6inches of snow while areas to the east could see 2-5inches.  

The Pepin County Board approved a new position in the Human Services Department.  The board approved the creation and filling of a Family Preservation Worker Position starting in 2021.  The county had contracted with Almost Family to provide child protection services but the employee has retired and the company has no replacement to continue services.  The board had approved a position in the 2021 budget.

Congressman Ron Kind is happy to see a broader rollout of the new COVID-19 vaccines, both the Pfizer and the Moderna versions. Kind says everyone, even those who don't think they need to worry about COVID, need to get their shots.  Kind say that it's important to remember that the virus doesn't discriminate along party lines, faiths, or creeds, and that the more people get vaccinated the safer we will all be.

A former Eau Claire man is facing theft charges.  Tim Jones has been charged with felony theft in a business setting after authorities accused him of stealing more than $94,000 while working as a division manager at Van Ert Electric in Eau Claire.  Authorities claim Jones took the company's scrap metal to a scrapyard and kept the proceeds.  Jones says the money was used for company expenses.   He will be back in Eau Claire County Court in March.

Owners of Electric Vehicles will have new options to charge their vehicles.  A group of Electric Co-ops in Western Wisconsin, including Dunn Energy and Pierce-Pepin Electric Co-Op are joining 29 other co-ops to install charging stations over the next years.  The goal is to add 30 new charging stations in the next year.  The new stations are part of a new network called Charge EV, LLC.

The Northern Wisconsin State Fair has announced its dates for 2021.  The fair will be July 7th-11th at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair Grounds in Chippewa Falls.  Organizers say that advance tickets from 2020 will be good for 2021 and announced that Trace Adkins and Lanco will make up part of the Main Stage lineup.  The fair was canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to a Dane County ban on indoor gatherings.  Tuesday’s vote was four-to-three.  The ban was put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but it has been devastating to bars and restaurants.  The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty had argued the county and city of Madison unlawfully ceded their authority to make laws to the city-county health department.  Justices emphasized their court isn’t designed to take up cases “in the first instance.”  That’s supposed to happen on the circuit court level.

Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature say the only compromise in the package of bills sought by Governor Tony Evers would be on their part.  Evers is pushing them to pass additional COVID relief by the end of the year.  He says one of his bills should pass easily because it includes provisions he and the legislative leaders agree on.  Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says the governor essentially ended negotiations with them by releasing the two bills.  Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu says the state needs to assess the impact of federal relief.  He says if Governor Evers wants to talk – his door is still open.

 Wisconsin residents will soon be able to take a coronavirus test in the comfort of their own home.  The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says at-home COVID-19 saliva collection kits will be available to anyone who wants one for free.  Governor Tony Evers said, "getting to a health care provider or community testing site isn't easy for everyone and that's why we are excited to offer this new option to make testing even more accessible for folks across our state."  The kits can be ordered online and shipped to your home.  You will have to collect the saliva during a video call with Vault Medical Services and then send it back to the lab.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz set a goal of enrolling one-million acres by the end of 2022 in a voluntary agricultural program that helps protect the state's water.  The governor says 977 farms totaling over 685-thousand acres are already participating in the Water Quality Certification Program, and have added over 110 thousand acres of new cover crops and almost two thousand new conservation practices.  Walz says that effort has kept over 38-thousand tons of sediment out of Minnesota's rivers and saved nearly 108-thousand tons of soil.  Farmers and landowners interested in becoming water quality certified should contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn says he is receiving extra police protection after several controversial rulings.  Hagedorn sided with the court’s liberal justices on high-profile cases like the rejection of President Trump’s effort to have 220-thousand absentee ballots thrown out.  Hagedorn tells W-I-S-N Television he is doing the best he can to follow the law “regardless of politics.”  Conservatives back him when he was elected to the high court last year.  The president has targeted him in a series of tweets.  Hagedorn says he’s not aware of any death threats.  He says he’s not the only justice to get the extra protection.

All six Republicans representing Wisconsin in Washington D.C. voted no, on the massive coronavirus relief and government funding legislation passed Monday night. The legislation, combining a 900 billion dollar coronavirus relief plan with 1.4 trillion dollars to fund the federal government through the end of next September passed with large majorities in both chambers. In the U.S. Senate, Republican Ron Johnson was one of only six no votes. In the House, Wisconsin Republicans Tom Tiffany, Bryan Steil, Mike Gallagher, Glenn Grothman and Jim Sensenbrenner were among the 53 Republicans voting no

More than 10-thousand people in Wisconsin have been vaccinated against COVID-19.  The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says health care workers and people living in long-term care facilities were among the first to get the vaccine in this state.  Wisconsin began administering Pfizer’s vaccine after it received F-D-A approval for emergency use on December 11th.  As of Sunday, 10-thousand-538 doses of the vaccine have been administered to people in Wisconsin.  Nearly 185-thousand doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been allocated for people in the Badger State.

 Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Shane Blaser says talks with Verso Corporation about the local paper mill have picked up in recent weeks.  Blaser says the company still intends to sell the mill.  More than 900 workers lost their jobs when operations were shut down earlier this year.  The mill had been operating in Wisconsin Rapids for more than a century.  Blaser says for the first time Verso has given an indication it might continue operating the mill once the COVID-damaged economy turns around.  Efforts to save the mill went off the tracks in October when Verso suspended its efforts to sell it due to the current economic climate.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has declined to charge nine Minneapolis police officers for a fatal shooting last December.  Chiasher Vue was killed when officers responded to a 9-1-1 call about a man carrying a knife and shooting a gun inside the house.  Several family members got out safely, but one was still inside with the 52-year-old armed man.  County Attorney Mike Freeman determined the officers’ actions were justified because Vue escalated the situation when he raised a rifle to his shoulder and pointed it at them.

