Today's Media  Briefing will start at 1:30 PM and include:

• Governor Tony Evers
• Secretary-designee Andrea Palm, Wisconsin Department of Health Services 
• Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer of the Bureau of Communicable Diseases   
• Ryan Nilsestuen, Chief Legal Counsel, Office of the Governor 

The media briefing will almost certainly include information about yesterday's State Supreme Court ruling.

The state Supreme Court today ruled against the Safer at Home rules imposed by Governor Evers and Secretary-Designee Palm, claiming that the emergency orders overstepped the authority of the Department of Health Services and also violated the law passed in the lame-duck session at the end of the Walker administration that requires all administrative rules be approved by the state legislature. 

Governor Evers and Secretary-Designee Palm today announced a further "turning of the dial" in Wisconsin. Emergency Order 36 allows all standalone or strip-mall based retail stores to open to in-person shopping for up to five customers at one time.

The previously-announced drive-through testing in Eau Claire went well on Sunday, and while I was there the lines were short and moving as briskly as could be expected. According to today's Eau Claire Health Department briefing, 216 tests were run on Sunday. Testing will continue today (Monday, May 11, 2020) from 11 AM until 7 PM. There is no charge for the testing, and you do not need to have a healthcare provider to have the testing done.

During the current pandemic, food insecurity has visited many families in the area due to unemployment and under-employment. Farmers Union Enterprises donated 30,000 pounds of pork ribs to the Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire today The ribs come from Redwood Farms, one of the companies belonging to Farmers Union Enterprises. Redwood Farms supplies premium pork products to high-end restaurants in New York, Chicago and other cities across the U.S.

This  morning Governor Evers released a set of best practices for businesses that will be re-opening as restrictions are lifted under the Badger Bounce Back plan. 

The brochures include general guidelines for all businesses to follow as well as industry-specific advice, such as for restaurants, retailers, manufacturers, professional offices, farmers, manufacturers, builders, hotel and motel operators, barbers, personal care services and other fields.

Both the Eaux Claires festival and Ashley for the Arts announced this morning that they are canceling their musical events for the summer of 2020. 

Eaux Claires had previously worked out an agreement with the city of Eau Claire to hold their festival downtown this summer rather than at the prior more rural location. Ashley for the Arts will take place August 12-14 2021.