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The Family Fare store in Chippewa Falls is closing its doors.  SpartanNash, which owns Family Fare, says its Bay Street store will begin making layoffs in April, affecting 57 employees.  A closure date and a reason for the closure have not been released.  This comes after the Family Fare store in Lake Wissota closed in March of last year.

Respiratory illnesses are beginning to trend downward across Wisconsin.  The latest data from the CDC says that while respiratory illness activity is still “moderate” across the state, emergency room visits for COVID and the flu are beginning to decrease.  COVID rates are currently higher than flu or RSV rates in the state.

The University of Wisconsin – Madison is being recognized by a major publication.  The school says Time Magazine ranked it as the 20th best university out of 500 institutions worldwide.  It also placed as the second best public university in the United States, with only the University of Michigan receiving a better score among those schools.  Among the items looked at by the magazine include academic capacity, performance, and global engagement. 

As Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, Wisconsin is being ranked as one of the best states for singles.  That’s according to a new WalletHub study, which ranked which states are the best and worst for singles based off of factors such as the number of single adults in the state, the economics of those who are single, and the number of restaurants, attractions, and nightlife options which can be used for dates.  Wisconsin ranked as the sixth best state for

“Thank you, Jeff, for saving my life.” Those were the words 14-year-old Kaden Gulich shared following what he called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reconnect with Jeff Dykes, an assistant baseball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  The two embraced and posed for pictures inside the John & Carolyn Sonnentag Fieldhouse Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by Blugold baseball players and family members. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY.

In Buffalo County, a Mondovi man is in custody and facing a list of drugs and weapons charges.  Search warrants executed earlier this month uncovered illegal drugs and firearms including a modified fully automatic pistol and two short-barreled shotguns.  Twenty-seven-year-old Patrick Fox — who is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous conviction — was arrested. 

Sentencing is being ordered for a Tomah man convicted of sexually assaulting a child.  James Ossinger was arrested in November of 2024 with investigators saying he abused the victim multiple times.  Ossinger pleaded guilty last year to charges including repeated sexual assault of the same child.  He has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

In Barron County, a defendant charged in a child pornography cases is accepting a plea deal.  Authorities report they received a tip from Snapchat that spawned an investigation leading to Tyler Sprague’s arrest last year.  Investigators say they found child pornography on Sprague’s electronic devices.  The defendant pleaded guilty this week to two counts of child porn possession and will be sentenced at a later date.

Snowmobile trails are closing today in Chippewa County.  The Chippewa Valley Snowmobile Organization reports the closure is due in part to above average temperatures being forecasted for the next several days.  Chippewasnowmobiletrails.com has more info. and you can get that with AN EASY CLICK HERE.

A man is pleading not guilty after he allegedly lit a Wisconsin Rapids house on fire.  Last September, Michael Vandenbergh allegedly set a home on fire on 17th Avenue South, while an adult and two children were inside the home.  Vandenbergh was allegedly seen on surveillance video before the fire began.  No injuries were reported and Vandenbergh pled not guilty on Monday to multiple charges of attempted murder and arson.