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The trial for a man accused of killing a newlywed couple in an Elkhorn bar starts today. Prosecutors say Thomas Routt killed the couple, Emerson and Gina Weingart, inside Sports Page Barr early last year. Gina was working as a bartender during the shooting. Routt previously spent 25 years in prison for setting fire to his ex-mother-in-law’s residence and was released in 2020. He’s pleading not guilty to his charges, which include homicide, attempted homicide, and armed robbery. Jury selection

The Sparta Area Fire District says it helped free a horse that got trapped in a manure pit on Sunday. Crews used tow straps to lift the horse out of the pit in Monroe County. It got stuck after fencing was blown down and the horse veered into the pit. The horse seems to be okay, but and its owners plan to have it checked by a veterinarian.

To accommodate traffic control for the Blue Ox Music Festival, Crescent Avenue between North Town Hall Road and Eagle Lane will be closed beginning at 6:00 A.M. on Thursday, June 26th. The road will reopen at 10:00 P.M. Heavy traffic for the music festival is expected on Crescent Avenue. Commuters who usually use Crescent Avenue may prefer to use an alternate route. The Blue Ox Music Festival runs from Thursday, June 26th through Saturday, June 28th.

Wisconsin lawmakers are among those reacting to the U.S. bombing of Iran nuclear sites over the weekend.  In an address to the nation Saturday night, President Trump called the strikes a spectacular military success saying the bombings has obliterated Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.  Eau Claire-area Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden says he fully supports President Trump’s actions to defend Israel and to send a clear message to America’s adversaries that the U.S. does not tolerate nuclear intimidation.  Showing you different

A Madison couple is accused of trying to poison two women in Dane and Rock counties.  Paul VanDuyne Jr. and Andrea Whitaker face charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, homicide and stalking.  Prosecutors say the pair conspired to create poisons and use them to murder women with whom VanDuyne had previously dated.  That included breaking into their cars and filling water bottles with poisons and placing poison in the car’s ventilation.  The couple appeared in court Friday, where cash bail

A Wisconsin man is being identified as the person who died following a vehicle crash in western Minnesota.  The accident happened at around 7 a.m. Friday in Chisago County when 50-year-old Matthew Hudec of St. Croix Falls went left of center on Highway 95 and hit another vehicle head-on.  Hudec died at the scene while the other driver survived with non-life-threatening injuries.  Alcohol use is not considered to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.

In Vernon County, a woman free on parole was arrested Friday in connection with a burglary.  Items including power tools had been reported missing from a building last week and investigating officers say their case led them to suspect Jourdan LeAnn Womack.  Womack was taken into custody on charges including burglary and parole violation.

Willow Newell is the first Black woman to be crowned Miss Wisconsin 2025.  Newell represented Miss Racine at Saturday’s event and competed against 29 other contestants.  She won in several categories including top vocalist and earning scholarships and awards.  She majored in Musical Theatre from Carthage College and graduated this year.  She advances to the Miss America 2026 competition in September in Orlando.

Frankie Gus Paschke, 50 years of age, from New Richmond has been arrested by the Wisconsin State Patrol Eau Claire Post for operating a motor vehicle under the influence, 5th offense. On June 22nd at approximately 12:46 am, Troopers from the Wisconsin State Patrol arrested Mr. Paschke for 5th offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. While performing routine traffic patrol on Interstate 94 near mile marker 32 in Dunn County, a trooper stopped a 2012 Honda Accord for a

Due to the projected heat wave, with heat indexes potentially exceeding 100 degrees. The Marshfield Fire and Rescue Department will allow access to their lobby for use as a cooling station. This will take place from Friday, June 20th, through Sunday, June 23, 2025. They will have chairs set up in their lobby for sitting only from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM.This is a temporary cooling station that will not be open overnight and does not provide sleeping accommodations. Access