A Kenosha woman can thank her roommate for saving her from a knife attack earlier this month.  Karen Robenson says her nephew was visiting on December 11th, but he was behaving strangely.  Suddenly, Jarron Johnson started stabbing her.  Robenson’s roommate, Linda Boyd, heard the struggle, came into the room, grabbed a heavy glass ashtray, and hit the attacker in the head.  Then, the two women ran to safety.  Robenson was stabbed 18 times but she’s expected to survive.  Her 30-year-old nephew faces one felony count of attempted first-degree intentional homicide.  He is being held on a 700-thousand-dollar cash bond

Local-Regional News December 22

 Free Covid-19 Testing will be held again in Durand today at the Pepin County Highway Shop.  Pepin County Health Officer Heidi Stewart says the testing times will be from 10-04.  There will also be free testing on Thursdays during January and February.

Last week Representative Warren Petryk was once again named Chair of the Assembly Committee on Workforce Development for the upcoming legislative session.   Petryk says a goal of the committee will be to find solutions to the workforce shortage that is holding back the full potential of local businesses and find innovative ways to help the state recover from the economic impact of the pandemic.    Representative Petryk will also again serve as the Vice-Chair of the Aging and Long-Term Care Committee.

The Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office says the high school student who was shot last Thursday afternoon has died of his injuries.  James Sullivan was a freshman at Memorial High School.  He died over the weekend.  Investigators say two juveniles were in a private home in the town of Washington when Sullivan was shot.  Memorial Principal Dave Oldenberg says counselors will be available this week and during the winter break.  School district officials have referred to the shooting as “a tragic accident.”  The second juvenile involved hasn’t been identified.

Congressman Ron Kind says a pending coronavirus stimulus package is a good start but needs to be better. Kind says this should only be a stopgap measure, and that Congress needs to come back to sign a better bill next year.  Kind says the Senate should have passed the well-vetted and provisioned Heroes Act that was approved by the house this summer, rather than rolling out a poorly-understood bill less than a few hours before it was meant to be voted on. 

Governor Tony Evers has sent Legislative Republicans plans for another COVID-19 relief bill, and wants them to vote on it before the end of the year.  Evers is calling the bill a representation of compromises that both sides can agree on. The Governor would have liked to see more support for eviction moratoriums and help for people looking for work but says that action needs to be taken now. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos owns several rental properties and has expressed his opposition to any moratoriums. It is unlikely that a vote will happen, as incoming Senate President Devin LeMaheiu says he doesn't plan on calling a lame-duck session this year.

 There's a more than a 50-percent chance parts of Western Wisconsin will see a white Christmas. The National Weather Service Twin Cities says the coldest air of the season so far is moving across the region Wednesday with northwest winds gusting 30-to-40-miles an hour. They say Eau Claire has a 56-percent chance for at least an inch of snow or more Wednesday into Thursday.

Leaders of the University of Wisconsin System are talking about some big goals for 2021.  They want to get the second-semester classes started safely with a return to in-person instruction after the winter break.  Regents President Andrew Peterson says he thinks students at the 13 public universities deserve to be praised for the ways they have dealt with the coronavirus pandemic.  By the end of this month, more than a half-million COVID-19 tests will have been given to students, staff members, and the public at campuses statewide.  The U-W System also has a major goal of having some of those campuses serve as vaccination hubs.

Austin police are calling a teenager a hero after he tried to stop an attack on his mother. He was stabbed to death. Five children were hiding upstairs in their home while their mother was arguing with 27-year-old Jaime Vaca last Tuesday. The teenager kicked in the bedroom door while Vaca was choking the mother. Vaca stopped when the boy intervened, grabbed a knife and stabbed him to death. Police haven’t released the teenager’s name or the name of his mother.

C-V-S Pharmacy will soon distribute COVID-19 vaccines to Wisconsin's long-term care facilities. Through a federal pharmacy partnership, C-V-S is administering the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine across 12-states this week. Starting the week of December 28th, Wisconsin is slated to begin vaccinations of the initial shot and the booster. C-V-S expects to finish vaccinations within four-weeks.

The U-S Senate has unanimously approved a five-year extension of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.  The bill requires the president’s signature to go into effect.  Funding for the mitigation of long-term environmental damages to the Great Lakes would grow from 300-million dollars to 475-million in 2026.  The legislation focuses on problems like toxic pollution, invasive species, loss of wildlife habitat, and runoff that results in harmful algae blooms.  Federal projects have been completed in nine states, including Wisconsin.

Officials at S-S-M Health in Madison say the arrival of Moderna’s vaccine for COVID-19 should help make sure every frontline worker gets vaccinated.   The delivery is expected this week.  The Food and Drug Administration approved Moderna’s vaccine in a Friday emergency ruling.  The new vaccine is easier to handle because it doesn’t require the ultra-cold storage Pfizer’s vaccine needs.  Wisconsin is scheduled to receive 100-thousand doses.  Both S-S-M and the U-W Health System are serving as regional distribution hubs for the vaccines in Wisconsin.

In the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, Wisconsin spent at least 99-million dollars to frantically buy personal protective equipment.  The Associated Press has analyzed the steps taken as the virus was spreading and governments were responding.  Wisconsin officials were searching the entire country for supplies as they tried to build a stockpile of P-P-E and ventilators.  Only about 10-million dollars was spent in this state and they paid exceedingly high prices because they were forced to compete with other states.  In one instance, the state reportedly paid an ACE Hardware store in De Forest more than 19-thousand dollars for 21-hundred N-95 masks.  That’s more than nine-dollars-a-mask for an item that normally sells for a little over a dollar each.

