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More money is available for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eau Claire and the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission applied for more CARES Act funding, and the Economic Development Administration gave them both over 500-thousand dollars. City leaders say they’re finalizing the details on the application process, and several Western Wisconsin counties are eligible.

Students who play in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are making decisions about returning to school. The conference canceled sports for the fall 2020 season including football, softball, women’s volleyball and women’s soccer at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Today is the last day most of Wisconsin can go out without a mask. Governor Tony Evers yesterday ordered a statewide mask requirement to try to slow down the rising coronavirus numbers in the state. The mask requirement takes effect tomorrow, it applies to anyone who is five-years-old or older and applies to bars, restaurants, shops, offices, and other indoor spaces. It also applies to beer gardens and outdoor restaurants. People can face a 200 dollar fine for not wearing a mask.

The latest coronavirus count in Wisconsin shows more people in the hospital because of the virus. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday reported that 341 people are being treated for the virus in the hospital. DHS says 104 people are in the ICU. DHS has not yet explained why the hospitalization numbers have jumped up-and-down this week. The state yesterday reported just over a thousand positive coronavirus tests, and over 16 thousand negative tests.

There will be less parking in downtown La Crosse, but there will be more places to sit and eat. City leaders unanimously approved a plan yesterday to switch on-street parking spaces into outdoor tables for downtown restaurants. The idea, Downtown Mainstreet, Inc.’s Robin Moses says, is to help restaurants who cannot seat that many people inside. Those restaurants can apply for on-street tables now, they will be able to seat people outside til mid-November.

Milwaukee’s Democratic National Convention will be here and gone in a flash. DNC planners yesterday said they will meet for just two hours each night starting August 17th. The convention ends on August 20. That means the total convention time will be about eight hours. Most of the convention will happen online. Planners yesterday did say that Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick will deliver a speech from Milwaukee on the 18th. Biden himself is supposed to speak from Milwaukee the

About 40 thousand kids across Wisconsin do not have a high-performing school within ten miles. A new study from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty looks at what it calls high-performing school deserts. WILL says the shortage is worse in rural parts of Wisconsin, but there are issues in many communities. WILL’s Will Flanders says the study is evidence that more school kids need more school choices. Flanders says expanding school choice in the state will help kids who are stuck in poor-performing schools.

Governor Tony Evers declares a public health emergency today and issues an emergency order mandating the wearing of face coverings.  The order goes into effect on Saturday and requires face coverings for everyone when they are indoors except for in their home.  Exceptions will be made for people with health conditions or disabilities that would stop them from wearing a mask.

President Trump’s idea about possibly delaying November’s presidential election isn’t getting support on either side of the Wisconsin aisle.  Republican Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke tweeted out a “Hard NO” in reaction to the idea.  The president suggested earlier today that perhaps the election should wait until people can securely and safely vote.  Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin simply said the election is not going to be delayed and the American people are going to vote and take back our democracy. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is fining the University of Wisconsin-Madison for federal animal research violations.  The Wisconsin State Journal says today the fine of 74-thousand-dollars was issued in the spring as a settlement for nearly 30 violations concerning treatment standards.  The violations occurred between 2015 and 2019 and many involved incidents of injured monkeys.