Home

The verdict is in for a defendant charged in the killing of a man six years ago in La Crosse.  Forty-five-year-old Anquin St. Junious has been convicted in the killing of Virgil Stewart.  Prosecutors say that St. Junious fatally stabbed Stewart at a location on South 7th Street in January of 2019.  Jurors have found the defendant guilty of second-degree reckless homicide. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE WITH WEAU 13 NEWS.

A man charged in connection with the setting of wildfires in Jackson County is pleading guilty.  Those fires burned on county and private lands back in 2023.  Defendant Daniel Johnson has pleaded guilty to three counts of intentionally setting fire to another’s land.  He will be sentenced at a later date. 

A man who was the recent subject of a manhunt in Eau Claire appeared in court via video on Tuesday.   Leo Lacey is charged with crimes including hit and run, intentionally pointing a firearm at a person, theft of property and false imprisonment.  At a preliminary hearing yesterday, Lacey stated that he has been unable to secure a lawyer.  The court is allowing him more time do so and his next appearance is scheduled for later this month.

Wisconsin is joining a lawsuit against genealogy company 23andMe.  On Tuesday Attorney General Josh Kaul announced the state is joining a coalition of states involved in a lawsuit against the company.  The suit aims to stop 23andMe from auctioning off the genetic information of users.  The personal information of about 15 million customers could be sold off after the biotechnology company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.  The lawsuit, filed in federal bankruptcy court, challenges the company’s attempt to auction

A handful of Democrat state lawmakers are looking to change the process for primary voting in Wisconsin.  Several senators and representatives are sponsoring a measure that would allow voters to split tickets in partisan primaries.  As it stands now, citizens are only able to cast a ballot for a single party primary.  State Democrats have also sponsored legislation that would add a REAL ID from another state to the list of acceptable identification at the polls.

Wisconsin lawmakers are considering a measure that would ensure continued funding for the state’s 9-8-8 crisis hotline.  Federal dollars for the service are currently set to expire next year.  Legislation introduced in Madison would require the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to keep the hotline running.  Officials say the service has received 200-thousand calls and messages from Wisconsin residents seeking help with mental health concerns since launching in July of 2022.

The teacher who was shot to death at Madison’s Abundant Life Christian School is being added to the National Memorial to Fallen Educators. Erin West is one of nine individuals who are being honored this year. West and 14-year-old student Rubi Vergara were killed in the school shooting last December. The National Teachers Hall of Fame will host the memorial ceremony in Emporia, Kansas on Friday of next week.

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism has announced a third consecutive record-breaking year.  According to a press release from Governor Tony Evers’ office, Wisconsin generated $25.8 billion in total economic impact in 2024, surpassing the previous record of $25 billion in 2023.  The state also welcomed 114.4 million visits over the course of the year.  Governor Evers credited the growth to strategic investments in tourism included in his budget, though he noted that some of those investments were cut by Republican

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is seeking public input on a Western Wisconsin bridge improvement project.  The project intends to replace six bridges between the Chippewa River and Nelson.  The bridges were originally built in 1933, and the DOT says they have reached the end of their service lives.  The project is expected to take an estimated two years to complete. Public comments are due by July eleventh. CLICK HERE TO BE A PART OF THE PROJECT.

Voters in Madison will use electronic poll books in an upcoming special election.  The poll books, called Badger Books, will replace paper poll books in Dane County’s First District during the June 17th election. The technology is developed by the Wisconsin Elections Commission and is already in use in over a hundred communities throughout the state.  The city says it’s taking advantage of the smaller election to test out the new technology.