 Taiwan-based technology giant Foxconn is said to be nearing agreement on a deal with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.  Foxconn is apparently willing to accept a reduction in tax credits “in exchange for a flexible business environment in Wisconsin.”  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin State Journal report state officials have been pushing Foxconn to make changes to the contract which reflect the company’s construction of a smaller facility near Mount Pleasant.  Foxconn wants the agreement to give it the flexibility to react to customer demands and market conditions, saying they dictate what the company manufactures at times.

MyPillow C-E-O Mike Lindell has called for President Donald Trump to declare martial law in Minnesota and six other states.  Lindell’s Saturday night tweet to the president has been taken down.  He wanted Trump to declare martial law so he could obtain the states’ ballots and, apparently, overturn the election results.  Lindell actually re-tweeted the message from attorney Lin Wood, who has alleged the president’s defeat in last month’s election was brought on by a conspiracy and voter fraud.  Wood and Lindell want martial law declared in Minnesota, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

The State Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that could define how police are allowed to search and use cell phones as part of their investigations.  George Burch was convicted in 2018 in the murder of Nichole VanderHeyden in Green Bay. Police caught Burch by connecting him to the case with the use of cell phone data that they had gathered from him while downloading his text messages several months before in an unrelated case. At issue is whether or not police should have retained that phone data past the point of the previous investigation. There's also a discussion to what extent police can actually search your phone when you give consent to only parts of the data on the device.

 Minneapolis police report a woman’s baby has been returned after a Lyft driver took off Saturday night with the child still in his car.  The mother called 9-1-1.  Police are describing the incident as an accident and no arrests or charges have been reported.  The Lyft driver returned to his customer when he noticed the child was still in the backseat.  No names have been released.

Local-Regional News December 21

 Three people were arrested in Pepin County on Drug Charges on Friday.  According to the Pepin County Sheriffs Department, the Pierce/Pepin Emergency Response Team, along with members of other law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant at a rural Pepin County Home.  The warrant was executed after a year-long investigation by the West Central Drug Task Force and Pepin County Sheriffs Department.  Arrested was 32yr old  Anthony B. Nelson of Arkansaw, 27yr old Matthew R. Schumacher of Menomonie, and 44yr old Chad J. Marson of Arkansaw.  All three were arrested for Delivery of Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  Nelson was also charged with a Felon in Possession of Firearms and Maintaining a Drug Trafficking House.  The investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected.

Pepin County is creating a Citizen Participation Plan Committee.  The County is moving forward to apply of a Community Development Block Grant and the grant requires a Citizen Participation Plan in place.  Members of th committee will be appointed by the County Board Chairman and confirmed by the county board.  The Committee will be responsible for the implementation of the Citizen Participation plan as well as offering guidance in the preparation of the grant application.

The President of Chippewa Valley Technical College is retiring.  President Bruce Barker announced he would step down from his post as President on July 1st of 2021.  Barker has been President of the college for the last 12 years and led the effort to get the public to approve the $48 million referendum in April to construct a new Transportation Education Center along with an expansion of the River Falls Location.   The Association of Community College Trustees will assist with a search for the next President.

Students at UW-Stout will not be having a spring break this year.  Chancellor Katherine Frank announced the spring break that was scheduled for March 13-21 was being canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic.   Classes will continue and because of the cancellation of the break, classes will now end on April 28.  UW-Eau Claire and River Falls have either canceled or postponed spring break this year.

The Dunn County Board has sent an open letter to Dunn County Residents asking them to do their part to help slow the spread of Covid-19.  The letter was sent and posted to the Dunn County News Website on Friday and is asking residents to stay home as much as possible during the Christmas holidays, wear a mask while out in public, socially distant,  limit private gatherings to only members of your immediate family and avoid indoor gatherings of 10 people or more.   Currently, there is no order in effect for residents to take the steps mention in the letter, but the board members are asking for the public's help in slowing the spread of covid-19.

The Village of Clayton in western Wisconsin is mourning the loss of its fire chief.  The Clayton Fire Department says 55-year-old Chief Don Kittleson had been hospitalized with COVID-19 since early November and had no underlying health conditions.  Kittleson was a third-generation firefighter and had served with the Clayton Fire Department for 34 years.  A Facebook post-Thursday said, "We lost a hero tonight. You have touched so many. Family, friends, Community and YOUR fire department brothers and sisters mourn a great man. Love you CHIEF DON- you will never be forgotten. We will take it from here Brother."

U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar says quick passage of a coronavirus relief package is important after an agreement was reached Sunday between leaders of both parties.  The Minnesota Democrat says “Americans need relief now.”  The deal is worth about 900-billion dollars and it includes a second round of stimulus checks, plus an extension of unemployment benefits.  A vote is expected this week before members of Congress leave Washington for the holiday break.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it a “bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed.”  Klobuchar says it includes aid for schools, hospitals, and workers.  She says there will be a push for more aid in the New Year.

A group looking to put an end to the Walz administration's shutdown of youth sports was denied an injunction late Friday. Judge Jon Tunheim, who worked in the office of former D-F-L Attorney General Skip Humphrey before being elevated to the bench in 1995, said the motion from "Let Them Play Minnesota" failed to prove the Governor's order violated the First Amendment. In a statement on Saturday, the group promised to appeal the decision. Under Walz's latest orders teams can resume practice on January 4th, but there is no timetable for starting games.

Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway ports and ship operators are hoping for a strong finish to an otherwise tough year. The Chamber of Marine Commerce says seaway cargo totals sit at just over 32-million metric tons through November, down six-point-six percent from last year. Year to date grain shipments on the seaway was up 23 percent and is expected to be strong for the rest of the season.

Governor Tony Evers wants the state to get its fair share of shipments of COVID-19 vaccines.  Evers says Wisconsin has only received around 35-thousand doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week, much less than the nearly 50-thousand doses it was supposed to be getting.  Evers says Wisconsin needs those vaccines because the state is seeing so many cases of COVID.  He also stresses that the vaccines need to make up for the lack of response he's able to make because his office is hampered thanks to ongoing litigation.  The F-D-A approved emergency use of the Moderna vaccine on Friday and it begins shipping to states this weekend.

 Wisconsin residents will not be getting 12-hundred-dollar stimulus checks thanks in part to Senator Ron Johnson.  The Wisconsin Republican blocked an effort by G-O-P Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri today (Friday) that would have given direct payments to working Americans.  Hawley told members, "these are the people who right now are missing shifts at work to try to care for kids who are distance learning because of COVID, who are trying to care for a relative who may be sick. These are the people who are always asked to make it work – who are always asked to hold it together."  Johnson cited concerns over the federal deficit in blocking the proposal from Hawley and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

The state is awarding more than 620-thousand dollars in grants to 16 non-profit organizations that serve Wisconsin veterans.  The funding can be used to provide financial assistance, job training and other services to military veterans and their families.  Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Mary Kolar said, "We must ensure we take care of those who have sacrificed so much in our defense and provide them with the tools and resources they need to prosper.”  Nonprofits in Janesville, La Crosse, Green Bay, Appleton, and the Milwaukee area will receive funding through the program.

 A Dakota County judge ordered Alibi Drinkery in Lakeville to close for on-premises dining after repeated violations of the emergency COVID order.  A court hearing is set for Tuesday morning.  Attorney General Keith Ellison says he's gratified the court realizes urgent action is needed to stop the spread of COVID-19.  Ellison says the vast majority of Minnesota bars and restaurants are already complying with their responsibility.  Senate Republican Leader Paul Gazelka says “instead of targeting businesses that are just trying to survive, state officials should concentrate on ways to help them.”

The sale of a food plant in De Pere could save some jobs.  The transaction is part of the final judgment against Dairy Farmers of America.  Federal authorities are requiring that organization to divest two plants, including the one in De Pere.  The new owners of the facility will be the Borden Dairy Company and Select Milk Producers.  The sale price is estimated to be 433-million dollars.  

 A temporary marker has been placed at the site of a Native American burial ground on the campus at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  University officials say they are taking steps to place a more permanent memorial there.  Members of several tribes – including the Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe – were buried at the site in the 1860s.  A died when scarlet fever raged through the city of Stevens Point.  University Vice-Chancellor Al Thompson said the marker recognizes the area’s history with the native communities while working to make it stronger in the years to come.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is seeking creative and interesting names for snowplows in the state's eight districts. MnDOT's Jake Loesch (LOHSH) says they'll share some of the best name ideas and invite the public to vote on their favorites in February.   He says MnDOT is accepting submissions through January 22nd for eight plows and go from there.  The eight names that get the most votes will then make their way onto a snowplow in each district.  Name ideas can be submitted on the MnDOT website.

Local-Regional News December 18

 A Durand man is dead after a one-vehicle accident on Thursday.  According to the Pepin County Sheriffs Department, 41yr old Corey R. Bignell was eastbound on Hwy 10 near Rustad Lane, when he lost control causing the vehicle to roll multiple times.  Bignell was ejected from the vehicle.  He was transported to Advent Health in Durand and later to Mayo Hospital in Eau Claire where he was pronounced dead.  No seatbelt and alcohol are believed to be factors in the cause of the crash and death.  That accident remains under investigation by the Pepin County Sheriffs Department.  

The Pepin County Government Center will remain in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  At this month's county board meeting, members voted to continue the lockdown.  Those that need to meet with a county department in person will have to call ahead and make an appointment.  Supervisors also extended until June 1st the online option of public meetings and will allow board members, committee members, and staff to attend the meetings remotely and be counted for quorum with full per diem.  Supervisors will review the building lockdown next month.

The group wanting to save the grotto at the Pepin County Government Center has been given an extra 6 months.  The Pepin County Administrative Committed approved the request during this month's committee meeting.  The group is raising money to have the grotto moved to Round Hill from the government center and blamed the current covid-19 pandemic for limiting fundraising efforts.  The group now has until June 1st to have the grotto moved.

There will be a spring break for Durand-Arkansaw school district students for the 2021-2022 school year.  Durand-Arkansaw Superintendent Greg Doverspike says it can be a long stretch of school from January to Easter without a break.   Board members had an option of a calendar without a spring break and earlier end of year date but went with the spring break version of the calendar.

An Eau Claire man, who admited to beating his neighbor to death, has been denied a request to be released from a state mental institution.  James E. Olson petitioned for conditional release from the Mendota Mental Institution in September.  A psychiatrist testified that he believed Olson no longer poses a threat to himself or others but did admit that Olsons Illness would return if treatment stopped.  Olson was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of Paul Oberle in 2012.

Wisconsin’s largest dairy group is joining with a group of conservationists and environmentalists to look at clean water.  The Wisconsin Dairy Business Association is signing-on to an agreement with Clean Wisconsin, The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association. The D-B-A says farmers want to find a way to project clean water in the state and work toward a solution. Most of the focus will be on well water in rural parts of Wisconsin and paying for well improvements. 

