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Child abuse and neglect are pervasive – yet preventable – issues affecting communities across Wisconsin. To raise awareness and acknowledge the collective efforts of families, caregivers, communities, and agencies preventing child maltreatment, Governor Tony Evers has proclaimed April as Family Strengthening Month.   “Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, stable, and nurturing environment,” said Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Emilie Amundson. “To achieve this, we need to ensure that every family has the necessary supports needed to

The father of the eight-year-old boy killed in Sheboygan Falls last week says his wife was drinking and becoming erratic after watching coverage of the war in Ukraine. Prosecutors filed formal charges against Natalia Hitchcock yesterday. They say she admitted to strangling her son last week so that he wouldn’t be sexually assaulted or attacked. Hitchcock’s husband said his wife, who was born in Russia, became angry and paranoid in the days leading-up to the boy’s murder. He told police

Tomah Schools are blaming a problem with an electrical box for a smoky evacuation at an elementary school yesterday. Students at Lemonweir Elementary School were rushed out of the building after smoke started coming out of an electrical box in the school’s kitchen. No one was hurt. Crews were able to fix the box and have students return to class a little while later.

A lot of Squaw Lakes and Squaw Creeks in Wisconsin could soon have new names. The Department of the Interior yesterday announced the latest in the plan to rename nearly 30 places in Wisconsin because of their Native American names. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says they are taking suggestions for new names through the end of the month. The renaming effort is part of the plan to eliminate the term squaw from landmarks across the country.

The WAXX Cares project for the month of April is “Sofas For Service.”   It’s a way to make sure we don’t just “sit by” while our Veterans and hero’s lack basic household items. Last year (2021) “Sofas” helped 128 area veterans furnish their homes with furniture, beds, kitchen wares, small appliances and other miscellaneous household items.  CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS CAUSE. WAXX CARES WEDNESDAY INFO IS HERE!

The ballots are counted and we now get a peek into the political future around the Valley. The Eau Claire School board race was closely watched and the seats around the meeting table will email largely the same. Challengers Nicole Everson, Melissa Winter, and Corey Cronrath trailed at the end of vote counting last night. Incumbents Tim Nordin and Marquell Johnson appear to have come out on top. TO REVIEW MORE LOCAL RACE RESULTS WITH WEAU 13 NEWS CLICK HERE

It’s a million-dollars bond for the suspect in last week’s shooting outside the jail in Madison. Prosecutors filed formal charges yesterday against Demone Cummins. Police say he gunned a man down just outside of the jail one week ago. Investigators say Cummins circled the jail several times in a car, waiting for the victim to come outside. Madison’s police chief says the shooting was ”planned and premeditated.” No one is offering a reason as to why Cummins killed the man.

There’s an investigation into a wounded eagle near Bloomer. Travis Hakes, who is both a law enforcement officer and a candidate for sheriff in Chippewa County, found the bald eagle last Friday. He says it looks like someone shot the eagle with a shotgun. Both the state’s Department of Natural Resources and the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office are looking for who is responsible.

University of Wisconsin managers want to know what students think about free speech. The UW System yesterday announced plans to send free speech surveys to students at all 13 campuses. The school says the goal is to gauge what students think and how they feel, and then decide if the university needs to change or update any of its policies. In addition to asking students what they know about their free speech rights, the survey will ask students if they think there

Wisconsin’s Democratic U.S. Senator wants school kids to continue to get free lunches through at least the summer. Senator Tammy Baldwin yesterday asked the USDA to extend its free school lunch waiver. The waiver allows all kids to get free school lunches without having to fill-out applications or worry about income thresholds. The waiver was first adopted during the coronavirus pandemic.