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School kids in Eau Claire will keep learning from home through the summer. Eau Claire’s school district yesterday said it makes sense to shift summer learning programs online. Testing director Jim Schmitt says no one knows how long the state’s Safer at Home order will last. He says Eau Claire schools are doing their best to get as much content online as they can.

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices will issue a ruling following oral arguments heard regarding the governor’s extension of the  Safer At Home  order.  The court heard arguments today about whether the order is unconstitutional and if state agencies have the power to issue such an order.  Opponents to the extension call the order tyrannical while supporters say lifting the order without replacing it with another plan will cost lives. 

Hospitals will have to meet three new criteria before the state can begin reopening.  The Department of Health Services announced today before Wisconsin can dial back Safer at Home restrictions three new guidelines must be met.  One requires 95-percent of hospitals to treat patients without crisis care, meaning when under-staffed or under-supplied.  Hospitals must also arrange testing for all clinical staff showing symptoms of COVID-19.  And third, the state can’t reopen until officials see a one-week downward trend in coronavirus cases among

Local public health departments in the Western Wisconsin region haverequested assistance from the Wisconsin National Guard to scale up COVID-19 testing and now we know where some of our local sites will be. The National Guard will be providing drive-through COVID-19 nasal swab testing. Chippewa County is partnering with neighboring counties to host two community COVID-19 testing events. Clark, Taylor, and Chippewa CountiesLocation: Thorp High SchoolAddress: 605 S Clark St, Thorp, WI 54771Date: May 13, 2020Time: 11 AM – 7

After an extensive nationwide search, the Board of Directors ofFeed My People Food Bank, Eau Claire announced today that Nancy Renkes has been named as the new Executive Director. Renkes takes over for Emily Moore who is retiring at the end of themonth after serving since 2004. Renkes comes to Feed My People with over 20 years of non-profit experience. Her most recent position was Vice President & Chief Partnerships Officer at River Bend Foodbank in Davenport, Iowa.

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism released a report showing $22.2 billion in total visitor spending and $13.6 billion in direct spending in 2019,showing a statewide increase of 3.02% from the previous year. The announcement comes as Wisconsin’s tourism industry celebrates this year’s National Travel &Tourism Week (May 3-9) and plans for an economic bounce back when public health authorities determine it is safe to do so. The City of Clear Water saw a clear boost as well. In Eau Claire

The Eau Claire School Board decides that summer classes will be completed at home. Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Hardebeck made the announcement during a virtual meeting yesterday. The Board also voted to move forward with the Ulrich Track Project at Memorial High School and awarded contracts to Fisher Tracks, HS Fence McCabe Construction, and Rettler Construction. Tim Nordin was also elected president of the school board.

The Eau Claire City-County Health Department is making a clarification about eating on the golf course. According to Governor Evers most recent emergency order, restaurants and bars at golf courses could open for take-out and delivery service, but there was some confusion about eating on the course. The health department yesterday said food and beverage is not to be consumed at or near the clubhouses, but it’s okay on the course.

The Eau Claire City-County Health Department is working with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to make videos about the COVID-19 pandemic in Spanish. The health department director said the videos are a good way to help people whose primary language isn’t English get necessary information about the COVID-19 pandemic like what it is and how to stay protected from its spread. The department said informational videos will also soon be available for people who speak Hmong

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers wants to ramp-up coronavirus testing in the state. The governor yesterday said he wants to test every person living in a nursing home in the state. He also wants to test more workplace hotspots. The governor says Wisconsin has the capacity to test nearly 12-thousand people a day, but he says nowhere near that many people are actually being tested. Here, that is the goal too, as Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Dunn counties yesterday all announced new testing sites.