The incoming Wisconsin Senate majority leader says allowing earlier counting of absentee ballots is one of his priorities as the next legislative session approaches.  Republican Devin LeMahieu says he wants to pass a bill to change the state law and allow those ballots to be counted before Election Day.  He tried to get it passed last year by working with Democrats, but his own party stopped it.  Members of the Wisconsin Legislature are said to be looking at making election-related changes after claims of widespread fraud during and after the November vote.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is joining a bipartisan group of attorneys general suing Google for anti-competitive conduct.   The 38 states allege that Google illegally maintains its monopoly over general search engines and related advertising markets through a series of anticompetitive exclusionary contracts.   The suit claims Google has deprived customers of competition that could lead to greater choice, innovation, and better privacy protections.   Nearly 90-percent of all internet searches in the U-S are on Google, leaving consumers with little choice other than to accept its privacy practices and data collection policies.

Wisconsin's unemployment rate dropped a full point in November to five percent.  The Department of Workforce Development reports the state lost one-thousand private-sector jobs last month.  Wisconsin's labor force participation rate was 61-and-a-half percent in November - five-point-four percent higher than the national rate.  The U-S unemployment rate was six-point-seven percent last month.

Minnesota regulators are giving the nod to Xcel Energy dropping its request for a rate increase.  Minnesota Public Utilities Commission officials say with the economic effect of the ongoing COVID pandemic, it will ensure that base rates for all Xcel customers remain unchanged for 2021.  Xcel has also committed to increasing its contribution to the Residential Payment Plan Credit Program by about nine million dollars.

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The Wisconsin Building Commission has approved the spending of 350-million dollars on renovation projects.  Much of the money will go toward repairing or renovating buildings in the U-W System.  One of the big ones is the construction and renovation of the Veterinary Medicine addition in Madison.  Renovation is coming for the Student Union on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus.  A half-million dollars is dedicated to planning for the design of the new Engineering Building there.  Governor Tony Evers has called the projects “important investments” in the state’s infrastructure.

There's partisan disagreement, over who's to blame for the slow pace of getting unemployment checks to people in need. Republicans say it's poor leadership from a Democratic governor - Democrats blame Republican unwillingness to take action. Auditors say changes are needed in the adjudication process at the Department of Workforce Development. Tens-of-thousands of applicants have had to wait five weeks or more before they find out if they qualify for unemployment. Leaders at D-W-D say they’ve been dealing with the equivalent of four years of claims in just nine months, due to COVID-19 job losses.

A rural prosperity plan for Wisconsin calls for more spending on numerous needs. The plan from Governor Evers’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity is out with a list of ten recommendations. It wants more investment in high-speed internet and rural roads. The commission also wants to spend more on the arts and to build inclusive communities in rural Wisconsin. To help pay for all of this, commission members want to allow local communities to raise local taxes more easily, and get more state money to smaller communities.  

Illinois authorities say they are going to be billing Green Bay-based REDI Transports for the cost of tracking down an accused killer.  Surveillance video tells a different story about the way 22-year-old Leon Taylor escaped from a transport van at an Indiana McDonald’s.  Taylor is still at large.  The driver said he jumped out a window, but the video shows Taylor wasn’t wearing shackles and got out through a door on the van.  Lake County, Illinois Sheriff Oscar Martinez Junior says his office believes Taylor wouldn’t have escaped if he had been wearing shackles.  Lake County says it will take the Wisconsin business to court to recover its costs if it has to.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is among a group of Midwest governors telling people to stay home and stay away from others during the holidays.  Walz joined the governors of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin is urging people not to travel for Christmas or New Year’s – and not to celebrate with anyone outside their home.  The governors say even one infection could flood hospitals.  The same sentiment was expressed before Thanksgiving.

Wausau police say an unidentified man who found three thousand dollars cash and gift envelopes on the street Wednesday morning, contacted the bank where it had been withdrawn. Lieutenant Lew-eish Lopes says the money was returned to the rightful owner.  Lopes calls the actions of the good Samaritan "very awesome."

Local-Regional News December 17

 Pepin County is in search of a new Highway Commissioner.  Robert Platteter had recently been hired as the commissioner but submitted his resignation letter to the Highway Committee earlier this month.  During last night's County Board meeting, members approved appointing Chris Bates to be the interim commissioner until a replacement can be found.  Platteter's last day will be January 4th.

Students at the Durand-Arkansaw School District will still get a day off due to winter weather even in this era of virtual learning.  Durand-Arkansaw School Superintendent Greg Doverspike says the district administration and board decided to have 2 snow days for students if needed. Some districts in Wisconsin have decided that the concept of snow days will be ended and students would just switch to virtual learning instead of having a day off due to weather.

The distribution of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is underway in Wisconsin.  The vaccine is first sent to "hubs" across the state and then sent to area hospitals called "spokes".  Pepin County Health Officer Heidi Stewart says Advent Health in Durand is considered a "spoke" and will receive the vaccine once it's delivered to the "hub" serving Western Wisconsin.  Stewart says the health department was not notified of where the "hub" serving Western Wisconsin is.  

A Minnesota man faces charges in Eau Claire County after leading Wisconsin State Patrol troopers on a chase Monday night.  Twenty-one-year-old Jordan Guse of Woodbury is being held in the Eau Claire County Jail.  Troopers say they were conducting a welfare check when they detected the smell of marijuana.  Guse took off and didn’t stop until he crashed his vehicle into a squad car.  He’s charged with attempting to flee or elude an officer and possession of T-H-C.  During much of the chase, the suspect’s vehicle had two deflated tires, but he refused to stop.

