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It’s community service for a woman who ran down a bicyclist near Cleghorn last year. An Eau Claire County judge yesterday sentenced Barbara Wiedenbeck, from Eleva, to perform 120 hours of community service as part of her plea deal. She also has to pay the man she hit nearly ten thousand dollars. If she does that, and stays sober, the felony charges against her will be dismissed. Deputies say Wiedenbeck hit a man on a bicycle near Cleghorn. He was

There’s a homicide investigation in Marathon County following a house fire near Rozellville. Firefighters found the bodies of two people inside a burned-out home yesterday morning. Deputies say there are clear signs of foul play. There is no word about how the two died, or their connection to the home. There’s also no word on what started the fire. Investigators are not guessing about a motive or suspects in the case.

Investigators in far northern Wisconsin say a UW Health surgeon died when the ground gave out from underneath her while she was hiking. The autopsy for Kelsey Musgrove shows she died within minutes of falling from a bluff near the Potato River in Iron County. The sheriff’s office says her body was found at the base of the bluff, along with rocks and clay that had fallen with her. Musgrove told friends she was going for a hike, but then never returned.

The zoo in Chippewa Falls is preparing for the bird flu. Irvine Park zookeeper Cynthia Valentino said none of their birds are sick right now, and she said they are working to keep it that way. Valentino says they are taking several precautions to keep their birds healthy. Wisconsin is one of many states dealing with a bird flu outbreak. Veterinarians say it looks like wild birds are spreading the flu to birds in domestic flocks or in captivity.

You can no longer buy a dog, a cat, or a bunny at a pet store in Beloit. City council members this week approved a new ordinance that bans pet sales at pet stores in the city. There aren’t any pet stores in Beloit that sell pets, but a city spokesperson says council members wanted to send a message anyway. The new ordinance also seeks to create ‘community awareness of animal welfare.’

Wisconsin’s governor is sending millions-more to schools across the state. Governor Evers yesterday signed a plan that will spend 15 million-dollars on mental health services for students. Every school in Wisconsin is guaranteed at least ten thousand-dollars, but some schools will get a lot more. Some of the money will be used to hire ‘mental health navigators,’ provide mental health first aid, and provide what the governor is calling ‘family assistance programs.’

The UW System’s new free speech survey was apparently the last straw for Whitewater’s chancellor. The Wisconsin State Journal reported yesterday that Jim Henderson resigned on Monday out of frustration over the recently-ordered survey. The paper says Henderson didn’t want to force another survey on students, and wasn’t happy about the politics behind the survey’s origins. Henderson is the third chancellor at UW-Whitewater to leave since 2018.

A Marquette County sheriff’s deputy is arrested after being accused of soliciting sexual acts from someone who’s underage.  A statement from the sheriff’s office says Travis Bittelman was arrested today but his specific charges haven’t been announced.  The sheriff’s office says it will update the case after an internal review.

Visit Eau Claire is bringing back the ColorBlock program for 2022. ColorBlock is an exhibition of original mural art, free and accessible to the public 365 days a year. Murals will rejuvenate an overlooked part of the city, provide opportunities for artists, and create a new destination for locals and tourists alike. Artists are selected through a committee after their applications are reviewed. All selected artists will be provided a monetary stipend for their work, and all of their materials

Students in University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Honors College recently joined efforts to support refugees in Wisconsin through a service learning project. And they will build a greater understanding of what life is like for people fleeing their home countries to reach safety at a panel discussion, Afghan Refugees in Wisconsin, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, virtually in Zoom.  The discussion is open to the public. The panelists, from organizations in Eau Claire and Wausau helping Afghan refugees, will discuss resettlement efforts in