For the second year, Menomonie Market Food Co-op has awarded grants to local farmers to promote the growth of regional farming, food processing, and product development in the Chippewa Valley.

90% of the farms in the US are classified as small according to the USDA. Although an increasing amount of our food comes from large agricultural concerns, small farms help to maintain our rural economies, steward our resources and are incubators for new agricultural opportunities.

The city of Eau Claire has issued a warning about potential flooding in the city. At 5 AM today the Chippewa River gauge at Grand Avenue read 770.6 feet, approximately three feet below the flood stage reading. 

The current crest projection is 771.7 feet for Tuesday, May 21. Some of the Chippewa River Trail will be below water at that point. 

As a safety precaution, the following areas are closed:

Meeting agenda is attached/

1. Presentation of community awards

2, Student presentation on internship at Westconsin Credit Union.

3. Student Representative Presentation - last presentation for this school year.

5. Community Communications - new policy on community communications was read.

On May 15, the Supreme Court will hear arguments concerning the legality of the December 2018 “extraordinary session.” The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is one of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit. In recent weeks, there have been some misconceptions perpetuated by those who oppose the merits of our case. Here are some facts of the lawsuit:

The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, thanks to a sustained public health effort built around near universal use of a safe and effective vaccine. But less than two decades later, measles is back, and at a level not seen for a quarter-century, meaning a generation of healthcare workers have little experience with the disease.

A stubborn slump in milk prices is hammering Wisconsin's dairy industry. In 2015, prices plummeted, and have yet to recover. In 2018, the state lost dairy herds at a record-breaking pace, and led the nation in farm bankruptcies.

Reorganization Meeting - 5:30 PM

1. Call Meeting to Order \

2. Seating of Newly Elected Members

3. Roll Call and Quorum

4. Election of Board Officers

President nominations - David Styer, Amy Riddle-Swanson - results, Styer  4, Riddle-Swanson 5

Vice President nominations - David Styer, Tricia Thompson - results, Styer - 4, Thompson - 5

Treasurer nominations - David Styer - elected by consent

Recently a private corporation, ICA, requested a zoning change in New Richmond for the purposes of building an ICE detention center for immigrants.  ICA already runs one detention center in Virginia and is under contract with ICE to hold immigrants there. The proposed 500-bed detention center received quite a lot of resistance in the community, especially in social media.

Turnout was very heavy at the JFC Budget Hearing in River Falls on Monday. The general tone of this hearing was very different than the hearings during the Walker administration, as almost all of the testimony this time around was in favor of the Evers budget, which is much more liberal in its spending plans.