The incoming president of the State Senate wants to reopen schools.  Republican state senator Chris Kapenga says that student educations are being irreparably harmed by using virtual learning over in-person classes, and that students themselves are being harmed by isolation. Kapenga accuses teachers' unions of advocating for virtual classes. Governor Evers' office has not provided any guidance to close schools and has instead left that up to local school districts.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the governor’s order on the size of gatherings in the state today.  Oral arguments will be offered on the question of how many people can gather in bars and restaurants.  Democratic Governor Tony Evers has issued a series of orders as part of the effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  All have been fought by Wisconsin conservatives.  Just last month, the state’s high court heard arguments in a case seeking to end the governor’s statewide mask mandate.  There is no word on how quickly the court might rule this time.

Workers at the former Golden Guernsey Dairy in Waukesha will finally get back pay as part of a long term bankruptcy proceeding. Attorney General Josh Kaul says that the company closed unexpectedly in 2013 and didn't notify the state or pay the wages they were supposed to.  Each employee will be eligible for over 11-thousand dollars in wages, and more if there's money left while the proceedings continue.

The Wisconsin Election Commission has created a new question-and-answer section on its website to dispel misinformation about November election. You can access the factual elections information on the commission's website at elections-dot-wi-dot-gov.

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Authorities in southeastern Wisconsin say the search for a missing 10-year-old girl has ended with her safe return to the family.  The Wisconsin Department of Justice is reporting Jocelyn Van Duyn was found in Indiana with her father.  The girl was reported missing Saturday night and an Amber Alert was issued.  Authorities in McHenry County, Indiana took her father, Jonathan Van Duyn, into custody.

 A report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum blames the state’s tuition freeze for all types of financial challenges in the U-W System.  The Policy Forum report says Wisconsin’s seven-year tuition freeze is good for students but hurts the university by choking off a stream of new revenue.  It also says that the flagship campus in Madison is slipping as a major research institution and campus buildings are starting to deteriorate.  The group Badgers United is pointing to the report to suggest a tuition increase is needed, more money should be in the state budget for the university, and a billion-dollar line of credit is needed for the main campus.

Minnesota bars, restaurants, and breweries will remain closed for indoor dining under Governor Tim Walz's latest COVID emergency order.  The governor says those establishments can open for outdoor service with capacity limitations, but Walz says he realizes this is by no means a solution for the industry as a whole. G gyms and fitness studios may open for individual exercise at 25 percent capacity, or 100 people maximum, with masks and 12 feet of physical distancing.  Youth and adult sports practices can resume January 4th. Minnesotans may have inside social gatherings with one other household up to ten people.  If outside, social gatherings may include up to two additional households with a maximum of 15 people starting December 19th.  Masking and social distancing is strongly encouraged.

 Approval had been automatic in the past, but the Milwaukee Common Council has rejected a 10-million-dollar federal grant that would have paid for 30 police officer positions over the next three years.  The federal COPS grant was passed over in the Tuesday meeting.  The decision was made even though 60 police positions were eliminated in this year’s city budget and another 120 were removed for 2021.  The COPS grant had become controversial this year over concerns about police brutality and the killings of Geoge Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others.  The council could vote on the money again next month.

 The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is looking for applicants to serve on its Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory Committee.  The committee helps guide the D-N-R's aquatic invasive species prevention program, including research needs, funding strategies, and the direction of the program.  Members serve three-year terms and meet eight times per year.  The committee has three open seats on the 15-member board.  Applications are being taken online and are due January 22nd.

Wisconsin’s professional sports teams are investing into social justice.  The Brewers, Bucks, and Packers have announced the creation of The Equity League; a venture capital fund to invest in - quote - “impact driven technology companies with a focus on Black and LatinX founders.” Team leaders say they wanted to do something to capitalize on the social justice movement that swept through sports earlier this year.

Local-Regional News December 16

 With covid numbers declining, the Durand-Arkansaw School District has decided to resume in-person learning in January.  During last night's school board meeting, members voted to resume in-person learning starting on January 4th for the district.  The board also approved the 2021-22 school calendar which will include a spring break in March.

The Pepin County Board is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include a review of the Pepin County Government Center Facility in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic, appointment of an interim Highway Commissioner, and discussion and adoption of a citizen participation plan.  Tonight's meeting begins at 7pm and will be available on zoom through the county website.

Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire has received its first shipment of the Covid-19 Vaccine.   Officials from Mayo reported that they should receive approximately 2,900 doses this week and another 4,900 doses the following week.  The first doses will be given to frontline workers such as doctors, nurses, and other health care workers, and workers at long-term care facilities.

One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident Monday in the Town of Lincoln.  According to the Trempealeau County Sheriffs Department, 32yr old Brett Hays of Whitehall was traveling westbound on Hwy 121 and waiting to make a left turn into a driveway, when he was struck from behind by a westbound vehicle driven by 19yr old Preston Martin of Whitehall.  Hays was taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries while Martin was not injured.  Inattentive driving is believed to be a factor in the accident.

The federal Securities and Exchange Commission is apparently investigating an investment advisor in Altoona.  Public disclosure data listed on the S-E-C’s website indicates Michael Shillin is accused of altering documents involving long-term care insurance policies and falsifying information while he is under investigation.  His profile on the government website indicates Shillin was fired from an investment firm in Chippewa Falls two years ago and he resigned from Alliance Global Partner while he is being investigated.  One of his former clients has filed a claim that Shillin misrepresented some information that wound up costing him damages of 20-thousand dollars.

A Greenwood man is free on a 10-thousand-dollar signature bond after being arrested and charged with child sex crimes.  Eau Claire County prosecutors accused Ricky Doede of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, child enticement, and attempted sexual assault of a child under 16.  Doede didn’t know he was talking to an undercover officer who was posing as a 14-year-old girl online.  After he was caught he admitted he was traveling to meet with a girl he knew was underage.

A judge has ruled a Wisconsin Dells man charged in a Michigan terror plot should be extradited.  The ruling was handed down Tuesday in a Columbia County courtroom.  Brian Higgins is accused of being part of a crew conducting surveillance of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s vacation home as part of a kidnapping plot.  Higgins will be allowed to appeal the decision before he is transported to Michigan.  His attorney argued the extradition order shouldn’t be granted because Governor Whitmer has a conflict of interest based on her status as the intended victim.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture plans to continue battling the emerald ash border (EAB) when federal regulations end next year.  The U-S-D-A has been limiting the spread of the tree-killing insect since it was first discovered in Michigan in 2020,  but the agency will deregulate E-A-B on January 14th.  State officials have regulated the pest since 2009 and will continue to monitoring un-infested areas for E-A-B, quarantine newly infested county and limit movement of wood products.   Minnesota Ag Commissioner Whitney Place said there is strong interest in maintaining regulations for the sake of our urban and natural forests. Twenty-five of Minnesota's 87 counties are infested with E-A-B.

Senator Amy Klobuchar continues to push for passage of a bipartisan bill that would provide federal grants to live music venues affected by COVID-19.  She touted the Save Our Stages Act during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday.  Klobuchar said, “So many of these venues are literally the heart of our communities. They are the place people go. Since we are quoting a lot of things, we do not want to be the Congress that lets the music die."  The measure would provide six months of financial support to keep venues afloat, pay employees and preserve the music sector. Klobuchar mentioned First Avenue and the Moorhead Bluestem Amphitheater during the hearing.

Wisconsin has its first doses of the coronavirus vaccine, but it will be a while before most people get a chance to get it.   The Department of Health Services says it will take weeks just to vaccinate all of Wisconsin’s healthcare workers. People living in long-term care facilities can expect to start to get their shots the middle of next month. It could be the fall before the vaccine is widely available. Most vaccinations will happen at doctors’ offices, but there are also plans for mass-community vaccination sites. 

It is going to be up to the individual voter to determine if they are “indefinitely confined.”  If so, they are free to request and submit an absentee ballot without showing any photo I-D.  The Wisconsin Supreme Court made that ruling Monday in a case filed earlier this year by the Republican Party.  Last March, the court ordered the Dane County Clerk to quit telling voters that – because of the coronavirus pandemic and a statewide stay-at-home order – anyone could request an absentee ballot.  The Wisconsin Republican Party had filed the suit to stop the clerk.  Nine months later the court came down on the clerk’s side.

 A report from the Legislative Audit Bureau reveals the state Department of Workforce Development sent 77-percent of unemployment applicants into pending status when the claims could have been processed.  The audit released Monday shows that 514-thousand of nearly 663-thousand claims were put into adjudication over a seven-month period so the department could determine if the applicant was eligible to receive benefits.  Some of the people were left in adjudication for 10 weeks or more.  More than 96-thousand were still in adjudication when the audit was conducted.  In 90-percent of those cases, the D-W-D had the information to process the claim, or it failed to ask for the proper information.  The audit did find the average claim took nearly 40 days to process last April – now, processing takes about eight-and-a-half days.

Business is brisk at Thermo Fisher Scientific, the maker of a freezer that can create the ultra-cold storage container needed for the COVID-19 vaccine.  Thermo Fisher has been making the product for more than 50 years at several locations.  The company is based in Texas, but it has offices at three locations in Wisconsin.  A local official says the work actually started much earlier this year when storage was needed for all the test samples.  The COVID-19 vaccine is supposed to be stored in temperatures below negative-94 degrees Fahrenheit.  The company says there is plenty of supply and no threat of shortages despite the demand.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is praising the Minnesota Legislature for passing a 216-million-dollar COVID relief package for businesses and a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits.  Walz said, "this bipartisan bill will provide direct, targeted aid to keep our small businesses afloat, support workers struggling to get by, and help families put food on the table while we work to get the virus under control."  The governor added, "our small businesses have made enormous sacrifices to their own bottom lines for the good of our state."  Eighty-eight-million dollars will go directly to bars, restaurants and gyms: convention centers and movie theaters are getting 14-million; and 114-million will be distributed by counties.

 Hormel Foods is launching another effort to help Austin area restaurants struggling due to the latest COVID-19 shutdown.   The company announced it will order more than 12-hundred meals per week from local businesses through January 29th.    About 400 of the meals will be delivered to the Mower County Senior Center twice a week.  Hormel ordered around 300 meals each weekday from local restaurants during the pause on in-door dining last spring.    Officials say Hormel has donated more than a million dollars and one-million meals to hunger causes.

Local-Regional News December 15

 The Durand-Arkansaw School District is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include two public hearings on a Waiver of Educator Effectiveness requirements for the 2020-21 school year,  discussion and possible action on re-opening in January, and discussion and possible action on the 2021-2022 school calendar.  Tonight's meeting begins at 6pm and will be available on the district's zoom site.

Menomonie Police are warning businesses to be on the lookout for counterfeit bills.  Police say an unknown male passed a counterfeit $50 bill at Kwik Trip.  The bill was actually a washed $5 bill and then changed to look like at $50.  The suspect was driving a Chevrolet HHR with Wisconsin License plate 149-WVV, and was later identified as Kevin Gilbertson from Black River Falls.    If anyone has had a similar case with Gilbertson you are to call the Menomonie Police Department.  

The City of Durand is nearing completion of updating the boundary lines of the city around Forest Hills Cemetary.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says he would now like to update all the burial plot information in the cemetery.  While the update doesn't need to happen right away, Millren presented his idea to the city council at last week's meeting.

New public health guidelines in Wisconsin make it possible for some people to shorten their quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19. The new guidelines went into effect earlier this month. The Eau Claire City-County Health Department says it still supports a full 14-day quarantine as the safest length. A ten-day quarantine with no test or a seven-day quarantine with a negative test can also be possible based on a few considerations. The department says not everyone can choose a shorter quarantine.

The United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley has announced it has awarded over $141000 in grants to eight different non-profits to help with Covid-19 relief.  The organizations splitting the money include Big Brothers Big Sisters of NW WI, Western Dairyland, Feed My People and Hope Gospel Mission.  This is the third round of grants the United Way has awarded totaling $500,000.

Time is growing short for Wisconsin residents who want to sign up for Obamacare.  Open enrollment for health coverage under the federal government ends today.  There are some exceptions.  The enrollment is taking place at the same time the U-S Supreme Court considers the future of the health reform law.  The Trump administration and a group of Republican state attorneys general are working to invalidate the Affordable Care Act.  They argue the individual mandate is unconstitutional after Congress eliminated the penalty for not having health insurance.  More information can be found online at HealthCare-dot-gov.

The first group of Wisconsin frontline workers was vaccinated against COVID-19 Monday afternoon.  The shots were administered just after 2:30 p-m, a few hours after the delivery was received at U-W Health in Madison.  Doctor Matt Anderson says the recipients will be monitored for a brief time to make sure there aren’t any bad reactions, then they will get a follow-up shot in about three weeks.  The senior medical director of primary care says the hospital has a plan to vaccinate all employees who want the shot.  S-S-M Health expects to get its delivery of doses possibly today (Tuesday) and Unity Point Health is expecting its shipment later this week.

Struggling businesses will get help and unemployment benefits will be extended after the Minnesota Legislature gave its approval to a COVID-19 relief package.  Grants will go directly to bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues the governor ordered to close for four weeks starting last month.  Governor Tim Walz has said he supports the aid package, so he is expected to sign the bill.  Local governments will be able to direct some of the money to businesses that have been damaged the most by the coronavirus pandemic.  The unemployment benefits have been extended by 13 weeks.  Almost 125-thousand people had faced the end of the unemployment checks by the day after Christmas.

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A group of students and parents has voiced its frustration with the Green Bay Area Public School Board of Education over in-person classes.  The students say remote learning is to blame for them falling behind.  W-B-A-Y Television has reported 27-percent of the grades for students in middle and high school in the district were failing in the first six weeks of the school year.  The group gathered in front of the district’s main office Saturday.  The school board is set to discuss the situation at a meeting.  It will also talk about the possibility of loosening the credit requirements for graduation.

The F-B-I says a 17-year-old was recruiting people for a white supremacy plot targeting the nation’s power grids.  Details of the terror plot were revealed when a warrant was unsealed in Wisconsin’s Eastern U-S District Court last week.  The young recruiter was among three people listed in a federal warrant, but no names have been released.  As many as 10 people may have been involved in an operation called “Lights Out.”  The teen wanted the group to be ready to go by 2024, but it was going to accelerate the timeline if President Trump lost the November election.

 Wisconsin’s Dane and Milwaukee counties will have to wait a little while before they are reimbursed for the costs of recounting votes from the November election.  The Wisconsin Legislature’s budget committee is withholding the money.  President Trump’s campaign paid three-million dollars for those recounts.  Republicans said Friday they are holding back the money, but they didn’t say why.  Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson accused lawmakers of “playing politics with money that isn’t theirs.”  Wisconsin statutes say losing candidates can request a recount, but they have to pay the costs upfront if they lost by more than one-quarter percent.

The State Supreme court has dismissed a Trump Campaign lawsuit against the November presidential election.   In a 4 to 3 decision on Monday, the liberal justices of the court, backed up by Justice Brian Hagedorn, told the Trump Campaign that it waited too long to file a lawsuit against the election based on the challenges they offered. Hagedorn likened the effort to trying to legislate the rules of football after the season was over and your team lost. The court's conservative justices wanted to discuss the merits of the case, but were outnumbered in the decision. 

There is no post-Thanksgiving jump in coronavirus cases in Wisconsin. The state's Department of Health Services yesterday reported 27-hundred positives and 15 new deaths. But DHS also reported a large drop in the state's positivity rate. Wisconsin's seven-day positivity rate Sunday dipped under 11-percent. That number was 13-percent last week, and 18-percent at the beginning of November.

 More than 100 restaurants are set to defy Governor Walz's orders if a ban on indoor dining continues. One-hundred-50 restaurants and bars are a part of the Reopen Minnesota Coalition. After being shut down since last month, one business owner is saying she will reopen her restaurant regardless of the consequence. Lisa Monet Zarza owns Alibili Drinkery and says she is not just reopening for herself but for her staff who is struggling to provide for their families.

Officials in Winona County held a public forum on Zoom Monday to discuss building a new jail.  Community members will be able to ask questions through Zoom’s virtual chat feature.  Members of the county commission are said to be thinking about changing some plans for the jail after hearing from the public last week.  The cost of a new jail has been estimated at 25-million dollars.  Smaller options will be considered at a December 22nd board meeting, but that could be affected by public input tonight.